12/31/03
A New Year's Eve Update!
The forecasted cooler weather did arrive and the conditions changed dramatically along with it. We currently have large chunks of ice floating down the river and daily high air temperatures in the 20's. It looks like the cold snap is predicted to last through Friday - we'll keep you posted as conditions change. We'd also like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe New Year!
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12/29/03
Anglers: Darin, Mike, and Steve
Location: Red's to MP10
Flies: sz. 8 Double Beaded Skwala nymph, sz. 8 20"er Stonefly, sz. 16 Silver Lightning Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper John
Time: 11:00 am-4:15 pm
Results: 11 Rainbows landed (11"-18") and a couple of Whitefish
The weather was cold enough yesterday that we had ice in the guides with water temperature reading 36 degrees at 2:00 pm. Despite the cooler conditions, the nymph fishing was consistent throughout the afternoon. We caught most of these fish out of the boat wading, or on anchor in the traditional riffle zones. About half of the fish we hooked were on the smaller nymphs and the other half on the larger Stones. The sky is supposed to clear today which is supposed to cool the night time temperatures into the single digits. The weatherman is also calling for a chance of snow until things warm up again on Friday.
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12/26/03
Anglers: Trevor, Mike, and Steve
Location: Umtanum to Red's
Flies: sz. 8 20"er Stonefly, sz. 16 Silver Lightning Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper John
Time: 12:00 pm-3:00 pm
Results: 6-7 Rainbows landed (10"-16")
Nymph fishing has been very productive for the past 3 days. The trout are keying on the big Stonefly nymphs dead drifted under an indicator. After a couple days of warmer weather, the temperature cooled into the teens last night. The snow we have on the ground is frozen, and as long as the weather stays cool, we shouldn't see a change in flows or clarity.
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12/23/03
Anglers: Trevor, Steve, and Rod
Location: Red's to Lmuma
Flies: sz. 8 20"er Stonefly, sz. 16 Silver Lightning Bug, sz. 20 WD 40, sz.6 Root Beer Bugger, sz. 4 Gold Fruit Fly
Time: 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Results: 2 Rainbows landed (12",17")
We fished streamers both on the move and out of the boat wading with no luck at all. Then we went to nymphs and hooked 5 or 6 fish in a matter of about 10 minutes. River flows have dropped to 850 cfs and water temperature was again favorable at 38 degrees. When floating at this level, don't waste time in the water that doesn't look good. Some stretches of the river are too shallow to hold fish - move through them and spend your time working the deeper riffles. We wish everyone the best for the Christmas holiday and hope that 2004 holds many blessings for us all.
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12/22/03
Angler: Alan
Location: Lmuma to Slab
Flies: sz. 8 Natural Stone, sz. 18 Red Midge Pupa, sz.6 Olive Zonker
Time: 1:30 pm-3:30 pm
Results: 5-6 Rainbows landed (12"-15") and a 13" Whitefish
Working the slow water seams with a pretty standard nymph rig (indicator, large Stonefly, smaller winter nymph) proved to be the most productive method. At 38 degrees yesterday afternoon, water temperatures were up two degrees from what we had seen over the previous 3 days. Although there were a lot of Midge in the air at the launch site, we only saw two one-time feeders on this drift.
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12/17/03
Anglers: Rod and Clint
Location: Slab to Roza
Flies: sz. 8 Johnny B's Yellow and Black, sz. 6 Gold fruit Fly, sz. 4 Purple and Black Bugger
Time: 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
Results: 2 Rainbows landed (15", 18")
Air temperatures and water temperatures took a slight dip yesterday, and the streamer fishing slowed a bit along with them. We did pick up two nice fish, including this bruiser! We had several other tugs, but not as much activity as we had seen over the past week. Utilizing a controlled tight line drift was our best tactic as opposed to the strip retrieve. The fish we saw yesterday were noticably more lethargic with the cooler water temperature. River flows are down to 897 cfs, and the weather forecast through the weekend calls for daytime highs of 36-40 degrees with partly cloudy skies.
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12/15/03
Anglers: Steve and Rod
Location: Lmuma to Slab
Flies: sz. 6 J & J SPecial
Time: 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Results: 1 (14") Rainbow landed
The streamer fishing was actually better than these results would indicate. We had a lot of takes, a few hook ups, and only one to hand - of course the big fish got away! Once again, we found the fish to be fairly active, moving to both a medium speed retrieve and a tight line drift. Water temperature was 37-38 degrees, and the river is currently flowing at 950 cfs. Despite seeing a lot of Midge in the air, we didn't see any surface activity during this time period. We cut our fishing session short to chase Chukar; which for us, like most Chukar hunters, is just an excuse to get out and exercise!
