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This is the archived 2001
Fishing Reports
For the most recent Yakima River Fishing Reports
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This chart will help you
better understand the river divisions in relation to our hatch
reports. The hatches will obviously overlap into sections
of the river, but at times certain stretches will be more
prolific than others with specific hatches.
| Easton Dam |
Cle Elum River Confluence |
| Cle Elum River Confluence
|
State Boat Launch
(East Cle Elum State of WA Access) |
| State Boat Launch |
Diversion Dam |
| Diversion Dam |
Ringer |
| Ringer |
Roza |
December 30th, 2001 Yakima
River Report
The Yakima has fished well this past
week. A good caster on an average day can expect to hook approximately
30 fish. Overnight lows have been in the mid 20's, and mid-day
highs around 37 which is normal for Eastern Washington at
this time of year and can provide daily water temps that will
spawn good fishing. Early this next week however we are forecasted
to have some lows into the teens which may slow fishing, but
into the next week we will see a warming trend that will put
the trout on the move once again.
Stones continue to be a winter staple
and carrying a variety of sizes and patterns is important.
With big nymphs and a good presentation expect fish to eat
stones within the first few drifts through a run. If they
don't eat, switch it up. Just make sure you are tapping the
bottom each time through.
Basic small nymphs should catch fish.
Princes, pheasant tails, lightning bugs, etc. are all working
equally well. Different days, times, and holes may require
switching it up to find what they are looking for. Presentation
always seems to be the biggest factor though, even during
the winter. Make sure your bugs are on the bottom and drag
free.
Lets go fishing!
Joe @ the Hatch
December 22, 2001 Yakima Update;
The fishing yesterday was average
to good and the clarity of the river is back in!
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 5-6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7-8feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7feet
Wilson to Roza 4 feet
Fish-on
The Hatch
December 20, 2001
First of all we would like to wish all of you a Safe Merry
X-mas and a Happy New Year. We trust you will enjoy the family
gatherings, food and fun. We most certainly enjoyed the 2001
season and thank all of your for the support, feedback etc.
Feel free to e-mail or call anytime as we value your thoughts
on our services.
The Evening Hatch is excited to announce the opening of our
own Pro Guide Shop. Conveniently located on Canyon road, 200
yards off Interstate-90 at exit 109, the shop will feature
Flies, Rods, Reels, Lines, Tippet, Wading Equipment, Art and
other items for the Fly Fisher. We will serve Classic Casters
Coffee/Espresso. The Shop will be the first of its kind –It
will feature a Walk in and Drive-thru Espresso as well as
a full service Pro Shop. The shop will open May 1, 2002 and
we look forward to serving you.
Since the 12th of this month the Yakima River has been experiencing
level fluctuations due to periodic snow melt and rain. Over
the last three days the valley has received quite a bit of
new snow and the weather would definitely be described as
Winter like. Recently the fishing would be considered average
at best. Of course we are a bit jaded because of the phenomenal
fishing we saw at the beginning of the month. Nevertheless,
the fishing has slowed quite a bit. Clarity from the KOA down
has decreased and especially downstream of Wilson Creek. Flows
are up making the wading a bit more difficult The scenery
and wildlife are inviting. If you are looking to get out,
we would recommend various nymphs and streamers. The water
will most likely stabilize soon.
The Yakima Basin will have snow pack this season and that
is a major plus. The river will experience a run-off similar
to a normal year. The flow  chart
shown here is a representative graph of an average year of
flows for the Yakima. Flows start to increase somewhere around
the middle of April and stay strong until the first of September.
Fishing can be a bit unpredictable between April 15 and June
1 as this is the time that the flows are higher due specifically
to run-off. However during this time the river experiences
some great hatches as well; Specifically-March Browns, Blue
Wing Olives, Caddis Caddis Caddis and Salmon Flies. We recommend
to stay tuned to our report and the flow charts during this
time as the fishing can also be fantastic. After June 1, the
higher flows we see are generally due to specific releases
for irrigation needs. We refer to between Feb 15 and April
15 as fringe months. This fishing can be absolutely exceptional.
If the late Fall of 2001 is any indication as to how the early
Spring of 2002 is going to be, get in line!!!! This period
of fringe months will for the most part be stable water conditions,
decent to great hatches of Midges, Blue Wings, Skwala Stones,
Amelytus and March Browns, no people and gooood fishing!.
God Bless America and fish-on
The Hatch
December 15, 2001
The flows on the Yakima over the
last 36 hours increased dramatically and are now on the subside
again. The wade fisherman will not find as ample a wading
for the immediate time being but the river should drop down
into the 800 cfs mark again soon. Clarity is fine as we speak
and the wildlife is abundant; We will keep you updated!
On the water daily,
The Hatch
News Update - December 13, 2001 by Mike
Mathis
I believe we accomplished our goal
yesterday (12/7/2001) of showing support for
the statewide release of wild steelhead with no exceptions.
In a packed room at the Cascade Park
Inn, the commission began taking
public testimony at 1:30pm. It was scheduled to go until 3:30,
but
due to the number of speakers, it lasted to 4:30. The people
for wild
steelhead release far outnumbered those for killing. I don't
think
there were more than a dozen of them.
One by one, fishing clubs from Bellingham
to Vancouver, fishing
guides from Puget Sound and Forks, Trout Unlimited, and the
Wild
Steelhead Coalition stepped up to voice their support - gear
fishers
and flyfishers, people wearing flannel, people wearing fleece,
elitist-liberal-flyfishers and gearchuckers, radical-right-flyfishers
and gearchuckers, Orvis types, Loomis types, St. Croix types,
Cabela
types, Sage types, along with cityfolk, countryfolk, suburbanfolk.
The parking lot was filled with new SUV's, pickups, small
cars, and
big cars in various colors and shades. And sitting behind
the
speakers, I believe I saw just as many red necks as white
necks. We
were all united behind this single issue. It was great to
see and
hear.
Additionally, the commission received
hundreds, if not thousands, of
letters, email and written testimony from Washington, Oregon,
Idaho,
California, British Columbia, and the east coast as well as
numerous
position papers, including the 100-page paper from the Wild
Steelhead
Coalition. This should provide a lot of late-night reading
for the
commission members.
The commission will vote on the
2002-2003 sportfish rule proposals
February 8-9. Keep your fingers crossed. We're gonna win a
biggie.
December 8, 2001 Yakima River Report
Over the years this weekend has
traditionally been one of the best for dry fly midging on
the Yakima. However, we have not been seeing the typical rises
on midges as the hatches have been fairly light; but the nymphing,
that is another story. The nymphing has been flat out awesome.
