Here are a few highlights from the week:


Shop staffer Derek Dewey showing of slab from the Lower Canyon taken on a Skwala dry!


Nothing better than some trout fishing, a glass of wine, and watching a deer
by the riverside.

April 11th - Drift Boat Handling Course, co sponsored by Clackacraft Drift Boats

April 11th - RFS One Day Course - Fishing the Columbia Basin Lakes, hosted on the water at a Basin Lake to be announced.

March Skwala Special - $355 per Boat
Includes flies, leaders, lunch, drinks, vehicle shuttle service (no driving around positioning the guide's trailer!), and 8 hours of guiding.   Book Online!


FREE Lodging - Spring Fishing and Lodge Special!
This is a deal so good it is silly.  Right now, if you book 2 consecutive Full Days of Guided Fishing you will get 1 Night at Canyon River Ranch Lodge absolutely FREE!

Expires 4/30/2010, based on our regular rate of $405 per boat (cannot be combined with March Special).  Cost is based on double occupancy, $405 per person gets you 2 Full Days of Guided Fishing and 1 Night at Canyon River Ranch!

Fishing Menu:  Choose from, 2 Full Days on the Yakima River, or 1 day on the Yakima River combined with another day fishing one of our spring highlight waters - an Eastern Washington Lake for big trout, Lower Yakima River Bass (last week of April), or wade fishing a small Eastern Washington Spring Creek.

3/20/2010

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: Get your Baetis ready...
 
Layering: Sweatshirt, guide shirt, T-shirt, fleece pants, wool socks, with only a light fleece jacket required for part of the day.

Time: 3 pm

Results: Good conditions, forcast is friendly too.

Hunger Level: --

It looks like the onset of the Baetis hatch is in the forecast for the next couple of days, but be aware that it is sometimes hard to predict. Baetis, aka Blue Winged Olives, aka BWO, like most other Mayflies, prefer to hatch on cloudy days. Tomorrow looks like it will be dark and cloudy, plus the overnight low is only predicted to get down to 37 which gives the daytime warmup a jumpstart on getting that water heated up. When it comes to BWO's, you will want to have some sort of action plan in place before the hatch even kicks off. It will likely happen about 1-2 pm and will come on strong. Have a 9' 6X leader ready that is clean and new so that it will set your fly down soft. Preferably, you have a hatch rod ready to roll with this leader on it, just get it all set up in the morning ready for a quick-draw.

1) Hatch Rods should be an 8'6" 3 weight or 4 weight, 9' rods are great too but most people tend to be slightly more accurate with 8'6" rods at practical fishing distances. The lighter line sets down more softly, it is more limber (manages tough seams better), and you will spook less fish. The properties of the fly itself yield a better overall drift than your 5 or 6 weight because smaller/lighter line is easier to mend. Plain and simple light lines outfish heavy ones. Plus the soft action of the rod tip does a great job of protecting 6X tippet. All this, plus if you carry your hatch rod there won't be any startup and breakdown time switching from Skwalas or Nymphs back and forth from a BWO. There are lots of times that a hatch rod come out for just one or two casts, we stick the feeding fish, and the rod goes back in the holster.

2) Starter Bugs - defined as the first fly that you cast to a feeding fish, or search with, at the onset of a hatch. This fly goes on your set up before the hatch even starts and is 'river ready'. It should float good, be easy to see, and even turn some fish. There are a handful of good patterns that come to mind. A variety of parachutes, especially if you can find some good ones with a Hi-Vis Orange Post, will work as a starting bug. The key is they have to float good so they don't get swamped by your first fish or just a series of drifts. The idea is that this fly keeps you moving efficiently and fishing, instead of tying on fresh/dry flies or reaching for your dry shake every 10 casts. Our guides play a lot of various Baetis but the go-to seems to be the Split Wing Parachute. It is darn tough to beat. It has 2 calf hair posts (Wulff style) that make it float great and it is easy to see. The body has a flashy rib over the olive dubbing so it makes a good attractor. It gets 'em, and it floats good. However, there are times that the Starter Bug just won't trick 'em... enter the "kill bug".

3) We call it the "kill bug", because the idea is that the fly is so good, the fish you are shooting at is well scouted and isolated in a specific seam, and therefore... it allows the angler a one shot kill. Of course it doesn't always work like that this, but you get the point. These flies are the "naturals". Top picks are Quigley Cripples, BWO Sprout Emergers, CDC Emergers, and last but not least... one you probably aren't expecting. An old school Thorax Hackled Dun. The Thorax Dun is just an old classic fly, but it by far looks the most natural out of all the patterns. It is great for flat water situations, and part of the reason it is so deadly is because it looks very real no matter how it lands on the water or what angle it is viewed from.

