GEARING UP
Now let's consider some of your gear choices on the Grande Ronde River. When you're fly-fishing for steelhead, a variety of flies will get the job done: black Woolly Buggers, silver Hiltons, egg-sucking leeches are all good items to have in your fly box. Perhaps the flies most well known for success on the lower Grande Ronde are heavy on the purple end of the spectrum. Purple Woolly Buggers, the purple Perils, or Freight Trains seem to consistently catch more fish over other colors.

"The bottom line is that on a given day, steelhead are caught on a great variety of flies," suggests Mac Huff, speaking of the lower Grande Ronde River. "A properly presented fly, and the ability to detect the subtle take that typifies a dominant species like steelhead, will make much more of a difference than having the 'right' fly. A person with the 'right' fly who presents the fly improperly will not get any bites. Those who don't manage their fly line and drift properly will probably hook only the most blatantly obvious takes."

Winter fishing for steelhead is notorious for cold weather and hazardous conditions. The Lower Grande Ronde is not as bad for this as many streams, due in part to the canyon's elevation and the height of the canyon walls that hold in the heat, if there is any. One hazard here that needs to be mentioned is the risk of rattlesnakes. They can be, and often are, active in this area from February to November, if the temperatures are warm. Watch your step and place your feet only where you can see clearly.

The steelhead run rarely starts before October, when water temperatures are in the 50s and 60s. Mac calls this the "time for the locals to fish" since they don't have to worry about taking vacation time and getting on the river during the prime part of the season.

Fishing the river while temperatures are in this range means the most productive time is generally when they are heading down. Once the water has cooled to the low 30s, the productivity moves up again when the temperatures climb.

Water temperatures are seldom a good indicator of air temperatures, and as any seasoned steelheader knows, cold fingers and frozen noses are a part of the routine. Still, beware of the signs of hypothermia and take measures to get warm. If you notice your buddies acting more strangely than normal, slurring their words or shivering uncontrollably -- and especially if they stop shivering when it is still cold out -- get them somewhere warm and dry.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
You can reach the people and places referenced in this article at the following addresses.

Brad Smith and Bill Knox, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, can be reached at the Wallowa District Office, 65495 Alder Slope Road, Enterprise, OR 97828; or telephone (541) 426-3279. If you want to e-mail them, Brad's address is fishsmith@oregontrail.net, and for Bill, use gofish@oregontrail.net.

Mac Huff, an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, can be reached at Eagle Cap Fishing Guides. His address is PO Box 865, Joseph, OR 97846; or telephone 800-940-3688. His Web site, www.eaglecapfishing.com, gives a wealth of information on the Grande Ronde You can e-mail him from the site or via his e-mail address: machuff@oregontrail.net.

The Shilo Inn Café and RV Park- Gas can be reached at (541) 828-7741.

Boggan's Oasis, with its five rooms and hot tub, is at (509) 256-3372.