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This is the archived 2002
Fishing Reports
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| Water
conditions for December 29, 2002 at 9m |
River
Location
|
Name
|
Flows
|
H2O
Temp |
H20
Clarity |
Easton
Dam to Cle Elum River Confluence
|
Upper
Proper
|
202cfs
|
40 |
7feet |
Cle
Elum River Confluence to Teanaway River
|
Upper
Flatlands
|
468cfs
|
37.9 |
8feet |
Teanaway
River to Diversion
|
Upper
Canyon
|
887cfs
|
? |
7feet |
| Diversion
to Wilson |
Farmlands |
683cfs |
37.75 |
5
feet |
Wilson
to Roza
|
Lower
Canyon
|
744cfs |
37.75
|
4feet |
Weather from Seattle to Ellensburg and Pass Web Cam
Yakima River Report December 29, 2002
Now that is fishing! The lower Yakima
River fished extremely well over the last few days. Great
nymphing with decent streamer fishing. Lately we have found
a few fish on dries in isolated zones but few and far between.
The nymph fishing has been the star lately. We have been using
a variety of nymphs including #10-12 Stonefly nymphs, #14-18
Copper Johns, Brassies, Hares Ears and Lightning Bugs. Utilizing
indicators (bobbers) and various
depths has been the ticket. Fish tend to pod up at this time
of year. When you find one you will generally find more. Presentation
is the name of the game with nymphs. Generally "Drag
Free" is the required technique! Some of the techniques
used to accomplish this task are:
1-Tuck Casts
2-Mends; Both water and Reach
3-Slack line and
4-Feeding Line
Utilizing these techniques are imperative to accomplishing
a drag free presentation.
Today it is absolutely post card beautiful
here in the valley. Wishing you and yours the best for the
New Year!
On the water daily,
The Hatch
December 24, 2002
Wishing all of you the best for the holidays........respectfully,
The Evening Hatch
December 19, 2002 Yakima Report
The Yakima River is back in shape and
fishing gooooood with nymphs and streamers - end of story!
On the water daily,
The Hatch
December 16, 2002 Report
The valley has received an inordinate
amount of rain over the last three days and consequently the
CFS has increased and the clarity decreased, especially from
the Farmlands down. The overall change is not too bad and
the fishing is actually good with nymphs and streamers above
Wilson creek. From Wilson creek down the Yakima is temporarily
out of shape due to Wilson creek which is mud! The dry fly
midge game is currently non-existent but could come back soon.
On the water daily
The Hatch
December 14, 2002 Fishing Report
The Yakima River dry fly midge game has
been a bit slower lately. Most of our fishing has been with
either nymphs or streamers lately. The nymph take lately has
been rather subtle and quick and therefore it has been a bit
hard to hook up sometimes. Good numbers of takedowns, yet
coming up empty handed. Lately the small nymphs have not been
as productive and we have been using a lot of Stone patterns
with a mixture of trailers. All in all the fishing continues
to be good and we're on the water daily...
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
December 6, 2002 Yakima River Report
The river level has dropped quite a bit
lately and the weather has been perfect for the late 2002
Midge hatch. The fish have been willing to eat the midge imitations
assuming the presentation is reasonable....notice, it doesn't
need to be impeccable, just reasonable. The fish at this time
of year tend to be less picky then in the Fall; mostly because
the food choices have diminished! Generally the biggest challenge
is to see the imitation!
Nymphing continues to be good and recently
the streamer game has been fairly decent as well. The weather
for the weekend shows mild with Snoqualmie looking quite clear.
Rooster, our waterfowl expert, has been
busy in the basin calling in a
few geese and mallards. If you would like to schedule
a Cast-n-Blast during the Holiday
Season give us a jingle and we will make it happen!!!!
Snoqualmie Pass Forecast
Today Dec 06 Mostly Cloudy 47°/37° 0 %
Sat Dec 07 Mostly Cloudy 47°/39° 10 %
Sun Dec 08 Cloudy 49°/39° 20 %
Mon Dec 09 Showers 51°/44° 40 %
Tue Dec 10 Showers 48°/45° 40 %
Dec 2, 2002 Yakima River Report
Plain and simple the midge hatch is prolific! Great dry fly
fishing! End of
story!
The Hatch
December 1, 2002 Yakima River Report
The weather as of lately has been fairly coooool with highs
at 40 and
lows in the mid 20's. The fishing has been average to good
depending on the
day. Last year at this time we reported fishing to be great
as the nymphing
was automatic. This late season the nymphing has been average
to good but
certainly not automatic. Brassies, Copper Johns, PT's, Little
Stoneflies,
Lightning bugs, Hares Ears and more have been on our arsenal
of nymphs
lately. There has been no rhyme or reason to which one works
better than
the other recently, except for the Brassie which has been
fairly constant.
The midge activity over the last few days has been quite good,
in fact
I would consider it the highlight recently. Although the pods
are isolated
and may be a mile apart from each other they are definitely
intense. It is
not uncommon to find a pod of fish (10-30fish) that is willing
to eat for 2
hours continuously!
When the trout are feeding like this it is fairly automatic
other than seeing the small fly as the trout are quite willing.
#18-22 Black Para Midges and the like will do the trick. Most
of the fish are of the smaller variety 8"-13" but
if you start observing, you will find
quite a few larger fish. The challenge is getting past the
smaller fish as the feeders tend to be quite active when on
midges at this time of year, rising rhythmically and continuously
in certain zones.
You will also find some very large fish towards the end of
the day in tail outs and pools that are super challenging.
This type of fishing is most certainly not a numbers game
and more a game of patience and even humility!
The streamer game has been a mixed bag as well, some days
good and others not so good.
All in all the fishing and catching this last week has been
good.
On the water daily,
The Hatch
Yakima River Report, November 27, 2002
Larry Graham's battle with cancer ended
today, November 27th 2002. In rememberance of a great guy
and angler, we have constructed a small
memorial on his behalf.
Cold nights and reasonably warm days
has been the weather lately. The last report on fishing pretty
much sums up the state of affairs currently. Watch for the
midge fishing to pick up. Streamers and nymphing are a staple
currently and will be through the Winter.
Water temps and flows at 8am on the 27th
were as follows:
@Umtanum 37 degrees and 838cfs
@Ellensburg 38.5 degrees and 698cfs
@Cle lum 39 degrees and 537cfs
On the water daily,
The Hatch
Yakima River Fishing Report- November
22, 2003
We apologize for the delay on our
updates as we had some technical
difficulties this last week. Recently the weather here in
the Kittitas
valley has been almost "balmy" with temperatures
reaching 50 degrees and
lows in the mid 30's. Although the valley has experienced
quite a few rain
showers over the last few days, the river is in awesome shape.
Fortunately
the east slope rivers do not feel the same impact as do the
Westside rivers
from precipitation. First and foremost the amount of precipitation
we
receive is far less than the west side and secondly the terrain
on the East
side generally soaks up all the water it can into the ground.
Mostly the
weather this last week has been a combination of clouds, fog,
light rain
here and there and a few sun breaks.
The next five days the weather man calls
for partly cloudy/sunny with
overall cooler temperatures - Highs in the mid 40's and down
to 20. Should
make for some great fishing - we will keep you posted.
The hatches recently have been a bit
light. It would seem that the weather
of lately would be an impetus for great hatches, but that
is not the case;
at least for us. From 12-3 pm we have been able to find a
few isolated
groups of fish here and there on Midges and Baetis.
The nymphing in specific zones has been
quite good especially in the morning
to mid afternoon. Both deep and shallow nymphing have been
effective.
Streamer fishing has been ok and generally best early in the
day.
The Yakima River Fly Fishers FFF Club
is now official and we will kick off
the year 2003 with our first general assembly meeting in the
first quarter - Date to be decided...We will keep you posted.
On the water daily
The Hatch
November 10, 2002
Once again, predicting hatches is tough
business. A few days ago we predicted the Mahogany's and the
Cahill's to be a thing of the past for the 2002 season yet
with the last two warmer days we have seen decent numbers
of both critters along with the BWO's and Midges. Needless
to say the fishing has certainly been good. With the warmer
temperatures the mayflies have been hatching earlier than
they were during the cold snap. Generally around noon the
bugs start to pop. Prior to the hatch, pick a good spot to
nymph and or streamer fish - both have been worthy the last
few days.
Location - Water temp - Flow Clarity
Wilson-Roza - 44.6 - 903 - 4-5feet
Diversion to Wilson - 42.5 - 698 - 5-8feet
Teanaway to Diversion - missing - 543 - 8-9feet
CleElum river to Teanaway - 43.7 - 544
- 9feet
Easton To Cle Elum River - 46.3
- 228 - 6-7feet
November 9, 2002 Yakima River Report
Wow! The fishing has been great the last
couple of days. If you're not catching fish, then do something
different as it has been quite good. Great rises in isolated
locations on BWO's and Midges. Utilize long and fine leaders
to help with the presentation and get as close to the target
as possible. Generally the trout will allow you to get quite
close as long as you are fairly careful. Generally we are
not casting farther than 25 feet at the most!
Swing by the shop and we will be glad
to help out. We also have a great selection of little bugs
appropriate for the day!
Fish-on
The Hatch
November 7, 2002
Plant yourelf in a good zone because
the rise has been fairly awesome the
last couple days.
Today there were good numbers of Blue Wings and Midges and
the fish
responded. Great dry fly fishing and also fishing just under
the surface
with small nymphs and micro indicators. Water temp @ Umtanum
@ 5pm was 45
degrees and the flow was 895cfs. Take advantage of our late
fall guide
rates as the fishing is gooooood!
Fish-on
The Hatch
November 6, 2002
Midges, 2002........They are here!
7am water temp at Umtanum is 41 degrees...a
significant increase from 4 days
ago
Fish-on
The Hatch
11/05-02
Mr. Weather calls for a warming
trend with cloud cover and a few showers
this week which should make for some great fall fishing. Recently
the
fishing has been quite good with dries in the afternoon but
the cold has
been piercing. We look forward to some milder temperatures.
The upcoming
week will also warm some of the eastside steelhead rivers
and the steelies
should losen up their jaws.
This week we will be on both the Yakima
and Methow rivers and will keep you
posted. We are currently scheduling trips for the Mehtow river
as well as
our home water, the Yakima.
Watch for our holiday shop specials!
On the water daily
The Hatch
November 2, 2002 Yakima River Report
The cold snap we have received has most
certainly lowered our water temps. Remarkably we have seen
some great dry fly fishing in the afternoons as of lately.
It has not been uncommon to find groups of 10 to 20 fish sipping
in the soft water areas of the river. The Blue Wings most
certainly have been the bug of choice. The Cahill's and Mahogany's
have slowed way down and are most likely a thing of the past
for the 2002 season.
Usually around 1:30 to 2pm we have been
seeing the fish begin to rise in isolated spots on the #20
Baetis. The rise will continue until almost dark and fishing
longer leaders with fine tippets is essential.
The nymphing and streamer fishing as
of lately has been decent at best. Watch for these two techniques
to become more important as the Winter season continues. The
2002-2003 winter midge hatch is starting and will also play
a major role for the next 3-4 months.
