The days are getting shorter, the temps are cooling off, and we finally received some rain—just in time for our first fall fishing trips of September!

Last week, we began running our guided fly fishing day trips on both the highway and railroad stretches of the Wallowa River, as well as our multi-day trips down the roadless stretch of the Grande Ronde between Minam and Troy. It did not disappoint.

To be honest, I always worry about the fishery coming out of a hot summer. Are the big rainbows still there? Did they migrate out of the roadless stretch of the Grande Ronde? Well... the fish are still there, healthy and aggressive as ever! I should know this after 15 years of living and guiding on this stretch of river, but I’m always anxious to get that first multi-day trip in the books to see how the fishery held up through August.

The October Caddis hatch has begun!

We are right at the beginning of the hatch, and these big, orange-bodied caddis will be around for the next two months. A brown size 8 Pat’s Rubber Legs and a size 8 Morrish Deep October Caddis Variant both work great on the nymph side. For dries, a size 10 Chubby Norm is my go-to since it easily suspends a dropper nymph, though size 8–10 orange Stimulators work well, too.

Streamer Season

My favorite thing to do in September is fish streamers. The trout are ready to put on the feedbag, and while the bug hatches are coming back in earnest, we all know the biggest fish in the river like to eat smaller fish—and that’s a hatch that happens year-round! You’ll often see me plying the water with size 6–8 streamers searching for the big dogs.

What is a September trip like out here?

Expect crisp mornings and evenings, warm afternoons, big rainbows, and some of the best river camping you’ll ever find.

And have you heard of the Grande Ronde Grand Slam?

If not, the Grand Slam means catching five native species of fish on your trip to earn the illustrious title. And yes, that means you need to land a big ol' sucker alongside those wild rainbows! They’re native, they've co-existed with trout for thousands of years, and they’re proof of a healthy river system. Be proud of our native fish!