Red's Power Hour Fishing Report
July - September 2007
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.
9/30/07
Anglers: Justin, Al, and Ryan
Location: Ringer to MP 20
Flies: sz. 8, 10 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 18 Lightening Bug, sz. 18, 20 WD-40, sz. 16, 18 Para PMD's, BWO's, and Adams
Time: 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Results: 6 Rainbows landed (12"-15") and some Whitefish.
The day started out with more blue sky and sunshine, but ended with lots of grey clouds - which was good for the BWO hatch. It offered great afternoon conditions for Ryan to catch his first fish, and a couple more, on a fly rod. Today we have showers to go with the clouds, and it has the "look" of some great Fall dry fly fishing! Our gameplan has been to run small nymphs under an indicator and then switch to dries once we start to see some surface activity. If the surface activity is sporadic, try some soft hackles. If none of the above seem to be working, don't be afraid to throw a big streamer, either. We are coming into the window where you can catch fish on nymphs, dries, and streamers all in the same zone. The weather forecast calls for clouds with temperatures in the upper 50's through the week, which should offer some tremendous BWO opportunities!
9/27/07
Anglers: Rod, Steve, and Jerry
Location: Umtanum to Slab
Flies: sz. 8, 10 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 14-20 FBPT, sz. 14-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 16, 18 Soft Hackles, sz. 16, 18 Copper Johns, sz. 18, 20 WD-40
Time: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Results: 10+ Rainbows landed (10"-15") and some Whitefish.
Another beautiful Fall day in the Canyon - with bright sunshine, blue skies, and calm conditons. Nymph fishing was consistent throughout the trip, with not much of an opportunity to throw BWO's at feeders - likely due to the clear conditions. We have yet to see our first cloudy day for BWO's, but it should be any day... We have had good action on October Caddis patterns the last 2 hours of daylight, so try not to be in too big of a hurry to get off the water. We have had lots of success fishing soft hackles in some of the flat water sections where you see sporadic surface activity taking place. Try them on the swing and on the dead drift. See you soon!
9/22/07
Anglers: Bill, Larry, Bill, Bobby, Justin, and Rod
Location: Bighorn to Red's
Flies: Small nymphs - WD-40's green/black in the 18-20 size range, Lightning bugs 18-20's, Flashback PT 16, Beadhead Prince nymph 18, October Caddis Pupae 8
Time: 9:30 am - 6 pm
Results: Good nymphing, but slower on dries yesterday.
Good nymphing, but the bright sunny conditions did not yeild very effective hatch conditions. Today on the other hand, as we look out the window it is dark and cloudy which is typically condusive to good mayfly activity so it might be a different story today. There are Lt Cahills, BWO's, Mohogany Duns, and and assortment of small Caddis in the olive color that range from size 16-20 and a few big October Caddis in the evenings. The stonefly hatch is still active, but the fish are a bit shy to the big dry fly right now. With the water low and clear they are weary of the big bugs. Streamers are a good idea too, both early and late when the mayfly hatches are slow. The Bighorn sheep have made their way to the banks of the river now and are reminding us that fall is in full swing. Wading conditions are perfect and we hope to see you soon. Red's.
9/19/07
Anglers: Bill, Dave, Arne, Pete, Steve, and Joe
Location: Umtanum Bridge to the Slab
Flies: Varieties of big dries, small dries, and small nymphs.
Time: 9:30 am - 6 pm
Results: Good fishing.
We had a good day yesterday, a little wind but it felt kind of nice to finally need the waders for a change as the 90 degree days of summer finally bid farewell. We ran 2 guide boats together yesterday, one fished dries all day and the other nymphs all day. There were some great hatches consisting of Caddis (16-20) mostly grey tones, Cahills (cream colored mayflies) in the size 16 range, lots of size 20 BWO's, a few October Caddis and there are still a few stoneflies present. The dry fly selection included Cahills, BWO's, and even an Orange Stimulator with equal success had on each pattern. Nymphs were a mixture of the standard LB's, PT's, and a WD-40 in the size 20 range as a trailer behind a trailer. Towards the end of the day we pitched streamers out of the dry fly boat for about 20 minutes to no avail, so I guess we fished dries "almost" all day. Overall, conditions couldn't be better with the cool front that has moved in it looks like we are going to have clouds the next few days and that should keep our mayfly hatches fairly consistent in the 12-3 pm window. Enjoy... Red's.
9/13/07
Anglers: Sean, Brett, and Joe
Location: Bighorn to Red's
Flies: Buoyant Skwala 10 (makes a really good summer stone), Orange Stimulator 10, Tan Gladiator 10, WD-40 Black size 20, PT 18/16, WD-40 Olive size 20/18, Hi-Vis
Beetle
Time: 8:30 am - 1:30 pm
Results: About 7 trout landed, 8-15". Half on dries. Also about 6 whitefish to hand.
