Big Dry Flies, Droppers, and some trout with a few laughs.


Screening Bugs and stuff with a Measure Net



A fantastic Cutt caught on a....


...Size 16 Miller High Life.



The hookup, the fight, and the...



release...


If this was your fishing partner it wouldn't hurt.  Unless....


...she catches the biggest fish!

    JULY, 2009 - NEW!!!

6/29/2009

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: Some ideas: Chubby Chernobyl Ants, Orange Parachute PMX, Peacock Stacker Caddis (CDC Caddis that rocks the last 2 hours of daylight in the LC), Tupac Stone #10, Bugmeister #8, Gypsy King (all colors great) #10-6, Bloody Mary #16, CDC Prince 14,16, X Caddis (evenings), PMD emergers, cripples, and parachutes (mid day), Pat's and other big stones (mid day), Streamers (early in the morning), Green Winged Thing #10/8

Time: Early or Late is better for dry fly fishing, mid day is still ok but you likely have to nymph for numbers.

Results: --

The last 10 days have been like Nirvana.  Wet wading, dry flies, clean water, and pretty good trout fishing all make for a great start to summer fishing.  All sections are producing well, especially the one where your dry fly is perfectly drag free and there happens to be a hungry trout.  That section is the most productive, we hate to overcrowd it but we bring it to you straight.  No BS here, go for it.  Hit that section again and again even it means you have to put your boat in the water and refloat it.  Where is that section you ask? Usually at about a 45 degree angle downstream from you. Sometimes it is the left side of the Ringer to Red's float or sometimes it is on the right.  Every now and then it might be in the Farmlands, or EVEN from Red's to the Slab.  Once in a while... the Upper Yakima near Cle Elum.  BUT if you cannot find this section, there is a place that drag fee does not matter.  That is right, we said it.  Drag free is against the rules and the fish will chase your fly and tackle it like Howie Long before he got glasses, a $200 haircut, and a laser pointer.  The fish are up to 5-6 pounds and fight like trucks!  This place is.... drum roll please.... the Lower Yakima where smallmouth are pounding Buggers like that Asian guy from Koney Island eats hot dogs.  How they fit that much in their stomach is beyond me, but that guy might be part smallmouth.  They are like a pair of spandex, you can shove an awful lot inside, usually too much.  Now reach for the phone, dial 509.929.1802 and ask to go to this special place with one of our Bassin' professionals.   And now for a philosophical question... if we get paid to take people bass fishing, does that make us "Pro Bass Fisherman"?  I say it does.  Better get about 150 patches to sew on the ol' guide shirt.

6/25/2009

Anglers: Erik, Brandy, and Bill

Location: Red's to Slab

Flies: sz. 6-12 P Stone and K Stone (brown and black), sz. 14, 16 PT, some Stone dries and Caddis

Time: 7:30 am  - 1:00 pm

Results: 23 trout landed and 2 NPM's!

All sections of the Yakima are currently fishing well. The nymph fishing is the mainstay for daylight hours, while big dry flies and Caddis are the focus for the evening period. If you can fish late, do it - it's worthwhile! If you need to be off the river early, it's still worth getting over. The report above was from some of our regular customers who did just that yesterday, and had a great day then took the time to send us a detailed report! The Smallmouth fishing on the Lower Yak is ON right now. We had 2 great days down there last week. We are seeing good dry fly fishing at still floatable levels on the Naches, and I swung the Klickitat for Steelhead with guests yesterday. The Klick is in prime shape and felt perfect, but no "fishy grabs." The best swinging option in WA right now is Smallmouth on the Lower Yakima! Steve S. found a bunch, and they pulled HARD! So many places to be, so little time to do it all. There's only one solution - overnighter!

6/23/2009

Anglers: Giles and Derek

Location: MM20 - Red's

Flies: Brown Plan B #8, Black Plan B #8, Turk's Tarantula #8/6, Orange/Yellow Parachute Stimulator #8/6/10, Stacker Caddis Peacock #16,18, X Caddis Peacock #16, Tan Pat's Stone #8, Lime Green Wire Caddis #16 (can't remember the real name - it has a black beadhead on it), Gold Scud Hook Lightning Bug, CDC Caddis emerger

Time: 2 pm  - 9:30 pm

Results: 10+ trout landed, up to 17" - great evening float!

The guys took off after work and jumped on the river last night and had a good evening of dry fly fishing once the sun went down and the hatch began!  There were some stoneflies on the water, but the Caddis triggered the action and there were fish rising aggressively the last couple hours of light.  Nothing like working at a place where you can be from the cash register to the river in a matter of seconds.  Fishing overall is good on the Yakima right now with perfect flows and hungry fish.  We are finally starting to get some consistent dry fly fishing and it should only get better as the season goes on.  Look for a PMD hatch mid day, but the real action is at dusk.  Using a big dry fly combined with Caddis trailer is a great way to go and if you find consistently rising fish then ditch the big fly and run solo.

6/16/2009

Anglers: 4 boatloads of Bassmasters

Location: Lower Yak West Richland

Flies: sz. 2,4 Zonkers (olive, black, yellow),sz. 4 Chartreuse poppers, sz. 4 Sculpzilla

Time: 9 am  - 7 pm

Results: 8 Smallies and 3 catfish landed!

The report specs above are from the Smallmouth Bass clinic on Saturday the 13th. While conditions were not great (6500 cfs and 12" visibility), they were the best we've seen so far this season down there. No that's not a typo - 3 catfish were landed on fly tackle including the bruiser Ted caught, which inhaled a Black Bass Buster deep into its' throat. The clinic accomplished introducing everyone to a new piece of water on the Lower Yak. It's a completely different fishery than the headwaters, and requires a different skill set. Casting a 300 grain Teeny line with a heavy fly is not for the feint of heart, but the reward is worth the effort. Two of the three anglers in my boat suffered second degree line burns on our fingers from line being peeled out at a rapid rate! Even though you won't admit it at the time it happens (especially if you lose the fish because of it) - man does it hurt! Thanks to all who participated and welcome to a new fishery. On another note - the trout waters of the Yak are in great shape and we are starting to see improved dry fly fishing throughout the system. We are looking forward to the next couple of weeks. We hope you can make it over to see us soon!

6/15/2009 pm

Anglers: Arne, Blair, and Joe

Location: South Cle Elum Bridge to Thorp Bridge

Flies: Red Winged Thing #8, CDC Prince #12, Tan Pat's #8, Red Copper John #16, Golden K Stone with Yellow Rubber Legs $10/8, Gypsy King w/ Peach Foam #8, Marathon Bug (Orange Parachute Stimulator) #6/8, Gold Lightning Bug on Scud hook

Time: 9 am  - 7 pm

Results: 10++ trout landed, and only 3 flies lost all day!

Oohhhhhhhh man...  we have been longing for some decent dry fly fishing!  We got it yesterday too finally.  Summer has begun with clear water and wet wading.  Golden Stones upriver and a PMD hatch in the Lower Canyon = fun x 2bent rods.  We used nymphs, dries, and dry droppers with equal success on each.  The water is very clear and the fish are willing to chase a dry fly.  The next week should be very good with still dropping flows.  It is like a dream, flows are back in check finally after the biggest, longest period of high runoff that anyone in our company has ever seen.  In the long run, it will result in good fishing down the road but it was a bumpy ride.  If someone had asked us 2 years ago if we ever thought we would be consistently guiding the Yakima River at 6,000 cfs plus we would have tried to punch them in the stomach for asking such a senseless question.  If you happened to ask that, now you get one free shot punching our guide service manager in the stomach for being so naive. Doubtful anybody asked, you guys are smarter than we are.  Plus it was just a joke so no cheap shots.

Strategy wise, PMD's are the game in the lower canyon mid day and Caddis in the evening.  For PMD nymphs use #16 CDC PT's during the hatch, Copper Johns, original recipe, #16 for general prospecting, and the BEST fly (while supplies last) is a Gold Lightning Bug tied on a Scud hook.  It is in one of the back rows trying to stay concealed.  Go for it, grab a bunch, don't feel bad.  It is a great fly.  For dries, there are plenty of PMD cripple and emerger type patterns in stock, each seems to have a cute catchy name that escapes me in my current state of guide euphoria.  As the water clears think about ditching the stonefly nymph and going for 1 or 2 small bugs and a chunk of shot for ballast.  The fish are almost done eating a Pat's stone forever, well not quite but almost.  If you are a die hard try staying out till dark and fishing Caddis, and we mean DARK.  The last 20 minutes are absurd right now for rising trout on Caddis.

6/11/2009

Anglers: Gary and JB, Joe, Jesus, and PJ, Steve, Walt, and Sam

Location: We covered most of the river yesterday from Cle Elum to Red's with a handful of guides.

Flies: Golden K-Stonefly nymphs sz. 6-10, Double Beaded Golden K Stone w/ rubber legs, Bloody Mary #14, Tan Pat's Stone #10, Orange San Juan Worms, Brown Pearl Worm, Red Pearl Worm, Little Green Machine #16 (green Mayfly Nymph), Holographic Prince Nymph #14, VD's Caddis Crack #16

Time: --

Results: About 6-10+ trout landed per boat.

Now we're talking, rowing this river feels like nothing at 4,000 cfs compared to what it was.  Either that or our arms are just getting stronger.  The guide's payscale doesn't afford us to buy Andro so we have to do it the old fashioned way.  Red meat for protein mixed with liquid malt carb loading in the afternoon and evening.  Fishing has picked up and we are starting to see the old Yakima coming back around with manageable flows and hungry fish.  The lack of good dry fly fishing, which has been a mystery, should go away as the PMD's, Caddis, Golden Stones, and Summer Stones (3 weeks out) start to tempt the trout up top.  There is so much food available underneath when the river is big that they don't need to spend anytime near the surface.  Make sure to have some good light colored Stones as the Goldens are very active both in and out of the water.  A Tan Pat's Stone is very tough to beat and won "Best Bug" award yesterday in an informal trout taste test performed between MM18 and MM17.  Inconclusive evidence that it was the best bug we tried.  We tied one on each line and they both hooked fish.  Kind of like the Pepsi challenge, rigged. 

Also, wanted to say thanks to the wade fisherman just above Umtanum that invited us to fish through after we started to row around him to give plenty of pedestrian space, that was a class move on his part and great etiquette.  We always row around the waders with plenty of space and being invited to fish through once in a while is pretty cool.  Thanks man.

And now.... an entertaining aside from a former undercover agent of the Maker's Mark Brotherhood of Red's Fly Shop Hatred.  As sent to Red's a few days ago.  This is the funniest thing we have ever been sent, literally.

We are trying to hate you guys since you moved into our river ,in our, canyon, in our county, of our state(even though I live in Seattle) we ( my pals and I ), fish about 70 days
A year and we heard you were coming and we grabbed a bottle of makers mark and prepared a plan to hate you forever. Well I have failed. The shop is great and everyone near seems to not care if I am spending money or not,they are really nice and helpfull
The guides that are working for you, the ones that are too old to row,or the ones that are too young to have a clue, both seem to be awsome,forthrite with info and enthusiasm and that makes me stoked to be on the river even though my arch nemisi are on my river too. The shuttle , the upcoming events and past that I secretly attended, only in an effort to infiltrate your ranks to speed the demise of the new reds fly shop.Were great as well!!! All the services are awsome and that is coming from someone who with every fiber of my soul has resisted falling into your clever dottrap.well the final straw has been the power hour reports! I have called off my trout gihadists and have now joined the purple juice drinking (crown royal) reds fan partially due to the great and interesting info on the power hour. It causes me to bounce all around the web site for more current and interesting stuff sales, events,river flows. I thought my I-phone was for watching porn , but no,  it's brought into my life by god, to end the bad feelings I had twords Reds fly shop, for making my river a better place to be in some ways. I am sure that.a lot of my fear is that you guys would turn this into a Patagonia safari outfit with zip off leg pant wearing waste land, but even though I spot those people from time to time they are not so bad when they are wrageled by your skilled handelers.(do those bug off shirts really work).so thanks for renting me a boat when mine was down, for a short repair , and thanks for being a good group of people who love fishing as much as I do, and not being pricks because that was my biggest fear...............feel free to forward this to the world I am a changed man, but could I have my quail hot spot back , my dog is getting fat.
         Anonymous

P.S. I know two things. I love to fish and I can't spell

Sent from my iPhone

6/9/2009

Anglers: Blair, Samantha, and Johnny

Location: Farmlands

Flies: Stonefly nymphs sz. 6-12, mayfly nymphs (pt's, cj's, and prince's) sz. 14-18, SJ Worm sz. 8-12,sz. 8 Winged Thing, sz. 6 Plan B

5/31/2009

Anglers: Bill, Paul, and Joe

Location: Farmlands

Flies: SJ Worms - all colors, Brown #6 K Stones, Sculpzilla (baby sized), Prince Nymphs, Red CJ

Time: 8 am - 5 pm

Results: 8 landed - 6 trout and 2 Ytfish.

7,000 Plus Club! (sorry to steal your Thunder 6,000+ club'ers)  7K was officially conquered yesterday, Bill and Paul decided to entrust life, limb, and $405 in their guide's wisdom and we made a successful day out of it and one they won't soon forget.  We had a great time fishing mixed with a wild boat ride and a fat lunch.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday eh?  We were headed out this morning to ride the river but opted it out with flows over 9,000 cfs!  There is now water coming over the road at Ringer.  Oh my, this has been quite a ride this spring.  Instead of floating the river we decided to lake fish and it was great.  Call for advice or direction if you are heading east and need some lake info.  We'll see if the river clears and drops a bit, we have found a few sloughs and springs that are holding clear water and a few fish so if it stabilizes for a few days we'll give it another go.  For all intents and purposes consider it blown, we will probably still keep fishing and guiding some but wait for the drop because when it does... hang on.  The flow conditions have essentially given most of the trout a "closed season" so far this year.  These fish will be aggressive and healthy.

5/30/2009

Anglers: Forest, Ron, and Joe

Location: Farmlands

Flies: Prince Nymph #14, Copper John #16, Orange San Juan Worm #14, Brown Pearl SJ Worm, Red Pearl SJ Worm, Brown K-Stone #8/6, Black K Stone #8, BH PT #14, Bloody Mary #14, Holographic Prince #14 - (same fly patterns daily right now)

Time: 10 am - 3 pm

Results: 11 landed - 7 trout, 3 Ytfish, and 1 Pike Minnow. (one angler - first time fly fishing, other angler had fished once or twice ever - good work guys!)

We managed to pull it off again yesterday, good fishing and 2 Bows that stretched to 18" and nice Cutt in the 15-16" range.  It looks like we are going to be starting a new club today, get ready for the 7,000 Plus Club!  This is uncharted territory for us right now on the Yakima - been fishing here for 11 seasons and have never seen sustained flows of 5,000 plus for this long.  Well, off to the river and it is going to be an early lunch - missed breakfast this morning and a Steak on the river sounds better anyway.  :)

5/29/2009

Anglers: Bob, Todd, and Joe

Location: KOA to Ringer

Flies: Prince Nymph #14, Copper John #16, Orange San Juan Worm #14, Brown Pearl SJ Worm, Red Pearl SJ Worm, Brown K-Stone #8/6, Black K Stone #8, BH PT #14, Bloody Mary #14, Holographic Prince #14

Time: 10 am - 6 pm

Results: 10+++ trout landed, not really counting anymore.

We are starting to get this big beast figured out.  We'll have to admit though, this river is foreign right now.  As a guide you feel like Frodo in Lord of the Rings trying to not give up hope while the big muddy beast of a river tries to break your will and faith with poor clarity, giant random logs floating by, flooding, and pure intimidation by force.  Short of having Gollum chase you down river it is pretty spooky and intimidating.  Your "precious" becomes that very last San Juan worm that you have been desperately climbing tree after tree to retrieve on 1 out of every 5 backcasts.   Not to mention, the size of the river makes you feel like a little short-armed Hobbit helplessly flailing around on the oars trying to control the boat in fast water.  All this while the river is carving new channels randomly running through forests and Alder patches.  It resembles the way I think the Yakima River would look if it were in the Shire.  Right now it is like no stream we have ever fished before.  But like that persistent little band of Hobbits and Elves, we are forging ahead and keeping up hope that the conditions will improve soon!  Today was great, no promises about tomorrow but maybe it is on the mend.  See the current video for the fishing tips.  Grab you Lembas bread, San Juan worms, Sun Block, and lets go fishing!

