Red's Fly Shop | Power Hour Fishing Report - Yakima River Fly Fishing Report

Red's Power Hour Fishing Report
April - June 2006

The Power Hour Fishing Report is brought to you exclusively by Red's. The content of this report is not the generic "fishing has been good in the morning, and afternoons, and later in the evenings, too." Rather, when we go fishing, we will analyze one session and report the day, time, location, fly, number of fish caught, species, and size (if we caught any). We'll also write up the method we used. Keep in mind that the fishing report is based on a prior day's fishing and weather conditions.

Flies: sz. 6, 8 Para Chernobyl (Tan, Orange), sz. 8 Marathon Bug, sz. 6 Water St. Stone, sz. 8, 10 Stimis, sz. 8-12 Stone Nymphs, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14, 16 PT's, sz. 14, 16 Prince Nymph, sz. 14 Caddis Pupae

The fishing has turned the corner in the canyon! Over the past couple of days, we have seen fish key in on Summer Stone dry fly patterns, and continue to eat nymphs throughout the day. Fishing has been best in the evening or under some cloud cover - which we were fortunate to have yesterday. Flows are stabilized around 2800 cfs for the time being, but we expect that to increase over the next few days as the air temperatures warm up and irrigation resumes. We actually had some good big dry fly fishing with the flows up around 3500 cfs last week. The higher volume fills up the banks on both sides of the river and pushes the fish in. Don't be afraid to run a small Grasshopper pattern at some point during the day - we're starting to see a few here and there!

6/26/06

We fished an earlier window, but had similar results to the previous few days - slower dry fly fishing and pretty good nymphing. We did see a few decent fish come to the big dry fly, but they were few and far between. Flows are started up this morning, and the Cle Elum River is on a steep rise. We don't expect the river to go out of shape as the stored water is much cleaner than Spring runoff flows. We do hope that this rise in flows will push some of these fish tighter to the banks and start them thinking about Summer Stones and Hoppers. We are seeing some heat in the canyon right now - with temperatures nearing triple digits. Days like these require 2 bags of ice in the drink cooler!

6/24/06

Flies: sz. 8 Black Cone 20"er, sz. 8, 10 Dbl. Bead Stone, sz. 14,16 Prince, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14 PT, sz. 6 Yellow Stimi, sz. 8 Para Chernobyl, sz. 8 Winged Thing, sz. 6 Plan B, sz. 16 Rusty Sparkle Dun, sz. 16 X-Caddis

We started with big dry flies and droppers and picked up a number of fish on the droppers and had few looks on dries. Mid-day is primarily nymphing, there are a few fish holding super tight to the bank that can be caught on dries but for good numbers use the bobber. The evening had decent caddis numbers with sporadic rises. A stonefly with a caddis trailer was a good searching combo. The dry fly fishing is turning a corner though, these next few weeks should be the beginning of a great summer.

6/22/06

Flies: sz. 8, 10 Dbl. Bead Stone, sz. 14,16 Prince, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14 PT, sz. 6 Yellow Stimi, sz. 8 Para Chernobyl

Flows have continued to drop and the river is in the best shape we have seen all Spring! We have been fishing big dries each day, but the fish have not started looking up yet. The nymph fishing remains productive and the best chance to fish dries is still late in the day after the shadows set and the Caddis start to fly. There has been a fair amount of wind over the past few days, but it looks like the forecast through the weekend calls for less wind and temperatures in the 90's. We're hoping this formula might get some big bugs moving and the summer dry fly season underway!

6/18/06

The river has stabilized at just over 4000 cfs, and is looking good with 3'+ of visibility at the shop. With the higher flows that we're now seeing, we should be pretty solid through the rest of the summer. We have had relatively stable flows for the past 3 days now, and expect the fish to make the adjustment and the fishing to pick up. Your fishing strategy should now include covering more water, fishing tighter to the banks, and being a little more selective about where you can drop an anchor. Happy Father's Day!

6/17/06

The river clarity has improved a bit over the last 24 hours, and we are now looking at about 24" of visibility below Wilson creek, and much better above. We will be fishing again tomorrow, but it's hard saying if 3 days is enough time for the fish to have made the adjustment to the higher flows. We're looking forward to the longer floats that the summertime season brings!

