The Grande Ronde River has perhaps some of the best fishing for rainbow trout, bull trout and steelhead in Oregon. The Grande Ronde River is a tributary of the Snake River, in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington in the United States. It drains an area southeast of the Blue Mountains and northwest of the Wallowa Mountains, on the Columbia Plateau. It flows through the agricultural Grande Ronde Valley in its middle course and through a series of scenic canyons in its lower course.
At Little Creek Outfitters we focus on fishing and floating 45 miles of wild and scenic river starting your jouney in Minam on the Wallowa River. For 10 miles you will float the Wallowa and then it meets up with the Grande Ronde in the historical town of Rondowa. As you fish and float down river, our gear boat team will forge ahead to set up camp and prepare amazing, hardy Dutch oven meals.
A few historical facts:
In the early 19th century, the valley of the river was inhabited by Nez Perce, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Cayuse tribes of Native Americans. Numerous archaeological sites are on the public land around the river.
The Grande Ronde River was given its name sometime before 1821 by French Canadian voyageurs working for the Montreal-based fur-trading North West Company.[7] Grande Ronde is a French name meaning “great round”.[8]
A portion of Grande Ronde and its valley were part of the Oregon Trail. It was first used by settlers in 1844 when Moses “Black” Harris led his party to the river from Fort Hall and then turned northwest to cross the Blue Mountains. Harris’ navigation would be subsequently repeated, becoming a regular part of the Oregon Trail.[9]
In 1988, the United States Congress designated about 44 miles (71 km) of the river, from its confluence with the Wallowa River to the Oregon–Washington border, as the Grande Ronde Wild and Scenic River, as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
When: October
Days: 4
Anglers: 4-6
Price per Angler: $3,000
Your trip starts at the boat launch in Minam, Oregon where the Wallowa and Minam Rivers meet. This puts you at the beginning of quite possibly the best dry fly steelhead skating water you have ever seen in the lower 48. We will arrange your shuttle so you will have your car at the take out.
On the Water:
35+ miles of water will be covered in 3 nights and 4 days by fishing the entire way while a designated gear boat with 2 staff members packs and moves camp approximately 7-10 miles per day. For every 2 anglers, there will be 1 guide. Flies are provided.
At the Camps:
The dining room sits under a wall tent along with the kitchen. All meals are provided except breakfast the first morning and dinner the last evening. We do not provide alcohol. All meals are warm, hearty, and skillfully made. We utilize Dutch ovens and propane stoves. Your provided camping accommodations are four-season tents. These double occupancy tents are supplied with cots, pads, and a heater. Our evening stories are told around the campfire that sits on top of a fire pan. We set up at camp a toilet and its own privacy tent. The handwashing station is always available and warm.
We take out at the Powatka Bridge 7 miles above the town of Troy.
We practice no-trace camping and pack everything out with us.
You may choose to overnight in La Grande or Minam and here are a few options:
www.bestwesternoregon.com (541) 963-3100
www.royalmotorinnlagrande.com (541) 963-4154
Your vehicle will need to be shuttled to the take out. This will be an extra cost to you. We will make the arrangements for you on the morning of the trip when you arrive.
Extra costs:
Fishing licenses – With Columbia Basin Endorsements
Gratuity
Car Shuttle
Pack List:
We provide you with two dry bags. One is a duffel size bag that goes down to camp ahead of you and the other is a smaller dry bag to carry things (like a change of clothes in case you get wet) on your guide boat.
Clothes:
- Fleece
- Polypropylene
- Warm socks
- Camp shoes
- Stocking cap
- Baseball cap
- Polarized sunglasses
- Wading boots felt or cleats
- Waders (high quality)
- 0* sleeping bag and a packable pillow
- Wading stick
Toiletries:
- Sunscreen
- Biodegradable soap
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Medications
Fishing:
- 6 or 7 weight fly rod
- Interchangeable tip fly line
- Sink tips
- Nippers
- Forceps
- Steelhead flies
- Tippet 0x
- Leaders
- Camera
- Tackle bag
- Water Bottle
When: October
Days: 5
Anglers: 4-6
Price per: $3750
Your trip starts at the boat launch in Minam, Oregon where the Wallowa and Minam Rivers meet. This puts you at the beginning of quite possibly the best dry fly steelhead skating water you have ever seen in the lower 48. We will arrange your shuttle so you will have your car at the take out.
On the water:
35+ miles of water will be covered in 4 nights and 5 days by fishing the entire way while a designated gear boat with 2 staff members packs and moves camp approximately 7-10 miles per day. For every 2 anglers, there will be 1 guide. Flies are provided. This is a perfect trip for 4 anglers.
At the camps:
The dining room sits under a wall tent along with the kitchen. All meals are provided except breakfast the first morning and dinner the last evening. We do not provide alcohol. All meals are warm, hearty, and skillfully made. We utilize Dutch ovens and propane stoves. Your provided camping accommodations are four season tents. These double occupancy tents are supplied with cots, pads, and a heater. Our evening stories are told around the campfire that sits on top of a fire pan. We set up at camp a toilet and its own privacy tent. The handwashing station is always available and warm.
We take out at the Powatka Bridge 7 miles above the town of Troy.
We practice no-trace camping and pack everything out with us.
You may choose to overnight in La Grande or Minam and here are a few options:
www.minammotel.com (541) 437-4475.
www.bestwesternoregon.com (541) 963-3100
www.royalmotorinnlagrande.com (541) 963-4154
Your vehicle will need to be shuttled to the take out. This will be an extra cost of around $100 to you. We will make the arrangements for you on the morning of the trip when you arrive.
Extra costs:
Fishing licenses – With Columbia Basin Endorsements
Gratuity
Shuttle
Pack list:
We provide you with two dry bags. One is a duffel size bag that goes down to camp ahead of you and the other is a smaller dry bag to carry things (like a change of clothes in case you get wet) on your guide boat.
Clothes:
- Fleece
- Polypropylene
- Warm socks
- Camp shoes
- Stocking cap
- Baseball cap
- Polarized sunglasses
- Wading boots felt or cleats
- Waders (high quality)
- 0* sleeping bag and a packable pillow
Toiletries:
- Sunscreen
- Biodegradable soap
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Medications
Fishing:
- 6 or 7 weight fly rod
- Interchangeable tip fly line
- Sink tips
- Nippers
- Forceps
- Steelhead flies
- Tippet 0x
- Leaders
- Camera
- Tackle bag
- Water Bottle
We will meet at 8 am at the Minam boat launch. It is easy to find and here are the directions from Portland:
Welcome to Minam. The boat launch is on the left before the Bridge.
You may choose to overnight in La Grande or Minam and here are a few options:
www.minammotel.com (541) 437-4475
www.bestwesternoregon.com (541) 963-3100
www.royalmotorinnlagrande.com (541) 963-4154
Your vehicle will need to be shuttled to the take out. This will be an extra cost of around $100 to you. We will make the arrangements for you the morning of the trip when you arrive.