10/1/11 - Yakima River- Fly Fishing the Yakima RIver has been good the past few weeks. Streamers, Dry flies, and Nymphs have all been producing fish. The October Caddis are hatching throughout the day, but the fish are coming up to them better when the sun is not direct on the water. Inside seams have been holding a lot of fish, but the trout seem to be in heavier water than you would think.
Flies: #8-12 Oragne Stimulator, #10-12 brown Crane Fly, #10 Royal PMX, #16-18 pearl Lightning Bug, #6 Sculpzilla (olive or natural), #8-10 October Caddis Pupa, #14-16 olive Flashback Caddis
9/18/11 - Yakima River- The Yakima is low, which means short floats and great wading conditions. The October Caddis are coming off now. Dry flies are producing fish best in the mornings and evenings. Fall is a great time to be on the Yakima. We look forward to seeing you on the river.
7/13/11 - Yakima River- Fishing on the Yakima has been good the last few weeks. Runoff is behind us and we are getting into more stable summertime conditions. The water levels are up in the summer, which means fishing from a boat is a better option than wade fishing. Clarity is good as the Yakima river has 3 reservoirs' releasing most of the water flow. Dry fly fishing has been good, big dries with a dropper nymph has been very productive. Golden stones, summer stones, ants, beetles, PMD's and an evening caddis emergence are happening daily on the river. The drake hatch is subsiding, Hoppers are on deck and should really kick off in the next few weeks. Nymphing will always produce fish as will streamer fishing. Sculpin patterns and other assorted baitfish have put some large fish into the net. As the weather heats things up, early morning and late evening will become the prime time to be on the water. Hope so see you on the river!
5/8/11 - Yakima River- Carl and Adam came out to fish with me today and yesterday. We spent both days in the upper river. We didn't catch a lot of trout, but all the ones that came to the net were over 13". The March Brown hatch was on time at 1:00 and lasted a few hours. We found some risers in the tail end of the hatch. Stone flies are moving and the trout are keying in on them. We did find a few adult salmon flies on Saturday, but no fish up to the big dry.
Flies: #12-14 Pheasant Tail, #12-16 Prince, #12-16 Soft Hackle PT, #4-10 Pat's Stone Fly (black, brown, orange & brown, tan & brown), #12-10 San Juan Worm (pink, red, orange)
10/25/10 - Yakima River- I have spent a few days on the Yakima River in the last week and a half. One day in the upper river and one in the lower canyon. In the upper river, the trout are still coming up to October Caddis patterns and Blue Wing Olives. The choppy water and inside seams have been where we have been getting most our fish. In the Lower Canyon nymphing has been good, and there are some fish still looking up to the surface for dries. No matter where you are at on the Yakima, don't nymph too deep right now. The fish seem to be in the middle of the water colunm. We have been catching fish 3' under an indicator in over 10' of water. There are many fish in the 16" range coming to hand. Nymphing has been the most productive, but if you find fish sipping BWO's take advantage of it.
Flies: #16-18 BWO, #12-10 Foam October Caddis, #16-18 Soft Hackle PT, #18 Olive WD-40, #12-10 October Caddis Pupa, #10-6 Pat's Stone Fly (Brown, Black, Orange), #16-18 Pearl Lightning Bug
9/20/10 - Yakima River- I have been in the upper river lately, when not chasing steelhead, and the fishing has been good. The fish have moved out into the heavier seams and mid river rock gardens. Dries have been going good. Stone Flies are around and some hoppers are still alive. In the evenings we have been seeing Octbober Caddis and the fish are keying in on them.
Flies: #12 Royal PMX, #12-10 Foam October Caddis, #16 Soft Hackle PT, #14-16 Red Copper John, #12-10 October Caddis Pupa, #8-6 Brown Pat's Stone Fly
8/27/10 - Yakima River- David and Bill came to fish the lower canyon. The Yakima River is on the drop, the fish are moving off the banks and back into the seams, buckets, and boulders. Dry fly fishing was a little on the tough side, it was not consistent all day like it has been the past month or so. We found a 14" fish that came up to the hopper and a 17" rainbow that came up to an x-caddis. Nymphing was pretty consitant, but we didn't hook anything huge under an indicator, we lost one that was about 14" we watched jump after it was hooked.