Water temps and flows are follows as
of 7am on the 2nd of November
@Umtanum 971cfs and 36 degrees
@Ellensburg 714cfs and 37 degrees
@Cle Elum 566cfs and 39 degrees
@Easton 237cfs and 45 degrees
Yakima River Report October 29, 2002
The Fall dry fly fishing has been decent
to great depending on the day. It has been quite technical
at times as the drift needs to be perfect. Many times the
trout will eat a variety of pattern choices given it is the
correct size and presented drag free. We have been using a
variety of patterns including: Parachute Adams, Quiglies,
Sparkle Duns and Paracripples. The trout are very hard to
see rising and it is quite easy to pass up sipping trout.
Long leaders and fine tippets aid in presenting the fly drag
free to the trout along with reach casts, feeding line, parachute
casts and drag mends.
Shallow and deep nypmhing have been quite
effective as well. Using #16-20 nymphs has certainly produced
numbers of trout this fall. Jim Melnick hooked this
beauty yesterday with a #16 red Copper John fished just
below the surface.
The streamer fishing will be a great
tool for duping the trout over the next few months. Using
Buggers, Zuddlers, Matukas, Spruce flies etc will all produce.
Remember the streamer game is generally never about numbers,
but quality.
Fall is most certainly here in the valley.
The colors have changed and the temperatures have dropped
! The low temperature for the upcoming week is predicted at
20 degrees. The Bighorn sheep
have been out and about perpetuating their species and preparing
for the winter.
Stay tuned, as this is when the guides
say the best fishing happens on the Yakima!
Fish-on The Hatch
October 20th, 2002
Aside from the fishing, time spent on
the water this time of year is
unquestionably as good as it gets. With the colors in full
swing and the
opportunities to see abundant wildlife at its peak, amidst
the great fall
hatches taking place, it can be hard to keep your eyes tuned
to the water.
The weather to date this fall has been miraculous to say the
least aside
from packing the usual thermos of coffee and layers of fleece,
the days of
late have called for short sleeves and Gatorade. A small set
of compact
binoculars are not a bad idea as well, as the bighorns begin
their fall
dueling sessions.
Now that half your day will be spent
eying the canyon walls and relaxing
away from the real world, focus your prime fishing window
to last from
around 11:00 o'clock to around 4:00 o'clock in the evening.
Nymphing has
been the norm with really small nymphs during the morning
hours until the
sun hits the canyon in full force at mid-day. Mohagany soft
hackles, copper
john's, pheasant tails, ect. in size's 18 and 20 are your
best bet, 4-5 feet
under an indicator with a chunk of lead. When the baetis action
hits
mid-day, size 16 and 18 parachute adams and baetis paracripples
are a great
bet. Throw your big bugs in the closet this time of year for
they take up a
lot of extra space in the gear bags and vests and usually
don't cast well on
5x tippet. Searching with small dry's is a good bet during
the day, while
sitting, patiently watching, and casting to rising fish is
money in the
bank.
****************************************************************************
Dont forget to catch The Evening Hatch
edition of Reel Guys airing on ESPN
Wednesday, November 27th at 8am, and again on Thursday, December
19th at
7am.
****************************************************************************
Hatching daily!
The Evening Hatch Guide Staff
October 13, 2002
The colder weather of Fall has most certainly
arrived with lows overnight in
the mid to upper 20's. This is good for the classic Fall Hatches
as the
water temps have lowered which is an impetus for the Mahogany's
and Baetis.
Generally fishing in the morning with
nymphs and or streamers is the game plan
and watching for the rise to begin around 1pm. Nymphing through
the hatch
and rise can also be very productive. Remember this is the
time when
impeccable drifts are important, especially with the dry fly.
On the water daily
The hatch
Yakima River report 10/05/02
Rumor has it that the fishing has been good! We have been
utilizing a variety of techniques lately including:
Searching with big dry flies
Casting little dries to rising fish
Swinging soft hackles to rising trout
Liesenring lift with nymphs and soft hackles
Stripping and swinging streamers
The soft hackle game has certainly been
a key over the last week as the Epeorus Mayfly is most definitely
a prevalent food source. The #14-16 Yellow Mayflies common
name is the Fall Cahill and it unfolds its wings under water
and therefore the soft hackle is a great representation.
Water temps are hovering from 52-55 degrees
and the Fall colors are certainly changing. Although every
day is different and the bug choices will change, the next
2 months will feature the best of the Fall hatches... Baetis,
Mohaganny Duns, Fall Cahills and Midges.
On the water daily
Jack@the hatch
9-30-02
Here we sit, on the eve of October, and
the weather is holding true to form.
The last few days have been quite a bit cooler and fairly
breezy. The
transition from throwing big dry fly's to dropping nymphs
is starting to
take place during most parts of the day. Large October caddis
patterns are
definitely producing in the evenings and are going to continue
to do so, but
most of the success we have had is coming on small nymphs
fished either
under a large dry, or on a full-blown nymphing set-up. Soft
light days have
been the steadier for producing great dry fly fishing while
bright sunny
days have been better for nymphing. If you happen to fish
an overcast day
(which by the way can be rare), indulge yourself in the fine
fall "large"
dry fly fishing that it usually produces. The finest of the
fall fishing
has yet to arrive. Thankfully, we still have something to
look forward to
as summer fades away and winter makes its way in. Fishing
smaller bugs,
small parachute adams, baetis, and yellow mays have been producing.
Look to
throw these patterns if you encounter feeding (sipping) fish.
Note: Keep those ears and other appendages
covered for the most part and
your fishing will be much more enjoyable. Tight Lines!
-The Evening Hatch Guide Service
and Pro Shop
9-25-02
Just another beautiful day today over
here and the fishing continues to be
great. Stimulators have been the hot ticket lately as well
as other large
dry October caddis patterns. Keep in mind, lots of big bugs
are producing
right now. Some better than others and some not as good as
others. It
often takes a little detective work and a little trial and
error to find
just what's working. Orange as well as yellow PMX's have been
a great
pattern as well lately. Throwing hopper patterns is definitely
not a thing
of the past either. To take a phrase from a past fishing report
that will
probably be used in future reports, "There is an abundance
of forage in the
system right now for trout to feed on, should your bug be
presented
properly, it should produce for you." That usually means
a drag free
"natural" drift, or it could possibly mean applying
a little "twitch" as
well. Try it all, then stick with what works. Hope your evenings
on the
water are as enjoyable as ours. Persistence pays!
Other bugs: Caddis, Blue Wing Olives,
Craneflys, Baetis, and yellow mayflies
Also, check out our fall newsletter at
the link below to access our late
Fall
and Winter specials.
--The Hatch!
9-23-02
Time: 3:45 PM
Current temp: 80 (F)
Flow (cfs): 1320 (cfs)
Water temp: 58 (F)
Sunrise: 6:50 AM
Sunset: 6:58 PM
Is it over already? The calendar says
it's the first day of fall today, but
the weather just keeps on keepin' on in the summer pattern
we have grown
accustomed to. We apologize for the lateness since our last
report, but for
what it's worth, the conditions as well as the fishing really
haven't
changed for the most part since our last report. That is a
good thing! The
harvest moon has been out in force the last few nights and
should make for
some great early morning fishing. That doesn't mean the mid-day
fishing is
going to be less than it should, because as of late, it has
been the best
time of the day.
As far as hatches are concerned, the
lower canyon has been seeing the
majority of the major hatches. Caddis, October caddis, summer
stones,
baetis, and cranefly's are the main trout forage on the river
right now.
Nymphing has been......well, I bet it has been pretty good
as well, but we
for the most part have not been doing a lot of it lately because
the dry fly
fishing has been about as good as it gets, and frankly, we
here at the hatch
enjoy throwing dry flys as long into the fall as we possible
can. The time
for serious nymphing is fast approaching.
Currently, look to throw large (#6,#8)
chernobyl patterns during the day in
the zones between the faster runs and slower eddy's. Fish
are holding in
the middle of the river in full force right now. Orange and
yellow
stimulators are a great October caddis pattern, and don't
hesistate to throw
royal wulff or humpy patterns right now too! A good bet, late
in the day,
would be to throw tandem dry patterns in a caddis adult trailed
with a
caddis ESP (emerger sparkle pupa) beneath it.
Note: Don't forget to pack some polar
fleece if your going to fish late into
the day!
Updated as often and as quickly as possible! --The Evening
Hatch
9-17-02
The first day of fall is just a week
away and the weather patterns are
definitely starting to change right along with the new season.
For the
first time in quite awhile, we actually have witnessed a full
fledged
weather system come through; albeit, it did not stick around
for long.
Water temps are starting to drop back into the upper 50's
and the flows are
becoming more and more consistent near the 1200 cfs mark.
It's getting to
be about the end of the road for wet wading if you catch our
drift!
The fishing in the last few days has
been great to say the least. Common
trout lies have changed from their typical summer "bank"
hang-outs to the
more oxygenated "riffle" seam lines for the most
part; although, fish can
still be found tight to some banks--even in skinny water.
Fishing on the
move has been really productive as of late, but never overlook
a good inside
seem to beat consistently for a few extra minutes. The dry
fly game has
been awesome, but so has the nymphing game. Which ever you
prefer is going
to produce right now.
The summer stone hatch in the last few
days has been quite heavy to say the
least and the October's (caddis) are starting to come off
in relative
moderation as well. Throwing dry stone patterns or nymphing
stone patterns
with a prince below it should prove productive. The good ol'
orange
stimulator #8,#10 is a great bet right now as well. There
is a vast
selection of bugs in the system for the fish to feed on. Should
your bug be
presented properly, it should produce for you.
Note to self: Next time you're on the
river, turn over a few submerged
rocks along a bank and pull off an encased October caddis
(orange body) and
pull it apart. Then, start to think like a fish and throw
it into an
awaiting "fishy" pocket. Then, try not to spend
too much money at the fly
tying store in an attempt to recreate an exact October caddis
recreation.
Believe us, we have.
Trust your guide, free info daily!
The Hatch
September 13, 2002
The Yakima is most certainly at a Fall
level enabling the wader to access
much of the water. Although we have had an increase in water
temps due to
warm airtemps and lower volumes the fishing is holding up
fairly strong.
Over the last 4 days we have had a few slow periods during
the heat of the
day but overall the fishing has been good to great.
The insect activity is fairly consistent
with October Caddis, Summer Stones,
Baetis, Caddis, Craneflies, Terrestrials and a few Yellow
Mays out and
about. Obviously with lower water, fishing to the bank is
not always your
best bet. Certain banks still have great water for throwing
the fly tight
but watch for the drop-offs and prominent seems etc. Many
of the defined
drop-offs and prominent current lines can be found away from
the bank as
well as in the middle of the river.
Dry fly, nymph and streamer tactics have
all been producing. There is ample
opportunity for fish catching, wildlife viewing and great
scenery - All in
all a great time to be on the water! The reality is that the
best of Fall is
yet to come!
Fish-on
The Hatch
9-11-02
Well! Well! Well! It seems just as we
go and write a fishing report
discussing the arrival of a little "fall-like" weather
approaching, the
weather man goes and orders up some hot temperatures for us.
Today's high
temperatures are supposed to reach the low 90's for the second
day in a row.
