Fishin' Magician: The Grande Ronde

I made it. My wife and fished the Grande Ronde with Brian Nielson and what a great experience. I tried to compare the Grande Ronde with the Yakima, the Deschutes in Oregon and other rivers that I have fished in the past, but none of them fit. Floating this river is a unique experience. The scenery is very different, with layers of basalt towering over you, and eagles soar from the cliff faces. The fishing is very special, too. Nielson uses Hot Shots on 8-pound test line and keeps these lures touching bottom with the oars of his Hyde drift boat. The river is shallow. One of the deepest holes in the stretch we fished was just 12 feet deep. The fish like the plugs. Nielson would switch colors as we passed from shade to sun. The fish are gorgeous, bright and feisty. I missed one hard take before it was light enough to shoot video. I missed another fish later in the drift. I did land two fish, both about 7 or 8 pounds. They tore around in the shallow clear water and put on a great show. Learn more about fishing the Grande Ronde by logging onto www.bjguide.com.