Flies: #16 olive X-Caddis, #14 Pheasant Tail, #14-16 Copper John (copper, red), #8 purple hopper, #14 BH Prince, #12 prince without a bead head, #8 Pat's Stone (brown)
8/21/10 - Yakima River- Project Healing Waters First Annual West Coast 2 Fly Competition - I had the pleasure of taking Veterans Matt and Todd down the Yakima River. We floated MM20 to Red's. It was a five mile float with a down stream breeze. We brought four fish to the net, one was 15.5" and another was 16.5". The biggest came on a purple hand tied hopper. It was a fun day, meeting the veterans and getting them out on the water was great. There were many prizes, from rods and reels to gear bags to fly boxes. The food was amazing, as was the company. I look forward to helping with this event in the future. (Pictures to Come)
Flies: #8 purple hopper, #12 prince without a bead head
8/16/10 - Yakima River- We floated back up in the upper canyon today with Jim and Carter. We did an early half day float and just threw the big dry. We fought through some good wind gust, but we rose quite a few fish in the 8-12" range and one nice 14" cuttroat. My advise is to cover water. "Running and Gunning" has been a proven technique the past few weeks. If you get you fly in the feeding lanes with a good dead drift and you don't get a rise, move on to the next feeding lane. Anchoring up and pounding water hasn't been producing many fish, but if you do switch flies often. If the fish doesn't eat the the big dry pattern you are throwing in the first two passes, they more than likely won't eat it on the 10th pass either.
Flies: #8-10 hopper variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 foam stone fly variations
8/15/10 - Yakima River- Nick came out to fish the Yakima River again, but in the lower canyon this time. We did an early morning float 6am to 1. We threw the big dry fly without a dropper all day. We pulled most the fish out from tight to the bank. Besides picking some fish up in the slower rock gardens, the majority of the fish came from within 4' of the bank, the tighter the better. Nick's big rainbow came up within 5" of the bank. The key is to get the fly tight to the bank and get a long dead drift. As long as your fly is in the zone you want to fish, let it ride. If your fly gets pushed too far away from the bank get it back on the bank quick. Big fish of the day was an 18" rainbow, but in the next 15 minutes after that fish we two more fish up that were in the 17"-20" range. One even chased the hopper down stream and rolled on it. Overall, good fishing.
Flies: #8-10 hopper variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 foam stone fly variations, #8-10 PMX (Yellow, Orange, Red)
8/13/10 - Yakima River- In the upper river again today. Joseph and Wes came out from the mid west and were able to fish for a day on the Yakima. We through a single big dry fly all day. We threw hopper and stone fly variations. Fishing was consistent through out the day, we had a lot of fish come up and eat. The big fish of the day was a 17" cutthroat that came just before dark. We hooked some other big fish, but they were released before getting to the net.
Flies: #8-10 hopper variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 Chernoble Ant variations (yellow, purple, tan), #8-10 foam stone fly variations
8/8/10 - Yakima River- We were in the upper canyon again and the hoppers have been fishing good. We did a half day this evening, 5:00-dark. The wind was whipping, but Charles and Will tougheded it out and found some nice rainbows. It was slow at the start, hooked a few on the nymph dropper, but it was not like it had been. It really turned on about one and a half hours before dark. We found a few big fish looking up, they were chasing it down stream and exploding on it. The dropper was not too effective, we hit some fish on it, but most of them were small. We were running a single big dry and getting it tight to the bank and in the short slots between trees and brush.
Flies: #8-10 hopper variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 Chernoble Ant variations (yellow, purple, tan), #10-14 CDC Prince, #10-14 Prince, #14-16 X Caddis (tan, olive)
7/28/10 - Yakima River- Back to the lower canyon. The fished were looking up. Throwing dries on the move is is productive, cover a lot of water. Sometimes the dropper would hook a few, but we took it off to get closer to the bank. About 6pm fish started coming up to the caddis
Flies: #8-10 hopper variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 Chernoble Ant variations (yellow, purple, tan), #14-16 CDC Caddis (tan, peacock), #14-16 X Caddis (tan, olive), #16 Copper John (copper, green), #8 Pat's Stone Fly
7/27/10 - Yakima River- Fished the Farmlands today. Tip of the day, trout like back eddies. We found our largest fish of the day, which was about 16", in a back eddie. The big dry was what the trout were looking for. After a few lost droppers, we just fished the single dry. Not to much interest in a little sub-surface bug when that big stone fly or hopper pattern is floating overhead.
Flies: #8-10 Glommer variations (tan, yellow), #8-10 Chernoble Ant variations (yellow, purple, tan), #14-16 CDC Caddis (tan, peacock), #14-16 X Caddis (tan, olive)
7/26/10 - Yakima River- The flows on the Yakima River have stablized at norm for summer and the fishing has been good. We were down in the lower canyon yesterday below Umptanum. The fish were coming up to the big dry, even in the 104 degree heat. The big dry as tight as you can get it to the bank, with a 2.5 - 3' nymph dropper was the ticket before the caddis started hatching. Hoppers are starting to appear as well as the summer stone flies, so hopper or stone fly patters have been working well. The hoppers are yellow and between a #8 and a #10. Once the caddis start popping, find a pod of fish and slow the boat down as much as possible. Try to cast to the fish that are just sipping, most of the splashy rises are smaller fish. We had one 18" fish to the big dry and a 16" and a 19" fish up to the caddis just before dark.