We have been hooking big numbers on a daily basis. Smaller
nymphs(#16-20)are generally the deal, however a stonefly nymph
from here on out should be worthy.
Water temps have been starting out around 36 and ending around
38.5. Flows are low and the water clarity is super. Weather
can be a bit cold at this time of year but it is well worth
it. Our boats are equipped with propane heaters to warm yourself
up when needed!
November, December, February and March- some of the best fishing
with no one around!
fish-on
The Hatch
December 2, 2001 Yakima River Update
Aside from Saturday which was nuclear
winds notwithstanding in the lower Kittitas county, the nymph
fishing has been good to great. In fact, I would have to say
that today's nymph fishing was some of the best I have seen
in 13 years of fishing the river.
This isn't guide BS, it was fabulous! Tony Bynum and I stood
in one zone and hooked fish after fish for 2.5 hours. Numbers
aren't everything but if I were to guess on how many fish
we hooked between both of us it would have to be somewhere
around 50.
Incredibly remarkable!!! There was wet snow and rain coming
down, Bighorn sheep on the hill and a Bald Eagle in a tree
watching us. Plain and simple awesome trout fishing. God Bless
America. End of story.........
Respectfully
The Hatch
November 29, 2001 Yakima Update
I bite my tongue(in reference to
my last report) when I basically stated that the fishing would
not be any good. Today, from 11:30am to 2pm the fishing was
awesome! Don't know what it was like prior to 11:30am and
after 2pm, but during that time the nymph fishing was great!
Numbers of fish - a 1/2 dozen large and one that I could not
land and battled for a good 10 minutes.
There is something about fresh snow, no people and trout!
fish-on
jack@the hatch
November 29, 2001 Yakima River Report
The Kittitas valley received its first
snow of the year and it was the real deal. Approximately 18
inches of snow fell in the last 24 hours which intern cooled
the river off a bit! The average water temp for the Yakima
river over the last 24 hours was 37 degrees. The roads were
a bit less than desirable as well. Generally the road crews
are fast and efficient in clearing I-90 for travel, especially
after the storm has subsided. So as the winter progresses
and you feel the itch, have faith in the state in regards
to road travel.
We are hoping for a good snow pack this
winter, as the drought we received last year was no fun for
anyone!
Our recommendations currently are to
stay home, hug the kids and drink eggnog!
On the water daily.........
The Hatch
November 26, 2001 Yakima River Report
While the dry fly fishing has slowed
quite a bit, the shallow and deep water nymphing continues
to produce impressive numbers of trout ranging from 8-20 inches.
For years I have promoted the early Spring and late Fall fishing
as there is little pressure and average to great fishing.
Granted it can be a bit cold, but when dressed properly the
weather is not a major factor. Today's fishing was gooood!
Various nymphs including Stone flies, Brassies, PT's, Lightning
Bugs etc. are the general fare. There is no doubt that fish
can be caught in all water types at this time of year. However,
as the water cools off, focus on the 2-4 foot deep water that
is slower and boulder strewn; especially on an inside corner.
The dry fly midge activity is lighter than last week, but
today we found a few small pods of fish regularly taking adult
midges. The adult midge activity should increase over the
next weeks.
Take advantage of our late Fall Yakima Special.............5
hours of Prime Time for Two People $225.00 plus tax!!!!!
Water temps and flows at 3pm on the 27th are as follows
@Easton 39 degrees and 282cfs
@Cle Elum 43 and 651cfs
@Ellensburg 40.25 degrees and 1100cfs
@Umtanum 41 degrees and 1121 cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 6-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 feet
On the water daily
The Hatch
Give
the Gift of Fly Fishing!
November 21, 2001----Update
The valley weather yesterday was
cloudy with rain here and there all day. The overall temperature
was a comfortable 48 degrees and the fishing was fantabulous!
The dry fly fishing was a bit less than the day before, but
the shallow water light nymphing, full on deep nymphing and
streamer swinging was two thumbs up. The fish yesterday were
not too picky about the nymphs they were eating. We caught
some very nice fish! In one particular run we landed 5 fish
15-19 inches in about 20 casts.
Watch for the midge game to only escalate over the next 6
weeks and we predict it to be a great late Fall on the Yakima.
The weather does play a big game at this time of year. Currently
the weather pattern shows more of the same with a bit cooler
weather starting on Sunday. The passes as of lately have been
problem free!
Fish-on
The Hatch
November 20, 2000 River Update
We saw no rise in the river from
the last rains we received and the river is in beautiful condition
and Midging is the game, along with nymphing and streamers!
NICE!
the Hatch
November 19, 2001 Yakima River Report
The fishing today on the Yakima
was most definitely on target. The nymphing and dry fly midging
was the name of the game and presentation is the key especially
with midges. Generally when trout key on midges in the late
Fall and early Winter they are keying on single midges and
not clusters. Today there were decent numbers of average to
good size fish rising to the midges.
This type of fishing is a great way for the intermediate to
advanced angler to increase his presentation skills. It is
a bit difficult to see the actual midge patterns as they are
small (20-24), so utilizing some sort of detector whether
it be a small pinch on indicator or a point fly can be helpful.
Trout keying on adult midges will often eat small midge pupas
just under the surface as well. We did see a decent amount
of rain again in the last 24 hours and hopefully the flows
won't increase to much. Currently the clarity is great and
the fishing is good. If your looking to test you dry fly skills
of the late Fall, now is the time!
Water temps and flows at 5pm on the 19th are as follows
@Easton 41 degrees and 309cfs
@Cle Elum 43 and 734cfs
@Ellensburg 42.5 degrees and 1276cfs
@Umtanum 43 degrees and 1261 cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 7-8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7 feet
KOA to Wilson 6 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 feet
On the water daily,
The Hatch
November 18, 2001 Fishing Report
Recently the Yakima river experienced
a large influx of water due to big rains and previous snow
from lower elevations. The river was at approximately 700
cfs at Umtanum on the 14th and fishing great and by late afternoon
on the 15th the river was at 2500. Certainly an increase in
volume, but nothing compared to some of the coastal waters
that had increases of more then 10 times the previous volume.
The good news is that the Yakima is on the decrease in volume
and the reservoir levels have increased!
The fishing should pick up on the Yakima
and we will keep you updated as to what is happening and not!
For those who wish to experience some other angles the Grande
Ronde is producing Steelhead and a few of the desert creeks
are sporting some decent to good Brown trout fishing as shown
in the above photos..............