Flip flop is here and pretty much finished, flows are beginning to level out at around 1200 cfs in the LC and it is a wade fisherman's paradise. Many gravel bars and ledges are finally exposed and access on foot is perfect, just add a bit of cool weather and our fall Blue Wing Olive hatch should begin. We are seeing good numbers of October Caddis, Stoneflies, Hoppers, and other various "hatch" insects too. An approach right now could take on any number of strategies; dries all day, dry droppers, deep nymphs, short nymphs, or even streamers. It will all work if presented correctly. The fish are spread out now, there are still some left along the banks but the deeper faster slots midstream seem to be holding the greatest number of fish. As the water cools back down below 60 degrees there will likely be fish moving out of the slots to feed in the softer shallows, right now think oxygen. All sections of the Yakima are productive, the canyon will likely offer the best "spot and stalk" dry fly fishing
as the next batch of cool weather and clouds should spark some great hatches. In the meantime, fish your favorite fly and enjoy.
9/06/07
Anglers: Greg, Scott, and Joe
Location: Farmlands
Flies: Tan Parahopper 10, Orange Paranobyl 10, Gladiator Stone 8, Olive Pat's Stone 8, PT 16, Adams 12, Baby Sculpzilla 10, Sculpzilla
4, Hi Vis Beetle 12
Time: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
Results: Good fishing.
The fishing has been up and down the past few days, but overall it is pretty darn good. We are right in the heart of flip-flop and are already seeing October Caddis, Stones, Baetis, and some various other Mayflies and Caddis in the 16 range. Hoppers are still abundant too, there is just a lot to choose from out there right now. Yesterday's fishing started off slow in the early morning, but picked up nicely as the hatches and the terrestrials made their way toward the river. We
threw to a number of rising fish that we saw feed caught almost every one of them, which tells that the fish are
really looking right now. Consider lighter tippets and smaller flies if the catching is slow, once the water is down these trout get educated in a hurry. Flows are now under 2000 cfs in the LC, wade fishing is now a great option and so is the pontoon boat.
9/01/07
Anglers: Terry, Mark, and Joe
Location: Bighorn to Slab
Flies: Dave's Hopper 8/10, Plan B black 8, Tan Parahopper 12, Peach Stone 10, Tan Paranobyl 8, Prince 16, Flashback PT 16, and a Gold Ribbed Hares ear 16.
Time: 6 am - 3:30 pm
Results: 7-8 trout landed.
We floated the LC two days ago and the fishing was a bit slower than we had been having, however it was really really good in the early morning for a few hours. The afternoon winds came up and put a damper on things but overall it was still a pretty good day. The cloud cover that blew in yesterday sure helped out with good dry fly fishing throughout the entire system, we had guides out from top to bottom and they all reported good fishing on the surface with a big variety of bugs. Think about starting the dropper setup as the sun makes contact with the water, if your dry fly fishing slows down then it is time to switch it up. Especially if the sky is blue. Pretty soon we'll be seeing BWO hatches and the WD-40 in the size 20 range will become a staple. For now I suggest sticking with Caddis oriented nymphs in the size 16 range. The river is on the drop, wade fisherman and pontoon boat rowers get ready. Red's.
8/27/07
Anglers: Arne, Sherri, and Joe
Location: Farmlands
Flies: Tan Paranobyl 8, Dave's Hopper 8/10, Goddard's Hopper 8, Para Adams 12, Hi Vis Beetle 12
Time: 9 am - 5 pm
Results: Good fishing, despite the wind.
Yesterday was very windy and pretty cold too for August, it was
definitely an early taste of fall. The blessing however was the thick cloud cover that blew in around lunch time and made for good dry fly fishing, even with 20-30 mph gust we were able to smack the fly in and catch fish. The Farmland's area, especially around KOA is traditionally very windy and I doubt the canyon got hit very hard with the type of gusts we saw. Hopefully this system settles down and we get back to the calm atmosphere of 2 weeks ago. Reports have all been pretty positive, the canyon on Saturday was a little off but that may have been in part to all the floaters that provide a distraction and to the weather pattern that was on its way in. It is nice and calm this morning in Ellensburg with a little haze, time to go fishing. Red's.
8/24/07
Anglers: Blair, Alex, and Joe
Location: Farmlands
Flies: Tan Parahopper 10/8, Black/Orange Nightmare 8, EHC 14, CDC Caddis emerger 16, Tan Paranobyl 8, Water Street Stone 8, Gypsy King 10, and a Split Wing Adams 12
Time: 8 am - 1 pm
Results: 7-8 trout landed 8-18", 1 NP Minnow
DFO, dry flies only again yesterday. The river is on the drop and the fishing is very consistent from one day to the next it seems. We have had mixed weather with some clouds and sun but the fish seem to be keeping up a routine of eating dry flies during fairly civilized hours. The sun angle is low enough this time of year that at least one side of the river at any given time will have some shade to offer the fisherman. Pick on those dark areas and if you like throwing dry flies, stick with 'em. They will work all day if you consistently place floats in the right places, and that is not always against the bank. Over the past couple of days we have seen a few hatches of mayflies start up and even a fair number of Caddis (spotted wing sedge). They have mottled wings and an olive body. We were amazed in the canyon 2 evenings ago what happened when we put a trailer behind our big dry, the fish are pickier than I had given them credit for because as soon as they saw the small bug it was game on. The great thing about fishing small is that the trout are familiar and comfortable eating a hatch bug in the seems away from the bank. The chernobyl game is pretty isolated to the structure. Enjoy yourself, Red's. One more thing, new addition to the Guide Grammar page from a guided client the other day. A name for all those trout that swirl, boil, and refuse your dry fly.... "tire kickers". Very nice.