Flies: #8-10 Chernoble Ant variations (yellow, purple, tan), #14-16 CDC Prince, #14-16 Red Copper John, #14-16 FB Pheasant Tail, #16 Lightning bug, #14-16 CDC Caddis (tan, peacock), #14-16 X Caddis (tan, olive)
6/24/10 - Rocky Ford- The Yakima River is blown out below the Cle Elum River confluence, so we headed east to find some fishable water. Tim and Jeffrey enjoyed sight casting to those big rainbows. Jeff fought two that were in the 25-26" range before they came unbuttoned. We landed a few between 20" and 23" as well asfour in the 16" to 19" range. We were getting fish on dry flies and nymphs in the morning then in the afternoon it was mainly a nymph game. Light tippet is crucial, these fish have such a long time to analyze the fly before taking it. I recommend fishing 5x or 6x flourocarbon.
Flies: #14-18 olive scud, #16-18 orange scud, #16-18 pink scud, #16-18 FB Pheasant Tail (no bead head), #18 PMD nymph, #18 Lightning bug, #18-22 para-midge, #18-20 black Trico
6/19/10 - Yakima River - Down in the Lower Canyon today. Had some crazy weather; sunny, then pouring down rain, then thunder, and back to sunny again. Missy and Adam were troopers and threw dries only or a dry nymph dropper all day. They hit some nice fish in the 13-15" range, and 6"ers all day. Any mayfly nymph in the #16-18 range and flashy worked well. We ran our dropper 2.5-3.5' under the big dry, which worked really well.
Flies: #8-12 Golden Stone Dries (Chubby, Stimulator, Foam Golden, Para-stone), #16-18 Copper John (Copper, Black, Red, Green), #16-18 FB Pheasant Tail, #16-18 King Prince, #16-18 BH Prince, #16-18 Lightning Bug,
6/9/10 - Yakima River - We floated up near Cle Elum, above the Teanaway. Below there was off color, but it looks to be on the drop again. We decided to start the day throwing some big Green Drakes (dries) and we got a few fish up to them. One of them was 21" taped and it was fat. The Green Drakes were coming off around 3:00. PMD's and Yellow Sallies were hatching on and off throughout the day. There are a lot of stoneflies in the river right now, and they are moving around. Nymphing stoneflies and PMD mayflies is a good idea when fish aren't rising.
Flies: #10 Parachute Adams, # 10 Extended Body Green Drake, #10 Olive Stimulator, #10 Olive PMX, #14-16 Extended Body PMD, #6-10 Pat's Stone (brown, black and brown), #6-10 Golden Stonefly, #14 Hare's Ear, #12-16 Copper John (Black, Red, Copper)
6/8/10 - Yakima River - We hiked in off of Bullfrog Road on the upper Yakima River for the afternoon. Dry flies were good in the afternoon and nymphing produced fish as well. When you know there is a fish sitting in a deep pocket by a log and you can't get him up to the dries, you may have to go after the fish with nymphs. There were a lot of Green Drakes hatching starting around 2:30 and PMDs were hatching consitently from 1:00-4:00. We did see a couple adult Golden Stoneflies.
Flies: #10 Extended Body Green Drake, #10 Olive PMX, #14-16 Extended Body PMD, #6-10 Pat's Stone (brown, black and brown), #6-10 Golden Stonefly, #12-16 Copper John (Black, Red, Copper)
5/25/10 - Yakima River - We floated the upper canyon. The morning was tough we found a few fish, but after 2:30 the bite was on. Copper Johns and Lightning Bugs were working the best. The pocket water on the cut banks are where we found the bigger fish. One fish screamed down river and took John into his backing before spitting the hook. Another "The one that got away story". We did get a look at him he thrashed on the surface before he ran to the middle of the river and downstream. It was conservatively at least 18". John had the big fish rod today, he landed a 13" rainbow got a few other nice fish close enough to see before they got off. He was doing quite well for his first time picking up a fly rod.
Flies: #14-16 Copper John (Red, Black, Green), # 14-16 Lightning Bug, #14-16 soft hackle Prince Nymph, #12-14 BH Prince, #6-10 Pat's Stone, #14 cdc Pheasant Tail, #14 Peacock Soft Hackle, #14 PMD Nymph, #16 FB Pheasant Tail
5/24/10 - Yakima River - Went into the Farmlands for an afternoon half-day float. Fishing was good. We found fish in the heavy water behind boulders and on the inside seams but still in fairly swift current. Copper Johns tied on a scud hook were working good. We found some cutthrouts and rainbows, 8 fish landed, 5 were around 10" and 3 were between 14" and 16".