Water temps and flows at 10am on the
18th are as follows
@Easton 41.5 degrees and 327cfs
@Cle Elum 42.6 and 785cfs
@Ellensburg 41.5 degrees and 1428cfs
@Umtanum 43 degrees and 1370 cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 6 feet
Teanaway to KOA 4-5 feet
KOA to Wilson 3-4 feet
Wilson to Roza 3 feet
On the water daily!
The Hatch
November 8, 2001
Fall fishing does not get much better than this! The leaves
are gold, and the fish are on the take. The bigger fish of
the Yakima are fattening up for their winter fast, and intermediate
to advanced anglers can take serious advantage. Small dries
and even nymphs require precise presentation, hook sets, and
good line handling to bring these trout in. Small improvements
in presentation mean big rewards to the fisher. Beginners
can expect to still have success, but presentation ability
results in an exponential return on number of fish hooked
and size of. Think small to go big. It's a game of inches...
or shall I say centimeters? The essence of drag free drifts
cannot be overemphasized, and if it is not absolutely perfect
the fish will not eat.
Look for the Blue Wing hatch to start at about 12:30 pm in
most zones, and also pay attention to the midge that are beginning
to build up some steam. It is possible to hook big fish on
nymphs, dries, and streamers all on the same day right now.
These fish are trying to put on some weight, so lets go catch
'em!
Respectfully and Fish On,
The Evening Hatch Guide Service
October 30, 2001 Yakima River Update
It doesn't get any better for casting small dries to rising
fish...............certainly a worthy challenge!
The Hatch
Oct 28, 2001 Report and Update
As stated a few reports back.............The
best of the Fall is now! Fishing has been good to great. Of
course every day is different but the are usually
in the last week of October and the first week of November.
The Baetis have been strong and the Mahoganies have been on
the increase!
See our Fall Photo
essay
fish-on
The Hatch
October 25, 2001 Report
The higher elevations most certainly
saw a taste of early Winter the last couple days as Snoqualmie
received 7 inches of snow Monday night. The fishing on Sunday
and Monday was absolutely fabulous in the lower canyon stretch,
while the upper canyon stretch reports were a tad bit slow.
Since Monday night our water levels have increased quite a
bit but we still have good clarity. Our water temps have most
certainly decreased! In fact the starting water temp @ Umtanum
this morning is 46 degrees. Guide reports for Tuesday and
Wednesday were average to good.
We continue to see a major lack of October Caddis, Mahoganies
and Cahills this Fall; However the Baetis have been very strong
and will continue to be for most likely another 2-3 weeks.
The midge game has started, and if you find yourself stumped
on a fish, it may be that the fish is keying in on midges.
Make sure your presentation for all small insects are impeccable
as the trout are quite selective at this time of year.
Fall is a beautiful time of year - coming
soon an illustrated Photo essay
- called Fall Exposure.
@Easton 48 degrees and 303cfs
@Cle Elum 46 and 766cfs
@Ellensburg 45 degrees and 870cfs
@Umtanum 46 degrees and 986 cfs
Upper Proper-October Caddis, Baetis
Upper Flatlands-October Caddis, Baetis
Upper Canyon-October Caddis, Baetis
Farmlands-October Caddis, Baetis, Midges
Lower Canyon-October Caddis, Baetis, Mahoganies, Midges
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6 feet
KOA to Wilson 5 feet
Wilson to Roza 4Feet
The Hatch
October 21, 2001 Yakima river
The Yakima
continues to fish decent to great depending on the conditions
of the day. The dry fly fishing can begin around 9am and continue
throughout the day. However the best of the dry fly fishing
as of lately is between 10am-3pm. Prior to hatch it is possible
to catch fish on small attractor flies etc. or by nymphing
and streamers. The nymph fishing throughout the day continues
to be automatic; both dead drift techniques and controlled
swing techniques will prove effective.
To find fish rising takes a bit of patience as Fall light
is lower which makes finding rising fish a tad bit more difficult.
The fish at this time of year tend to be very subtle about
their surface feeding -especially with Mayflies. Focus on
searching soft inside seams, defined current/foam lines and
subtle drop-offs. If the hatch is strong enough you will find
fish moving into the shallows to feed on the surface for the
easy food and then moving back out into the riffles and runs
after the hatch.
@Easton 49 degrees and 162cfs
@Cle Elum 46 and 435cfs
@Ellensburg 47.5 degrees and 508 @Umtanum 48degrees 591cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis,
Cahills
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Baetis, Cahills,
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan), Baetis,
Cahills, Mahoganies
On the water daily
The Hatch
Oct 16, 2001 Fishing Report
The predominant hatch continues to be the small #18-22 Blue
Wing Olive/Baetis of the Fall. Other hatches include the #18
Mahogany Duns, #16 Light Cahills, the smaller #16 Grey Caddis,
the #8-10 October Caddis, and some #24 Midges. Depending on
the day, it is possible to fish to rising trout from morning
on. The key to this is patience and presentation. Generally
longer leaders and finer tippet are in order with this type
of fishing as well. In the slow flat water 12 foot leaders
and 6x can be helpful.
The nymphing continues to be fairly automatic with various
small nymphs. When the fish are keying in on the natural drift
it is imperative to present the nymph drag free, just as you
would with a small dry. There are times when the fish also
like smaller bugs swinging. Various softhackles and other
nymphs can be presented in a down and across method with a
controlled swing.
Streamers are worthy as well. Stripping and or swinging streamers
can be very effective in low light situations and at times
in the bright sun.
Water temps and flows at 6:30am on the 16th are as follows
@Easton 50 degrees and 162cfs
@Cle Elum 48.06 and 427cfs
@Ellensburg 47 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 49.5degrees 655cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
Hatches in River Sections
UpperYakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis,
Cahills
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Baetis, Cahills,
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan), Baetis,
Cahills, Mahoganies
On the Water Daily
The Hatch
Oct 13, 2001 Update:
The Grande Ronde Steelheading is on Fire!
End of Update--Fish on
October 11, 2001 Fishing Report
While every day is different on
the water, especially dry fly fishing. Yesterday was excellent
for surface activity. At this time of year an angler can usually
start on the water at 10am casting little dry flies to rising
trout. Some days will be better than others. The past few
days up until yesterday the dry fly fishing had been a bit
tough due to the wind etc..............But yesterday in both
the upper and lower canyon the dry fly fishing was good. In
fact the lower canyons rise was great and the upper canyon
rise was good. Both Mahogany Duns and Beatis were the fare!
Although we have seen a few spattering of the Cahill, they
seem to be almost nonexistent this Fall as with last year.
Yesterday, in both the upper and lower canyon the October
Caddis was almost nonexistent as well.
Watch for the Mahoganies, Baetis and Smaller Grey Caddis to
be the predominant game for a while and towards the start
of November the midge game should start to be fairly consistent.
