The Yakima Reports Page
Yakima Reports Page - Water Temps, Flows, Clarity, Maps, Bugs, Reports and more...

Guide Approved Equipment
For the Yakima

Chart below as of 6/17/13 - Actual Report Below Chart - Conditions Change quickly on any river - Reference the day that our reports were made...

Stretch	Stretch Name	Flow/Temp	Clarity in Ft.	Predominant Bugs
Easton to Cle Elum River Confluence	Upper Proper	Click	5	Caddis, PMD's , PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies
Cle Elum River	.	Click
Cle Elum River to the Teanaway River Confluence	Upper Flatlands	Click	6	Caddis, PMD's , PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Green Drakes, Yellow Sallies
Teanaway River @ forks near Cle Elum		Click	3.5	Caddis PMD's, PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies
Teanaway River to Diversion Dam	Upper Canyon		5	Caddis, PMD's , PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies
Diversion Dam to Wilson Cr.	Farmlands		4	Caddis PMD's, PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Yellow Salies
Wilson Cr. to Roza	Lower Canyon	Click	3	Caddis, PMD's , PED's, Salmon Flies, Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies
Roza Outflow		Click		.
Bumping		Click		.
American		Click		.
Little Naches		Click		.
Naches at Cliffdell		Click		Caddis, PMD's, Grey Drakes, Golden Stones
Tieton		Click		.
Naches @ Naches		Click

Good to great fishing throughout the river - End of Story - GREAT DRY FLY FISHING

The last 48 hours the Yakima has turned on in the Lower Canyon. Good to great Pale Morning Dun fishing to suspended and rising trout for parts of the day and in certain zones. A well presented Parachute or Sparkle Dun seems to do the trick. In the bright sun the fish have been a bit more hesitant and the soft hackle dropper or Bubbleback emerger has been good. In addition, the nymphing during off peak rising has been pretty darn good as well.

Fish-out

The river is in GREAT shape. Fishing is avg to good depending on the day....Last nights nymphing was jusrt fine - The Slab to Roza, short float but a very happy guest. Best Bug Combo Sz 10 black Pat's stone w/ sz. 14
Red Flash Back Copper John as a dropper.

The river continues to fish reasonable to good. Some evenings have been borderline great while the daytimes have been average. Caddis, Pale Evening/Morning Duns and a few Salmon Flies/Goldens are the fare. Evening rises while not gauranteed have been pretty good in select zones. A well presented X-Caddis, Sparkle Dun or Parachute pattern to rising fish have produced. Daytime nymphing has been average as a general rule - The Stonefly nymph and dropper nymph combo is a usual. Pat's Stones and a variety of droppers such as the PMD Bubbleback, Halo Prince and CDC Soft Hackle have been producers. Streamers , especially in the evening have produced some great fish like the one at the top of the page.

The daytime has been a bit slow but the fishing in the evening has been average to good. Pale Evening Duns and Caddis to rising fish if you find them. Nymphing otherwise with a bit of Stremer action at low light.

Best Bugs... #14 X-Caddis, #16 Transition PMD nymph, #4 Dali LLama for the streamer.

Fishing is the best towards the evening, lots of smaller fish recently. Most action has been nymphing with the quintessential Pats stone and an occasional caddis pupa or prince take.
Overall the fishing has been "alright"

Strong Caddis on the Yakima. Avg to Good fishing depending on time and zone!

The river is good to go! Good Caddis in the Lower Canyon. Fishing is great, catching is OK. Best approach has been with the nymph other then some isolated spots with the dry.

Based on current weather patterns and the forcast, it looks as though we are back on track for some Yakima Fishing. Will keep you updated.

Ditto last report

Looks as though the Yakima will be 'outa sorts' for quite awhile.....

The NWS in Pendleton has issued a flood warning for: west central kittitas county in central Washington,
Until 330 pm pdt Sunday Water from the yakima river as well as big and little creeks will continue through flow through the elk meadows subdivision about 6 miles northwest of cle elum. Persons living in the area report water flowing over the road in the vicinity of heron drive and night hawk lane. The water has come up quickly today with some water flowing under a few houses in the vicinity of mcelroy. The high water levels are due to rapid snowmelt and also increased releases from the upstream dams on the yakima river. The very warm temperatures are expected to continue until Sunday when a weather system will bring cooler and some rain to the region. Precautionary/preparedness actions, A flood warning means flooding is occurring or is imminent. Most flood related deaths occur in automobiles. Do not attempt to cross water covered bridges, dips, or low water crossings. Never try to cross a flowing stream, even a small one, on foot. To escape rising water move up to higher ground.

The river is on its way OUT. One tip - The Upper Columbia does not blow out and is fishing good!

Tough fishing based on conditions and weather lately. Lot's of Bugs....?

Best fishing lately is with the nymph and streamer, with some isolated zones of dry fly fishing! Where we have found fish eating on the surface, they have been willing to eat a well presented Skwala pattern. Bugs de Jour are list above in the chart. Clarity is good throughout the system and the forecast looks to show the river coming up a bit, but definitely no issue.