All in all, what this warming trend entails is some slow mid-day
fishing on
the Yakima right now due to the steadily decreasing flows
in the river.
What it also means is that you may have to look at some alternatives
to the
typical tactics you might have used as of late to catch fish.
Look to nymph
the deeper (cooler) oxygenated water during the hot of the
day and try the
dry fly game during the early mornings and evenings. Water
temps rose
nearly 8 degrees yesterday alone from 58 degrees to 66 degrees
in the early
evening. This usually means the cooler evenings will trigger
the trout to
get out and feed due to their inactivity during the day.
Word to the wise: Irrigation returns
into the Yakima in the upper river are
dispensing large quantities of water right now so keep your
eyes peeled
downstream for them (especially in the Bristol stretch). Make
sure to stay
as far (river left) as you can to avoid it. The main Bristol
return is
marked this year with orange buoys as well for good reason.
The Hatch!
9-07-03
Fishing on
the Yakima remains fair to good during the morning hours right
on
through into the early afternoon. Thanks to chilly morning
and evening
temperatures, the water temperature has been dropping right
along with the
water levels. Checked today, water levels are around 2000
cfs and dropping
and the water temperature is at 58 degrees and also dropping.
Keep in mind,
this is all good news for the trout fishing as it helps in
creating a
comfortable environment for the trout while the water level
goes from one
extreme to the other.
Hatches have been fairly light during
the day with some sporadic caddis and
baetis hatches happening mid to late afternoon. Clouds of
swarming sparrows
overhead are a dead give away of an impending airborne baetis
hatch which at
times can be rather large in size while the actual bugs can
be quite small.
Also, if the wind is blowing in your face while your on the
river, it would
be a good idea to keep your mouth closed unless you want to
yourself
experience a full stomach on a small baetis hatch like many
of the trout in
the river experience. The terrestrial game is still a safe
bet in the cool
parts of the day as well while nymphing smaller bugs could
be your best bet
in the hot of the day. Both methods have been producing fish
throughout the
day. Just remember, trout fishing is never an exact science
and sometimes
the greatest reward of the day can be figuring out what they're
keying in on
and presenting that bug successfully.
Match the hatch baby!
9/04
Well, it's
that time of year! The change from one extreme to the next
is
happening as we speak. Water levels have dropped nearly 1000cfs
in the last
three days and it's going to drop a considerable amount more
in the next
week and a half. Thankfully, water temps have peaked at about
62 degrees
this week which is a drop from the last few weeks despite
the drop in water
levels. Chilly mornings and evenings are to blame and the
fishing has
definitely benefited from the arrival of a little "fall-like"
weather. Keep
in mind some of the finest fishing of the year is still ahead
and is,
without a doubt, something to look forward to. Instead of
perhaps putting
the rod away, it should be the perfect time for a little spit
and polish to
get it in shape for the next stretch.
Fishing has remained good in nearly all
stretches of the river. Summer
stones have been prevelent in the last few days and they have
provided the
nymphing angler with some great fishing. The dry fly scene
has been really
good as well with lots of terrestrial action still looming
with the onset of
some great summer beatis hatches. Caddis, tan/yellow mays,
and flying ants
(and non-flying ants) are hatching as well. If you do happen
into a large
flying ant hatch, stick around as long as you can because
fish tend to
really key in on and go crazy feeding on flying ants due to
their high
protein content. Nymphing oxygenated water is also a great,
great bet
during the day. All in all, it is an awsome time to be out
fishing, even if
the catching isn't going so well.
Fish on!
The Hatch
August 27, 2002 Fishing Report
The summer fishing continues and
we are now at the start of the flip flop. Water levels will
drop over the next two weeks drastically. Prime trout lies
will change and let's cross our fingers for our water temps
to stay reasonable. The highest water temp we have seen in
the last week is 65 degrees in the lower canyon.
When the water flows are at fall levels
which will be within the next two weeks as a direct result
of the flip flop, the H20 can obviously warm quicker. What
we hope for are those cooler nights and average warm days.
The terrestrial game has been fairly
automatic during the daytime hours using, ants, beetles and
hoppers. There has also been a few yellow Mayflies as well
as Caddis during the daytime hours and most certainly in the
evenings. We have also been experiencing some great hatches
of summer Baetis, during the afternoons and evenings. The
Summer Stone activity has been a bit sporadic lately but should
continue to play a role for the next month.
The nymphing in the oxygenated waters
has been almost automatic during the daytime hours. We are
looking forward to the last four months of 2002. Don't forget...some
of the best of the Fall is in November and December!
Respectfully and Fish-on
The Hatch
8-20-02
The "same ol' song and dance"
continues to be the story on the Yakima River
and the fishing has been fishtastic as of late. *Note, if
you tend to get
off the river the same time as we do here at the hatch, there's
no need to
tell you a full moon is making its way out, and that could
make the fishing
really good during the morning hours. Look to fish morning
hopper's and
stone's in the beginning hours of light and don't hesistate
to nymph during
the day if things slow on the surface. Or as we tend to do
often, throw the
"hopper-dropper" combo!
The fish have been tending to lay close
to the banks in the shade during the
day so throw those bugs in the zone if you want to be successful.
Caution!
throwing bugs against the bank can catch a person some nice
fish, as well as
cause a re-tie with a new bug. No problem, come visit us at
the shop and
we'll gladly hook you up with new one's that are snag proof.
Hatching nightly,
The Evening Hatch Guide Service and Fly shop
Yakima River Fishing Report 8-15-02
Fishing continues to be average to above-average
from the farmlands down
through the canyon. Water levels have remained fairly consistent
over the
last week or so running between 3950cfs to 4150cfs. Nymphing
has been a
good bet as of late, and dry fly fishing has been decent for
the most part
with an occasional hot mid-day bite and/or the usual hot,
often late,
evening bite. The proverbial "tuber hatch" has probably
been the most
prolific lately with temps rising into the low 90's as well
as the typical
summer staples of hoppers, summer stones, yellow may's, and
caddis. You
can't catch them if your not out there, if you catch our drift
(all pun's
intended).
Note to self: The evenings this time
of year on the river are as good as it
gets and well worth the occasional, if not prepared, bug bite.
Hatching Daily,
The Evening Hatch
Yakima River Report August 10, 2002
The weather last week was fairly cool
but looks as this week we are in for a
warming trend with highs in the upper 80's and low 90's. The
month of July
was as good a fishing as one could ask for. We personally
have never seen a
July in past years fish as awesome, especially with dry flies.
We would describe the current fishing
as good with an emphasis during the
day time on nymphing especially in the Farmlands and Lower
Canyon. The
Upper Canyon is also a good bet right now.
Hatches continue to be fairly light except
for peak periods in the evening.
Caddis, Yellow Mayflies, Yellow Sallies, Summer Stones and
Terrestrials
continue to be the fare. Low light conditions with streamers
have been
producing here and there. The last few days during the daytime
the nymph
has been the ticket; from the Farmlands to Roza.
On the water daily
The Hatch
August 2, 2002 Yakima River Report
The Summer rolls on here in Yakima River
country and the fishing does as well. We have seen some good
to great terrestrial, Summer stonefly and caddis fishing over
the last 30 days. Sometimes a drift 4 inches from the bank
is not close enough and other times 4 feet off is perfect
- it all depends on the water.
Nymphing is always an option and can
be productive. We have been mixing up the techniques a bit
lately but predominantly we have been fishing with dry flies.
The river is in great shape with great clarity and water temps.
The volume is typical for this time of
year and the Bureau of Reclamation should start staging the
flows down somewhere in the last week of August and by the
10th of Sept. we will be at the normal Fall flows. Until the
water drops, covering water with dries and/or streamers as
well as stopping and nymphing are the techniques we would
reccomend.
Feel free to stop by the shop to get
the most current information available re: the entire Yakima
River!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
7/28/02 Note:
We currently have a few openings
this week on the guide schedule.....give us a jingle as the
fishing has been PDG!
The Hatch
Yakima River Update July 27, 2002
While every day is different, we continue
to see some good to great fishing on the whole. There certainly
are some big fish in the river as shown above! Basically our
best fishing as of lately has been with dries and a few streamers
here and there as well as a few nymphs. Water temps continue
to be about perfect for the summer time fishing and the flows
are typical for this time of year!
The water is in great shape and as the
photo above illustrates, so are the fish!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report July 21, 2002
A few days have been
a bit slow during the day time, but the mornings and the evenings
have been rocking. The Caddis and Pale Evening Duns have been
fairly prolific in the evenings. We are seeing numbers of
fish daily and some quite large fish as well! Summer stones
continue to hatch and if you leave your boat in the water
over night there will be large numbers of them in the boat
the next morning. The Summer Stone is a nocturnal critter
that is most certainly a full meal deal!
Stop by the shop and we will tell you
what's hot!
On the water daily
The Hatch
Yakima River Report July 16, 2002
The fishing continues to hold strong
with dry fly, nymph and streamer tactics. Water temps have
cooled quite a bit due to more typical Cle Elum reservoir
releases for this time of year as our waters have increased
in flows over the last 4 days. Don't be discouraged over the
increase in flows as the Yakima's water temps stay cooler
with the bigger flows in the summer season. The overal fishing
this last few weeks has been exceptional and we most certainly
can't complain. While every day is different, our guided trips
have been seeing large numbers of opportunities for the Yakima
Trout.
The aquatic insect activity in the am
and pm has been good to great. During the day the aquatic
insect activity has been average. We are seeing decent numbers
of hoppers, beetles and ants as part of the trouts diet during
the day time as well as nymphing has been fairly automatic.
Certainly the cooler water temps are
better for all included...
On the water daily,
Jack and Shawn Mitchell
& The Evening Hatch Guide Staff
The Evening Hatch Fly Shop
& Guide Service
Yakima River Report July 11, 2002
The heat wave across the Western United
States is certainly not missing the
Kittitas Valley as our day temperatures have been at the 100
degree mark.
The dry fly fishing has lightened quite a bit due to the heat;
but it is all
relative as the dry fly fishing last week was awesome.
We continue to bring fish to the dries
here and there during the day
utilizing Summer Stone and Terrestrial patterns as well as
Yellow Sallies.
The nymphing has been fairly automatic during the heat of
the day especially
in the oxygenated waters. Overall dry fly fishing has been
best early in the
day and later in the evening. The Mosquitoes this year have
been busier
then normal so make sure to bring your bug spray, especially
when on foot.
Generally while on the water in the boat they aren't as bad.
Water temps have increased significantly
which is a bit concerning. As
always it is important to take care of the fish and with warmer
water temps
even more so. The heat wave we are experiencing combined with
lower then
normal water flows are the contributing factors for the warmer
water temps.
According to the weather forecast we should see at least slightly
cooler
temps starting Sunday.
On the water daily,
The Hatch
Yakima River Report July 9, 2002
Short of multiple 20" fish to hand
the fishing is as good as it gets with
dry flies for most of the day................Awesome days
on the water.
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report, July 7th, 2002
The Yakima River continues to fish awesome from the Farmlands
to the Lower Canyon. Dry fly opportunities continue to be
countless and the overall fishing has been incredible. Ken
Moran from the New York Post Outdoor Column found out just
how good the Yakima can be!
