Clearwater & Grande Ronde

[Rick J]

Well I am heading out this PM to drive to Palo Cedro and my friend Brett and meet up with Don and Bruce. Three of us head out very early Thursday AM to drive to Lewiston to fish the Clearwater for a few days then to the GR to fish with Scott, Mike and Ed on a 4 day/3 night float - more later

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That's great Rick.....how are the runs looking so far?

[loganmike]

Bill,
The runs here are looking real good. The GR on the other hand, is another story, hot as hell, and a bit low. we need rain.

me

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Mike

Hope it cools down soon.

[loganmike]

Hi Bill,
Last weekend was promising and brought the hordes to the CW. Now we are back to 90 degree hell. Looks like it is going to stay that way till Thursday of next week!

[Rick J]

my weather report shows a pretty substantial drop off of temps into mid to low 70s by next week

[loganmike]

Hey rick,
that'd be awesome!


I am bringing my young son to the clave on Saturday and fishing Thursday night. Give me a jingle when you get in town. I sent you a pm with my #

mike

[Ffdoc]

I am going to be headed to the CW this Saturday to spend a week up there with my buddy from Quincy. My buddy and I have never been but decided to do our yearly Fall steelhead trip there this year. Looking forward to it. Got the spey rod and the 10ft 7 weight ready to go. Probably tied more flies for this trip than I will use in 3 trips, but so it goes. Hope to run into you Rick. I will report when i get back .

Ffdoc

[DFrink]

Hope you land a big one Doc!

Dan

[loganmike]

PM sent Ffdoc.

[Blueracer]

You all better report when you get back...please! Pics of the river, fun times and any fish would be welcomed in addition.

[speyfool]

I moved to the Portland area from the Bay area a few months ago. I've been fishing the Deschutes regularly now. The fishing has been rather slow by my, and many others accounts. I've heard that the GR is rather slow as well.

However, it seems to be improving. Last week, I pulled two steelhead out of the D in two hours of time. Could of been lucky, but I have a feeling things are getting better as pulls and plucks had been picking up prior to those two.

I was going to go today, but I skipped it because of the heat. Instead, I'll go next week when it cools off a bit.

-Rick

p.s. I went to the Bonneville Dam the other day to watch the fish through the window. There were hordes of steelhead and salmon going by. Fish count is above the 10 year average and we still have a few months to go.

[Rick J]

just back from our trip to the Clearwater/GR. Met up with Paul - the newest of our group in Lewiston and 4 of us fished the Clearwater for 2 days - brutally hot - mid to upper 90s - we had maybe a couple of pulls that could have been steelhead. Made it to the Clave and talked to Poppy for awhile a- a true giant in our sport!!!

Here is Bruce sending out a cast close to 100 feet with the big stick - Scott 1509

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/?action=view&current=P9240031.mp4

Sunday we bailed on the Clearwater and headed over to the GR to fish on our own for a day. Don hauled his new raft on the trip and he and I floated from Cougar down to Bogans while Bruce and Paul fished from the road. Don and I had a great day - I managed 3 fish and Don lost 2 on top.

My first fish on:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9250033.jpg

Fish to hand on a Moss Back:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9250038.jpg

Second fish on a Wife Beater (horrible name for a black marabou/rabbit with blue flash!!)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9250040.jpg

Toward the end of the day I had Don stop on his way up to the raft to give him a few pointers on skating - I said you cast our like this with rod tip right at the water - and wham - fish on a skater:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9250045.jpg

Next morning we met the guides at Bogans for Breakfast. Ed Ward could not make it as he had to return to Texas and Scott was preparing for a second trip - they are running two staggered trips a week - one with 6 and one with 4. So Mike joined us along with Clayton who guided us last year and a new hire - Whitney Gould - woman's champion spey caster - she did not get a chance to run the river ahead of time so whe did it blind including getting us through the narrows and was awesome - she was joined by Willa, aka "The blond bombshell" aka "The White Waker"!!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9260051.jpg

Early light on the river:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9260056.jpg

Bruce on:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270071.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270076.jpg

Camp 2 at first light
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9290100.jpg

Camp rafts - had 2 swampers and a cook - great food! All this stuff loaded on 2 big rafts:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270079.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270077.jpg

Willa begging from Jeff during lunch

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9280089.jpg

Jeff had big fish of the trip - close to 30"
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270068.jpg

More to come.....

