Current pattern suggestions for the Yakima - Easton to Roza
Dries	Nymphs and Soft Hackles	Streamers
# 4-6 Summer Stonefly Renditions C-Ants, Sofa Pillows etc... #14-18 Para PMD's or Transitional PMD's #10-14 Black Flying Ants #14-18 X Caddis, Elk Hairs - Olive and Tan #10-14 Crane flies .	#14-18 PT's, PT FLashbacks, Lightning Bugs, CDC PT's, CDC Prince #12-18 Caddis Pupae, Rock worms #10-12 San Juan Worms #4-8 Stone Fly Nymphs - Pat's, The 20 incher,	#4-8 Sculpzillas, JJ's, Bow River Buggers, Yuk Bugs

Email: First Name: Last Name:

There is a blockage from just above Bullfrog - It is completely across the river

Current Fishing Report...

July 28, 2010 - Guides Report - Rory

Fished from MM 20 down to Mahres today. We opted for an early a.m. start to avoid some of the heat and rubber hatch. The morning started off slow with a few small fish up to big dries and a few on various droppers. Lost one big fish in the 16"-18" range on a big dry. Fishing stalled until about 1:00 or so when the nymphing really began to take off. Between 1:00 and 4:00 15-20 fish were hooked, many of them lost including 5 fish in the 16"-20" range. All in all it was a beautiful day on the water with quite a few fish to hand and not to many tubers running us down. Best bugs were a #10 Tan Chubby Chernoble, #6 Brn/Blk Pat's Stone, and a #14 Pearl Lightning Bug. Fish were also caught on King Prince's, smaller brown Pat's and a #10 Go Getter.

July 26, 2010

The heat has slowed the fishing down a bit, but it is all relative......The fishing has been gooooooooood and therefore it is still goood. We have benn on the entire river from Cle elum down the last few days and it has fished well throughout.
ly 13

July 23, 2010 - Guides Report- Jack Mitchell

Lower Canyon
with the the first full moon phase, the heat of summer and summer stones in 2nd to 3rd gear, the early morning fishing has been pretty gooooood with your favorite summer stonefly imitation. one of our favorites is the 'eh glomer' which is basically a c-ant with some cool modifications.

the dry fly fishing seems to slow down quite a bit around the 9am time zone and then the nymph is the ticket. best combo for my boat the other day was a #6 brown/black pats stone, 2 feet below the indicator (no dropper) and fished in likely water.

the evenings have been pretty DARN good on caddis (#16-18) 'little weedy water sedges' especially in the last hour. fishing a #14 or #16 caddis point fly with a # 16-18 tan pupa behind, has been productive.

Farmlands
dry fly fishing has been less predictable in the am's and pm's but that is more due to the water type. the nymphing however has been gooood in the farmlands. don't be afraid to deepen up a bit in the farmlands. also the wading and anchored up fishing can be the ticket. work the water and don't be afraid to fish the side channels.

Upper Canyon
average fishing in this stretch lately but definitely kicking into gear and watch for this one to be two thumbs up over the next 60 days! this stretch over the years in the month of august has proven to be one of the funnest and more beautiful stretches of river in the northwest....while big bugs can get em' the smaller terrestrials are often the ticket.
beetles, ants etc....

Upper Flatlands
no report but lots o' pressure

Upper Proper
no report

regards,

jack

_____________________________________________________________________

____________

July 19, 2010-Guides Report-Derek Bechtel

fished last night, llmuma to mahres, put on at 630, off at 1030, fished the big dry for the first hour, had 7-8 fish eat in the slow back eddy pools along structure. switched over to the sz 16 tan elk hair caddis and had some breat caddis fishing. if you put that bug within a foot of the bank, fish on. 7:30-9:45 had 25-35 fish eat the caddis, with more than a few in the 16-18 range. landed some toads, had a few doubles. no moon, so we switched back to the big dry after total lights out, had another 5-6 fish eat the big dry at pitch black on the row out. saw some deer, enjoyed some canyon starlight scenery, caught some fish, awesome night.

Waterside ... The Hatch

_____________________________________________________________________

 

July 13. 2010-Guides Report-CJ

Despite 20+ mph sustained winds, fishing today was rather good, in some select areas, just great. Nymphing was the primary method today and the size 8 and 10 Brown Pat's caught a good # of trout. We opted for a long float today to cover water and to try to duck out of the big W in the farmlands, which paid off a little bit, but in the end the wind could not be avoided. Anyways, floated Carlson's to Bighorn and fishing started off with a bang, slowed down, all the while staying consistent, and then late in the evening as we entered the canyon got downright hot. That's when we got in on some great caddis action. Fishing egg layer patterns trailed with X-Caddis proved effective and was good for a number of fish. As dark neared, the trout really started eating the Pat's stone again, and a few fish also came on the Red Delektable Worm. Mike and Steve were troopers with the conditions today, and their patience was rewarded with some better than average rainbows. Other flies that caught fish today were the BH PT nymph, the lime green Sparkle Pupa, the CDC PT and the green Soft Hackle.

