When the weather warms enough to keep ice from being problematic, anglers will catch both rainbow trout and mountain whitefish in the Wallowa River. Fish with a slow presentation in slow runs where fish can conserve energy. Small nymph and egg patterns may be effective for trout and whitefish, and spinning gear such as spinners or spoons, could be a good option for targeting trout. Both mountain whitefish and hatchery rainbow trout (greater than 8 inches) may be retained and can make a tasty mid-winter dinner.

Some steelhead anglers have had recent success on the Wallowa River, and fishing for hatchery steelhead should improve throughout the next several months as they make their way up the Wallowa River to Big Canyon and Wallowa Hatcheries. Bait, flies and jigs all may be effective methods for pursuing steelhead in the Wallowa.

A few late coho may be encountered in this fishery. Coho may not be harvested in the Wallowa River and must be released unharmed. It’s not legal to target coho in the Wallowa River. If you can see coho in the shallows they are likely spawning, and anglers should leave them undisturbed. Coho are newly reintroduced to the Grande Ronde watershed so please report any observations of spawning coho so we can note where they are being found throughout the watershed.

With a diverse makeup of fish species that anglers may encounter this year, anglers are encouraged to brush up on their fish identification skills and to release any fish that they are unsure of the species.