4) Perspectives and Efficiency - of course, some of you are wondering... "why not fish the Kill Bug right off the bat if it is so natural and effective?" Frankly, fishing big rivers is a whole lot more about presentation, presentation, and efficiency of that presentation. The more you make and the better they are... the more fish to the boat. Don't play the small fly until you have to. If fly fishing were run like Bass Tournaments (which guiding sometimes is), we would have 8 rods rigged with a variety of patterns and during a Baetis hatch, it would be all Split Wing until a quality fish doesn't eat it... then we grab the rod with the Quigley and hit 'em with that. One shot one = one fish or something to that effect. Success on big water is often (not always) all about how fast you can cover the water, and that means being able to see your fly and keep it afloat at all times. Seeing your fly means constant feed back on your drifts, meaning you know if the drift was bad. You can have the best fly in the world, but as you park yourself on a feeder you have to be able to identify "drag spots" (defined as a portion of the drift that no matter what you do there is drag", a visible fly shows you these... you figure out how to fix it (move your boat, walk upstream, add tippet, reach cast, etc.) once fixed, put the Kill bug on and go to it. Use the visible fly to learn what is wrong with the drift, then switch it up. By using both styles of patterns to their advantage and maximizing your river time with a hatch rod (or at least nominate a rod in the boat as the "community" hatch rod), you will flat out catch more fish. Use these strategies next time out and it might mean a few more bends in the rod, and these are good bends because it will be on dry flies.... the reason we got into this sport in the first place! Be ready for a fish to show its head this week, good luck, thanks for the support, and straight casts to all!

3/19/2010

Anglers: Bill, Doug, and Joe

Location: East Cle Elum to Thorp

Flies: Nymphs in the morning:  CDC PT w/ Copper bead #16, hand tied Skwalas (nymphs and dries), #10 Olive Pat's, Little Green  Machine #16 
 
Layering: Sweatshirt, guide shirt, T-shirt, fleece pants, wool socks, with only a light fleece jacket required for part of the day.

Time: 10:30 am - 6:30 pm

Results: About 10-12 trout landed, all very nice fish primarily Cutts.

Hunger Level: 4 out of 10

A guide's dream.  We stop for lunch, and I literally had a sandwich in one hand and a 16" trout in the other.  Then, a few minutes after the guys crack open a bottle of wine a deer comes out and feeds along the bank and gets a drink as though my cronies just released it for aesthetic effect.  If there was going to be a children's book about the perfect day on the river I think that would be it. I can see it now..... "and then little Joey reached down and unhooked the trout only after taking a huge bite of his club sandwich."

The Upper Canyon, East to Thorp, fished good for us but was very technical and we had to cover massive tracts of water fast to get the results we wanted.  Good casting was paramount and hitting every seam that popped up on the first shot with a clean drift was key to our success.  We had a great day, while some others got skunked.  The Hunger Level registered only a 4 out of 10, but if you like serenity, low pressure, big fish, and a challenge the ask of the upper canyon.  Newer anglers, best if you stick to the Lower Canyon right now.  There were adult Skwalas on the river along with some BWO's but we couldn't sustain any kind of strong rally.  The water is very low and the fish were isolated to the edges of the best holes, rather than spread evenly out along the duration of the float.

It is also important to stress the importance of learning to fly cast well.  As the hatch progresses it will require better drifts, more accurate casts, and the ability to cover a great number of seams fast.  Picture this, Angler A hits a main-line seam with a fast accurate cast way down stream on a sharp angle.  Fishes it a few seconds, the boat is approaching the hole and in the next 3 shots he hits 3 different seams with no more than 1 false cast the entire time (with good line speed so that the boat doesn't float out of position between shots).  Angler B, has to wait until the boat is 20 feet from the main-line seam and has to take 3 attempts and by the time he/she gets it the boat is floating by out of position and has no shot at the other interior seams closer to the bank.  We see it every day.  Scenario B is all to common an part of the learning process, but as guides we analyze it and that is why we have some of the best fly casters around on our guide staff.  Being able to cover water fast(moving the fly about the river in multiple seam lines with no false casting) allows an angler to fish 3-4 times the amount of water and it all starts with learning to cast well and shoot line accurately at longer distance.  Learn to double haul, learn to shoot line, and learn to build tight controlled loops.  It directly reflects your body-count on the river. Plus, casting is fun. If you find pure joy in fly casting you will become a great angler some day.  Practice makes perfect and you will even love fishing on the slow days because you can work on the cast.