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12/13/03
Anglers: Ty, Tony, and Steve
Location: Red's to MP #10
Flies: sz. 6 J & J SPecial, sz. 8 Root Beer Bugger, sz. 4 Gold Fruit Fly (streamers), sz. 20 Black Para Midge, sz. 20 SB Midge (Red)
Time: 12:30 pm-4:30 pm
Results: 8-10 trout landed (13"-17")
Yesterday was one of the better days this winter - both weatherwise and fishingwise! We had good streamer fishing throughout the drift, and one of the best Midge dry fly sessions I've seen this season. We saw several active pods of sippers in the 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm window, which corresponded to the sunniest and warmest part of the day. We went down to sz. 20 Midge patterns on 6X tippet, which is pretty standard for winter Midge fishing. We have had our best luck with Brown, Yellow, and Black combinations on Streamers, sticking with a medium speed retrieve. Water temperature has remained favorable (38 degrees), and the fish are still active on the take and fight. The river flows are again on the South side of 1000 cfs, which offers ample wading opportunities. We are getting more snow this morning, and have an accumulation of 3"-4" on the ground.
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12/12/03
Anglers: Steve, Rod, and Fidget (the Chocolate Lab)
Location: Below Lmuma
Flies: 20 Gauge Citori's with No. 6 shot
Time: 1:30 pm-4:30 pm
Results: No birds
We took advantage of the mild afternoon weather conditions and took a hike to see if we could find any Chukar. We did flush one covey, but they were too far out to get a shot at. There have been sporadic periods of snowfall in the canyon over the last few days. With the warmer air temperatures we've had (32-38 degrees), it has been a real wet snow, and only a few inches are sticking on the hillsides. The forecast for the weekend calls for more of the same. We'll have a fishing report for you this evening.
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12/7/03
Anglers: Steve and Rod
Location: Red's to Lmuma
Flies: sz. 6 J & J SPecial, sz. 8 Johnny B's Yellow and Black (streamers), sz. 8 Black Cone 16"er, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug
Time: 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Results: 4 or 5 trout landed (13"-16")
We fished streamers on the go for most of these 3 miles. Even with water temperatures in the 38 degree range, the fish were active with several of them aggressively moving to streamers. This slab that Rod is holding not only ate the fly hard, but also put up a great scrap! We did pick up one fish on the Stonefly nymph while anchored up on the tailout of a riffle. Our standard streamer setup has been a 6 wt. rod with a large arbor reel and a 5' mini sink tip line. Using that mini tip allows you to fish a shorter leader (6'-7' down to 2X) and have better control of your line for picking up and getting back out. When fishing streamers on the move, your goal should be a one time pick up and put down (no false casts to get back out after your retrieve). If you're using more than this, you're floating past some pockets where fish are holding. We prefer fishing weighted streamers with rubber legs. Rubber Legs create good movement in the water and also make some noise, which helps attract attention. I personally like white or yellow legs because they are more visible in the water. Also with streamers, sometimes the fish that you "swim" (see but don't hook) are even more exciting than the fish that you catch.
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12/5/03
Anglers: Steve, Rod, and Fidget (the Chocolate Lab)
Location: Red's West
Flies: 20 Gauge Citori's with No. 6 shot
Time: 1:30 pm-4:30 pm
Results: (1) downed Chukar and several other "visuals"
These nice weekday afternoons have forced us to make some tough decisions in the shop: go fishing or bird hunting! Yesterday, much to Fidget's delight, the bird hunting won out. It wasn't that final of a decision, however, as the fly rods did make the travelling team and we found ourselves watching for "midgers" as we ascended the hillside. Rod made a great shot on the bird we did knock down, and Fidget made a great tackle when it hit the ground running. I managed to get a lot of exercise. River flows continue to drop (1279 cfs), and the river is in great shape. We did have a light front move through last night that dumped an inch or so of snow, but the weather forecast for the next 2 days calls for temperatures of 38-40 degrees with a chance of rain or snow.
