Yakima River Salmon Flies, Doug K. in the background working a pool.


Red's guide TJ Zandoli holding a beauty for Price on Upper.



You think these guys are having fun or what?!


Pete's Pig!  Good job Peter.

Anglers: --

Location: Teanaway upstream

Flies: --

Time: 8 am

Results: The Lower Canyon is coming back into shape!

The cold nights are bringing the Lower Canyon back into shape much faster than expected and we have about 12-18" of visibility right now at the shop, by the end of today we will have at least 2 feet and expect to see some fish feeding on Caddis against the banks. It will definitely be fishing this weekend, PERFECT timing for the the Mother's Day Caddis Hatch! There have been some good hatches and hopefully we will see some great dry fly fishing, as you know it can be one of the best weeks of the year on the Yakima River. The Mother's Day Caddis Hatch is our favorite, nymph fish with Green Sparkle Pupae prior to the hatch and use a Parachute X Caddis, or a standard X Caddis as the hatch begins. After the hatch is complete, think about using a traditional EHC (Elk Hair Caddis) or a Hot Butt Caddis under the trees and stick piles. Good luck!

Anglers: --

Location: Teanaway upstream

Flies: --

Time: 8 pm

Results: Slow fishing and a fair amount of pressure.

Pretty tough fishing right now on the Upper Yak, the water is relatively stable but overall the bite is slow.  Don't let this prevent you from taking on the river though, an Old Timer once said that, "the difference between a great, good, and poor fishing day is separated by a mere six casts".  Some other guy once said that tough fishing is like a good soccer game because there is not much actual scoring but the entire game is tense, fast paced, and exciting.  That is good advice but really the biggest similarity between soccer and fly fishing is that they both suck to watch on TV versus actually getting out and doing it for yourself.  Unless it is the World Cup and there is a good head butt involved.

The Lower Yakima should come into shape relatively soon with cooler weather helping things, although the Teanaway hasn't dropped much it has cleared a little bit and should continue to do so even if it does not come down a whole lot. Once there is about 18" of vis in the Canyon we should be rockin' on Caddis. There have been some episodes of 'blizzard' like hatches so get ready to hit it when things clear up. It should be very good, the fish will be post spawn and looking to build their weight back up again.  Predictions are that it should clear up enough by this weekend to get some dry fly fishing in.  No promises but after looking at the hydrograph and the extended weather forecast it appears that by about 2:45 - 3 pm on Saturday the LC should have enough vis to fish an Elk Hair Caddis and catch a trout or two.  Again, NO PROMISES but it looks like it will happen for us by Saturday afternoon in the LC on dry flies.

Anglers: --

Location: Teanaway downstream

Flies: --

Time: 7 am

Results: Big water

The Teanaway downstream is running big and muddy so it will be a couple of days at least before the Lower becomes fishable again. Hopefully this will be just in time for the the MDC hatch to get rolling. The Upper Yak remains in great shape and is fishing, but is pretty slow overall with a lot of pressure working that area due to the Teanaway swelling up. Even if it doesn't drop a lot we should see it start to clear up due to prolonged high flow. Last year it ran at 1000 cfs and relatively clear for extended periods so hopefully the clarity will improve even if the volume stays high. Stay tuned, cooler weather on the way.

Anglers: John, Jamie, and Joe

Location: MM19 to Red's

Flies: Green Sparkle Pupae #16, Green Rockworm, CDC Phesant Tail #14, Pearl LB #16, Brown Kaufman's Stone #8, 20" er Stone #6, Pat's Stone Olive #8

Time: 9:30 am - 3 :30 pm

Results: 5-6 Trout landed, and 1 Whitefish

Not a bad day yesterday in the Lower Canyon, although the fisher weren't on top hunting Caddis they were definitely onto the Pupae and willing to eat. Some advice from yesterday's experience... work the spots in detail that you know there to be fish. We didn't hook a single fish that wasn't in the 'primo buffet' water. We fished all the pocket water and ledges quite hard, but the edges of the big runs seemed to be the hot spots. Also, most of the larger fish we landed were pretty skinny and looked to be fresh off the spawn so get those big boys back in the water quick. Regarding river conditions, the Tway is rising hard and so is the Upper Yakima and the fishing should be fine today, and maybe tomorrow in the LC, but if you are planning a trip later in the week start thinking about fishing the Upper River or contingency plans at Rocky Ford, Lake Lenore, Lenice, etc. If you need any help with advice or gear let us know and we'll send you in the right direction to try some new water. Red's.

5/2/2008

Anglers: --

Location: Yakima River and the Ellensburg Fairgrounds

Flies: --

Time: --

Results: Great Conditions!

