Catching the Steelhead Train on Oregon’s Wallowa River
By Tom Chandler on Jan 21, 2007 in News, Underground Entertainment
From the redoubtable MidCurrent comes this rather intriguing story of the Steelhead Train on Wheels:
This looks like a heck of a lot of fun. For $50 you can hop on board two 1950s-era Pullman cars that move up and down an 8-mile stretch of Oregon’s Wallowa River, disembarking and reboarding all day long if you like, and fish for wild steelhead.
Running Saturdays in February and March on a 10 mile stretch of track, the train runs along the Wallowa River, starting and finishing at the small, eight-room Minam Motel.
Frankly, it sounds like big fun, though the following passage from the StatesmanJournal.com story does give me pause:
“Well, gee, I’ve seen guys catch 20 fish a day, fly fishermen who just catch-and-release,” said Chuck Fleser, the motel owner. “With this run, even people who don’t have a clue, people like myself, can catch fish.
“You can just throw a worm out there and catch a steelhead. It’s just an overgrown trout.”
Steelheading’s that easy! Simple even. Who knew?
Maybe one of the Underground’s Oregon Operatives can weigh in with information; is it a hatchery-supported gig with lots and lots of fish?
Technorati Tags: steelhead, fly fishing, wallowa, train, statesman journal
michelle | Jan 21, 2007 | Reply
From what I have read it seems not to be hatchery gig. So why don’t you bring that wife of yours up to Portland and then we can sneak off and fish the Wallowa. Oooo and maybe some backcountry skiing?
guy | Jan 21, 2007 | Reply
Think I’m gonna book me a weekend right now!
flytimes | Jan 21, 2007 | Reply
I’m pretty sure that those are native redband steelhead that are spawning during this time frame…
morte100 | Jan 9, 2008 | Reply
Sorry to revive an old post with a kind of spam, but I thought you might like to know that this is happening again this year. Go to minammotel.com for more info. No hatchery, just good fishing in a remote place that is made much more accessible by this train. Tell uncle Chuck hi if you go.