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12/2/03
Anglers: Steve and Rod
Location: Red's to Lmuma
Flies: sz. 8 Black Cone 20"er, sz. 16 Red Copper JOhn, sz. 18 Brassie, sz. 6 J & J Special (streamer)
Time: 2:30 pm-4:30 pm
Results: (4) trout landed (12"-15") and a 12" Whitefish
Despite a wet snowfall that lasted most of the day, the fishing was pretty good. We had our best luck fishing nymphs in the slower, deeper tailouts of riffles. All of the fish we caught while nymphing, and a couple of bigger fish that we lost, were on the smaller bugs (Copper John and Brassie) fished underneath the larger Stonefly nymph. We landed 2 nice fish and swam several others using a medium speed retrieve with a Streamer and a 5' mini sink tip. Flows are still coming down and it looks like we're going to get some sunshine, although fishing in the snow was not too bad!
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11/30/03
Anglers: Roger and Mark
Location: Big Horn to Red's
Flies: Everything in the fly boxes
Time: 10:30am-4:00pm
Results: 1 Cutthroat trout landed
We here at Red's hope all of you and your families had a great Thanksgiving holiday! We started the day with high hopes of a great fishing day. The weather was beautiful with temperatures in the mid 40's to low 50's, sunshine, and no wind. We did notice that the river flows had increased slightly overnight. The increase in flow continued throughout the day. The fishing was great. The catching not so good. We used about every pattern we had, both nymphs and dries. The cutthroat that was landed was on a renegade dry fly. This morning the flow is at about 2000 cfs and, at present, is still rising. The water has some color. Visibility here at the shop is 2 to 2+ feet. The weather forecast for the next few days calls for temperatures in the high 30's to mid 40's with the possibility of a few snow showers.
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11/26/03
Angler: Steve
Location: Frustration Flats
Flies: sz. 20 Black SB (stillborn) Midge, sz. 20 Red SB Midge
Time: 8:15am-9:00am
Results: Hooked 1 fish
The temptation as I drove past Frustration Flats this morning was simply too great - a fair number of fish were feeding, it looked warm with the sun shining on the far hillside, and I felt pretty good about my chances. I eagerly threw on the waders, strung up the 4 wt. with tandem midge patterns, and stepped off the bank. The above picture pretty well sums it up. After 5 minutes, my feet were numb, my hands were numb, my face was numb...despite the illusion of the warm sunshine, it was NOT warm! 22 degrees is 22 degrees, and 22 degrees is cold! The fish were feeding, but as is the case a lot of times with midge, there can be a long time between rises. A long time between rises in 22 degree temperature means ice in your guides, ice on your line, and ice on your waders! As for the confidence factor - it's certainly not the first time I've been humbled in the Flats, and it won't be the last. I've said it once and I'll say it again - it's those kinds of days that make you appreciate the great days that you have! So, at 9:00, I made my way back up the bank, tipped my hat to those fish, and headed for the warm confines of the shop and a hot cup of coffee - feeling very fortunate to have enjoyed such a beautiful morning. We will be closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving, and then resuming as usual on Friday. The weather is forecast to warm up through the weekend, with highs approaching 50 degrees. Nymphing from 11:30 until 3:00 has been the most productive gameplan. We wish you and your families the best for the Thanksgiving Holiday!
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11/25/03
Anglers: Steve and Rod
Location: Lmuma
Flies: sz. 16 orange Soft Hackle, sz. 20 Olive WD-40, sz.16 Silver Lightning Bug, sz. 18 Chocolate WD-40
Time: 1:30-2:30pm
Results: 2 Rainbows landed (12" & 15")
We got an opportunity to sneak off and do some wade fishing in the riffle at the downstream end of the Lmuma campground. The wind was blowing and it was cold, 38 degree water temperature, but we still managed to hook and land two decent fish. Both fish were caught on the sz. 20 Olive WD-40. The river is still in great shape and continuing to drop. The flow this morning is at 1140 cfs. The sun is shining here in the canyon today with a temperature of around 45 degrees. The forecast through the weekend is for temperatures in the high 30's to mid 40's with partly cloudy skies. The nymph fishing should remain good, as well as the chance of taking a big fish on a streamer fished deep and slow.