Respectfully and Fish-on
The Hatch
Yakima River Report July 3, 2002
Now that is fishing! The river has dropped
incredibly over the last 4 days and the fishing has been GREAT.
Yesterday in two of our boats a few of the anglers just sat
down and said they didn't need to catch anymore!
We are starting to see the beginning
of the 2002 Summer Stone Fly emergence. This particular hatch
is super important on the Yakima in that although the Stonefly
rarely hatches prolifically, it most certainly lasts for quite
a duration - almost three months. While many other Western
river Stonefly hatches are more intense and compact the Yakima's
Stoneflies tend to last for longer periods of time allowing
the angler to utilize big bugs more days of the year. It is
true on the Yakima that there are peak times for the Summer
Stones and that they emerge nocturnally. The Stone Fly nymph
will be a good bet for quite some time as well as an adult
imitation. The adults tend to be more readily available to
the trout when the female returns to the water to lay eggs
as well as post mating when they become spent on the water.
Windy days are not bad in that they tend to render many adults
more helpless on the water.
We have also begun to see some hoppers
here and there as well. The Caddis has been fairly busy in
size 16 tan and although we have not seen many major rises
for the Caddis, an Elk hair and X-Caddis have been quite productive
as well!
On the water daily,
The Hatch
Yakima River Update July 1, 2002
A mixture of hot and cool weather has
been the weather report for the last week. The Yakima river
continues to flow at above typical flows for this time of
year due to full reservoirs and continued inflows. Remarkably
the fishing has held up. While every day is different, we
have been experiencing some decent to goooood fishing with
ample opportunities in the day. We have been utilizing multiple
techniques to fool the trout. The nymphing has been fairly
automatic in the earlier part of the day. We have not found
any particular nymphs to be the best...The trout have just
been responding to in drift nymphs. The flows are a bit tedious
for anchoring so be careful as it is quite easy to hang up.
Tip of the day:The challenge when drift
fishing the river is to keep an angle and slow down for the
fisherman in your boat. There is a direct relation to that
and catching more fish. If you aren't catching fish from your
drift boat, first ask yourself;
What is the position of my boat relative
to the fishing target zone? If the answer to that question
is more then 25 feet and not parrallel with the target zone
then the first thing you need to work on is boat position
and not if you have the correct fly.
We should see some sort of leveling soon
when it comes to flows...the sooner the better.
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
June 29th, 2002 Yakima River
Yesterday's fishing in the lower
canyon was great to awesome, while other parts of the river
reported average fishing. Even with the river level increased,
the lower canyon fished good. Yesterday's weather was total
clouds and partly rainy and the fish responded to the dry
fly quite well in the lower canyon.
Currently the river is dropping and looking
good for the weekend.......
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
6/28/02
The Yakima
River clarity is in good shape. The flows have increased
significantly in the past 24 hours. Stay tuned for more up
to date
information. The Hatch.
June 27, 2002, Yakima River Update
Certainly big Summer flows but the fishing
currently is GoooooD! Plain and simple the nymphing and dry
fly fishing has been productive over the last few days and
the flows and clarity seem to be staying in check; Flows as
of this morning are up a bit, but not to much. Anyone fishing
the river can expect to catch fish on dries at some point
during the day.
We are most certainly having fun on the
water and look forward to seeing you at the shop and waterside
with us!!!!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
June 26, 2003
The Yakima continues to roll on at Summer
flows and the fishing has been average to great
depending on the day. On certain days the flows are boosted
a bit and tend to make it a bit tough for the angler yet the
fish themselves are doing fine and dandy. We have been mixing
up the techniques and utilizing dry flies, nymphs and streamers.
The weather as of lately has been hot,
clear and no wind. Overall the hatches have been basically
light yet quite a variety of different insects available.
We would be lying to say that there has been one hot nymph
or dry as we have been using a variety of patterns which have
been producing results. We do however change up often and
find the change up to be helpful especially when fishing a
particular hole.
We are definitely in the Summer mode
now as the first day of the season was the 21st and the weather
has made its mark. It looks as though the resevoir inflows
are slowing enough so that the outflows, although still big
, should not spike as drastically as the did over the last
two weeks.
Summer is always a great time for
casual attire weather, great
fish and a bit of wildlife to add to the glory. Coming
soon, Hoppertunity.
June 21, 2002 Yakima River Report
The beginning of the week the river started
dropping and by Tuesday she was in shape and has been since.
Currently everything is stable and lets again cross our fingers
that she holds. It looks as though she is going to hold for
the good. The river is definitely at Summer flows and therefore
the "On Foot" is generally restricted to the banks
in the Lower and Upper canyon other than in isolated areas.
The Upper Flatlands and the Farmlands offer good wading assuming
you can access these stretches with a boat.
The river this week has fished average
to great depending on where you have been in the system and
what day. There continues to be a myriad of aquatic insects
hatching throughout the system, but nothing prolific... Caddis,
Large Yellow Mays, PMD's, Mahogany Duns, Yellow Sallies, and
Drakes. The last two days has been absolutely picture perfect
with minimal wind and warm temperatures. Screening samples
lately also show active Summer Stone nymphs and Free Living
Caddis. Currently the Mosquitoes are horrific in certain areas.
Come prepared with the Juice.
Stop by and see us at the shop...Coming soon, Clackacraft
boats for Sale!
On the water daily
The Hatch
June 18, 2002 Yakima Update
Well, here we go again. The valley is
back to normal temperatures and the river is on the drop.
Assuming all stays constant, the entire river should be in
shape by mid to late this week.
Fish-on
The Hatch
The Evening Hatch continues to grow and
with that are staff as well. We are excited to have Gus
Garcia as part of our Guide staff and Joe
Willauer as Shop Retailer and Guide in Training.
June 16, 2002 Yakima River Update
Currently the Yakima River has taken
a turn for the worse due to incredibly warm air temperatures
throughout our valley as well as the entire state! We had
some good to great fishing
this last week but as the weekend arrived the intense heat
was the impetus for major inflow into the resevoirs via the
headwater creeks including, The Upper Cle Elum, The Little
Cle Elum, Box Canyon Creek, The Cooper, Gold Creek etc etc.
With the reservoirs at maximum capacity the outflows needed
to at least match the inflows which in turn made for some
very tough conditions this weekend. The Teanaway river saw
minimal increase from this last heat wave which is a bit surprising.
This is good news amid the tough conditions of this weekend.
This basically means that once the inflows tame this season,
the Yakima should flow fairly constant and on track.
According to the weather man we are to
cool down a bit and the inflows should subside. Again lets
cross our fingers for favorable conditions. Regardless, this
Spring has been quite an incredible season on the Yakima with
prolific Blue Wings, good Skwalas, great Caddis and PMD'S.
Great guests, some willing trout, a few (quite a few) grandes,
and bugs...What more can you ask for! We look
to the upcoming season with the Giant Yellow Mays, PMD's and
PED's, Yellow Sallies, Terrestrials and Summer Stones.
We have a few slots left open on the
Kettle river between the 29th of July and the 7th of August.
Come fish with the Hatch on one of Washington's floatable
Freestone Trout rivers!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
June 10, 2002 Yakima River Report
The Yakima River throughout the entire
system fished exceptionally well on
Sunday. It is absolutely remarkable how fast the river came
into shape in a
matter of 48 hours. The waters out of Easton have tamed considerably
as
well as the Teanaway.
Sunday's bugs were a prolifera of Mayflies
and Caddis. The predominant
Mayfly in the Lower Canyon yesterday was the Epeorus, or Giant
Yellow May.
There were also PMD's as well as Caddis and a few Golden Stones.
The
Farmlands, Upper Canyon and Upper Flatlands also boasted some
good Mays and
Caddis along with a few stoneflies. The Upper Yakima Proper
showed some
March Browns as well as Epeorus and Caddis.
The Yakima is currently in great shape
and lets cross our fingers she holds
this way. Flows are big and will be until September - The
clarity is good to
great throughout the system.
Fishing by boat or bank access is the
predominant game with specific waters
available for wading.
Yesterday's fishing was wonderfull! John and Bob had
a great time as shown above!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
June 6, 2002 Yakima River Update
The Yakima river waters continue to flow
and the reservoirs are at almost
maximum capacity. In the last 24 hours a cooling trend has
slowed the
inflow to the reservoirs a bit. The Teanaway river, the Cle
Elum river as
well as the Tanuem and Manastash are not really the culprits
for our current
condition of discoloration; The main contributing problem
in color to the
entire system is directly out of Lake Easton which is flowing
well above
normal flows for this time of year and certainly off color.
Once this
stretch of water is back to normal we should be in good shape.
Granted,
the Teanaway is still fairly large but the color is not bad.
We have been successful lately with a
variety of techniques but the fishing
as of recently has been a bit tough. We have been able to
find a few pods
here and there in the Lower canyon on Mayflies and Caddis.
We have also
been fairly successful with streamers throughout the system.
The challenge
is the flow of the river. Very difficult for wading,
the Yakima is
currently best fished from the bank or boat except for the
Upper Flatland
and Farmland areas that provide some great islands and braided
channels.
Regardless of the conditions, we have
hooked some great fish on the Yakima
lately as well as on a few of the desert creeks as shown above!
Respectfully and fish-on
The hatch
Yakima River Update June 5, 2002
The Cle Elum river is currently staging
up to its typical Summer flows.
The good thing about the Cle Elum water is that it generally
runs crystal
clear which gives the Yakima good clarity until the river
reaches the
Farmlands and below where the irrigation returns contribute
progressively.
Currently we need the water out of Easton
to tame down a bit as it is
absolutely huge in the Upper Yakima Proper currently. Once
the Upper Yakima
Proper settles a bit and the Teanaway settles (According to
the graphs it
looks as though the Teanaway is starting to settle)we should
be in fairly
good shape. Yesterday there were a multitude of bugs prevelant
on the river
and with a bit of water stabilization we should be in fine
shape.
The resevoirs are all at 80% or more
of capacity and the snow has been
melting away fast. Only a prediction and don't hold it against
us but we
should be back on the river soon! The river had good numbers
of bugs
prevelant yesterday and we will keep you posted as conditions
change!
Respectfully
The Hatch
Yakima River Update May 30, 2002
It might be possible to catch fish in
the Yakima currently, but it would be
a bit tough!
From Easton down the water is off color and bigger then it
has been. The
overall volume in the lower canyon is not extremely high yet
the color is
certainly off. We are basically on temporary hold for fishing
the Yakima
and we will keep you posted as the conditions change.
June 1 is the general creek and river
opener. Unfortunately most of these
rivers will be a bit out of shape as well; especially those
coming from the
Cascades.
The lakes may prove to be a great option
for the upcoming weekend!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
May 27, 2002 Yakima River Report
The weekend playback goes something like
this:
Average to good fishing. Predominantly PMD's and Caddis. Rising
fish in isolated zones in the lower canyon: Decent nymphing
during the day time in the farmlands: Average at best dry
fly fishing in the upper canyon.
Great fishing in the lower canyon: Single dry flies, 3 weights
all day, Got our butts kicked by a few fish in the 20+ category
and landed about 40. Stong PMD's during the day, good to great
Caddis in the evening. Farmlands fished average as well as
the upper canyon.