Flies: #14-16 Copper John (Red, Black,Copper, Green), #14-16 soft hackle Prince Nymph, #12-14 BH Prince, #6-10 Pat's Stone, #14 cdc Pheasant Tail, #14 Peacock Soft Hackle, #14 PMD, #16 FB Pheasant Tail
5/23/10 - Yakima River - We were in the upper canyon today doing a little R&D with some new bug designs. The river is in prime shape. We tried some crazy colored wire on our Copper Johns, and they worked. Some of the water that fished good was inside seams and faster, fairly deep boulder pockets. We found two 18+" trout, six more in the 10-15" range, and one 25" White Fish. That was the biggest Whitey I've seen in a while. There was a good mayfly hatch in the early afternoon and we saw a few riser.
Flies: #14-16 Copper John (Red, Blue, Black, Purple, Green), #14-16 soft hackle Prince Nymph, #8-10 Foam Golden Stone, #12-14 BH Prince, #6-8 Pat's Stone, #14 BH cdc Caddis Emerger, #14 Rusty Spinner, #14 Peacock Soft Hackle, #14 PMD, #16 FB PT
5/17/10 - Yakima River - Fished up by Cle Elum, the rest of the river below the Teanaway was high and still is. There was a bit of preasure up there, but fish were willing to eat. The inside seams near the heads of the runs were fishing good as were down the middle of the long deep runs. We found a few fish willing to eat a dry, but nymphing consistant.
Flies: #14-16 soft hackle Prince Nymph, #14 BH Prince, #4 Pat's Stone Fly, #14 BH cdc Caddis Emerger, #14 Peacock Soft Hackle, #12 Pink San Juan Worm, #14 PMD, #14-16 Red Copper John, #16 FB PT
5/12/10 - Yakima River - Headed back to the upper river (South to State) today. The hatch was non existent compare to the blizzard we encountered up there on Sunday. We threw the nymph rig all afternoon. The fish were in the deepest part of the run, which isn't always tight on the cut bank. The water is on the rise, run-off is coming. Hopefully the river hold on through the weekend.
Flies: #14-16 Prince Nymph, #14 BH Prince, #4 Pat's Stone Fly, #14 BH cdc Caddis Emerger, #14 Peacock Soft Hackle
5/11/10 - Yakima River - We got out for a little evening run today. We floated MM 19 to Umptanum launched at 5:30 and off at dark. The caddis hatch was happening, but the wind made for an interesting float. We just threw dry flies, an x-caddis and a tan cdc emerger. The majority of the fish ate the emerger. Trail that emerger 12-14 inches behind your lead caddis. We got a lot of small fish trying to eat our flies on the slow soft seams, but as we moved out into the heavier water nicer fish were coming up. We hit our biggest fish of the evening in a fairly fast, wide tailout. Keep those dries in their even in the fast choppy water.
Flies: # 14-16 olive x-caddis, #16 cdc caddis emerger
5/10/10 - Yakima River - The Mother's Day Caddis really started hatching yesterday. The hatch was really strong from about 1:00 - 7:00. But, the fish were not too interested in rising for the caddis until about 6:00, well at least in the upper flatlands near Cle Elum. Nymphing was productive all day, big stone flies and dark caddis nymphs.
We sight casted to a few risers throught the day, but that was the only actio on top until 6:00, when there were pods of fish rising. It is tough to through a nymph rig when you are in the middle of a big hatch, but with thousands of natural bugs on the water and the fish aren't rising they are feeding sub surface.
Flies: # 14-16 olive x-caddis, #14-16 black graphic caddis, #4 Pat's Stone (Brown), #16 cdc caddis emerger
5/3/10 - Yakima River - Fishing is about to get really good. The Mother's Day Caddis hatch is going to happen very soon, and you are going to want to be on the Yakima River when it is going on.
The Salmon flies are hatching in the upper river, as well as March Browns and BWO's. Nymphing has been good, it is a lot easier to get it where it needs to be and keep it there in the wind we have been having.
There are some Spring Chinook moving below Roza Dam (springers opened 5/1 below Roza).
Flies: #6-8 Foam Salmon Fly, #12 March Brown, #16-18 cdc BWO, #4-8 Pat's Stone (orange and brown),
#12-14 PT, #16-18 BWO nymph, #16-20 Lightning Bug, #12-16 March Brown Nymph
4/22/10 - Yakima River - March Browns have been hatching around 1:30, and the dry fly fishing is good. Streamers have been picking up some fish on the inside seams. Nymphing has been consistent.
Flies: #8-12 San Juan Worm (pink, red, orange), #8-12 Parachute Adams, #16-18 cdc BWO, #6-10 Pat's Stone (olive and brown, brown and orange),
#14-16 PT, #16-18 BWO nymph, #16-20 Lightning Bug, #12-16 March Brown Nymph
3/30/10 - Yakima River - The Yakima River has been fishing good. Skwalas are still around and March Browns are hatching along with BWO's. We have been getting some nice fish up to the dry flies. Nymphing has also been good. Now is the time to get in on some great Washington trout fishing before run-off hits.
