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Central Washington and the Yakima's most knowledgeable Guide Service/Fly Shop
The Hook up...
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The Evening
Hatch Home l
Riverside Adventures Home l
Report Page _________________________________________________________________________________________ 2004 Yakima River Fishing Reports
The
following charts and report will be updated as often as we can
get to the computer. It is provided by The Evening Hatch and Riverside
Adventures staff which have well over 120 combined years of
experience and over 5,000 drift trips in the last 16 years on the Yakima
River. Covering the river from its headwaters to Roza Dam, The
Evening Hatch/Riverside Adventures has an intimate knowledge of the
Yakima and we look forward to hosting you riverside in 2004.
Winter Hours until
Feb 1 The Evening Hatch will no longer be providing boat rentals and shuttle services. We have decided to cancel these services and concentrate on what we do best...Take People Fishing as well as provide a convenient retail outlet. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause
Respectfully and fish-on
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Notices:
___________________________________________________________________________________
Bugs of the Winter
Nymph suggestions
#16-22 Bead head
Brassies in the aforementioned colors
#16-20 Bead head
and standard PT's, Princes, Hares Ears, Soft hackle PT's
#18-22 WD's
#8-12 Skwala Nymphs Streamers and Buggers
#4-10 Cone head or Bead head Rubber leg
or standard Buggers in
Black, Brown, Olive, White or combinations of, JJ's, Double Bunny's etc.....
Yakima River Report for Saturday Dec 26th, 2004 The nymphing today was good to great in the Lower Canyon. Utilizing the proverbial Stone nymph and dropper (the dropper being of various types). Make sure to fish the shallow water before you step out into the run as many fish can be caught where most people stand! The streamer fishing wasn't half bad either, on both the swing and strip. We are also seeing some decent midge activity in isolated zones. Midge rises tend to be in the slower water areas, so keep a sharp eye as the rises are very zone specific. Don't get to technical with the adult midge patterns as the fish tend to be fairly willing as long as it is a reasonable rendition and presented decent. The weather for the next week looks like so... Tonight. Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows 25 to 30. Light and variable wind. Fish-on jack
Yakima River Report for Saturday Dec 23th, 2004 Aside from the incredible winds we received for two days, the weather has been quite nice. In fact yesterday and today look to be as nice as it gets during the winter. Regardless of the wind factor the other day we managed to scratch out a fairly decent day, landing around two dozen fish. We have been on the water every day for the last four days and have predominantly fished streamers on the strip and or swing. We have done a bit of nymphing, but not much. We hooked a couple incredible fish lately, one that would likely have gone 22-23 inches but unfortunately did not make it to the net for a photo. The swing fishing is back on track for the time being. We had a bit of a lull there for awhile!? Anyhow the midging looks as thought may start up again as well. We have seen a bit of activity lately, yet nothing to write home about. Wishing all of you the best of holidays, Until after Christmas, fish-on jack
Yakima River Report for Saturday Dec 18th, 2004 We continue to catch fish with both nymphs and streamers. When nymphing make sure to cover the water short before you fish out. During the winter you will find fish in shallow waters near the drop-offs. It is easy to walk into some of the best trout lies. Fish a combo nymph set up...A stone nymph (Skwala like) and a trailer (carry a variety-CJ's, PT's, RL Princes, Hare's Ears, Brassies, Lightning Bugs, Caddis Larvae) in #14-20 size ranges. If your not catching fish, tweak it; Meaning do something a bit different. Maybe add a bit more weight, more depth, a step up or out. When nymphing by foot you have to geometrically probe the slot that you are targeting. There are so many variables when it comes to nymphing that as an angler you need to be willing to change it up a bit if your not catching fish. Pick out your nymph spots and work them;
Change up if your not catching fish. We like to refer to it as "Tweaking
it". If one thing isn't working when nymphing, try another. Variables
that you can change when nymphing include but are not limited to- Stripping streamers has been "ok" and the sink tip swing has been "ok" lately. Check out some of our great Christmas specials... The biggest hit lately is the Battenkill Barstock III Reel Reg. $129 Sale price $85. Don't forget to buy your favorite person a Guided Adventure Gift Certificate! Check out our new photo section called Beyond the Net! By popular demand and default from the river rising on the 11th , we have added a couple more Winter Tactics Clinics in Jan on the following dates; Jan 8th and 15th! Nature is a "really big office", have a seat and enjoy! Happy holidays from the Hatch jack _________________________________________________________________________________________ Yakima River Report for Wednesday Dec 15th, 2004
The river is in
beautiful condition and the fishing is good with both nymphs and
streamers...end of story!!!