3/17/2010

Anglers: Mark, Jim, Garth, John, Steve, and Joe

Location: Irene to MM20

Flies: DFO for Joe, Steve ran nymphs in the a.m. (much better than dries early on) and DFO after lunch.  Skwalameister #10 (a small parachute Skwala w/ 6 small rubber legs and a biot tail). 
 
Layering: Guide Shirt and a Vest most of the day, followed by Windstopper in the afternoon.  Fleece pants and wool socks under the waders.

Time: 9:30 am - 6:30 pm

Results: About 10 trout per boat, the very formal big fish contest was won with a 16"er that broke a long and dramatic stalemate of dualing 15"ers.  In fact, now that I think about it.  It was still a tie, each boat got a 16"er in the evening.  Everybody is a winner at Red's.

Hunger Level: 6 out of 10, (but it made the other days prior feel like a 7.5)

We encountered two distinctly different types of Skwalas yesterday.... the upriver Skwala and the downriver Skwala.  You can tell the difference based on the insects' behavior on the water.  The downriver Skwala will float along with minimal movement and typically floats helplessly down the fishy seams for long periods of time until it gets eaten by a hungry trout.  The upriver moves fast along the surface blatantly dragging behind the boat after 6 six useless mends it is usually recasted...... upstream!  Please tell me you got that joke.  It is true though, Skwalas need to be fished with precision and the hard downstream angle from the boat promotes a great float and it keeps your tippet clear of the take, many of the rises are soft and you get a MUCH better eat-to-hook up ratio.  It also requires a lot of skill to move the fly about the river fast and effectively.  In these water conditions, an angler must be able to read his own water and take the fly from the main seams with short casts to long casts to bankward seams with one quick shot and the switch it all back as the seams pop up close to the boat again.  Also, since the water is in the mid 40's (relatively cold), the trout are fairly isolated to distinct lines and usually won't follow outside of a seam.  The smaller the seam, the more isolated you have that fish.  The trout love to dominate their own little seam too so that there is no competition.  Being able to read all of these lines and move the fly about fast and cover many of them (one fast accurate cast per seam), is king.  It shouldn't take more than one cast, if it does, you probably won't get that fish anyway.  It is amazing what a difference it makes when an angler can lay down long quiet shots spot on.  With other Stonefly hatches, it isn't nearly as critical because the water is usually up and the trout are holding in choppy noisy water already and are pretty tolerant.  In quiet water, frog water practically, the trout will be very unwilling to tolerate noise.  We can't stress enough how important it is to practice your casting and learn to shoot tight loops fast and accurate.  Long distance practice helps immensely with this because long casts are only achieved by good loop control.  It will serve you well come game-time if you put a little time in at the practice range.  Expert guides still practice every time a rod and a line come out of the tube, so should you.  Go out on your lawn, if you don't have a lawn go to the park.  Especially if you want to be a good dry fly fisherman.  Nymph fishing doesn't require a whole lot of grace from the caster, flop it, mend it, set it!  Good luck out there, the dry fly fishing is going to hold steady for a while.  Slow to start, switch to dries at lunchtime.

3/15/2010

Anglers: --

Location: --

It is a beautiful thing when your wading boots don't dry out for weeks at a time.

3/14/2010

Anglers: Oly, Alex, Carmen, and Joe

Location: Ringer to Umtanum

Flies: Dries ALL Day! We fished Organic (our term for hand tied) Skwalas, Yarn Wing Skwala #8, Peacock PMX (it has hackle tied into the body for a wiggly effect) #10
 
Layering: Windstopper over a sweatshirt in the morning, guide shirts in the afternoon sun, reverting back to Windstopper in the afternoon hours. Bring a good shell, the spring wind out here can have a painful bite to it.

Time: 10:30 am - 5 pm

Results: Good dry fly fishing for the anglers that can move the fly around and hit lots of seams efficiently, it can be a challenge for anglers that don't drive a good loop. 8 nice trout for our experienced angler (sneaking in drifts as the 6 year old in the boat dominated both the water and the air space with some wild but enthusiastic casts), a few grabs for the novice.

Hunger Level: 6 out of 10, (ditto from last time) we would make it higher but it can be tough. It would be easy for anglers "less than dialed in" to have a tough day. If you didn't do well yesterday, don't feel bad for a second. That is just fishing and Skwala hatches can be tough... but sometimes it is as easy as leaving your backcast in the water too long!