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11/21/03
Angler: Steve
Location: Lmuma
Flies: sz. 16 orange Soft Hackle, sz. 20 Olive WD-40
Time: 2:30-3:30pm
Results: 4 fish landed (3 trout 12",15",16" and a Whitefish)
The river is in great shape and still dropping. I hooked most of these fish in the exact same spot at the head of the run in only 2' of water. Depending on how fast this river drops, waders may have a tough time crossing the river in some spots this weekend. The weather forecast looks cold, but not unbearable. A thermos of coffee is not a bad idea!
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11/20/03
Angler: Steve
Location: Red's
Flies: --
Time: 8:00 am
Results: Update
At 2453 cfs, the river is on the drop this morning with clarity returning. Visbility is currently 1'-2', and gaining. Tomorrow should be fishable (work the slower water with Streamers and nymphs); and by Saturday, we should see much better water conditions. It is supposed to be cooler, so dress warm!
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11/19/03
Angler: Steve
Location: Red's
Flies: --
Time: 10:00 am
Results: No fishing - just a river update!
We awoke this morning to see a big brown river outside of the shop! Flows have bounced up to nearly 3000 cfs, and there are less than 6" of visibility. For all practical purposes, the Yakima is unfishable. We have some light sprinkles and wind in the forecast today. The weather is supposed to cool down (below freezing) starting tonite, which should bring this river back into shape rather quickly. We'll keep you posted as conditions change.
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11/16/03
Angler: Rod
Location: Big Horn
Flies: sz. 16 Purple Split Wing, sz. 22 Midge
Time: 3:00 pm until 4:00 pm
Results: SKUNKED
Well Steve is off spending a few days with his family in Montana. Over the past week, we have been seeing a few decent fish midging in the flat below Big Horn. I got a chance to give it a try in the afternoon, but there was very little fish activity by the time I got there. Oh well, I tried it anyway. I was fishing the midge pattern on about a 12 inch dropper below the dry, and my try was in vain. However, we are still getting decent reports from those fisherman that are sticking with the small nymphs, such as sz. 18 and 20 WD-40's and Brassies. The river is in great shape with the flow at about 840 cfs this morning. The weather forecast is for temperatures in the mid to high 40's with a 30 to 40% chance of rain showers through the next couple of days.
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11/13/03
Angler: Frank
Location: Umtanum
Flies: sz. 18 Chocolate WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle
Time: 11:00 am until 3:30 pm
Results: 13 trout landed (10"-18")
The entire session was spent wading up and down the same long riffle, picking up fish consistently throughout. All of the fish were caught on the Chocolate WD-40, fished under an indicator. Dry fly fishing is currently very location specific with the water around the Rock Garden offering the best opportunities. After a brief flush yesterday, flows are down to 1026 cfs this morning, and the river is in perfect condition.
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11/12/03
Anglers: Clint and Rod
Location: Red's
Flies: sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Chocolate WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug
Time: 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm
Results: 1 Rainbow landed (10") and 1 LDR
We spent this time wade fishing the stretch of water just above our upper launch. The wind was kicking up at about 15 to 20 mph and the river had a considerable number of leaves floating on the surface. Although the conditions weren't ideal, we did manage to hook a couple of decent fish on the WD-40's. The river flow has shot up to over 1200 cfs in the last day, and there is a little color with about 2 feet of visibilty this morning. It is staged flow which means that it is the result of water releases from the dams. It is bright and sunny here today with a forecasted temperature of 50 degrees and no wind at present. More of the same is forcasted for the next couple of days.
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11/9/03
Anglers: Greg, John, and Steve
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Chocolate WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 14 Black Bead PT, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 6 J&J Special, sz. 8 Olive/Yellow Bugger
Time: 10:30 am until 4:30 pm
Results: 10 Rainbows landed (12"-15")
We fished nymphs until 2:30 pm, and then switched to Streamers for the last 2 hours. Air temperature (49 degrees) was significantly warmer than it had been, and the water temperature started out at 40 degrees and went up slightly during the day. We had good action nymphing, both on the move and wading some spots, right from the start. The Chocolate WD-40 was our go-to fly, fishing it under an indicator and trailing a variety of larger nymphs. Later in the afternoon, we landed 4 nice fish on Streamers utilizing a slower retrieve. The forecast calls for some warmer weather ahead which should keep these fish a bit more active, and possibly offer some dry fly opportunities.