Happy Holidays and fish-on Yakima River Report for Sunday Dec 13th, 2004
The river is dropping
into shape rather quickly and the fishing in the Lower Canyon and
Farmlands was certainly worthy today!
Happy Holidays and fish-on jack Yakima River Report for Sunday Dec 12th, 2004
Just as the rain and
warmer temperatures have played havoc with the west side rivers, the
Yakima is currently out of shape as well. The Yakima is far
from flood stage, but definitely up and dirty. All the
tributaries are culprits and therefore from Easton down the river is
affected. Mr. Weather is calling for colder temps and no
precipitation so the river should drop and clear to a fishable
level/clarity over the next five days. We will keep you
posted.
Happy Holidays and fish-on jack Yakima River Report for Tuesday Dec 7nd, 2004
The entire Kittitas
Valley received her first dustings of snow yesterday morning, as
well as today. By the end of yesterday the snow had
melted away for the most part and looks as though it will again
today. The fishing has been average overall. The swing
fishing has been less than expected over the last week...for one
reason or another? Watch for that to pick up soon. The
nymphing has been good! Utilizing the proverbial stone nymph
and dropper is always a good bet. Have a variety of stone
nymphs, especially Skwala like. Also carrying a variety (CJ's,
PT's, RL Princes, Hare's Ears, Brassies, Lightning Bugs) of
droppers in the #14-20 size range. Adult midge patterns in the
box are a good idea as well.
Remember Pearl Harbor-Today! fish-on jack
Yakima River Report for Thursday Dec 2nd, 2004
The river is back
to typical flows for this time of year. The water temps are
holding at the 38-40 degree mark for the most part. The
fishing has been average to good. The midge activity has
slowed quite a bit in the Farmlands and Lower Canyon. Watch
for that to change as this next week progresses. We should see
an increase in surface activity as well as an overall upswing in the
fish catch. The catching lately has been average to good at
best.
This past few days the weather has been quite nice...cold, but nice! On the water jack Yakima River Report for Monday Nov 28th, 2004
The river
experienced a significant rise over the holiday due to a serious
amount of rain here on the dry side of the mountains. All the
tributaries from Cabin creek down were inflated and affecting the
system. The river is on the decline in levels and the clarity
is decent to good. We have been on the river everyday this
week. The catching has been a bit slower then it was
prior to the level change. Yesterday we managed to hook up
with approximately 25 fish and landed around 10.
Water temps have dropped over the last few days. Things are stabilizing and the best of the Winter fishing is just around the corner. On the water jack Yakima River Report for Monday Nov 22th, 2004
Yakima
Report
The fishing continues to be good to great in the Farmlands and the Lower Canyon. Multiple techniques can be used to fool the trout. Water levels and temps have dropped recently. Wading anglers will find ample foot access throughout the system. Our Winter Tactics clinics have been quite successful, enough so that we have added a few more dates. On the water... jack _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Yakima River Report for Monday Nov 15th, 2004
Yakima
Report
The water is clear
and low as we speak and the fishing is rockin! Multiple
techniques can be used currently to catchem. Casting dry fly
midge patterns to rising fish has been a fair game lately and should
only get better. Lately the rises have been sporadic
throughout the day. Nymphing both shallow and deep has been
effective along with stripping and swinging baitfish imitations.