Flies: #8-12 Olive Stimulator, #8-12 Foam Skwalla, #16-18 cdc BWO, #8-12 Pat's Stone (olive and brown),
#16-20 PT, #16-18 BWO nymph, #16-20 Lightning Bug, #12-16 March Brown Nymph
12/12/09 - Yakima River - The Yakima River has some major ice flows. It is the time of year to head over to the Olympic Peninsula and chase winter steelhead.
10/17/09 - Yakima River - With the water temps in the low to mid 40's nymphing is the go to. In side seams have been fishing as well as the structure. Nymphing 3'-5' deep towards the inside has been good.
Flies: #8-12 Pat's Stone (olive and brown),
#18-22 PT, #18-22 BWO nymph, #18-22 Lightning Bug
9/25/09 - Yakima River - Ringer to Umptanum- The big dry was working well today, but the water temps jumped up pretty fast. We need some of those colder fall nights to get the fall hatches to come off and get those fish feeding more. Foam lines and cut banks with structure were fishing well and also the inside seams.
Flies: #8-10 Dark Stone Dry, #6-10 Orange Chubby, #10-12 Orange Stimulator, #18-16 BWO nymph, #16-18 Lightning Bug, #14-16 Copper John, #12-10 October Caddis nymph, #16-18 Pheasant Tail
9/19/09 - Yakima River - Upper Canyon- The wind was pretty bad today, but the fish were still coming to the surface. The cut banks with good structure under the water, inside seams towards the head of the riffles, and behind the bigger rocks in the middle of the runs were producing for us. We mainly fished dries and dry dropper rigs. The stone and royal wulff were working the best. for nymphs we ran a dropper between 10" to 18" below the dry.
Flies: #10-8 Dark Stone Dry, #10-14 Royal Wulff, #20-18 BWO nymph, #16-18 Lightning Bug, #12-10 October Caddis nymph
9/17/09 - Yakima River - Upper Canyon- We put in early and it payed off. The fish were keyed in to the stone fly on top. We fished a single bug on top all day. We tryed some crane flies and small mayflies, but the stone was happening. We saw two stone flies hatch at noon and some small caddis and mayflies around 10:00, not as much bug activity as we would have liked. But, we had 6 fish 15" - 18" and a lot of smaller ones. I put a video up on how to tie the stone fly we have been using.
Flies: #10-8 Dark Stone Dry, #18-16 CDC BWO, #14-12 Crane Fly
9/10/09 - Yakima River - Irene to Ringer - The water is low and fish are looking up. Big stone dries and crane flies were woring good throughout the day. Later in the day we threw a dark body caddis with success. Soft hackles were working good between hatches. Nymphing was also productive.
Flies: #10-8 Dark Stone Dry, #18-16 CDC BWO, #14-12 Crane Fly, #16 Peacock Soft Hackle, #10-4 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #18 Lightning Bug
6/24/09 - Yakima River - We spent the day down in the canyon between Ringer and Umptanum. The wind was bad, but we got into some nice fish. Nothing big up to the dries today, but one 18"+ on nymphs and another that gave us some big head shakes and headed to the other side of the river. After it took 20' of backing the hook popped. A lot of the fish we hooked came after setting up on prime water and making multiple passes through.
Flies: #12-8 Golden Stone dry, #16 CDC PMD, #12-16 Flashback Hare's Ear, #14 Soft Hackle Hares Ear, #2-10 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #14 Bloodi Mary
6/23/09 - Yakima River - We floated the canyon today from MM19 to Lmuma. There was a good PMD hatch mid-day, but the fish that were sipping PMD's were willing to take the big golden stone dry. Running a dropper about 2-3 feet below the big bug was working well. We turned some big fish on the big dry. Also, a olive and natural double bunny with a soft hackle hare's ear trailer stuck some big fish in the flats mid-river as well as the seams in the back eddies. A short quick strip technique was the most effective with the streamers. Nymphing was good along the cliffs.
Flies: #12-8 Golden Stone dry, #14-16 Copper John, #12-16 Flashback Hare's Ear, #14 Soft Hackle Hares Ear, #2-10 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #14 Bloodi Mary
6/19/09 - Yakima River - We were in the Farmlands today. Fishing was consistent even though the weather was a little crazy with the rain and wind. The riprap banks and the back eddies produced fish.
Flies: #12-16 Prince, #14-16 Copper John, #12-16 Flashback Hare's Ear, #14 Halo Prince, #2-10 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #14 Bloodi Mary
6/18/09 - Yakima River - We were in the upper canyon today. There were quite a few golden stoneflies coming off, along with some salmon flies. The back channels treated us good today. We were fishing a dry dropper rig most of the day, with the dropper 2.5 to 3.5 feet from the dry. We got some big fish to come up to the dry today and many on the dropper. Be sure to get your flies where the two current seams come together.
