Imagine this. Waking up at 6 am to the smell of fresh coffee and a chorus of birdsong. After stuffing sleeping gear in the dry bags, a hearty breakfast of freshly made omelets awaits with more ingredients than one can count. Then the boat launch with the dry dropper locked and loaded and an amazing set of pocket water opportunities, many holding feisty trout ready to run and jump. Experienced guides gently guide: “try that riffle”. A quick bite of lunch on a huge ham sandwich with all the trimmings sets up the afternoon for the 2 pm stone fly show. Casting to rising trout makes the hunt so much sweeter (and soothes the chagrin of the occasional willow hookup). All of this against the backdrop of wildflowers, eagles, tanagers, veerys, woodpeckers, warblers, swans, sandpipers, mountain goats and elk, but without houses or roads. As the sun lowers in the sky, the nights’ camp appears around the bend with our tents set up and hors d’oeuvres already on the table. A quick change of clothes and it’s time for a gourmet dinner prepared by the guides turned chefs. A conversation with an amazing set of fellow fisherman and some history of the Nez Piece tribe give way to the pull of the sleeping bag where slumber comes easily to the tune of the river’s gentle melody.
While imagining this is compelling, experiencing it on a four day float through the roadless section of the Grand Ronde is so much better. Her fish are hot and really know how to bend the rod and peel line off the reel. We just got back from our third trip with Grant and Lottie’s group at the Minam Store and we’ve already booked our fourth.