_____________________________________________________________________

July 10, 2010 - Guides Report - Keven

Floated Rinehart to Ump, flies that caught fish; crystal bugger,articulated sculpin, jj special, # 10 san juan worms, #6 pats stones,#14 FB pheasent tail, #8 gray and brown fat Freddie (summer stone).Fish were active on streamers in the morning, later in the day stonesand worms produced best, as we got into the lower canyon we traded theworm for a flashy pheasant tail and caught a few that way. When the banks had some good shade in the late afternoon we threw an adult stone imitation and caught some of our best fish of the day. All in all a great day on the water...

waterside

_____________________________________________________________________

July 7, 2010

The river flows have increased on the Yakima over the last few days. The water is a direct release from the Cle Elum Resevoir. Although there is an increase in flows, the river is close to stabilization for the summer. We are ready for Summer Stones which have already started.

_____________________________________________________________________

July 3, 2010 - Guides Report - Keven Samuelson

Good fishing for 8-12" yesterday. We covered a lot of water for a halfday float; MM 19 to Big Pines. A handful of bigger fish came to thefly throughout the day, but it was not what we are used to seeingduring a typical day on the Yak. Size 10 pats (tan and brown, salt andpepper) with Caddis type droppers and dry Stoneflies all caught fish,nymphing was a better game for numbers, the ones that ate the dry werebigger but less frequent. The flows were at the bottom end of weeklong drop yesterday. The first cutting of Timothy hay is occurring nowand Wilson Creek has dropped considerably with the lack of irrigationreturn, Wilson Creek being low, coupled with the lack of normal'summer' flow form the main stem reduced the green color and bankcover that helps the bigger fish feel comfortable feeding in the Julysun. The flows are on the way back up today and the Yakima ispredicted to run from 4,000 to 4,500 CFS from now until September,making for great dry fly fishing tight to the cover and cliff walls.Summer (short wing) Stoneflies are starting to come off, expect forfishing to be 'en fuego' very soon thanks to the most abundant hatchof Stoneflies the Yakima has to offer.

____________________________________________________________________

July 1, 2010

River is looking goooooood. Everything has stabilized and fishing last night was goood.

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________________

 

June 30. 2010

Fishing has been on the tough side lately. With the flip flop done, trout are now finding their new lies and starting to settle in. Nymphing convergences, softer seams and tight to the banks has been productive. Dry fly searching has been on and off with not much consistency. Had good numbers of caddis on the water for the better part of the day Monday, but saw hardly any fish eat. With clarity not awesome as of the moment, bigger profile flies like the pat's stone and the delektable worm have been worthy. Look for consistent fishing to begin soon in the Lower Canyon.

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________________

June 29, 2010
Everything has stabilized a bit lately. The fishing has been on the tough side to average. The nymph for the most part has been the ticket;
Best nymphs lately - #14 Lightning bugs, Pats Stones, San Jaun Worms

Some select dry fly fishing here and there with PED's, Yellow Sallies, Caddis and Biog Dry Fly Patterns.

waterside,

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________

 

June 23, 2010

Well, they opened the gates on the Cle Elum which went from 400 - 2000. Best bet over the next 48-72 is above the Cle Elum confluence. Otherwise the Lower Canyon should settle out soon and be back on game. The Farmlands might be a little tough for the next few weeks.

 

____________________________________________________________

June 21, 2010 - Guides Report - CJ

Floated Bristol to Green Bridge today with Todd, the man behind the new site Ultimate Fishing and Hunting.com and Joe Donsky and had good day. Fishing today was combined with some cool filming of the action and should turn out some great video. Lost some really solid fish today and landed two great westslopes, all in all buried the hook in a little over a dozen. Todd is a great guy and a pleasure to fish with! Nymphing was the only method utilized today due to the wind, but if your drift was drag free, you were fishing the right water, fish ate.....period. The Orange Pat's was HOT today as was the natural SJ Worm, the CDC Spanker, the Tungsten May and the Peacock Lightning Bug. Be ready for a whole different river real soon here, summer flows are on their way!

____________________________________________________________

June 19th, 2010

Fishing has been consistent throughout the system. More favorable flows and warmer temps have been aiding the angling. The river is now very close to being transitioned into summer flows. Nymphing has been very good from the morning until the PMD's come off, especially on more mayflyish days. During good PMD emergences, the trout have been more than willing to eat and be vulnerable targets for a fly. Big stone and yellow sallie patterns should not be overlooked in the right water, at the right times as well. Hot bugs have been green and Pearl Lightning Bugs, CDC Spankers, Flashback PT's, Cream and Brown Pat's Stones and Para PMDs, also PMD Soft hackles, especially trailed behind a parachute.

