Red's Fly Shop | Power Hour Fishing Report - Yakima River Fly Fishing Report

Red's Power Hour Fishing Report
January - March 2005

The Power Hour Fishing Report is brought to you exclusively by Red's. The content of this report is not the generic "fishing has been good in the morning, and afternoons, and later in the evenings, too." Rather, when we go fishing, we will analyze one session and report the day, time, location, fly, number of fish caught, species, and size (if we caught any). We'll also write up the method we used. Keep in mind that the fishing report is based on a prior day's fishing and weather conditions.

Flies: sz. 12 Skwala Nymph, sz. 12, 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 20 WD 40. sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 18 Split Wing BWO, sz. 16, 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 10 Skwalameister, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stim, sz. 10 Dirty Yellow Stim

The BWO hatch, which came off about 1:00, and lasted an hour, provided the most consistent action of the day. Unfortunately, this window is also when the wind picked up and made getting a good presentation more difficult. Outside of the BWO's, we spent a fair amount of time nymphing both on the go and wading. We hooked a couple of nice fish nymphing that came unbuttoned before we got them to the net. Flows have bumped up about 200 cfs, and the river remains in good shape. With these increased flows, the fish may move into some of those bank sections that are prime Skwala habitat - don't write off the big dry fly fishing just yet! A couple of reminders: The Canyon marathon is this Saturday, April 2. Recreation traffic is permitted access; however, it's not a bad idea to get down here before the race begins at 8:00 am to prevent delays. To access the canyon simply drive to the North or South end and tell the officials at the road block that you're "goin fishin"! We also want to remind you that your 2004 fishing license expires tomorrow. Pick your new one up before you come over, or get one in Eburg at Fred Meyer or Bi Mart.

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Flies: sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 12 Skwala nymph, sz. 20 WD 40, sz. 16,18 Parachute Adams, sz. 16-20 BWO (para, sparkle dun), sz. 16-20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stim, sz. 10 Dirty Yellow Stim

We hope you had a peaceful and enjoyable Easter weekend. The weather in the canyon has remained favorable for the BWO hatch. Consistent cloud cover with relatively calm conditions and even a few showers have kept the BWO activity strong around midday. Our toughest fishing has been the morning hours before this hatch kicks off. Rick did nymph up a few Whitefish on Saturday in the early part of the day, but it seems like the trout are focusing their attention on dry flies and emergers. We are still fishing Skwalas later in the day and caught our best fish, a colorful 17"er, on an Electric Blue Stimulator pattern. We have started seeing more March Browns these past few days. The Irene to Big Horn section of the river is where this hatch will be the strongest.

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Flies: sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper john, sz. 20 WD 40, sz. 16,18 Parachute Adams, sz. 16-20 BWO (para, sparkle dun), sz. 16-20 CDC Baetis Emergers

The day started out bright and sunny with a stiff upstream breeze. Around 1:00, the wind died down, the clouds rolled in, and one of the best BWO hatches we've seen this year came off. Between 1:00 and 3:00, there were fish rising as far upriver and downriver as we could see. The fishing, however, was on the tougher side. We changed flies frequently and worked hard for good presentations. Stealth is the imperative with the low, clear water conditions we are experiencing. The Yakima River Rainbows are in great shape and have been up to the challenge this Spring.

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Flies: sz. 10 Skwala Nightmare, sz. 18 Parachute Adams, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emerger

We got a chance to get out of the shop early, so we dropped a boat in at the upper launch to see if we could take advantage of the last part of the BWO activity. We found that we were just a little too late. We did manage to get a big fish in skinny water interested in the Nightmare but failed to get him hooked. I could see him coming down stream to the bug, and in my anticipation of him eating it took it away from him at the last second. We are expecting more of the same kind of weather throughout the week with temperatures in the 50's and a possibility of some precipitation. We here at Red's hope that you and your families have a blessed Easter, and just a reminder that we will be closed on March 27, Easter Sunday.