Generally, the peak midging of the Winter is in December; just around the corner! In addition, the fishing on the swing is just plain awesome. Spent the last week on the Methow...Started out good and ended a bit weak! fish-on jack _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Yakima River Report for Friday Nov 5th, 2004
Yakima
Report
The river increased in flows approximately 400 cfs over the last 48
hours due to snow melt into the tribs.; It is currently dropping.
When the river increased it picked up a large amount of debris,
namely leaves which made the fishing a bit slow. The water clarity
remains good throughout the system. The fishing was great today but
the catching was a bit slower in comparison to the past week.
Expect the fishing to be good over the next week. Be ready to
mix it up a bit...use hairwing attractors in the #14-18 sizes as
well as nymphs and streamers. If you find rising fish, match the
hatch with Blue Wing and Mahogany Dun patterns. I will
personally be on the Methow for the next week!
fish-on jack ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Yakima River Report for Monday, Oct 31st, 2004
Yakima
Report
Yesterday and today
the weather has been a bit windy in the Kittitas valley...We
eloquently refer to it as Frikennuken, (It's kinda
windy); However, most of the days recently have
been beautiful and less harsh. The fishing report from the staff
shows the small fly game continuing to be the name of the game.
Utilizing a variety of small patterns from #16 to #22's is the fare
and again presentation is key. The water levels have lowered a bit
and continue to be conducive for both wading and drifting. Clarity
is great throughout the system and barring any unusual events should
remain low and clear for the most part until March. The river does
generally see a small increase in flows (as shown in the graph
below) somewhere in mid November to December due to the first
mountain snows melting into the tributaries on the late fall days.
The Lower Canyon
continues to offer the "bigger window" of opportunity on a daily
basis for the dry fly game as well as the overall window of
opportunity. The Farmlands have also been quite consistent. The
Upper Canyon and Upper Flatlands window is certainly smaller,
however the rewards can be great...and most certainly with less
pressure around. The Lower Canyon was literally inundated with
anglers yesterday.
Some of my favorite
fishing is just around the corner.....If you are interested in
learning more about winter fishing
check this out!
Respectfully and waterside 365...jack
Yakima River Report for Monday, Oct 20th, 2004
The last few days
of fishing here on the Yakima river have been quite good. In fact
the risefests we mentioned in the previous
reports have materialized. Little flies are the fare and at times
the fish are quite picky.
Presentation, presentation and
presentation /
Position,
position and position are critical in successful hookups on the
water...especially with dry flies and floating emergers. Water
temps have dropped significantly over the last week due to the
cooling trend Washington is experiencing.There is a direct relation
to the risefests and the cooler water
temps. We should see some great action over the next 20 days!
Fish-on jack Fishing on the Methow River has been good!
Yakima River Report for Monday,
Oct 15th,
2004
Well it has been a while since the last report! This phenomenon is mostly due to being on the water just a little, I mean quite a bit! The fishing on the Yakima has been good to great depending on the day. Overall strategy would be "Little Bugs"...especially nymphs. Dry droppers and nymph rigs have been the best approach for numbers of fish and flies from #16-22 the fare. We have been blessed with classic fall weather days lately making the surroundings quite pleasant. The risefests of the fall have not materialized throughout the system yet but being in the right place at the right time has been predictable for dry fly fishing. We should see increased surface feeding activity during the daytime as the month progresses and make sure you stay out until the last hour currently as the rises have been good at the end! The weather for the upcoming week is as follows...
By the way the Methow river fishing has been awesome; Don't let anyone tell you different! fish-on jack
Yakima
River Report for Monday,
Oct 2nd,
2004
The following weather
report is favorable for both the fishing and the fisherman.