Waterside,

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________

June 16, 2010

River is starting to stage up for summer flows...PMD's have been good!

Regards,

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________

June 11, 2010

Good to Great fishing lately. The nymphing has been two thumbs up and the dry fly pretty good as well here and there.

Guides Day-off report- JR and CJ

Today JR and I fished South to State. Right off the bat fishing was good to great, wth some solid bows and a few cutthroat hooked, even a few on top that just crushed a yellow sallie rendition with one that happened to be in the 18-20" class; too bad he didn't stay buttoned up! Fish came here and there through the afternoon nymphing but fishing turned on about seven for us and a few more chunky bows and cutts slid into the net. I am pleased to see some favorable dry fly fishing recently. Hot bugs today were the King Prince, the tan Pat's, the CDC Spanker, the Rainbow Warrior, the Twisted Sister and the Hummer Yellow Sallie. Look for even better dry fly searching from here on out with golden stone and Yellow Sallie patterns in the heat of the day.

The Hatch

_________________________________________________________________

June 9, 2010 - Guides Report - Rory O'Connor and Derek Bechtel

Great fishing lately. The nymphing has been two thumbs up. There has been some decent dry fly fishing as well. The clarity below the Teanaway is significantly less today....but is clearing as the day goes on.

The Worminator #10....Best bug in the past 48 hours.

The Hatch

_________________________________________________________________

June 6, 2010 - Guides Report - Rory O'Connor and Derek Bechtel

Fished from South Cle Elum to State Boat Launch. We had a 3 boat trip with 6 fantastic anglers. The river had been dropping for a few days and we had good clarity, probably 5'-6'. Weather was miserable in the morning but the fish were biting. The weather cleared throughout the day and the fish kept biting. We had what I would consider to be good to great nymphing action. At the end of the day each boat had landed between 15 to 20 fish with many of those being 8"-12" but several nice cutthroat in the 14"-17" range and a few missed opportunities at big fish. Best bugs varied between boats but the general consensus was that a #6 or #8 brn/blk Pat's with a pink worm or a #16 red or copper copper john was a money setup. Lets hope we maintain these water conditions before the feds start dumping water for irrigation here in the next couple weeks.

The Hatch

_________________________________________________________________

l

June 5, 2010

River has cleared throughout!

Guides Report - CJ Emerson

Today, Rory, Derek and myself had a three boat trip with six AWESOME guys. We opted to float the Upper Canyon (Bristol to Green Bridge) and our choice was not a bad one considering the amount of pressure on the upper reaches of the river. POUNDING water was the key today, and finding every little unpressured and overlooked bucket, seam, and bank. Look for the unobvious. Hot bugs were the dark yellow and black Pat's, the Brown Pat's, the San Juan Worm, the CDC PT, and the Flashback PT. Rory reported a small window where he rose a few to PMD duns, but not many trout were keyed into the PMD's today. A few Brown Drakes showing as well. In my boat, just under a dozen fish were stuck today including a few solid upper canyon bows.

Best regards,

jack

________________________________________________________________

June 3, 2010 Update

Fishing above the Teanaway was good today; Nymphing and Streamers - Stonefly nymphs, San Juan Worms and Sculpzillas.

_________________________________________________________________

June 3, 2010

Below the Teanaway the river rose signiificantly from the last 48 hours of rain. Above the Teanaway the river came up about 200 cfs but still has good clarity from the Cle Elum River confluence down. The weather shows no rain for today....quite a bit manana and then it looks as though we are home free for awhile; Let's cross our fingers!

The Hatch

__________________________________________________________________

June 2 , 2010

Below the Teanaway is being compromised due to mega rain in the past 24 hours. Above the Teanaway is for the time being good to go....

 

__________________________________________________________________

May 30, 2010 Guides Report - Derek Bechtel

Green Bridge to Bristol

Tough morning, landed around 12 fish before lunch, all very small. The one nice fish (14") out of that bunch was on a sz16 cdc PT. Lunched, fished the blizzard of pmds, had a ton of fish eat, didnt land very many of them, and dry-droppered our way out. Only nymph they would eat was a CDC PT. Had a steelie mash a hanging bobbercator, which neither of the guests saw, Had a monster Cutty refuse a salmonfly dry and a piggy of a bowbow refuse a Goldenstone dry. After the PMD's, it shutttt down.

The Hatch

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

May 30, 2010

Guides Report - Derek Bechtel

Green Bridge to Bristol

Tough morning, landed around 12 fish before lunch, all very small. The one nice fish (14") out of that bunch was on a sz16 cdc PT. Lunched, fished the blizzard of pmds, had a ton of fish eat, didnt land very many of them, and dry-droppered our way out. Only nymph they would eat was a CDC PT. Had a steelie mash a hanging bobbercator, which neither of the guests saw, Had a monster Cutty refuse a salmonfly dry and a piggy of a bowbow refuse a Goldenstone dry. After the PMD's, it shutttt down.