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Flies: sz. 12 Skwala Nymph, sz. 20 WD 40, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 18 BWO, sz. 16 Para Adams, sz. 16-22 Baetis Emergers

A stiff wind blew most of the morning, and then let up around 2:00 pm. We fished mostly nymphs, without a whole lot of success, at the start and then switched to Skwala dries and BWO's as the wind died down. The main part of the BWO hatch started later, but still offered some great "match the hatch" challenges. Rick worked one big fish off and on for almost an hour - casting and waiting and changing flies - before he finally got it to eat the fly. His patience paid off and he was rewarded with a new Yakima River personal best. The smile never left his face the rest of the drift... This is the best dry fly fish we've seen this Spring.

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The wind let up and some high clouds rolled in just in time for a pretty good BWO hatch yesterday. There seemed to be fish feeding in most of the softer water runs during this time. The precipitation that was forecast for today arrived this morning; however, it started in the form of snow instead of rain. Temperatures have warmed up to the point now that the snow has turned to a light rain. It looks like the first good BWO weather we've had this year...

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Flies: sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 12 Para Skwala, sz. 10 Mark's Skwala, sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Bird's Nest, sz. 12 Tan Rock Worm, sz. 18 WD 40, sz. 20 Chocolate WD 40, sz. 18 Blue Beaded Baetis Nymph, sz. 18 BWO, sz. 20 Para Adams, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers

Yesterday fell right in line with what has been a pretty typical day for the past 2-3 weeks. Nymph fishing was steady from the time we started until the BWO hatch came off around 1:00 pm. We casted BWO's to some well educated rising fish for an hour and a half, and then switched to Skwala dries for the duration. Mark did pick up the nymph rod one more time late in the day to run through a deep slot. About halfway through the drift the indicator went down, and the line headed upriver in a surge. "He's a big one! Pull over so I can chase him!" Mark jabbered as we pulled into the shallows and dropped anchor. The fish eventually turned and started back towards us in another run. As it passed in front of us, Mark increased the tension and the hook popped out as the fish rolled on the surface. Not, however, before we were able to make out the white underbelly and unmistakable suction cup mouth of one big Yakima River Sucker! It looks as though the wind has blown itself out and some cloud cover is on the way for the weekend. There is a chance of rain through Sunday, so don't forget to pack the rain jacket. A calm cloudy day should be favorable for the BWO hatch.

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Flies: sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 12 Para Skwala, sz. 10 Grey and Gold Stimi, sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Bird's Nest, sz. 18 WD 40, sz. 20 Chocolate WD 40

Fortunately, the wind didn't get as bad yesterday as the forecast called for, although we did get enough to pretty much squelch the midday BWO hatch that we'd been seeing. We spent the windiest part of the day fishing nymphs. The nicest trout of the day, a colorful 18"er, along with a bunch of Whitefish were caught fishing two small beadheads under a shallow indicator. Around 2:00, we switched to big dries on the go and brought up fish through the rest of the drift. The big dry fly fishing seemed to peak between 4:00 and 5:00 pm, after the sun dropped below the hillside. The high wind advisory remains in effect for today. Looking at the forecast through the weekend shows partly cloudy skies with highs in the 50's and lows in the high 20's. If this forecast holds true, the BWO activity could be fantastic.

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Flies: sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Emerger, sz. 18 Gray Sparkle Dunn, sz. 18 Purple Parachute, sz. 6 GG Streamer, sz. 8 Teeny Leech

Our fishing yesterday morning was centered on tossing streamers, and it was pretty decent. We have been seeing alot of salmon smolt over the past several days, so we set out to see if we could swim some fish with a white or gray streamer. We swam 6 or 7 nice fish and landed two of them. About mid day, we saw a fair number of fish actively feeding in the foam lines, and we were able to fool a few with a CDC Baetis Emerger. The last part of the day was spent tossing a Skwala imitation on the go. We saw four or five fish on the Stimulator and landed one nice 14" fish. The highlight of the day was a big fish in skinny water that touched the Stimi with his nose and left. We dropped anchor and watched him actively feed for awhile. Steve decide to give him a try with a number of different mayfly combinations. He had him eat the fly twice but never got a hook set. It is never easy to give up on a fish, but as we picked up anchor to move on, he was still leaving rise rings. We marked the spot, and we will be back. Hopefully, he will too. There are high wind warnings with gusts up to 55-60 mph forecasted for the valley this afternoon and tomorrow. Right now the sun is shining and it is calm. The river is ultra-clear with the flow at 897 cfs.

