Dear Angler,

Here are the Quick Hitters for August:

$99 Lodge Suite Special - Sunday - Thursday from now through 8/31!
Summer Steelhead - The Klickitat is fishing great right now!
Cast 'n Blast - Upland bird hunting now open on the Mt. Baldy Ranch!
Columbia River Steelhead Counts - Off the charts... We are over 55,000 fish ahead of last year at Bonneville Dam!

This past week the Grasshopper population along the lush banks of the Yakima River in the Lower Canyon has exploded.  Similar to the way aquatic insects hatch from the water at specific times of the year, grasshoppers emerge from the soil and populate the shoreline as well.  They provide a hefty source of protein for trout living along the riverbank.  We have appropriately dubbed them... "trout candy". 

Read along to learn more about how to fish with grasshopper patterns, or better yet, come and get in a drift boat on the Yakima River and discover just how much fun August fly fishing with these big bugs can be.  Whether you decide to go on a guided adventure with us, or you are a long time shuttle customer, we love seeing you and we will do our best to make your summertime float a success!


August Lodge Special:
$99 Midweek Special Rate - (Sunday - Thursday)
For Reservations Call the lodge desk at 509.933.2100

August Hatches - Grasshoppers and Fly Fishing Tips - Yakima River


This great Cutthroat fell for a parachute Hopper pattern in the Upper Yakima River Canyon.

August is the month of the leggy terrestrial patterns.  July brought us the kick off of Summer Stoneflies, which are still going strong, and a few hoppers towards the second half, but August is when things really get rolling in the grasshopper department.  These big, dense, and vulnerable bugs account for some massive growth on the trout and it looks as though this summer is treating the trout right.  We started seeing an emergence of Hoppers last week and like aquatic insects -  Hoppers actually hatch out of the ground rather than the water, and live as grubs in the soil most of their life.  They go through a metamorphosis much like the hatches we are more familiar with (i.e. Caddis, Stoneflies, etc).  The key being that some areas or times can be thick with hoppers, or certain years can be thick with them as well!

In addition to pounding the banks with hoppers, the evening Caddis hatch has been consistent and strong, which is rare to see this late in the summer.  The last few weeks have been some of the most predictable (and productive!) late night hatches in recent memory.  It reminds us that insects are strongly cyclical and that we have been greatly emaciated in our lust for great Caddis fishing, too.  After a hot day, it is a great relief to tie on a Caddis fly in the evening time and catch a predictable rise for the last hour or two of the day.  By mid August the current Caddis and Mayflies will likely slow down a bit making room in the trout's diet for a steady supply of terrestrials.  In addition to a large variety of hoppers, the trout will look for June Bugs, which are essentially a living version of a giant Chernobyl Ant, Wasps, Beetles, Crickets, Crane Flies, and other UFO terrestrials that are not common, but seem to be delicious.  Finding a pattern that floats square and consistent on the water is important this time of year.  Choose a fly you can trust to float upright and is very symmetrical.

Cicada - Not common, but this is an example of what the trout will opportunistically forage on during the late summer on the Yakima River.

Yakima River Cast 'n Blast
"Wingshooting and Dry Fly Fishing - the BEST of the best!"

The Cast N Blast package in August might be the best time to combine GREAT dry fly fishing with an upland bird hunt on the Mt. Baldy Ranch, which is just minutes from our fly shop and lodge.  Just picture yourself chasing bird dogs in the early morning while it is still cool out, and then floating downstream casting grasshopper flies to wild trout in the evening!

The pricing for the Cast 'n Blast is $359 per person, per day. It is based on Double Occupancy, and when you combine that with our $99 midweek special it becomes a world class getaway at a great price.  The wild bird season does not open until October, so expect to hunt on our preserve which can be a mixture of Pheasants and Chukar.  Our flight pens are spacious and these are strong birds that fly well and provide a very high quality experience.  The preserve also has great scenery with a local band of Bighorn Sheep in the area.  We release 5 birds per hunter per day on these hunts, and throw in some extras for groups of 3 or more.  There are also some holdovers that remain in the area from previous hunts.  The crack shots might even bring home an extra bird or two.  Most of our guides use English Setter pointing dogs and are great with hunters of all skill levels.