 

5/27/2009

Anglers: Tom and Joe

Location: KOA to Ringer

Flies: Brown Pearl SJ Worm, Red Pearl SJ Worm, Brown K-Stone #8/6, Black K Stone #8, BH PT #14, Bloody Mary #14, Holographic Prince #14 (shockingly similar to a few days ago)

Time: 10 am - 3 pm

Results: 7-8 trout landed, 1 Ytfish, 1 Pike Minnow (still counting everything!)  Congratulations Tom Randal - Yakima River 6,000 plus club inductee.

6,835 cfs and fish being caught! - new in house record at Red's!  There is literally water within 12" of coming over the gravel portion of Ringer Road.  Same fishing program, fish are being caught in very select zones and the flows are wicked high.  In fact, we don't recommend that anyone except very experienced rowers tackle the Farmlands at these flows.  Unless you strap on 7 life jackets, arm floaties, a whistle, and two flare guns.  Even the Canyon is pretty fast water.  We are currently running most of our guide trips in honor of the nice weather and enjoyment of tackling a big lonely river.  We were the only anglers on the whole lower river today (that we know of).  Pretty cool when you can go to a Blue Ribbon stream on a sunny day, catch a few trout, and not see another person. We'll take it.  Is that a desperate positive spin on rough conditions?  Why yes it is.  Oh well, we are just being optimistic and enthusiastic.   Who can blame us? We have the greatest job on earth.  Wake up, go fishing, eat a steak lunch on the river, catch fish, have a cold drink, and then when you are done just simply talk about it a whole bunch and tell people what flies you used.  Sorry, but that is what we do almost everyday. I know it sounds bad, so maybe come join us for a day on the river to remind yourself just how good you have it at your job.  We'll take it easy on you and not make you eat the whole steak and a cookie.  :)

5/25/2009

Anglers: Jim, Hank, and Joe

Location: Farmlands

Flies: Brown Pearl SJ Worm, Red Pearl SJ Worm, Brown K-Stone #8/6, Black K Stone #8, BH PT #14, Bloody Mary #14

Time: 10 am - 6 pm

Results: 7+ Trout Landed - about 7-10 more hooked up including a break off on 3X Flouroflex Plus.  2 more anglers joined the Red's Fly Shop 6,000+ Club yesterday!  Congratulations Jim and Hank.  You are in a very select club, in fact, you are some of the first members.

Great day considering flows yesterday but...  Being dialed in on very select spots takes on a whole new meaning right now.  6300 cfs on the Yakima is rolling.  Heck, 4,000 is pretty fast.  Right now you have to be ON with your boat work and water selection to even be in the game.  Fly selection is a natural - worms and stones will do it for you.  The hard part is getting the boat lined up for one perfect drift and making your one shot count.  Prospecting along the banks won't do it.  You need to be out scouting and looking for water that "makes sense" - when you find it - either make one perfect shot while the rower holds the boat slow.  Or try to get the boat pulled over so you can get out and walk back up on it.  Locals have the advantage of scouting a section multiple times and will often float by a good spot (which can often be a tiny bucket or ledge roughly the size of a hot tub) and making a mental note to fish that one the next day.  Sometimes the water will look stable enough, but when you toss the fly down the lane it just doesn't look quite right.  Knowing a handful of hot zones where trout are huddled up is key. The "Guide Factor" is at an all time high.  Also, the takes are soft as the fish are "taste testing" some of our offerings.  When following your indicator, make sure to live by the saying "every takedown is a fish".  If you think they are rocks, you don't stand a chance.  In these conditions you can't afford not to be confident.  We'll fish a few days this week but we won't try to convince you conditions are ok.  The river is a monster right now, but it can be tamed by the right rod. If you do fish though, then you could join our exclusive 6,000 club.  It is a new club and we are still working on a secret handshake and codeword.  It is not currently recognized by the FFF either but our first meeting will likely be held at the Tav in a week or so if the river doesn't settle down.

5/22/2009

Anglers: Mike and Joe

Location: Farmlands

Flies: Black BH K-Stone #6, Black Biot Double Beaded Stone #6/4/8, Pat's #4, Red Pearl Worm #12, Red BH San Juan Worm #12, BH CDC PT #14, Brown BH SJ Worm.

Time: 11 am - 4 pm

Results: 5 Trout landed (4-5 more hooked) - 11-17", 1 Ytfish, 1 Sucker, 1 Pike Minnow.  We're counting it all today.

She was big, mean and ugly but we rode her hard today anyway!  5-6,000 CFS on the Yakima is one fast ride but we gave it a go with 18" visibility and caught a few fish.  It was  pretty nice day and we hooked enough to keep us edgy and confident each time the indicator hit mid drift.  The fishing conditions are far less than ideal for the weekend so we cancelled today's guided trips and are teetering on the edge for tomorrow - but "if we can do it... so can you"  Our day was good enough for us AND we were the only anglers dumb enough to be on the river.  We'll take it.  We also saw 2 Spring Chinook hovering in 2' of water just 10' off the bank.  We floated almost over them - and Mike yelled "did you see that huge fish"?!  We pulled into the bank just so I could prove he was full of it, and low and behold..... 2 Kings working there way up a gravel bar holding in FAST water.  Supercool.  Can't wait to hook one of those on a Stone nymph or a Bugger.  Hang on.  That is a good reason to buy Flouroflex Plus.

The Caddis were much stronger near Ringer than the Farmlands this afternoon and we did see a handful of fish rise to them but were never in a position that we could get a drift.  If dry fly Caddis is your goal the Lower Canyon offers the best prospecting.  Be careful floating and anchoring right now though - this river is fast and pretty wild.  Don't be afraid to wear a life jacket - they call them that for a reason.  Keep a River Knife handy and don't use a knot in your anchor rope.  You may find yourself wanting to get rid of it in a hurry.  :)


5/20/2009

Anglers: --

Location: Yakima River

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: --

Looking ok for Saturday - not sure but we might be fishing again on Friday depending on the ambition of our guests - some may want to roll the dice and go for it if the weather is good, some may postpone.  The river will be in rough shape still but much better than it currently is and with the pure volume of Caddis hatching it might be a wise move to go ahead as planned if you are thinking about coming out.  Be prepared for visibility in the 12-18" range at best and proceed with a "509 State of Mind" and don't worry about the catching as long as you are fishing. :-) 
 

5/16/2009 PM

Time: --

Results: --

UNCLE!!! uncle!!! enough already, we give up!  The river is gonzo for a couple of days and OF COURSE the blizzard hatch erupted today in the Canyon.  There was a haze of Caddis in flight across the whole river at times.  Good luck to those that manned up and fished anyway we really hope you found some feeding fish.  At least you got to see a hatch of epic proportion.  Give the river a few days to clean up and the fishing will turn on. 

5/16/2009

Time: --

Results: --

The Caddis are starting to gain momentum but unfortunately the water is too.  It is coming up still and the whole river is down to about 12-18" of visibility (Upper River is not much better than the LC).  There are a few fish up on the surface eating dries but truthfully the conditions are pretty rough.  We are going to do a little fishing and shut the shop down early today and see if we can find some risers on Caddis.  If it goes well, we will give you another update tonight.  The temperatures and bugs are there so the "bite" is what we are waiting for.  These fish typically don't let the cloudy water get in their way of a meal, if they want food they will find it.

5/15/2009

Time: 10 am - 5:30 pm

Results: 7 Trout landed - 2 Pike Minnows

We forged ahead yesterday despite less than ideal conditions and we beat the odds and landed enough trout to keep us satisfied.  The 45+ mph gusts of wind that were called for barely reached a light breeze of 35-40 mph and were able to fish right through it without too much trouble.  We are on the river again today and it is still coming up a bit, however the good news is that it can't get much higher and can only improve from here... knock on wood.  Look for Caddis on Saturday evening in the Canyon.  76 degrees should spring some loose and it will be nice to get some hot weather.

5/14/2009

Time: 11 am - 4:30 pm

Results: 3 Trout landed (smaller fish), 2 Ytfish

Rough conditions right now and slow fishing.  The reservoirs are spilling off and on - combine that with cold weather and you have a high off-color river with no Caddis.  Make sure to bring a nice lunch.  However, it looks like this weekend might be our big Caddis hatch.  Saturday is going to be 77 degrees, Sunday at 78 degrees.  It is very unlikely that we will have any impact from the snow melt at all.  We are primarily concerned with the reservoir release from this point on.

5/10/2009

5/8/2009

Time: 9-7 pm

Results: -- Scratched, no trout landed.

"Keep in mind that when the whole system is off color, the canyon will sometimes fish the best.  Upriver and dirty can be a cold and lonely place."  Should have taken our own advice!  Rough day upriver.  It happens.  As much as we would like to just forget about this report we vowed to bring it to you uncensored.  We fished our brains out for 10 hours today and didn't land a trout.  We threw every nymph and streamer in the box (within reason).  This morning on the upper river it would have been a stretch to claim vis was much over 18" but by the end of the day it was roughly 2-3' so clarity was good but apparently the fish are not too impressed with the lake water that was released and the bite was off, big time.  No matter your what skill or experience there are days that you just flat out can't get it done, or maybe we just weren't holding our mouths right.  Either way, these days build character and you have to fish through the whole day hard without letting up to prove it is the bit and not a lack of skill nor effort.  On these types of days, polish those skills because..... vengeance against the trout is ours tomorrow in the Lower Canyon!   The Caddis were rippin' down there today with some fish feeding up top gulping them down, with almost NO anglers willing to brave the muddy water!  In retrospect we should have "manned up" and taken the Lower Canyon head on and not criticized the clarity so much.  It should be up to 2' in the LC tomorrow and as guides we call that "good enough to eat". 

It will be Delta Force like full frontal assault led by a bitter guide, 2 skilled anglers,  double nymphs, 4 cans of Red Bull, and dry fly rods on standby tomorrow.  I almost feel bad for the trout already.  There shall be no mercy ever again.

5/7/2009

Time: 9-4:30 pm

Results: 5 Trout Landed!

Despite finicky hydrology and imperfect clarity Steve guided a good day on the Upper Yakima and caught exactly 5 more trout than they would have if they decided to stay home.  Hopefully the latest influx of water originating from the reservoirs doesn't upset the clarity and the fish settle into a feeding rhythm.  As the runoff from our recent rains is subsiding, the Bureau of Rec. is beginning to release a bit of water to meet local irrigation demand. The orchards, vineyards, and row crops of the lower valley (Yakima and Prosser area) won't call for water until the heat gets turned up for good, but the local hay fields in the Kittitas Valley need some water to get things rolling and charge the canals.  It shouldn't come up too much and we are hoping that the Farmlands and Upper Yakima stay fishable tomorrow but quite honestly we aren't certain. Only one thing is for sure - you won't catch any trout if you don't go!  A prediction for the LC, don't bank on it tomorrow but we are willing to bet that by Saturday it is fishing ok again.  Keep in mind that when the whole system is off color, the canyon will sometimes fish the best.  Upriver and dirty can be a cold and lonely place.  Don't forget about other options too.  Lake Lenice, Nunally, Dry Falls, Lake Lenore, or even Rocky Ford are fantastic fisheries.  Just give us a call if you need some advice or a stillwater guide. 

5/4/2009 - late pm

Time: 1-4:30 pm

Results: 4-5 Trout Landed - mostly on nymphs - enough risers to keep you busy though.

We ran a quick friends float this afternoon with Leiland from the Bellevue Orvis shop and Nathan from Avid Angler and had a great time.  Our video got cut short and ruined because the wind fouled the mic and the rain wasn't very conducive to using electronics.   A spring squall came through after a BEAUTIFUL morning and mid-day.  We found enough fish feeding to keep us busy but we were reminded of a few valuable lessons.  During hatch time and especially on a rising river you need to keep your floats short and give yourself ample time to work each rising fish that you encounter and the nymphing should be done primarily in the "primo" zones - don't try to fish on the go as much as anchoring and wading - OR just gearing up and hitting the zones and seams perfect with a one shot drift and then reeling in and running downstream onto the next spot for another high pressure 2-3 cast rally.  Guides call this the "Run and Shoot Offense".  It is a great tactic when you are falling behind on your float time, just make sure to hit your shots perfect of it won't work at all!  We saw NO Caddis, not a single one.  Seriously, you couldn't have found one if you tried.  We saw one Salmon Fly Adult on the water laying eggs, and the feeders were on March Browns with some on BWO's.

Also, the river is on a steep rise and we think it should still fish tomorrow - 5/5 but we were very shocked by the evening rain - it is 10 pm now and still raining.  It is hard to say what it will do, it should stay fishable and who - knows  - it might be great?  Likely though - it will be tough fishing for the next 2 days and then light up for the weekend!  How convenient. 

4/30/2009 - post game interview

Anglers: Bob, Dick, and Joe - Arne, Blair, and Johnny.

Location: Ringer to Red's

Flies: Pat's, Holo Prince #16 and #14 - rocked (best bug - it is redish prince on a scud hook), March Brown Split Wing Para #12, Parachute X Caddis #16, VD's Caddis Crack #16 (lime green Caddis Pupae with flash and flair), CDC PT #16, CDC Prince #16, Black Conehead 20"er Stone w/ legs #6

Time: 9 - 6:30

Results: 10+ trout landed, throw in a few Ytfish for amusement.

Post game interview with Red's guide Johnny Boitano:

Q:  Johnny, what was the key to your victory today?

A:  Well, the boat handled really great, I have a good crew working behind me and they just put the pieces together so that I could do some driving out there and win.  I want to thank the shop, Steve, mom, dad, my wife for being so patient, and Uncle Scott for teaching me how to fly cast all those years ago.  I love you man!

Q:  Does winning... I mean... catching trout ever get old or routine?

A:  Are you kidding?  What kind of question is that?  This interview is over!

Q: Wait, I'm sorry. Let me just ask a few more question? When you row that boat it looks like you are very concentrated, almost in a dream world.  Does it take a lot of skill to keep the boat handling tight through the hard curves?

A:  It does, this isn't Talladega out here with a simple circle track to drive around.  There are some left turns, but there are some right turns too, then there are right turns, followed by right turn, followed by a right turn.  It blows my mind.  It doesn't make any sense sometimes but I just listen to my gut and row the side of the river that it suggests.

Q:  Some rowers row like they aren't trying to make any friends out there, how do you constantly come out on top and still maintain such respect from all the other boats out there?

A:  Simple.  I live by one rule out there, I ALWAYS pass on the outside.

Q:  With the water at just over 2000 cfs it looks like your boat might hit a few rocks if you are fishing the banks and trying to hit the good water.  How do you feel about bumping the rocks?

A:  Rubbing is part of racing.  Plain and simple this Hyde racing machine is built to win and that is exactly what I plan to do out there everyday.

Q:  Anything surprising happen out there today?

A:  Oh yea, Salmon flies - LOTS, but Rotter never told me there were tons of hatching near Bighorn.  That is just bad sportsmanship, he should be black flagged for that.  We're supposed to be a team.

Q:  Is it true that you fish a Pearl San Juan Worm 99% of the time?

A:  ...... i can neither confirm nor deny that accusation. Who told you that?

Q:  You were guiding with Joe R today and it looks like it can be slightly competitive between you two.  Who is the better guide?

A:  Simple, I'm the best there is.  When I wake up in the morning I wreak of excellence.

Q:  Ok ok..... easy big dog.  We know you are the best guide.  Now time for a more serious question that involves some logic. 

This is an IQ test for fishing guides.  A red drift boat and a blue drift boat are racing towards the takeout and the red boat arrives at the takeout first....... which boat got Second place?   Take your time Johnny, think about this.

A:  That is a trick question! - there is no Second place, in a two boat race if you are not first.... you are last!

Q:  That is right... I guess.  Thanks for your time.  Would you mind giving a shout out to all the anglers out there that want some real advice from the Red's Powerhour report.

A:  Sure, why not.  I wouldn't be here without them.  Those fellas out there are why I do this job and get up every morning.  We fished a Pat's with Holo Prince Droppers most of the day - fishing a #8 about 4-5 ft. deep in the big seems with a small tick of split shot below a 1/2" Thmbobr.  We changed flies in spots where we were anchored and hit a fish or two, took a break, switched up and hooked another fish.  At lunch, we fooled around with a spey rod, and 2 minutes after we backed out 3 fish started working Caddis and March Browns right by the boat.  We caught one and missed about 4 other takes.  We then threw small dry flies for about 2 hours with 6 fish caught on dries (biggest 12" but that is ok) and after 2:30 pm the dry fly fishing died off so we nymphed on the move and had pretty good fishing.  This weekend should be pretty solid an it looks like flows will stay in check. The water was in great condition and the boat handled great.  There are March Browns, BWO's, Caddis, and Salmon Flies on the river right now.