The Skwala hatch is rolling on, and good fishing is the consensus. Some guys had it tough yesterday, but don't feel bad if you were one of them. This river is rarely easy. When we were able to get our "ringer" lined up some seams yesterday we pretty much crushed 'em. We only threw dries, the nymph anglers had a hay-day I'm sure. However, the last thing we want to be accused of is hyping a report, so please come out with realistic expectations and plan on working hard for your fish. The trout get very pressure sensitive on the Skwala hatch in hurry. Their lips get sore fast and it doesn't take them long to realize that a #8 Bitteroot equals DANGER! Tie some unique flies, and pack some small guys in the #12 range to use as your plan B if a big fly isn't working or you spot some stubborn rising trout. BWO's are starting to make an appearance so get your #16 Quigleys and your Comparaduns ready. Anything with CDC is usually a good "kill bug" to use when the others fail, but the trout remain on a steady feeding pattern. Just keep in mind that you can't fish it, if you can't see it! That is the downside of CDC. Keep working hard out there, and take care of the big fish this year. We have nearly stopped taking pics of fish so that we can keep them in the water and maybe it has helped. Big fish seem to be more present in the Canyon this year than the past few. Low clear water is great for fishing in the short term, but the trout take the brunt of our hooks a little more often. Handle with care, and just like you guys we are trying very hard to do our part and be easy on the fish. If the fish never leaves the water it has a lot better shot at getting back to eating... and growing... and getting big. We all like big. ALSO, a guide had his Loomis Streamdance GLX 9' 5 weight rod w/ a Lamson Litespeed and a Sharkskin line get dropped out of his boat yesterday and wasn't recovered. :( OUCH! That is a $1000 set up. It was near Mile Marker 21. I can only imagine the prank emails that could get started out of this, so please don't torment us. If you find it bring it in for a reward paid out in good fishing Karma and Shuttles.

3/12/2010

Anglers: Bo, Derek, and Joe - Connor and Mike

Location: MM20 to Red's

Flies: Bitterroots #10/12, Organic Skwalas, Pat's, Pearl Lightening Bug
 
Layering:  Windstopper fo' sur.

Time: 10:30 am - 5 pm

Results: Great dry fly fishing in the late afternoon, slow to start, good nymphing early.  10+ trout to hand.

Hunger Level: 6 out of 10, we would make it higher and although we landed a lot on dries it was pretty technical casting and drifts. 

Yesterday was the best spring dry fly fishing we have seen in years. This was the first day of good dry fly fishing for us.  Thursday was pretty good too, but the anglers included a first time fly caster so it was tough to get a good read on the day.  They worked hard though and managed about 15 nice trout to the fly and landed a couple.  Yesterday it was cold, windy, and technical casting to generate eats but it was stellar if you had good fly control.  We saw about 50 Skwalas on the water, most laying eggs.  This hatch should be strong through the weekend but expect to work hard and be persistent as this is not an easy hatch for the novice.  For the experienced angler, it is like picking ripe apples.... just reach out and grab it!  We are also starting to see a few BWO's as well so keep that in mind when you find picky trout.

3/9/2010 late pm

Anglers: Jim, Tom, and Joe

Location: Red's to Roza

Flies: Hand tied Skwala nymphs in the morning, hand tied dries in the afternoon.  A few "tester" swings with sink tips and streamers to see if they are chasing in the morning.

Layering:  Windstopper, stocking cap, gloves, long johns would have been smart.

Time: 10:30 am - 6 pm

Results: We got a beat down from the girl, it just wasn't there on dries BUT we did land a Steelhead and that doesn't happen every day.  7 nice trout landed, 1 Steelhead, and a handful of Ytfish.

Hunger Level: 3 out of 10, pretty rough.

What a weird day.  It was nice in the morning and then got super cold with a wind in the afternoon.  The fish were doscile and did not move much for the fly.  We ran a single nymph rig working Skwalas and that was kind of slow, hooked a few on droppers once we threw that on.  Got a Steelhead, then landed 4 nice trout on dries.  So, it turned out good now that it is in text.  For how hard we fished and efficiently we covered the water it was pretty slow.  Regarding the Skwala hatch it is still early, the dry fly fishing will improve over the next 3 weeks.  Look for a trend of warm nights, and fairly warm days.  Part of the guide gang fished a busman's holiday behind us today (thank goodness they were behind), Mike, Leif, and Derek landed 15-20 fish and another Steelhead! (weird?).  That is just crazy, we don't see very many of these on the Yakima.  We release them fast so the pictures are kind of crappy, but hey, it is still a Steelhead on the Yak.  Fish of a lifetime for most of us and a heck of an honor to behold.  Overall, we were happy to get 4 landed on dries, if you see that girl and her 3 weight throw a rock at them.