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Flies: sz. 18,20 WD-40, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 8 Long-tailed Golden Stone, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Emerger

For the first time in many trips down the river, we didn't have to resort to deep nymphing under an indicator. We started the day with a dry and dropper, ended it with a Skwala imitation, and along the way got to cast a sz. 18 BWO and CDC Emerger combination to feeding fish. The Skwala fishing from about 2:00 to the end of the trip was good. The highlight of the trip was on the last cast of the day, almost straight across from the take-out, Matt put his bug in the right spot, and as I rowed toward the take-out Matt and Remy landed a nice rainbow. We had cooler temperatures last night that dipped below freezing but we have sunshine this morning and a forecasted temperature of 64 degrees for today.

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Flies: sz. 14 Red Fox Squirrel, sz. 12 Skwala Nymph, sz. 12,16 Lightening Bug, sz. 18,20 WD-40, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Grey and Gold Stimulator, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 20 Para Midge, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 16 Para Adams, sz. 20 CDC Emerger, sz. 22 Baetis Emerger

Once again, the BWO hatch between 11:00 and 2:00 provided the best fishing of the day. Outside of that window, we fished both nymphs and Skwala dries. Nymphing was consistent throughout the day, with the Whitefish being particularly interested in the WD-40 trailer. Skwala dries were slower than we have seen over the past 10 days. We did pick up a couple of nicer fish on the big dries later in the afternoon, but from 2:00 until 4:00, we only brought 3 or 4 fish up in some traditionally good Skwala water. We again saw a handful of March Browns coming off, which will build in number over the next few weeks. The weather these past 2 days simply could not be nicer with highs in the 70's, sunshine, and dead calm conditions.

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Flies: sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Grey and Gold Stimulator, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 20 Para Midge, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 16 Para Adams, sz. 20 CDC Emerger

The BWO hatch began just as we were getting on the water at 11:00, and for the next 2 hours we had feeding fish to cast flies at. The trout were definitely more finicky yesterday than they had been over the past week. This is probably due to a combination of low, clear water conditions and bright sunshine (which at 75 degrees yesterday, this was the case!). Regardless of the cause, you may want to go with longer, finer leaders and smaller flies if you find yourself in that situation. The fish are tough, but certainly not impossible - a well presented fly and some persistence will trick them. After the BWO hatch wound down around 2:00, we switched to big dries on the go and had fairly steady action until the takeout. The extended weather forecast remains consistent with today and Saturday offering possibilities for cloud cover.

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Flies: sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Grey and Gold Stimulator, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 10 Skwala nymphs, sz. 12 Green Rock Worm, sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 18 WD 40, sz. 20 Para Midge, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Emerger

Yesterday began and finished on a slower note, but the action in between was pretty good. Another great Spring BWO hatch came off between about 12:30 and 2:00, providing consistent opportunities for casting to feeding fish. Immediately after the BWO hatch ended, we found a number of fish looking up for Skwala dries; however, the Skwala fishing was sporadic overall with a fair amount of distance covered between rises. Nymph fishing started slow and then seemed to pick up just before the BWO hatch came off. The Yakima Rainbows are in great shape and starting to take on their deep spawning colors. As the afternoon sun started to drop, Matt made a comment along the lines of "this is the most relaxed I've felt in a long time." It's amazing how being on the river and catching and releasing a trout has a way of easing the tension...

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Flies: sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Grey and Gold Stimulator, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 10 Skwala nymphs, sz. 12 Green Rock Worm, sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 18 WD 40

The best window for Skwala dry fly activity came in a flurry between about 2:30 and 3:30 pm. Outside of that, we had some sporadic rises and picked up some fish nymphing the slots in the riffles. We saw a few scattered fish sipping Midge and BWO's, but nothing with enough consistency to warrant spending time casting at them. Overall, the Spring dry fly season is underway, and we expect to get some Skwala dry fly activity each afternoon with possible BWO and Midge activity between noon and 2:00 pm. Cloudy days will typically be more productive for the BWO hatch.