River rising throughout--- Still able to find a few fish rising
in the lower canyon during the day but nothing comparable
to the day before. Decent to good hatch of both PMD's and
Baetis during the day and a decent flight of Caddis as well.
The farmlands and the upper canyon?
Overall, average at best throughou the system.
We also saw fairly good numbers of Golden
Stoneflies this weekend but were not able to entice too many
trout to eat the adults.
The water came up over the last 48 hours
and the clarity overall decreased throughout the system. Currently
the valley is being inundated with heavy rains and the river
will most likely rise a bit more.
We will keep you updated as the river
conditions change!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
May 23, 2002 Yakima Update.
Conditions are improving. Water clarity
is better and the volume is currently decreasing. Just in
time for the weekend!
Respectfully and fish-on
May 21, 2002 Yakima River Report
Until yesterday the lower canyon of the
Yakima had been fishing incredible. In fact a few of the days
between the 15th and the 19th could almost be described as
epic. Great numbers of rising fish and incredibly stong emergences
and flights of Caddis. The river was in a true Mothers Day
Caddis Blizzard. We have also been experiencing some good
to great PMD hatches along with a variety of other Yellow
Mayflies of larger size.
Some of the patterns we have been using
include;
Caddis
Parachute Caddis #14-16 Tan
Elk Hair Caddis #14-18 Peacock, Olive, Tan
Emergent Sparkle Pupas #14-18 Tan, Olive, Grey
Egg Layers #14-18 Tan, Peacock
Various Beadhead Caddis larvas and Pupas #14-16
PMD's
Hackle Stalkers #16-18
Sparkle Duns #16-18
Paracripples #16-18
Quigleys #16-18
PT Soft hackles beadheads #16
Unfortunately the warm weather and some incredible rains did
a number on the Teanaway Basin temporarily. Currently above
the Teanaway the clarity is worthy although Big Creek and
Cabin Creek are adding some color. Below the Teanaway is another
story. According to Mr Weather we may see some scattered showers
over the next few days but the weather should for the most
part be partly cloudy. The Teanaway river should begin to
decrease in flows and allow the river below a chance to settle.
We will keep you posted as conditions change. The Wilson/Cherry
Creek drainage is also in as rare form as it has ever been
- more or less zero visibility!
Stop by the shop, conveniently located
200 yards off I-90 at exit #109 for the most up to date and
current information on the river. We have ample parking, some
great coffee and lots of bugs to choose from!
We currently have only a few slots left
for the October Grande Ronde season as it is almost full;
if you are interested give us a jingle and we will schedule
you in. Our Permanant Riverside Yakima camp will be up and
operating by June 5th and we look forward to hosting you,
your family, co-workers and or business associates and the
nicest riverside camp on the Yakima River!
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
May 14, 2003 Yakima River Report
The Yakima River has fished "pretty
darn awesome" this last week with the Caddis fly being
the main game overall. Some days have been better then others
but for the most part the last week has been epic Caddis.
From the Upper Canyon to the Lower Canyon the air has been
filled with Caddis flights and the water with Egg Layers.
This is what many refer to as the Mother's Day Caddis Hatch.
We saw some glimpses of it at the end of April, but it certainly
blossomed over the last week. The warmer days tend to be better
and if it is sunny and bright, look for the shadows. Some
days start fairly slow and kick in later and other days have
been great from the get go. If it is cloudy and the dry fly
fishing is a bit slow try a streamer on a dry line as this
technique has been fairly productive. Lately, most of our
nymphing has been fairly shallow under dries and certainly
has been effective during the slower dry fly periods.
Our guests have hooked a good number of fish lately as well
as some rather large fish. Many of the large fish have not
been landed and a few have, as the photo above illustrates.
The river is curently stabilized after
it increased in flows a bit over the last two days. Clarity
remains decent to good throughout the system. According to
Mr. Weather we are supposed to see low to mid 60's for the
hi's and mid 30's for the lo's, Partly Cloudy over the next
week.
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
May 10, Yakima River Update
The Evening Hatch Fly Shop is inches
away from opening!
Reports from the guide staff were good
to great fishing for the last two days. Currently the water
is stable and the fish are eating. The lower canyon has started
to produce some light hatches of PMD's and the fish certainly
keyed in on them yesterday. We are continuing to see a light
Caddis emergence daily throughout the river and Beatis as
well. The Salmon
fly emergence we saw a week or so ago has basically become
non-existent but should spark again with the next warm weather
trend. The Yakima is in great condition currently and the
fishing is gooooooood!
Fish-on
The Hatch
May 7, 2002 Yakima River Fishing Report
The Yakima is currently in great condition
and should hold beautiful through the weekend. The report
for today is good to great nymphing. One of our guides reported
hooking 18 fish in one hole! We should also see decent Caddis
this weekend as well is Baetis. Hopefully we will also see
a resurgence of Salmon flies as well. We will keep you posted
as conditions
change.
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
May 4 Yakima River Update.
Due to cooler weather conditions the
Yakima is dropping into better shape currently. The bug activity
is a bit sparse due to the colder condition so we would reccomend
nymphing and or streamers with a bit of Dry flying mixed in
here and there.
On the water daily
The Hatch
Yakima River Update 5/2/02
The warmer weather has got the best of
us and all tributarties from the Manastash and up are currently
larger and definitely off color. The Teanaway, Big Creek and
Cabin Creek are certainly the main culprit as they are close
to the headwaters and therefore affecting flows and clarity
from the origins down. Mother nature calls for a cooling trend
and we will keep
you posted.
Fish-on
The Hatch
April 30, 2002 Yakima River Update
The Yakima from the Diversion dam down
has had some great fishing over the last week with the Caddis
hatch however the last couple days has slowed a bit for one
reason or another. We are seeing light numbers of Salmon Flies
currently and a few Golden Stones as well. The overall clarity
has gone down a bit and the volume is up a tad as well, however
relative to the heat the condition of the river is decent.
According to Mr. Weather the overall temps are supposed to
cool a bit and we cross our fingers to see stabilization.
We will keep you updated as conditions change.
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
April 28th Yakima River Update.
The Kittitas valley and the surrounding
mountains were laced with rain and snow yesterday quashing
the American Grannom Caddis only for the day as the hatch
has now resumed in full force. Yesterday's fishing was mostly
a nymph game due to the fact that the Caddis was put on hold.
Remarkably the Teanaway river has not increased in flows as
of yet and with the upcoming weather predictions for the week
of mid 60's during the day(partly cloudy/sunny) and mid 30's
at night lets cross our fingers for more of the same. The
lower river certainly has lost quite a bit of clarity over
the last 2 days mostly due to Wilson creek which is brown.
Wilson will most likely clear a bit over the next 24 hours
as our weather calls for no rain.
The Caddis most definitely have resumed
in full force. The pattern for the emergence is usually mid
morning to early afternoon with egg layers throughout the
day. The hatch is assuredly strong from the Diversion to Roza
currently. The landscape surrounding the entire river is absolutely
gorgeous currently with Spring wild flowers and ample green.
The past few days have been incredible fishing. Thursday and
Friday were two days of casting to rising fish for five hours!!
You can't beat that. Assuming all stays constant, this next
week should be more of the same.
The 4th and 5th are close to being full,
however we do have openings this week...Give us a jingle and
we will cast dries to rising fish!!!
On the water daily
The Hatch
April 25, Yakima River Update---Hot fishing!!!!!
As tentatively predicted, the American
Grannom Caddis hatch showed today in awesome force providing
five hours of rising fish! The infamous Mother's Day Caddis
hatch for the 2002 season is well under way. Not every day
will be as prolific as others; today however marked the start
of this incredible hatch.
Patterns to use!
#14 Dark Tan to Olive Caddis Adults
#14 Egg Layers
#14 ESP's
Another day in paradise...
Fish-on
The Hatch
April 21, 2002
There will most likely be some great
fishing any day now because of the infamous Mothers Day
American Grannom hatch that is quite prolific generally in
the first weeks of May! Yesterday we had some decent dry fly
fishing on the beginning of the 2002 Mother's Day Caddis hatch.
Keep tuned to the website as the report page will keep you
updated with the current conditions. Currently the Yakima
River is in decent condition. Between now and the end of June
it will probably teeter in and out due to Mother Nature and
spring thaw, however we are
currently on the edge of a full blown American Grannom hatch!
On the water daily
The Hatch
April 20, 2002 Yakima River Update
The weather as of lately has been cooler
and the river has dropped substantially over the last three
days. The river is fishable with nymphing being your best
option. There is light Caddis hatching currently throughout
much of the system. Over the years we have seen many Spring
Run-offs and this year is fairly typical so far. In referring
to the graph below you can see the average conditions for
the river at Umtanum on April 20 for the last 7 years. Other
than 2001 which was a drought year, the past flows and temps
are fairly comparable to our current conditions.
Year - Flows - Water Temp
2002 - 2587 - 45
2001 - 1000 - 52
2000 - 3589 - 53
1999 - 4109 - 43
1998 - 2300 - 50
1997 - 8000 - 45
1996 - 5300 - 45
1995 - 1990 - 46
The Yakima will certainly go up and down
a bit over the next month but watch for the Caddis to be the
food of choice soon. Currently there is light Caddis, but
sooner then later the infamous Mothers Day Caddis hatch will
blossom and the emergence can be substantial. The American
Grannom (Brachycentrus) is the specimen and the average size
of the adult insect is 1/4-1/2" long and the body of
the adult is generally dark. On the Yakima the emergence is
usually mid to late morning into the early afternoon and generally
the large egg laying flights are late afternoon to evening.
Even though the Yakima has been a bit
out of shape we have continued to be on the water with clients
in various locations. Jay and
Evan had a fun trip at Isaaks as well as Cliff
and Doug enjoyed a beautiful day creekside!
Respectfully, The Evening Hatch.
April 13, 2003 Yakima Update.
Going, going, gone.......would be the
current Yakima River report. The main
culprit besides the Teanaway is Cabin creek which enters just
above Lake Easton!
We will keep you posted on changes. Meanwhile
the desert creeks are hot as well as the lakes!
Water Clarity is as follows...
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 2-3 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 3 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 2.5 feet
KOA to Wilson: 2 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2 feet
Water temps and flows @ 6am on the 13th
are as follows...
@ Easton 42.8 degrees and 1078cfs
@ Cle Elum 42.2 and 1817cfs
@ Ellensburg 44.4 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 47.2 and 3754cfs
The flow on the Teanaway just above the confluence is 1076cfs.
fish-on
The Hatch
April 11, 2002 Update
We currently have a few openings
for Isaaks Ranch next week due to a couple of cancellations.
The 16th and 18th both have a couple rods available and Isaaks
is absolutely great fishing currently. Contact our office
by:
e-mail - - - jack@theeveninghatch.com
or
by toll free - - - 1-866-482-4480
The Yakima River is back on as well with
guides available!
On the water daily...
Fish-on
The Hatch
April 9, 2002 Update-Yakima River
Is is remarkable how fast the river has
changed and although there was a dirty water push earlier
today the river is actually in fairly decent condition currently.