Hatches are light
to medium overall and the Mahogany Duns have not materialized in
any number yet for the 2004 season. In the Farmlands and Lower
Canyon, the Baetis (BWO) continues to be the predominant bug of choice
followed by the Hydro psyche Caddis. Other bugs include the Light
Cahill, Mahogany Dun , Crane flies, Bees, Ants, Hoppers and
the October Caddis. The Upper Canyon and Upper Flatlands continue
to sport better numbers of the October Caddis
Remember from the
Fall into early Winter on the Yakima is most definitely
the far and fine season and will require a keen eye at times to decipher
what the swimmer is eating... Is it the Dun, emerger, spinner
or nymph of the particular insect that the trout is selectively keying
in on? Keep an eye on rise forms as sometimes that is a
great way to figure the selectivity.
Some of the best
of the Fall rises are yet to come. Generally the third and
fourth week of Oct can be the most intense...
waterside,
jack
Yakima
River Report for Monday,
Sept 29th,
2004
The river
saw a bit of pressure this past weekend as many people took advantage
of the wonderful weather Central Washington is famous for. Mother
nature dealt the cards right this last weekend with cobalt blue skies,
almost zero wind, cool nights and warm days. We would like to
thank all of you who stopped by the Customer Appreciation Day ...and
we hope you enjoyed it! We will make it an annual event.
The fishing over the last few days has been good to great throughout the system. The techniques have varied as usual...everything from far and fine, big and ugly and in between. All in all the nymphing has probably been the mainstay for numbers of trout. The trout are certainly tuned into a multitude of food sources and changing up techniques in reference to a part of the day, part of the river and the weather is worthy strategy The upcoming week of weather looks like so....
Flies of the Fall--Suggested
List
Terrestrial Flies #8-12 Dave's Hoppers, #10-16 Parchute Ants, #12-16 Yellow Jackets Attractor Dry Flies
#14-20 Parachute Wulff's, Royal Wulff's, H&L Variant, Humpies,
Para Adams
Hatch Specific Dry Fly Patterns
#14-18 Light Cahill's in Parachute and Standard Thorax ties
#18-22 Parachute, Sparkle Dun & Comparadun Baetis
#16-18 Parachute, Sparkle Dun & Comparadun Mohaggany Duns
#18-22 Para Midge
#16-18 Hydropsyche Caddis (Tan) #8-10 October Caddis #8-12 Cranefly Adults Nymph suggestions
#16-20 Bead head Copper Johns in Red, Black, Green and Brass
#16-22 Bead head Brassies in the aforementioned colors
#16-20 Bead head and standard PT's, Princes, Hares Ears, Soft hackle
PT's
#18-22 WD's
#12-16 Egg Patterns Match the hatch Wet fly suggestions
#14-18 Light Cahill
#18-20 Partridge and Peacock
#16-20 Blue Dun
#16-20 Soft Hackle PT
Streamers and Buggers
#4-10
Cone head or Bead head Rubber leg Buggers in Black, Brown, Olive,
White or combinations of
#4-10 JJ's, Double Bunny's etc.....
on the Water... jack
Yakima
River Report for Monday,
Sept 24th,
2004
If you are not
catching fish currently on the Yakima system....change up, as the fishing
is rockin!
End of story....on the water jack
Yakima
River Report for Monday,
Sept 20th,
2004
As we are basically
catapulted into the fall season the fishing rocks on. The little
dry fly and nymph is becoming the mainstay especially in the Farmlands
and Lower Canyon. This time of year and the aforementioned techniques
require slack line drifts and great presentation. The smaller
dry flies are more difficult to present in a drag free presentation
mostly because of the size of the fly. The big bugs of the summer
are easier to keep on the surface and although some dimension of drag
is most likely present with the summer hopper and/or the stonefly, the
fly is certainly more buoyant than the likes of the #16-20 Baetis, Mahogany
and Cahill patterns used in the fall "risefests"
Flies of the Fall--Suggested List
Attractor Dry Flies
#14-20 Parachute Wulffs, Royal Wulffs, H&L Variant, Humpies, Para
Adams
Hatch Specific Dry Fly Patterns
#14-18 Light Cahills in Parachute and Standard Thorax ties
#18-22 Parachute, Sparkle Dun & Comparadun Baetis
#16-18 Parachute, Sparkle Dun & Comparadun Mohaggany Duns
#18-22 Para Midge
Nymph suggestions
#16-20 Bead head Copper Johns in Red, Black, Green and Brass
#16-22 Bead head Brassies in the aforementioned colors
#16-20 Bead head and standard PT's, Princes, Hares Ears, Soft hackle
PT's
#18-22 WD's
Match the hatch Wet fly suggestions
#14-18 Light Cahill
#18-20 Partridge and Peacock
#16-20 Blue Dun
#16-20 Soft Hackle PT
Streamers and Buggers
#4-10
Cone head or Bead head Rubber leg Buggers in Black, Brown, Olive, White
or combinations of
#4-10 JJ's, Double Bunny's etc.....
