Heading down to the Grand Ronde.

[huntnnw]

It's not a bobber.. The guys having 10+ fish days are NOT using bobbers .. I haven't used a piece of yarn in 3 years down there or bait

[one shot kill]

Dynamite or pipe bomb.

[Bone_Collector]

I saw it down there yesterday it was a set up with 3 hooks and beads on all 3 of the hooks!

B_C

[woodywsu]

I've heard a lot of reports lately. A lot of pressure on WA side. A couple buddies decided to buy a oregon license and floated to teh border and had killer days. No pressure on the Oregon side.

As for methods, I've taken a lot of fish and everything. Drifting yarn or bait is killer but there is plenty of spoon and bobber water as well. Fish are throughout the system and every type of gear will take fish.

[andersonjk4]

Sounds like I need to just bring the whole arsenal down and see what works best for the location and for me.  I've heard people say that steelhead "go to bed" on the Grande Ronde and it isn't worth fishing from after mid to late afternoon and not before about 11:00am.  Any truth to this? I'll probably still have a pole in the water while I'm down there just wondering.  Up river on the snake I've done my best steelhead fishing at night with lighted plugs, so it seems strange that these ones would be any differnt, but I guess this is a lot skinnier water and the fish are in a different stage of there journey. 

[WSU]

Sounds like I need to just bring the whole arsenal down and see what works best for the location and for me.  I've heard people say that steelhead "go to bed" on the Grande Ronde and it isn't worth fishing from after mid to late afternoon and not before about 11:00am.  Any truth to this? I'll probably still have a pole in the water while I'm down there just wondering.  Up river on the snake I've done my best steelhead fishing at night with lighted plugs, so it seems strange that these ones would be any differnt, but I guess this is a lot skinnier water and the fish are in a different stage of there journey.

Not exactly.  The bite often picks up mid-day as the temps warm up (the ronde is cold this time of year).  But, I've caught tons of fish right at dark and at daylight. 

And, I wouldn't bring a bunch of different setups.  I'd bring a float road and a drift rod and work the water.  Keep moving and don't spend too terribly long in one spot.  Those fish aren't moving fast and there are only a certain number of biters in each spot.  You can always go back once the water has rested for a few hours.

[huntnnw]

some of the best fishing on that river is sunrise till 11am and then 1-4pm..alot of times the fish turn off when the sun gets off the water in the evening

[allen]

I've been waiting with baited breath, you gotta let us know how you did.

[andersonjk4]

I've been waiting with baited breath, you gotta let us know how you did.

Haha.  You were waiting for nothing.    Didn't catch a single fish.  Although that was pretty much the outcome I expected.  This was my first time fishing for steelhead like this, so it was more of a learning experience.  I did learn some things and I did get one bite that I missed.  The weather was great and the scenery down there was awesome as always.  Next time I will have to bribe some of the more experienced steelheaders down there or on here to show me the ropes.  I have been fishing warm water fish (bass/walleye) my whole life, so steelhead fishing (drift fishing) is going to take some time for me to get the hang of.  Good luck to all of you who are headed down there. 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Would be nice if Huntnw would let us in on the hot method of catching the steelhead up there? We need to come together
 and love one another here on hunt wa!

[TheHunt]

Well, he eliminated bait, bobber, and yarn ball or yarn.   

It could be

1.  Metal = spoon or spinner
2.  Corky

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Guess that leaves metal throwin and plugs.

[WSU]

Bead.

[goosegetter79]

Bead.

   Good bddy uses just a bead and does pretty good when no one else is.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Yes. The bead! Thanks for the clarification.