Best Streamer - #4 Dark Vader

Best Dry - #10 Bullet head Skwala

Best Nymphs - #14-16 Lightning Bugs, Spanker, Formerly Known As / # 6-8 Stone Nymphs

Although its been a bit breezy the Lower Canyon has been decent fishing considering the clarity which is about 1.5-2 feet. Peak water temps on the river have been reaching 46.5 degrees by about 5 PM daily and dropping nearly 5 degrees nightly.

Flows are currently around 3000 cfs at Umtanum and are forecasted to be on a steady drop for the next 5 days. Best bugs have been on the small side: Purple Prince sz 16, Bead head Flashback Pheasant Tail sz 14 and San Juans here and there. Lower water clarity fishing requires the small bugs 'to get in their face' for results. Fish your spot thoroughly.

We will be in the Farmlands manana and give you a report.

 

The river is on a straight drop .... sould be 'Good to Go' throughout the entire river in the next 24 hours. The river above the Teanaway is good to go, now!

Tough duty throughout the river currently. The best clarity is above the Teanaway. We still have bugs throughout the system but clarity is POOR to NADA is you head downstream from the Teanaway.

Continuing to fish goooood...With both the dry and the nymph. Reasonable to good hatches of March Browns, Blue Wings and Skwala. See below for the best bugs lately.

Like a broken record....... The river is in GREAT shape. The predominant tactic has been nymphing recently but there is dedinitely some dry fly fishing to be had in the right zone and at the right time. The Upper Farmlands have the aforementioned Dry Fly MOJO in the afternoon for sure.

As listed below, the Blue Wings continue to show and the March Brown's have made an appearance and should blossom sooner then later. The upcoming weather shows high temps next and most likely we will see a rise in water levels starting around the 29th.

The entire river is in beautiful shape right now, and fishing is good! We are seeing more and more BWO's daily, and sporadic March Browns. Dry flying is ok in the right places at the right times with the Skwala.

Top nymphs lately are the Hand Tied Skwala, Pat's Stones, and an assortment of size 14 through 18 Mayfly nymphs like the Bubbleback BWO and CDC Pheasant Tail. Look for the BWO's to light up on the next warm calm day.

Report: the river has dropped and cleared considerably the last 24 hours. Nymphing with stones and worms was and will be the way to fish until we receive less volume and more visibility, which is currently four feet and green above the Teanaway and about two and a half and green below. Find relief when nymphing!

We have cancelled our boats for today and manana - Monday is in a hold pattern - If your itching to go fishing, the Upper Columbia is in GREAT shape.

Tough fishing the past two days. The river below the Teanaway is in bad shape and gets worse as you head down stream based on contributing streams. That being said, stabilization looks to be on the horizon. More reports to follow.

The river above the Teanaway is definitely fish-able....The river below, not so good. Fishing today above the Teanaway has been slow to average. The Teanaway should start to drop in the next 4 days based on forecasts. Will keep you posted.

 

The dry fly fishing has been good to great the past couple day......Looks like it should be good the next few days as well. Best pattern - A #10 Bullet Head Skwala.

We have been on the river from top to bottom. The best dry fly zones have been in the Lower Canyon, Upper Farmlands and the Upper Flatlands.

Ditto last report....We have a slight little weather change for today and manana....'Ain't nothing but a thing"

2013 brings us anglers another pre-runoff trout season on the Yakima and since late January, the fishing has been great. So far the river has given us conditions which one can't complain about. So far this winter, the snowpack has been normal, somewhere from 95-100% of normal pack, the reservoirs are full for another summer irrigation season, the Groundhog stayed out, and weather and water temperatures have been ideal. With conditions returning to some assemblance of normalcy this year, we're all optimistic and hopeful to see another awesome Skwala season, and so far, it has been productive for the angler who fishes their fly with purpose. Later this month should hopefully bring an early spring with Blue Winged Olives and March Browns hatching up and down the system with consistency. Nymphing this season so far has been great with an array of different Stonefly imitations in sizes 6-10, like the Twenty Incher, the Rubberlegs in Olive and Brown, and Tan, and hand tied Skwala nymph imitations. BWO patterns like the WD-40 and Flashback Pheasant Tail have been fishing in sizes 16, and 18 along with Midge Pupa patterns like the Brassie and the Zebra Midge in sizes 18, 20, and 22. The favorite dries lately have been hand tied Bullethead Skwala patterns and Smaller Olive Chernobyls for the low light evenings. When hatch fishing starts, flies like Bubbleback BWO's, D&D Cripples, March Brown Soft Hackles and Purple Cripples will all play when there are rythmically rising fish. When water rises and colors, San Juan worms take trout readily under an indicator.

