Red's Power Hour Fishing Report
October - December 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.
12/29/07
Hopefully
you laugh at this report as much as I did while writing it.
There is more truth to this than you think, enjoy.
You might be a fly fishing guide if…
by Joe Rotter
1. You have ever salvaged flies from the lint screen of your dryer.
2. Have ever lost money on a vehicle trade in because the headliner in
your pickup looks like an old pincushion.
3. You have only heard about the “backroom” on Washington Fly Fishing.com
4. Your fly rods have cool nicknames like Boss, Griz, or Big Tuna.
5. You know what year Sage stopped making the RPL plus.
6. Have ever ironed up one of your best guide shirts and worn it to a
wedding.
7. Used a landing net to help you hitch hike.
8. You know that the term “freestone” is not something you can get
arrested for participating in.
9. Your boat is worth more than your truck.
10. Your only can of chew is hidden in your drift boat.
11. Every time you see a car rack that says Yakima you think it should be
a rod holder.
12. It’s rare for you to put on dry wading boots.
13. You can tell the difference between Tim’s Cascade BBQ chips and KC
Masterpiece.
14. In the winter, you get an off-season job but quit because it is
sooooo frickin’ lame.
15. Your waders look like they were accidentally used for a week by some
guy at Quick Lube.
16. You have stopped looking at weather forecasts before fishing.
17. Wind is only something over 15 mph
18. You NEVER forget or lose your Action Optics.
19. You know all of the various fish holding poses: handshake, big single
hander, double fister, missionary, apple bobber, hide-your-thumbs, and the
famous 12 gauge (usually reserved for big game).
20. You deferred payment on your student loans to buy your first drift
boat.
21. You know exactly what burger joints in Ellensburg can fit a drift
boat trailer into their drive through and which ones are open till
midnight.
22. Sold a fly rod to pay your utility bill.
23. You know that a "Chota" isn’t something gross.
24. Your favorite beer is an American Lager. (its just a Budweiser with a
really fancy name)
25. You get sick when someone asks you to “shadow cast”.
12/16/07
Anglers: Joe and TJ
Location: MM19 to Red's
Flies: K Stone 8-12's browns/blacks, Caddis Larvae Green 16, Midge Pupae black 20, PT 16, Streamers - Black baby sculpzilla, Green Headed Monster (AK special TJ tied up), and an Olive Scuplin
Time: 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Results: About 5 trout landed, 12-18" and about 6 whites.
We decided that it was time to Man-up and put the boat in the water yesterday, and the fishing was pretty good. The streamer fishing was a little weak and black was the best color there, although we did get to watch a hungry trout chase a #2 sculpin for about 20 feet and devour it about 5 feet from the boat which was sweet. The trout are in perfect shape and very healthy, hopefully we don't get too much ice this winter and we can keep on fishing. We didn't see a single other angler on the water yesterday so the solitude is nice. Lots of Bighorns, deer, and Bald Eagles out and about right now. Watch the forecast, if it gets above freezing the fish will bite. There were a few isolated risers yesterday, not quite enough for us to get the Paramidge patterns out but almost. The midge hatches of winter are coming, if catching a fish on a dry fly in December is on your to-do list get ready. Red's.
12/11/07
Anglers:
Location: The Chukar Ranch
Flies: 20 gauge Citori #6 shot
Time: 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Results: Shots fired.
The snow that we had last week is completely gone, and the weather has been pretty consistent with high temperatures in the mid 30's. This is just a bit on the cold side for float fishing, but ideal for bird hunting. We've found good numbers of Chukar and Quail and seen some beautful country in the process. Bird season runs through the third week of January; so load up the dog, grab the shot guns, and come on over! Wade fishing is the best option for fishing right now. You can park your car, wade into the river until your toes get numb, and then head back up to the car and thaw out. It is primarily a subsurface game, but there are some feeders in the flat smooth pieces of water.