8/21/07
Anglers: Karen, Gayle, and Joe
Location: East Cle Elum to Diversion
Flies: Hi Vis Beetle 12, Tan Parahopper 10/8, Goddard's Hopper 8, Daves 8/10, PMX 10
Time: 7:30 am - 4 pm
Results: GOOD Dry Fly Fishing
More clouds, more drizzle, more fish. Superb dry fly fishing under the cover of
darkness yesterday, our
stellar fishing was the result of perfect water and atmospheric conditions colliding with one another. August rain clouds mixing it up with a dropping river is sweet combination. The
hydrogauge suggests that the river has only dropped a small amount, but
being out there every day on the river we are noticing a big difference on
the grass line and in the way that the fly drifts along the bank. The
currents are much more stable and willing to hold the fly near the bank
versus push it out which is typical of high unstable flows. This makes it
a little easier for the trout to float up and grab. The river is going to
continue dropping which will keep our dry fly fishing very consistent and productive for the next couple weeks, not everyday will be great but the overall trend will be good dry fly
opportunities. The LC seems to be the best for kicking out decent numbers of 16" trout but the Upper Yak is
yielding plenty of little guys with the occasional "Super Jumbo Model" appearing from the depths. Good luck and hopefully we'll see you before Hopper season closes for the year. Red's.
8/20/07
Anglers: Vicki, Diane, and Steve
Location: MP 19 to Slab (Big Pines)
Flies: sz. 8 Turk's Terantula, sz. 6 Winged Thing, sz. 6-10 Para Hoppers, sz. 6-12 Dave's Hoppers, sz. 6,8 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 14,16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14,16 PT, sz. 14, 16 Prince, sz. 18 WD-40
Time: 10:00AM - 5:30PM
Results: 6-8 Rainbows 12"-16", and some little guys
The weather was a huge surprise yesterday morning, as we awoke to cloudy skies, cool temps, and rain! Being comfortable in waders on August 19th in the canyon is not something you'd ever expect, but I must say it was a nice change. The fishing was pretty consistent with what we've been seeing - a fair number of looks on big dries tight to the bank that don't all result in netted fish, and then a change to nymphs with good action through the afternoon. We did see a lot of BWO's in flight yesterday with a few fish eating them in the bubble lines. It offered a good glimpse of what's to come this Fall. The leaves are starting to turn color, and a hint of Fall is in the air...what a great time of year we are coming into! The flip flop is about 2 weeks away, during which time we'll expect flows to go from the current levels of 4000 cfs down to 1200 cfs over a period of about 10 days.
8/17/07
Anglers: Bill, Steve, and Joe
Location: East Cle Elum to Diversion
Flies: Tan Parahopper 8/10, Winged Thing 8, Godard's Hopper 8, Daves Hopper, PMX 10/8, Royal Wulf 12, Tan Paranobyl.
Time: 6 am - 3:30 pm
Results: 4 nice trout in the 13-18" range landed, and at least a billion little tiny ones.
The cool front was refreshing today, and it kept the dry fly fishing going during gentleman's hours which is a nice change from the twilight window that we were isolated to during most of July. Late summer is upon us and I would say the dry fly fishing is the most consistent that it has been all year, there have been windows that were better but it is fairly predictable right now with each day producing several hours of steady action. Keep the fly in good position and great things will happen on the surface. The Upper Canyon was average today, nothing special though for late August. The Lower Canyon for numbers of big fish is probably the best overall choice in that regard. Reports from the Farmlands have been "fair to good". Try the long grassy banks in the Lower Canyon for big summer time fish. We are already seeing the difference in even the slightest drop in flow, the water against the banks is beginning to "decompress" and the trout are willing to lift up and grab. We had an informal report from our shop boy Troy last night that the evening was "sick" as stated by Troy himself. To all of us old folks that means it was really really good fishing. I'm not sure it matters where you fish right now, the dry fly fishing is pretty good
all over.
8/16/07
Anglers: Chad, Emmit, and Steve
Location: Ringer to Slab
Flies: sz. 8 Water Street Stone, sz. 6 Winged Thing, sz. 8 Plan B, sz. 6,8 Turk’s Terantula, sz. 6, 8 Stonefly nymphs, sz. 12- 16 CDC PT, sz. 14, 16 FKA Prince, sz. 14, 16 Lightening Bugs.