4/30/2009

Anglers: George Cook and guests 4/26/2009

Location: Isaak's Ranch - Upper and Lower Lakes

Flies: Carey Buggers, Orange Crush, Damsel Nymphs, After Dinner Mint  (all #8/10)  Fished on a Rio Aqualux Intermediate Line.

Time: 9 - 5

Results: High rod on the upper lake hooked 42 and the high rod on the Lower lake hooked 31 - Best 2 fish were 27" x 16", and a 31.75" fish - both lower Lake. Most fish were the Tubby 17-21" crowd.
 
Isaak's is rockin'  - Sorry but we had to do it.  Pics like that and gross tonage like that is too sick not to share.  We had to pass along the George report from the ranch.  We are hosting a date on May 5th and it should be awesome.  If you haven't fished Isaak's you will wonder why after your first time!  It can be incredible and these will be some of the strongest stillwater fish you will ever care to fight.  Bring your 2X Flouro - you are gonna need it!

The Yakima fished well on nymphs in the Farmlands yesterday, we don't have an official guide report for the Canyon but a couple of our regular customers did send us some pics of a big fish they caught on a Skwala Dry and said that it was the best fishing they have seen in quite a while.  Mike and his guests yesterday fished Pat's stones, Double Beaded Stones, Red Prince Nymphs and Prince Harry's all day.  There was a short March Brown hatch and they landed 2 Cutts mixed in with about 8-10 Rainbows!  Not bad.

4/29/2009

Anglers: Shan

Location: Upper Red's Launch to Lower Red's Takeout

Flies: Split Wing March Brown #12, Crystal Wing March Brown #12, Split Wing Parachute BWO #16, BWO Cripple #16

Time: late afternoon

Results: 6 Trout Landed - ALL on dry flies!

Shan did quick float last night and found some fish feeding on dry flies across from Red's.  They haven't had much pressure and ate the first drift or two that ran by them.  Today looks good too so maybe the hatches will respond to the cloudy damp weather, Mayflies love it.  Great conditions right now for some hatches and the Canyon is in perfect shape!

4/26/2009 - pm

Time: 9:30 am - 5:30 pm

Results: 10+ Trout landed (some VERY nice fish too!)

The drop is fishing great as we hoped it would (but you never know)!  The fish were holding right where they were supposed to be and it was great being able to put some anglers that came all the way from Washington DC onto some great trout fishing on our home water.  There is almost nothing that feels better than showing people outside of the area just how great the Yakima River can be.  (you regulars already know all about it).  The fish were holding in the upper half of the traditional green choppy ledges and were definitely in "feed me" mode.  Hopefully the bite will hold for a week or so but as the river gets clear they will likely get a little more picky.  The spring-time tinge to the water right now is ideal  - the trout can see the fly, but not the tippet or the angler thankfully!  Fish the standard flies and think March Brown dropper.  A Soft Hackle PT or a Soft Hackle Hare's Ear #12 can be trump card.  When the hatch is really going they even eat it on the swing. Try to find some soft edges that you can spend some time in.  Adjust your indicator and weight accordingly and make sure that you are in "Quality Water" - most of the fish are being hooked in the fairly obvious spots.  Hit bottom every now and then.  There was a pretty good March Brown hatch too yesterday upriver, and the day before in the LC, so keep your eyes peeled about 1 pm - 3 pm for a big brown Mayfly and try to spot feeders on dries.  There were a few up on dries yesterday just make sure that you approach with some stealth because the fish were easily put down.  If the fish continue to feed but won't take a dry - fish a Soft Hackle PT or Hare's Ear just inches under the surface and that might do them in.  Good luck and we expect the river to hold steady through the weekend.

4/26/2009

Time: --

Results: Back in Action!

The river is back in great shape and our guides turned in a good day yesterday upriver, but we are sure glad to have the Canyon back in shape.  With the current weather pattern we should have a steady river that is fishing good all week and hopefully it will hold through the weekend and give us great fishing for the FFF Fly Fishing Fair coming up on May 1,2.  Also, there is still room in our Drift Boat Class so sign up for that if you would like to see a basic 2 hour course on rowing river boats.  A very special thanks to everyone that came out for the Advanced Fly Casting Course yesterday.  That was a lot of fun and enjoyable to see that crew start to take their casting and fishing to the next level.  We will host another advanced course within the next month or two.  Additionally, we had trout feeding on March Browns during the course yesterday in front of Red's!  Time to go fish, bye.

4/24/2009

Time: --

Results: --

The Yakima is dropping fast and will likely be fishable on Saturday in the Lower Canyon, but definitely by Sunday.  Each time the river has risen and then dropped we have seen good fishing and this last freshet of water should be no different.  The Upper Yakima will be in good shape by Saturday and was "fishable... (a very loose descriptor)" yesterday.  We really encourage you to sign up for the Advanced Fly Casting and Fishing class tomorrow - there is still plenty of room and you will definitely improve your game as you will be able to focus on skills that you can't takle the time to work on while you are actually fishing.  Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Payton Manning, Steve Rajeff, Simon Gawesorth, Jason Borger, and so on.... These guys practice off the field too just like a good fly fisherman should.  If you want to fish like a pro - take this class.  Plus it just flat out feels good to cast a fly with power and control!  We'll have a BBQ lunch and the afternoon part of the class is Independent Study ( 1 on 1 coaching ) so if you decide to stay for the 1st half and then head out fishing in the afternoon or evening you are welcome to.  The river might even come back into shape while we are having class!  Perfect for a Red's to Slab float in the afternoon.

4/22/2009

Time: --

Results: The Upper River didn't hold out through yesterday as we had hoped so we are on break time for a few days.  The river might clean up by this weekend but it is hard to say.  Take a break to sort out those messy old vests and kit bags that have been cramping your fishing the last few trips.  At least throw away the McDonalds wrappers and empty chew cans!  In honor of the river blowing and no Guide work scheduled out we are going to host our first Advanced Fly Casting and Fishing Tactics class at Red's on Saturday.  It will be a lot of fun and a great class for advanced and intermediate anglers to up their game a few notches.  It is $59 and the fee is refundable if you spend $200 on regularly priced items in the shop on the day of the class.  We'll have a BBQ lunch and cool malt beverage in the afternoon.  Click the hyperlink above to see what will be covered in the class.  Hope to see you there on Saturday!

4/21/2009

4/19/2009

4/15/2009

4/14/2009

4/13/2009

4/10/2009 - late pm

Time: --

Results: Tough fishing, but it can be VERY rewarding.

The last couple of days have been pretty tough fishing overall as the trout have gotten a lot of pressure with the lower river being out of shape.  However, the more advanced anglers have scratched out some pretty good days and boated some absolutely exceptional trout.  Some of the biggest of the year in fact.  Be prepared to risk throwing up the skunk flag though, these fish are big, smart, and they have seen quite a few flies as of late.  Skunked?... don't feel bad.  Even the best anglers can't always turn in fish.  Not a big deal, its part of this game we call fishing.  Especially on the Upper Yak, it is Double Black Diamond Blue Ribbon Water - beginners can make it down the hill in one piece but its not always pretty!  

The Teanaway went bonkers two days ago and we are now paying the price for our 70 degree weather, it is like some sort of eye-for-an-eye with Mother Nature.  The river is out from there down currently, but by Saturday (tomorrow) mid-day it is likely going to be fishable.  The main drainage for the Upper Yakima comes off of the south side of I-90 (the north side is caught by Kachess and Lake Cle Elum) and the low lying snow is on predominantly north facing heavily timbered slopes which traditionally holds it snow pack much longer than open ground, fresh clear-cuts, and southern exposures.  This is part of the reason that Cabin Creek, Big Creek, and some others hold out the longest before breaking loose.  Versus Swauk Creek, the Teanaway, and Taneum Creek which are lower elevation and have open ground that allows for snow melt to come off at a faster rate. It finally caught up with us though and the high country on the south side of Easton finally let loose because the river came up quite a bit but fortunately it hasn't blown out.  We were appalled that it handled the volume increase that it did without turning brown.  It seems like due to the January flood, much of the loose sediment has been scoured out of the small creeks and we will have a cleaner run-off.  We will try to get some more Powerhour TV for you to watch online so that you don't get bored having to stay home with the Canyon being blown out.  Or you could just shop online and get some retail therapy and cope with your "river blown blues".

4/9/2009

Time: 11:00 am

Results: River Update!

Despite a huge increase on the graph, the Upper river is fishable at present time. Visibility above the Teanaway is 3'+, and we're going for it! We'll post a report tomorrow!

4/7/2009

Time: 7 am

Results: The warm weather is catching up with us!

The last couple days have been paradise, but the snow melt is catching up fast and by the end of the day today the only section fishing good, or fishable, will be above the Teanaway.  Fishing has been all over the board with some anglers giving us reports of epic proportion while others have been on sections high and low with mediocre results.  Overall, the fishing is just average without any major hatches to spring loose a feeding frenzy.  The March Browns and the BWO's have been light so the trout are continuing to prospect the aquatics which makes them hard to single-out.  Give us a call to check clarity if you are coming out this week to the Canyon.  Likely what will happen is it will be out tomorrow and then start coming back in by Friday.

4/5/2009

Anglers: --

Location: Yakima River - all stretches

Flies: Skwalas, March Browns, and BWO's - maybe even a few Golden Stones!

Time: --

Results: Forecast looks awesome!

The next few days on the Yakima will be the first consistently warm stable weather pattern we have had all spring.  Fishing is almost impossible to predict, BUT it stands to reason the fishing will be very good over the next 3-4 days before the river takes on too much of a rise.  The hatches should fire off, and the trout's metabolism should boost with the rise in temp.  PLUS, it is just nice to fish in 70 degree weather!  If you can make it out in the next few days we say go for it!  March showed us some tough fishing with lots of nasty weather and wind, this is what we have all been waiting for.  Make sure to pack some San Juan worms of various colors because this river will go out of shape within a week.  Thanks and fish on!

4/3/2009

Time: 8 am Start

Results: Lots of runners in the road.

The Yakima River Canyon Marathon is tomorrow so we advise that you give yourself a few extra minutes to stop by Flying J (truck stop at Exit 109) to pick up a recreation pass.  Also, you may phone your shuttles in tomorrow due to the runner traffic IF you download our shuttle form and sign it and leave it inside your vehicle. 

 Download Red's Shuttle Form: Acrobat PDF or Word DOC
(you may bring this into the shop with you to save time)

That way you can put in at Ringer and avoid some of the runner traffic.  MM20 should be clear by about 10 am.

Thanks for reading and we will see you tomorrow!


4/2/2009

Time: 10:30 am - 6 pm

Results: 4 Trout landed - (1 VERY nice Rainbow - 18"-19")

Slow fishing yesterday.  The snow, wind, and rise in flows put the fishing off again but it seemed to rebound today with T-shirt weather and sunny skies.  Hopefully the trout feel the same way.  We landed a few Ytfish but only 4 trout and we'll confess that 1 was an LDR but since it was within about 18" of the boat we will count it.  All were very nice fish and we hooked one big one that took us to the Woodshed (guide talk for having a fish run out some line and hook you up in the brush).  The Streamer fishing was nill, the trout did not want to move. Almost all of our fish were hooked after 3 pm and the rally started right as we were nearing the takeout.  On the colder days, plan on fishing till dark.  That has been the trend lately. 

Also, we want to congratulate one of our guides Mike Canady and his new wife Jamie!  They were married in Ellensburg this last weekend and we are certain they will lead a very happy life together. 

4/1/2009

Time: 9:30 am - 6 pm

Results: 10+ Trout landed - (& a bonified 18" TANK for Brandy!)

We had some of our regular guests out yesterday and they had their best day ever on the Yakima River!  What a turnaround, the fishing had been very tough but it looks like we are back in action with good nymph fishing.  They said they were in a good fish-catchin-groove yesterday and didn't want to disrupt the mo-jo by fishing dries so they fished nymphs all day and put some very nice fish in the net.  There was a sporadic March Brown hatch so things are looking good for this week if you are trying to hit a March Brown hatch.  Still a little on the cold side for a "hatch - prediction" but look for the next warm cloudy day and chances are there will be good dry fly fishing at hatch time from 1-3 pm. 

3/31/2009

Also, this is the last day to take advantage of our Early Booking Bonus and get $50 OFF a product just for booking a guide trip that you would normally sign up for anyway!  What a deal, take a look and if you have any questions regarding how it works just give us a buzz at the shop.  Last day.... just fair warning.

3/28/2009

Time: 9:30 am - 6 pm

Results: 5-6 Trout landed 10-16", about 10-12 takes on dries.

The fishing was pretty slow yesterday despite sharp anglers and a hard rowing guide.  We fished it well but the trout were fairly non-responsive to the dry fly fishing (which is our goal this time of year.... not the non-responsiveness just the dry fly part!).  We fished dries for about 4-5 hours hoping to hit a good rally but the trout were tight to the bottom and even the nymphing was not all that profitable.  Maybe it heated up in the afternoon while we were fishing dry flies but I guess we'll never know.  At least until the other guides decide to brag about how good it was!  Just kidding, we are all pretty good about that around here.  Conditions are good despite the bite being a little sluggish but there is a good chance that by the time this is posted the 30 mph wind will have subsided and the trout will be crushing Skwalas again!  Let's hope for some stable skies, yesterday was a freakin' Regatta out there. 

3/27/2009

Time: 9 - 7 pm

Results: 4 Trout landed 14-18", about 12 hookups, 5 takes on dries.

The upper river was pretty stingy yesterday and we had to work very hard.  The water conditions were great other than the fact it was cold.  We'll be fishing the Lower Canyon today and the color looks pretty good thanks to the cold weather.  There were Skwalas yesterday and we caught a few nice ones on dry flies, and even snapped off a Skwala and left it with the fish.  The "hydro-forecast" looks good for the whole river this weekend and we actually caught more fish below the Teanaway where the color came in and negatively impacted clarity.  Can't explain why, maybe the Tway was warmer?  Or the boat was masked better?  I guess it doesn't matter it just is the way it is.  Glad to be in the Lower Canyon today.....

3/23/2009

Time: 5 pm

Results: It's holding in there.

The river held in there today and actually looked better than it did last night at dusk.  Flows are leveling out and we are glad to have a little boost to move the fish around and get them out of the deep holes and up into the "fly water" along the edges and isolated small slots where we can get at them.  The Skwala hatch should keep rolling along and we expect to be fishing dries every afternoon this week.  In fact, on Saturday our tally was that most fish were being caught on dry flies.  Not sure if that is because all the reporting guides fished, but who cares as long as there are some trout coming to the surface.  Also, a big high five for all the anglers that stayed out late on Friday and challenged that big wind.  Way to man-up and take it head on!  Hopefully we'll see a few people this week, be psychologically prepared for green water and keep in mind that it is spring-time and the river is supposed to look like that.  It makes the fish easier to approach and there is a smorgasbord going on under the surface.

3/22/2009

Time: 7 am

Results: Good fishing yesterday, but the river is on a steep rise.

The flows are on a steep rise which overall should be a good thing for our fishing as long as it doesn't get too far.  Fishing should be fine today and likely tomorrow but stay tuned and it might be a good idea to give us a call before coming out for an up to the minute water clarity check this week.  The rising river should spread the fish around instead of isolating them to the big deep holes and with the warmer weather that created the freshet comes more insect and trout activity so don't be scared by the rise, just make sure to have some San Juan Worms.  :)

3/17/2009

Time: 11 - 5:30 pm

Results: 6 trout landed(12"-18") and a few Whitefish".

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We enjoyed a beautiful day on the water. While the nymphing was quite a bit slower than what we'd experienced over the past week or so, we did land 4 nice trout on Skwala dry fly patterns. We had the entire river to ourselves today. After bringing in a nice cutthroat, Tony made the comment, "it feels great to drive through a snow storm and catch fish on dry flies!" The weather forecast looks great through the weekend. With highs over 50 degrees, we may see some GREAT dry fly fishing! We have a Red's Fly Fishing Lesson coming up on Saturday. The cost is 59.00 and includes a full day of focused instruction with lunch. Now it is go time.  Pick up the phone, drop us an email, or Book Online for the Yakima River March Special or the Methow River Steelhead Special.

3/15/2009

Time: 11 - 6:30 pm

Results: About 10 trout landed, up to 17".  9 good dry fly takes, solid nymphing all day.