Check our Fall Specials out
as we have some good ones!
On the water daily, The Hatch
Oct. 10, 2001 Fishing Report
The fishing on the Yakima continues to
be fairly consistent with nymphs and streamers. The dry fly
fishing recently has been a tad bit slow according to the
guides. We continue to use all techniques to fool the trout
and have been fairly successful. The recent weather has been
a bit cool and windy making it a little tough on the casting
for beginners. The best of the Fall is from now on!
@Easton 57.63 degrees and 180cfs
@Cle Elum 48.06 and 480cfs
@Ellensburg 46.83 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 47.2degrees 600cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
UpperYakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Baetis,
Cahills
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Cahills,
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Cahills,Terrestrials, Mahoganies
Our Crew on the Grande Ronde had a very successful weekend
as exemplified by this e-mail we received yesterday.......
Jack, Last weekend we spent floating
down the Grand Ronde with Joe, Pete and Andre. It was a great
trip and I wanted to commend you on establishing a truly incredible
cast! The fishing was great and the food was incredible. There
was actually too much to consume. The guides were paramount
and Joe really knows the river. We had a fabulous time and
look forward to rebooking with you again next year. It was
an incredible experience! Steve Honnen.
We currently have a few slots open at
the end of the month as we have decided to extend our season
this year on the Grande Ronde; The numbers of fish are just
incredible and the best of the Ronde is in the next 30 days
for the 2001 season. We currently have a few slots open 10/
18-20, 10/21-23 and 10/29-31.
I spent this last weekend myself down
on the Henry's Fork with a good friend Mike Watt and we hired
Lynn Sessions from Trouthunter in Last Chance, Idaho to guide
us. I can't say enough about the crew at Trouthunter and Lynn
himself; what an awesome individual...............Former National
Finals Champion in Bull Riding, Family Man, Avid outdoorsman,
Expert Oarsman; Maybe some day I will elaborate a bit more
on our Cardiac Canyon Adventure; but in a few words this sums
it up................ Bears, Moose, Camaraderie, Bugs and
Great Fishing combined with some good catching!
On the water daily,
Jack @ The Hatch
October 4, 2001 Yakima River Update
The Yakima is certainly in Fall Mode...........Low
flows, cooler water temps and bugs. Currently, with patience
an angler could fish dries and emergers for at least half
of the day. There are enough risers to keep you busy. They
can be picky and therefore.......pattern choice and presentation
are critical.
The nymphing continues to be almost automatic.
We continue to catch numbers of small to medium sized fish
with a few handfulls in the larger size!!!
Another day in paradise!
Water temps and flows at 6:30am on the
4th are as follows
@Easton 60 degrees and 180cfs
@Cle Elum 54 and 406cfs
@Ellensburg 52.8 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 49.8degrees 498cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
Hatches in River Sections
UpperYakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Cahills, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Cahills,Terrestrials, Mahoganies
Happy Fishing
The Hatch
September 29, 2001 Yakima River Report/Update
The water on the Yakima is at record
lows! The level is making it a bit tough on drifting boats
in the shallow riffles but the upside is it should be great
for the Baetis and Midges of the Fall. It is almost impossible
to float from KOA down currently with a hard shell boat or
bigger raft because of the level and configuration of the
major riffle approximately 500 yards downstream. The outcome
is a major "DRAG" if you get what I mean. There
are other areas that are difficult as well. The Upper Canyon
is flat out impossible to do in one day at this level from
the state launch down to Rills or River Raft. The only way
it can be done with larger boats is to do overnights and/or
pack your boat in and out of Swuak Creek access (I/2 way point)
which is marked NO Trespassing by the RR!
On the brighter side, the last two days we have seen some
great rises to both Mayflies and Caddis. This pattern of activity
should only continue and most
likely get better. The fishing the last two days was good
to great with Dries, Nymphs and wet flies.
On the water daily
The Evening Hatch
September 28, 2001 Yakima River Report
The Yakima river water temps have dropped
significantly do to the recent airtemps and decrease in water
flows. These temps are prime for Fall hatches; Let's cross
our fingers for some good Fall rises. We have been seeing
some rise activity over the last couple days, but nothing
prolific.
The Fall is officially upon us and the
colors should soon be vibrant. Some would say this next month
of fishing is the best of the Yakima; I say it's all good
so bring on the Fall of 2001.
Make sure to have a variety of Mayfly
patterns; Sparkle Duns, Parachutes, Floating Nymphs etc. for
the Baetis, Cahills and Mahogany Duns! Generally the trout
are more presentation oriented and will take a well presented
reasonable imitation. However there are times when they are
presentation and pattern selective. Also continue to have
a variety of nymphs, especially in the 16-18 sizes.
Mahogany Duns #16-18 Rust, Black, Dark
Grey
Cahills #12-16 Cream, Yellow, Tan
Baetis #18-22 Olive, Grey
@Easton 62 degrees and 180cfs
@Cle Elum 52.5 and 417cfs
@Ellensburg 52.33 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 50.5 degrees 555cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
UpperYakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Cahills, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Cahills,Terrestrials, Mahoganies
Happy Fishing
The Hatch
September 25, 2001 Yakima River Report
Since our last update we experienced
two very warm days which raised our water temps again. We
are now projected to have some cooler airtemps which in turn
will keep the water temps lower. Regardless of the water temperatures,
the fishing has been good to great for numbers and average
for size. Some days we have actually caught 80-100 fish. We
have been defiantly using multiple techniques to fool the
trout. Dry flies, nymphs, streamers and true wet flies have
all been part of the arsenal.
At this time of year with the flows as
low as they are the fish can be anywhere. They can be in 1
foot of water against the bank or out in a 5 foot deep defined
slot; They can be in the head of a fast riffle or in the tail
out as well. As Fall progresses the fish will tend to congregate
a bit more with the water temps dropping and also to key in
the insect "feed me" lines.
Watch for a midmorning emergence of #16-18
Caddis over the next month as well as our early to late afternoon
Baetis, Mahogany's Cahills and our evening October's. There
are still a few Summer Stones around but are for the most
part they are on the way out.
This time of year it is always fun to
use a sink tip and swing down a run in the morning, nymph
back up the run mid morning, and catch the late morning to
the afternoon hatch with dries. Certainly worthy! Expand your
horizons regarding the techniques you choose to utilize in
duping the trout..............Who knows you may learn something
and like it!