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11/6/03
Anglers: Steve and Fidget
Location: Red's to Lmuma
Flies: sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 10 20"er, sz. 16 Red Copper John
Time: 2:30 pm until 4:00 pm
Results: 2 Rainbows landed (12",14")
Most of this float was in the afternoon shade, and let me tell you - it was COLD! This was the first sub-40 degree water temperature reading that we've seen this Fall (39 degrees at 2:30 pm). The smaller nymphs that had been fishing well didn't produce anything in the first two spots I stopped, so I changed to a larger offering (sz. 10 20"er and sz. 16 RCJ). I didn't exactly light the river on fire with the change of flies, but I did pick up a couple of fish. I was ready to light my hands on fire by the end of the float, but probably couldn't have gotten the match lit with my numb fingers! I would say the fishing was the second best element of this float, but this Osprey would probably argue with me (I hope that's a 16" Squaw Fish that he's eating!). I also saw a nice buck that survived the hunting season, a bunch of sheep, and a couple flocks of ducks. This is a great time of year to spend part of a day on the water!
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11/3/03
Anglers: Clint and Rick
Location: Umtanum to Red's
Flies: sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 8 Olive/Yellow Streamer
Time: 10:30 am until 3:00 pm
Results: 11 rainbows landed (12"-16")
The cold weather, including a skiff of snow, we experienced here in the canyon didn't seem to impact the nymph fishing. We only saw one fish break the surface the entire day. Nymphing the seams and center of the river was the most productive tactic. Rick is a streamer fanatic, so at the end of the float we tied on a streamer and took two nice fish along river right across from the campground. River conditions are stable with flows at about 850 cfs, and the extended weather forecast calls for crisp temperatures and sunshine.
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10/30/03
Anglers: Mark, Lisa, and Steve
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Purple Split Wing, sz. 18 CDC Baetis Emerger
Time: 10:00 am until 5:30 pm
Results: 8-10 rainbows landed (10"-14")
We stuck to what has been regular protocol: nymphing until we started seeing some surface activity around 12:30 pm. Nymphing was good, with the Orange Soft Hackle and WD-40 being the best combination. We found a fair number of fish feeding through Wymer Flats and picked up several nicer fish on the CDC Baetis Emerger. Even with heavy cloud cover coupled with some cold rain, these fish were not willing to be fooled by anything short of a drag free within an inch of their nose. Worsening weather elements (aka Wind!) brought this hatch to a halt, and we resumed following bobbers down the middle of the river. We pulled Streamers for the last hour with nary a tug. The temperature continued to drop overnight, and we awoke this morning to a fresh inch of snow, which should melt off in today's sunshine. Air temperatures will remain cooler over the next week with daytime highs in the low 40's and evening lows into the twenties and even teens. Look for the morning bite to be pushed back a bit during this cold spell until water temperatures warm a few degrees around 11:00 am. Worley Bugger Fly Company will be holding the annual River Clean Up this Saturday (November 1). Participants will meet at Ringer at 9:00 am to split up into designated stretches of the river. We will be assisting with shuttle services, boat rentals, and contributing man power to the effort. We hope to see you there, as this is a very worthwhile and much appreciated event. A Yakima River Fly Fishers meeting will be held in conjunction with the BBQ after the Clean Up.
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10/27/03
Anglers: Hank & Don
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: sz. 16 PT, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Partridge Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Split Wing BWO, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger
Time: 10:00 am until 5:00 pm
Results: 8-10 rainbows landed (10"-17")
Another beautiful day spent on the Yakima. Fishing started out fairly productive fishing nymphs. We continued fishing nymphs through the most part of the day picking most of our fish in the faster moving currents and riffles. After lunch (around 1:30 pm) we started to see fish feeding on top. We fished our traditional two dry set up (Adult BWO with a trailing Baetis Emerger) until the feeding on top stopped abruptly at around 3:00 pm. Switching back to nymphs proved to be a good move for good reason. Between the hours of 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm Don landed 4 fish all being about 14"-16". After that great hour of fishing we switched back to dries and actually landed two more nice fish with plenty more coming up on the Adult BWO pattern. The weather ended up being excellent this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday we saw very little wind, with highs only reaching the mid 60's. If you plan on coming out tomorrow be prepared for some strong gusty winds. The weather report calls for wind gusts reaching upwards to 50 mph. Wednesday, on the other hand, is looking to be a better day. If you can hold out until then your day on the river might be a little more enjoyable.