12/03/07
Anglers: LotsLocation: The Fly Shop and most of the Lower Canyon
Flies: --
Time: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Results: Lots of Whitefish Landed, a few nice trout. Our first annual Yakima River Winterfest/Customer Appreciation Day was this past Saturday and despite the falling snow and cold weather was a great success and we appreciate everybody who was able to make it out, and for those who couldn't get there hopefully we will have more
favorable conditions next year. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we all got out fishing afterwards and it was a great time. It felt good to do something nice for all of the folks that make it possible
for us to live out our dream of working as a guide and running a fly shop for a living.
A very sincere thank you goes out to all of our customers. As far as the Yakima River fishing conditions go, better give this snow a little time to runoff and the surface water
a little time to freeze up because the 12 inches of snow we had in Ellensburg yesterday is
disappearing fast. The river is going to bump up pretty good, but be ready for the drop because the mild temps of today won't last long. It was 57 degrees in the LC today and I'm not sure but that has to be close to the record high, pretty warm for December. We have less pleasant
weather in May sometimes. Overall, the fishing has been pretty good so far, look for a positive report within the next week and we'll get you on the right track. Thanks again, Red's.
11/30/07
Anglers: Garo, Brian, and Joe
Location: MM19 to Umtanum
Flies: Olive K Stone 8/10, PT 16, Pat Stone 10 Blk/Brown, Soft Hackle PT 16, WD-40's most all sizes/colors used, black was the best.
Time: 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Results: 7 rainbows landed 9-15" and about 6 whitefish landed. Plus one sucker that was about 4 pounds, fair hooked too. A pretty good day overall.
Beautiful fresh snow and although it never got above freezing the river was pretty comfortable and the fishing was good. There wasn't anything in the way of a midge hatch but the standard nymphs worked pretty well, with about half of the fish hooked on a stone nymph, and the other half on the mini. Also a funny story to report...
A certain anonymous guide//managing partner decided that due to the cold weather he would break out his
prized vintage set of moss green, neoprene, bootfoot, Orvis waders.
Complete with large puffy kneepads and a heavily reinforced seat area.
He had not worn them in about 10 years, wonder why? The funny part is
that out of all the days he decided to wear them it just happened to be
today... Just before lunch we noticed an obviously professional
photographer tracking us down river snapping photos every chance he got.
This went on for 30 minutes and eventually we found ourselves on the same
gravel bar as the photographer, and he kept on snapping photos and got
plenty of the anonymous guide wearing his favorite neoprene waders.
In fact, it was 180 photos to be exact. Top 3 things about the
1980's, #1 Michael Jackson's Thriller, #2 Iroc Z, and #3 goes to Steve's
waders. Come to find out, the photographer was working for National Geographic and shooting some pics for a section on the Yakima. Can't wait to see those pics in publication! I wonder how many people subscribe to National Geographic?
11/28/07
Anglers: PJ, Mark, and Joe
Location: MM19 to Red's
Flies: Olive K Stone 8/10, PT 16, WD-40 Olive #18, Pat Stone 10 Blk/Brown, Black Copper John 18
Time: 10:00 am - 4 pm
Results: 4 rainbows landed 12-16" and many more lost. Also about 7
whitefish landed, and you guessed it... many more lost. Well, it has been cold and we will admit that even a guide's toes get numb once in a while. Overall though, the fishing has remained pretty good despite the frigid temperatures and it feels good to
take a few hearty anglers that are willing to brave the elements. The game plan is strictly subsurface right now, there has been almost no Midge activity to speak of but the nymph fishing has been good with plenty of hookups to be had. Prime windows for the whitefish is anytime
9 am, and 9 am the following day. For the trout, think about fishing noon - 3 pm. The trout seem to get real active for a few hours in the afternoon, fine with us
because that is the warmest part of the day. You can swing up some very nice fish in the morning/evening on a sink tip and a sculpin or a bugger pattern behind it. Use about a Type 3 line, or any of the Rio Streamer Tip lines with a 5 foot leader. Tight line presentation, slow and low. I like swinging this time of year because I can put my stripping hand in my pocket and keep it
on a handwarmer while my fly makes the turn. The Yakima is fishing steady, but don't forget about the Wenatchee either. There are steelhead being caught there and we will be running guided trips as long as there is no ice flow, historically the biologists told us that December was one of the most productive
months up there. Also, a very special "thank you" to everyone in the
Overlake Fly Fishing Club. It was very enjoyable giving our
presentation on the Klickitat River last night and the crowd was great.