6/16/06

Flows are up for the duration of the summer it looks like, a far cry from last year. Back to normal. A big water year will help these fish grow fast and give them plenty of habitat to share. Don't expect the river to drop a whole lot this upcoming week, but we do need it to clear up a bit before the fishing is back on track. There is only about 12-14" of vis at the shop right now which is better than yesterday, but still not good. With flows over 4000 and not a lot of Caddis, 12-14" is tough duty. By Monday we should be fishable again but no promises. The fish need to get acclimated to the high flow and it would be nice to have about 2 feet of clarity. These fish will definitely be pushed up against the banks, so bring lots of flies! Call the shop for an up to the minute clarity report.

6/14/06

Flies: sz. 8 Brown Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 12-18 SHPT (Soft Hackle PT), sz. 14, 16 Prince, sz. 12-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 6 Black/ Olive Buggers

We were able to get a halfday trip done just before the "wall of mud" caught up with us in the canyon. The past two afternoons of intense cloudbursts in the valley dirtied Taneum Creek, Menashtash Creek, Swauk Creek, and the Teanaway to the point that the Yakima went beyond the standard brown color of being out to a reddish color. We had one customer who had arranged a shuttle call us at 9:00 am from Ellensburg and cancel because of the river conditions in town. At this point the river still looked good at the shop, and it stayed in pretty good shape until about 3:00 pm. Outflows from the reservoirs have begun to ramp up, which at this point will likely help clean up the main stem.

6/11/06

Flies: sz. 6-12 Stonefly Nymphs (Brown, black, Gold), sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs (Silver, Pearl, Gold), sz. 12-18 PT's, sz. 16 Soft Hackle Hare's Ear, sz. 16 Red Fox Squirrel Nymph, sz. 16 PTSH

Fishing nymphs under an indicator remains the strategy for the majority of the day. PMD's, Yellow Sallies, Mahogany Duns, and a few Big Yellow Mayflies have been in the air throughout the afternoon, but not in big enough numbers to get the fish focused. We have found enough scattered feeders to present some targets (mostly small fish, though) for small dries during the day to the DFO (Dry Flies Only) guys, but the best rise has been just before dusk on Caddis. Flows have continued to drop and the ledges and gravel bars are very evident. The weather has been nice except for some scattered showers yesterday and a bit of wind on Friday. If this keeps up, we are hoping to start seeing some big dry action with Summer Stones and small Hoppers soon.

6/8/06

Flies: sz. 10 Golden Stone Nymph, sz. 8 Double Beaded Stone Nymph, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs (Silver, Pearl, Gold), sz. 12-18 PT's, sz. 8, 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 16 PTSH

The canyon has returned to favorable conditions - both with flow levels and clarity, and the nymph fishing has picked back up. The fish have been the most active between about 10:00 and 2:00, with nymphing being the most productive technique. The dry fly fishing has not been great, with even the late evening Caddis rise being spotty. We look for the big dry fly activity to pick up over the next several weeks.

6/5/06

Flies: sz. 12-16 Lightening Bug, sz. 12-18 PT, sz. 8, 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 16 PMD nymph, sz. 14 Sparkle Dun PMD, sz. 16 Rusty Sparkle Dun, sz. 16 EC-Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emerger, sz. 16 PMD Emerger

We started the day with lower river levels, decent clarity, and good nymph and dry fly fishing. However, as the day wore on, the river rose (nearly 500 cfs throughout the day), the clarity decreased, and the fishing slowed down. This jump in flows is due mostly to heavy rains around Ellensburg, and is already starting to subside. The water is still in good shape above Wilson Creek this morning, and we are hoping to be back on track in the canyon as early as tomorrow. With warmer weather and sunshine in the forecast, we are looking forward to more good Caddis fishing ahead.

6/3/06

Flies: sz. 10 20"er Stone, sz. 12-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14, 16 PT, sz. 16 PMD nymph, sz. 14 Sparkle Dun PMD, sz. 16 X-Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emerger, sz. 16 PMD Emerger

We've had consistent cloud cover and scattered showers for the past 3 days, and the PMD fishing has been great between 2:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. We are still seeing and fishing Caddis into the evening and have been doing some prospecting with big dries with some success. The morning is still a nymphing game, but has continued to produce fish on both larger Stonefly nymphs and smaller trailers. The weather looks like it should remain like it is now - clouds, scattered rain, and highs in the mid 70's - through the weekend.

5/31/06

Flies: sz. 8, 10 Brown Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 14, 16 Prince, sz. 12-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14, 16 PT, sz. 16 PMD nymph, sz. 16 X-Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emerger, sz. 16 PMD Emerger

The river is in great shape and continues to fish well. Although we didn't have much of a hatch in the early part of the afternoon, the Caddis came off later in the evening and offered plenty of opportunities. We're still running nymphs until we see fish working, and even throwing some big dries with droppers through some of the shallow riffles. We haven't seen a lot of activity on big dries, but there are a fair number of Golden Stones on the move and we've seen adults on the water each day. We expect the PMD's to pick back up on cloudy days.