[Ffdoc]

Great pictures. Looks like we should have headed to the Grande Ronde too. We fished the CW hard for 5 days with a rare grab that, as you say , might bave been steelhead. We got some good advise from locals (thanks much Loganmike) and at the Redshed. Either we are just that bad at swinging for steelhead or the fishing was off. We spoke to a number of Spey folks who were having similar luck that week. We saw an occasional gear guy in a drift boat hooked up so we know they were there. I did talk to a guide who had fished the day before we left with another guide friend and they got 2 fish between them on a full day drift. Still a beautiful river and it felt good to get my feet wet. Certainly lots of Spey casting practice. I will probably be back. Steelhead fishing is like that, I know. I was standing in the river thinking about the saying that one definition of insanity it doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It occurred to me as I let out another cast, watched it swing unmolested and stepped down to make the next cast that you could also say it is a good definition of swinging for steelhead !

Ffdoc

[Rick J]

At a lunch break the first day I went though a beautiful run and hooked 2 fish off the same rock within 3 casts of each other - here is first fish tailed by Whit and being examined by Willa

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/Whitnywithfish.jpg

And the second fish - a small hatchery fish

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9260054.jpg

Quite a few of my fish came on my single hander vintage 10' Fisher from the early 80s converted to s small switch - lots of fun with an old Perfect reel that really sings!!!

First evening camp site - tents
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270058.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270061.jpg

Camp mess table - Paul, Jeff, Joe,Bruce and Don

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270060.jpg

Mike and Whit:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9290098.jpg

A great place to hang out - really gorgeous country

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9280090.jpg

A nice typical fish - maybe a bit on the small side of average

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9270063.jpg

Camp 3 - last morning - Bruce hooked up

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9290094.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9290095.jpg

This is one of the best runs on the river - I think 5 fish came out of it the evening before and Bruce had this one and I had 2 head shakes the last morning.

Fish tally was right around 34 fish hooked in 4 days with maybe half that number landed. I had 8 fish on though Bruce claims one as only an assist as I made a cast and hooked a fish - it came out of the river and sounded like a tarpon rattle - it finally came unbuttoned and when I brought my fly in it was hooked to a giant wiggle wart!!! So must have just hooked the lure!?

The hottest fly was the Mossback which pissed off Scot no end - he called it a damn California fly!!!!!! A few on skaters. my hottest fish was also my last - at our last lunch stop - the thing hit and took off like a rocket well into my backing - I would say close to 30 yard or better - I ran downstream and had it close to the bank when it pulled loose after a few spectacular jumps - I was really happy at that point!!!

So looking forward to next year.

Here is a clip of Mike making a perfect downstream Perry Poke

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/?action=view&current=P9280086.mp4

Here is Whit taking a break!!!!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/RickJ/GR2011/P9290107.jpg

[wkoutptr]

I am headed up tomorrow for a trip with Scott & friends starting on Wednesday. Should be fun!

[Rick J]

good luck - the weather should be perfect!!!

Mike - sorry we missed you - in my scramble to get ready i seemed to have misplaced your telephone number so could not contact you when we got there

[Don Powell]

So glad to hear and see you guys had such a superb trip!
I know most of you from many varied encounters over the years I have chased steelhead...
Special people enjoying success in such a very special place warms my heart and encourages me that I chose the right sport to pursue as my favorite hobby... I know this is true because I experience joy in hearing about my friends and favorite friends/guides succeeding at what I love most...

Scott O'Donnell guided me to my first spey steelhead on the Grand Ronde on November 3, 1998- it is hard to believe 13 years have passed!

Thanks for a first class report that reminds me that even in this day and age, those who perservere in steelheading still succeed!!!