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Flies: sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 10 Skwala nymphs, sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 WD 40, sz. 18 Para Midge, sz. 20 CDC Emerger

The Spring dry fly season seems to have arrived! Between noon and 2:00, we were able to target several pods of fish eating both BWO's and Midge. After this hatch turned off, we experienced some good surface activity with Skwala dries while casting to likely spots on the move. Before we started picking fish up on top, we had some decent nymphing action. This is the part of the Spring season that we have been looking forward to - where fish eat BWO's and Midge early in the day, and then switch to Skwalas for the afternoon providing an extended window of opportunity for fishing dry flies. Despite rain in the forecast, the weather has been mostly sunny, calm, and beautiful. River flows remain low (878 cfs) and clear, and you should be prepared to bump a few rocks in your drift boat, as there are a few riffles that are very skinny.

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Flies: sz. 8 JB Yellow and Black, sz. 8 Dirty Yellow Stimulator, sz. 10 Nightmare Skwala, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 10 Skwala nymphs, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 WD 40

We started the drift fishing streamers on the go and swam a couple of fish in the first mile. Around noon we switched to a dry/dropper set up mixed with some deep nymphing under an indicator and started seeing more action. As has been the case these past couple of weeks, the Whitefish continue to eat nymphs aggressively. Between 2:30 and 4:00, we had several takes on Skwala dries and landed a couple of nice trout. We also saw a fair number of BWO's and even a few March Browns throughout the day. The window for productive dry fly fishing will continue to expand as evening temperatures warm up.

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Flies: sz. 6 8 legged Skwala, sz. 8 Bugmeister, sz. 10 Bitteroot Skwala, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator

Once again we fished big dries on the move and had slightly better results. For the first hour we didn't see a thing, and then between 2:30 and 4:00, we had 6-8 good eats on Skwala dries. It's certainly not an all day event, but the Skwala hatch is starting to pick up. River flows remain low and clear with a fair number of rocks sticking up in places. If you're looking to take your new boat for its' maiden voyage, you may want to wait until the flows bump up a bit! Fishing nymphs and streamers is probably still the best bet early and late in the day, and a dry/dropper is not a bad option with the water levels down like they are. Keep your eyes open for fish eating Midge throughout the day. It looks like we're going to experience warmer evening temperatures, which should really kick the '05 Skwala hatch into high gear over the next couple of weeks.

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We had heard a few reports over the past couple days of Skwala dry fly activity, so we decided to put in an afternoon session of DFO (dry flies only!). We started at our Lower boat launch and had a nice fish come up and eat the foam Skwala imitation on Brian's 3rd or 4th cast - and then nothing for the next 3 miles. We may have been a little late to take advantage of the warmest part of the day, but we are still experiencing low temperatures in the teens. It looks like things will start to warm up Saturday night. We have been seeing a lot Midge on the water each day - some days the fish eat them in spots, and other days it's hard to find fish on them anywhere. We have also started to see a few small BWO's in the mix, which should also increase as water temperatures warm up.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 18 WD-40, sz. 8 Yellow & Black Bugger, sz. 6 Brown Bugger w/yellow rubber legs

The results are not quite indicative of the fishing yesterday. We had several nice rainbows on that didn't quite make it to the net, and from about 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm the whitefish wouldn't leave our nymph rig alone. We started the day stripping streamers on the go and swam "0" fish. We changed to nymphs early afternoon and stuck with them the rest of the day. Our most productive set-up was the Olive Kaufmann's Stone with a WD-40 dropper. We hooked fish on the nymph rig both anchored and on the go. A couple of the bigger trout were on the go in the center of the river. We are still looking forward to the Skwala dries starting soon. From the number of Skwala nymphs we are seeing along the shoreline, it should be good. We just need some warmer night-time temperatures to get it going. The temperature this morning when we opened the shop was 18 degrees with a predicted high of 50 for today. The river flow is staying consistent at around 950 to 975 cfs, and it is ultra-clear.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 16 Copper John, sz. 16 PT

By the time we were able to get our feet wet, we may have been a little late to catch the most productive window of the day. In turning over rocks along the bank, you will see an incredible amount of Skwala nymphs waiting for things to warm up just a bit. Flows are down to 965 cfs, which makes wade fishing a very feasible option. There is still plenty of water to float, but we're only running 5-7 miles in a full day and spending a lot of time anchored up or out of the boat wading. The weather pattern has been evening lows in the teens warming to the high 40's during the day. As soon as this pattern shifts to where our evening temperatures are staying near freezing, we should start to see some consistent Skwala and BWO activity.