The conditions are near perfect out here on the Yakima, the river is low again and quite clear. That doesn't necessarily mean great fishing but the elements are certainly in our favor right now. We also wanted to remind everybody that tomorrow there is a Fly Fishing Enclave put on by the Washington State FFF at the Ellensburg Fairgrounds. It should be the best fly fishing event of the year, lots of casting, tying, and plenty to see and learn. Combine this with some fishing on the Yakima and that is a fun weekend. Hopefully we will see you there, also we are also excited to report that the Smallmouth fishing on the lower Yak is about to get rockin' and it is a fun trip. We have guides waiting to take you down there and show you the Bass fishing program, or simply call the shop and we'll help set you up with equipment, flies, and access information. See you at fly fishing show! Red's.

4/29/08 LATE p.m.

Anglers: Dave, Frank, and Joe

Location: Ringer to Red's

Flies: Conehead 20"er #6, Double Beaded Peacock Stone #8/10, Hare's Ear Double Beaded Stone #8 (NEW FLY located over by the small nymphs, next the CDC PT's), Pink/Red San Juan Worm #10, Bright Green Caddis Pupae with Krystal Flash #16, Pearl LB #16, Bright Green Rockworm with Black Bead #16

Time: 9 am until 6:00 pm

Results: 10 fish landed, 8 trout (11-16") and 2 whitefish.

We earned each and everyone of those fish today, it feels good to fish a rising river in some big wind and come out of there victorious. Tough games are sometimes the best kind, of course we wouldn't be saying that if it were a 30 fish day on dry flies!  It really does feel good though, we fished our tails off today. The river is coming back down and we even noticed that it was dropping a little bit in the afternoon, tomorrow it should be looking pretty good as the Teanaway begins to plummet. The LC has about 2' of vis and it looks like it will be the place to be in preparation and anticipation of the Caddis Blizzard.  If you are going to get here sometime soon it looks like the first week of May should provide some pretty decent river conditions and be alright into the front half of Mother's Day Weekend. The 15 day forecast looks like we should be solid till about May 9th, just a guess though. This upcoming week looks absolutely awesome for water conditions, no promise of a big hatch but the water should be clear and a shot at some big fish certainly exists, its been a good spring thus far. Today's fishing was tougher than our numbers let on, we got blown around a little bit but the next few days look better for water volume, clarity, and atmospheric stability. We had a high pressure system move in this afternoon that was sunny, but kind of gusty. We got enough action though and broke off an enormous fish on a SJ worm wading an inside corner. It seems like when the water bumps around some of the giants wind up sitting in places they shouldn't, not sure exactly how big it was but it would have probably made the Super Top Secret Red's Fly Shop Unofficial Boone & Crockett Rainbow Trout Record Book.  Please note: To make it in this elite book the fish needs to be photographed in an actual Measure Net and verified by 2 witness (that are not guides!).  Also note, that we don't actually have any entries yet but with the way a few of us measure fish we should start. Enthusiasm is never a bad thing, spread it around a bit while you are on the river! 

4/28/08

Anglers: General Report

Location: The Whole Yakima River

Flies: Get the San Jaun Worms ready, and the bright Green Caddis Pupae, CDC Prince Nymphs, and Lafontaine Sparkle Pupae

Time: 6 am

Results: The river is starting to swell up, but it won't go too far.

We are starting to see some initial runoff from the high country, we have been fortunate thus far to have gotten rid of all the low lying snow without any major speed bumps in our fishing and also without any rain. Last year at this time we were subject to several different weather patterns that brought heavy rains over the top of a deep snow pack, that is when you get some serious blowouts. Last spring we were fishing (with good success) at flows exceeding 4000 cfs at this time, to have had the river below 2000 for so long was really quite surprising. A bump in flows will be good for the fish, it helps them safely regenerate their body mass after the spawn by giving them some protection for the Ospreys, Herons, and Pelicans. Just the other day, an Osprey swooped down no more than 50 feet from us and latched into a nice fat 16" plus Rainbow, it couldn't even take off. It had to do the 'bunny hop' all the way over to dry land before it could get airborne. It was in about 12" of water, that fish was most certainly on the spawn. Increased volume will help the big fish remain safe and send those Ospreys out to the local lakes where they can find some hatchery trout and sunfish leaving our big spawners alone.  The river will swell up a bit, due in part to a very small release from the reservoirs, but it is primarily coming from the Teanaway River. The forecast looks as though it will keep the Tway in check over the next couple days, this might be a bold prediction but I don't think any section of river will become unfishable. The LC cleaned up a lot over the past few days and yesterday morning it was about the same clarity as the Farmlands.  During a water spike like this, the trout in the LC seem to handle the volume/clarity change the best. As a general rule, focus on the Lower Canyon and the Upper Yak above the Tway. Cle Elum to Thorp can be pretty tough if the water is unstable as can the Farmlands, not a rule, just some general advice we have collected by getting our butts kicked on a rising river many many times.