Flies: #12-8 foam golden stone, #12-16 Prince, #14-16 Copper John, #12-16 Flashback Hare's Ear, #14 Halo Prince, #2-10 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #14 Bloodi Mary, #12-16 Caddis Puppa
6/17/09 - Yakima River - The fishing is good. We were in the upper river with Mark, Ryan, and Paul. We got into a lot of fish with a long distance release on a rainbow that was easily over 20". So for techniques, dead difts in back eddies and down the seams on the edge of fast water and the slow water. Shelves and boulder gardens are also holding fish. Be sure to fish these areas hard with good presentations. A lot of the fish came from these areas after many casts.
Flies: #12-16 Prince Nymphs, #14-16 Copper John, #14 Halo Prince, #2-10 Pat's Stonefly (Tan, Brown, Rust), #14 Bloodi Mary
6/12/09 - Yakima River - The flows are down to a managable level. We have been in the Farmlands the last three days and got into some nice fish. #14 X-caddis, #10 Golden Stones, and #14 PMD's have been fishing well on top and for nymphs, #10 tan and brown stones, #14-16 Copper Johns, #14 Bloodi Mary, #16 Prince, Orange and Pink San Juan Worms, and the #16 soft hackle graphic caddis have been hooking fish.
There has been a good PMD hatch right around 1:30 and some adult golden stones coming off in the afternoon also. Fishing is good. See you on the river.
5/27/09 - Yakima River - Flows are high, but there are fish to be caught. We floated the Canyon today and the caddis are coming off really strong. A few risers during the day, but nymphing was the ticket until the sun went down. Pink worms, caddis pupa, and #10 stones were producing. We went 5 for 8 with some large fish being caught. 4 were between 16 and 18". The back eddies are the place to be, all the trout are getting out of the fast flows and hanging in the calm water. Fish it hard, at different depths and with a combination of bugs because that calm water is where the fish are stacking up. The olive #16 x-caddis was picking up the rising fish just before dark.
4/10/09 - Yakima River - Fishing has been tough. The upper river above the Teanaway is still in shape, but the water temps are in the mid to low 40's. We hooked 6 landed 4, all big though, between 16" and 20". We saw one fish rise and tossed the skwalla mayfly dropper, but no takers. The ticket was #8-12 brown pat's stones, the pink worm, and the zebra midge.
4/9/09 - Rocky Ford - Fishing really turned on at about 1:00. Scuds and PT's were doing the trick sub-surface and a hatching para-midge worked great on the rising fish. There were midges and BWO's coming off int the after noon. Fishing was great. Double digit day with the biggest being just shy of 27". Just remember long leaders and small indicators.
4/5/09 - Yakima River - Any day, the fish are going to go crazy for a big stonefly dry. We are still getting some fish looking to the surface, but we need the water temperature to rise just a little more. Nymphing the Pat's Stones and the worm has been consistent, as has streamers in almost any color (olive, natural bunny, yellow, black). We have been swinging the streamers over shelves and into current seams then retrieving it with short, medium to fast, staggered strips.
3/31/09 - Yakima River - This cold weather has put a damper on the hatches, but any day it is going to be great dry fly fishing on the Yakima. Pat's Stones #8-12, pt's #14-18, copper johns #14-16, and san juan worms in pink and red have all been working as nymphs and #10-12 skwala patterns and #14-18 May flies have been good on top.
3/2/09 - Yakima River - Skwalas are starting to happen. We have been able to pick fish up here and there on the big dry, but it is going to get crazy soon. Nymphing has been productive, #6-10 Pat's Stones; #14-16 for PT's, Prince's, and Hare's Ears; and red and pink San Juan Worms. It is a great time of year to spend the day on the Yakima.
1/9/09 - Yakima River - Blown Out. The river peaked at about 23,000 CFS and is on its way down. Hopefully we'll be fishing next week.
1/5/09 - Happy New Year - The ice is still flowing down the Yakima, but warmer weather is in the forcast. All we can do is hope right now.
12/17/08 - Yakima River- There is a lot of ice flowing down the river. Between getting snagged on the ice chunks and the chance of large sheets hitting the boat or people wading, the river is unfishable.
12/13/08 - Yakima River- Streamer fishing has been good. We landed some big fish in the 16-19" range in the softer water. Inside slower bends have been good and in the soft seams. Pat's stones #6-12 have been producing, olive, brown, and black. For smaller bugs, PT's, prince, and lightning bug nymphs have done good, #14-20. You are going to want to get your bugs down on the bottom, so some shot helps.