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Flies: sz. 8, 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 12 Matt's Stone, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 16 Copper John, sz. 20 WD 40, sz. 16 PT, sz. 6 JB Yellow and Black, sz. 6 Fruit Fly

We fished streamers for the first hour and a half and managed only one look. After changing to nymphs under an indicator, we started hooking more fish. The window from 2:00 until 3:30 was the most productive period of the day. At one point we were anchored up on a ledge when Rod's indicator went down and he set the hook. While he kept tension on the "fish", we ran through the standard line up of questions: "Trout or Whitefish?"..."How big?"..."Seen him yet?"... The "fish" moved down the riffle about 20 feet, and then Rod started bringing it back upriver in the softer water. I had the net ready as his line came alongside the boat, but I couldn't seem to locate the "fish". The indicator was out of the water, and I could see the top fly, and I could see the tippet trailing the top fly, and I could see...a rock. "Oh yeah, there he is!" I said as I dipped the net. We laughed as Rod craned his neck to see what he'd brought to the boat this time. His sz. 20 Brassie had securely hooked a tiny crack in a pretty good sized rock. We safely released it and moved on to the next likely spot. Needless to say, he was subject to a lot of "Probably another rock fish" comments the rest of the trip. We went back to stripping streamers for the last half hour thinking maybe the morning water temps. were the problem, but again didn't do any good. Afternoon nymphing seems to be the ticket.

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We finished up the Fly Fishing Show in Bellevue and made it back to the canyon late Sunday evening. We then spent most of yesterday unpacking and putting the shop back together. It was great to see so many familiar faces and make some new friends at the show. We're looking forward to getting on the water today and we'll have a fishing report posted tomorrow. Overnight air temperatures have remained well below freezing (a crisp 19 degrees last night!), and water temperatures have followed suit (36 degrees at 3:00 pm). Until things start to warm up, expect fishing nymphs and streamers to yield the best results. River flows this morning are just over 1000 cfs with excellent clarity. When floating at this level, there are some stretches that get a little too skinny to hold many trout - push through those sections and spend your time fishing the more productive riffles, ledges, and seams.

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After getting things caught up in the shop, I excused myself and headed for the river. It was a nice afternoon with air temperatures in the mid 40's and lots of sunshine. I had hopes of finding some fish eating midge on top but found none. However, the urge to fish a Skwala dry pattern was one I couldn't resist. I had no takers but had fun trying. We are still experiencing night-time temperatures in the 20's and cooler water temps. Sub-surface tactics with nymphs or streamers continue to be the best option. The river is in great shape with the flow at 1185 cfs. We will be at the Fly Fishing Show in the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue over the next three days and will be doing a presentation entitled "The Yakima River Canyon" each day in the Destination Theater. Check the brochure for times, and we invite you to stop by and see us. The shop will be open and manned throughout the weekend if you decide to come out fishing.

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After finishing a couple of shuttles and some other shop business, Brian and I opted to fish rather than get too serious about the Super Bowl. The air and water temperatures have both cooled, and the streamer fishing was not as productive yesterday afternoon. We managed to swim a couple of decent fish, but I was just a little too fast and took it away from both of them. There were a few fish feeding on midge in a flat section of water, but they were neither consistent enough nor big enough to warrant changing bugs with cold fingers. We have some sunshine this morning but still cooler temperatures. The current temperature is 26 degrees with a predicted high of 44, and the flows are at 1320 cfs.

