Steelheading on the Wallowa River in Oregon

 

Date:  3-14 & 15  2009 Location:  Wallowa Oregon Fishing for Steelhead

Weather and Flow   Overcast days with rain.  Flows on the Wallowa stayed clear but the Ronde Blew out.  Something to remember.  Temperatures in the mid to upper 30’s.  Snow on the ground.

Objective and General Observations:     Kurt Barats,  myself and some of Kurt’s work colleges  took a long weekend and headed West to fish the Wallowa River in Oregon. I was very keen on getting my first  Ronde/Wallowa Steelhead.  I have been on two other trips to this area with neither producing a Steelhead. We stayed at the Mingo hotel in Wallowa.  Nice clean little motel with a young energetic owner.  There are several places in town to eat.  One café opened at 6:30 for breakfast and was good.  A good way to check Wallowa timing is to find out if fish have begun to return to the Wallowa hatchery…once that is in full swing the fish are  in the river and it is time to go.   The train trip from Minam is very well worth it….~ 15 miles from Wallowa and $60 bucks.  Nice holes up high and at the very end toward the Grand Ronde confluence.

Trip Detail:    Day 1:  We spent a great day fishing the upper portion of the Wallowa River. It is a very nice section for fly fishers,  has easy access and water  that is small enough to cover well with a normal rod.  Day 1 was rainy but the water stayed clear….much clearer than the Ronde which we were to see the following day.  Day 1 produced a nice Steelhead (Marks first Wallowa Steelie) and a massive hit that straightened my #2 TMC hook.  In the end all I had was a bent hook and a big fish scale on the point end...plus a good memory of a savage strike.  More to come about this pattern in later blogs needless to say the Wallowa Steelhead that attacked it was large. We fished natural patterns using a large double bead stone as the lead fly and dropping a bead head nymph behind (fairly large on #12 or so).  I believe egg patterns behind will also produce. The fish seemed to be located right where the faster water turns slack and is deep. Key Learning's:  1)The best holes seem to be on the upper part of the Wallowa probably the first 5 miles of the legal Steelhead section. A real good hole  is located at mile post 40 (down stream from Robinson Bar)….park in the turnout cross the river and go downstream ¼ mile or so.  It will become obvious as you get closer.  Road is blocked by trees when you are at the right spot.  Fish the area where the small side stream flows back into the Wallowa...this has produced Steelhead on multiple occassions.  2)3)Another nice area is located directly across the street from a sign “Johnson Timber Wayside”  can be fished from both sides and has room for a chair and/or fire..   Day 2:  We rode the train from Minam with  the whole gang approximately  9 of us.  The way it works is you buy a ticket  at Minam, jump on the train that leaves around 8:30 . The conductor shouts when scheduled stops are coming up and get off.  The train will make a pass later in the afternoon (~3:30 pm) and pick everyone up.  There is a cooler on board for those that want to keep their fish.  The first fish train stop seems to be a big rock…from the rock down were saw several nice looking holes..you could get into this area by walking down the tracks but it would be a good 45 minute walk.  The locals do this and you can expect to see people along the river for the first couple of miles.   On the far side of the river (opposite side from the train tracks) you can drive down to a camp ground that takes  you about a ½ mile down the river.  You can walk down from there as well.  We did this and got within eye site of the big rock but it did take us several hours to get there.  Key Learning’s: = Holes to fish;  The upper holes looked good, directly down river from the first train stop . As you go further down Wagon Wheel  hole approximately 1.5 miles from confluence with the Ronde (looked great). We fished  38 hole approx. 1 mile from the confluence and it looked great but did not have any action fish from the far side of river).  Rock Garden is an area to ignore. even if they want to drop you there. The end of the line is really the spot…if you go the entire distance immediately get off the train and walk down toward the confluence.  There is excellent fishing ¼ mile from the confluence on the far side against the wall.  Don’t forget to fish the upper end of this where the water spills into a pool against the far bank…was excellent!