Let's Go Fishing - Grand Ronde Lake

The head water of the Grand Ronde River - Elevation: 7183 ft.

Looking across the lake at Gunsight Mountain - Anthony Lake

Walla² Fly Fishers - Brian, and Dale  headed out this afternoon with a forecast for a beautiful day to be sitting on the water, searching for trout, and beating the heat of the Walla Walla Valley at Grand Ronde Lake.

Moon Phase - Jul 30 -- First Quarter

At 4:00 pm Dale took a temperature reading while sitting on the lake and found the air to be 69° F and the water temperature to be 63°. 

From Walla Walla, it take 2½ hours - 130 miles to arrive at Grand Ronde Lake. About 1½ miles beyond the Anthony Lakes Ski Resort on NFD 73.

Grande Ronde Lake: From La Grande... I-84 East. Exit 285-North Powder. Right @ North Powder Lane. Travel 6.9 miles and go left onto Miller Road 1.0 miles to Anthony lakes Hwy. Travel 13 miles (go 0.9 miles past Anthony Lakes Nordic Center turn off. Go right onto USFS rd 43. 0.3 miles to primitive boat ramp.

After jumping into a lake, Dale rowed across the lake to fish in the shadow of, and in the break from the breeze of the trees on the west side of the lake. After a couple of casts, he spotted a Bald Eagle flying around the lake and then it sat in a dead tree on the west side of the lake. There seems to be a lot of Bald Eagles on the high lakes this year. 

A beautiful sight, as they fly and soar - wide wingspan, brilliant white head and tail that almost glows as the bright sunlight of clear blue skies strike them in flight.

FAB or Blob fly

Today both Brian and Dale started fishing with the FAB flies that we had tied Thursday evening at our Project Healing Waters meeting. After about 30-45 minutes of no action, Dale switched to the BS Special. 

Again and like many times before with the second cast... Fish On!
Brian continued to fish with the FAB until he did catch a fish, with a fly he had tied.

Dale fishing with the BS Special, kept hooking, long line releasing, and at his feet releasing one fish after another. One trout hooked made 4 nice jumps on it's way to the boat.

BS Special

Last fall fellow club member Barbara, found some of these flies on a shelf somewhere, and we started fishing with them, catching with them and tying more.  A most productive, go-to fly with every stillwater fishing outing. After about 30-40+ hookups with this fly, a fish about to be netted made a turn and left with Dale's BS Special. Rarely does this happen using a 2-wt rod.
After the loss of that fly Dale attached an ole favorite stillwater fly, the Elkhorn Lake Special not used since tying on a BS Special last year. 

Elkhorn Lake Special

Today the charm of the Elkhorn Lake Special started catching fish where the BS Special broke off, hooking one fish after another.
Dale had other fishers on the lake asking him... "What are you using to catch so many fish."
After about 30-40+ hookups with this fly, a fish about 30' out made a move, broke off, and left with the fly. Two in a day, very rare happening in stillwater. 

On the way back to home, Dale told Brian that today was the best catching day he had experienced since the days he and Bob Wolfe fished together, and would quite counting with 100+ hookups in a few hours / day's time.

A good tool to have in one's pocket on days like this is a Waterworks Ketchum Release tool.

A very handy tool to have when fish will not leave your fly alone.



Brian said that he tallied 7 hookups for the day, with many no-take strikes, that he was able to get excited about.

click on corner box to go FULL screen - for best picture

It was a good day for all, and we did beat the heat of the valley. At the end of this day of fishing, the lake became quite still and quite as Dale was the last boat to leave the water. It was another wonderful day to be catching on Grand Ronde Lake.

 On the way home Brian did call his wife and let her know he had fish for their dinner.

Tight lines and good fishing.

Report submitted by
Dale McKain

Tight lines and good fishing.

Walla² Fly Fishers

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