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Bruce and the Clackacraft truck showed up yesterday morning with our brand new fleet of 2005's. We spent several hours with him unloading boats and discussing the design changes - mainly the gulf stream bottom, but also a slight shape modification on the rear base platform. The center 2/3's of the boat is dimpled like a golf ball (baseball sized dimples about 3" apart). The rationale is that the boat is still covering the same amount of water, but more surface area over this contact footprint reduces surface tension. The rear base platform has the drain corners curved deeper, which makes cleaning debris out from underneath easier. After we finished unloading, we dumped one in the water to see how they performed. It's hard to get a good feel in just a half hour, but the boat did seem to maneuver and track well. It's always a treat to take a new boat down the river for the first time. Like buying a brand new car, it's something that most people only get to do a few times in life. We fished streamers on the go, and hooked a few nice fish that came unbuttoned. Weatherwise, yesterday was supposed to be the cooler, windy day; however, it ended up pretty decent overall. We are getting some snow on top of the pass this morning - check the road report before heading over.

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Flies: sz. 6 J&J Special, sz. 6 Root Beer Bugger, sz. 8 Electric Blue Stimulator, sz. 20 Parachute Midge

It's been awhile since we have fished above the shop, so Steve and I thought it would be a good idea to float from M.P.19 to our place yesterday afternoon. Except for a couple of short interludes with a dry fly, we fished streamers most of the float. The dries were unproductive, but for, enticing a nice fish we saw feed to come after our midge offering. Being a little rusty on fishing dries, I was way late on the hook set. Streamer fishing, on the other hand, was good throughout the float. The most productive pattern was the J&J Special using a little slower retrieve. It is overcast with patches of blue showing here this morning. The weatherman is predicting a temperture of 51 degrees with a light wind. The weather forecast for the rest of the week is more of the same. The river has dropped a bit with a flow of 1549 cfs, and it is in great shape.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 14 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 6 J&J Special, sz. 8 JB Yellow and Black

We went back and forth all day between pulling streamers on the go, and running nymphs under an indicator. We had our best luck with streamers in the "ambush type" water - where you have some current amidst sunken boulders. We spent a fair amount of time out of the boat with the nymphs, wading the more traditional riffles. The flows took a slight bump yesterday (to 1837 cfs), but conditions remain favorable with 2'+ of visibility.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 12 Black Beaded Skwala, sz. 14 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 8 Matt's Stone, sz. 6 J&J Special

Both fishing nymphs under an indicator and pulling streamers proved productive on this afternoon drift. We seemed to have our best luck nymphing in the slack water areas, hooking fish on both the larger Stones and smaller droppers. At one spot, I picked up an old duffel bag from the waters edge and threw it in the garbage bucket in the boat. Little did I know, I'd picked up a family of stow aways. The photo above shows the bottom of the bucket at the takeout - yes, those are Skwala Stonefly nymphs! We didn't see any fish feeding on the surface, but there were a fair number of Midge on the water when we started. The forecast calls for a chance of rain the next couple of days, but we expect the river to remain in good shape.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 12 Black Beaded Skwala, sz. 14 orange Scud, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 12 Kauffman's Skwala

Well, we're back in the shop after spending the weekend at the Sportsman's Show in Tri Cities. After 3 days in the booth, we were looking forward to feeling some river rock under our feet! Conditions on the river continue to improve with each cool night, and we expect the fishing to follow suit. We started out the afternoon driving up and down the road looking for feeders, but were unable to locate any in the usual spots. The slow water areas that fish tend to key on Midge are actually not that slow right now - as they are not holding much water back at Roza. After 3 or 4 stops, we opted for the nymph rods and went for a wade. Fishing was not red hot, but standing in the river under a canopy of high fog seemed to do the trick.

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Flies: sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 16 Silver Lightening Bug, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 12 Zug Bug

River flows are just over 2000 cfs, and continue to drop. Clarity is favorable at 24" this morning with ledges and gravel bars easily identifiable. We are now seeing dirt on the hillsides that has been under a blanket of snow and ice for nearly a month. The ground is saturated and 4WD is a good idea at the majority of the boat launches. All in all, things seem to be shaping up for a great 2005 Spring fishing season.

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The river level is under 3000 cfs and remains on the drop. By this afternoon, visibility was improved to 18" and the river color has taken on a more appealing greenish tint. This weekend has potential for some pretty good fishing. After the river has been out of shape like this, targeting the slow water seam lines with bigger nymph patterns and streamers can be effective. The semi truck wreckage was removed from the river yesterday afternoon, and the canyon is once again open to through traffic.

