Grande Ronde River

... and a great piece of steelhead water.

A mid-sized western steelhead river flowing less than a thousand cfs in October, the Ronde drains Oregon’s Blue, Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains, enters Washington State some thirty miles from its juncture with the Snake, and winds through a rugged canyon whose steep walls rise three to four thousand feet above the river.

By October the Ronde’s sea-run rainbow have negotiated the Columbia and the Snake to begin their run up home waters. Ten more days and I’m going to join them with guide John Farrar , hoping to delay one or two, only briefly, on their way.