Here at The Fly Fishing Place we get lots of emails about the Wallowa River Steelhead Train (See the 2010 Wallowa River Steelhead Train schedule here) and probably the most asked question after "How the heck do I get there" is "What steelhead flies do I need to bring?".  Fortunately, if you have done any low-water steelheading at all you probably already have a lot of good patterns in your vest. Although these are summer run fish, you will be fishing for them in the winter with water temps low and the water usually clear and low, although that can change quickly on the Wallowa with warmer late winter snow or rain storms.

Fly size: Sizes 2 ,4 & 6 work well (or 1.5 ,3, 5 in the Alec Jackson Steelhead Irons sizes), although you might want to have some larger bright patterns to throw if the river rises and gets off-color. Small dropper nymphs are fine, but don't go below #12 or the whitefish will pester you all day.

Here is a partial list of the flies that I have in my box this season. You'll note that they run towards the purple and black spectrum with some bright colors thrown in, and that they can be fished in a variety of methods like swinging, dropper flies, dead drift, indicator, whatever: Don't limit yourself to one method on this river! Spend some time reading the water, consider the light on the water, which is different at every turn in the canyon, don't ignore the tops and tail-outs of deep pools and don't pass up any classic swinging water over knee-deep!

Green Butt Skunk
Red Butt Skunk
Purple Peril
Purple Prince Doublebead Nymph
Green Butt Tailgunner (for attaching a dropper nymph)
Purple Egg-sucking Leech
Black Egg-sucking Leech
Spawning Purple
Purple Steelhead Matuka
Bloody Mary Dropper Nymph
Beadhead Kaufmanns Stonefly Nymph (various sizes/colors but definitely big and black!)
Egg Flies (Never hurts to have some of these: Try as a dropper with beadhead nymphs in deep runs)
Beadhead nymphs (not below #12)

Not an exhaustive list by any means, but if fished with confidence and skill they will get you hook-ups; after that you are on your own! As always, don't hesitate to fish your old favorite fly - you know - the one you never miss with. I've always felt that, within certain limits,  it's more how and where you fish the fly, than what fly it is. Make every cast with confidence, and fish out every drift and swing knowing that it will be a hookup: One of them will be!