3/9/2010

Anglers: --

Location: Not sure yet, gotta listen to what the water has to say once I get there.

Flies: Hand tied Skwala nymphs in the morning, hand tied dries in the afternoon.  A few "tester" swings with sink tips and streamers to see if they are chasing in the morning.

Layering:  Windstopper is a must have, and a Buff to keep the wind out of my ears.  I think I'll leave the gloves behind today.

Time: 6:30 am now, meeting 2 anglers at 10 am, trout hooked up by 10:30 am?... knock on wood, but that is the plan.  I have a couple of "starter slots" in mind that can drag down the skunk flag early.

Results: We had better get 15+ trout to the dry, or I will be heckled to death by another guide (and his girl, which is in fact worse!).  Her picture is above, if you see her - do not fish behind.  Hearing that she moved 15 and landed several should motivate all of us to get on the water and get it done.

Hunger Level: --? t.b.a.

The boat is loaded, rods on hood rack, flies are tied, kit bag is dialed in, coffee is brewing, lunch is packed but food feels like more of a formality. This time of year is an exciting time to hit the river.  After a long winter of waiting it is time to make the most out of your days on the water and this morning I am especially pumped up and prepared.  For all of us this should mean tying bugs, buying bugs, polishing the fly cast, ordering the right rods and reels, getting new fly lines, buying good tapered leaders, Flourocarbon Tippet, and getting some waders that don't leak (it is amazing how nice a new set of waders feels).  The quality of your pregame is often what determines the mood during postgame, plus it is fun. I never get bored tightening up my fly gear. Getting geared up right just feels good. Once that prep work is out of the way, it is time to put that meticulous preparation to work for you on the river.  That is about to happen in a few hours.  Guiding and hard core angling feels a lot like being a competitive athlete on the brink of a big game.  As you piece that fine fly rod together it isn't unusual for it to stimulate a few goosebumps knowing that you are nearing kick off.  Time to see what you can do other water. Did I bring the right flies? Is my cast strong? Did I choose the right section, and do I have a slot routine dialed in?  Right now I am mentally reviewing my own playbook, and if all the right moves are made at the right time, on the right pieces of water, it will all come together for us. This might mean knowing when and where to nymph, and/or when switch it up to dries or streamers.  Just like an offensive coordinator it is your job to move efficiently out there.  Later today we will have 5-6 rods in the boat rigged with dries, nymphs, and streamers so that we can make the right moves at the right time.  Time is precious and your pregame routine might make the difference between epic and average.  Of course it can't always go perfect, hence the passion we carry for it.  It is hard, sometimes we don't catch fish and it is never easy nor predictable out there on a big wild river.  But, for the anglers that put in the prep work of casting, tying, buying the right rods, good fly lines, and have the right gear - it is a certainty that they will have a leg up on the less prepared anglers.  If you want to make the most of your time on the river, be prepared.  Now that my own gear has been checked the 3 times, it is my time to head down into the Canyon and get after it.  Kind of like coming out of the tunnel and onto the field.  Goosebumps you ask?... maybe just a few.

3/8/2010

Anglers: Connor and Trish

Location: Red's to the Slab

Flies: Brown Wing Bitteroot Skwala #10

Layering:  Polarfleece w/ Windstopper over long underwear worked ok in the afternoon, still bring your gloves and stocking caps as the wind can be bitter!

Time: 12 - 4 pm

Results: 3-4 trout landed on dry flies for Trish.

Hunger Level: 7 out of 10

The Skwala fishing is warming up on dry flies!, and you haven't missed anything yet.  Plus, it looks like the hatch won't burst this next week with any one day offering a high temp.  Instead it looks like the hatch will continue to trickle off at a steady pace which is perfect, and should offer us a few weeks of opportunities using Skwalas.  Connor and Trish wend DFO, dry fly only, and moved 15 fish to their fly which we would consider good fishing.  If a girl and a 3 weight can move 15 fish, we would HOPE that you can move at least a few if you come out!   The hatch activity definitely peaks in the afternoon so plan your fishing time to put you in your favorite run about 2 pm.  Nymphs in the morning, dry flies for lunch.  No BWO's to speak of yet, in the evening there have been some sporadic risers on Midge but not enough during the day to warrant 6X and a Paramidge.  Other than fishing, we wrapped up our Sportsman's Show season this last weekend in Spokane.  It was great talking with all of you that were there and thanks for all the compliments on the Powerhour Page. 