Good day yesterday.  The nymphing was great, make sure to see the videos for some visual info.  There is not much we can tell you in text that you can see or hear on the videos but be we will say that the next week to 2 weeks is going to have a handful of days mixed in that will be GOOD dry fly fishing on Skwalas and BWO's.  March is a tricky month because the weather can be all over the place, i.e. snow on the ground today! The upside is that it will be some of the best fishing for mature trout all season and there is nothing better than seeing a big trout inhale a Skwala Stonefly after a long winter of having to watch fly fishing on tv and settle for dreaming about it.  Well, now it is go time.  Pick up the phone, drop us an email, or Book Online for the Yakima River March Special or the Methow River Steelhead Special.

3/14/2009

Time: 10 - 6 pm

Results: 10+ trout landed, up to 17-18" - plenty of ytfish too!

Great day yesterday, slow start but the fishing picked up in the afternoon.  We only caught fish on nymphs - threw Streamers for over an hour and did not throw dries hardly at all (the nymphing was GREAT!) However, today looks better for dries because it is 15 degrees warmer today at 9 am than yesterday.  Johnny Boitano did manage 6 trout on dry flies yesterday afternoon and we hope that today is even better... we'll see.  There were a few BWO's on the water and that hatch should pick up some steam over the next 2 weeks. Look for the warmest, cloudiest day to break it loose.

3/13/2009

Time: 10 - 6 pm

Results: Good fishing!

Short report (litterally racing to the river!)  Good fishing despite cold temps, streamers, nymphs, and dry flies.  They all worked and the bite was best from 12-4 pm.  Videos to follow this evening!  No Skwalas yet bet there are a few fish taking dry flies, nymphs are the mainstay but if you are courageous with a dry dropper you may be rewarded.  btw - Ringer is open!

3/10/2009

Time: 8 am

Results: River Update

Perfect conditions again and the river is fishing good with some decent dry fly fishing reported yesterday afternoon by one of our regular customers.  This is the traditional week for the Skwala hatch to start rockin' - no promises but as we look at years past this seems to be the week!  We also spent a lot of time this winter rebuilding our inventory of great new flies.  Many were tied by our guides and duplicated commercially, some were hot tips from other industry pro's, and some are simply the latest, greatest, and highest quality available.  Come see for yourself, these flies will be greeting the lip of Yakima River Trout for the first time in 2009!

3/5/2009

Time: 3:30 pm

Results: River Update

The river is on a steep drop and was already looking good by the end of today. With cold evening temps we expect to see some good clarity and water levels by the weekend!

3/4/2009

Time: --

Results: --

The heavy rain put the river out for a day or two, we'll keep you updated.  Didn't see this coming!

3/1/2009

We saw a fish feed last night, our first cast it picked it up on a Skwala so don't be afraid to throw a big dry fly - even at the fish feeding in flat water (normally too spooky for a big bug).  We honestly did not think that the fish would take as it was in a pretty spooky water, almost Frog water to be honest, but it pounded the fly as though it knew exactly what it was.  Overall, the fish are still being hooked in the deep slots - Green water only should be on the radar screen. We fished dry droppers and short line nymph rigs for too long yesterday hoping to find some big bows in the shallows but in retrospect should have stayed on the deep water game all day.  Good luck and we'll see you at the fly shop!

2/25/2009

Time: --

Results: --

We had a big influx of rain over the past 2 days but it didn't disrupt the fishing too much and the river has held a nice color so don't worry about the river being up or out.  In fact, the rain may have helped warm the water up with temps hitting 42 in the LC yesterday at Umtanum.  Ditto from the last report, big deep troughs seem to be holding the majority of the trout right now so stationary nymphing in the deep runs is a good "body count" strategy.  A variety of small nymphs are working well, but pay special attention to the Lime Green Caddis Larvae in a #16.  Maybe a lot of these Caddis lost their shucks during the big water because it has been an especially productive fly.  Note, you only have a few more days to take advantage of our February Guide Trip Special!

The Methow River has been warming up and we encourage you to take advantage of our Methow Special going on right now.  Our clients have been having multiple steelhead every single guide day.  No guarantee!, but that is our recent track record.  We also strongly encourage anglers on the Methow to retain their daily limit of 2 hatchery fish and that it is not ecologically beneficial to release any hatchery fish.  The season on the Methow is a true privilege and in order for WDFW to maintain openings on the Methow River, anglers must participate in the "catch-and-keep" program.  The sole mission of this fishery is reduce the spawning ratio of hatchery fish to wild fish.  It is very important that we parallel the goals of WDFW, NOAA, and others. They work VERY hard so that fisherman may have a season on the Methow and release of hatchery fish undermines their hard work and biological management goals.  The best part?  You can feel GOOD about enjoying some smoked steelhead!

2/19/2009

Time: 10 am - 5:30 pm

Results: 12-15 Ytfish landed, 3 rainbows landed 13"-17".

Beautiful day, wow.  Overall the fishing was good with lots of fish hooked up and even though most were Ytfish it keeps things interesting between the Rainbows and helps keep your gaze away from the hillsides and on your strike indicator.  Working deeper slots and running indicators up to 6' deep above our flies helped produce a lot of hookups today.  The shallow water was not as productive and it seems as though the fish are still feeling their way out of the deep holes into the "new" shallow structure that the river offers following the big flood.  Pat was on one of his first fly fishing trips ever today and did a great job, the "gung ho" spirit goes a long ways in producing success in fly fishing, and in other facets of life too of course.  We broke off one very nice rainbow and lost another big one on a dry dropper (ate the dropper), so our "fish to the boat" ratio could have been better but it certainly doesn't detract from the experience.  We did hook a few fish on a dropper hanging below a big dry fly but the nymphing was silly in comparison, so in the evening we switched back to an indicator and a stone.  Think about "stationary" nymphing this week and putting the focus on isolated spots offering a shelf adjacent to the Abyss.  ALSO - Here is a link to the February Newsletter in case you did receive it by email!  http://www.redsflyshop.com/2009febnews.jpg
 

2/18/2009

Time: 10 am - 5:30 pm

Results: 10+ fish landed, 3 rainbows on dry flies!

Well, the nice weather is back and the fishing is warming up with a few fish starting to each dry flies! It will only get better and the Skwala hatch has hardly begun so get your dates picked out soon. The end of February will fill up fast so jump on the Guide Trip Special or get your own trips planned. Clean or replace your fly line, dust off the waders, tie some flies, and go fishing! Nymph or swing streamers in the morning and mid day, but about 1 pm think about searching with a good Skwala Dry Fly pattern. The river is in PRIME shape with clear water, stable flows, and healthy trout. Enojoy...


2/12/2009

Anglers: Johnny, Joe, and Derek (for the last 45 minutes)

Location: Irene to MM20

Flies: Black K Stone #8, Fly Formerly Known as Prince #14, San Juan Worms - Pink Beadhead w/ Red, plain Red, Pat's Stone Brown #8, Black Sculpzilla #4, Olive Sculpzilla #10

Time: 10 am - 4:45 pm

Results: 5-6 Whitefish, 7-8 Rainbows 12-29"!

A little colder today than expected, but this looks like the worst of it from here on out! A skiff of snow over the past couple of days reminded us that it isn't early April like it felt like last week, still winter time. Oh well, we could stand for a little more February fishing if it is anything we like we had today. Not to say that it was easy, the water is cold and the fish need perfect drifts but you have the opportunity to land some beautiful trout at a time when a little chill keeps the crowds at bay. Johnny landed his biggest trout in a couple of seasons, a DEEP 21" Rainbow that saw the measuring tape and didn't flinch.  We don't see very many like that. A few other nice bows came to the net and Joe landed a RARE Steelhead at 28-29", a fish of a lifetime for sure. See the Video, these fish are towards the end and there is some good footage.  The streamer fishing was dead today and although we gave it a good effort we did not hook a single fish on a streamer. The fishing should continue to get better and better as the spring progresses and we encourage you to take advantage of our great February Special going on right now. Maybe you typically do shuttles with us or even rent boats. This is a great time to take advantage of a guide and enjoy some good company and local knowledge. The last few days of February can have good Skwala fishing so book now to take advantage.


2/4/2009

Anglers: Mark, Nick, and Steve

Location: MM 19 to Red's

Flies: sz. 6-10 stone Nymphs, sz. 14, 16 RCJ, sz. 16, 18 Lightening Bug, sz. 4 Sculpzilla (Olive), sz. 6 J& J Special, sz. 6 Root Beer Bugger

Time: 11:30 am - 4:00 pm

Results: 4-5 solid trout landed (14"-19") and a couple of Whitefish!

We alternated between nymphs and streamers on the go. The nymph fishing was the most productive, but Mark did get a nice Bow on a streamer just upriver of the Red's takeout fishing a sink tip. We caught fish on each of the nymph patterns we tried. We also spent a lot of time turning over rocks at the end. We saw a lot of Crawdads under the rocks, but the Skwala nymph migration has not yet begun. It's amazing how different the river is after the high water this winter. We'll enjoy reaquainting ourselves with it! I must say, it was hard getting back on the river after a week of Bonefishing in the Bahamas. The 35 degree weather felt awfully cold....BRRRRR!


2/2/2009

Anglers: --

Location: The Lower Canyon

Flies:  Suggestions: Brown K-Stone, 20"er Peacock Stone with Black Cone, Brassie #20 (beadhead), SJ Worms (pink/red), Black Sculpzilla #4, Cream/Olive Sculpzilla #8/10, Copper John #16, Pat Stone's 10,8 -Brown/Black & Olive, PT #20, WD-40 Black #20

Time: --

Results: Good Fishing!

An indirect fishing report told us exactly what we were expecting today. With air temperatures warmed up to a consistent mid 40 degree mark across the board, the bite has picked back up and the nymphing is predictably good in the afternoons.  With temps in the mid to upper 20's at night and most of the low lying snow gone, the river is in a very stable condition with water temperatures becoming predictable for the trout offering the right conditions to feed.  The water temperatures are ranging 35-37, but the key is that they are consistent and the trout are accustomed to it and can time their feeding for the most ideal window.  Also, the length of day is growing fast and the trout can sense that Spring is coming on fast.  One might also speculate that the trout know the spawn is coming up and they need to feed heavily to prepare themselves for it.  Whatever it is, there are some nice trout on the take right now despite it still being chilly.

We also would like to announce that Joe and Kelly Rotter had their third baby over the weekend, a beautiful baby boy at 7 lbs. 4 oz. named Jacob.  Congratulations to them!

1/30/2009

Anglers: Johnny and Joe

Location: Red's to Lmuma Creek

Flies: Brown K-Stone, 20"er Peacock Stone with Black Cone, Brassie #20 (beadhead), SJ Worms (pink/red), Black Sculpzilla #4, Cream/Olive Sculpzilla #8/10, Copper John #16

Time: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm

Results: 2 Nice trout landed, 4-5 LDR'd, and 2 W Fish.

It was a great day to be on the water, temperatures were in the 40's most of the day and it was very comfortable in the Canyon.  Not as comfortable as Andros Island in the Bahamas' where Ted just got back from and Steve is currently fishing, anybody else jealous?  I'll bet, oh well there is always next year hosted by Joe Rotter - same week in 2010.  Just don't get a sunburn watching Ted's Slide Show.... Back to the Yak a.k.a. "reality" - overall the fishing today was a little slow, but that's ok - if it was easy there would be too many people out for the winter time.  It is pretty cool having the Lower Canyon almost all to yourself.  Quality of the fish was great, we landed one about 17" and broke another one off during the fight on 2X Fluoroflex Plus.  Slow nymphing, decent streamer fishing is the overall gist. Everyday is different however, amazing what 24 hours will do as yesterday the trout were happy to eat nymphs and refused to chase a streamer, today - different story.  There were absolutely NO Midge on the water which is surprising for a warmer cloudy day this time of year.  As a general rule, the water in the Yakima is still "sorting itself out" so make sure to choose ledges that offer good, clean, and manageable drifts.  Some of the boils and eddies are still kind of upset as the water attempts to find it's natural course.  If the water were warmer this wouldn't be an issue, but with water temps under 40 degrees the flow has got to be smoooooth.

1/26/2009

1/19/2009

1/17/2009

What a commute to work this morning!  The icy roads kept the truck just slow enough to gaze around and admire just how amazing the Yakima Canyon is during the winter time.  Bighorn Rams, Mule Deer Bucks, Bald Eagles, Otters, and Birds are out and about foraging for food in order to fuel an increased winter metabolism.  Try to plan a day of wildlife watching in the canyon when the road is dry and the weather is nice, you won't regret it.  Bring some good binoculars and your best camera because the animals will be fairly high on the ridges.

The Yakima River is still under ice flow in the Lower Canyon and the Farmlands.  The Upper River around Cle Elum is running relatively ice free (shelf ice only) and is fishable for the true die hard.  Fish known water with deep soft ledges that are moving about a walking speed.  We will update the report when the Farmlands and Lower Canyon comes back into fishing shape.  For the time being, tie some flies and get your gear ready for the late February Skwala hatch.

07/21/2008

Anglers: Arne, Pete, and Joe

Location: South Cle Elum to Thorp Bridge

Flies: Orange Parachute Stimulator, Plan B (Brown #8), Yellow Paranobyl #10, Pat's Stones, Hare's Ear Stone #8 (Double Beaded w/ black legs), Dave's Hopper #8, Lime Green PMX #10, Scupzilla 8,4

Time: 8 am - 4 pm

Results: 10+ trout landed, up to 14".

We had a pretty good day upriver on Saturday, lots of small fish up to the dry fly but the larger fish seemed to hibernating during the daytime. Overall, everything is fishing pretty good and conditions are perfect. We did have a very tough day in the LC on Friday, but other than that one day the Lower Canyon has been pretty good and kicking out some BIG fish as you can see by the picture of Jim up above! The Naches is in perfect shape for wading right now and fishing good. It is finally low enough to step out and get your legs wet in the 90 degree heat and catch some Cutthroat. Focus on Terrestrial patterns on the Naches, think Stoneflies on the Yakima. Good luck!

07/17/2008

Anglers: Buck, Ernie, and Joe

Location: Ringer to Roza

Flies: Almost everything, Black Plan B #6/8, Tan Paranobyl #8, Red Turk's #8, Yellow Turks #8/10, Dave's Hopper #8, Orange PMX #8, Caddis CDC Emerger #16/18, 20"er Stone Nymph #6, Pat's Stones #8/10, Sculpzilla Olive #6/10, JJ Bugger #6, Fly Formerly Known as Prince #16, CDC Prince #16, CDC PT #16

Time: 5 am - 5 pm

Results: 10 + Trout Landed!

Good fishing yesterday, it started out very slow in the early morning but we were pleasantly surprised to have good fishing most all day once the sun hit the water. It made us wonder what in the heck we were doing up at 4 am to get on the water! Banker's hours would have worked just fine yesterday. As you probably read, we threw everything at the trout yesterday and had success on each strategy. Early in the morning the dry fly fishing was slow and the few fish that we could bring up were quite small so we shifted gears and threw streamers on floating lines against the cut banks and underneath the trees and managed to hang a few nice ones doing that. After we got tired of streamer fishing and a few close calls involving the guide's ears and a new piercing, we switched up to indicators and nymphs and did pretty well nymphing. The flow is perfect right now for summertime fishing and you don't need to run too much weight until the flow gets up near 4000 cfs. Most Stone Nymphs will have enough weight to pull down a dropper just fine. When the flow bumps up though start thinking about a #4 Dinzmore above your nymphs. Well after we got tired of nymphing and losing a few flies on the bottom we decided to give the dry fly fishing a shot again even though it was mid day. We tied them on and didn't go 200 yards before we found fish feeding on Caddis, it took quite a few casts and one fly change to find the right pattern and we stuck a nice 15"er that was feeding against a shady cut-bank. After that it was a Big Dry Fly in the front of the boat and a nymph rig out of the back and we had a pretty decent day. We also may have hooked the first Chinook reported of the season as well, we were nymphing the shallow side of a fast deep ledge and hooked up on a #6 20" er Stone that was being fished solo. The fish took, we both thought it was bottom for a few seconds and then it started to take off hard toward the shallows peeling line, I dropped anchor because it was going upstream and then it made a direction change but kept peeling line into the middle of the river in big flow with the reel screaming (3300 cfs!). By the time it got close to the backing it was time to try and slow him down, even a 6 weight Z-Axis couldn't get his head turned and finally it broke off on 2X Flouroflex! Unbelievable fish, we hook a few like that a year and we'll never know what it was. Kind of makes me think of a King, but Summer Steelhead and jumbo Trout will do that too. It is pretty cool to see fish that give you goosebumps once in a while. The Yakima is a big river and you never know what you are going to hook into out there. On other river reports, the Naches and Methow are both in PRIME shape finally after a long runoff and the Methow has been kicking out some really nice Cutt Bows. The Naches has been great on numbers of trout, with a few bigger fish being caught but plenty of scrappy little Cutts and Bows that will come up to a dry fly. Great for 3 or 4 weight you have been wanting to use!

