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Grande Ronde River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The canyon of October dreams: Washington's swing-water classic, where summer steelhead eat dry flies between basalt walls.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
531 cfs
Air / High
65 / 69 F
Wind
WNW 2 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13333000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Grande Ronde River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 531 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 2 mph, rising pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown troutGood

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

SteelheadSlow

First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Tomorrow: Similar at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Grande Ronde River at Troy.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13333000.

421465508531 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp65 F
High / Low69 / 47 F
WindWNW 2-4 mph
Pressure1014.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 39%
Sunrise / Sunset06:14 / 19:22
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 69/47 F, wind 18 mph, rain 39%

Fair or better. A 18 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Grande Ronde River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Best: Oct-Apr

Lake-run rainbows that turn tributaries into winter fisheries. First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

When to come: the Grande Ronde River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
Smallmouth bass
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Grande Ronde River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Washington requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

WA or OR license by bank + steelhead tags. Wild steelhead release; check WDFW/ODFW yearly rules.

Access

Troy access, Boggan's Oasis, county-road pullouts to the Snake confluence.

About this water

The lower canyon miles, Asotin County WA / Wallowa County OR. The Northwest's dry-line steelhead classic.

Fishing Grande Ronde River: the full guide

The steelhead swinger's mecca

The Grande Ronde's lower canyon (Troy to the Snake) is the Northwest's beloved swing water: modest-sized, wadeable runs where summer steelhead: including a fabled portion that rise to skated dry flies: arrive September and hold into November. The river is a pilgrimage: anglers who fish everywhere still circle October here.

The October program

Fish arrive with fall's cooling: swing soft-hackles and small speys through the tailouts at dawn, skate a dry through the same water for the rise of a lifetime, then nymph the buckets midday if pride allows. The fish run 5-10 pounds: A-run summers: and eat like they remember the ocean fondly.

Beyond the chrome

Smallmouth own the lower canyon all summer (a float-fishing fishery of underrated quality: poppers against basalt), rainbow trout fill the upper Oregon reaches, and fall bull elk bugle over the water: the canyon experience outdraws even the fishing some mornings. The road follows the river Troy-to-mouth: access is pullout-simple.

Two states, one canyon

The river crosses from Oregon into Washington near Troy: licenses follow the bank you stand on, and steelhead rules differ by state and year (barbless, wild-release, seasonal closures: check both). Flows matter: 700-1,500 CFS swings beautifully: our Troy gauge panel tracks it daily.

Common questions

Can you really catch steelhead on dry flies here?

The Grande Ronde is the river where it happens: October's cool mornings, skated muddlers over the tailouts. Even the refusals: boils behind the fly: justify the trip.

When should I fish the Grande Ronde?

Late September through November: October is the heart. Cold snaps drop fish into the soft water: swing slower, deeper, happier.

Is fishing good at Grande Ronde River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Clearwater River32 miWallowa Lake51 miSalmon River51 miSouth Fork Clearwater River65 miDworshak Reservoir69 miLochsa River84 mi
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