We also got the opportunity to cast A LOT of rods for hours in the casting pond and put the Sage 99 series rod through the ringer.  Leif, Bo, and Joe casted the 599-4 for hours and learned a lot about it, and it is really impressive how it prevents tailing loops.  We aren't sure how exactly they did it, but we casted the Winston BiiX, Sage 590-4 Z Axis, Sage 596-4 Z Axis, and the Sage 599-4 a lot and out of all the rods the 599-4 was nearly impossible to throw a Tailing loop (no matter how hard you pushed it at fishing distances ).  It also threw the longest distance out of all those rods, which usually a 9' rod will out cast longer ones for pure length.  It kept the loops open but powerful and didn't stretch your elbow like traditional 10' rods will.  It is the real deal and with nymphs, sinking lines, and streamers it will keep them untangled and prevent you from getting rung up in the back of the head by a Tungsten bugger.  Our overall review of it is very positive.  The only downsides are the obvious ones, longer rods are typically less accurate at short range and don't deliver flies under trees as well.  For open water, Puget Sound Cutts, weighted flies, indicators, chironomid rigs or sinking lines it would be hard to find a better rod.

3/4/2010

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: (bring some San Juan Worms, especially pink with beads and brown/red 2 tone), Pat's Stones (various colors #8), Home brewed Skwlalas nymphs, San Juan Worms, Bitteroot Skwlaa #10, Winged Thing Olive #10, San Juan Power Worm Brown/Red #16

Layering:  --

Time: 12:30 pm

Results: The river is on the rise, but should stay fishable from Ellensburg upstream through the weekend.  Call the shop at 509.933.2300 for an up to the minute clarity report for the canyon.

Hunger Level: --

The warm weather has kicked loose a light batch of runoff, nothing to be too concerned about the river needed a little boost anyway to help the fish make their way towards the shallows where the Skwalas are.  Work inside seems and try to cast from the weak side of the current line you want to hit, it can be tough to get these fish to eat fishing from the outside in (so if you are in a boat, consider wading!)  In slightly off colored water, sometimes the plain old Black K Stone with long rubber legs is your best bet, and a very bright green Caddis Larvae is easy for them to spot. The Canyon will be a little dirty for the next 24 hours but should clean up by Saturday (just a prediction!).  Skwalas are becoming abundant and the next week should mark the first week of good dry fly fishing, you are not too late as it has just begun.  Bring a few San Juan worms, this past week after the rainstorm brought the river up the trout were all over it.  Just phone the shop for clarity reports, we will be in Spokane at the Great Western Sportfishing Show and won't update until Monday again.  Thanks!  Good luck out there, the weather in Ellensburg is unbelievable.  If you live in the Spokane area we will see you at the show and Joe will be putting on a great presentation about fishing the Yakima River, and some fly tying in the booth all weekend and on stage Saturday.
 
3/2/2010

Anglers: Joe R., Mike, and Roger

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: Pat's Stones (various colors #8), Home brewed Skwlalas nymphs, San Juan Worms, Bitteroot Skwlaa #10, Winged Thing Olive #10, San Juan Power Worm Brown/Red #16

Layering: Simms Fleece Guide Pant, 1 thick pair of wool socks, T-shirt, Simms Freestone Zippered Waders, Simms Guide Boots, Simms Windstopper Soft Shell Jacket

Time: 10:15 am - 4:30 pm

Results: 3 Rainbows landed, no Ytfish

Hunger Level: 4 out of 10

Fun day yesterday, we learned to cast and throw dry flies in an effort to cultivate some action on top and learn to throw a good loop.  A little time invested specifically on the topic of casting early in your career will pay enormous dividends in the long run.  If you learn to throw long, tight, and accurate loops there isn't much you can't do.  Your ability to move the fly all over the river at an efficient rate of speed and accuracy is huge.  We put a lot of emphasis on skill that yesterday and made a lot of progress.  A more Nazi-ish guide could have eaked out a few more fish to the boat with some hollering but that isn't what we were the for.  Fish counts are more interesting to add up after a few years.  As far as tips go, we did turn one nice trout on a dry fly towards the end of the day. The remainder of our hookups came to an even split between Stonefly Nymphs and San Juan Worms.  The river is back in a steady flow pattern now and should start pushing some fish towards the surface for sure in the next week or so.  Still a little early for "good" dry fly fishing.