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: Suggestions... Plan B # 8/6, Red Turk's # 8, Dave's Hopper # 10, Triple Decker # 10/8, Marathon Bug # 8/6, 20"er Stone Nymph # 8/6, Prince Harry # 16, CDC Caddis Emerger, X Caddis Olive # 16

Time: --

Results: Overall... good fishing on dry flies and nymphs.

With so many anglers and guides out fishing over the past 2 days, it was hard to audit a single report and accurately demonstrate the conditions. Some advanced anglers have put up grotesque body count on fish, while a few others have had to work pretty hard for even just a few. It depends a lot on the time of day and if you are "dialed in" and making the "kill shots" on the feeders in the evening time or the bank dwellers looking to suck in a few Grasshopper during the mid day hours. Overall, conditions are near perfect regarding water flows.  The Yakima is in beautiful color condition and relatively stable at around 3200 cfs. While it is a bit high for wading, the float program with a cooler full of cold drinks is a pretty sweet way to go. If you are a wade fisherman, think about the Naches or Little Naches as a pedestrian opportunity. Our most consistent dry fly fishing will happen over the next 3 months on all rivers, i.e. the Yak (Upper and Lower), the Naches, and the Methow River. GET your trips on the calendar now because you will regret it when we post some more pics of 18"ers choking on Hopper patterns. It looks like a good Hopper year already and if we could pick one fly to fish all summer long on the Yakima, it would float high, have a yellow belly, and have some big ol' drumsticks hanging off the sides! Trout love 'em. They are meaty and good, even some people eat grasshoppers, try one.  Anybody ever watch Man vs. Wild? You know what I'm talking about. Good luck out there, keep fighting the good fight. 

Anglers: Joe and Steve

Location: Big Horn To Lmuma

Flies: sz. 6-12 Winged Thing, Plan B, Hoppers, and Stimis; sz. 14, 16 Bloom's Caddis, EH Caddis, and CDC Emergers

Time: 7:00 AM until 3:00 PM

Results: Good dry fly fishing

We started the day throwing big dries tight to the banks, but only found a few volunteers, so we changed gears to Caddis. Once we did that, we started picking fish up consistently on both the adult and emerger patterns. You do see a lot of dinks come up on small dries, but don't give up too easy. We also hit a couple of very nice trout in zones where only dinks were coming up. The flows are well below the seasonal average, so the big dry fly water (deep slots tight to the bank with a good straight current) is not as abundant as it could be. We expect the big dry fly fishing to improve as flows come up. The Caddis hatch yesterday was heavy, and there were a fair number of fish feeding up and down the foam lines. The nymphing has been the most productive in the faster moving, more oxygenated zones. For the time being, come out and take advantage of some great summertime water conditions and beautiful weather!

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: Awesome Conditions

The Yakima is finally in near perfect summertime condition with flows that are stable and green the fun of summer can finally begin. Think about using primarily dry flies in the low-light hours and nymphs during the heat of the day. There are a few Hoppers roaming the shore and in the next couple of weeks we will see the trout begin responding to them during the mid-day hours. Right now however, we are at the onset of the annual Summer Stonefly Hatch on the Yakima River and it can be some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. Big Stimulators, Parachute MX's, Chernobyl Ants, Turk's Tarntulas, or a fly called a Plan B are all good ideas. Just fish them really tight to the trees and grass where the Stoneflies are likely to crawl in or out of the water.  The volume is a bit high for wade fishing, but the floating is great.  Longer floats and fishing 'on the go' is the best strategy. The Naches is in good condition color wise but still a bit high for ideal floating, but over the next few weeks it should be absolutely perfect for a float trip combined with wet wading during the day. We hope you had a great 4th of July and we hope to see you soon on the Yakima!

Anglers: Pat, Shawn, and Steve

Location: Ringer to Lmuma

Flies: Size 6-10 Stonefly Nymphs, Size 12-18 LB's, Size 14,16 PT's, Size 6-10 Big Dries

Time: 10 am - 7 pm

Results: 12 Rainbows (8"-16") 1 Whitefish landed

With flows at 4500 cfs, the Yakima continues to stabilize and drop. Clarity is favorable and the nymph fishing yesterday was good all day long. We saw the first Summer Stonefly adults of the season on one of the rock walls.The Hoppers are about a size 12 and growing daily. The big dry fly fishing that we've waited for is just around the corner. The Caddis rise in the evening, especially between the shop and Roza, has been good if you can stay out until dark. HAPPY 4th of July from all of us at Reds!

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: 1 pm - 10 pm

Results: Back in Action

The Yakima is dropping and clearing and we are back in action starting today. There is a bout 12-18" of vis in the Lower Canyon, slightly better in the Farmlands Section but make sure to steer clear of the Irene to Ringer section as there is a was a bad log jam in there before the push of water and we haven't been in there yet to evaluate it. The Summer Stonefly hatch is beginning to get rolling and the Caddis at dark should be exceptional on the "HOT" days. We should be done with any major water fluctuations for the year and in good shape for summertime. We'll update the report again in the next couple of days but the river should be fishing again starting today. Thanks and good luck!

Anglers: Arne, Peter, and Joe

Location: Ringer to Slab

Flies: Black K Stones #6, Prince Harry #16, Fly Formerly Known as Prince #16, CDC PT FB BH #16, CDC Caddis Emerger #16 (grey), X Caddis Olive #16, Tan Paranobyl #8, Gypsy King #8, Red Turk's Tarantula #8

Time: 1 pm - 10 pm

Results: About 10 trout landed, good average size.

The fishing yesterday and last night was actually pretty good despite river levels shooting upward, the caddis hatch during the last hour of daylight was spectacular with quite a few rising fish. You definately had to stay out late though to experience it. We couldn't even see our flies or a splash on a couple of the fish we hooked at the end of the day. It was fishing by brail! Fishing today however is pretty poor so far as we have had a few reports already of bad fishing, one of our guides put a nice trout in the boat this morning but overall the river is pretty much out of shape with unstable water and a lot of turbidity. It should settle down over the next few days, clear up, and stabilize at around 4000-4500 cfs hopefully. There are still a few hearty anglers out there giving it a go, best of luck to them and hopefully a few trout get caught today and tommorow. Hit it later this week or over the weekend of the 4th. Good luck!

Anglers: Mark, Clay, and Steve

Location: Lower Yak (Tri Cities)

Flies: sz. 6-10 Stone Nymphs, sz. 12-16 Prince Harry, sz. 12-16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14, 16 FBPT, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 6 Electric Blue Stimi, sz. 16 CDC Caddis Emerger

Time: 9:00 am until 5:30 pm

Results: 10-12 Rainbows landed(10"-19"), a NPM, and a Whitefish

With unseasonably low river levels and great clarity, the fishing has been pretty good in the canyon. We did throw some big dries the past 2 evenings and had lots of action. We landed a couple of nice fish on big dries in the shadows, but most of our interest to them came from smaller trout. The nymphing has been very good during the day, with much of the action coming in the zones of faster, more oxygenated water. We expect the flows to be bumping up soon with 90 plus degree weather in the forecast; however, for the time being, we're happy to make the most of the great conditions and weather!

Anglers: Stacy and Steve

Location: Lower Yak (Tri Cities)

Flies: sz. 4 Black and Yellow Bass Buster

Time: 10:30 am until 6:30 pm

Results: 5 or 6 Smallmouth Bass to hand (one pushing 5 pounds!)

We spent a beautiful day on the Lower Yakima near Tri Cities swinging for Bass on a sink tip. We had caught some smaller fish recently down there, and figured the bigger bass may have headed back out to the Columbia, but all of the fish Stacy landed except for one were in the 2+ pound range, including one behemoth! We began the day fishing the mid river riffles with little success. We switched to the tight to the bank program in the afternoon and started hitting fish immediately. The largest fish of the day came after Stacy's fly bumped a grass pile and then released into the current. Once hooked, the Bass put up a great fight yesterday, with most of them going aerial. The trout section of the Yakima is currently in beautiful condition in terms of both flow level and clarity. Tonight might be the night we get back on track with some Caddis, and hopefully the big dries of Summertime!

Anglers: Rob, Rick, and TJ

Location: Red's to Mahre's

Flies: sz. 6,8 Stone Nymphs, sz. 14 PMD nymph, sz. 16 FBPT, sz. 14,16 Prince, sz. 14 Caddis Pupae, a few Caddis dries in the evening.

Time: 9:30 am until 7:00 pm

Results: 3 nice Rainbows, quite a few dinks, a couple Whities, and a NPM!

The summertime irrigation flows have begun to ramp up in the Yakima system. With releases from Lake Cle Elum, flows bumped up over 1000 cfs this weekend and should begin to taper out this week. The fishing definitely slowed down, especially the dry fly fishing; however, with lots of focus and a rally late in the day, we manageed to land some nice trout and have a great time. We only saw 3 or 4 fish feeding on the surface all day, which we hope gets back on track as flows stabilize this week. We are now entering the Hopper and Summer stone season which will make the twilight hours of early morning and late evening prime times to be on the water. Overall, clarity is not bad right now, as the water that is released from the reservoirs is settled and generally clean. We've also been spending time on the Lower Yak in pursuit of Bass and the Naches chasing wild Cutthroat through the whitewater. The weather forecast for this week looks great, and we're hoping to find some gamers lined up in the Hopper lanes SOON!

Anglers: --

Location: -- --

Flies: PMD's during mid-day, Caddis and Stoneflies at dusk.

Time: 7 am

Results: The Yakima River is in perfect condition!

All the high water and nasty weather of spring time is long gone and we are cashing in on Mother Nature's generosity right now with PERFECT flows and conditions on the Yakima River. The river is low and clear with great PMD hatches mid day and the nymphing has been excellent both before and after the PMD hatch. If you are out until dusk the Caddis hatch during the last hour of the day can be spectacular, especially on the really hot days. If it is cooler during the day then typically the Caddis will be light. Try to take advantage of the current conditions if possible, it looks like we have another week or so before the summer water will have much of an effect on fishing. Even if they started to release it now there would be several days before the bite turned sour. There are a few Golden Stones around mid day still and it looks like there are a few Summer Stoneflies out and about as well, water temps hit 61 degrees yesterday so the shorts/sandals program is fine for wading. You can all but leave the waders at home, especially if they are neoprene.   If you want to get the right shoe for summertime wading, pick up a set of Simms River Sandals. They have a closed toe and a felt bottom with similar construction to Keen Sandals which you probably already have 2 pairs of.  If you prefer a boot for wet wading, try a set of Simms Guard Socks underneath.  It is nice to shed the waders this time of year if you can. Regarding other reports, the Naches River is fishing pretty good and we are in the middle of prime float season down there. As you can see by today's pics, it is a fast and fun ride.

Anglers: Bruce, Diane, and Troy

Location: Ringer - Red's --

Flies: Pearl LB 16, Green Sparkle Pupae, CDC FB PT, EHC 16, Olive X Caddis 16, Parachute X Caddis, P Stone, RCJ 16, Double Beaded Peacock Stone #8, Black Double Beaded Stone #8/10

Time: 10 am - 9 pm

Results: 2 bigger trout, many smaller fish, and some Whitefish.

Great day on the river, finally it feels like summertime in the canyon. It has been a long spring and it is finally starting to turn. The water is low and clear and the fishing is pretty good on PMD's mid day and Caddis at Dusk. Try to take advantage of the low water this next week because the flows will ramp up here soon and there will be a few days where the fishing is going to be really tough once the water climbs too much. Although at times, the initial rise upon summer release can make for some incredible nymph fishing as a lot of bugs are knocked free into a mid column drift. The release water coming out of the Cle Elum River will be quite clear throughout most of the release and the first few days can be awesome. Once it gets to 4000 cfs though, it will take a few more days for the fish to completely adjust to their new setting. Regarding other reports, the Naches River is running very high and is tough to wade but the floating is a good time right now and the fishing is quite good. It is very technical whitewater trip and provides some supplemental adrenaline with your guided fly fishing trip!

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: RIVER BLOCKAGE

There is a complete river blockage between Irene Rhinehart Park and Ringer Road. It is kind of like the old days in there when it was blocked for a couple of years and you had to push the boat over a log and go through the side channel. Our guides made it through because there were 6 total between the 2 boats that were working together and helped a couple of other boats too, but it could have been a bad situation for a boat by themselves. There isn't any AAA out there so make sure and stay out of the Farmlands until you here otherwise. On another note, GOOD fishing throughout the entire river.

Anglers: Troy, Shan, and Roc

Location: Umptanum to The Slab

Flies: CDC PT - Flashback #18/16, Lime Green Caddis Pupae #16, Peacock Elk Hair Caddis #18, CDC Caddis Emerger #18/16, PT Soft Hackle #14/16, Brown Caddis Pupae #16

Time: 2:30 - 8:30 pm

Results: Good nymphing, 7 Trout landed, and 1 Whitefish.

The fishing has improved! Even though we got a late start in our day of fishing we had a very productive afternoon. We found that nymphing was the most effective technique, a peasant tail followed by a caddis pupae seemed to work the best. We had the dry rods set up and ready to roll but the only fish we saw rising were 6-10 inches, nothing of substantial size. The little guys are still fun to catch on a three weight, but we were looking for the bigger trout, and they seemed to be mostly sub-surface. We caught a couple throughout the miracle mile right above The Slab. Although nymphing was good yesterday, the PMD and Caddis hatches will continue to get better once this cooler weather passes. Be sure to have some Golden and Summer Stones tied up in your fly box ready for some late afternoon big dry fly action! Hope to see you on the water soon, Red's   

Anglers: Arne, Blair, and Joe

Location: Bighorn to Red's

Flies: CDC PT - Flashback #18/16, Hare's Ear Prince #16, Fly Formerly Known as Prince #18, Doube Beaded Peacock stone #10, Lime Green Caddis Pupae #16, Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear #16, Sculpizilla - Olive and Black #4, Sheila's Sculpin #6, JJ Special #6, Black Zuddler #4

Time: 9 - 5 pm

Results: 6 trout landed (none over 12") and a ton of whitefish, no fish on dry flies.

The 50 mph wind was too much yesterday. Between the rough wind and the big pressure change the trout fishing was quite a challenge. We battled hard but the whitefish were on the attack and that is all it seemed like we could catch all day. To mitigate the wind and whitefish We threw streamers for a couple of miles with only a single grab. Even when we would anchor up in the good trout buckets and riffles the whitefish would beat the Rainbows to the fly. We felt good though after taking on conditions like that and still managing to land some fish. It was a tough day to be fishing despite perfect river conditions. Good job to all those guys out there rowing boats, it was a tough day to even land a single fish whether it was a whitey or a trout. The forecast looks like it is going to calm down today a bit and Monday will be a little better too. We really want that dark cloudy weather back. It gave us such good dry fly fishing a few days ago. The PMD hatch was spectacular again yesterday with bugs everywhere for at least 2-3 hours, but unfortunately the big pressure change and suddenly sunny skies kept them down on the bottom and not feeding much. Look for the next dark cloudy day to bring the dry fly fishing back, especially if it rains. Until then, plan on nymphing with some extra split shot to neutralize the wind-caused drag on the indicator. Nymphing in the wind is tough because the mends get knocked down and it causes a ton of drag. The extra weight combined with steep downstream casting angles (when in a drifter) will really help the floats. Lateral casting is fine in calm conditions when combined with a high stick, but in the wind highsticking turns into a kite flying episode. Downstream approaches keep more fly line on the waterand the wind can blow the indicator over the top of the fly allowing for a few seconds of perfect drift. - Just a couple of ideas to better your success in a tornado. Red's

Anglers: TJ

Location: Red's to Mahre's

Flies: Parachute PMD's, PMD Comparadun #16, CDC PT #16, Homemade PMD Nymphs #14/16

Time: 10 am - 5 pm

Results: 10 + trout landed, lots on dry flies.

It's ON. No need for any more foreplay just go fishing. Conditions don't get any better than this, the PMD hatches in the lower canyon have been spectacular and the nymphing is semi-automatic and could go full-auto at any time.

Anglers: Jim, Ken, and Steve.

Location: Lower Yakima River

Flies: Yellow and Black BASS BUSTERS Size 4.

Time: 10 am - 5 pm

Results: 8 Smallmouth to hand (2-4 pounds).