11/29/08 - Yakima River- There was some pods of fish rising to midges in the farmlands today, but nothing consistant. We found that the natural bugs were not working as well as the flashy bugs. #16-20 was the size for the nymphs. Some bugs that worked were the copper john (red and copper), FB PT, lightning bug, and brassie. But, we landed the big one of the day on a olive and natural sculpin in the soft water just outside the heavy current. She was fat and healthy, the fish are still active in the winter, but they will not move as far to take your bugs. Really work the feeding lanes around structure and on the seams of the heavy current. And Happy Holidays from us.
11/10/08 - Yakima River- Fishing has been good. We are getting ready for winter fishing, but it is not here yet. There are still some mayfly and caddis activity on the surface throughout the day, but nymphing has been the most productive. Stone flies, #4 - #8, have been catching fish and small mayfly nymphs as well. #16 - #20 nymphs - prince, copper john, PT, and BWO's.
10/11/08 - Skeena System, British Columbia - We are all headed up to the great northland to film a steelhead conservation video ( Adipose Productions - non-profit - website coming soon) and swing spey rods and 6" leeches for huge steelies.
10/10/08 - Yakima River - We had Steve and John in the upper river today. The hatches came back today. There was a buch of October Caddis, BWO's, and smaller black and tan caddis happening most of the day until the temperatures dropped back down. Today we stuck mostly to dries, #16 - #18 Black and tan caddis and BWO's, #10 - #14 October caddis (not bright orange, give it a touch up with a sharpie). The fish were looking up all day. Watch for fish keying in on BWO's in the back eddies. There have been some nice fish hiding in the swirling pools, stack mends in there and try to get the longest drift you can.
10/7/08 - Yakima River - I had the pleasure of fishing with Alan today and yesterday. The cold front over the weekend really put the hatches down in the upper river. We went down and dirty with the #6 stone fly and a variation of #16-18 copper johns in red, green, and black and also some bwo nymphs. On day two in the farmlands we were able to land a 20" bow of a deep shelf with an olive streamer.
10/1/08 - Yakima River - Ryan and I went up river for a little Research and Development today. We were able to boat a 21" bow that rolled and chased our crane fly down-stream before coming up and sipping it. We tryed fishing in differnt types of water to see where the fish are holding and feeding. Todays research found that back eddies, undercut banks, troughs on the outside bends, quicker moving boulder pockets, and the inside seams of the bends are the best places to focus on right now. So, we just reinforced what we already knew and tried out a few bugs. The flies that produced where the foam October Caddis #10-12, Royal Stimi #8-12, #16 Mayflies, and the Crane Fly #12. The big boy came out just before dark, I'd say around 5:30. Now is the time to be on the Yak tossing dries, it doesn't get much better.
9/27/08 - Yakima River - Mike, Cindy, and I floated above Cle Elum today. There were many fish to be had and massive hatches throughout the day. We saw may flies, crane flies, october caddis, and stone flies. So, we stuck to dries all day. We had a lot of rises to the crane flies and october caddis from the begining and some big fish rolled to the big stone. Great fall fishing. There are numerous bugs hatching, so it is prime time for dries right now. Don't underestimate the big dry in the faster moving water over boulder pockets.
9/21/08 - Yakima River - Rob and I floated the upper canyon today. This was Rob's first time fly fishing and the wind did not work to our advantage. We were able to fight the wind and get our nymphs in the feeding lanes. The #8 brown pat's stone fly was working really well at the heads of the buckets and along the cut banks that had good structure. A #16 copper john was our dropper of choice, but pheasant tails and prince nymphs were working too. There are quite a few fish stacked in some of the deeper holes, so I like lengthening the leader on the nymphs or swinging a streamer through. With the weather cooling some and that small storm that moved through fall fishing should kick into high gear. Fall bugs have started hatching and the fish are finally getting situated in the low fall water flows.
9/17/08 - Yakima River - Floated the Farmlands today with Barb. She owns and operates a charter boat business and this was her first experience fly fishing. After I got her into fly casting instead of gear casting we were getting our flies into the feeding lanes. We had fish rising to the #10 stone dry all day. She didn't want to change the bug, so I dropped may flies and caddis off the back, but the fish, 99% of the time, took the big bug. The average size today was 12" with one 16"er and Barb had a few opportunities at 18"+ trout. I'd say fishing is excellent right now. Big dries all day for nice wild trout with the opportunity to hook a big fish.
9/15/08 - Yakima River - We fished the upper river today. Chris and Jim were able to get their casts right on the seams and near the structure and we had fish rising to our bugs all day. There were stone flies and october caddis hatching, so medium sized orange dries were working, but big foam and hairy was the ticket all day. We stuck with the big bug on top and only went down and dirty when we spotted some big fish in the deeper holes. A #6-8 brown pat's stones with a #14 copper john dropper was able to get them to hit. This low water is nice for doing shorter drifts and really working the holes and runs that are holding fish. The big fish that came up to the dries were right on the deep cut banks with the faster current and in the larger boulder pockets.