Happy Holidays, Red's.
11/20/07Anglers: Mark, Dave, and Joe
Location: Irene to Ringer
Flies: K Stone with a PT behind it, all day long. Oh yea, Baby Sculpzilla behind a sink tip in a few runs
yielded action.
Time: 10:00 am - Dark
Results: Great Trout Fishing
Our first blanket of snow hit the valley in Eburg yesterday reminding us that winter is right around the corner, our last grasp on fall is slowly slipping away from us. Fishing was good with nymphs and streamers both, the BWO hatches are done for the year it looks like and will give way to Midge hatches very soon. The fish are still feeding actively in the afternoon subsurface, so as long as you like to nymph the fishing is pretty good. The cooler temps might give us a little change up over the next couple of days but as long as the weather is steady it can still fish good despite temps in the 20's overnight. Think about stringing up a sink tip with a sculpin or bugger pattern, swing the deeper runs and strip it up the back eddies and hang on tight. Some of the streamer takes have been vicious lately. We'll keep you up to date as conditions change, thank you for tuning in.
11/19/07
Anglers: Peter, Mike, and Johnny
Location: Ringer to Big Horn
Flies: sz. 10 Stonefly Nymphs (Brown, Black), sz. 16-20 Lightening Bugs, sz. 18 WD-40, sz. 18 RCJ (Red Copper John)
Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Results: 10+ Rainbows (10"-17") and a few Whitefish landed
We didn't get much of an opportunity to throw dries at feeders, but the nymph fishing was good enough that it would have taken a pretty good hatch to get us to switch over! Most of the fish we caught were on the smaller dropper nymphs; however, the bigger fish we saw ate a Stonefly. The water levels are up a bit again this morning, but the color is great - and the ledges that you want to target are easy to recognize. We caught some fish in the shallow water at the heads of the riffles, but the slower, smoother tailouts have become productive, too - don't push past them! We got a skiff of snow in the canyon yesterday, but it's warmed back up today and the snow is gone - it looks like a "fishy" day out there.
11/13/07
Anglers: --
Location: Yakima River
Flies: --
Time: --
Results: Average fall fishing.
The season rolls on in Central Washington and all of our waters are continuing to produce fish, the Yakima is fishing average to good depending on the particulars of the day. Plenty of trout to be had, most seem to be in the 10-14" range but as it cools down a little more it is likely that we will see the average size of fish grow and the numbers of fish begin to fade a bit. The Methow, Wenatchee, and Klickitat are all still fishing decent and producing a couple of hookups per day. All in all, not bad steelhead fishing. We are looking forward to getting a few days off from guiding and getting some fishing in ourselves.
Weather dependant, there will be some good fishing on both the Wenatchee and Methow in December. If you are planning on coming out to the Yakima, we start a Winter Rate on November 16th for $295 you get a 5 hour day of fishing and a hot lunch, not a bad way to spend a day. For the Yakima right now, think small nymphs as there are still some Baetis left and the midge hatches of winter will be here soon. A Brassie or a Black WD-40 is a size 20 is the hot ticket for the midge hatch. Good luck, Red's.
11/06/07
Anglers: Bob, Jason, Bill, Mark, Steve, and Joe
Location: Lmuma to Mare's
Flies: Black/Olive WD-40 size 18 and 20, PT 16, Soft Hackle PT size 18, Black CJ 16/18, Pat's Stone Olive/Brown #10, Baby Sculpzilla #8, Sculpzilla Sr. #4, Parachute BWO 18/20, Mayfly Soft Hackle 20
Time: 10 am - 6 pm
Results: Good fishing, plenty of fish.
