3 am

0.96/58

7 30 year

► The Grande Ronde is a one of the most appealing steelhead rivers in the West. Not only does the river flow through a beautiful canyon, but it boasts classic water in which traditional tactics standard summer steelhead swinging flies work well and most runs are obvious to anglers with only modest steelheading experience.

► By now everyone in Washington and Oregon knows about the 'Ronde, so don't expect to be alone.

► October is normally the best month to fish this river. The big question is WHEN in October. Optimum flows are 800-1200 cfs, which should be enough to draw fish in from the Snake. A little rain would help. On the other hand, the Grande Ronde can blow out big time during a storm, and can take several days to drop back to a fishable level.

► A floating line should be sufficient for most of October, and early in the month you might even take some fish on a skater. But if the water temperature dips below 48 degrees think about switching to a sink-tip.

► Make sure you have licenses and tags for both Washington and Oregon; good fishing doesn't stop at the border.

► Once the weather cools off, the best fishing will be between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Enterprise