@Easton 61.8 degrees and 182cfs
@Cle Elum 57.5 and 494cfs
@Ellensburg 58 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 59 degrees 753cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
UpperYakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials,
Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Cahills, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Cahills,Terrestrials
Happy Fishing
The Hatch
Sept 19, 2001 Fishing Report
The water temps lately have lowered due
to the cooler airtemps. Fishing has been average to good in
most stretches of the river. Nymphing as of lately has been
the most productive. The river is producing some very large
Baetis hatches but with no fish actually sipping them off
the surface. Utilizing smaller nymphs has been the game lately.
We have been hooking 40-60 fish daily with large numbers of
them in the smaller size and a couple handfuls of them in
the larger size. The lower canyon has been almost exclusively
a nymph game lately while the Farmland has been a bit of both
dry fly and nymph fishing. The Upper Canyon has been a mystery
lately with the fishing being quite inconsistent; One day
it is good and the next, tough! The Upper Flatlands and Upper
Yakima Propers fishing has been average, utilizing multiple
techniques to dupe the trout.
The last 5 days the water temps were
fairly warm basically quashing the hatches other then the
Baetis. With the cooler water temps we have currently and
if Mr Weather is correct we
should continue to see our water temps stay below 60
which will give us a bit more insect activity. The fall hatches
as an overall rule need the water temps to be in the 48-56
degree marks, not 59-65 degrees! We would hope to see some
good Mahogany Duns and Cahills this Fall besides the Baetis.
We predict to see some great Midge fishing starting in mid
to late November, but prior to that let's cross our fingers
for some good Fall insects besides the Blue Wings.
@Easton 61.8 degrees and 178cfs
@Cle Elum 56.50 and 455cfs
@Ellensburg 56 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 56.63 degrees 1063cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
-
Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials, Baetis,
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Cahills, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Cahills,Terrestrials
Take a look at our Fall
Specials
Respectfully and Tight Lines
The Evening Hatch
September 14, 2001 Fishing Report
The water temps on the Yakima river are
fairly warm again especially during the heat of the day. With
the water as low as it is and with the air temps as warm as
they have been the daytime water temps in the lower canyon
have been too warm. Yesterday's high water temp was 69 degrees.
Thank goodness for colder nights as the water has been seeing
a swing in temperature due to the nighttime temps.
Mr. Weather shows a general cooling trend
starting Monday with the highs @ 77degrees as opposed to 88
degrees as it is supposed to be today. Lately we have been
using multiple techniques to dupe the trout. Fishing has been
average. We have been catching good numbers of fish but mostly
in the 10-14 inch range.
@Easton 62.32 degrees and 178cfs
@Cle Elum 58.6 and 444cfs
@Ellensburg 60.87 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 62.51 degrees 911cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 9 feet
KOA to Wilson 7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 Feet
----Overall hatches continue to be
are very light except for the late evenings and on cloudy
days!
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Terrestrials
Fish-on
The Hatch
September 11, 2001 Fishing Report
The Yakima is at low volumes and the
wading opportunities are endless. Fishing has been decent
the last two days, depending on where you are in the system.
The upper Yakima proper is almost unfloatable in a big boat
and the fish most certainly seem to be keyed in on being behind
the salmon. The upper flatlands are quite low as well making
it difficult to float easily in that stretch. The Bristol
KRD water return is adding quite a bit of water to the upper
canyon which makes from that point on more navigable by boat.
Typically the KRD return will flow until mid-October.
Yesterday in the upper canyon we met
with a large amount of refusals to our dry flies! Most likely
this is due to the fact that in the last 4 days the volume
of water has dropped significantly and the water temps have
been fluctuating quite a bit. The fish did not seem to want
to commit to the surface. When we did nymph we were fairly
successful. As Fall progresses the Yakima will certainly see
some good hatches and with the smaller Mayfly hatches the
terminal tackle will need to be a bit more fine in presentation
factor. Longer leaders and lighter tippets will be more appropriate
than the summer time terminal tackle of 7 foot 3x leaders!
All in all the fishing has been good
to great through the flip flop until recently where we would
call it average to good. During the evening last night in
the Upper Canyon the October Caddis were fairly prolific,
especially for this early. We were able to squeak out three
big fish to hand on big dries in the last 30 minutes!
Currently we have a few dates available
on Washington's number one private lake system............... As we speak, the dry fly fishing is exceptional-Hoppers
and other various terrestrial are bringing fish to the surface
in good to great numbers. We predict the dry fly fishing to
be great until the first week of October.
@Easton 61.9 degrees and 180cfs
@Cle Elum 56.8 and 450cfs
@Ellensburg 59.6 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 60.71 degrees 944cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6-7 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 9 feet
KOA to Wilson 7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 Feet
----Overall hatches continue to be
are very light except for the late evenings and on cloudy
days!
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) ,Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Upper Canyon-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Terrestrials,
Baetis
Farm Lands-Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer Stones,Baetis,
Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis(Octobers#8-10 and #16-18 Tan) , Summer
Stones, Baetis, Terrestrials
Respectfully and Fish-on
The Hatch
Sept 7, 2001 Yakima River Report
The Yakima continues to fish remarkably good through the flip
flop. We have had a few tough days mostly due to the wind
but all and all the fishing continues. The airtemps in the
valley have certainly cooled off in the past week which in
turn has lowered our water temps. The weather for this time
of year is cooler than normal. Fall hatches are just around
the corner, especially if the airtemps stay cool. We have
already begun to see a few October Caddis and Cahills. The
Baetis continue to be fairly prolific in the evenings, while
the smaller Caddis are mostly light. The terrestrial game
has slowed a bit while the Summer Stone activity has increased!
We had a great time with for two days
here in Washington. We spent a day on a desert creek, a night
at our state of the art riverside camp and a day on the Yakima;
and it was a fun time! We will be sure to keep you posted
as to when the show will air! Stay tuned as the Hatch will
be running some great Fall specials!
As usual we continue to cover the river from it's headwaters
to Roza!
@Easton 61.5 degrees and 188cfs
@Cle Elum 57.6 and 1130cfs
@Ellensburg 55.7 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 55.8 degrees 1670cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 Feet
----Overall hatches continue to be
are very light except for the late evenings and on cloudy
days!
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis,Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, Summer Stones,Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, Summer Stones, Baetis, Terrestrials
Respectfully and Fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report Sept 3, 2001
The water continues to drop on the Yakima
river as the flip flop is in progress. The water in the KRD/Bristol
return was shut off for the Labor Day weekend onslaught of
recreational floaters in hopes of preventing any other unfortunate
circumstances that have laden the upper Yakima as of recently.
The water will be again flowing in the KRD return starting
Tuesday.
Overall the fishing continues to be good.