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________________________________

May 28, 2010

Guides Report - Rory O'connor

We fished KOA to Ringer yesterday. We had steady action throughout the day, mostly nymphing. Our best bug was by far the #6 black pats but also caught fish on CDC P.T's and Red Copper John's both in #16. We did see a few fish rising to PMD's around 2:00 but it only lasted about half an hour and then caught a few fish between 5:00 and 6:00 on caddis around Ringer. All in all we caught around a dozen fish and lost quite a few fish throughout the day. Larry and Terry were awesome guys to have in the boat. Terry caught his first fish on a fly today both nymphing and on a dry.

The Hatch

___________________________________________________________________

May 27, 2010

River lost clarity over the last few days due to the torrential rains... but is still fishing good.

Guides Report - CJ Emerson

Took Mike Kennelly and his friend Matt out today, fished from South to Bristol. Fishing heated up around noon and stayed fairly consistant through about five o clock. Hot bugs were the brown, brown/black size 6 Pat's stone and the CDC PT and sparse brown soft hackles in 16's. A few fish also came on the size 16 Flashback PT. A few PMD's and a few remaining March Browns around, but neither hatch was prolific. Just a few Caddis around. All fishing was under the bobber today. Insides and riffles fished alright, but most fish came on the go. Some fish in unlikely water. Don't overlook the power of soft hackles, especially nymphed under a weighted stone! In the end, hooked just over a dozen trout, with a few decent sized fish in the mix!

The Hatch

____________________________________________________________________________________

May 25, 2010

Fishing and catching is good throughout the system. We have had boats on the entire river. Every stretch will fish different and sometimes the bug choices can be different as well. The Lower Canyon Caddis has been good to good+. PMD's throughout the river, Yellow Sallies starting to show here and there.


Below is a 5/24 evening report from Rory, guidestaff memeber...

Hey Jack. I ended up fished below diversion, down from the railroad bridge. Landed 5 trout, 4 of which were on a #14 tan x-Caddis. The trout in the picture below was caught on a #6 black pats. Missed 2 hogs on dries, how, I don't know. Thats it. Not a bunch of bugs and very few fish rising, the small pods of fish that were rising would eat once and that was it.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

May 22, 2010 -

River is dropping like a rock.....and is fishable throughout!

Waterside since 1988 - The Hatch

______________________________________________________________________

May 21, 2010 -

Fishing remains good above the Teanaway confluence. Below the confluece is 'punched out'. Most of our catching lately above the Teanaway has been with the nymph - Top bugs yesterday... #6 Black Pat's Stone and a #16 PT CDC Soft Hackle.

Waterside since 1988 - The Hatch

______________________________________________________________________

May 19, 2010 - Guides report - Rory Oconnor

Floated from South Cle Elum Bridge to the East Cle Elum State Boat Launch today along with everyone else. Water conditions were marginal at best with about 2.5' of vis when we got on and more brown then green. The river cleared slightly throughout the day for us. We had weather that ranged from torrential rain to blazing sun and calm winds to 35 mph gusts. Fishing in the morning was tough but the guys were champs and stuck it out and at about 12:30 the fish started biting. We ended up landing around 15 trout and lost as many. Most fish were between 10" and 15" but landed 3 fish over 16", two of which were 18"+ (one rainbow and one cutthroat). Of course we have to mention the big one that got away right at the net (for sure 20"+). We had a decent March brown hatch today but no fish were seen rising. Everything was caught nymphing and our best bugs were #14 CDC Pheasant Tails and #6 Black Pat's Stone.

Since 1988 - The Hatch

______________________________________________________________________

May 16 Update PM

Below the Teanaway is ugly............end of story; Above the Teanaway has decent clarity.

______________________________________________________________________

May 16, 2010 AM

Strong Caddis in the late afternoon and evening seems to be the ticket for the Farmlands and the Lower Canyon. Prior to the Caddis bloom the fishing has been a bit tough in the late mornig and early afternoon. The Upper Canyon and Upper Flatlands still showing some March Browns here and there. Watch for Green Drakes to be part of the plan over the next 4 weeks. The Flying Ants throughout the system are certainly good trout food right now as well.

The Hatch - waterside since 1988

Check it out - this week we have guests fishing

The Yakima for trout
The Lower Yakima for Smallmouth
Springers on Columbia river tributaries
and
The Upper Columbia for rainbow trout

 

Here is what 'The Latest Catch' had to say about there fishing trip with us!