9/10/08 - Yakima River - We floated south to state again today, this time with Ryan and Rich. They were getting there casts in the zone and had constant action on dries throughout the day. We were somewhat rushed with low water levels and a half-day float, but we were able to land one nice 13" cuttie and a lot of smaller bows. We lost some huge fish right before dark. The fish are still keying in on big hairy bugs with rubber legs. I have ben going with a #10 brown stone fly patern as my fly of choice, I've found if the fly is too big you don't get as many looks. #10's have been the ticket on the upper river. Were have been running nymph or dry droppers to start off the day, but end up with a single big bug because that is what they are keying on.
9/7/08 - Yakima River - In the upper river once again, but South to State. Big hairy bugs with rubber legs for movement have been working. Hoppers, stones, stimis, C-ants. It is mostly about getting your flies into the zone. Hit the seams and the foam lines and plop it in behind rocks and stumps the fish are there. #16 mayflies were working as a trailer in olive, yellow, and dun. Lots of fish landed, with two large cutthroat.
9/6/08 - Yakima River - We floated State to Green Bridge. This is a long float with the water levels dropping. We landed many fish between 3" and 7", but the trick is to get the flies past the small ones and infront of the hog. We landed one large bow and one large cuttie. Be patient and keep your flies in on the cut banks and behind the structure and the big one will come up. Flies that worked today were #10 brown and tan C-Ants with redish brown hackle up the body and also a soft hackle hare's ear.
8/27/08- Yakima River- Trout fishing has been good. We have been getting fish to look up and big dries all week. Chernobyls, Stone Flies, Hoppers, and PMX's have been producing durring the day. Brown, tan, olive, green, orange, and red have been working, which is a very large variety and in sizes 6-12 with rubber legs. So, I think it is more about getting your flies tight to the bank. 95% of out fish were caught within 6" of the bank (the closer the better) and the other 5% are in the seams where two channels are coming together. If you swing a streamer in that seamline you may be suprised. Pat's Stones, Copper Johns, and San Juan Worms have been working for nymphs, but why go down and dirty when you can get them on top? Double digit numbers are the norm right now. The only tough thing right now is getting past the small fish so a hog can take it. Caddis has been producing well in the evenings.
7/17/08 - Alaska - We are heading to the Agulapak River in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska for a mid-summer trip. I hope to post reports if possible. Pictures of big rainbows to come.
7/12/08 - The river was in excellent shape. We were able to bring a few big fish to the surface with big drys first thing in the morning. Then fishing slowed down as the sun got higher and the air temps rose. We pulled off the river for lunch then went back at it for an evening float. We were able to raise quite a few fish. They were taking big dries over the caddis patterns as the sun went down. For big dries use #8-12 orange, yellow, and red. That was the ticket today. Foam and rubber legs are key for long drifts and movement. For smaller bugs an orange caddis, yellow humpy, and orange stimi worked. Early morning and late evening seem to be the best times to fish. That will change any day though; once more hoppers and stones find there way to the water the fish should be constantly looking up.
7/7/08 - Fishing was good today. A few fish were rising for mayflies around 1:00 but nothing consistent. We landed a couple of fish between 1:00 and 2:00 on a PMX in Royal or Orange. Nymphs that were produced for us were the Copper John, Prince, Psycho Prince, and PT. We nymphed until 5:00 then started tossing dries. The best period was between 6:30 and 7:30. There were a lot of fish looking up. Jim was able to capitalize on an 18" rainbow with a #10 Stimulator. An olive X-caddis was also working well during the late afternoon hatch. Most the fish were in the 10-12" range with Jim's Hog being the exception. We hooked another big fish on top, but he spit the hook. Overall good fishing.
7/3/08 - The river dropped back into shape. Fish have been keying in to the caddis hatches in the evening. PMDs are still hatching around mid-day. A good combo to throw when the hatch is not happening is a big stonefly dry with a #14-16 Flashback PT trailing it 2.5 feet. For nymphs; pat's stones, hare's ear, FB PTs, copper johns, and prince nymphs have been working. For surface activity, PMDs in white or light yellow, stoneflies, and stimulators would be the best bet during the day. X-caddis and other caddis variations tossed in the foam lines and seams are the ticket in the evening.
7/1/08 - The Yakima jumped up to over 5,000 CFS to start the summer flows. The visibility is low at the moment, but the river should be fishable within the next few days. So, we have been heading over to Rocky Ford, which has been producing. Randy, from MA, landed 5 yesterday and hooked 8 total, all between 19"-24". We have been seeing hoppers around. It is about time to start tossing summer stones and terrestrials once the riiver clears up. If you are planning on fishing in the next few days, I recommend San Jaun Worms, Flashback PT's #14-16, Red Copper John's #14-16, and Stone Flies #6-10 black and brown.
4/12/11 - Jason with a chromer.