5/29/06

Flies: Double Beaded Peacock Stone sz 6-8, CDC Prince sz 16, Gold/Silver Lightening Bug sz 16, PMD Cripple sz 16, X-Caddis sz 16, CDC PT sz 16-18

The river is continuing to drop and clear, the ledges and seams are beginning to materialize before us. It was bright and sunny today which seemed to thwart the great PMD rise that we had the previous 2 days. It's tough to decide which is better, rainy and cold with good dry fly fishing or sunny with great nymphing. Either way life is good and so is the fishing. Stone nymphs are on the move, we saw about 12 Golden Stones on the wing today which is significant for the Yakima. The big dry fly did not produce, but if you are willing to stick it out through the last couple hours of daylight it is likely that you'll move some fish to the big dry. Plenty of Caddis are out too, expect to be out late for the best rise.

5/27/06

Flies: sz. 8-12 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 12-16 PT, sz. 14,16 Prince, sz. 16 PMD Nymph, sz. 12-16 Para PMD's, sz. 16 Adams, sz. 14,16 EC Caddis

Although we didn't get any evening Caddis activity, we did have some good nymph fishing early and then a great PMD hatch between 3:00 and 5:00 pm. Yesterday was not a day to be without waders or a rain coat, and we had several heavy downpours during the afternoon. The river has continued to drop, and with scattered showers in the forecast, we hope to see more of the same with the fishing through the weekend.

5/26/06

Flows in the canyon have continued to decrease, and we saw a fair number of Caddis flying and fish feeding last night. Visibility is 18"-24", and we expect the gameplan to be nymphing in the morning with some possible PMD activity in the middle of the day, and a Caddis rise in the evening. We'll be on the water today and have a fishing report up tomorrow.

5/22/06

We are now on the 4th consecutive day of a dropping river, and starting to see signs of things shaping up. There is 12"-18" of visibility at the shop and slightly better conditions above Wilson Creek. We'll get out tomorrow, and are hoping to see some decent fishing by Wednesday if things stay on track. The weatherman is calling for scattered showers and cooler temperatures through the week - which could be conducive to some very good PMD activity.

5/18/06

The run off has continued and the river is currently unfishable. It looks like the weather may cool down over the next couple of days, but we have "thunder showers possible" in the forecast, as well. We'll keep an eye on things; but with the river at 5600 cfs and still going up, tomorrow is shot and the weekend is suspect!

5/16/06

Flies: sz. 6 20"er Stone Nymph, sz. 12-16 Sparkle Pupae, sz. 16 PT, sz. 14 Lightening Bug, sz. 14, 16 EC Caddis, sz. 14, 16 X-Caddis, sz. 14, 16 Hot Butt Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emergers

The river was on the rise and the fishing was tough until about 3:30, and then the best Caddis rise of '06 came off. Conditions appeared less than ideal, with visibility around 18" below Wilson, but that didn't keep the fish from finding bugs on the surface. The first two hours of this frenzy was the easiest, but even after about 6:00 pm when they seemed to get more selective, the fishing was great. The river tapered off last night, but is on a steep rise today. We are down to about 12" of visibility and up to 3500 cfs at the shop, but still may see a good rise tonight. These conditions are reminiscent of the Caddis hatch we saw in 2002 - which was another great year.

5/14/06

Flies: sz. 6 & 8 Assorted Stone Nymphs, sz. 14 & 16 Sparkle Pupae, sz. 16 PT, sz. 14 Lightening Bug, sz. 14, 16 X-Caddis, sz. 14, 16 Elk Hair Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emergers

Yesterday afternoon we saw one of the largest Caddis hatches that any of us here at Red's have seen on this river. There were Caddis everywhere, and it was impossible to distinguish your bug on the water let alone the fish choosing your bug. The best dry fly fishing was after the main part of the hatch; and the best strategy was to move slowly looking for feeding fish. Even if you only saw the fish eat one time, a good drag free drift with a peacock or tan Elk Wing Caddis would put a bend in your rod. The weatherman is forecasting some warm temperatures ahead with daytime highs going into the low 90's. We have our fingers crossed that the warmer temps will not put the river out, but some things are out of our control. For all you MOMS out there, we just want to say "THANK YOU" and Happy Mother's Day.

