Grande Ronde River: Difference between revisions

The Grande Ronde River is considered one of the top recreational fisheries in the Pacific Northwest, particularly for steelhead, chinook salmon and rainbow trout.<ref name="Grande Ronde WSR">{{cite web|url=https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/river/grande-ronde|title=Grande Ronde River|publisher=National Wild and Scenic Rivers System|access-date=February 21, 2024}}</ref> Steelhead fishing is typically best from September or October to early December, when water temperatures fall low enough to draw steelhead out of the Snake River. Only hatchery fish with clipped [[adipose fin]]s may be kept.<ref name="Shewey 2011"/>{{rp|285}} [[Fly fishing]] for trout is good along the Wild and Scenic stretch in Oregon. [[Smallmouth bass]] are common in the lower river in Washington.<ref name="Shewey 2011"/>{{rp|287}} The Grande Ronde's tributary, the Wenaha River, is one of only a few Oregon rivers where fishing for bull trout is permitted (catch-and-release only).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/northeast-zone|title=Northeast Zone|publisher=eRegulations|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref> Because the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla grants rights to Umatilla and Nez Perce subsistence fishing in the Grande Ronde River, chinook salmon tags are apportioned evenly between the sport and subsistence fisheries.<ref name="Hurtado"/>

 

Along the Oregon–Washington border, the river is accessible by road from Powwatka Bridge (Wildcat Creek) {{convert|8|mi|km}} upstream from Troy, to Shumaker Creek about {{convert|10|mi|km}} downstream from Boggan's Oasis. The mouth of the river is also reachable by road from Asotin.<ref name="TNM"/> While the Wild section of the Grande Ronde is entirely on the Umatilla National Forest, the Recreational section passes through a mix of public and private lands. Several public access points are maintained along this stretch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/wsr-orwa-grande-ronde-map.pdf|title=Grande Ronde River Wild and Scenic River|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Land Management|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref> From this reach upstream to the Wallowa River confluence and down to the Snake River, the Grande Ronde is accessible only by boat. Fishing is often done from drift boats and rafts, and several private outfitters run multi-day floating trips on the river.<ref name="Shewey 2011"/>{{rp|287}}

 

Due to its abundant wildlife, the Grande Ronde area is frequented by hunters. Big game hunting for elk, deer, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear and mountain lion draws about 40,000 people each year to the Umatilla National Forest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/umatilla/recreation/hunting|title=Hunting|publisher=U.S. Forest Service|date=|access-date=February 22, 2024}}</ref> The river is also used for bird hunting, with chukar, partridge and quail common along riverside and grassland areas, and turkey and grouse in the upland forested areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/wallowa-whitman/recreation/hunting/?recid=51353&actid=56|title=Game Bird/Waterfowl|publisher=U.S. Forest Service|date=|access-date=February 23, 2024}}</ref> Due to the lack of roads, many hunters use boats on the river to access remote areas.<ref>{{cite report|title=Snake Wild and Scenic River Study Draft Report/Environmental Statement|date=April 1979|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Snake_River_Wild_and_Scenic_River_s_WSR/Zk03AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0}}</ref>{{rp|51}} Bird hunting locations near the river include the Wenaha Wildlife Area around Troy, and parts of Ladd Marsh in the Grande Ronde Valley.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dfw.state.or.us/maps/wildlife_areas/Ladd%20Marsh%20game%20bird%20hunting%20map.pdf|title=Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area Game Bird Hunting|publisher=Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife|access-date=February 23, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/management_plans/wildlife_areas/docs/Wenaha.pdf|title=Wenaha Wildlife Area Management Plan|publisher=Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife|date=December 2017|access-date=February 23, 2024}}</ref>