The water clarity above the Teanaway is clear and although
below the Teanawy is tainted the Lower canyon is certainly
worthy.
Fishing strategies should include streamer
fishing and nymphing. Pick out your nymph spots and work them;
Change up if your not catching fish. We like to refer to it
as "Tweeking it". If one thing isn't working when
nymphing, try another. Variables that you can change when
nymphing include but are not limited to-
1)The amount of lead if any
2)The fly/flies
3)The depth of the fly/flies
4)Position from where you are casting
5)Terminal tippets
Also keep your eyes open for Blue Wing action around the 1-3pm
time slot and target the slower water areas after boulder
strewn runs.
Conditions are as follows.......
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway:7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 3-4 feet
KOA to Wilson: 2-3 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2 feet
@ Easton 41.7 degrees and 565cfs
@ Cle Elum 44.6 and 1303cfs
@ Ellensburg 44.7 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 45.8 and 2880cfs
The flow on the Teanaway just above the confluence is 1076cfs.
On the water daily...
The Hatch
April 8, 2002 Yakima River Update
The warmer night and daytime temps over
the last few days has increased the flows of all tributaries.
The flows from Easton have increased 70% most likely due to
Cabin creek which enters just above the Easton resevoir. The
Teanaway is flowing strong and definitely off color and although
the clarity above the Teanaway has held up until today it
has now taken a turn for the worse due to Cabin Creek. Basically
the river is marginal at best above the Teanaway and a boat
ride below. We will keep you updated as conditions change.
We are currently guiding Isaaks Ranch and the desert creeks.
The water in the lower canyon has 2 ft
of visibility, which leads to tough but fishable conditions.
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 3 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 3-4 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 2-3 feet
KOA to Wilson: 1-2 feet
Wilson to Roza: 1 foot
@ Easton 41.5 degrees and 540cfs
@ Cle Elum 47.5 and 1214cfs
@ Ellensburg 46.7 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 47 and 2700cfs
The flow on the Teanaway just above the confluence is 1100cfs.
On the water daily...
The Hatch
April 5, 2002 Yakima River Update
The fishing yesterday was again average depending on what
stretch you were fishing and rather poor in others. Skwalas
continue to show along with the other insects listed below.
Most of the hatches are fairly light currently. The last couple
days in the valley has been absolutely beautiful and although
the catching has not been smokin' the fishing has been great!
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 7 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 7-8 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 3-4 feet
KOA to Wilson: 3 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2 feet
@ Easton 43 degrees and 339cfs
@ Cle Elum 40.6 and 947cfs
@ Ellensburg 43.77 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 45.3 and 2414cfs
The flow on the Teanaway just above the confluence is 969cfs.
Insect - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----- - -Adult
Blue Wings(Mayfly) - - --- - --#16-18 Grey, Olive body-Dun
wing
Skwala(Stonefly) - - - ---- -- ---#10 Dirty Yellow, Dun, Olive
Stonefly
Midge - - - - - - - - - - - --- -- ----# 22 Hatching Midge
Adults, #16-18 Clusters
Amelytus(Mayfly) - - - --- -- -#14-16 Tannish Olive body,
Speckled tan wing
March Brown (Mayfly) ------#10-12 Tannish light brown, Speckled
Brown Wing
Little Black Stones------------#14-18 Dark grey, black
Caddis----------------------------#16 Grey
On the water daily.....
The Hatch
April 3, 2002 Yakima River Update
The valley has been experiencing some
cold nights and moderate daytime
weather. The predominant tributaries being the Teanaway, Tanuem,
Swauk and
Wilson have all been contributing to the Yakima as of lately.
As one
progresses down the river the clarity decreases due to the
sediment
contributions. The Teanaway river which is one of the largest
tributaries
to the Yakima has over the last 24 hours decreased in flows
and increased a
bit in clarity due to the cold nights. The rivers water temps
are hovering
in the low 40's and the bug activity recently has been fairly
sparse
especially from the Teanaway confluence to Roza.
The clarity above the Teanaway confluence
is good. The entire river fishing
report from Easton to Roza yesterday would be average at best.
Our water
temps are still fairly cool and the March Browns of 2002 still
have not
materialized in force. We should see more as the water temps
warm a bit
which will most likely coincide with a rise in waters due
to run-off.
Nymphing and streamers yesterday during
the day were the predominant
tactics. We did find a few fish rising and they were eager
to eat our bug
when we presented the fly. Again the overall bug activity
has slowed quite
a bit.
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 7 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 7-8 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 3-4 feet
KOA to Wilson: 3 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2 feet
@ Easton 40.7 degrees and 388cfs
@ Cle Elum 39.2 and 1168cfs
@ Ellensburg 41.14 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 42 and 2500cfs
The flow on the Teanaway just above the confluence is 997cfs.
On the water daily,
The Hatch
March 31, 2002 Easter Sunday Update
The Evening Hatch would like like
to wish all of you a joyous Easter holiday, enjoying the family,
friends and food!
Recently the
Yakima river fishing has been what we would describe as average
to good at best.
The predominant bugs continue to be the Skwala and Blue Wings.
The March
Browns are still spattering and should blossom soon. Short
of full on
nymphing specific runs by boat or foot, covering water by
boat with Skwala
dries has been our predominant game plan, combined with a
bit of streamer
fishing. Yesterday was the first full day of clear and blue
which generally
doesn't lend itself to great streamer fishing other than early
and late.
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 3-4 feet
KOA to Wilson: 3 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2 feet
@ Easton 42 degrees and 351cfs
@ Cle Elum 42 and 993cfs
@ Ellensburg 45 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 46 and 1925cfs
On the water daily,
The Hatch
March 28, 2002 Yakima River Report
The fishing recently has been good depending
on the stretch of
river you are in. The intensity of action we were seeing on
a daily basis
last week has certainly lightened but the fishing is definitely
worthy.
Skwalas still continue to be a meal for the trout along with
the Blue Wings
in isolated location. Prior to the rise in flows and decrease
in clarity
the Blue Wings were strong, and the fish responded accordingly.
Although
our fishing has slowed a bit we have been catching some great
fish on dry
flies.
The recent cooler weather in the higher
elevations has slowed the snowmelt
down a bit giving us back some good clarity........Just in
time for the
weekend!
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 7-8 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 4-5 feet
KOA to Wilson: 3-4 feet
Wilson to Roza: 3 feet
On the water daily
The Hatch
March 26, 2002 Yakima River Report
The river clarity dropped considerably
again yesterday, especially the KOA
area down. The Teanaway is adding quite a bit of color yet
the upper canyon
is fishable. Unless you find rising fish in the Lower canyon,
it is
definitely a boat ride. Water temps have increased incredibly
and it is
very possible to find pods of fish in the lower canyon with
poor clarity
assuming you have strong hatches, particularily March Browns.
Many a day we
have cast to rising fish in the dirty run-off water of the
lower canyon
while trout were readily eating March Browns or Caddis. If
this type of
activity occurs, plan your day to be a short one as prior
and post hatches
in the dirty water are almost futil. The clarity above the
Teanaway is
currently worthy. We wil keep you updated as conditions change.
.
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 4-5 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 5-6 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 3 feet
KOA to Wilson: 1-2 feet
Wilson to Roza: 1/2foot
@ Easton 41 degrees and 297cfs
@ Cle Elum 40 and 846cfs
@ Ellensburg 43.7 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 44 and 1740cfs
On the water daily
The Hatch
March 25, 2002 Yakima River Report
Yesterday the river showed a bit of an
increase in flows mainly due to the
Teanaway and other tributaries. The increase was not substantial.
Flows
are currently still relatively low with the water clarity
tainted a few
shades. Remarkably much of the low lying snow at the 2000-2500
bench mark
is gone from slightly warmer days as well as the wind evaporation
factor.
Oops I said the dreadful word. Yes the Kittitas valley had
its fair share
of the "breeze" yesterday.
Fishing was most definitely a different
game then it has been due to the new
conditions. The Blue Wing hatch was substantially less then
we have been
seeing. Of course it is hard to compare yesterday to Saturday
the 23rd along
with the 13th-19th, as those day demonstrated some of the
best early Spring
Blue Wing Olive hatches we have seen in years. Regardless
the Skwalla stone
fly action yesterday was certainly decent, and has been a
great hatch this
season as well.
Our predominant Mayfly so far has been
the Blue Wing Olive with a few
Amelytus and March Browns mixed in. The fish have responded
favorably to a
variety of patterns and have not been "pattern picky".
The key to the
"hook-up" has been the presentation, presentation,
presentation. Drag free
is imperative. Watch for the March Browns to blossom shortly
with the water
temp warming a bit.
Mr. Weather shows partly cloudy and sunny
from now until the 3rd of April.
Day time highs at 55 and lows to 30 degrees at night. Sounds
like
reasonable weather for fishing! The snow pack is at 125% this
season and
according to the BOR the river will flow at average irrigation
levels.
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 5 feet
KOA to Wilson: 4 feet
Wilson to Roza: 2-3 feet
@ Easton 40.7 degrees and 279cfs
@ Cle Elum 39.2 and 785cfs
@ Ellensburg 42.9 and insufficient data
@ Umtanum 43.5 and 1672cfs
On the Water daily
March 24, 2001
Now that is fishing! The fishing on the
Yakima yesterday was about as good
as it gets, period, end of story, need not say anymore - other
than drag free floats are imperative! If you want specifics
on bugs refer to the last report for the
current insects.
@ Easton 40 degrees and 261cfs
@ Cle Elum 39 and 700cfs
@ Ellensburg 41.6 and 1586cfs
@ Umtanum 41.9 and 1448cfs
On the water daily,
The Hatch
March 23, 2002 Yakima River Report
The first day of Spring here in the valley
was one of the coldest I remember. Since then our weather
has changed about face and yesterday was absolutely beautiful
and the fishing was as well. Even through the cold snap the
fish responded. Regardless, the weather is back on track (for
the better) and we will keep you updated with changes as we
progress towards run-off.
Insect - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----- - -Adult
Blue Wings(Mayfly) - - --- - --#16-18 Grey, Olive body-Dun
wing
Skwala(Stonefly) - - - ---- -- -#10 Dirty Yellow, Dun, Olive
Stonefly
Midge - - - - - - - - - - - --- -- --# 22 Hatching Midge Adults,
#16-18 Clusters
Amelytus(Mayfly) - - - --- -- -#14-16 Tannish Olive body,
Speckled tan wing
March Brown (Mayfly) ------#10-12 Tannish light brown, Speckled
Brown Wing
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 6 feet
KOA to Wilson: 5 feet
Wilson to Roza: 4 feet
@ Easton 39.5 degrees and 258cfs
@ Cle Elum 36.5 and 676cfs
@ Ellensburg 38.7 and 1428cfs
@ Umtanum 38.2 and 1372cfs
On the Water daily
The Hatch
March 20, 2002
Wow! Did Mother Nature decide to
make sure we have enough water in the reservoirs this year
or what! Over 6 feet of snow fell at Stampede pass over the
last 8 days! The West slope certainly received more then the
East slope of the Cascades. The weather pattern shows a general
warming trend starting Saturday/Sunday as we usually receive
nice weather towards the end of March. The question is, will
the river hold in good condition? We will most certainly keep
you updated on this statistic. Remember our river here holds
better than the west slope waters.