The Eastern Washington March 1st lake opener brought lots of good reports from fly anglers across the basin from locales such as the Seeps Lakes, Nunnally, Lenice, Dusty, and the Quincy Lakes. Fly anglers found success with Chironimids rigs suspended under release indicators, and trollers found success with lots of different leech, and bugger patterns with full sinking, and Intermediate lines. Find the contours of the lake shore, and definition in and around islands, bays, and shelves, and you should find fish. Many of these lakes are within an hour or an hour and fifteen minute drive from anywhere in the county, and weekdays can find you all alone in one of the most scenic places in the state, the Columbia Basin.

Nymphing has been about the same; The dry fly fishing has definitely increased during the afternoons until dark in the Lower Canyon.

Fishing is still solid up and down the whole river, afternoons have been the ticket until dusk with many different varieties of Skwala renditions. Standouts are the "Home Brew Skwala," the 20 Incher, and Brown and Olive Pats. Thinner profile BWO nymphs have been catching a few trout as well in 18s and 16s. There a few adult Skwalas out and about, but look for the adult fishing to pick up in a big way the next two weeks! Streamer fishing lost its mojo the last week in our opinion.

Good fishing .... end of story; See below for specifics. Don't forget the streamer as well.....see photo above. Stop by the shop to pick up your streamer needs.

Fishing the last week has been average to great for healthy, pre spawn trout. We have been in the Canyon, Farmlands, and upriver, and fishing has been uncomplainable throughout. Swinging streamers has still been a great method lately in the a.m. and midday especially, and nymphing your usual stones, worms, brassies, PT's and Wd-40s the right places at the right times is good! Skwala nymph movement is on the fringe, and the warmer temps. the last week have helped to progress the hatch.

Update PM...

The river is peaked and falling at about 1900 cfs at umtanum, look for the next five days to be great nymphing with this mix up and warmer daytime temps, especially when weather stabilizes again. Stones, worms, and streamers both retrieved and swung in corners and cushions of relief should produce early February bows

Update AM....

Water has bumped up and gotten dirtier especially from the Teanaway confluence down. Based on the Northwest forecast center we should see everything drop and most likely clear - We will keep you updated.

Now the current cold snap is not so good - A little abrupt.

This recent cold snap didn't affect the fishing....It affected the angler! Fishing remains solid. Lot's of ice breaking on the guides but fishing is definitely worthy. Make sure to wear the right gear and the fishing can be stellar. The 'perfect winter' day starts out at 30 degrees and tops out at 38 degrees.

Predominent tactics continue to include the streamer (both swung or retrieved) and the nymphing.

*Streamers

-A variety of Streamers have been productive lately - #4-8 Woolhead Sculpins, Sculpzillas, Seal Buggers,

1) Streamer fishing by foot includes but not limited to...

-Swing techniques with a down and across cast and a couple steps in between each cast. 'Likely water is Likely water' but if the angler is able to swing into slower water that has some depth, this can be very productive in the winter. Combine the above scenario with a shelf or drop off leading into the slower deeper water and POW - This can be awesome

FYI - Slower deeper water might be the difference between 2 feet of fast riffle water transitioning to a 4 foot deep trough of walking speed agua.

2) Streamer fishing from the boat - Many western guides would find this technique to be a favorite. It is both exciting and challenging. One of the favorite techniqes from the boat would be to drift the boat basically at the same speed as the given current while the angler quarters back upstream and then retrieves the fly at a genrally slow rate but can be mixed up with faster retrieves.

*Nymphing - The proverbial tandem nymph rig on the Yakima is a #6-10 Stonefly nymph and a smaller Caddis, Mayfly or Attractor nymph in the #14-18 size range. (PT's, Lightning Bugs, Princes and variations of, etc). We fish this combo anywhere from 2-6 ft below the bobber to he first fly - The Stone Nymph Favorite Stone nymph patterns include - Pats Stones, Marthas Stone, Kingrey's, Jimmy Legs.

*Catching fish on the urface can be accomplished if the angler is patient and in the right zone at the right time. There has been some midging fish this winter and there will be more as we go forward. Typically the best time of day for surface activity will be between 2 and 4:30. Often times the pattern is not that critical as long as it is 'close' to the size of the midge. Generally a #20-22 Para Midge in black will suffice. More critical will be the drag free presentation in the trout's feeding lane. This is extremely difficult when you can't see the fly. Adding a visible point fly and utilizing the drag mend can be helpful.

Pertaining to the nymph and the dry fly; remember this... None of the above is important unless you are presenting the fly correctly which is generally in a 'drag free' fashion and putting the fly in their feeding lane, which is not always next to the bank as we so often here. At this time of year watch for mid river shelves, seamlines and the like.

Have fun...

The Hatch

For about 20 years now we have promoted the winter early spring (Dec - March) as some great fishing. Every day is different but currently the fishing is goooood on the Yakima.Streamers and nymphs have been the ticket.
Best streamer lately - #6 Supper Yummy, #6-8 Sulpzilla, #6 Wool Head Sculpins.
Best nymphs lately - #10 Brown/Black Pats, #16-18 Lightning Bugs, WD 40's and the #14 Catch All

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