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

May 11, 2010

The Mothers Day Caddis have been blooming a bit here and a bit there lately.....until today. Today's emergence was STRONG from 4pm till about 6pm. Prior to the Caddis hatch the fishing was actully average at best. The nymphing was OK. The PMD"s did not really happen based on the sun. However when the Caddis started to hatch the fish were game on. Today it seemed any pattern basic Caddis pattern worked. So you didn't need a #14 Trilobal Split/Tent Wing Low riding Caddis to get em'. Who know what manana will bring. The stretch fished today was from KOA to Bighorn....Oh yeah ... 'The Bighorn Launch' is now open for a $5 dollar fee.

 

Here is what 'The Latest Catch' had to say about there fishing trip with us!

 

The Hatch

______________________________________________________________________

May 10, 2010

Wow, the weather finally broke! I can't believe the winds were as strong here in the Kittitas valley as they were down in the Yucatan, but they were...More info coming soon on the Yucatan @ Blog this and Blog that.

The fishing the last couple of days has been pretty good on the Yakima. Lots of Caddis, but certanly not full steam ahead. Yellow Mayflies = PMD's and they have been worthy as well. Best nymph for the PMD has been 'The Trigger Nymph'. Best Caddis Nymph - The Leviathan Special and the Hungarian Partridge Pupa.

Waterside regards,

Jack

________________________________________________________________________________________

May 4, 2010

LOTS of caddis flying around but its been too damn windy to fish for the last week almost. Today and tomorrow are forecasted for sustained winds 35-45 mph with gusts to 60! and not much better the rest of the week. When it calms down, fishing should be on.

Waterside

Waterside and guiding since 1988

________________________________________________________________________________________

April 26, 2010

Ditto last report... with alittle bit of dry fly fishing here and there.

Waterside

Waterside and guiding since 1988

_________________________________________

April 24, 2010

Clarity over all has been getting better throughout the system. The best technique lately, plain and simple, #4-6 Stonefly nymph (Pats or K-Stones) and a trailer (#10 Worm, #12 Prince, # 12-16 Lightning Bug, Copper John and the Super Duper) Under an indicator.

Waterside

Waterside and guiding since 1988

_________________________________________

April 22, 2010

Clarity below the Teanaway has gone sideways!! The clarity above is marginal...

 

Waterside and guiding since 1988

__________________________________________

April 21, 2010

Clarity below the Teanaway has gone sideways!! The clarity above is fine... Lot's O' fishing pressure above the Mud.

Waterside and guiding since 1988

__________________________________________

April 18, 2010 - Update

Clarity below the Teanaway has gone sideways!! The clarity above is fine...

Waterside and guiding since 1988

__________________________________________

April 18, 2010

Guides report ... Rory

KOA to Ringer - The fishing today was good. Nymphing was pretty consistent throughout the day with a Hungarian Caddis Pupa and a #6 Black Pats being the top bugs. The March Brown hatch was very inconsistent and spotty today. We did find a few areas where fish were active on them but it was not steady action; at least where we were. We saw about half a dozen Salmon Flies bombing around today along with a few skwalas. We fished skwalas today for a while for nothing but I heard from a few people that they were catching fish on them especially up river.

Recently the flows have bumbed a bit mainly due to the Teanaway but the clarity is holding and the fishing has not been affected. The curent increase in flows are natural , unlike the earlier in the week flows that were man made in attempts to flush smolt down the river.

Waterside and guiding since 1988

____________________________________

April 15, 2010

The river fished reasonably well yesterday even with the spike in flows for the 'Smolt Push' as described below. The fishing prior to yesterday was off the hook. Water temps have dropped a bit - like 4 degrees - due to the reservoir releases. Caddis are becoming a predominant food source now.....

Guiding since 1988 - Fishing history since 1937

___________________________________

April 14, 2010-
Update / Reason for the release The recent releases from storage have been to try and push juvenile coho, spring Chinook and possibly kelting steelhead out of the upper Yakima. With the prolonged cool weather, low snowpack and flat hydrograph the need to mimic some form of runoff conditions to aid the outmigration, has been deemed necessary. Until we can get some unregulated runoff, the mid-week releases should continue. The flow releases are needed to perform roller gate tucks at Roza Dam to provide a surface spill rout for the fish. The west roller gate will be improved later this fall to offer better surface passage over it in the tucked position; plus the modification will make it possible to tuck the gate at lower flow volumes.

____________________________________________

April 14, 2010 -

Update- For one reason or another the Bureau of Reclamation released more water out of the Cle Elum Reservoir and there is also a significant amount more water coming from the Upper River Proper/Lake Easton/Keechelus. All reservoirs currently show a max of 70% full... maybe they are anticipating in influx? Statistical info in below links...

Guiding since 1988 - Fishing history since 1937

__________________________________

April 13, 2010 -

Absolutely awesome March Brown fishing in the Farmlands today. The dry fly fishing was double thumbs up. If we quoted you numbers you wouldn't believe.