In the last week we received one day of real snow in the Kittitas
valley. So basically we have been void of the harsh winter
conditions, and the fishing has held true through the weather
patterns. We have however seen a decrease in the incredibly
optimum dry fly activity that we were experiencing. Monday
was the one and only real snow day we received here in the
last couple weeks and since then water temps have dropped
quite a bit on avarage with morning temps at around 37 degrees
and day time highs around 39 degrees. Up until Monday, the
dry fly fishing had been incredible. In fact so incredible,
that even though we experienced a blinding snow storm on the
river Monday from about 12 noon until 6pm, the trout rose
to the occasion for the decent (not great) Blue Wing Olive
hatch and more incredibly the trout ate our stonefly dry patterns
post Blue Wing hatch. The trout most certainly had been keyed
in on the stonefly dries until the last two days
According to Mr Weather we are to warm this weekend during
the day and cool down in the evenings. Lets cross our fingers
for the river to hold as the dry fly fishing will most likely
resume with a couple more degrees in water temps.
On the water daily
The Hatch
March 18, 2002 Yakima River Report
In shooting the breeze with our
former senior guide Bruce Skotland, who is an exceptional
fisherman, and quite the amateur entomologist, we have come
to the conclusion that the 2002 Spring Blue Wing Olives will
go down in books as one of the best in the last 10 years.
For the last week we have been experiencing strong hatches
usually between noon and 3:30. This combined with a bit of
nymphing prior and and some decent to good Skwala action post
- Blue Wings have made for some good to great days of fishing.
The March Browns have only shown lightly twice but that is
surely to change. The March Browns are generally strong in
the last 4 days of March and the first week of April.
Over the years, the last two weeks of March has generally
been great weather. It looks as though this pattern may materialize
for us this next weekend as they are calling for highs in
E-burg at 51 and highs in the Tri Cities at almost 70. We
should see good water conditions if the nights cool down as
predicted.
The first week of April over the years has traditionally been
cooler weather then the last week of March; Don't let this
sway you in the fishing as the March Browns can be incredibly
prolific in this particular week.
Yesterdays fishing with the Gardiner family and friend was
two thumbs up. Despite quite cool morning temps the fishing
heated up and provided us action fairly non-stop. Collin
and Quinton managed to round up big numbers of trout and
smiles!
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 6 feet
KOA to Wilson: 5 feet
Wilson to Roza: 4 feet
@ Easton 39.5degrees and 267cfs
@ Cle Elum 36.2 and 717cfs
@ Ellensburg 38 and no data
@ Umtanum 37.5 and 1435cfs
On the water daily...
The Hatch
March 16, 2002
Yesterday's fishing was good to great. The Blue Wing Olive
hatch started at around noon and lasted for approximately
2.5 hours. No one can ever complain about 2.5 hours of casting
to rising fish! After the rise we managed to wrangle up some
nice fish on Skwala dries, including the one above! All in
all a great day on the water.
The weather is predicted to be fairly cool the next couple
of days. The fishing should continue to be good with maybe
a bit more emphasis on the nymphing over the next three days.
Starting on Wednesday, according to Mr. Weather, the fishing
should really escalate (especially the dry fly game).
Sunday 38 15
Monday 41 24
Tuesday 38 20
Wednesday 47 20
Thursday 52 22
Friday 55 28
Saturday 51 28
Sunday 52 29
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 6 feet
KOA to Wilson: 5 feet
Wilson to Roza: 4 feet
@ Easton 39.7degrees and 282cfs
@ Cle Elum 36.5 and 794cfs
@ Ellensburg 38 and no data
@ Umtanum 38.7 and 1556cfs
On the Water Daily
The Hatch
March 14, 2002 Yakima River Update
The river is back in shape and fishing
good to great as we speak! Just in time for the weekend!
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6-7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 6 feet
KOA to Wilson: 5 feet
Wilson to Roza: 4 feet
@ Easton 40 degrees and 306cfs
@ Cle Elum 42.7 and 846cfs
@ Ellensburg 41 and no data
@ Umtanum 42 and 1700 cfs
The Hatch
See the Evening Hatch March
2002 Newletter
Click
here for PDF version - - - - - Click
here for the MSword version
March 14, 2002 Yakima River Update
Over the last 24 hours the Yakima river experienced an increase
in flows and decrease in clarity especially from the Teanaway
river junction down. Charlie
and Neil Davis fished prior to this rise and had a wonderful
day on the water. Before the rise, I would say the fishing
was good to almost great and since this rise the fishing could
be classified as average. The flows increased approximately
one third in the lower canyon with the clarity decreasing
substantially...regardless, reports stated the canyon fished
fairly decent yesterday considering conditions. The clarity
in the Yakima above the Teanaway confluence continues to hold
currently and fished average yesterday.
The rise in flows was due to the low lying snow received 2
days ago and then a general warming trend with rain mixed
in. Since then the snow level dropped a bit, air temps have
cooled a little and the river has stabilized for the time
being. I might have been a bit premature in predicting the
weather for this week in the last report as I was relying
on old Mr. Weather.com; oops!
Nymphs, dries and streamers all played part of the tactics
in yesterday's fishing adventures. Even though the fishing
has slowed quite a bit since the changes, the trout will acclimate
quickly and the fishing should pick up. March browns have
started to show for the 2002 season and will continue to keep
the trout on the prowl along with the Blue Wings and Skwalas.
Current Hatch Chart
Headwater to Cle Elum River-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway- Midges, Skwala,
Blue Wings, Silver Sedge, Amelytus
Teanaway to KOA- Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
KOA to Wilson-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
Wilson to Roza-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings, March Browns
Water Clarity
is as follows
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 5 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 6 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 4 feet
KOA to Wilson: 3-4 feet
Wilson to Roza: 3 feet
Water temps
and flows @ 7:30am on the 11th are as follows
@ Easton 40 degrees and 324cfs
@ Cle Elum 39.5 and 910cfs
@ Ellensburg 39 and no data
@ Umtanum 40.75 and 1852 cfs
On the water daily
The Hatch
March 11, 2002 Yakima River Report
Yesterday's fishing was more of
a numbers game then the previous day and the average size
of the trout was a bit smaller. Nevertheless the fish responded
strongly to nymphs as well as we found a few groups of fish
on single midges, and on Blue Wings. The Blue Wing hatch was
fairly strong at 2pm. We saw no Skwala adults, however the
nymph was very productive.
We did pick up a few nice fish toward the end of the day on
Streamers as well.
This upcoming week looks like Skwala weather with Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, being optimal according to Mr. Weather.
Regardless of how much snow the pass received lately, Ellensburg
has been fairly nice and it looks as though the Pass will
mostly a non issue this next week with temps barely below
freezing at night and day time temps well over freezing.
The wildlife continues to be fairly prolific with multiple
birds of prey out and about along with deer and bighorn sheep.
The beavers have been quite active as well, especially in
the farmlands.
Current Hatch Chart
Headwater to Cle Elum River-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway- Midges, Skwala,
Blue Wings, Silver Sedge
Teanaway to KOA- Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
KOA to Wilson-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
Wilson to Roza-Midges, Skwala, Blue Wings
Water Clarity is as follows
Headwater to Cle Elum River: 6 feet
Cle Elum River Confluence to the Teanaway: 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA: 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson: 5-6 feet
Wilson to Roza: 4-5 feet
Water temps and flows @ 7:30am on the 11th are as follows
@ Easton 39 degrees and 243cfs
@ Cle Elum 36.7 and 636cfs
@ Ellensburg 37.6 and 1221cfs
@ Umtanum 39.5 and 1248 cfs
Another day in paradise
Fish-on
The Hatch
Report March 10, 2002
Yesterdays fishing was as typical
of a March day as I have ever seen; It only reconfirms why
I love this time of year. We did not catch numbers of trout....we
landed somewhere around 18 fish. However the average size
and brilliance of these fish were certainly noteworthy. Keith
Gorze and I mixed it up a bit with casting Blue Wings to rising
fish, and searching with Skwala dries and nymphs.
It was most definitely an enjoyable day. We spoke with a few
other anglers who also had met with success!
Water Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-6 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 feet
Water temps and flows at 8:30am
on the 10th were as follows
@Easton 39.5 degrees and 240cfs
@Cle Elum 36.5 and 612cfs
@Ellensburg 37 degrees and 1221cfs
@Umtanum 38 degrees and 1261 cfs
The Hatch
The Invisible, Imaginary and
Important Skwala Hatch Story
March 8, 2002 River Update
This next week of weather looks
as though it is built for spring fishing; highs at 50 and
lows in the upper 20's. That is a far sight better then our
low last night which was 7 degrees here in Ellensburg! Water
temp this morning at Umtanum was 35 degrees @7pm. An angler
should expect to see some good fishing this next week. Be
prepared for................
Insect - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Adult
Blue Wings(Mayfly) - - - - --#16-18 Grey, Olive body-Dun wing
Skwala(Stonefly) - - - - -- -#10 Dirty Yellow, Dun, Olive
Stonefly
Midge - - - - - - - - - - - - -- --# 22 Hatching Midge Adults
Amelytus(Mayfly) - - - - -- -#14-16 Tannish Olive body, Speckled
tan wing
Fish-on
Jack
March 7, 2002 Yakima River Report
The valley was greeted with snow
yesterday morning as well as this morning. Yesterday's fishing
was a bit slower then some of our reports over the last 3
weeks, yet fishing was certainly worthy. Our best fishing
yesterday was with nymphs, however we did have 4 fish attempt
to eat Skwala adults, with one legitimate hook up on the dry.
The most productive part of the day was between 3-5pm where
we managed to land approximately 18 fish.
The wildlife was out and about with quite a few eagles, and
other birds of prey visible. We saw a river otter that almost
rivaled the size of a beaver, remarkable! The other day one
of our guides counted 30+ eagles in the Farmlands!
Water Clarity is as follows:
Headwaters to Cle Elum River 6 feet
Cle Elum river confluence to the Teanaway 7 feet
Teanaway to KOA 6-7 feet
KOA to Wilson 5-6 feet
Wilson to Roza 4-5 feet
Water temps and flows at 3pm on the 7th were as follows
@Easton 40 degrees and 255cfs
@Cle Elum 39 and 759cfs
@Ellensburg 38 degrees and 1428cfs
@Umtanum 40 degrees and 1397 cfs
Floatability Chart
This chart explains the floatabiltiy of the river as we write
this. Rivers change quickly and dramatically due to water
fluctuations and Mother nature etc. We cannot be held responsible
for the reliability factor of this chart as we cannot control
mother nature.
Upper Yakima Proper--Certain stretches navigable, others completely
impassable in a drift boat/raft type vessel
Upper Flatlands--Currently navigable
Upper Canyon--Currently navigable; Take the right channel
200 yards down from the put in at the state launch
Farm Lands--Currently navigable; This area is subject to quick
change.
Lower Canyon--Currently navigable.
We will keep you updated as best as we can as conditions change.
