Northeastern Oregon/Southeastern Washington's famous Grande Ronde River Canyon is the site of an unforgettable treat of "five star" steelheading. The region is a semi-arid ecosystem, set in some of the most picturesque back country in the west. You'll see plenty of wildlife including wild big horn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, rocky mountain elk, river otters, bald and golden eagles and much more.

Fly fishing for steelhead is at it's best from late September until the middle of November for both wild and hatchery fish in the five to fourteen pound range. The Grande Ronde steelhead are very aggressive and are famous for taking dry flies. The river's classic runs were favorites of rod maker Jimmy Green, outdoor writer Ted Trueblood, Jack Hemingway and many other famous steelhead anglers such as, Ralph Wahl, Enos Bradner and Bill McMillan.

Grande Ronde Float Trips

The Grande Ronde River drains what water it can from the Wallowa and Wildcat Mountains of Oregon and runs to the mighty Snake River in Washington. Beginning in late September through October the weather in this temperate desert region is ideal for multi-day float trip. This also happens to be the peak of the summer steelhead run. Floats are from Boggan’s to the confluence with the Snake River.

Floating this remote stretch of  "The Ronde" and fly fishing for steelhead that are famous throughout the world for eating dry flies, is a trip that most folks have rated above other fly fishing excursions.

Through the past fourteen years their camp has evolved to be unparalleled amongst other mobile river camps. It consists of two seven man stand up tents with large vestibules to accommodate the anglers, a twelve by fourteen foot wall tent for dining and socializing and self bailing rafts. All trips are geared for four or six anglers. There is one guide for each two anglers, a swamp raft manager and a streamside chef. As it is with most other outfits their guides don't need to break down and set up camp, so they'll be there to assist you all day, every day. All trips are four days and three nights. On Mondays six angler trips launch and on Wednesdays four angler trips launch.

Speywater Lodge

Classic lodge style accommodations are provided on the river in Troy, Oregon. The lodge was hand built by Credence Clearwater Revival's  John Fogerty.  It's a small lodge with three rooms that each sleep two anglers. One room has it's own bath and the other two share one. It has a large river stone fireplace, two very "cozy" sleeping lofts and a patio with a wood fired hot tub that sits within a few feet of the "Ronde". The capacity is 6 anglers.

All trips are four nights and three days of guided fishing. There is an option for an extra day of guided fishing day of arrival or departure. The water is accessed by floating and roadside. Both have their advantages on different sections of the river. The food is outstanding with incredible meals and always seem to exceed expectations.

The closest "cities" are Clarkston Washington, Lewiston Idaho and Enterprise Oregon and are more than an hours drive. They are what one might expect from cities in the middle of nowhere. There's a small tourist town near Enterprise called Joseph, that has lots of talented art shops and cafes.