Time: 7:00 am until 3:30 pm
Results: 5 nice Rainbows (14”-17”), 4 NPM’s, and a bunch of small trout.
As has been the case, we had a fair number of looks on the big dries – be it splashy rises, boils, slashes, flashes, or flat-out refusals – that resulted in a some fish getting hooked, and some of those making it to the net. Don’t feel bad about losing fish or not getting them pinned when fishing big dries – that’s normal. The best thing you can do is leave your fly right where it is if the fish doesn’t eat it, often times they will come back again! Some of those ones you don’t get hooked; however, are the most exciting to see! We did hook one large trout in the bright sunshine that chased the fly downriver to eat it and then turned on an upriver charge that resulted in a slack leader with no fly on the end. This was a legitimate 20”+er that we would have loved to have gotten a closer look at… you always remember the one that got away! We switched to nymph rigs around lunch time and had pretty good action right up until the takeout. The weather was warmer than expected, with highs nearing 100 degrees, but it’s supposed to cool down into the upper 80’s for tomorrow.
8/14/07
Anglers: The guide staff
Location: The Yak
Flies: Various big dries, leggy flies in the twilight hours and hoppers in the daytime. Nymphs if you so choose will be productive.
Time: anytime
Results: Good summer time fishing.
There really isn't too much new to report, fishing continues to be "steady" with no new surprises in the way of flows or otherwise. The only thing exceptional is the relatively cool weather pattern that has been holding our area for about week or so. Today and
tomorrow will be warmer and then it will begin to cool again on Thursday (back down into the low to mid 80'). It makes the daytime fishing more enjoyable and our water temps are in a great range right now. They are fluctuating from 60-65 degrees which is fine for mid August, the trout are continuing to feed and grow fast. After hearing about all of the Rocky Mountain streams that are being shut down or have gone to "early off" schedules, it makes me glad to be on the Yakima where our flows are high enough to keep us fishing all summer long. Flows are stable as well, and have actually dipped below the traditional 4000 cfs mark for the moment. Overall it is a great time to fish and it is only going to get better as the all of the summer time insects and habitat along the river banks mature. The grass along the shore is getting so tall that it is beginning to fold over and that increases the "cut bank" effect, also it makes it a little easier to get your fly within that "magic zone" along the grass. The hoppers are getting bigger and that makes them both more tempting and abundant, also the
only lush grass left in the canyon is along the river. Where do you think the hopper go? Along the river or course. All this leads us into "flip-flop" which is about 2 weeks out and arguably the best dry fly fishing the Yakima can offer. More about that on the next one, stay tuned. Red's..
8/9/07
Anglers: Doug, Fred, and Joe
Location: Irene Rhinehart to Umtanum
Flies: Tan Paranobyl # 8/10, Orange Paranobyl #8.
Time: 4 pm - Dark
Results: Good dry fly fishing!
We tied on "marathon bugs" last night made the float from Irene to Umtanum almost without stopping, other than losing a couple of bugs and a pit stop we fished on the go the entire evening and did pretty well. There wasn't much time or need for experimenting so we stuck with the most buoyant flies in the box and they did the trick for us. The evening was
definitely the best fishing for us, but from right at the put-in below Irene it was already going. There were a few Caddis hatching at dusk and if you are in the right spot at dark the "hatch" fishing is very good. Just make sure to post up on some good foam lines with enough time to get the right flies tied on and still get to the takeout. Fishing continues to be steady. Watch out trout, Red's..
8/07/07
Anglers: Hugh, Nate, and Joe
Location: Umtanum Bridge to Slab
Flies: Tan Parahopper #10, Yellow Turk's #8.
Time: 6 am - 11 am
Results: 7-8 trout landed, 10"-17".
Not too much to report, more good dry fly fishing in the LC. It was a touch slower today, but it was still good fishing. This has been a very consistent summer so far, currently the cool night time temps are keeping the water temps in check and the fishing is pretty steady. As stated in the last couple reports, the fish are getting a little more selective - the fly, drift, and tippet all need to be very natural. We had a lot of refusals today and I think each of these factors played a part, the biggest however - the drift. It is a difficult mission to keep that fly running true along the grass, using hooks, reaches, and tucks on your casts is very helpful. Also a light rod with a soft tip will help give you the mending touch needed to
position the fly without jeopardizing your fly's location. Just another
day in paradise, Red's.
8/04/07
Anglers: Tony, Arnofo, and Joe
Location: MM19 to Slab
Flies: Tan paranobyl 10/9, Gypsy King 10, Hoppers of all shapes and sizes.
Time: 7 am - 12 pm
Results: About 8 trout to hand, 12-19".