Questions about planning a Cast 'n Blast?  Email Steve Joyce directly at steve@redsflyshop.com 

Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food


Click for official the invitation

Blueacre Seafood Restaurant is hosting author Paul Greenberg to celebrate the publication of his book, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food  on Wednesday, August 11th.  No host reception 6:00-6:30 p.m.  Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Blueacre Seafood Restaurant 1700 7th Ave in Seattle.

Please RSVP to lizette@blueacreseafood.com by August 9th

Summer Steelhead on the Klickitat is right NOW!



"The forecast predicts 85 degrees with nearly a 100% chance of Metalhead....be sure to bring your wading sandals because you will get very hot fighting those Klickitat River Steelhead in the hot afternoon hours." 

The worst of the glacial melt on the Klickitat River is behind us now and the river is looking good. The water clarity is great most days with the exception of an occasional burp of muddy water following the abnormally hot days.  Our guides can usually predict if that is going to happen.  Overall, fishing is rock solid and one of our guides putting up a double digit hook-up day last week!  Although this is not the norm, it seems to happening more and more. 

This is an easy trip to plan.  Just call the shop, book your trip, and stay the night in Goldendale.  Use either of the Motels listed below for lodging.  Goldendale is about 4 hours from Seattle, and about 3 hours from Portland.  You have the info, make the calls! :)

Red's Fly Shop: 509.933.2300
Quality Inn Motel:  1.800.358.5881
Ponderosa Motel:  509.773.5842

The Tinhead Ticker
Columbia River Steelhead Counts - they just keep on coming!

The WAVE of Steelhead continues to come up the Columbia... the river is still bulging!  Many of these fish are on their way to the Klickitat, Wenatchee, and Methow Rivers... our favorite rivers.  These are the numbers from Bonneville Dam on August 2nd at 10 pm.  We are over 55,000 fish ahead of last year's incredible pace!

10 Year Average - 115,872
2009 - 133,936
2010 - 188,342!

Steelhead Training Camp, August 22nd


Steelhead Training Camp
More Info and Sign Up Online

Are you new to Steelhead fishing and tired of seeing the "other guys" in all the pictures with big Steelhead?  Not to worry.  Come to our Steelhead fishing course on August 22nd and learn all the basics and some easy to understand advanced techniques for fishing Steelhead with your single handed or two-handed fly rod.  Your instructor will show you where, how, and when to fish the Columbia River system for Steelhead.  This includes detailed information on the Methow, Wenatchee, Klickitat, and Grand Ronde Rivers.  You can also join a guide the next day for a specially priced "Fish Along" on the Klickitat River for $295 per boat.  The guide will put you in the right spots and fish alongside you all day offering instruction and demonstration.  2 anglers per boat.

Pleasure Floats the Canyon

Have you ever floated the Yakima River Canyon without a fly rod?  It is always fun to fish, but sometimes leaving your rod behind and taking the whole family out for a couple of hours and floating the canyon mid day is a great time.  You will begin to notice a lot of new scenery now that there is no fly for you to stare at!  Read a book, look at the birds, or have a water fight - it is up to you.  We are now offering an affordable and safe way to float the Lower Canyon.  Combine this with an afternoon full of lounging by the pool with cold drinks at Canyon River Ranch.

$150 per float, it is about 2 hours in length and can host up to 6 people per boat.

Thanks Again!

We LOVE to hear from you.  Please ask any questions specific to fly fishing equipment, guide trips, fishing advice, or whatever you want - just email our pro shop at info@redsflyshop.com anytime and we are happy to help.