Guiding since 1988 - Fishing history since 1937

__________________________________

April 12, 2010 - Keven and Derek Bechtel guide report

Fished this afternoon in the farmlands, GOOD fishing on Skwala dry for the entire float. March Browns have been hatching daily... Out of the last three days, Saturday's hatch was the strongest. Today we caught one fish with a March Brown comparadun, all the rest came to the Skwala dry. Fishing over the last few days has been solid. We have seen Caddis, nuclear sized March Browns and bluewings, and a few Skwalas are still roaming around.

Guiding since 1988 - Fishing history since 1937

__________________________________

April 11, 2010

Peak hatch time frame has been 12:30 to 3:30 and the fishing has been great for rising fish during that time frame. Prior and post hatch, the fishing has been average.

#12-14 March Brown Trigger Nymph
#12-14 March Brown Spider Soft Hackle
#16 BWO Comparaduns and Sparkle Duns, Parachutes
#10 Skwala Dry flies - Unit Skwala, Para Skwala etc...
#12-16 CDC PT's
#8 Yakzilla

We are most likely 20-30 days away from the start of the 2010' Mothers Day Caddis Hatch...Should be awesome.

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________

April 6 , 2010

Fish are definitely on the spawn factor. March Browns and Blue Wings seem to be the ticket in general. The streamer has produced as well lately. The Skwala game is starting to fade away.

Bugs to have...

#12-14 March Brown Trigger Nymph
#12-14 March Brown Spider Soft Hackle
#10 Skwala Dry flies - Unit Skwala, Para Skwala etc...
#12-16 CDC PT's
#8 Yakzilla

We are most likely 20-30 days away from the start of the 2010' Mothers Day Caddis Hatch...Should be awesome.

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________

March 31, 2010

Tough conditions lately....fishing has been average overall. The weather has been a bit abrupt. Should be a great late April. We predict the last two weeks of the month, to be rockin'. Molther's Day caddis will most likely bloom early this year - Maybe the 28th of April?

Currently the bugs of choice are the Blue Wing, March Brown and the Skwala. Streamers have certainly been an option as well.... fish out and on.

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________

March 28, 2010

Ditto the report below. March Browns are becoming a big part of the trout's diet. Never underestimate the power of the soft hackle for the March Brown hatch...#12 March Brown Spider - Two Thumbs Up

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________

March 22, 2010

The fishing remains constant- nymphing in the AM to early afternoon and dry fly from early afternoon on - I would call that 'the game plan' on most days. Refer to bug chart above....

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________

March 19, 2010

Guides Report from Keven...

Fished the Farmlands yesterday. It was cold and windy but we managed good fishing on the dry Skwala in the afternoon. We hit every little bucket and seam imaginable all the way to Rinehart park, a good number of our fish were caught after working to get a good drift with the big bug. One nice rainbow sipped the skwala after tipping up and giving the fly a good inspection in a skinny piece of water that we had worked thoroughly. Both light and dark bodied skwala's worked well; The key was a narrow profile and drag free drift, as they were not in the mood to smash the bug. Mayflies are starting to hatch throughout the system, with March Browns making an appearance in the Upper Canyon and Farmlands, while the Blue Wings are hatching river wide. Nymphing has been slow in the AM before the hatches get going, but we have been catching fish with subtle worm patterns and the standard stonefly nymph imitations.

Waterside

_________________________________

March 17, 2010

Catchapaloosa - 2010

A Big Thanks to Jim Walker of The North Bend Theatre, Brian and Todd from Catch Magazine, Peter, Brett and the rest of the crew from Creekside Angling for all helping to organize 2010 Catchapaloosa. The house was packed and it was a fun time...

The Yakima continues to produce. Fishing has been good - We are giving it 3.5 stars. The dry fly fishing seems to be the way to get-em inthe Lower Canyon. It by all means is not smokin' fishing with the dry, but if you work the adult Skwala pattern you will be rewarded. The nymphing seems to be a bit less predictable in the Lower Canyon. The nymphing in the Farmlands is solid. We haven't spent much time in the Upper Canyon-so no report there. The Upper Flatlands has produced on both the dry and the nymph.

Bugs of the week -

Dry fly - Mr Skwala!

Nymph - Unweighted 20incher

Waterside since 1988

_________________________________.

March 9, 2010
River has stabilized. The catching actually seems to be better on the dry currently. The dry fly fishing early in the day is slow. However, as the day heats up the fishing has been pretty good on the dry Skwala.....pretty cool.

Waterside Since 1988

__________________________________________

March 14, 2010

Guides Report - Rory

Floated from Ringer to LLuma and fished both nymphs and dries. Nymping in the morning was decent. Landed 4 fish in the Ringer pool alone and lost a steelhead. The best bug being a #10 unbeaded 20 incher. About 2:00 the fish started looking up pretty good and Mikey's skwala kicked butt. Water temps on the river have been maxing out around 1:30 and lasting until about 5:30 or so and that is definitely when the fish are active on dries. Fish were not always right on the bank; Many of our fish on the dry were caught on outside lines. Big fish of the day was a 20"-21" hog caught in the Beaver Tail on a skwala dry! Did see a few blue wings out today around 2:00 or so, but no fish looking at them yet.