Currently water
levels are built for wading and/or drift fishin and will remain
this way until mid April barring an unusual winter freshet. We
will be hosting 2 and possibly a 3rd Winter
Fishing Clinic based on the demand . This course will
teach the ins and outs of the "Other Season" on the Yakima...
On the water 365 fish-on Jack Yakima River Report for Friday, September 15th, 2004 The valley has seen some interesting weather over the last week; Ample clouds and rain showers has been the pattern with a bit of wind mixed in here and there. The weather for the next 5 days is basically more of the same, minus the wind!
The fishing and catching has been good. We are starting to see a few pods of fish feeding on the Baetis! This is a nice change to the basic searching with dries we have been seeing for the last few months of high water. The water is wader friendly throughout the system as well. Utilizing multiple techniques to catch the trout including, big dries, little dries, full-on nymphing, dry droppers, streamers and the swing are all worthy techniques. Remember, the Fall can be " The Far and Fine" season on the Yakima... Finer tippets and smaller bugs, especially with dry flies and nymphs! Fish-on The Hatch and Riverside Yakima River Report for Friday, September 8th, 2004 The cobalt blue skies and cool nights of Fall are here. Air temperatures have been swinging from around the 45 degree mark at night to 80 degrees during the day. The water temps are swinging as well about 5-6 degrees throughout the day. The overall fishing throughout the system has been good. We have been seeing lots and lots of fish in the 9-15 inch range coming to the dry with an occasional surprise into the high teens. Most of the big fish lately have been on the streamer. Nymphing has also been good for numbers of fish. Remember, as the fall progresses the small nymphs will be key. The fall also promotes fishing the traditional wet fly on the swing ...just ask Mrs. Lechner! The Irrigation return in the Upper Canyon is now flowing....so be careful. Also, the mosquitoes are on the prowl. Fish-on The Hatch and Riverside Yakima River Report for Friday, September 3rd, 2004 It's officially rodeo time here in Ellensburg and the summer flows at the start of Labor Day weekend on the Yakima are currently dropping rather rapidly. Mega flows on the Yakima will be a thing of the past come the start of next week and dare I say the fishing has been downright smokin' over the last few days? We have been experiencing some much cooler than normal air temps and the fish are breathing a collective sigh as the water temps subside. You name it, its been good! Dries, streamers, and nymphs have all been good particularly in that exact order. Who wants to nymph anyway when the fish are literally attacking the dry fly and or streamer? If your coming over this side of the mountains for anything outdoors, be sure to dress warmer than usual as it is downright chilly in the mornings and evenings with a forecast for much of the same. High temps through the weekend will barely eclipse the 75 degree mark with breezy and blustery conditions throughout the valley. The fishing forecast this weekend looks to be shaping up perfectly. Nuff' said, see you on the river! --Hatch and Riverside
Yakima River Report for Monday, August 31st, 2004 The fishing remains average to good throughout the system of late with the occasional "whack fest" taking place on those unseasonably cool and stormy days. There has been an abundance of bugs for the fish to choose from lately with the majority of the action happening under a stone or hopper pattern. If your in the right place at what seems to be the right time and nothing is working, switch it up, as the pattern you are throwing might not be the ticket. Fish can be finicky this time of year as they have "seen it" a thousand times in many instances and would probably eat something else if it hadn't been thrown their direction time after time for the last week straight. Hot days are hopper days, cooler days are stonefly days. It often pays to adjust your patterns accordingly. Another option this time of year is to downsize your patterns as the smaller bugs make their entrance through late summer. Short Wing Stones are quite prevalent right now as well as Yellow Sally's. Yellow Mays and Baetis continue to hatch sporadically but watch for these to be the dish of choice over the next few months. The cooler weather we are experiencing is great for the water temps and the hatches of Fall. On the water 365! jack
Yakima River Report for Monday, August 25th, 2004 The weather change
we received lately was certainly welcomed. The cooler temperatures
are definitely a reprieve from the past month of hot and abnormally
humid temps. The river water temps, while still not optimal, have
cooled an average of 5 degrees across the board from the Upper Proper
to the Lower Canyon. Fishing has been good throughout the system.