We got some Bass fishing in yesterday and landed some nice ones throwing Bass Busters on heavy sink tips. The water was fairly muddy but the Bass were aggressive and fought absolutely awesome, especially since they are working with a lot of current right now. Smallmouth are amazing fighters. No matter how many you see hooked the way they fight is always impressive. The best smallmouth fishing of the year should be in the next 3 weeks as the lower Yakima clears up and drops a little bit more. If you haven't ever tried it just give us a call and we'll get you out on the river with one of our guides. If you want to try it in your own boat, stop by the shop or email and we'll give you the info on flies and where to launch. It is awesome.

Anglers: Arne, Garth, and Joe.

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: About the same as the day before... CDC Flashback PT 16, Golden Stone (Dry - Clark Style) #8, Golden Stone Nymph #6/8, Green Sparkle Pupae #16, Pearl LB #16, Fly FKA Prince #16, CDC PT #16, Trout MRE #16, Elk Hair Caddis #14, CDC Caddis Emerger #16.

Time: 9:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Results: About 10 trout landed 10-17" and many more Whitefish

The momentum finally shifted in favor of the angler yesterday with great nymph fishing. Still not much in the way of feeding fish on the surface although there were a few. We hooked one nice fish on an adult Golden, LOTS of Golden Stones in the Lower Canyon right now. We probably saw 20 adults which is a great showing for this hatch. Overall the fishing is pretty good in the Lower Canyon. Stay out till dark for the best shot at feeding fish.

Anglers: Mark, Dan, and Joe.

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: Green Sparkle Pupae #16, Pearl LB #16, Fly FKA Prince #16, CDC PT #16, Trout MRE #16, Elk Hair Caddis #14, CDC Caddis Emerger #16.

Time: 9:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Results: About 6 trout landed 10-16"

The trout continue to impress us with their discipline of appetite. If only the human kind had that much willpower we could put down the bacon cheeseburgers, cigarettes, and beer so that we could be wade fishing into our 90's! The catching is still a bit slow and conditions are no longer an excuse with good clarity throughout the system and stable flows. Today we are expecting 79 degrees and cloudy, that feels like PMD weather so today could be our gamebreaker. When the fishing gets slow like it has been over the past week make sure to patiently and methodically work over the water that you know there to be trout holding. Typically they will grab the first drift past them but right now it seems like it has to be just perfect. In addition, the glacial tinge to the water is allowing the fish to feel secure and they are not very spooky. Short floats and detail wading is a good idea. Last night there was a good evening Caddis hatch and we did raise some fish on dries and hooked one very nice trout on a CDC emerger behind an EHC. If you can stick it out till dark you'll see some good feeding action on the surface but the 3 pm - 7 pm window was pretty much dead. It is starting to feel like summer! Stones are about 2 weeks out, once that happens the evening fishing can be truly spectacular.

Anglers: TJ, Troy, and Joe.

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: Green Sparkle Pupae #16, San Juan Worms, Pearl LB #16, LaFontaine Pupae #16, Pat's Stones, Black K Stone #8, Golden Stone #8, Sculpzilla Black #4, PMD Parachute #16, Elk Hair Caddis.

Time: 12:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Results: 6 Whitefish landed 10-16", and about 8-10 other fish hooked (trout/whitefish).

We found some Whitefish today, not many trout were on the take. The clarity is still fairly low but it seemed to improve throughout the afternoon. It is about 2' in the Farmlands and about 12-18" down in the Lower Canyon section. We hooked a couple of very nice trout today, but unfortunately they didn't make the net or the official tally. The bite is very slow right now, it seems as though the fish are still trying to get adjusted to the new water volume. It isn't likely to drop much from here on through the summer, it is pretty likely that we will stay above 3000 cfs all the way through. By the time the runoff ends the irrigation demand will be high and offset the dropping tributary streams. The clarity doesn't seem to be a real problem as the catch today was all on #16 nymphs.  Our biggest tip is that every single fish hooked was on a small flashy nymph. We can't seem to buy a fish on a Stone Nymph right now - ? Kind of weird. You would think with the big flow that the S. Nymph would be rockin'.  Especially since there are both Salmon Flies and Golden Stones on the move. The Caddis were thick as usual today and we did see a few nice trout rise, but were unable to convert as they were in some pretty tough spots and were unable to get position on them. The Canyon is a little more amenable to anchoring down on feeders right now. There was a light PMD hatch that brought up a few sporadic rises, but they didn't respond to our dry flies. Finicky. Overall, fishing was pretty slow for 3 guides taking a day off but we got a few yanks and opportunities, plus you KNOW we got in some good laughs. Hopping in the drift boat with a couple of buddies is always fun even if the fishing is slow. Good times. Oh yea, has anybody here ever thrown a golf club after a bad shot? Try not to do it with a fly rod because they aren't nearly as durable.   :-) You guys rock, thanks for reading. Red's.

Anglers: Sam, Mathew, and Joe

Location: Upper River

Flies: Pheseant Tails #12-18, Dirt Snakes, Brown K Stone #10, Olive K Stone #8/10, P Stone #10, Sculpzilla, Lightning Bugs #16, RCJ #16, Black CJ #18/16, Prince Nymphs #16, Bitteroot Skwala #10, Nightmare Skwala #10

Time: 9 am until 7:00 pm

Results: 6 Cutts and Rainbows landed and a few Whities (not a misprint, same results as last report)

The Lower Canyon is coming back into decent shape today and will continue to clear over the next few days, there is about 2' of vis and things are looking pretty good. Don't expect much in the way of dry fly activity or hatches, the cool weather and water will likely keep that to minimum. Do expect to hook a few fish as they will be hungry for the worms and nymphs after a small blowout like we had over the past few days. We will be fishing the entire river depending on the day, Wilson Creek is dumping a little mud so if water color aesthetics are important to you then the upper river might be a good idea but the LC is in decent fishing shape and the fish are probably going to need some food. We'll be by the phone if you need an up-to-the-minute clarity check. There will be some foul weather over the weekend but it should keep conditions looking good clarity wise. Thanks for listening, AND by the way. We'll be doing a short clinic on fishing the Eastern Washington Lakes on Saturday at 9 am down here at the shop. It is 100% free and you will get some awesome inside information on fishing the great stillwaters, Lenice, Dry Falls, Nunally, Dusty, Lenore... just to name a few. It should be a good class and you will learn some good info. If that isn't enough I'll make sure to have some Free Donuts. See you there.

4/16/08

Anglers: Steve and TJ

Location: Upper River

Flies: sz. 6-10 Stonefly nymphs, sz. 14-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 18 Midge Pupae, sz. 8 Dirt Snakes, sz. 18 WD-40, sz. 6 Black Zandoli's Zonker, sz. 6 Sculpzilla

Time: 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm

Results: 6 Cutts and Rainbows landed and a few Whities

With the bulk of the system out of shape, we had a couple of boats on the Upper River yesterday between Ensign and East Cle Elum. Once in a while, the big fish are on the feed. Some think it's the barometer, some say the moon phase... Whatever it is, we had one of those days yesterday. Catching a trout like that is rare, and the more time you spend on the water, the more you appreciate it when it happens! There were some March Browns and BWO's that came off in the afternoon during the calm periods between wind gusts, snow flurries and sleet; but we never saw any fish feeding on the surface. We fished nymphs and streamers from the boat on the go and caught fish with both techniques. By the time we took off and headed back towards Ellensburg, the river below the Teanaway had cleaned up immensely, and even the canyon looks good this morning. It's amazing how fast this river came back into shape. The forecast ahead looks good. Cold nights will keep things clean, and cloudy skies should get these BWO's and March Browns on the move.

4/14/08

Anglers: --

Location: Red's

Flies: --

Time: 2:00 pm

Results: River update!

Flows continued to climb throughout the night, and are now showing signs of cresting around 3000 cfs. The river is pretty much unfishable from the Teanaway downstream this morning with only about 6" of visibility. The river above the Teanaway remains clear and low. We will be spending some time on the Upper rreaches over the next few days, and are hoping with the cool weather returning to the immediate forecast, we see things come back around by as soon as Thursday. If the forecast holds true, we could see some great BWO activity later this week with mostly cloudy skies and calm conditions.

4/13/08

Anglers: Mike, DB, and Joe

Location: The Farmlands

Flies: #6 Black K Stones, #6/8/10 Pat's Stones, #16 Bloody Mary, #14/16 Phesant Tails and Prince Nymphs, #16 RCJ, #10 Skwalameister, #10 Bitteroot Skwala, #10 San Juan Worms in various hues, #6 JJ Buggers, #6 Conehead Zuddlers

Time: 9 am - 6:30 pm

Results: 4 Trout landed and one Whitefish.

What a strange week, the fishing has been all over the board. Early in the week we had some good fishing, but starting on Wednesday the fish decided to go on a Hunger Strike and starve themselves. As if that wasn't enough, they decided to start moving out of the way of our flies and swim to other side of the river. As if that wasn't enough, they formed a Union and decided to go on strike until they are done spawning and the river comes up a little bit and brings them some fresh food. Our chief negotiators did mangage to bring a few across the picket lines in trade for a March Brown and a Skwala. A few others were bribed by Stone Nymphs followed by a #12 Soft Hackle PT (great March Brown Nymph). Friday's fishing was truly tough, but as the river began to rise (thanks to the Teanaway) yesterday's fishing picked up a bit. Our boat only landed 4 trout, but one of our other guides working with some sharp anglers yanked maybe 10 trout out of the water, several of which were exceptional. Even a great Cutthroat came to hand, it must not have gotten out of the way fast enough :) ! The good news is, the snowmelt is actually bringing the water temps up from earlier this week and we are starting today at over 45 degrees, so despite the loss in clarity which is currently at 2' in the LC at 10 am, we have better temps to work with. The hatches are pretty good, the lid could blow off this fishing any day so stay with us. A bit more river to work with will hopefully spread the fish around and put some big trout in the shallows for us to pick on. The LC should stay fishable through today and probably through the early portion of the week. It is supposed to cool off and the freezing level will be at 1800' on Monday. The Upper Yak hasn't even budged so you can always fish the upper reaches above the Teanaway. We are looking forward to guiding on the Upper River a bit more anyway. The river will likely go out of shape bad some time in the next week or two but it is ok to have a blow up once in a while because "make up" fishing can be the best kind. You married guys know what I'm talking about.

4/11/08

Anglers: Scott, Chris, Johnny

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: sz. 8, 10 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 14, 16 FBPT, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 8 Winged Thing Skwala, sz. 10, 12 Gypsy K Skwala, sz. 16 BWO Sparkle Duns

Time: 10 am - 6:00 pm

Results: 4 Small Trout landed and a couple of Whitefish.

After a decent day of fishing on Wednesday in the canyon, we had another tough day yesterday! The bump in flows comes mainly from a water release intended to charge the irrigation canals for the season. This also put a bit of the familiar green color into the water. Things are stable this morning, and we're optimistic about the day. Visibility is good, and we are glad to see the freshet of water hit the system. We expect water conditions to hold at least through Saturday, as evening temps are forecast to dip near freezing in the mountains, despite daytime highs of 70 degrees plus! We're now entering the Spring period when runoff could get to be a factor, so keep an eye on the flows and give us a call if there's any question regarding fishability. Afternoon Blue Wing hatches have been great on cloudy days, and we are still seeing a lot of Skwalas on the water. With a bump in flows and drop in visibility, the dirt snake (aka San Juan Worm) will become a standard part of the nymph rig.

4/07/08

Anglers: Arne, Pete, and Joe

Location: Red's to MM10

Flies: Black K Stone #8, P Stone 8/10/12 brown/black and Olive, Gary's PT 18, Black CJ 18, Red CJ 16/18, Caddis Sparkle Pupae (bright green) #16, Bitteroot Skwala, Flashback PT 14

Time: 9 am - 1:30 pm

Results: 1 or 2 trout landed, and a few whitefish.

Slow fishing in the LC yesterday morning, really slow. The morning started out with sunny skies and was shaping up to be a nice morning, then the storm blew in and dumped rain on us for a couple hours. Strange however, it didn't rain in the upper half of the Canyon. While were strapped down in Goretex in the bottom end, some anglers were sporting T Shirts in the top half. Funny how that works. I think we wrapped up our float too early yesterday, most of the mornings have been pretty slow but without a significant hatch (which is due any day?!) the low clear water is making things relatively slow. The fishing is not bad, the same 2 anglers had a great day on Saturday and put some pretty large fish in the boat. Just make sure to concentrate on the p.m. hours as there is still frost on the ground every morning it seems like. The hatches are going to start popping up any time and the next bump in volume will really help the fishing. A little rise in flow will push the nymphs up into the water column and get the fish feeding aggressively again. As the river is right now, most of the nymphs are able to maintain control and successfully hang on without being pushed downstream or up in the water column. They are a little more secure and hence the fish aren't looking for nymphs anywhere but on the bottom. A good strategy in low, clear, and dropping conditions is to work the edges of deeper pools with light line, small flies, and even some spit shot to grind them out. They are much more apt to take a fly on or near the bottom when the flow is stable. However, when the flow bumps up those nymphs will break loose and free drift allowing us to hook fish on nymphs that are fished up off of the bottom (this can make the fishing soooo good). It would also be nice to have a little color in the water to mellow the fish out, they are awfully spooky. Light lines and long casts are a good idea. There were some fish rising on Midge Clusters and Blue Wing Olives the last 2 days, so think about grabbing a couple of Griffith's Gnats and some Quigley Cripples. We never thought we would be asking for more water in a year that is still giving us snow into April, but I think we are ready for a little push of water. The San Juan worm is ready and waiting, we ordered 3 pallet loads of them and haven't used a single one yet. The March Brown hatch seems to be in a holding pattern, any day it should start going consistently. I'm not sure what they are waiting for because the water temps are looking good and the length of day (also important to Mayflies) is appropriate. Maybe this week sometime it will happen, that is the upside to low/clear conditions. If you do have the hatch, the sight casting to feeders is truly spectacular.

4/05/08

Anglers: Luke, Cory, and Joe

Location: Irene to Bighorn

Flies: Black K Stone #8, P Stone 8/10, Soft Hackle PT #12, Clack CJ #14, San Juan Worm, Gary's PT 18, Bitteroot Skwala #10

Time: 10 am - 6 pm

Results: 10 trout landed, and a few whitefish

Where did the hatch go? The Farmlands and upper end of the LC was devoid of any hatch yesterday other than a few Skwalas. The weather and temperatures seemed very conducive to a March Brown hatch with rain and very dark sky, the BWO's did not make an appearance either. We did however see a couple of Skwalas and raise a few fish in the late afternoon on a Bitteroot pattern. Overall, the fishing was pretty good. Not 'smokin' but pretty good. And we did land the best fish that I have personally seen so far this spring, it was officially taped at 19.5". We field judged it larger but the taped doesn't exaggerate. The hatches were better in the LC to be certain, we literally saw 1 fish rise in the entire Irene to Ringer stretch yesterday. The nymphing was decent though, it is worth an effort if you like the Farmlands. We'll have some more info tomorrow, Red's.

4/04/08

Anglers: Mike and Dick

Location: Umtanum to Mahres

Flies: Skwala Dries, BWO's, and March Browns (primarily dry flies, some nymphing early on)

Time: 11 am - 6 pm

Results: 8+ trout landed, and a few whitefish

That hatches are starting to begin on the Yakima, the LC seems to be the most active for the Mayfly hatches but there are some Skwalas roaming around upriver still. The mainstay is becoming either a Blue Wing Olive pattern (nymph, emerger, or dry) or a MB. Some suggestions are size 18 Pearl Lightning Bugs or FB PT's for the BWO or even an Olive Soft Hackle in the 16-18 range. For the MB, use a #12 Soft Hackle Hare's Ear or a Soft Hackle PT for the emerging nymph. The river is handling the bump in water volume just fine and overall, it is a good thing and should spread some fish around for us. Several of us fished Isaak's Lake on Tuesday. We landed some nice fish in the Upper Lake, but didn't get any action in the Lower. Overall, we felt we were a tad early to experience the quality fishing Isaak's is known for, so we have pushed our April 6th date back a week to April 13th. We do have space open, and allowing another week for temps to warm up should get us into the window when we start to see some surface activity on the lake. Also, the Canyon marathon will be run TOMORROW. Recreational traffic is permitted - passes are available at the Flying J and all of the local fly shops. If you get stopped at the road block and experience problems getting through, please give the shop a call. The speed limit is 25 mph, and you can expect to see runners in both lanes, so please drive carefully coming down!

