The annual migration of the steelhead trout draw's swarms of eager fishermen annually to the Grand Ronde River - one of the finest steelhead streams in the world. Few river systems in the Pacific Northwest can boast the same population consistency. From the latter part of September to as late as February, about 150,000 steelhead will make their way up the mighty Snake river returning to their original hatching ground to spawn. Gene Thiel , an organic farmer has been fishing the river since his childhood and says he stopped counting the fish he has caught in the Grand Ronde River when he got to 2,500. The annual Steelhead Derby starts Feb. 12 and runs through March 27.