Also, get those Caddis Pupae ready now. The bright greens are good, we have a new rockworm in the shop that officially 'rocks' no pun intended. The CDC Prince is killer during the Caddis hatch, as is the Trout M.R.E. (which is very similar to the G Lafontaine pupae), with some minor upgrades. The Caddis hatch should be big, lots of water 3 years running brings plenty of organic biomass into the stream and as we all know, the Caddis is an herbivore and feasts on this tiny plankton like matter. ALSO, there have been a few adult Salmon Flies spotted so let's start thinking about the following patterns. #6/#4 Brown/Black K Stones, #6 Double Beaded Black Stone, #4 Pat's Stone, #6/4 Orange Paranobyl (which will carry a dropper nicely), Banks Parachute Biot Legged Salmon Fly #6. The Salmon Fly nymph generally works better than the adult for us, especially during times of instability. Big meal, little effort for the trout. Good luck, we'll see you on the flipside. Red's.

Anglers: Troy, Dean, Linda

Location: KOA - Ringer

Flies: Double Beaded Black Stone # 10/8, Lime green Copper John # 14/16, CDC Prince Nymph # 14/16, CDC PT # 14/16, Para March Brown # 14/16 and San Jaun Worms

Time: 9 am - 5 pm

Results: Yesterday was a busy day down here in the canyon, lots of people anxious to get out and wet there lines in one of the nicer days we have seen down here in a while. We had multiple group/company trips yesterday and had guide boats fishing from Cle Elum to Roza. Reports seemed pretty consistant throughout (3 or 4 fish landed per boat, with a lot of hook ups). Although the weather was sunny and starting to get warm, I noticed that the fish were not feeding on top as much as I hoped, but we did see some. This will hopfully change as the weather becomes a little more consistant. The water clairty above Wilson Creek is in great shape with a green hue to it flowing roughly around 2000 CFS. Make sure and Get those dry fly rods ready because the Mother's Day Caddis Hatch is going to happen in the next couple weeks. The Upper River still continues to be consistent with quite the boat traffic as well. I have been noticing that the drift boat traffic down in the canyon has been minimul, with this nice weather rolling in it would be a great time to take the kids or wife down the river in 70 degree sunny weather before the river dirties up a bit due to the massive amounts of snow still left in the mountains. The most consistant bugs for me this past week have been size 14 and 16 CDC pheasant tail, size 10 rubber leg Pat's Stone, 16 green Sparkle Pupa, 14 lime green copper john, 14-16 CDC Prince Nymph, and 14 parashoot March Brown. Just this week the shop recieved about a dozen new fly patterns that we are all anxious to try, and we well let you now how they fish as the reports continue. Our group had a great time on the water yesterday and I will never forget Dean in the front of my boat fighting a nice 16 inch rainbow that seemed like it would never give up. It was a hard earned fish and there was nothing but a big grin on his face for the rest of the day, it was great. I hope to see you all out here this weekend to soak up some rays and catch some fish.

4/22/08

Anglers: --

Location: The Yakima

Flies: Nymphs are the staple, very few rising trout right now.

Time: --

Results: Catch numbers were good, but not important.