Another good fall day on the Yakima, plenty of hookups and it was very enjoyable to watch and guide a 74 year old angler fly fishing for the very first time hook and land multiple trout on the Yakima. It goes to show, you are never too old to stop learning. His son, Jason, also fly fishing for the first time also landed a few fish as well. The day produced fish on all 3
presentation types for one angler, he landed a couple of fish on a streamer wading and swinging,
he then nymphed mid-day, followed by some dry fly action at around 3-4 pm. The hatch has slowed a bit, but the next warmer cloudy day should be great. There are a couple more good hatch days left out here. Just bring some mitten's, plan for a Half Day and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. We also have an additional report on the Wenatchee River, 2 steelhead landed yesterday on a short float. Consider it an option too, also note the new video clips on the top of the page, enjoy.
11/03/07
Anglers: Bob, Roger, and Joe
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: Soft Hackle PT size 18, Black CJ 18, Pat's Stone Olive/Brown #10, Baby Sculpzilla #8, Parachute BWO 18/20, Parachute Pheasant Tail 16, Mayfly Soft Hackle 20
Time: 10 am - 5:30 pm
Results: Good fishing, 10 + trout landed.
Good fishing yesterday on the Yakima, despite the cold. The fish are continuing to feed aggressively, and we performed the 'trifecta' yesterday with both anglers. We caught multiple fish on nymphs, dries, and streamers. It's kind of fun to utilize all tactics and be successful. There was a good Blue Wing/Mohogany Dun hatch from 2 pm - 3:30 pm yesterday, make sure to be in the right spot. We say this over and over again, but be ready with your 'hatch' rod and a BWO rigged up because the feeding window is pretty short and sweet. The BWO hatch will likely slow down a bit in the next week or two, but fishing with nymphs/streamers should continue to be good. There are plenty of fish in this river, Red's. NOTE: Check out the new video clips on the top of the page, enjoy.
10/31/07
Anglers: --
Location: Yakima, Klickitat, Wenatchee, and Methow
Flies: --
Time: --
Results: Better fishing on all rivers.
The catching picked up a bit over the past couple of days, Steve put up some epic numbers on the Klickitat while Joe and Mike were on the Wenatchee having a great day too. The Yakima continues to be solid with a touch of BWO's in the afternoon, keep that 3 or 4 weight ready and rigged up with your favorite size 20 Baetis by no later than 12:30 pm. The nymphing proves to be the best, think small. Size 16-22 is the game right now and if things are slow, or their is a cold snap
then sink tips and streamers are the go-to method. A dead swing combined with 'snap jigs'
mixed in is the hot ticket. The Methow warmed up a bit with a slight increase in flows, but the highlight is probably the Wenatchee as the fish showed some good responsiveness to a swinging fly
via spey rod. There is still a fair amount of fishing season left, try to make it happen before the holiday rush sets in
and you get buried. If you need any ideas on what to buy the ladies this holiday season, think about getting her that spey rod she has been wanting so badly. I'm sure you are getting tired of her endless begging and pleading, so just give in. Yea, it is a lot of money but she is worth it and besides we ship free.
Plus, if she doesn't like the spey rod then we'll give her a pink Red's Fly Shop hat that will fit in her stocking and make it all better.
10/29/07
Anglers: The guide staff
Location: Yakima, Klickitat, Wenatchee, and Methow
Flies: --
Time: --
Results: --
Fishing has been average on all the river systems, the cool temps have the steelhead a little tighter lipped than they were a week or two ago but they will get adjusted and it will pick back up again soon. The Yakima is steady as usual and fishing fairly good, the BWO hatch is almost over but mid day still offers a few risers. Bighorn sheep are beginning to line up along the banks of the river and butt heads a little, but make sure to take your eyes off the fly a little bit this time of year and admire the scenery. With the leaves changing color and ice starting to form in the guides, it is time to think about going on those last few fishing trips.
Afternoons seem to be the most productive for both trout and steelhead, so make sure to be in your favorite runs at that time.
10/23/07
Anglers: Joe, Leif, and Roc
Location: The Wenatchee River
Flies: Nymphs, eggs, and traditional swinging flies (i.e. Muddlers, egg sucking leaches, Freight Train, Purple Peril, and an Orange Bomber)
Time: 7 am - 6 pm
Results: 1 Steelhead landed, and few takes.