4/02/08 LATE PM

Anglers: Bruce, Blair, and Joe

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: --

Its a good time to fish, I won't mess it up with an attempt to verbally amuse you tonight. True spring fishing is getting underway, March Browns, Blue Wings, Skwalas, Midge, and a few Cuban Cigars... you want some of that hot action? Call us.

4/02/08

Anglers: Jim, Griffin, and Joe

Location: LC

Flies: P Stones of every make and model, Olive K Stone #10, Gary's PT #18, Flashback PT #20/18, Pearl Lightning Bug #18, Bitteroot Skwala #10, March Brown #10, BWO Parachute #18

Time: 11:30 am - 4 pm

Results: 3-4 Nice Trout (14"-17") and a bunch of Whitefish

Yesterday was a good turnaround in the fishing, we broke a 2 game losing streak and should be climbing back to the top of our division by the end of the weekend. Our home stand against the Skwala Stoneflies is just about over, but the Blue Wings and March Browns will be in town and I think our pitching staff is well rested enough that we can shut them down. Lots of singles and the occasional double is the expected outcome. Just keep your eye on the fly. The hatch yesterday was pretty good, the best I have personally seen so far this spring and for about an hour and a half there was more than ample sight casting opportunity. They were a bit resistant to the Skwala, wonder why? I guess they have been hooked on that one a few too many times. They are anxious to eat a MB - one of the preferred patterns that we use is a Split Wing Adams (it is a parachute with 2 posts and some flash on the underbody), it floats awesome and you can search with it on the go. The river is still super low and clear, yesterday we could actually see fish levitating mid column waiting for MB's to come down the lane. It was awesome, you don't get to see that very often. A couple of tips, think big feeding lanes and bring 'em off the bank a ways. The water is so clear and low that a lot of fish have pulled out to midstream. Especially if you are working MB and BWO hatches as these bugs don't fall out of the trees into the water, at least not very often.  I don't mean to blow your mind Dude, but they actually come from underwater and fly away once they hit the surface.  I know... that is crazy but it is true and I have seen it happen.

4/01/08

Anglers: --

Location: LC

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: --

"If you don't like the weather now, just wait 30 minutes..." this old saying could not have been more true this week. We have had snow, sun, wind, hail, sleet, and then usually some more sun afterwards. All in all, the fishing has been so sporadic that it hardly seemed fair to post actual catch numbers, but we will give you a generalization of the current conditions. The water is COLD - it dipped down to 35 degrees yesterday, but the good news is that it has only one direction to go and that is up. When this water temp climbs the fish are going to be hungry and need some food because they have been relatively inactive over the last week with all the mixed weather patterns. A couple of days fished quite good, but overall we'll have to admit it has been slow. Especially the dry fly fishing. The water temps are up a degree or so from yesterday as of 7 am which is a good start and the forecast is for fishing to start rockin' by Friday with nighttime temps around 35 versus 21 which is how cold it was last night. Daytime temps near 60 is a good thing, the river will stay in perfect shape and the trout will start to feed heavily. Think about getting some trips planned before temps start getting into the 70's if you like fishing dry flies in clear water. That was a rhetorical statement, we all like fishing dry flies in clear water but you get the point. Especially Blue Wings, March Browns, and Skwala Stoneflies. By the way, all of which are now hatching on the river. The Skwala hatch has been amazing, even in the LC it is still going. The BWO's are a mid day staple now (nothing super yet, but its coming up soon), and the March Brown is beginning to show in the upper portion of the LC. The March Brown is one of the Big Mac's of the Mayfly menu. If you have never hit this hatch right on you are not alone as it can be kind of sporadic and the hatch is commonly very fast and furious, inversely there are days where it continues for hours and these are the days you will remember forever. It is a size 12 and can be considered a Monster Mayfly, very vulnerable to the fish while it is drying its wings and some of the river's biggest fish key into this hatch. Make sure to have a Hatch Rod ready to go, the emergence will come on strong and be over before you know it some days.  Especially on the colder, windy days.  On the warm cloudy days it will be more evenly distributed as the water temps are undergoing only gradual changes rather than an aggressive rise and drop. If your guide parks on a riffle and says it is a good time to 'post up' and wait for the hatch, trust him and be patient. The MB is worth it. Any questions?  Call the shop, we'll be waiting to field them for you.

3/29/08

Anglers: Most of the Yakima River Guides and Stewards

Location: Ellensburg Fairgrounds

Flies: --

Time: 6:00 pm

Results: A free education.

The meeting of the minds last night regarding watershed management in the Yakima River Basin was excellent and I would describe it as an inspiration. Biologists from the WDFW and the Yakima Nation presented (along with others), their current research, findings, and vision for our mother stream. The meeting started out a bit depressing after seeing what has been done to mame this river, it really is a living, breathing, and growing creature that seems to have a heartbeat of its own. The destruction of the flood plain and much of the hydrodynamics of this river and its tributaries have been altered for the worse and it was very enlightening to learn more about it and listen to speakers that have dedicate TWO DECADES of their lives to learning more about this. I learned more in 2 hours last night regarding river morphology as it applies to fisheries habitat than in all 4 years of a Geography/Environmental Studies degree. The meeting brought many of the problems to light, and the positive conclusion was that we have identified the limiting factors to the carrying capacity of our trout stream and executing them is reasonably feasible. Loss of side channel and braided habitat seemed to be the number one problem addressed, the dikes have created a channelization that ultimately results in loss of critical habitat by failing to allow side channelization and woody debris formation. In addition, the natural flood cycle and runoff pattern is very different than it used to (not just reffering to high summer flows, the entire watershed from logging, cattle grazing, suburban sprawl on down the line.) Even the water table's contribution to the river during summer months is altered, this is critical. Natural streams are typically still receiving returns of spring flood water that is still cold through the ground during the hot days of summer. Additionally, the bank habitat (THE MOST IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR RAINBOW TROUT) has diminished over time and needs to be supplemented in order to achieve maximum productivity. Some other factors were ditches, diversions, and pumps need to be screened which will keep juvenille fish from entering intermittent and seasonal waterways. When these dry up, they ultimately die and are lost forever. The beauty of all this, we know what needs to be done and much of it is feasible. Projects as simple as creating small habitat dikes, rockpiles, and anchoring woody debris into areas void of it will greatly increase productivity and habitat. We plan on adopting a habitat restoration project somewhere in the Lower Canyon sometime in 2008, this might be as simple as planting trees or adding boulders to areas that lack them. The biologists explain that any structure that contributes to "fattening up" the banks and increasing bankward habitat will help the fishery. These fish are not limited in size, growth, genetics, or population by the available food source. They are limited by the potential living space and habitat. What is even more interesting, all of the biologists seemed to unanimously agree that there is a massive amount of remaining potential in this river and it can only get better as education and angler participation increase. We will be selling Trout Unlimited Memberships right on the counter of our fly shop for those interested in helping the cause. We have a great local chapter in Ellensburg whose primary focus is helping the Yakima River reach full potential. Please join the fight, join TU. Red's. Oh yea, current conditions.... low, clear, cold, and beeeeautiful out here right now. A great day to be out, enjoy nature, and listen close for the heartbeat of the river. Sometimes it is faint, but it is definately there.

3/28/08

Anglers: Bruce, Lee, and Doug

Location: Big Horn to Red's

Flies: #8 P Stone, #18 droppers of various sorts but the #18 Flashback PT was the BEST! #18 Mogandy Para Dun was used to sleuce 'em during hatch time.

Time: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Results: 10 + Rainbows and some nice Whitefish too.

What great winter fishing we are having over here, the casting pond is frozen in the morning and there is tremendous snow on the pass. WHEN WILL IT END?!!! The upside though is that the river is in pristine shape, we all prayed for a long cool spring and we are getting just that. Even runoff and cold nights and days will do that, we could do without the snow showers but it seems like within minutes of the snow ending the sun is back out. Amazing weather patterns, fairly stable though and the fishing has been good. The nymphing was steady though and the BWO hatch was good enough to put 5 rainbows in the net in 10 minutes!? That sounds like a good time, not to mention the Skwala is still out and about as well. Anyway, we'll see you this weekend. Mention the road kill pheasant on Saturday and get one free fly for being a loyal listener. I want to see if we have more than just one.

3/27/08

Anglers: John, Patty, and Joe

Location: Umtanum to MM10

Flies: Size 10 Brown Wing Bitteroot, Gypsy King 10, Flat Wing Skwala 10, P Stone 10 Olive w/ green legs, Olive K Stone, Gary's PT 16, CDC PT 16

Time: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Results: About 5 Rainbows (11"-16"), 1 Cutthroat 12", and some Whitefish.

We saw it all yesterday, from closures on 2 passes, snow in Ellensburg, 30 mph winds, sun, and even some fog filling up the high ravines. That is what March can be like when you live between the mountains and the desert. The fishing was pretty decent overall, not extraordinary but it was alright. We threw dries most of the day but did nymph a little when we were feeling down. The Skwala hatch is strong right now, amazing really. There have been Skwala Stoneflies hatching since around March 1st and I would have to say this is the longest and steadiest I have personally ever seen this hatch. The cold weather is keeping water temps and flows very even and if we could make a suggestion, plan your trips now before the weather warms up. If you like to fish clear water, NOW is the time. The river is small and clear, very fishable on foot or in a pontoon boat. In addition the BWO hatch starting Monday has gotten fairly predictable around 2 pm, it will get better as water temps climb but if you are patient and willing to work the risers with light tippets and soft casts it can be a great time right now. For the rest you Neandrathals that don't like 3 weights, 6x, and educated trout the nymphing is pretty good right now. We nymphed for just short intervals yesterday and the fish were pretty snappy. We also want to note a couple of new games that we're playing at the fly shop. The first is guess what is in the back of the guides pickup truck. You are the winner if you guessed... 1 roadkill pheasant, 3 beer bottles, an empty Red Bull can, a hatchet, and an empty bottle of Pepto Bismol. If you are the winner send us an email, we can split the feathers out of the phesant as a prize. The second game.... still working out the details and this one is for real. We have a competition casting pond at the shop now, and as the customer you can challenge the guide, or shop staff running the register to a casting competition and earn free Red's Fly Shop Gear. We'll get the details ironed out soon. All in good fun, plus you can talk smack if you can beat us on the pond. Good luck, stop in and buy a Coke next time you are out fishing.

3/24/08

Anglers: Steve, Jeff, and Steve

Location: Umtanum to Roza

Flies: sz. 8-12 Stonefly nymphs, sz. 14-18 PT, sz. 16 Copper John, sz. 14-18 Lightening Bugs

Time: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Results: 10+ Rainbows (12"-18") and some Whitefish.

We hope you and your families enjoyed the Easter weekend! We've started each day out recently with blue skies and sunshine, which has given way to periods of clouds, cold, and even some wind in the afternoon. Today is clear and sunny again, and we're optimistic that it will stick around. As for the fishing, BWO's have become more consistent, and we have seen fish eating them in some of the softer currents. We are still fishing Skwala dries in the afternoon. The big dry fly fishing has not been a quantity game, but the fish looking for them have been a notch bigger on the quality end! With sub surface fishing, we have seen the preference switch from Stonefly nymphs to smaller bugs - likely due to the elevated BWO activity. The trout are in great shape and seem to have wintered very well. With another good snow pack season and healthy summer flows ahead of us, there will be some very large trout caught this year.

3/21/08

Anglers: Johnny and Bruce

Location: Ringer to Red's

Flies: Stone nymphs sz. 8-12, sz. 10 Power Worm, sz. 14-18 Copper John, sz. 16 PT, sz. 8 Gypsy King Skwala, sz. 10 Bugmeister

Time: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Results: 6-8 nice Rainbows landed on dries and lots of Whitefish on nymphs.

The dry fly fishing was pretty good on this particular day, and it was the nymphing that was tougher. Again, long dry spells followed by a flurry of activity on the dries has been the norm. We have seen several pods of trout eating BWO's in the afternoon, which is great news! This should become a major part of the program, especially on cloudy days. We have seen signs of some spawning acitivity with the Yakima Rainbows. Please be aware of this (fish stacked in shallow gravel with rub marks on tails and fins) and try not to target or distrub the redds. These fish will do their thing and start feeding voraciously when they finish! The highlight of the day with Bruce was not a fish that came to hand - but the infamous "one that got away". The indicator went down and Bruce set the hook on what felt like a solid fish. After staying deep and bulldogging for a long time, Bruce was able to bring the fish up near the boat. What they saw was the bright red stripe on the side of a fish in the 7-8 pound range. Bruce kept the pressure on it, but the line suddenly went slack. They were surprised to find the eye of the hook of the sz. 16 PT still attached to the 5X tippet - with no body on the fly. Johnny has seen enough Steelhead to be confident that's what they were looking at - there are 200-300 that make it over Roza on an annual basis. Lastly, we will be open on Easter Sunday until noon, so if you're planning to spend the day on the river, we'll be able to run a shuttle for you.

3/19/08

Anglers: Carl, Ron, and Mike

Location: Ringer to Red's

Flies: Kaufmann's Stone sz. 8-12, Pat's Stones sz. 8-12, sz. 10 Power Worm, sz. 14-18 Lightning Bug, sz. 14-18 Copper John, sz. 18 WD-40

Time: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Results: 8-10 Rainbows landed (12"-19") and lots of Whitefish.

Cool nights have kept the river flows down and clarity up over the past 4 days. The fishing has been a mixed bag, with decent afternoon dry fly fishing one day, and not much of anything on the surface the next. We have started seeing some BWO's coming off for the past 2 days, but no fish actively eating them yet, either. Our basic strategy has been to get on the water around 10:00 am and fish nymphs until after lunch. We've been hooking lots of fish nymphing, with the overall ratio favoring Whitefish; although yesterday we did land a fair number of trout, including several nice ones, on nymphs under an indicator. After lunch, we have been switching to dries and casting at likely spots along the bank. The thing about fishing Skwalas is you may go a long ways without seeing a rise, and then hit 2 or 3 fish all at once. The bugs are out, and the trout know it - it's just a matter of being persistent enough to find that fish with the "snappy demeanor". If you're having slow fishing in the tight to the bank zone, don't be afraid to try running 10 feet out. A lot of that water gets overlooked.

3/17/08

Anglers: Gayle, Arne, and Joe

Location: Farmlands

Flies: Olive K Stone #10/12, Pat Stones Olive, Brown, Tan, #12-8, San Juan Worms, RCJ #16, BCJ #16, PT's #14/16, Sculpzilla #6/4, JJ Buggers #4, Bitteroot Skwala #10/8, Clark's Skwala #8/10, Gypsy King #10

Time: 9 am - 5 pm

Results: 4 Very hard earned trout (13"-17"), only several other hooked.

Very tough fishing in the Farmlands over the weekend, we had a cold snap and a pressure change that kicked the winds up and despite good Skwala activity the fished stayed low and did their best to avoid both nymphs and dry flies. That is how it goes sometimes, we had a really good run with steady dry fly fishing on most days. The water temps took a dive and actually got down below 38, which is semi rare for this time of year. We prefer to have them stay over 40 to keep the fish interested in steady hatches of Skwala Stonefly and BWO's, the midge will continue to hatch at lower temps but they are a less significant food source than the aforementioned BWO. Now for the GOOD NEWS, water temps took a big jump yesterday afternoon and this morning and are up near 40 degrees at 9:30 am already this morning. We had good reports of dry fly fishing in the LC yesterday afternoon, so it looks like we are back on track after a slow Saturday. The extended weather forecast looks like it will keep the river in good shape for at least another week, if you are thinking about a guided trip or Cast n' Blast now is the time. Prerunoff is a great time to fish. Red's.

3/14/08

Anglers: Your name here

Location: Red's

Flies: --

Time: 9 am

Results: Better angling.

Just a reminder that we are having a FREE Spring Wade fishing clinic tomorrow at 9 am, just bring your rod, reel, and waders and we'll give you a couple of hours learning some of the tricks to wade fishing the Yak during the springtime. No reservation necessary, see you around 9 am and if you are a few minutes late no worries, we'll be down at the river.

3/13/08 late pm

Anglers: Hap, Slick, and Joe

Location: Umtanum to Marhes

Flies: sz. 10 Olive K Stone, #10/12 Olive/Brown P Stone (pat's stone), sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 16 PT, JJ Bugger's #4, Sculpin Zuddler #4, Morrish Sculpin #6, Bitteroot Skwala #10, Winged Thing Olive #10, Single Skwala w/ legs #10

Time: 9:30 am -6:45 pm

Results: ? Trout landed, a couple of fnpigs.

