The steelhead fishing at the Grande Ronde has been lots of fun for all the past two weeks. Both fly casters, bobber and jig guys, and egg soakers have been having good days.  I had the great fortune a few weeks back to make some new friends from San Diego. One of the guys, Jim K., was on his first steelhead outing and better yet, he's going after the steelhead with a fly rod. The task of catching a steelhead on a fly is the holy grail to most fly fishers. Here is the kicker to Jim's trip, he had never touched a flyrod before in his life. Now that is a challenge. Jim's first day was pretty much learning how to handle the rod, work the line some distance, and being prepared for the opportunity.  Day one finished with Jim catching a few sucker fish, but no steelhead for Jim, but our partner, Dave S. pulled through with this beauty of a wild fish.  Not bad for his first GR steelhead.  Dave is an accomplished steelie fly guy with fish caught from BC, but his first GR steelhead is a trophy for sure.  Here is Dave with his precious GR wild steelhead for the day.


Day two started off with a bang, on the third drift, Jim had his first steelhead on the ropes.  Unfortunately this steelie taught Jim the lesson that steelhead have lots of pent up energy, and in one quick run, the all mighty steelhead won the battle. The line snapped and the fish was free. A disappointment well taken, Jim's desire was now never stronger to catch a steelhead. Dave pulled through with with another nice steelhead later in the morning.  After a nice bbq shore lunch, we headed to the next run. Jim jumped in the run and not a few drifts later, "FISH ON" was being proclaimed by the angler. A serious battle ensued with a myriad of runs and spectacular leaps, the fish was brought to net. With his newly honed fly fishing skills, Jim landed his first steelhead ON A FLY! Just two days after even trying this crazy and addictive lifestyle, he broke into the club with flying colors. This is a huge accomplishment for even the seasoned fly fisher. Not bad for a beginner, hey Jim!  WAY TO GO! Here is Jim in his crowning moment in his fly fishing career. Now what Jim? Bonefish on the fly in Belize, Kamchatka rainbows, Taiman toads of Mongolia? Let me know and I'll be there!


Look at that smile! By the way, Jim was using my new Loop switch rod he took to casting with very well. Thanks Big Joe up at Castaway's in C'dA.

The next third morning started off with Jim having the hot hand on a wide open bite. Jim landed two more steelhead, while Dave brought to hand two more also. At one point we even had a true double on the fly.  A rarity indeed, but it seems to happen more and more each season. We finished the day at noon with another nice bbq shore lunch as the rain came in hard. What a trip for two guys from SD. I'm sure these vivid memories will flash in their minds many, many times in the future, especially Jim  "touching the steel" for the first time. Thanks again Dave and Jim for making me the luckiest guy on earth. Please come back and visit soon, the steaks will be waiting!




 I have quite few trips with guys lust like Jim looking for the first steelie on the fly.  It's going to be tough to beat Jim's story. Keep checking back for more stories and updates. See you on the river.........rick