We put in a long and exciting float on the Wenatchee River yesterday to learn some good runs and see as much water as possible as it is a new stream to us. We landed one nice steelhead in our boat, and others reported landing a few more. There was an awful lot of fishing pressure, but I think that will die down as yesterday was the first day in over a decade that it was open. That is a lot of penned up angling desire to unleash all at once. We have some guides up there fishing again today, and it won't be long before we have it down. Applying the same techniques we use for summer steelhead on the Methow, Klickitat, and Grande Ronde will be very effective. We are guiding it starting now through the entire season, and it is a great trip to come over and stay in Leavenworth, eat some German food, and
enjoy a stout beer or some ice cream after a day on the river. Give us a buzz and we'll get it going for you.
10/22/07
Anglers: Jim, Jeff, and Steve
Location: Yakima Canyon Breaks
Flies: 20 gauge # 6 shot
Time: 9 am - 2 pm
Results: Lots of shooting action, but a few got away.
As you can see, upland bird season is now underway and we're filling all of that spare time between trout fishing and steelhead fishing with a bit of bird hunting. Our sports had a good time today, lots of action and plenty of hiking. We will be running guided upland hunts for Chukar and Quail all fall and winter, we have an opening on October 26th - and then we're looking on into November for the next available spot. We also have a few dates open in our Klickitat Camp as well, its not too late to get into camp and try and land yourself a steelhead on one of the most majestic rivers in the west.
10/21/07
Anglers: Steve, Barry, and Leif
Location: Red's to Big Pines
Flies: Gary's PT 18, WD-40's 18-20 Olive and Brown, Parachute BWO 18, Sparkle Dun 18, BWO Emergers 20
Time: 9-6 pm
Results: Plenty of healthy rainbows and no whitefish!
Plenty of opportunity today for the dry fly enthusiast to cast BWO imitations to feeding fish. The hatch was not particularly strong but the fish were hungry and waiting. Don't be afraid to fish the dry fly all the way up until dark. The hardest part about fishing on the Yakima right now is deciding if you want to throw nymphs, dries, or streamers...They will all produce! Red's.
10/16/07
Anglers: Scott, Chris, and Shan
Location: Mile Marker 19 to Red's
Flies: Flashback PT 16-20 (no bead), PT 16, WD-40's 18-20 Olive, Split Wing BWO 20, Parachute BWO 20, Baetis Comparadun 18
Time: 9-6 pm
Results: Great numbers of 10-14" trout! and only a few whitefish.
Good fishing yesterday with a great but short lived BWO hatch around noon yesterday, the best tip we can give you right now is to "post up" on good dry fly water for the hatch. The nymphing will fill the bill both early and late, but in order to take full advantage of the dry fly fishing make sure to be in the right spot. 6X tippet is a wise choice and if you have a particular fish working and the drift is tough, try a long piece of 6X just to neutralize the micro drag. There are still a few October Caddis out in the evenings, ESPECIALLY in the Farmlands section. Move 'em, skate 'em, twitch 'em and don't be shy. You can trigger some aggressive attacks. For those who are willing, streamers on sink tips are about to get good. Think natural colors and a dead swing can work for the wade fisherman and the boat traffic too. Steelhead fishing continues to be good on both the Klickitat and the Methow Rivers, we are excited for the Wenatchee to open and are offering some guide trips up there through all of November and December (pending weather conditions of course). It's not too late to get a trip planned, we have plenty of openings. Red's.