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10/26/03
Anglers: Randy, Chris,and Steve
Location: Lmuma to Slab
Flies: sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Black Beaded PT, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 20 Chocolate WD-40
Time: 11:00 am until 4:00 pm
Results: 8-10 rainbows landed (10"-15")
We spent the day nymph fishing which, except for the first hour of the trip, was very productive. We had our best luck on the WD-40 pattern, trailing behind the sz. 16 Lightening Bug or Pheasant Tail. We have been running a double nymph rig that we set up as follows: 2 flies 14"-18" apart; a piece of split shot 8"-10" above the top fly; and a strike indicator 4'-5' above the top fly. Don't be afraid to fish the middle of the river on the move. Water temperature yesterday was 50 degrees, which is prime for Baetis activity. As the water temperature continues to cool, look for the early morning bite to slow down a bit until things warm up a couple of degrees starting around 11:30 am.
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10/25/03
Anglers: Phil, Scott, and Steve
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Orange Partridge Soft Hackle, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 20 Chocolate WD-40, sz. 16 Split Wing BWO, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger, sz. 8 Root Beer Bugger
Time: 10:30 am until 6:00 pm
Results: 10-12 rainbows landed (12"-16") and one 12" Whitefish
We caught fish on dry flies, nymphs, and Streamers - which is always a rewarding experience. Nymph fishing was good from 11:00 am until we switched to dries around 2:30 pm. It was one of the better Baetis rises we've seen all year, with a lot of bigger actively feeding fish on the surface. The hatch lasted until approximately 4:00 pm, at which time we switched to Streamers for the remainder of the float. Just as Scott was in the middle of asking "do these streamers really work?", Phil's rod went down, and we landed the largest fish of the day, a dark 16" male, on a Root Beer Bugger.
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10/23/03
Anglers: Hank
Location: MM20
Flies: sz. 16 Prince Nymph, sz. 16 Orange Partridge Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Lightening Bug
Time: 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm
Results: 2 rainbows landed (12"-14")
After a slow day in the shop I thought I would try my luck wade fishing. Umptanum was busy like usual, so I drove further up to the rock slides. Fishing the faster current and color changes around the slides proved to be productive with a few nice bends on my rod, and two healthy bows to hand. Reports still remain the same, nymphing being the most productive for the bulk of the day but always be on the look out for fish feeding between the hours of 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. This weekend looks to be promising. Cooler weather and cloud cover should produce some fairly good fishing both nymphing and on top. It took a little longer than anticipated for the fall fishing to really pick up, but things are looking pretty good from here on out.
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10/21/03
Anglers: Greg, Rick, and Rod
Location: Umtanum to Lmuma
Flies: sz. 16 Prince Nymph, sz. 16 Copper Partridge Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Beaded Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Black Beaded Pheasant Tail, sz. 16 Parachute Adams, sz. 18 Parachute BWO, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger
Time: 10:00 am until 6:30 pm
Results: 8-10 rainbows plus several whitefish landed (12"-17")
We started the day with good cloud cover and saw a fair number of BWO's on the water. As such, we had the opportunity to sight cast to a few feeding fish early in the float. Greg was able to hook one of the largest fish of the day on a sz. 18 Gray Baetis Emerger. But then the dreaded wind started to pick up. With it, the bugs all but disappeared and so did the sippers. The rest of the float was spent mostly nymphing. The Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail and both a beaded and non-beaded WD-40 were the most productive nymphs throughout the afternoon. The wind kicked up all afternoon. At one point late in the float Greg hooked a nice fish that ran upstream. All I had to do to follow the fish was stop doing downstream strokes and the wind did the rest. It is sunny in the canyon today and the weather man says it is suppose to reach 72 degrees. The long range forecast predicts cooler temperatures with partly cloudy skies through the rest of the week. The river flow is at 1028 cfs with no significant color change at present.
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10/20/03
Anglers: Tom, Darryl, and Hank
Location: Red's to Slab
Flies: sz. 16 Prince Nymph, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 Copper Soft Hackle, sz. 16 Grey Split Wing, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger
Time: 10:00 am until 3:00 pm
Results: 8 rainbows landed (10"-16")
Once again, nymph fishing proved to be the ticket. We have been fishing some non-beaded nymphs in smaller sizes (16's-20's). With the bright sunshine, skinnier water (under 1000 cfs today), and fair amount of traffic on the river, we feel that those fish may turn off to a gold bead on occassion. Try showing them something a little different than the "norm". Since last Thursday, the dry fly activity has been somewhat limited due to a significant amount of wind in the afternoon (especially Friday!). If the weather forecast for this week holds true, we should see some slightly cooler temperatures and light rain showers, which will get these Baetis back on track.