5/12/06

Flies: sz. 6 20"er Stone, sz. 8 Dirt Snake, sz. 14 Sparkle Pupae, sz. 16 PT, sz. 14 Lightening Bug, sz. 14, 16 X-Caddis, sz. 14, 16 Elk Hair Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emergers

Result: 6 Rainbows landed (10"- 16"), a Whitefish, and a 6-7 lb. Yakima River Sucker!

We experienced some cooler air temperatures, along with scattered clouds and wind. We had our best luck nymph fishing from anchor or out of the boat wading. Although we did not see near the number of Caddis flying or fish feeding as we had the previous 2 days, we were able to target and catch a number of nice fish on Caddis dries in the evening. We are also starting to see a fair number of PMD's in the afternoon, so make sure you have a selection of them in your box. If we string together a few of these cloudy days, that hatch should become more steady. Some of these shop guys have been commenting on the number of "other species" - ie. Whitefish, NPM, and Suckers - that I seem to be fortunate enough to catch. I tell them that presentation has to be absolutely perfect to get these fish to eat a fly. If they keep practicing for a few more years, maybe they'll start to see more. I don't think they're buying it, though! It's all part of the fun - you don't know what's pulling on the end of your line until the fish comes up - and some of those fish are big and tough!

5/10/06

Flies: sz. 6-10 Assorted Stone Nymphs, sz. 14 & 16 Assorted Caddis Pupae Nymphs, sz. 16 X-Caddis, sz. 16 Elk Hair Caddis, sz. 16 & 18 CDC Caddis Emergers

Result: 10 Rainbows landed (10"- 16") along with several Whitefish and Northern Pike Minnows (NPM's)

Late yesterday afternoon marked the first good Caddis fishing for 2006. There were lots of bugs both in the air and on the water. In fact, it was hard to keep them out of your ears, eyes, and mouth, if you know what I mean. Up until the time that the Caddis started coming off, nymph fishing was consistent and overall it was a pretty good day of fishing. We are expecting more of the same through the weekend. It should only get better providing the weather and the river conditions stay consistent. The river is in great shape at about 2300 cfs today and air temps are just over 70 degrees. The weatherman is forecasting some wind for tomorrow, but we are hoping that they are wrong. Funny thing about fly fisherman they always have hope, and they always perservere.

5/7/06

Flies: sz. 8 Rubber-legged Stone Nymphs, sz. 14 & 16 Assorted Caddis Pupae Nymphs, sz. 16 X-Caddis, sz. 14 PMD's

We fished both a deep nymph rig and dries on this float. The nymphing was the most productive technique we used, and we had to spend time consistently working the water at each location we fished. Nymphing on the go has just not gotten the job done over the last several days. Although we didn't see much surface activity, we got fish to come after our dry fly offerings by fishing the likely looking spots where we suspected fish would be holding. Throughout the afternoon we had sustained winds at 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40, but the fishing was good enough that we were able to cope with it and keep smiling. The river is in good shape with flows holding at about 2500 cfs. We have had some cooler temps and today we had a high of around 58 degrees with more of the same forecast for the next few days. It looks like the great Caddis fishing is going to be a little later this year but should only get better as May progresses.

5/2/06

After peaking at 5200 cfs on Sunday, flows are down to 3142 cfs, and still on the drop. Visibility is nearly 18" at the shop, and the river is once again "fishable". It looks like we should have some cool evening temperatures over the next couple of days, which should mean fairly consistent flow patterns. If we stay on this path, we're hopeful that the 2006 Caddis hatch is not far off...

4/30/06

The Yakima is out of commission for a little while and completely unfishable in the lower river, the upper is heading that way too. Check back in a week or so and we will likely have a more positive report, but at the moment it might be wise to find an alternative adventure. Some ideas are Rocky Ford, lake fishing, Turkey hunting, or as a last resort watch some NASCAR on TV. We'll be fishing some lakes this week and we'll try to post a report.