2/28/2010

Anglers: Joe R., Ed, and Andrew

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: Sculpzilla big and small, Woolhead Sculpin w/ Tungsten Bass Weight slid onto leader, Olive/gold bugger w/ rubber legs, Pat's, San Juan Worms, Winged Thing Olive #10 (no fish on dries but we did see 2 adults almost dry fly time!!!)

Layering: Simms Fleece Guide Pant, 1 thick pair of wool socks, T-shirt, Hooded Sweatshirt, Simms Freestone Zippered Waders, Simms Guide Boots, NO Jacket or rain shell required!  Hallelujah

Time: 1 pm - 4:15 pm

Results: 9-10 Rainbows landed, no Ytfish at all.

I got to row the boat for 2 really cool guys yesterday, Ed Soczino and Andrew Bennet.  Ed is president of the Washington Fly Fishing Club and is doing some great stuff with the club and also one of the world's best competition fly casters and a heck of a fly fishing and architectural photographer (which supports a healthy fishing habit).  He routinely beats me by a healthy margin in the FFF 5 weight distance and accuracy competition for the past several years.  Watching a guy throw a 5 weight 120 feet is a truly awesome spectacle.  He'll be at the Red's Rendevous April 10th, so if that sounds like something you want to see come on out.  When he shows up we are all competing for 2nd place.  Oh yea, he pitches a heavy streamer inches from the bank pretty well too!  40 footers are chip shots when can throw tight loops at 100+ feet.  Practice your distance casting, sign up for our Advanced Fly Casting Course, and work in your down time to get better.  He practices routinely at Green Lake. Casts are perfected on the grass, utilized on the water.  The other angler, Andrew Bennett, owns Deneki Outdoors and has operations that you have likely heard of: Alaska West, Chile West, Andros South, B.C. West, among others.  If you are even thinking about planning trips to Alaska, Chile, B.C. for Steelhead, or the Bahamas call us and we'll get the process rolling for you. It is pretty cool sharing a boat with these guys who have both fished all over the world and they are still energized by a nice afternoon on the Yak when they can stick a dozen average trout.  The pure joy of hooking a fish of any sort should never old.  It speaks to a certain level of class when you are still content to politely accept a river's offering regardless of fish size, quantity, or species.  Take what you are given, and appreciate the gift because that is exactly what it is..  Make the most of it.  Yesterday was pretty muddy after all that rain.  The river didn't come up a lot but the ratio was just high enough to dirty things up, rubbery meatloaf.  We did alright regardless of the less than ideal conditions.  SHOCKINGLY, we did not hook fish on streamers although we threw them with conviction.  When you have one of the best casters in the world fishing alongside a guy that spends more time on the rivers of Chile and Alaska than anyone else I know.... it is a certainty that the job is getting done right.  However, the fish were not in the mood to chase for some reason.  Usually a spike in water volume kicks loose some Sculpin and they big fish go on the prowl.  Nymphs and San Juan Worms were the producers and you had to be in the right riffles.  We did not do well fishing along on the go, it was spot specific.  Today should be better especially in the afternoon as the river drops in right.  Here is this mornings graph, a hard drop is goooood!  Warmer water and a dropping graph = good fishing most times.



2/27/2010

Anglers: Joe, Lynn, and Jon

ONE day left to take advantage of the $225 Feb Special. If you are ever thinking of taking a spontaneous guide trip, maybe plan one for tomorrow which is the last day of our special rate.  Also, the Wenatchee heated up BIG TIME yesterday with nearly double digit Steelhead hooked. The rain and dark weather finally came in and there is one day left on that river the whole season and we are guiding at only $355 per boat.  Call the shop today if you want to pull something together!  You won't regret it.

Location: MM20 to Red's

Flies: Red Winged Thing #10, Olive Winged Thing #10, Anato May Peacock #14, Olive Flashback Hare's Ear #16 (beadhead) The Ytfish LOVED this one.  Pat's #10 Various colors, Double Beaded Olive Stone w/ Amber Biot Legs #10, Sculpzilla big and small

Layering: Simms Fleece Guide Pant, 1 thick pair of wool socks,T-shirt, Hooded Sweatshirt, wool fingerless gloves (fleece gloves got soaked in the monsoon), Simms Freestone Zippered Waders, Simms Guide Boots. Simms Windstopper Soft Shell AND Simms Windstopper Soft Shell Hoody which does not make a good rain coat, swithced it out for a Goretex Shell in the afternoon which was 2 hours too late.  The Soft Shell was so wet it had to ride home in the back of the truck, litterally.

Time: 11 am - 5:15 pm

Results: 6-7 Rainbows landed, plenty of Ytfish and LDRs galore.