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10/14/03
Anglers: Rod and Steve
Location: Umtanum to Red's
Flies: sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 SIlver Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Black A.P. (nymphs); sz. 16 Purple Split Wing, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger, sz. 8 Hi Vis Hi Ride Orange Stimulator
Time: 4:30 pm until 6:00 pm
Results: One 13" Cutthroat and some smaller Rainbows landed
We spent some time nymphing several different spots and hooked a couple of nice fish using the same small bug strategy we have had success with for the last couple of weeks. We found one nice pod of fish rising, and we caught fish on both the Emerger pattern and the Purple Split Wing pattern. One of the fish we landed was a nice 13" Cutthroat - only the fourth one we've seen in the canyon this year. We fished an October Caddis on the move for the last 20 minutes and had a couple of fish come up to it, but didn't hook anything. The weather forecast calls for some cloudy days today and tomorrow with temperatures warming back up into the 70's for the weekend.
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10/11/03
Anglers: Don, Ben, and Steve
Location: Big Horn to Red's
Flies: sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 SIlver Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Flashback Pheasant Tail (nymphs); sz. 18 Sparkle Dun BWO, sz. 16 Grey Sparkle Dun, sz. 18 Baetis Emerger, sz. 16 Rusty Spinner, sz. 8 Orange Phat Fly, sz. 10 Orange Bugmeister
Time: 10:30 am until 6:00 pm
Results: 6 or 7 Rainbows landed (12"-18")
We started out nymphing for the first hour or so and landed one decent fish and had a few other takes fishing with small bugs under a strike indicator. Although conditions weren't ideal (periods of bright sun and some gusty wind), we started finding enough fish working on Baetis from 11:30 on to keep us occupied casting dry flies through the afternoon. During this time, we caught fish on both Sparkle Duns and Emergers, but only when we had good presentation - there were certainly no "gimmies" out there! At one point, we worked one big fish off an on for over an hour. He was feeding pretty consistently in a tough spot to set a cast down and get a drift. We got him to come up twice, but he was still systematically feeding when we picked up anchor and tilted our hats to him. We finished from there with October Caddis patterns and caught the nicest fish of the day, a colorful 18"er, on an Orange Bugmeister.
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10/6/03
Angler: Hank
Location: Ringer
Flies: sz. 16 non-beaded Prince nymph, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle
Time: 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm
Results: 3 Rainbows landed (10"-13")
Hank got off work in time to catch an evening wade fishing session. Two fish were caught on the WD-40 and another on an orange Soft Hackle. A fair number of adult October Caddis were in the air, and several big splashy rises were seen on the far side of the river. Fishing has improved over the past couple of days - mainly using size 16 and smaller nymph patterns. The weather is due to change for the better as far as the fishing is concerned with cooler temperatures and cloud cover in the forecast. As long as the wind doesn't kick up too much, this should greatly improve the dry fly fishing.
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10/2/03
Angler: Rod, Tim, and Dave
Location: Red's to Mahre's
Flies: sz. 16 Adams Split Wing, sz. 18 Gray Baetis Emerger, sz. 16 Rusty Sparkle Dun, sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 8 Kaufmann Stone, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Flash Back Pheasant Tail, sz. 10 Orange Bugmeister, sz. 8 Orange Phat Fly
Time: 9:30 am until 7:30 pm
Results: 5-6 Rainbows landed (10"-15") with several LDR's
As with previous days over the past week or so, we spent most of the day deep nymphing both anchored up and on the go. The sz. 20 WD-40 was by far the best bug we fished. We tried dries off and on throughout the day with one or two hook ups but nothing consistent. In fact, Dave got a nice 14"er on a Rusty Sparkle Dunn in a slot along a grassy bank about mid day. We saw a good number of October Caddis in the evening. Tim got a nice 15 inch fish on the sz. 8 Orange Bugmeister to finish out the day. The river flow has went up with the flow being at 1284 cfs this morning. Also, the weather man is forecasting cooler temperatures starting on Monday. This weather change should help to improve the top water fishing.
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