The fishing was a touch slower yesterday, but still pretty good dry fly fishing against the banks. Run the big leggy patterns early and late in the shadows and as the sun comes out begin to transition to more natural patterns, parachute hoppers, dave's, or even a cricket. Lighter tippet is a wise move, 4X and even the dreaded 5X will help the drifts hold their line on the bank. I forgot to mention this in the flies portion of the report, but we did get a couple of nice fish on a CDC Caddis emerger fish behind a big dry. It had been a while since we have seen any significant rising fish but yesterday morning we parked on a couple of feeders and put 'em in the boat on a CDC bug. Also, a neat story from yesterday regarding the right way to handle a fish during the summer time. We were fishing down a bank and approaching the same zone that we had caught a big beautiful 18" Cutthroat about 2 weeks before. A
rarity in the LC, and a trophy fish anywhere on the Yakima. It was in good shape and when we caught it 2 weeks ago we just gave the net a shake to unhook it, never removed the fish from the water and let him swim almost immediately. No pics, no touches. So anyway, we are fishing downstream and I said "keep that drift alive, we landed a big Cutt on that line underneath the tree about 2 weeks ago.." About 2 seconds later a big fish lifts up, takes the fly, and we landed it. Same Cutt, beefier physique after gorging on stones and hoppers for the past 2 weeks. After seeing that, I can't help but think that the quick release the first time around was so easy on the fish, he just moved back into the bank and wasn't winded badly and he just kept on feeding. It kind of makes you wonder.
8/02/07
Anglers: Gayle, Bruce, and Joe
Location: Farmland's
Flies: Tan Paranobyl #8, Gypsy King #10, Dave's Hopper #10, Brown Gladiator #10, Yellow Turk's #8.
Time: 6 am - 11 am
Results: About 6-8 trout to hand, 12-18".
We decided to run the Farmland's this morning and the fishing was pretty good, not quite what the LC (lower canyon) is in the way of pure numbers, but we did see a few very nice fish and it was a nice change for some guys that have the canyon pretty well memorized by now. There is always a new piece of water to see. The casting is fairly technical in the farmlands right now with fast water and tons of trees hanging out and plenty of sweepers to work around, but for the quick firing angler there are trout a plenty hiding in those trees. Watch out trout, Red's.
8/01/07
Anglers: Joe and Joe
Location: Farmland's
Flies: Various big dry flies and #12 Para Hoppers and Dave's Hoppers.
Time: 7 am - 12 pm
Results: Good dry fly fishing, but the fish are getting picky.
The fishing is still pretty good, but the trout are getting pretty selective on both the drift and fly. Think about lighter tippets, longer leaders, and naturally... a bit smaller flies. The takes are very cautious and lots of fish are refusing and nosing the fly once before they actually grab, so leave it in the water until they actually open it up and clamp down.
We have been seeing a few super jumbo models though, just having a tough
time getting them in the boat. Early and late is still a good idea, but nypmhing during the day has been reported as stellar. More info about that coming later I'm sure, but for now the dry flies will still put up plenty of numbers. Also, we just got done with our Youth Summer Camp and it was a great success. All the kids did great and everybody learned a bit more about casting, fishing, fly tying, and even caught some fish too. It was very satisfying to see these kids have such a great time and I'll tell ya... these boys can fish. We've never had such a well rounded turnout of Freshman anglers before, it was just flat impressive the way they handled the rod. Watch out trout, Red's.
7/30/07
Anglers: John, Greg, and Joe
Location: Farmland's
Flies: Tan Paranobyl 8, Gypsy King 10.
Time: 7 am - 3 pm
Results: Good dry fly fishing with at least 10 trout to hand, 10-18" with a nice cutt about 15".
I was pretty impressed with my anglers yesterday, they fished 15 miles of river with big dry flies and did not lose a single fly the entire day. Incredible casting, they put it inches from the bank, under trees, rubbed the grass, along logs, you name it and they did it. All without losing a single fly. The guy that started the saying "you're not fishing if you're not losing a few flies" could take a casting lessons from these boys. That was just good clean fishing, taking care of your bugs is part of becoming a Jedi knight.
7/29/07
Anglers: Ricky, Sean, Daniel, and Joe
Location: Red's to Roza
Flies: Para Hopper 12, Dave's Hopper 10, Chernobyl Ant, Gladiator Stone 10/8, Orange Paranobyl 8
Time: 6 am - 12 pm
Results: Several nice (14"-16") trout to hand, plus a few smaller ones.
Yesterday was our final day of the 2007 Youth Summer Camp and it was a great success. We had 6 good kids and yesterday was our Yakima River portion of the camp and they put to use all the skills we taught them throughout the camp. Fishing was good with dry flies, especially if you could keep it close to the bank where there is a little shade. The hopper game is starting to turn on as well and I think that this August will be one of the better hopper years we have seen in a while. There are still a variety of Caddis, Stones, and Mayflies hatching in the evening but as that slows down these trout will become even more dependant on the hopper.