What a great couple of weeks on the Yakima, if you are a regular to the site you will notice that there have been more than a few pictures of some exceptional trout from the Yakima. We have been pretty fortunate, but luck truly comes to the anglers that put there time in and keep fishing despite adverse weather, water, and expected productivity. The last 2 weeks have really taught us that even the most perfect conditions can yield some of the slowest fishing, and inversely a few of the days that we found it a little difficult to get out of the warm truck during snow, hail, and 40 mph winds turned out to be some of the better days. You just never know what is going to happen out there. I suppose the most rewarding part of a slow fishing day, especially in rough weather is that you can go out and tackle the river head on, fish hard, and conquer the fear of getting skunked and hopefully convert it into a good day. You never know, it could be you holding a 20" plus'er on the Red's page. Or maybe you will be one of the anglers that put in a hard day's fishing and only turn over a few fish when some other anglers may have decided to stay home, at least you rolled the dice. You just never know... As a guide, I was truly impressed and in a way touched by a few of the guide trips that we ran this last week. One in particular... I had "the kid" in my boat on one of the windiest, nastiest days you can imagine and he was fishing his brains out. We hooked a total of 2 fish up until about 3 pm and in the midst of a 40 mph gust he yelled back at his dad if they could come back tommorow. THAT is the definition of a fisherman right there, Karma smiled back at us and we had good late afternoon and evening fishing. It was not the best we have ever seen together, but these guys came off the river more proud and happier than any one of the other 20 float trips they had ever been on. They played a tough game as hard as they could and won in the bottom of the 9th. It wasn't about numbers of fish or size of fish, it was about their angling performance and the laughs along the way. That type of attitude keeps this job worth doing. Don't get me wrong, we love putting up big numbers of trout to the boat, but that is not what it is all about for us. There is so much more that goes into it, being able to fish hard and hook a fish or two, all the while having a good time with good people is a great day on the water. Everyone hopes for 75 degrees, sun, no wind, and lots of trout on dry flies but these days can be rare. Our hats go off to all of the wade fisherman and other anglers out there drifting and fishing hard over the past couple weeks. There have been some tough days so don't feel bad if you haven't hooked a fish or been able to match some of the numbers you have heard about or the photos you have seen. Fly fishing the Yakima in a cold spring is one of the most difficult challenges an angler can face, but it is also the most rewarding as well. Stay the course and enjoy your time on the water, fish the way like to, and good things will happen. We'll make sure to keep giving out the right advice and helping you as best we can, just keep up the good work. Water Conditions are pretty good right now, the weather is cold but there are a few fish waiting for you. The LC is a little off color (about 2' of vis), the Farmlands on up are clear as can be. The fishing is what we will describe as average/slow throughout the system. There were reports of a good March Brown hatch yesterday but very few risers. It will happen sometime though, look for warmer days and cool nights to be the best but as we mentioned earlier... you just never know. Fly suggestions: K Stones 6-12 black/brown/olive, Double Beaded Peacock Stone 10, Double Beaded Black Stone 8, Skwala Cone Stone #8 (makes a great Golden!), San Juan Worms (especially in the LC as Wilson Creek is a chum line right now), SOFT HACKLE PT #12 (capitalized for importance), RCJ #16/18 (great when the water gets brown), CDC PT #14 (makes great March Brown emerger, nymph it during the hatch if there are no risers), Split Wing Adams 12 - for the March Browns, Split Wing BWO 16, Green Caddis Larvae (Mother's Day is only 19 Days out!)

4/20/08

Anglers: Steve, Joe, Joe, Mike, Al, and Ty

Location: Upper River

Flies: Pearl LB #16, PT #18/16, SJ Worm #12, RCJ #16/18, BWO Soft Hackle #16, Double Beaded Black Stone #10/8, Double Beaded Skwala Nymph #10, Olive K Stone #10, Green CJ #14/16, Princes #14

Time: 9 am until 6:00 pm

Results: About 8 trout landed to each boat (12-18")

The whole river is back in nice shape and fishing pretty good, nothing off the charts but good solid average run-of-the-mill regular fly fishing for wild trout. The cool weather has tamed the Teanaway and even the lower canyon is flowing a nice green color, Wilson Creek is still a bit dirty due to the irrigation canals being charged recently. It is clearing slowly and doesn't seem to be affecting the fishing as we had positive reports from the LC yesterday. It looks like the fish are starting get hungry again, gotta love it. Focus on the nymphing and maybe pitch some streamers against the bank as well. If the clouds blow in look for the BWO's and March Browns, but don't get your hopes up as the weather pattern is fairly cold. Look for a warm cloudy day and the lid might just blow off. The water temps are pretty cold but that keeps the clarity in good shape and the fish biting during banker's hours, the afternoon seems to be the most productive. The Lower Canyon has been producing a short hatch of Bwo's and March Browns so be ready to throw a dry and take advantage of the hatch as soon as you start seeing the Swallows spash the surface of the water. If they are up high, keep on nymphing.

4/19/08

Anglers: Joe, Steve, Joe, Ty, Mike, and Al

Location: Upper River

Flies: Pearl LB #16, PT #18/16, SJ Worm #12, RCJ #16/18, BWO Soft Hackle #16, Double Beaded Blace Stone #10/8, Double Beaded Skwala Nymph #10, Olive K Stone #10, Green CJ #14/16, Princes #14

Time: 9 am until 6:00 pm

Results: About 8 trout landed to each boat (12-18")

The whole river is back in nice shape and fishing pretty good, nothing off the charts but good solid average run-of-the-mill regular fly fishing for wild trout. The cool weather has tamed the Teanaway and even the lower canyon is flowing a nice green color, Wilson Creek is still a bit dirty due to the irrigation canals being charged recently. It is clearing slowly and doesn't seem to be affecting the fishing as we had positive reports from the LC yesterday. It looks like the fish are starting get hungry again, gotta love it. Focus on the nymphing and maybe pitch some streamers against the bank as well. If the clouds blow in look for the BWO's and March Browns, but don't get your hopes up as the weather pattern is fairly cold. Look for a warm cloudy day and the lid might just blow off.

4/17/08

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