The Hatch
February 27th
Nightime lows into the teens have shut
down the faucets a bit on the oversized Yakima and the water
has recovered nicely. It is still a bit big for the wade fisher,
so utilize the drifters if you can. Water clarity through
most of the lower system is still slightly below average for
late February, but the fish don't seem to mind the silt. We
had good nymphing yesterday afternoon and it should remain
solid through the next week. The fishing will not be the numbers
game that we had two weeks ago (we were hooking lots of fish),
but right now but they seem to be a bit larger on average.
Concentrate your efforts in the afternoon, it is quite cold
in the morning and the prime feeding time is later on in the
day.
We saw a massive midge emergence in the
farmlands yesterday, but water conditions kept the fish off
the tiny bugs. As soon as it warms a bit look for good midging
in the Ellensburg area.
Its almost here!
Joe @ the Hatch
February 23rd
Due to the warm weather and rain, the
Yakima River is not in fishing condition. We expect the river
to come back into shape within a few days. We will update
this report Sunday night to keep you in touch with the river
situation. Stay tuned.
February 19th
"Prepare your tackle. When you hook
a big fish, it is impossible to retie a knot or change a leader."
- Jim Chapralis
The Yakima has had its moments these
past few days with spring on the way. The Skwala Stone has
become quite active in the lower reaches of the Yak, and even
the Upper River showed us an adult today - just one. The dry
fly game with the adult Skwala is still going to be a couple
weeks out before the trout are really looking up, but the
nymphs are getting active on the edges of the heavier water.
Midges are still hatching daily, and with some clouds overhead
you can expect to find some pods working the softer stuff,
do not get caught on the water without some good midge patterns.
There are some Blue Wings that are hatching along with the
midge, but is not really showing itself as an important food
source as of yet. A dark olive size 18 parachute is tough
to beat right now for a midge or BWO. Start from there and
adjust your pattern only as needed. Making sure you can see
your fly is imperative to getting the drag free presentation.
The tributaries to the upper canyon were
contributing extremely turbid water this afternoon (pukeing
mud) and required us to tweak our efforts in order to negotiate
the adverse conditions. The creeks will blow up midday, but
the freezing at night keeps them in check for now. Overall,
the upper river was tough today and is still asleep for the
moment. It was a game of particular water at a particular
time of day and the rest was.... well, the scenery was real
nice. However, rewards came to us in lump sums. We only wish
we had a picture of the one that got away!
We had a report that the farmlands fished
very good today, and that the canyon was average. Probably
best to focus your efforts towards the lower end of the Yakima.
May there always be plenty of High Quality
H20!
Joe @ the Hatch
February 11, 2002
The Yakima is currently fishing
above average. The midge game has slowed a bit, mostly due
to the fact we have had beautiful skies overhead. My grandfather
will probably roll over in his grave, but personally I'll
take the sunshine over dry flying. The bugs have been there,
but as far as big fish I have only seen them on cloudy days.
And believe me, with a dark sky some big boys will put put
there heads above water.
The nymphing has been consistent. Presentation, bug selection,
and hitting the right water are all key elements right now.
The water is still cold and the fish do not need a lot of
calories so they can afford to be choosy. Make it go down
smooth, drag the bottom.
The Skwala migration is set to begin within the next 2 weeks,
in fact it has probably begun already. This usually means
some incredible nymphing. Big fish with rising metabolism,
don't miss it. The dry flying is soon to follow and dates
are beginning to fill. Book early if you can.
Respect the River and Fish On!
Joe @ the Hatch
February 7, 2002
"Rain and snow are measured
in inches, but then again so are fish", this saying could
not have been more true than on the Yakima River today. It
rained buckets, got cold, and then decided to dump snow. Prior
to Mother Nature's wet interuption the day was relatively
nice. The air temperature was above 40 degrees when we shoved
off and was quite pleasent during the first half of our day.
The nymphing was good as usual, and we actually got onto a
great pod of fishing eating primarily midge mid day. This
past week the dry flying has been quite good. We have found
that early in the hatch if you see a fish rise, it is sometimes
a good idea to give the pod some time to mature and give those
bigger fish an opportunity to show up. If you cast to and
catch the smaller fish before the others come up, bigger models
may spook before you even had a chance to work 'em. We have
seen big fish on top, and some pods working quicker water
so keep your eyes peeled. On a side note, I did spot my first
Blue Wing Olive of the year. Not typical and by no means would
I claim them to be a substantial food source as of yet, but
I thought I would mention it. Spring is on the way.
The forecast for the next week looks fishing friendly. Highs
are predicted to be in the upper 40's and lows in the upper
20's. Cloudy too, so that will probably mean good dry flying
opportunites . Check the passes before you go and bring some
6X for tossing midge patterns.
Joe Rotter @ the Hatch
February 1st
The Yakima River fished excellent today.
It should remain in very good shape throughout the weekend
and produce good opportunities all day. We caught fish from
9:30 a.m. until dark today, but our peak hours were still
approximately that 11 - 3 window. Fish were taking nymphs
willingly and streamers if the presentation was right. Check
the pass reports and go fishing! Good luck this weekend.
Joe @ the Hatch
Pass Report phone number: 1 - 800
- 695 - 7623
January 27th
The Yakima River fished incredible
this past week as air temps touched the 50 degree mark, which
is very unseasonable for Ellensburg in January. We were very
fortunate to have been on the water these days, it was about
as good as fishing can get without dry flies. The current
conditions are a bit less than perfect though, because our
night time low is about 18 degrees right now and will slow
the fishing as our water cools. Nymphing in the sunlight from
11 am to 2 pm though should still produce fish in the right
zones with a good presentation though. It might only be average
winter fishing the next few days, but any fishing is good
fishing. Nymph in the sunlight, its fun and I promise you
will hook more trout. Go Fish.
Joe Rotter @ the Hatch
Jan. 22, 2002
It was a beautiful day in our part
of Eastern Washington today, it felt like March without the
wind. At least it did until you put your hands in the water
grabbing trout. Fishing picked back up on the Yakima today
with some great nymphing mid day. After a tough couple of
outings last week its great to have the trout back on the
take. Lots of midge coming off, but the blue bird skies kept
the trout off the surface. I think 37 degree water had something
to do with the fish not wanting to lift too. Nymphing with
small bugs from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm was very good though.
Even with the cool nights, the early afternoon nymphing should
produce fish because our daily highs are predicted to be in
the mid 30's to possibly 40. No reason to stay home and tie
bugs the next few days, go fishing!
Joe @ the Hatch
Jan. 19, 2002 Yakima
River Report
A recent cold snap has lulled the fishing
on the Yakima for the past two days and should keep things
on the slow side until we see nighttime temps rise back into
the high twenties and day time temps approach the mid to upper
thirties. We are still catching fish in the cold though. They
have been taking streamers and nymphs about equally and we
have been seeing a fairly large average size, which is nice.
The water temp in the canyon at 12:00 pm today was 35 degrees,
so the fishing has slowed momentarily, but it really won’t
take much to bring the fish back on. When it comes to water
temp, “its all relative”. For example, if the water
temp cools from 39 to 37, the fish may not eat aggressively
at 37. But when the water warms from 35 to 37 it could turn
on! So, just keep in mind that if you can hit the river as
the water temp hits a strong rise you are in. Be very patient
on letting your streamers sink and retrieve, also make sure
the nymph rigs are hanging up on the bottom, constantly. If
you’re not losing flies, you probably are not catching
any fish either.
The midges have been very active the past two days, but bright
skies and cold water have kept the fish on the bottom and
away from any of our dry flies. The next warmer cloudy day
should produce some dry fly action in the right zones from
around 11 am to 2 pm depending. Keep your eyes fixed on the
slower seems when the midge are up. Until then, start tying
your Skwala, March Brown, and BWO patterns – the spring
and the best of the Yakima River’s dry fly fishing to
big rising trout is right around the corner. Get ready, and
fish on!
Joe @ the Hatch
Jan 8, 2002 Yakima
River Report
The valley and the surrounding mountains received a large
amount of rain and warm temperatures which in turn melted
most of the low lying snow. The river increased in flows dramatically
and the clarity went down. Our recommendation would be to
delay fishing the Yak until she subsides a bit!
Fish-on
The Hatch
Jan. 6, 2002 Yakima
River Report
The new year is upon us and the Yakima continues to produce
great fishing. Although this time of year can be unpredictable
when it comes to weather, for the most part the climate is
acceptable with the correct gear. Yesterday's fishing was
nothing short of great.
We are finally starting to see some of the traditional Winter
Midge fishing that we have been talking about. It is possible
that the delay on this hatch is basically due to the mild
late Fall early Winter climate we have been experiencing.
Nevertheless the Midge hatch is considerable and it seems
that the 32-38 degree cloudy overcast days are the best. Utilizing
various hatching and adult midge patterns in sizes 18-24 will
test any anglers fine dry fly skills. We recommend using a
3-4 weight medium action rod in the 8-81/2 foot length. Terminal
tippets @ 6x are recommended with 12 foot leaders. The hatch
usually commences around 11am and will continue throughout
the day in various locations. It is easy to spook a pod of
fish while trying to present the fly and if that happens,
kick back and let them resume their feeding patterns before
casting again at them. The small dry fly is certainly difficult
to see and there are times when the fish only want to eat
the adult midge. However, for those of you who find the little
dry fly game a bit much, the rising trout will often take
a small # 18-22 brassie beadhead or standard pupa pattern
suspended below a strike indicator. Another technique that
works quite well at times when targeting midging trout is
to utilize a traditional wet fly swing with very small pupa
soft hackles (#18-22). This technique is especially good when
the hatch is fairly prolific.
Aside from the midge curriculum, the nymphing and streamer
fishing is a standard. Dead drifting various nymphs and swinging
or stripping streamers is always a staple at this time of
year and most certainly productive. Generally when nymphing,
utilizing two nymphs is a great way to search and get more
bang for the buck. At this time of year with the colder water
temps, we have found that working a piece of water is most
productive. One of my favorite terms when nymphing with clients
is to "Tweak It". This term refers to making a change
in something if your not catching fish! What types of changes
might those be? Areas that angler can "Tweak It"
include but are not limited to.........
Depth of nymphs
Amount of lead (if any)
Positioning of lead
Angler Cast positioning
Presentation casts
Tippet designation
etc..
The streamer game is most certainly the big meal deal for
many trout. Standard Steelhead type swinging of streamers
is a great way to work down a specific run of water that you
particularly enjoy fishing. When fishing this way it is advantageous
to have various sink tips or heads so that you are able to
probe the right depth depending on the flow and depth of the
river. For an overall tip that is fairly functional we would
recommend a 10-15 foot type V or VI. There is plenty of water
that an angler can fish weighted streamers on dry lines as
well.
Most of us guides would agree that some of our favorite fishing
on the Yakima is during the Fringe Months. November through
March are what we refer to as the Fringe Months. There is
something about low clear water, ample wildlife, no people
and trout!
WE as a state have a wonderful resource in our backdoor. The
Yakima is truly a special river and we need to make sure that
it stays that way. Please feel free to e-mail or call with
any comments that come to mind in reference to Washington's
Blue Ribbon
Trout Stream. On the water daily.................
Respectfully and fish-on
The Hatch
*** lots of good information on the Yakima ***
2005
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