Summer stones are certainly out and about and we have seen
trout eating them lately. The Terrestrial game during the
daytime continues to be a stronghold and we have been doing
a bit of nymphing lately as well. The dry fly fishing still
continues to be the predominant method among our guide staff
for duping the trout.
Cooler airtemps as of recently combined
with a bit of cloud cover has helped keep the watertemps down
as well. Watch for the Summer stones and the terrestrails
combined with evening Caddis to be the mainstay for the next
few weeks.
at 8:30am on the 3th are as follows
@Easton 62.5 degrees and 351cfs
@Cle Elum 621.5 and 1888cfs
@Ellensburg 61 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 61.3 degrees 2283cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 Feet
----Overall
hatches continue to be are very light except for the late
evenings and on cloudy days!
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis,Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
This chart will help you
better understand the river divisions in relation to our hatch
reports. The hatches will obviously overlap into sections
of the river, but at times certain stretches will be more
prolific than others with specific hatches.
| Easton Dam |
Cle Elum River Confluence |
| Cle Elum River Confluence
|
State Boat Launch
(East Cle Elum State of WA Access) |
| State Boat Launch |
Diversion Dam |
| Diversion Dam |
Ringer |
| Ringer |
Roza |
Yakima River Report August 30, 2001
Note: Due to a
few cancellations we have a few openings on the Grande Ronde
River in October. This should be a banner year on the Ronde
and we offer an incredible two day adventure/float trip.
Report given 7/27
by the state - Daily steelhead counts at Bonneville
Dam continued to increase through the week from approximately
10,000 to 13,000 per day. The cumulative steelhead count at
Bonneville continues to be almost 4 times larger than the
10-year aver-age. Unclipped steelhead represent about 38%
of the total steelhead count at Bonneville Dam. Steel-head
cumulative counts at McNary, Ice Harbor and Priest Rapids
indicate that the number of steel-head migrating to the mid
Columbia and than the 10 year
average. Sockeye cumulative adult counts at Bonneville are
2.5 times more than the 10-year average. Ice Harbor and Priest
Rapids cumulative counts show that the increase in adult sockeye
returns are comprised of mid-Columbia stocks. The cumulative
count of sockeye at Ice Harbor is equal to the ten year average
and only 12% of the 2000 cumulative count for the same date.
Lower Granite sockeye counts are similar to the ten-year average
and only 12% of the 2000 count for this date.
The Kittitas valley once again is experiencing warm air temps
which in turn has increased our water temps. The weather man
shows that the highs for the next week are not supposed to
get over the mid 80's. Lets cross our fingers as we head into
the flip flop, as hot air temps and low water does not mix.
Fishing as of lately has been average. The nymphing and streamers
and starting to play more of a game as the fish are not so
bank oriented with the lowering of the water, and certainly
won't be as the river continues to drop. The dry fly fishing
is obviously still an option but many of the fish that were
looking
for terrestrial and aquatic insects will be relocating and
the angler will need to utilize other techniques at times.
at 8:30am on the 30th are as follows
@Easton 63 degrees and 63cfs
@Cle Elum 62.8 and 2130cfs
@Ellensburg 63.5 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 65 degrees 2673cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-7 feet
Wilson to Roza 5 Feet
----Overall hatches continue to be
are very light except for the late evenings and on cloudy
days!
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis,Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
Fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report August 25, 2001
Cooler day and air temperatures over the last week has brought
our water temps back down to a reasonable level. The fishing
has been good. This would most certainly be one of our signature
hopper years out of the last 10. The fish seem to have keyed
on them more this year then most. We continue to fish dries
almost exclusively as the trout have been willing to tip up;
If not in one spot well then most likely in the one just around
the corner. With that in mind we have been covering lots of
water. The trout continue to prefer the drag free presentation
especially in the lower canyon where they have been a bit
pressured.
With the flip flop just around the corner, techniques could
change especially after the river has dropped completely.
Over the years, after the water has dropped sometimes the
dry fly fishing can be a bit testy - We will see. The upper
Yakima proper has now dropped into reasonable levels after
being inordinately high for quite a long time. Fall is in
the air and just around the corner!
@Easton 62 degrees and 490cfs
@Cle Elum 60 and 2269cfs
@Ellensburg 61.00 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 62.76 degrees 234cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-6 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis,Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
Fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report August 20, 2001
The cooling trend we received over the
weekend was welcomed. The overall river temps dropped 4-6
degrees and got us out of the danger zone. Fishing continues
to be average to great depending on the day, the caster and
the weather. Mr. weather shows major overcast and showers
starting Tuesday and lasting through Saturday............Which
could very well be great to awesome. We continue to find our
best fishing with dry flies and although we have been covering
the river from its headwaters to Roza, our best fishing as
of lately has been in the farmlands and the lower canyon.............specifically
the lower canyon.
The upper Yakima proper has dropped substantially
over the last 4 days. It is currently flowing at above normal
flows for this time of year but is certainly lower then it
has been. The Bureau of Recs teacup diagram shows our reservoirs
as being quite low.... Keechelus@ 14% Kachess@ 26% Cle Elum@
18% According to the Bur. of Rec by the 10th of September
the flows will be as follows(approximately)........
Out of Easton Reservoir 180cfs; Out of
The Cle Elum Reservoir 180cfs; Out of the KRD Bristol Return
450cfs
From the Tanuem Creek 100cfs; Therefore
at Ellensburg, The flows should be in the 1000cfs range.
at 9:30am on the 20th are as follows
@Easton 63 degrees and 1059cfs
@Cle Elum 64 and 2770cfs
@Ellensburg 61.00 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 63 degrees 3260cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 3-4 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5- feet
Wilson to Roza 4 Feet
----Overall
hatches are very light except for the late evenings and on
cloudy days
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis,Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PED's,Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
On the water daily
The Evening Hatch
Yakima River Report August 15,
2001
Yesterdays fishing was awesome according
to the guides. Basically our fishing lately has been with
dry flies exclusively. The valley was blanketed with light
clouds and haze , partly due to the fires in the Wenatchee
area and the fish showed no inhibitions. Our water temps are
certainly high and we have seen a few unfortunate incidents
where trout have floated by most likely due to improper release
techniques. With the water temps as warm as they have been,
it is essential to leave the trout in the water at all times
during release practices. Photos are never the best for fish
and we at The Evening Hatch are quite guilty of being photo
junkies. However, as of lately the guides have all agreed
to take no photos of fish. It is also not a good idea to fish
with large hooks, especially streamer hooks when the water
is this warm as the trout have a tendency to be softer and
therefore more vulnerable. Long extended playing of the fish
is certainly not reccommended and utilizing the heaviest tippet
reasonable is suggested!