Is there a better way to start your fishing day than finding a wrinkled up, wet, dirty, old $20 bill in the foot of your waders?  Has that ever happened to you, if so, then you know the pure joy of which I am describing.  It was no doubt some long forgotten portion of a guest's tip gone MIA.  Maybe this could be a new savings plan for guides.  Just throw all your money in the foot of your waders so you don't spend it. Then after a few weeks if it isn't all torn up you can use it to buy tippet and pizza.  It would work a lot better than the current one we've been using where you just spend it as soon as you get back to Ellensburg. Fishing was pretty good yesterday, we threw dry flies a lot and had 2 very nice fish eat but didn't connect on either one.  We ran dry dropper set ups most of the day so we weren't fishing the dry fly nearly as "clean" as we would have liked as most our intent was placed up on getting fish on the trailing bug. If we had fished dries solo, certainly we would have turned a lot more fish on the surface.  We also could have caught a lot more fish if we nymphed using indicators more, but we sort of like plucking fish out of the shallows on droppers if we can.  Each time we nymphed a green slot, fish on!  Lots of Ytfish though.  Streamers were dead.  No fish to the Sculpin.

The Forest Gump rain yesterday didn't deter the fishing but it might have a slight effect over the next few days if the river keeps climbing. Below is the hydrograph as of 6 am today.  It looks bad, BUT if you look at the scale on the right you will notice that the river is up only a total of 150-160 cfs right now which isn't much.  We'll see what happens over the next few days, right now it looks like good fishing!  The river needed a little boost.  There are a lot of fish in the slow shallow pockets that will be easier to present a fly to with a little more water.  One of the most difficult things while fishing Skwalas is that there are so many various speeds of current to lay your fly line across that it gets messy and the drifts are tough.  A bit more water will smooth things out and make the fishing water more uniform.  

  
2/24/2010

Anglers: Joe, Robert, and Rich

Location: Wenatchee River

Flies: Blue Pat's #4, Caddis Pupae (Olive/Green/Gold) #12, Black/Brown Pat's #4, Brown K Stone #6, various Egg Patterns (small was better, from our limited experience)

Layering: Simms Fleece Guide Pant, 1 thick pair of wool socks,T-shirt, Hooded Sweatshirt, Freestone Foldover Mitts (in the wind for a while, otherwise no gloves required), Simms Freestone Zippered Waders, Simms Guide Boots. Simms Windstopper Soft Shell AND Simms Windstopper Soft Shell Hoody (2 Jackets required all day!)

Time: 10 am - 5:30 pm

Results: 1 Wild Steelhead Landed, several Ytfish that we are counting just because the fishing was slow.

It was downright cold yesterday, it barely got above 40 and the water temp started at 37.  Today is looking MUCH better with heavy cloud cover and an overnight low that barely got below freezing.  The fishing should be on today, focus on nymphing the Yakima if you are out for numbers.  Dry fly anglers, be patient and dilligent and you will get a few takes.  There is NO dry fly take on earth better than the first one after a long winter of dreaming about.  Just don't pull up too quick, it is easy to do!  On the Wenatchee, dead drifted flies rule the roost right now.  Get your trips scheduled for later this weekend if you like our guide staff, there is only a few more days for the $225 special on the Yakima, and the Wenatchee is still on sale at $355 till it closes March 1st. 

2/23/2010

Anglers: Joe, Bryan, and John

Location: MM19 to Umtanum

Flies: Pat's of course, Double Beaded 20 Incher #10 (out fished the Pat's!  a miracle!), Red Brassie #20, Green Winged Thing #8

Layering: Simms Fleece Guide Pant, 1 thick pair of wool socks,T-shirt, Hooded Sweatshirt, Freestone Foldover Mitts (in the wind for a while, otherwise no gloves required), Simms Freestone Zippered Waders, Simms Guide Boots. Simms Windstopper Soft Shell (Jacket required all day again, it has been little colder due to a breeze the past couple of days)

Time: 1:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Results: About 8 trout landed, 12-17", great average size and build.

A spontaneous call came in for a February Special guide trip yesterday, so we did a quick float in the afternoon and it was well worth it.  It was a gorgeous day out with not a cloud in sight but the shady zones held frost all day so it never really warmed up.  Jackets all day long.  We did throw dry flies though and saw an Adult Skwala on the water so the time is coming for some of that sweet action.  We need a spike in water temps to really set things off though.  The warmer nights that are headed are way should help.  The day time highs aren't anything impressive this next week but it looks like it will barely dip below freezing versus nightime temps in the teens like this past weekend.