Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: twisp_river_slayer on October 14, 2009, 04:40:40 PM

Title: Grande Ronde
Post by: twisp_river_slayer on October 14, 2009, 04:40:40 PM: Hey can anybody tell me about the steehead run? Is it worth the time to fish it?

Thanks
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: jackelope on October 14, 2009, 04:41:31 PM: lots of fish 4-8 pounds. great flyfishing river, the steelhead love surface flies skated down and across.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: yelp on October 15, 2009, 01:59:58 PM: Beautiful River...Fun fishing...Lots of good spots to fish.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Machias on October 15, 2009, 02:16:08 PM: What is the bank fishing like? Any suggestions for later on this winter? Thanks!
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Red Dawg on October 15, 2009, 02:40:28 PM: Its only fun if you like to catch a ton of steelhead.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: jackelope on October 15, 2009, 02:45:55 PM: Quote from: Machias on October 15, 2009, 02:16:08 PM
What is the bank fishing like? Any suggestions for later on this winter? Thanks!

it's a small river with lots of bank access and tons of fish, easily accesible from the bank. i think now is the time for that river or maybe some time in the next few weeks is prime time. just have to make sure you're fishing in washington. i floated it one time and had to walk the boat a few times, but it was august-september and the water was down quite a bit.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: jackelope on October 15, 2009, 02:46:55 PM: you could call bogan's oasis for info. plenty of good access up from there on the grande rhonde river road if i remember correctly.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Red Dawg on October 15, 2009, 02:50:08 PM: October/november is the G spot for that river in the fall. The last time I went in October which was a few years ago I had a 9 fish day on the fly rod. Good times. If you can take a drift boat and fish from bogans to shumacher grade.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: jackelope on October 15, 2009, 02:54:53 PM: i floated from somewhere upstream down to bogans. i can't remember the name of the launch. it was prolly a 6-7 mile float.
great smallmouth fishing in that river too...i caught a 4 lb'er on the flyrod on that trip.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: SHANE(WA) on October 16, 2009, 02:08:44 AM: hey machias, if you head down in late feb to early april there is a good chance I will be down there on the weekends fishing, I will show where to fish and what. Awesome river, 20-30 fish days are not uncommon on this river. There is an absolute ton of fish this year and big, lower granite had a 32" average for a long period of time. The fly guys right now are hammering them on the lower, talked to several that have had 10-15 fish days and said the fish that they were catching were very big, unusually big for this river.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Woodchuck on October 16, 2009, 05:28:21 AM: they just upped the limit to 5 hatchery fish with no more than 3 equal to or longer than 32 in. in washington waters or shared with washington. started the 7th, i am told they are knocking the fish dead
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Machias on October 16, 2009, 10:46:43 AM: Quote from: SHANE(WA) on October 16, 2009, 02:08:44 AM
hey machias, if you head down in late feb to early april there is a good chance I will be down there on the weekends fishing, I will show where to fish and what. Awesome river, 20-30 fish days are not uncommon on this river. There is an absolute ton of fish this year and big, lower granite had a 32" average for a long period of time. The fly guys right now are hammering them on the lower, talked to several that have had 10-15 fish days and said the fish that they were catching were very big, unusually big for this river.

Awesome, I WILL be down there!!
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: SHANE(WA) on October 20, 2009, 01:22:48 AM: cool, I have spent the last 22 years fishing that river in late winter, its a blast, i will get you squared away. I might head down here in 2 weeks, its starting to itch at me :chuckle: lotta fish should be a awesome spring
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: huntncoug on November 03, 2009, 09:03:40 PM: I fished the Grande Ronde for the last five years while in college. We fished it every weekend, Fri-Sun, from Dec. to March. During this time period the river is almost free of other fishermen. The river is georgous and has a ton of fish.
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Machias on November 03, 2009, 10:18:11 PM: Quote from: huntncoug on November 03, 2009, 09:03:40 PM
I fished the Grande Ronde for the last five years while in college. We fished it every weekend, Fri-Sun, from Dec. to March. During this time period the river is almost free of other fishermen. The river is georgous and has a ton of fish.

That sounds awesome!!
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: huntncoug on November 07, 2009, 10:58:32 PM: It was awesome, we would set up camp on friday and drink beer and fish all weekend till Sunday, drive home, go to sleep around 7pm on Sunday and go to class on Monday. Awesome scenery, deer, elk, big horn sheep, turkey, chukar, quail. The only scenery we missed out on while fishing the Grande Ronde was the Split Tail that was ever present at the Pullman bar scence ;)
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: Dicko Bob on November 14, 2009, 08:35:40 PM: I bounced corkys down there for years with the friends! We always went in late February and early March depending on the run off. If it warms up a bunch and the water rises to a chocolate shake its not much fun; if you can catch it after it does that and gets cold again for a week your in the money!!! A lot of fish will move in during the high water, but the fishin is hot when it gets low from cold weather! Be prepared for combat fishing in hot spots if your bank fishing!!! There are plenty of spots between the hatchery and Bogans, and even downstream to get away from the hatchery croud!

Have Fun!
Rich
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: countywarrior on November 17, 2009, 07:58:49 AM: :dunno: never been to the grande rhonde but we are heading up for the first time after the week after thanksgiving...Any insights on where to fish and what to use anyone? And how bout the best way to get there out of yakima? Thanx
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: ribka on November 17, 2009, 08:03:34 AM: Gear or fly fishing?
Pull-off road anywhere and fish. Look for runs and water tat is moving walking speed.

I live near Yak and go through Tri-Cities and by Walla Walla
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: countywarrior on November 17, 2009, 08:07:54 AM: my bad brother yeah drift fishing...........and to get there take the highway down the grade to Bogans?
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: ribka on November 17, 2009, 08:16:36 AM: THat is the way I take.
If gear fishing try slip bobber and a small pink jig or pink worm.

Fly fishing try egg patterns, san juan worms, string leeches( purple, black) , stone fly nymphs ( blue or green)

If drifting the river first time check to make sure conditions ok, get a map and ask at Boggans. Very nice people there
Good luck
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: whacker1 on November 17, 2009, 08:22:11 AM: Gear fishing requires staying down on the bottom in the fast water, which also means losing a lot of gear.

In a drift boat, many guides plug the holes, but I have never had much luck with plugs.

Sand shrimp can be helpful with Corkies and yarn. Same colors ribka mentioned.

If drifting the first time - try and follow someone, because the river is shallow and changes significantly from year to year. There are several good holes between bogans and shoemaker grade.
Goodluck
Title: Re: Grande Ronde
Post by: ribka on November 17, 2009, 08:43:02 AM: That's right, Plugging works well too if in a boat. Forgot can use bait there. Shrimp work well to.
Stop at Hammers in Yakima. There is a few guys there that are very know ledgable about fishing in the area.