The weather man shows that starting on Saturday the highs
are only to reach the mid 80's, which will be a blessing.
The reservoirs are at extremely low levels. The flip flop
is slated for the end of this month. The Upper Yakima is still
flowing at well above normal levels while the Cle Elum river
is lower then normal.
at 7:00am on the 15th are as follows
@Easton 64.92 degrees and 1787cfs
@Cle Elum 64.76 and 2797cfs
@Ellensburg 65.86 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 67.73 degrees 3220cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 3-4 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5- feet
Wilson to Roza 4 Feet
----Overall hatches are very light
except for the late evenings and on cloudy days
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PED's,Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report August 12,
2001
The Yakima continues to produce
fish through the heat. We have had a few slow days but for
the most part we continue to see average to good fishing.
Currently the dead drift seems to be the ticket as opposed
to twitching and the closer to the bank, the better. Utilizing
presentation casts will be beneficial. The parachute and reach
casts combined with accuracy will produce more fish for you.
We have been catching numbers and numbers of smaller fish
9-14", with a fair share of larger fish mixed in. With
the water temps as warm as they are it is crucial to release
the fish as smoothly as possible. For the boat fishermen we
recommend the long handle rubber basket nets and we also recommend
netting all fish no matter how small they are Literally 30%
of the time after netting a fish in this type of net, the
hook releases by itself! If the hook is still lodged then
we recommend using the Ketchum Release tool as it seem to
be the most hassle free way of removing hooks. This tool is
very helpful for the wading angler as well. Warm water temps
for trout in any body of water aren't the best conditions.
However warm water temps in rivers are better then warm water
temps in lakes as there is a flow to rivers and therefor a
continual source of oxygenated water.
The trout seem to be quite healthy and well fed. Aquatic hatches
continue to be light or non existent during the daytime and
average to good in the late evening. Terrestrial food sources,
nymphs and streamers have been the fare as of lately for the
guide staff, during the daytime. As always we continue to
cover the river from its headwaters to Roza. We have found
average to good fishing throughout the system
at 7:30pm on the 12th
are as follows
@Easton 64.76 degrees and 1787cfs
@Cle Elum 63.6 and 2824cfs
@Ellensburg 65 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 67 degrees 3220cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 3-4 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5- feet
Wilson to Roza 4 Feet
----Overall hatches
are very light except for the late evenings and on cloudy
days
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PED's,Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PEDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
Fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River
Report August 7, 2001
Water temps are quite high throughout the system, due to the
hot air temperatures and low reservoir levels. Currently our
reservoir capacity is as follows..........
@Keechelus 25%
@Kachess 38%
@Cle Elum 25%
The flip flop is slated for about
the usual time; The first of September. Currently we need
some cool nights up in the Mountains as our reservoirs have
heated up due to low levels. The Yakima is a top water fed
river from the reservoirs and the water temps from the reservoirs
are quite warm. Fishing yesterday was quite slow, in fact
the slowest we have seen it as of lately. Hatches continue
to be very light except for the late evenings. There is no
doubt the trout are eating a few terrestrials and utilizing
various hopper patterns and techniques has been our bread
and butter. For the last two to three weeks most of our guides
fishing has been with dries.
Trout have a tendency to wash
hoppers. Often times they will violently swirl the insect
but not actually eat it. If you leave the pattern on the water
after such a phenomena, 50% of the time the trout will come
back and eat it; Patience is a virtue! If you find fish rising
in the evening, most likely it is to either Caddis, Yellow
Sallies or Baetis!
Caddis--#16-18 Tan and Grey
Baetis---#18-22 Olive
Yellow Sallies---#16 Yellow and Orange
Hoppers---#8-14 Tan, Yellow, Grey and Green
Water temps and flows at 7:30pm
on the 7th
@Easton 64 degrees and 1619cfs
@Cle Elum 62.5 and 2743cfs
@Ellensburg 63 degrees and data missing
@Umtanum 65 degrees 3122cfs
Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 8-9 feet
Teanaway to KOA 7-8 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-6feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 Feet
Hatches in
River Sections----Overall hatches are very
light except for the late evenings and on cloudy days
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PMD's,Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials
Farm Lands-Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis, Terrestrials
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones, Summer Baetis,
Terrestrials
August 4, 2001Yakima
River Report
The Yakima continues to fish average to great depending upon
day and location. Cloudy days have produced good mid-day dry
fly activity and slower evenings, while hot days have produced
slower days and some prolific evenings. Each day does bring
a good number of nice fish to the fly though, just at different
times.
Caddis continue to show in the evenings along with the tiny
BWO (size 20). Be prepared to throw both of these imitations
should the opportunity arise. It is possible to spot and work
feeding fish in the early evening.
The hopper continues to be a staple in the trout's diet and
should be steady for about the next 5 weeks. The Summer Stone
is also imprinted into the trout's brain. There is really
no substitute for watching big trout hunt big dries!
Overall, the Yakima is consistently producing good numbers
of nice fish each day.
Let's go fishing!
The Evening Hatch Guide Service
August 1, 2001 Yakima
River report
The Yakima river is in full swing summer
time mode. The morning temps ranging from 59 to 62 degrees.
Our guides have been showing average to great fishing reports
depending on the days. The daytime hours that are hazy and/or
cloudy tend to be good to great. Our evenings- as the shadows
hit the water are good to great. Most of our action has been
on dry flies ranging from Caddis to large Summer Stones, Pale
Morning and Evening Duns, Yellow Sallies, Baetis and a variety
of Terrestrial insects.
We have been covering the river
from it's headwaters to Roza dam and have found good fishing
throughout the system. The upper Yak continues to flow at
above normal flows. Currently, Keechelus Reservoir is at 30%
capacity Kachess is at 44% and Cle Elum is at 28%.
@Easton 63 degrees and 1386cfs
@Cle Elum 63 and2690cfs
@Ellensburg 64 degrees and (no data)
@Umtanum 64 degrees 3180cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 4-5 feet
Wilson to Roza 4 Feet
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
July 21, 2001 Yakima
River Report
Generally the Yakima river during this time of year gets the
majority of its flows from the Cle Elum reservoir but this
is not a typical year. In fact currently, a major amount of
our water is coming from Lake Easton which is fed by the Keechelus
and Kachees reservoirs. This means that the Upper Yakima River
Proper is flowing at non typical levels for this time of year.
On a normal year the Upper Yakima Proper before the Cle Elum
River confluence would be flowing at around 300-500cfs, which
is certainly not the case currently. This may be a pattern
for the remainder of the irrigation season as Lake Kachees
is the richest in water supply.