7/27/07
Anglers: Dave, Bob, and Joe
Location: Cle Elum to Thorp Bridge
Flies: Yellow Turk's Tarantula 8, Orange Paranobyl 10, Gypsy King 10, Royal Wulff 12, Tipuladae 12, Para Hopper 12, Dave's Hopper 10, Chernobyl Ant,
Para Adams 12
Time: 9 - 6 pm
Results: Lots of small fish (8-13"), plus one nice Cutt (17")
We decided to
sneak out of the Lower Canyon yesterday and hit the Upper Canyon, there
were plenty of small guys on dries and a few bigger ones that would give us a look every once in a while. Overall, it was slower than it had been but if you like lots of little fish then give it a go. The fishing pressure in there yesterday was pretty significant, we counted 8 boats in the Upper Canyon that we know of, so if fishing pressure is a concern for you don't
count on being alone up there. On an overall scale, the entire river is fishing with dry flies and I heard about one guide that ran nymphs in the lower canyon and it was absurd catching. If you are into that, give bobbers a try. I don't think the fish have been thrown at with
nymphs a for about a month now, it sounds like they are ready to trust the stonefly nymph again.
7/26/07
Anglers: Dave, and Joe
Location: Ringer to Lmuma
Flies: Para Hopper (tan) #8, Yellow Turk's Tarantula 8, Black Nightmare 8-10, Orange Paranobyl 10, Golden Stone (Clark style) 8
Time: 4 pm till the lights went out.
Results: More good dry fly fishing.
We ran the Lower Canyon last night and had good dry fly fishing, there were stones, caddis, and hoppers out which made from steady fishing all the way till dark. Naturally the last bit was the best, but we were able to consistently turn fish all afternoon/evening. Fly mattered little, but there was no
coincidence that the big fish came on the tough drifts. Polish those presentation casts, being able to throw hook shots and reach casts tight to the bank
separates a great day from average in about 6 drifts. Also, the grass in the lower canyon has started to fold over and fall in the water which gives it a "cut bank" effect and makes for great holding water on the banks. Prepare to lose a few bugs though, getting inside that magic zone by the bank takes some doing. Inside 6-12" from the bank means success, outside you'll get nothing, and any closer than that you will be in the trees! It's a great challenge, but very rewarding when you can hook up some hefty summer bows. The trout are as heavy right now as they will be all year.
7/24/07
Anglers: Doug, Tom, and Joe
Location: Cle Elum to Diversion Dam
Flies: Gypsy King #8, Orange Paranobyl 8-10, Dave's Hopper 6, Para Hopper (tan) #8, Beetle 10, Royal PMX 8-10, Yellow Turk's Tarantula 8, Royal Wulf 10, Yellow Humpy #12
Time: 5 am - 2 pm
Results: Good dry fly fishing.
We ran the Upper Canyon yesterday starting early in the morning and had good dry fly fishing all day, the early morning was the slowest part and the fishing actually picked up momentum as the sun came up. We ran lots of different patterns and each produced equally well at times, we found that if the fishing slowed for a bit we could just change strategies and the fishing would turn on again. I think it had a lot to do with the constant changes in lighting, it was dark to start and then a constant mix of clouds in front of a rising sun. The size and color of fly
definitely mattered today. Fishing in general is good, but you know how it is - there will always be a slow one mixed in there, Thursday of last week for example :)
..... Red's work motto for the week: "Keeping the High Five Alive in
the Yakima River Canyon!"
7/22/07
Anglers: Peter, Arne, and Steve
Location: Red's to Roza
Flies: sz. 8 Winged Thing, sz. 8 Hoppers (Dave's, Para), sz. 6 Plan B, sz. 6 Nightmare
Time: 7-noon
Results: 6-8 Rainbows landed (12"-19").
We've definitely experienced a weather change over the past 3 days in the canyon with conditions ranging from hot and sunny to cloudy and threatening - with lots of wind in between. This cooling trend seems to have hurt and then helped the fishing. We experienced a slow morning on Thursday, which followed one of the cooler nights we've had in a long time. Now things have picked back up again, especially in the morning and evening windows. Our strategy remains the same - big dries until the bright sun is on the water, then switching to Hoppers tight or nymphs through the middle of the day, followed by more big stone dries and even some Caddis in the late evening. Drifting in pontoon boats is tough right now because there are not a lot of places for guys to get out and do any wading. There are not really any magical flies right now - it's all about the presentation. If you can keep a fly tight to the bank and get a drag free drift, there's a good chance it's going to get eaten... by a nice fish!
7/19/07
Anglers: Roger, Bob, and Joe
Location: Farmlands
Flies: Plan B size 8, Dave's Hopper 8, Chernobyl Ants 6-10, Yellow PMX 8
Time: 7-11 am
Results: 7-8 trout landed (11"-15").