From the Upper Flatlands to Roza the fishing and catching has been
good. As of lately, we would rate the slowest section of
the river in the Upper Proper. The combination of late summer/fall
yellow mayflies or Cahills, a variety of terrestrials, summer
stoneflies and summer Baetis are keeping the trout looking
up. With the cooler weather, some anglers may opt to bring
along the wading gear as the day time highs are projected to be in the
lower 70's in Ellensburg and in the high 60's in the upper county for
the next week. The weather report looks good for the fishing over the
next week.
Fish-on The Hatch
Yakima River Report for Monday, August 19th, 2004 Wow,
Warm water temps...especially in the Lower Canyon. Go
easy on the fish!
The hatch Yakima River Report for Monday, August 14th, 2004 As the summer rolls
on, so does the water. Currently the river is shy of the typical
full summer volume. Over the last few days the water has dropped
a bit each day. As the water blazes on, so does the heat.
Air-temps over the last few days have reached the 100+ degree mark!
Currently the water temps on the Yakima are close to alarming and are
of concern. We are seeing water temps ranging from 64-65 in the
am to 66-70 in the pm. Typically the water temps are
at their coolest during the heat of summer at around 9am and at their
warmest around 7pm. Executing proper and efficient catch and release
tactics is always a goal. When water temps are warm, such as they
are, this goal becomes even more crucial as the trout's
survival is at higher risk during these conditions. Fishing
in the mornings is always a good bet for this time of year and these
conditions.
Over the years we have seen some warm water temps; however the last two years of releases out the Cle Elum Reservoir statistically are warmer than the average. The Cle Elum is a bottom fed tailwater and should stay cool. It is possible the lower than normal inflows into the reservoirs as well as the overall lower reservoir capacity over the last few years has allowed the waters to warm to above average reservoir temps during the summer time Anyhow, our service has been from the headwaters to Roza over the last week and we have seen some great fishing. However, as mentioned before, the water temps have slowed things down a bit and the "Big Boys" have not been on the prowl as much over the last few days. Pray for cooler airtemps...... Fish-on jack @ the hatch
Yakima River Report for Monday, August 11th, 2004 ........and it continues. The fishing has been just plain good (from a boat) all week long. Fortunately, the barometer has been nowhere near stable lately and the weather patterns keep rollin' through creating fabulous fishing conditions. Unfortunately, the next few days the weather man is forecasting some EXTREME temperatures for our area which in turn could and should push the action to the mornings and evenings. Lately we have been seeing some good caddis activity throughout the lower canyon and the fish are eating both dry and pupa patterns. Lafontaine's, leviathan's, sparkle pupa's, lightning bugs, pheasant tails (CDC) and rock worm patterns have been really effective fished either in tandem with a stone pattern or dropped off the back of a big chernobyl. Although, come late in the evening, disregard everything just mentioned and throw a big dry with a little bit 'o' action tight to the bank. Last night it happened at 8:00pm sharp. The nocturnal summer stone activity has been quite prolific lately and just because they aren't visible throughout the course of a day doesn't mean they aren't there. Yesterday, I dropped my anchor in a grassy bank and literally 40 to 50 fresh stone shucks came floating out. It definitely pays to do a little investigating along the banks from time to time to figure out just what is going on. Not everything that triggers fish activity in the insect world happens just while an angler is on the water. Tip of the day: To effectively fish a big dry fly in close quarters to a bank, line control is key! Most often when an angler is having a hard time "sticking" fish after fish when the bite is on, the reason is simply line control. Even if an angler claims to be the greatest caster in the world, if they can't execute a proper mend, well... let's just say it can be incredibly frustrating for everybody within earshot. A "proper" mend takes place in the first 3 to 6 feet FROM the fly. If that line is not properly deposited upstream of your fly just after hitting the water, it literally takes just one second for a belly to form in your line resulting in a substantial decrease in hook setting control in the cast. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it! --The Hatch and Riverside