__________________________________________

March 9, 2010
River has stabilized. The catching actually seems to be better on the dry currently. The dry fly fishing early in the day is slow. However, as the day heats up the fishing has been pretty good on the dry Skwala.....pretty cool.

Waterside Since 1988

_________________________________

March 4, 2010
The 'river rise' has crested and is on its way back down. The 1.5 inches of rain was the obvious culprit. For the next 24 hours, above the Teanaway is the place to be. Should be good to go from the Teanaway down in the next 24......

_________________________________

March 3, 2010
We are seeing a bump in flows based on the 1.5 inches of rain that fell last night in the Upper County....should start back down in the next 24 hours

_________________________________

March 2 , 2010

The dry fly fishing is certainly worthy. Some zones are hot, some are not. Covering too much water will back fire as you need to work the water. Through out the day you might see a dozen Skwalas on the water if you look. You might also see that many random rises to natural Skwalas. This time of year lends itself to searching likely water with a Skwala imitation...pretty cool. Nymphing remains constant...

waterside, the hatch

________________________________

Feb 26, 2010

As they say, every day is different. We have seen a variety of days, lately. Some real good, some good and some not so good when it comes to catching. The weather for the most part has been decent to good....However yesterday was a bit rough.

Lately, tactics include dry fly Skwala fishing, nymphing under indicators and streamers on the move. You have to work at the dry fly fishing. Just because the fly is floating down a 'good looking spot' doesn't mean you will be automatically catching fish.

waterside, the hatch

________________________________

Feb 20, 2010

A little slower lately due to the water temps cooling. High water temps 5 days ago were around 42 - High water temp yesterday was 40. Regardless, the fishing is worthy, as always.

Guide report from yesterday (Keven Samuelson)...
We caught fish on streamers dries and nymphs. Flies that worked the best were; a swung zonker, #18 olive WD-40, #8 brown pats, #8 olive furry foam dry skwala and a #16 red copper john. The steelhead was caught on the brown pats, it was a 28" FAT buck.

Another guides report from yesterday (Derek Bechtel)...
Tougher fishing for the better part of the day, one nice bow and a few whiteys to the boat before lunch on the nymph. Lunched at noon, back at it at 1230, had a few come up to look at the dry, no takers though. Fished the nymph for the rest of the day, and threw the dry in likey water, with a couple dead hours before it all got redeemed in the end. The last hour we had 4 nice rainbows to the boat, 3 of them in the 15-17 in range, with last fish of the day being a pig in the 19-20" range. Tough day, but ended well. Fish ate the skwala stone/ worm combo.

Waterside since 1988,

The Hatch

__________________________

Feb 17, 2010
We've got Blue Wings and Skwala, We've got Blue Wings and Skwala.......Fishing and catching is good, End of Story!

...and of course the #10 1/2 Bitteroot special, fished only between 2:15 pm and 4pm with 4x tippet, dead drifted between mile marker 18 and 17 only is the key- just kidding!

We have been using both Foam and Hairwing Skwala patterns recently. Both have worked. Remember a skinny profile for the Skwala imitation can sometimes be the ticket.

The Hatch

__________________________

Feb 14, 2010
The Farmlands and the Lower Canyon tend to be fishing a bit better for numbers to hand then the Upper Flatlands. Lately we have been mixing up the tactics with mostly nymphing and dry fly fishing. The dry Skwala fishing is not 'hot' by any means, but we have been seeing fish on the dry everyday now in the Lower Canyon.

Fish out,

The Hatch

__________________________

Feb 9, 2010 - Fishing continues to be goood to greeeaaat. Nymphing, swinging and stripping have all been productive. We have also landed a few fish on dry flies as well. We are not saying the dry fly fishing is on fire....but it has started!

Fish out,

The Hatch

__________________________

Feb 7, 2010 - First Adult Skwala Sighting today! Water temps 41-44 degrees - Report from Derek Bechtel
Fished State Boat Launch to Bristol. Awesome day, 4.5 stars (for February). Fished 10:30 to 5, consistent fishing all day long. Lots of fish on both the skwala stone and the worm. Water temp near 44 degrees F, slightly overcast, river on the drop, clarity close to 6-8ft. Even saw a partial emerged skwala.

Swinging the fly has also been quite effective....The #1 bug on the swing lately #10 Catch All

Great day, great fishing.

Fish out,

The Hatch

_______________________________

Feb 3, 2009
Fishing continues to be good. We have been on the river throughout...From The Upper Flatlands, The Farmlands and The Lower Canyon. While every day is different, the fishing has been fairly consistent and quite good on all the aforementioned stretches of the river. Nymphing tends to be the technique of choice for numbers of fish to hand. The top bugs lately....#10 Pat's Stone, #16 Brassie Zebra Midge, #10 Hamilton Stone and #10 San Juan Worm.