It was dark, cloudy, and rainy yesterday here. It felt like the rainforest in Farmlands, it was so warm that you had a hard time justifying a jacket because you would sweat every bit as much as it was raining. The conditions were perfect and the fishing was pretty good, D.F.O. (dry flies only) right now, the nymphs have sort of gone by the wayside for a while as we try to take maximum advantage of the big dry fly season. On these cloudy days pay special attention to any mayflies that might be hatching, there were some little Baetis yesterday and few PMD's and also some type of Lt. Cahill looking mayfly. It is a very helpful to keep tabs on what bugs are hatching because if you do decide to run dropper nymphs they should be dialed in to the hatch. There were also some Yellow Sallies too, in hindsight we should have thought about running a little Yellow Stimulator or a big PMD (makes a great Yellow Sally) behind our big bug. The whole river continues to produce and if you have been curious about a certain portion of the river, or have a favorite one in mind then chances are it is fishing right now. Our staff has been all over the Yakima system the past 2 days with good results.
7/17/07
Anglers: Steve, Bill, and Tony
Location: MM 19 to Slab
Flies: sz. 8, 10 Dave's Hopper, sz. 8 Winged Thing, sz. 6 Plan B
Time: 3-8 pm Results: 6 or 7 trout landed (14"-17")
Summertime flows and fishing schedule continue in the Lower canyon. We have mainly been fishing half day blocks - targeting the early morning and late evening windows. These are the prime windows for fishing big dry flies, with some Caddis still showing in the evenings. If you do find yourself on the water during the middle part of the day, a Hopper pattern tight to the bank can still be effective, especially under the brush. Don't be afraid to cover some water, as this is often times the difference maker. Trout usually respond to a big dry fly the first good drift that comes over them - you shouldn't need to pound the holding areas to get them up. Get a good drift over each spot and move on to the next area. You can keep on the move with big dries and see the whole canyon in a comfortable day.
7/14/07
Anglers: The Staff and Guests
Location: Lower Canyon
Flies: Primarily dry flies in the shade, nymphs in the sun.
Time: 9-5 pm Results: Good but challenging?
The fishing right now is good with big dry flies in the twilight hours but be prepared for a casting test if you are in the direct sunlight. It is tricky but stick with it and you should do fine, the opportunity to fish dry flies all day productively is happening right now. The fish are tight to the banks so be prepared to leave some flies M.I.A. The water temps have remained manageable and it is shaping up to be a good hopper year too, lots of them along the riverbanks right now. Suggested patterns are big flies in the size 10-6 range, various patterns will work as long as you fish them well. If it slows down on one fly, imediately try another. Steve was out yesterday morning and they kept it going on into the daylight hours by trying various patterns until one managed to work. Tight lines, Red's.
7/12/07
Anglers: Jerry, Quentin, and Joe
Location: Ringer to Slab
Flies: Dave's Hopper, Leopard Hopper, Gladiator, Orange Paranobyl, and Gypsy King
Time: 9-5 pm Results: 10+ trout landed.
We decided to mix it up on the fish
and head out during Banker's Hours today, and that doesn't mean we took a 3 hour lunch
and a nap. It means we fished from 9am - 5pm like gentleman do when they are
fly fishing and we fished ONLY dry flies, Jerry even smoked a cigar and
talked about the beautiful clouds. It was like a children's
storybook written by the founders at Orvis.... We actually had good dry fly fishing all day and it was steady from start to finish. There was
heavy cloud cover most of the day which kept the fish looking up and we landed some really nice trout,
thick too. Most of the fish right now are bordering on obesity,
seriously. Somebody get Dr. Phil out here before they eat themselves
to death. The fishing currently is not "easy" though, despite being
good. There is an exponential return on angling skill, but as long as you are willing to stick with it and work
hard on your casts/drifts the reward is sweet. In fact, it is about
as good as it gets when you can pitch big dries ALL DAY. And if you
are of the angling group that can fish a dry well, NOW is the time. Prepare to fish late or early if you want to see the best of the best, I guided till 10 pm last night and the last 2 hours was comparable to any river, any where,
any time. Caddis frenzy with fish chasing big dries on the twitch. Oh man
it was fun, Cheers.
7/11/07
Anglers: Ted, Joe, and Steve
Location: East Cle Elum to Thorp Bridge
Flies: Yellow PMX #10, Royal Wulff #14, Leopard Hopper 10, Black Nightmare 8, Conehead Sculpin 6, Pat Stone 8
Time: 12 pm - 6 pm Results: About
5 fish to hand (13-18").
We got out for a guide's day of fishing yesterday and ran the Upper Canyon from Cle Elum to Thorp, overall the fishing was relatively slow but we did get a few nice Cutts and a great Rainbow so all in all I guess you could say it was plenty good enough
for 3 buddies on a day off. Lots of small fish in the 8-10" range, we didn't count those in our results column this time
because they would have skewed the numbers too much. The upper canyon with
a 3 weight and a small dry will kick out plenty of action, if that sounds
fun let's hit it. Currently in the way of insects there are Summer
Stoneflies throughout the whole river, Yellow Sallies, Caddis in the 14-18
range, BIG Yellow Mayflies 12-10, Hoppers, and Ants. The dry fly fishing
is about a 7 out of 10 right now but I have a hunch it is going to get
really good over the next week or 2. The fish will get adjusted to the big summer flow, and as the heat of summer progresses the aquatic hatches will slow down and force the fish to look towards the surface
for food.