Yakima River Report for Monday, August 7th, 2004 The last 5 days of fishing has been quite awesome. We tend to see big fish at this time of year! Covering water with various dry flies is a great strategy. The last few days we experienced mega cloud cover which helped the fishing as well. However, the big fish are looking for the fly regardless of the day as seen in these photos. fish-on jack Yakima River Report for Monday, August 4nd, 2004 It is nice to be back in the county; I have personally been out of the area for approximately 40 days in Jurassic River Country! To view photos of smiling faces, big trout and great landscapes from the Rio Dinosaur, click here & here! The Yakima River is currently in typical Summer form. While multiple techniques can be used to dupe the trout at this time of year, conditions often favor themselves to tossing dry flies all day long (certainly my favorite). Covering water while fishing grass banks, rock walls, undercut banks and the like with terrestrials, summer stones and a light mixture of smaller insects (Caddis, Summer Baetis and Yellow Mays (especially in the fringe hours)) provide an angler ample opportunities with the dry fly. Make sure to have a variety patterns as some days they like'em big and fat and other days they like'em skinny and low profiled. If nymphing is your fancy, often times a dropper behind a large dry is very effective as many fish are fringe dwellers at this time of year and water depths near the edges tend to be in the 2-4 foot depth. Droppers often times need more weight to get them down quickly. Don't be afraid to add a tick of micro-shot above your nymph to get the dropper down quickly. When fishing a dry dropper, it is essential to have a dry that is a "good floater". Some of the C-Ant patterns and hopper patterns tend to be more buoyant than others. Full on strike indicator fishing is always an option as well. The big flows and currents of the summer make this style of fishing a bit more demanding due to "getting the nymph down" as well as presenting the fly "drag free via slack line techniques." It is most certainly a worthy option especially where one can get out of the boat and work an oxygenated piece of water with various depths and bugs. When nymphing unsuccessfully, be willing to change up by either adding more weight, more distance between the indicator and the flies, changing your patterns, and tweaking your position! just another day in paradise... fish-on jack Yakima River Report for Monday, August 2nd, 2004 The fishing the last week or so has remained steady through the entire Yakima system with the mornings and evenings providing the bulk of the entertainment. We have also experienced some good fishing mid-day, depending on the day, with both big dries and sub surface bobber tactics. Yesterday the fishing was good from 2:00pm on into the evening using both techniques. With the weather the way it has been, it's either going to be good throughout the day and slow in the evening, or slow through the day and good in the evening. This is a typical rule of thumb during the hotter months as the fish tend to not be quite as fisherman friendly for long periods throughout a typical day; although, it is not ALL TO uncommon to experience a ridiculous day of fishing from dawn till dusk if the weather is just right. Speaking of weather, here is the next week's worth according to NOAA!
Yakima River Report for Monday, July 26th, 2004 Much of the same! Fishing remains good early and late. Flows have been mildly fluctuating between 3700cfs and 4200cfs throughout the lower canyon. If anything changes, either fishing or weather related, we'll be the first to let you know; but just in case, here is the weather forecast for the next week. Remember, there are plenty of options that can provide some great fishing other than the lower canyon this time of year! Administering the twitch, --The Hatch and Riverside
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