Waterside...The Hatch

_______________________________

Jan 31, 2009
The Yakima is fired up. It doesn't get much better then it is right now; No dry fly fishing, but great nymphing and Streamer fishing... End of Story!

Refer to the chart above for bugs of choice. Best stretches of the river lately have been from Ringer road down to Umtanum and from South Cle Elum bridge to the State Boat Launch access.

The is no doubt that water temps are colder in the winter and the trout's metabolism is slow. There is also no doubt that trout will behave different in their feeding patterns and holding lies based on water temps. However, I think one of the biggest errors I hear people talk about when targeting cold season trout is the notion that the predominant water to target trout in during the 'cold season' is the slower and deeper water. Often times I will catch good numbers of fish in the transitional water. Transitional water is usually 1-3 feet deep and generally quicker then the aforementioned slow/deep water.

During the 'cold season' on the Yakima it could be said that a predominant hole on the river may be home to a certain number of fish. The riffle feeding that particular hole and the transitional zone between the two parts (the riffle and the hole) will also be home to a number of fish. The transitional zone and riffle on a slighly warmer 'water temp' day may be more prolific with fish and conversly on a colder water temp day the actiual slower and deeper portion may hold more fish. So in essence the fish will move around within the zone based on water temps.

During the winter, when the water temp warms from 36 to 38 degrees, we would give this a major two thumbs up factor. Of course the opposite wouldn't be so thumbs up. More about Winter Fishing

________________________

Jan 22, 2009
Derek J and Derek B fished Green Bridge down to diversion, started at 10, off at 5. Rough day, didnt touch a fish till 2, only had a couple to the boat. Ate the worm. Had a few grabs on the streamer, nothing commited though. Air temps 45, water 40.5. clarity 5-6 ft. Conditions were lined up for a great day, but the fish just werent there to rumble.

________________________

Jan 18, 2010
Water flows have increased and clarity has decreased over the last 24 hours because of the warmer air temps and precipitation. Yesterday's fishing produced less catching then the previous 3 days. Watch for it to settle down and improve over the next few days as the weather looks favorable.

________________________

Jan 16, 2010
Fishing was good to great today. The best fishing was between noon and 2:00pm. Air temps were between 36 and 42 today, you can really feel it when the air temps warm up, that is when the fishing picks up. Water temps are 37-38, very stable the last week. With the night time temps being moderate for winter, we are finding warmer water. I'm sure we will get a cold spell soon, so get your fishing in now, while our window is open. Shake that cabin fever.

We are a good month away from Skwala season, but last years adults were seen when water temps were just over 40. Wonder if it will be an early season. We are on the water to find out. To be on top of the Skwala action, keep checking in.

Ditto the fly choices listed below...

______________________________

Jan 14, 2010
Air temps ranged between 36-41 degrees today. Our guests nymphed all day and although they didn't land big numbers of fish, the ones they landed were beautiful Yakima bows. Tactics included nymphing single and tandem nymphs 2-4 feet below the indicator based on water and depth. Flies used #8 Pats stone, #14-18 Brassies, PT's, Zebra Midges and #10-12 San Juan Worms.

Good fishing...

________________________

Jan 11, 2010
Water temps warmed up a bit and are hovering around the 36 degree mark. Light Midge and just a few Blue Wing Olive's hatching. Fishing Skwala Stone nymphs and a second nymph trailer (#14-18 Brassies, PT's, Lightning bugs, Prince Nymphs, San Juan worms) in likely water has been worthy; Likely water doesn't have to be 'just slow water'. Transitional water from the riffle into a slightly slower zone can be gooood as well. Much of the water is not deep and therefore nymphing 2-4 feet below the indicator is many times sufficient. Fishing streamers such as a black or olive #6 Sculpzilla has also been productive for the streamer enthusiast. The fish will definitely key in on the Skwala nymph over the next 2 months.

_______________________________

January 10th
Water temps are cold. Lately the catching has been OK. Watch for the next warming trend to fire things up....

_________________________

January 6th
A little slower fishing today. Air temps were between 32 and 34 with a slight breeze. Clear skies, but when the sun went down it felt very cold and the fishing slowed.

_________________________

January 5th
Used a variety of large nymphs #10-14's ..... Fished three hours and caught some great fish. Not one fish was under 16".

_________________________

Dec 27, 2009
Little tougher fishing lately........Last night the air temp in E-Burg was 10 degrees and the high today was 30. Water temps have dropped over the last 4 day making the fishing a bit tougher. The streamer fish was quite tough for us 2 days ago. The nymphing was OK.

The OP rivers are fishing goooood for mostly hatchery chrome currently!

Fish-on

_________________________

 

2009 Report Log