Oregon Train Caters To Steelhead Fishing Fans

Article Date: February 2010

Finally, steelhead fans take note! How would you like to hop aboard a train in Oregon scheduled specially for anglers? The train runs for miles along an otherwise inaccessible section of a beautiful river filled with steelhead. Wherever the water looks good, you jump off the train and stroll down the bank to fish. The train shuttles back and forth all day, and it will stop to pick you up and drop you off at other likely looking spots throughout the day. At the end of the day, wherever you happen to be, it will pick you up and bring you home. Sounds pretty-near perfect, doesn't it? Well, just such a "Steelhead Train" has been running along the Wallowa River in northeastern Oregon for the past several years. Unfortunately, as this issue goes to press, there's trouble in Paradise.

The Wallowa River in eastern Oregon, up near the Washington border, is a tributary of the Grande Ronde that supports a large run of both wild and hatchery-raised steelhead in the fall and winter. While many miles of the river have roads running alongside, there's a 40-mile "Wild & Scenic" stretch of the river below the town of Minam that has very limited road access. A couple of guide services offer multi-day floats on this stretch, and the locals have an ATV trail that touches the river at one point, but for the last several years, THE way to fish here has been the Steelhead Train.

Spearheaded by the late Chuck Fleser, the Steelhead Train was a partnership between the Minam Motel, which Fleser's uncle built in 1951; the Wallowa Union Railroad, a non-profit scenic railway; and the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. For the past four seasons the Steelhead Train has operated on weekends only in February and March along an e........(continued)

CONTACT DETAILS FOR COMPANIES/INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN ARTICLE (if any)

Dawn Smith, Minam Motel. Tel. 877-888-8130. E-mail: reservations@minammotel.com, Web: www.minammotel.com

Wallowa Union Railroad. Web: www.eaglecaptrain.com

Janet Dobson, Union County Tourism. Tel. 800-848-9969. Web: www.visitlagrande.com

Rob Allen, Four Seasons Fly Shop. Tel. 888-819-7299. Web: www.4seasonsfly.com

Paul Arentsen, Winding Waters River Expeditions. Tel. 877-426-7238. Web: www.windingwatersrafting.com

Mac Huff, Eagle Cap Fishing Guides. Tel. 800-940-3688. Web: www.eaglecapfishing.com