7/09/07
Anglers: Arne, Sherri, and Joe
Location: Bighorn to Mare's
Flies: Dave's Hopper, Gypsy King, Cherynobyl Ants, CDC PT #14/16/18, Stonenymphs, Parahopper #10
Time: 8 am - 5 pm Results: Great fishing.
We stuck a few nice fish early in the morning with a Hopper and a Chernobyl Ant, but it leaned out fast as the sun hit the water and that was essentially all the dry fly action we had. Not wanting to nymph (we have had plenty of that this year), we threw some droppers on and cleaned house. Plenty of trout, lots in the 10-13" range. We fought 2 fish in particular for some time that never made it to the boat, and each fish in the 16" + range were shaped like rugby balls. Gotta love this time of year, tight to the bank and prepare to lose a few flies.
Hit those pockets and tell your rower to pull those oars!
7/07/07
Anglers: Tom, David, and Joe
Location: Umtanum to Roza
Flies: Parachute Hoppers 8, Dave's Hopper, Tan Gladiator 10/8, Brown Gladiator 10, Black K Stone 6, Copper John 16
Time: 7 am - 1 pm Results: Good fishing!
We started the morning out throwing dry flies against the bank and searching with big bugs and turned a number of nice fish, I wouldn't call it "great" but it was
definitely good, each bank or series of good drifts seemed to find a trout. We pulled into the side channel at Buck Island and decided to throw a few nymphs as we finished up (the sun hit the water and the dry flies slowed down a bit), the bobber/nymph fishing was rockin' from 11-12:30 pm during the PMD hatch and there were actually quite a few fish up feeding on the PMD's. Overall, the fishing was good with both dries/nymphs yesterday.
Night before last, we ran guide trips until it was pitch dark out and the Caddis hatch was rocking for the last half an hour, not to mention we had lots of takes on big dry flies over the last hour and a half of the day. Well... off to the river, where will you be?
7/05/07
Anglers: --
Location: Red's
Flies: --
Time: 1 pm Results: General River Report.
The river is in beautiful condition and the grasshoppers and stoneflies are beginning to get active along the riverbanks. The heat wave that has come to the valley has topped out at over 100 degrees and that should be a catalyst for the Summer Stonefly hatch that has been "on the bubble" as of late. Overall, the dry fly fishing with attractor patterns and Caddis has been a worthy game. If you have to nymph during the afternoon it is productive but the dry fly fishing is happening. If you check the river flows, you will notice a general rising trend that should put the river at it's typical 4000 cfs within the week, the operators at the reservoirs are
exercising some nice finesse with regards to the flow increase. The fish and fisherman appreciate the gradual touch. Suggestions for success, make sure the rower is "on point" and keeping that boat dialed in right near the bank in the quick water and backing off and reading the outer seams as the current lines push away from the bank. A general assortment of Hoppers, Parachute MX, Stimulators with legs, and even the ugly but lovable Chernobyl Ants are all good ideas right now. Fish a Caddis at dusk if you can, and good luck!
7/04/07
Anglers: Jim, Katherine, and Joe.
Location: Ringer to Red's
Flies: Dave's Grasshopper #10, Gladiator Stone #10, Dobson fly #8, Gypsy King #10 (black cricket).
Time: 7 am - 4 pm Results: Pretty good dry fly fishing.
We had pretty good dry fishing yesterday, it wasn't "automatic" on the good drifts but if you stuck with it for a while, every few minutes to half hour you would bring up some nice trout. The shady zones were the key and we had a great double of 13 and 16" fish in a shady pocket that won't soon be forgotten. Early and late is definitely the best time to be out, focus your efforts on the twilight zones. Over and out. Happy 4th!. Glad to be living in the greatest country on earth. Reds
7/01/07
Anglers: Bob, Gavin, and Joe.
Location: Ringer to Red's
Flies: Tan Paranobyl #8, Golden Stone #8, CDC Caddis Emerger 16, X Caddis 16, Elk Hair Caddis 14
Time: 4 pm - 10 pm Results: 16 trout landed.
Dry flies only last night, from 4 pm to very very dark. The Caddis hatch was rocking for the last 2 hours of the day with lots of rising and feeding fish. Plenty of action running a CDC Caddis emerger behind a Golden Stone was the ticket, in hindsight I would have ditched the Stone and ran an EHC with a Caddis and probably picked up more fish. Overall, the fishing is good right now especially at dusk on the Caddis hatch. There was some activity on Summer Stones (tan paranobyl/golden stone) but it was overshadowed by the fish keyed in on the Caddis hatch. That may change a bit over the next week or so as we encounter some hot weather, these Stones might get active as the water temp climbs over the next week or so.
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