The fishing continues to be steady, flows are up a bit but the water clarity in the LC is really good right now. Just a hint of glacial green to keep things looking "mysterious" under the surface. We completed the trifecta yesterday, fish hooked on streamers, nymphs, and dry flies (yes!). The fishing was average to good for this time of year, our catch numbers would be a bit misleading if posted. I think we were just holding our mouths right. The evening dry fly fishing was pretty good, and almost every fish that ate was 16" or so, very nice. We expect the river to hold through the weekend despite the lite showers we're having in Eburg. There shouldn't be much that changes, the nymphing and dry fly fishing are both productive but don't expect miracles because the water is still very cold and the fly has to be SPOT ON, with very exceptions. Presentation cannot be overated this time of year, fly pattern and strategy matters little in comparison to being able to throw perfect drifts with relatively long delicate casts. Good luck, and the big fish are biting!

3/11/08

Anglers: Jeff, Jeff, and Steve

Location: MM 19 to Lmuma

Flies: sz. 8-12 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 14-18 RCJ, sz. 16, 18 PT, sz. 14, 16 Lightening Bugs, sz. 8, 10 Winged Thing, sz. 8, 10 Bitteroot Skwala, sz. 8 Para Skwala

Time: 10:30 am -6:30 pm

Results: 6 Trout landed 12"-17", and a bunch of Whities

The past few days have us scratching our heads a little bit, as some of the best fishing we've experienced has been with nymphs in the earlier part of the day. We continue to run a shallow nymph rig (stone with smaller dropper about 3'-4' under an indicator) with success, but the dry fly fishing has been a mixed bag. We've been switching to dries around noon and getting some action, but it's felt like we're still a day or two away from the fish really keying in on the adult Skwalas. The river has climbed about 50 cfs each day over the past 4 days, but visibility is great and we could actually use a bit more volume, as some of the weak side banks are still too shallow to hold fish right now. The best of the Spring is ahead of us - we're expecting to see some BWO's enter the equation soon as water temps continue to climb, as well. We have a free wade fishing clinic at the shop this Saturday at 9:00 am. No reservation necessary - just swing in with your gear and plan to spend a couple of hours in the river discussing wading strategies and techniques. You may as well plan to make a day of it and fish afterwards!

3/07/08

Anglers: Ethan, Steve, and Joe

Location: LC

Flies: K Stone Olive 12/10/8, P Stone Olive/Brown 8/10, CJ 16, Red CJ 16, Black CJ 16, Bitteroot SKWALA! #10, Parachute SKWALA! #10

Time: 8-5 pm

Results: 10+ Trout landed 13"-18"

Quite a day, the first few days of good dry fly fishing after a long cold winter are the best. The fish were on top looking for dry flies today and conditions could not have been better. Warm, cloudy, calm, and adult Skwalas on the river. It is still a bit early and the fishing will get better but today would have been hard to beat any time. The afternoon is prime, the morning will be a slow starter especially if there is frost on the ground. The dry fly fishing can be spotty if you don't fish the fly with  confidence and hit all the micro seems with a perfect float. Every year Skwala fishing surprises me by the subtle seems that the fish will watch while waiting for a big stonefly, it just doesn't seem right.  You would think they would be watching the main arterials looking for big bugs but they typically don't. Focus on the little water and fish your dry flies with all the grace and finesse that you would a BWO on 5X in the fall, there is a lot of touch involved with presenting big dry flies in thin, clear water.  It can be tough to make a #8 Bitteroot look real in 2' of slick walking speed current.  It requires some soft touch, more of a Winston style presentation. This Skwala thang AIN'T hopper fishin so cast with class and save the Billy Bob deliveries for summertime. See you at the shop tomorrow, Red's.

3/02/08

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: 7 pm

Results: Dropping, clearing, and looking good!

The river did bounce up a bit over the weekend just as we thought it might, but it did remain fishable through the weekend and the current trend shows that it is dropping and clearing and looking very fishy. This is a tough time of year to predict catch numbers, we not only contend with fluctuations in volume but at the same time it can be quite cold or warm, which may upset the trout's routine. The UPSIDE of this time of year however, is that when it is good its GREEAAAT! The average size of fish seems to be quite large. The most mature Rainbows are packing on weight in preparation for the spawn. One prediction that we GUARANTEE will come true this week..... somebody, somewhere will be catching fish on Skwala dry flies and if it isn't you... you will WISH it was. True statement, made in true Red's style.

2/29/08 Late PM

Anglers: Joe, Sam, and David

Location: MM20 to Red's

Flies: Bitteroot Skwala #10, P Stone (olive/brown) #12/10, Flashback PT 14, K Stone Olive #10

Time: 10 till 6 pm

Results: About 8-10 Trout Landed

We fished dry droppers till about 2 pm, then ran straight dry flies for the remainder of the afternoon. We did not turn a lot of fish, but they did eat a dry fly and the average size was really nice. Water clarity was good in the afternoon as the river stabilized, but we might be in for the first big jump in flows by Saturday afternoon. The Upper Yak and Teanaway are both on a big climb, the good news is that at 1600 in the canyon and Wilson Creek running CLEAR we can handle some water and still be OK. It may thwart the dry fly fishing but the water is staying above 40 degrees all day now, so the fish are pretty hungry and willing. Its tough to predict the future, but it should fish pretty good through the weekend. Red's.

2/28/08

Anglers: Joe and Bryan

Location: MM20 to Red's

Flies: Bitteroot Skwala #10, Flashback PT 14, K Stone Olive #10

Time: Noon till 5 pm

Results: 8-10 Trout Landed (all VERY nice trout), one Whitefish.

NOW is the time, fish are eating nymphs aggressively and there are some takers on dries. No reason to mess up a good report with a bunch of small talk, over and out. Red's.

2/25/08

Anglers: Gary, TJ, and Troy

Location: MM19 to Red's

Flies: Olive K Stone #10, Pat's Stone, Braided Cone Stone #8/10, Black CJ 16/18, PT with Black Bead 16, PT Soft Hackle 16 (no beadhead), Black WD40 18, Biot Sparkle Stone 16, Sheila's Sculpin #6, Caddis Lavae #16 (bright green rockworm)

Time: Noon till Dark

Results: 10-12 Trout Landed ( 2 in the 17" range, 1 16" fish), several Whitefish, and a couple of LDR's

Good fishing on the Yakima right now, each day is slightly different but the trout are on the take, the river is holding is size and color very well despite the warm temperatures, the forecast for the week looks great. Thursday it is predicted to hit 54 degrees, still a bit early for dry fly fishing but it won't be long now. Keep the nymph stick in your hands and you if that doesn't keep you satisfied then try tossing streamers on a sink tip if wading, or on a floating line if you are fishing out of a drifter. The big trout are pre spawn and looking to bulk up. TJ, Troy, and Gary found that the fish took a variety of small nymphs as long as you had them on or near the bottom. Parking or working through known holes in detail and running your indicator at a depth near the bottom is the ticket, this water is still pretty cold. Yesterday's high temp was 39.1 F so be patient and don't expect the fish to move very far. They will take willingly as long as you make it easy for them. Good luck, stop in the store to say hi or waive while on the river. Thanks, Red's.

2/23/08

Anglers: NONE

Location: Wenatchee, Methow, UC, OK, and Similkameen Rivers.

Flies: None

Time: --

Results: Closure

Bad news yesterday, the Met and Wenatchee are closing after tomorrow which is very disappointing and surprising at the same time. We're going to shift some of our Steelhead offerings to the Grande Ronde, but it looks like we'll have to settle for wild trout. Not a bad back up plan. Just wanted to let everyone know, you have tomorrow and that's it. Bummed out in Eburg, Red's.

2/22/08 - OT

Anglers: Joe and his Dad

Location: Most of the Eastern Cascades

Flies: Many

Time: --

Results: Multiple Hook Up Days on Steelhead

Two Cell Phone photos on big trout?  We don't typically host amateur grade Fish Porn on this site but these trout are too big not to post.  That fish of Gary's is spectacular, Gary is big, the kids even call him "Scary Gary" and anyone who can read a trout knows what he is holding.  That is a bonified Yakima "HAWG"!  Congrats to the big man.  The good camera is always in the truck when the big one finally gets caught! Fishing every where is getting good, Steelheading on the Wenatchee and Methow is rolling along, multiple hook ups per day are not uncommon and in fact, they are about the norm for experienced anglers. Conditions on the Methow are still very cold with about 3 feet of snow through most of the valley, but I personally don't know any fisherman who could be deterred by that.  Bring your snowshoes or your self bailing raft if you have one. The Wenatchee is a little warmer, and a little closer. If you are thinking about steelhead fishing it is an easy day trip from Seattle. Assuming roads are dry, you can be on the river in 2.5 hours. If you aren't into the steelhead thing, do not miss out on pre-runoff trout fishing on the Yakima starting now.  Some of the best is right around the corner.  Spring fishing is starting rock 'n roll, let's do it.

2/22/08

Anglers: Gary and TJ

Location: Big Horn to Umtanum

Flies: sz. 6-10 Stonefly nymphs, sz. 6-10 Dirt Snakes (aka worms), sz. 14-18 Lightening Bugs, sz. 14-18 Prince Nymphs

Time: 10:30 am until 4:30 pm

Results: 8-10 trout landed including a trophy, several Whitefish

Water temps have warmed several degrees over the past 4-5 days, and the fish have responded favorably. The trout have become more active, and are starting to see a large number of Stonefly nymphs moving towards the banks. Turn over any larger rock along the edge and you'll likely find a number of Skwala nymphs. These Stoenfly nymphs will be the trout's focus over the next 2-3 weeks, and if this weather pattern holds, we should see some dry fly fishing during that timeframe. We're targeting the standard ledges and drop offs, and concentrating more on the middles and tails of runs than the heads. There are large numbers of Midge showing in the middle part of the day, and if you find yourself in the right place, you may have an opportunity there, as well. All in all, it's a great time to be on the river, and it should only get better! Gary and TJ took the day to make a float yesterday which was monumental for Gary, as he landed the largest trout (possibly a Steelhead) that he's caught on the Yakima. TJ attributes it to great rowing effort, although gary claims they were anchored at the time. Their story is about as clear as the photo!

2/18/08

Anglers: --

Location: Lower Canyon

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: --

Quite a day in Ellensburg today, not a cloud in sight and believe it or not.... NO wind. Not even a breeze in the air. There was a pretty good turnout of anglers in the LC today in response to the perfect weather and water conditions. We even made a few jokes around the shop, asking where guys were 2-3 weeks ago when the weather was cold. Everyone has a little "fair weather" angler in them even if they won't admit it! Overall, the catching seemed to be pretty slow but the fish landed were exceptional. That is the typically the M.O. for the later half of February, not big numbers but there are some big fish. The wise old fish like to put on plenty of weight prior to the spawn and runoff. Conditions look good for fishing over the next week or so, hope to see you out here. PS - most of the access below Red's is still iced in so think about floating somewhere between KOA to Red's if you are bringing a drifter.

2/14/08

Anglers: Bill, Steve, and Joe

Location: Irene to Ringer

Flies: Pat's Stone #10-4 in various colors, Pearl LB 16 and 20, PT 16, JJ Bugger Conehead Style, Sculpzilla (big and baby sized), K Stone black #8/10, Skwala Cone Stone #10, San Juan Worms - pink/red brown/red.

Time: 10 - 4:30 pm

Results: 4 Nice trout landed, 3 whitefish.

The river is back in good shape throughout the system, the canyon is a little off color but not too bad to fish. The Farmlands on up are in perfect shape and fishing should be quite good after the brunt of a new pressure system slammed us in Ellensburg yesterday. Cle Elum saw about 10" of new snow and the winds in Ellensburg yesterday were nearly 20 mph with sunny skies, that makes for very tough fishing conditions. We are happy to have put up the numbers that we did - a big "Cyber High Five" and chest bump goes out to our guests from yesterday for manning up and pulling out a few fish when it would have been easy to just bag it. Today the conditions are a whole different story altogether, warm, cloudy, and very fishy. More like the February weather we hope for, fishing should be darn good right now and temps are supposed to hit 50 on Sunday.  With nighttime lows in the upper 20's and a stable weather pattern these trout will find some routine over the weekend and feed heavily in the afternoon hours.

2/12/08

Anglers: Joe and Troy

Location: Upper River

Flies: --

Time: 10 - 4 pm

Results: 3 Nice trout landed, 2 whitefish.

The Yak is in great shape from Ellensburg on up, but the lower Farmlands and Canyon are in pretty bad shape due to the initial runoff stirring up the ditches in the Kittitas Valley. That should subside over the next few days and clear up nicely. It is primarily a wade fishing game right now with a lot of boat launches still snowed in, but the hard core anglers that don't mind dragging a raft or pontoon will find the river ALL to themselves. We'll be sliding in and sliding out tomorrow, hopefully with some more big fish pics to follow. It's not a bad idea to get your first trip of the spring planned now!  PS - Ice is off of the Wenatchee, steelhead fishing is back on.

2/11/08

Anglers: --

Location: --

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: --

The Yakima River from Ellensburg down is marginal at the moment, about 12-18" of vis and doesn't look good. This is the first bit of initial runoff and the low lying snow is fading fast, unbelievably fast. The temperatures are great and spring is in the air. The upper Yakima looks to be in good shape still but you'll find most boat launches snowed in so plan on wade fishing. The river should come back in check, over the next couple of days and be fishing awesome, the trout are going to be very hungry after a brutal cold snap followed by a warm (and temporary) blowout.

2/9/08

Anglers: Troy and Eric

Location: Ringer to Big Horn

Flies: sz. 6-10 Stonefly Nymphs, sz. 16, 18 Lightening Bug, sz. 16, 18 RCJ, sz. 18 PT, sz. 6 Sculpin Streamers (Brown and Olive)

Time: noon - 3:30 pm

Results: 2 Rainbows landed (15", 16") and several more lost.

The river from Ringer to Red's is free of all ice and in excellent floating and fishing shape. Below Red's there is a high ice shelf (like 6' high!)along the banks that will impede drift boat trailer access. Johnny reported yesterday that there were also a couple of spots in the Irene section that are frozen across - give it a few more warm days before trying that one. We have actually had very nice weather in the canyon over the past week. The snow is melting daily, and we've seen lots of sunshine. If you can find a window when they'll let you over the pass, it's a good time to be on the water. Target the shallower water areas when you're fishing - and don't be afarid to spend some time in the areas that look "fishy". All it takes is the right drift! We are now in the zone when the Skwala stonefly nymphs will begin migrating towards the banks. if you catch the river on a day when the water temperatures are taking a bump, you're likely to find lots of players.

2/5/08

Anglers: --

Location: Yakima River

Flies: --

Time: 8 am

Results: The Yakima is in perfect shape again.

The ice flow is completely gone other than a bit of shelf ice here and there, and the fishing should be very good over the next few days as the temperatures start to reflect early spring in Ellensburg. We may even hit the 50 degree mark in the next week or so. Grab that nymphing stick and give it a shot because it won't be long and the Skwala Stone Nymphs will be on the move towards the river bank. We did manage to make it the Bellevue Fly Fishing Show this last weekend, despite adverse pass conditions. It was great to see so many familiar faces and thanks for the support again this year. It is without doubt our favorite show because we get to see so many folks we know. We still have plenty of Spring Steelhead Dates left so if landing a steelhead on the fly is on your 'to do' list for 2008, we're happy to help. Sincerely, Red's.

1/28/08

Angler: Joe

Location: Puyallup Fairgrounds - Indoor Steelhead River!

Flies: Sz. 6 Dbl Beaded Stone, sz. 8 Glo Bug (hooks cut partially off)

Time: 6:00 pm

Results: One Steelhead hooked Friday! and one hooked Saturday!

You know its cold when the owner of the fly shop heads to the Bahamas for the weekend and the Number 2 man has to resort to fishing steelhead indoors!  - Is indoor fishing the wave of the future? I hope not. Pro baseball and football started to go downhill fast as soon as the first "domes" were built. Although steelhead fishing in January wearing jeans and dress shoes isn't bad either. For the record, I did fair hook one steelhead each day in the river, both on a #6 glo-bug with the tip of the hook cut off. The fish on Saturday jumped about 3 times and splashed me and the audience, right before it wrapped me around a boulder and broke the line. Typical. Anywho, the Puyallup show was a lot of fun and thank you to everybody who made it down and for those that didn't we'll see you this upcoming weekend in Bellevue. Red's will have an entire separate booth strictly dedicated to Simms products, so if you are in the market make sure to find us.

1/25/08