4/28/06

Flies: sz. 6-10 Rubber-legged Stone Nymphs, sz. 8 Power Worm, sz. 10 San Juan Worm, sz. 14 Caddis Pupae, sz. 14 Lime-green Copper John, sz. 6 Assorted Salmon-fly patterns, sz.14 X-Caddis, sz. 16 Iris Caddis, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emerger

We are having to get used to fishing the river at a little higher flow and less visibility than normal. Yesterday I decided to spend my day off fishing in the lower canyon. All of the fish were hooked using a deep nymphing rig and spending time working spots, primarily inside corners. The largest fish of the day came on a power worm. When I removed the hook, I noticed something in his mouth; two real live worms that were about the size of small night-crawlers. Late in the afternoon, I met up with Leif at M.P. 10. He had seen a few salmon-fly shucks so we tossed salmon-fly patterns from M.P. 10 all the way to Mahre's with no success. We saw a few Caddis, with only a random fish here and there showing themselves. The temperature is suppose to reach th high 70's to maybe 80 today, and the river is on the rise again with visibility at somewhere around 12".

4/25/06

Flies: sz. 6-12 Stone Nymphs, sz. 8 Power Worm, sz. 12 Red Fox Squirrel, sz. 12-16 Caddis Pupae, sz. 12 Split Wing March Brown

The river above Wilson Creek remains in great shape with 2-3 feet of visibility. Below Wilson, we are looking at about 12" of vis. Nymph fishing was pretty good yesterday, but mostly with smaller fish. We suspect some of the larger trout are on the spawn, and moved out of their traditional holding lies. We did have a good March Brown hatch yesterday, but only saw a couple of fish feeding on them - blame it on the bright sunshine! It was a beautiful day on the river with 70+ degree weather. We once again saw a large number of Caddis flying in the evening - it won't be long! The river pattern we have seen over the past couple of days is what we like to see - with a little snow melt during the day in the high country, and then freezing again at night. If this pattern holds on, we should have a good window through the weekend.

4/24/06

Flies: sz. 6 Olive Zonker, sz. 8 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 10 Dirt Snake, sz. 14, 16 Caddis Pupae, sz. 14 Prince, sz. 14, 16 Lightening Bug

After getting dirty on Friday and Saturday, the river dropped and cleared most of the day yesterday. Flows were down to 2846 last night, and have started up again this morning. We have been getting some cooler night time temperatures, which we're hoping keeps things in check through the week. We are seeing more and more Caddis each day, but only a few scattered feeders so far. However with water temperatures coming up and nice weather in the forecast this week, things may pick up on the surface. We floated in the farmlands on Friday and Saturday. With the bright sunshine, the March Brown hatch didn't really materialize, and it was pretty much the same nymphing game we've been playing for the past few weeks.

4/20/06

Flies: sz. 4 Fruit Fly, sz. 6 Root Beer Bugger, sz. 12 Prince, sz. 6-10 Assorted Stone Nymphs, sz. 8 & 10 Dirt Snakes, sz. 14 & 16 Caddis Pupae, sz. 16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 12 Split Wing March Brown, sz. 12 March Brown Dun, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 8 & 10 Marathon Bug, sz. 8 Ugyn Bug

Despite very favorable water conditions, the fishing was a little slow yesterday. We nymphed in the morning and picked up a few fish on Stones and a variety of droppers. Most of our success nymphing was targeting specific ledges and slots - not casting on the go. We saw a few March Browns around 1:00, but no fish eating them. We also saw a big number of Caddis, BWO's, and Midge throughout the day. We may not be far off on the Caddis hatch... We did see signs of fish being on the spawn, which could explain the slower fishing. Be careful where you wade this time of year, and if you happen to locate some spawning fish, it's a good idea to let them do their thing without trying to catch them.

4/18/06

Flies: sz. 6-10 Assorted Stone Nymphs, sz. 8 & 10 Dirt Snakes, sz. 14 & 16 Caddis Pupae, sz. 16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 12 Split Wing March Brown, sz. 12 March Brown Dun, sz. 18 Split Wing BWO, sz. 18 CDC Baetis Emerger, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 8 & 10 Dirty Yellow Stimi, sz. 8 Ugyn Bug

River conditions are continuing to improve. The river has dropped dramatically over the last couple of days, and with the drop the fishing has improved. We started the day fishing a standard deep nymph rig on the go and ended it fishing Skwala dries. The nymphing didn't produce the way we had hoped, but we had some good dry fly fishing along the way. We found a good pod of fish eating both March Browns and BWO's and had fun casting to them for about an hour and a half around 1:30 pm. Although we have not seen great Skwala fishing this spring, we managed to turn about a dozen fish on a Skwala pattern to close out the day. The river is currently at 2453 cfs and visibility is good. Let's hope it stays like this for awhile.