As a general rule, the river continues to fish average to
good during the day and good to great during the evening.
We have seen quite a few large fish lately during the daytime
refuse our patterns and we have also seen quite a fish big
fish inhialate and or sip them. Hoppers are starting to play
a role in the big bug game and the evening is usually filled
with Caddis and PED's as well as a few Baetis and Summer Stones.
Yesterdays reports were great to awesome. One of our boats
reported over 65 fish to hand! Our
clients are having a great time and we continue to as
well. We once again are having a record year and we thank
you for your continued support.
The entire river seems to be fishing great currently; Just
another day in Paradise!
@Easton 62 degrees and 1152cfs
@Cle Elum 66 and 2907cfs
@Ellensburg 65 degrees and 2560cfs
@Umtanum 66 degrees 3102cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 4-5 feet
Wilson to Roza 3-4 Feet
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Mays
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Mays
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PMD's,Yellow Sallies
Farm Lands-Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
Based on customer feedback - We have made
2 recent changes to our web site.
- Added a link to this page directly off the home page
- Reduced the size of this page by only putting the last few
reports here. There is a link to the
previous weeks for those that want to see how the river
has been fishing.
August 4, 2001
Yakima River Report
The Yakima continues to fish average to great depending upon
day and location. Cloudy days have produced good mid-day dry
fly activity and slower evenings, while hot days have produced
slower days and some prolific evenings. Each day does bring
a good number of nice fish to the fly though, just at different
times.
Caddis continue to show in the evenings along with the tiny
BWO (size 20). Be prepared to throw both of these imitations
should the opportunity arise. It is possible to spot and work
feeding fish in the early evening.
The hopper continues to be a staple in the trout's diet and
should be steady for about the next 5 weeks. The Summer Stone
is also imprinted into the trout's brain. There is really
no substitute for watching big trout hunt big dries!
Overall, the Yakima is consistently producing good numbers
of nice fish each day.
Let's go fishing!
The Evening Hatch Guide Service
August 1, 2001 Yakima
River report
The Yakima river is in full swing summer
time mode. The morning temps ranging from 59 to 62 degrees.
Our guides have been showing average to great fishing reports
depending on the days. The daytime hours that are hazy and/or
cloudy tend to be good to great. Our evenings- as the shadows
hit the water are good to great. Most of our action has been
on dry flies ranging from Caddis to large Summer Stones, Pale
Morning and Evening Duns, Yellow Sallies, Baetis and a variety
of Terrestrial insects.
We have been covering the river
from it's headwaters to Roza dam and have found good fishing
throughout the system. The upper Yak continues to flow at
above normal flows. Currently, Keechelus Reservoir is at 30%
capacity Kachess is at 44% and Cle Elum is at 28%.
@Easton 63 degrees and 1386cfs
@Cle Elum 63 and2690cfs
@Ellensburg 64 degrees and (no data)
@Umtanum 64 degrees 3180cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 4-5 feet
Wilson to Roza 4 Feet
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
July 21, 2001 Yakima
River Report
Generally the Yakima river during this time of year gets the
majority of its flows from the Cle Elum reservoir but this
is not a typical year. In fact currently, a major amount of
our water is coming from Lake Easton which is fed by the Keechelus
and Kachees reservoirs. This means that the Upper Yakima River
Proper is flowing at non typical levels for this time of year.
On a normal year the Upper Yakima Proper before the Cle Elum
River confluence would be flowing at around 300-500cfs, which
is certainly not the case currently. This may be a pattern
for the remainder of the irrigation season as Lake Kachees
is the richest in water supply.
As a general rule, the river continues to fish average to
good during the day and good to great during the evening.
We have seen quite a few large fish lately during the daytime
refuse our patterns and we have also seen quite a fish big
fish inhialate and or sip them. Hoppers are starting to play
a role in the big bug game and the evening is usually filled
with Caddis and PED's as well as a few Baetis and Summer Stones.
Yesterdays reports were great to awesome. One of our boats
reported over 65 fish to hand! Our
clients are having a great time and we continue to as
well. We once again are having a record year and we thank
you for your continued support.
The entire river seems to be fishing great currently; Just
another day in Paradise!
@Easton 62 degrees and 1152cfs
@Cle Elum 66 and 2907cfs
@Ellensburg 65 degrees and 2560cfs
@Umtanum 66 degrees 3102cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 4-5 feet
Wilson to Roza 3-4 Feet
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Mays
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Mays
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PMD's,Yellow Sallies
Farm Lands-Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PMDs, Summer Stones
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
July 16, 2001
The river over the last week has fished generally best in
the evening, with dry flies. The nymphing for us during the
day time has certainly slowed down. We have found a bit of
dry fly fishing during the day, here and there.
Aquatic Bug activity is very light except for later in the
day; and then it can be quite prolific with, Caddis, PED's,
Baetis and Summer Stones. The Hoppers are out and about now
and using terrestrials is always a good bet at this time of
year.
Airtemps have cooled substantially and in turn has cooled
the water as well. Flows are at about 66 percent of normal
for this time of year from the Cle Elum river confluence down
and above the confluence the Yakima River Proper is flowing
well above normal flows
Wading overall is fairly limited throughout the system for
those without boats. There is however plenty of bank access
in certain areas of the river.
@Easton 61 degrees and 771cfs
@Cle Elum 59 and 3163cfs
@Ellensburg 57 degrees and 2947cfs
@Umtanum 59 degrees 3160cfs
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 4-5 feet
Cle Elum river to Teanaway 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 4-6 feet
Wilson to Roza 3 Feet
Upper Yakima Proper-Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Yellow Mays
Upper Flat Lands- Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Yellow Mays
Upper Canyon-Caddis,PMD's, Yellow Sallies
Farm Lands-Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Summer Stones
Lower Canyon- Caddis, PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Summer Stones
July 12, 2001 Yakima
River Report
In general the evenings tend to be the best fishing as of
lately and last night was certainly worthy; especially in
the lower canyon. With the slight cooling trend we are projected
to see, the insect activity should be fairly prolific in the
last three hours of light and key the fish on to the surface.
Decent to great #16-18 Hydrospyche Caddis hatches combined
with #16 Pale Evening Duns , #20 Summer Baetis and #6 Summer
Stones are the current hatches in the Farmlands and Lower
Canyon. The upper canyon report is a bit slower and we hope
things will change there soon as we have been basically catching
a few fish on dries, nymphs and streamers but no substantial
numbers of trout.
On the water daily
The Hatch.
July 10, 2001
Our evenings lately have been average to great. On July 6th
, the last three hours in the lower canyon was awesome. Daytime
continues to be predominantly a nymph game where fishing the
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