10/12/07
Anglers: --
Location: Yak, Klick, and Methow Rivers
Flies: --
Time: --
Results: --
Good reports all around, the Yakima is steady as can be and
definitely earning its reputation as a "fall" river, the post flip-flop action has been good and guides are reporting good numbers of trout and consistent dry fly windows in the afternoon. Everyday is a little different, expect the small nymphs to carry most of the weight but on the warmer cloudy days the Baetis are terrific. October Caddis are still making their nightly appearance just before dusk, so plan on fishing to the end if you want to see trout crash an Orange Stimulator or a Phat Fly. Nymph suggestions might be WD-40's (of course), Pheasant Tails (think about going beadless!), Black Copper John 16-20, and any other thin bodied nymphs in the natural color tones. A soft hackle in black or dark olive is deadly during the Baetis hatch, dead drift it or give it a swing if you want to go classy on 'em. The Klickitat River is beautiful as usual, a hookup or two a day is status quo and we have been landing some very nice fish. See example A and B on the top of the page. The Methow is fishing good too, if you like wade fishing for steelhead give us a ring and we'll get a trip scheduled for you. There is a bit of pressure, but there is lots of water for everybody and having a guide help you get onto the right holes is a priceless asset. Whether you are headed out for trout or steelhead, wade safe and give us a wave if you see us on the water. Red's.
10/06/07
Anglers: The entire guide staff.
Location: The Yakima and the Klickitat Rivers
Flies: --
Time: --
Results: A few steelhead a day on the Klick, lots of trout on the Yakima.
So many fish, so little time. Lots of places to choose from, the Yakima continues to produce stellar BWO and Cahill hatches almost everyday with several hours of sight casting available in the afternoon. Good nymphing with PT's, WD-40's, and such during the morning hours, try an Orange Stimulator in the evening hours if things get slow. The guide staff has been camped out on the Klickitat for the past couple weeks and getting some awesome steelhead on one of the prettiest rivers in the west. Not to mention, almost no other anglers. Our riverside camp is going very well and if you are interested, just give the shop a call fore details. The Methow opened today and we'll have some guides
working starting tomorrow so if it is on your agenda we'll have you covered as well. The Wenatchee is a bonus as well, just an hour from Ellensburg so we are very excited about that. If steelhead is on your list, make sure to plan ahead as the guided dates will probably go fast.
10/04/07
Anglers: Phil, Scott, and Steve
Location: Umtanum to Slab
Flies: sz. 6 Stone Nymph, sz. 12-18 Lighteining Bug Nymphs, sz. 18, 20 WD-40, sz. 14-18 FBPT (Flashback Pheasant Tail), sz. 16, 18 Copper Johns, (Red and Black), sz. 16 Para BWO, sz. 16, 18 BWO Sparkle Dun, sz. 18 CDC Baetis Emerger
Time: 10:30 am - 6:00 pm
Results: 10+ Rainbows (10"-16"), some Whitefish, and a NPM.
The early morning was tough fishing. When we put on, the flows were up and the water was a little off color as a result of the rains we had 2 nights ago. About the time I was really wondering if things would straighten out or not, we started hooking some fish on nymphs, and around noon, a great BWO hatch came off. The fishing did slow down again in the PM once the sun ducked behind the hill. There's no hurry to be on the water right now - the middle part of the day is the best window to be out there. The weather forecast looks good (little wind and scattered clouds), and we expect to see a good midday hatch that allows you to throw dries at feeders. On another note, most of you have probably heard the buzz - the Methow will open for Steelhead this Saturday, and the Wenatchee is going to open for the first time in over a decade on October 22nd! The management teams feel fish numbers on both of these rivers are strong enough to justify this opening. It is important to understand that the intent of these openings is to allow for the harvest of hatchery fish from these systems to prevent them from spawning with wild fish. A hatchery fish is easily recognized, as the adipose fin, located on their back in front of their tail, is clipped. Also, keep in mind that it is illegal to remove wild fish from the water. These are selective gear fisheries (single barbless hooks), so unhooking them in the net or cradle can easily be accomplished. There will be creel counters out and these fisheries will be under tremendous scrutiny. It is likely that some people are looking for excuses to close these fisheries, so be responsible anglers and stewards. There will also be a lot of fisherman out who are all excited and eager for this incredible opportunity, so please be courteous and communicate with people fishing in your vicinity - confrontations ruin the day for both parties. If you feel you need to get some solitude to have an enjoyable day on the river, you may want to consider going somewhere else. This could be like the women's bathroom line at halftime of the Supper Bowl! We, like everyone else, are excited and thankful for this opportunity and look forward to fishing, and guiding, on both of these rivers!
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