4/17/06

We hope you all enjoyed a safe and peaceful Easter weekend. Conditions on the river have improved dramatically over the past 2 days, and we are looking forward to seeing how the fish will respond today. The weather forecast looks like it is going to remain fairly cold in the evenings, which should keep things headed in the right direction over the next several days. We're hoping the Easter Bunny brought these trout a good March Brown and BWO hatch!

4/14/06

Flies: sz. 6-12 Kaufmann's Stone Nymphs, sz. 8, 10 Skwala Nymphs, sz. 8, 10 Dirt Snakes, sz. 14, 16 Caddis Pupae, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 6 Black, Olive Buggers

Conditions remain about the same with visibility at 12"-18" and flows near 3300 cfs. The fishing is a dirty water game, which means big flies in the soft water. If you work hard all day, you'll scratch a few fish out, but it's anything but easy! The river picks up about 6" of visibility above Wilson Creek, and then a considerable amount above the Teanaway. The cooler weather in the forecast looks like it will arrive tonight, and we should see some clearing through the weekend.

4/12/06

With 12" of visibility at the shop, we can't really say the river is "unfishable" - but it's going to be very tough fishing. Flows have continued to rise over the past 3 days, with the exception of last night, when we had a slight downward spike. Flow levels are really not that bad, with the highest reading we've seen so far being under 3300 cfs (keep in mind that our standard summertime levels are around 4000 cfs). Visibility has been the issue and the main catalyst in that equation has been rain in the lower valley. We had downpours the past 2 days, sprinkles this morning, and more rain likely through Monday. With the cooler evening temperatures in the forecast, we expect to see flow levels on the Upper Yakima and Teanaway Rivers start a consistent drop, and the canyon to follow suit. The river should clean up once we get a break from the rain showers... hopefully we're back on track next week. Stop in and say hello if you're around - lots of coffee being drank around here lately! The shop will be closed on Easter Sunday this weekend.

4/8/06

Flies: sz. 6-12 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 8, 10 Dirt Snakes, sz. 14,16 Baetis Nymphs, sz. 18 WD 40, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 14, 16 PT

Visibility has remained around 18"-24" for the past few days with flows fluctuating periodically. The fishing has been mostly a big nymph and streamer game, although the weather should favor a good BWO hatch. It's been raining most of the day today, and with a chance of rain tomorrow... this could push it over the edge of being "fishable". It might not be a bad idea to take care of the home repair job you've been putting off and plan to fish another day.

4/6/06

Flies: sz. 6-12 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 8, 10 Dirt Snakes, sz. 14 Caddis Pupae, sz. 12 Prince, sz. 16 Split Wing BWO, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Bitteroot

We are looking at a rising river today and tougher fishing conditions. We nymphed most of the day with big stones under an indicator. Despite only about a foot of visibility, we saw and brought up a couple of feeders up on BWO's, and rose a couple of fish on Skwala dries in the afternoon. We're not saying the fishing is great - but it was better than I'd expected in seeing the color this morning! The Teanaway is running high from the recent low-elevation snowfall and yesterday's warming trend. If flows keep going up, this weekend could be questionable for fishing the canyon. The river above the Teanaway is an option, but can get pretty busy this time of year. We'll keep you posted as conditions change.

4/4/06

The Yak is back... yesterday we watched the river clear from the shop all day, and we decided to hop in the boat and float from our upper boat launch to lower boat launch and test the fishing. It was pretty good dry fly fishing, a size 16 parachute BWO was super, nothing fancy and available anywhere. Very few bugs on the water, but most of the fish we saw rise, were hooked. Probably because we fished post hatch, the fishing should progress as the river gets clearer and by this weekend we expect it to be in full stride. If you plan on being in the canyon this week, stop in for some coffee, fishin' talk, good laughs, and a pinch or two of flies. We would love to see ya all. Red's.

4/3/06

After peaking at 2600 cfs, the river is currently down to 2400 cfs, and dropping and clearing as we speak. Despite less than ideal conditions over the weekend, there were a number of fishermen out, and several that came into the shop had hooked a few fish (big nymphs and streamers in the soft water). Air temperatures in the high country look like they will remain cold enough in the evening to keep flows in check over the next week or so. Take advantage of these short windows of opportunity this Spring, as we will likely be seeing a lot of fluctuations in flows and conditions!

4/1/06

Flows have continued to come up and are currently around 2100 cfs. We are looking at 12" of visibility at the shop this morning. Flows are on the rise throughout the system, and we are getting some rain in the canyon. It's not unfishable right now - but it's far from ideal. There's snow in the forecast for low elevations tonight, which should help to stabilize these flows and get this color back on track.