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After reaching 4656 cfs yesterday, the Yakima has crested and is currently dropping. Visibility is approximately 12" at the shop. Most of the ice and debris that broke loose over the past couple days has made its' way down to Roza, where an ice jam backed up and pushed water into the parking area yesterday morning. It may take a couple more days for the river to get back into fishing shape, as air temperatures are forecast to remain warm enough that the snow pack will continue to melt. At approximately 8:00 am yesterday morning, a Ford Ranger and a semi truck had a fatal head on collision approximately 300 yards South of the Roza recreation area. Both vehicles went through the guard rail, with the semi crashing through the ice and into the river. A crane was brought in to lift the semi and trailer, which was full of onions, from the river.

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Warm air temperatures in combination with heavy rain on the pass have caused flows to increase dramatically throughout the system. We had planned to fish yesterday; however, morning reports had it that I-90 was closed with 12" of standing water in the roadway in places. We looked at the flows from the upper parts of the river which were already on a steep rise, and decided we'd best stick around and get some maintenance work done. At noon, the canyon section remained under 800 cfs with good clarity. By 2:00, the level was on the rise and the channel was nearly white, as shelf ice and snow were picked up and swept down. As of this morning, flows are at 4200 cfs and still on the rise. It never got below freezing last night, so the snow melt continued and the river has not peaked.

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For the second time this winter, low temperatures have caused ice build up on the river. Both shelf ice and large chunks of floating ice are prominent throughout the canyon, and the river is unfishable. The weatherman is forecasting warmer temperatures, mid 30's to mid 40's, for next week starting on Tuesday. If his forecast holds true, the river should be fishable by Thursday or Friday.

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The sunshine yesterday afternoon got me to thinking about swinging a streamer, or the possibility of some noses poking through the foam in a few spots. So, I decided to wet a line. The results are a little deceiving. When I wasn't busy clearing ice from my guides, I managed to hook and loose a nice rainbow as well as experience that infamous tug several times. After my hands were good and numb - to the point of hurting when they started to thaw (you know the feeling), I spent some time driving the road to see if I could find some actively feeding fish. I spotted a couple of nice pods, but decided to enjoy the warmth of the vehicle heater rather than risk life and limb traversing the steep, rocky, snow covered bank with felt soles. However, the locations are filed away for another time. We have sunshine again this morning with a temperature of about 26 degrees. The river flow is at 733 cfs.

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We decided to see if there were any Chukar moving around in the snow yesterday, so we loaded the pack of hounds and shotguns into a boat and headed across the river. We did see one covey of birds, but didn't get any shooting. The combination of deep snow on top of loose rock always makes for some fancy footwork. We made it back with all of our bones and our shotguns intact, which coupled with the great cardio work, makes for a successful day. Chukar are the Steelhead of bird hunting - if you get one or two birds, you've done well. The bird season comes to a close next Monday.

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We finished the Bellevue Fly Fishing Show and made it back to the canyon late Sunday night. We spent most of the day yesterday unpacking gear and putting the shop back together. We'll be on the water today and have a fishing report posted tomorrow morning. Overnight air temperatures have remained well below the freezing point (a crisp 19 degrees this morning!), and water temperatures have followed suit (36 degrees at 3:00 pm). Until things warm up a few degrees, expect fishing nymphs and streamers to yield the best results. The river level is just over 1000 cfs and excellent clarity. When floating at this level, there are some stretches that get a little too skinny to hold many fish - push through these sections and spend your time fishing the more productive riffles, ledges, and seams.

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We did make it out for a wade yesterday afternoon to swing some streamers and see what was going on. We hooked one nice fish and had several good tugs in what was some fairly comfortable winter conditions. Despite the cooler water temperatures, we were surprised to see a number of decent trout feeding at Frustration Flats. Things seem to be back on track for the winter fishing.

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The Yakima River canyon is once again an open channel upriver of The Slab. Although there is still a lot of shelf ice along the banks in spots, the main channel is ice-free and passable in a drift boat. The fishing probably isn't red hot, as water temperatures remain around 33 degrees, but the river is once again fishable and the weather is much nicer.

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Although the ice chunks are no longer floating down, the shelf ice continues to build and the river remains unfishable for all practical purposes. Ice flows have stacked up on the lower end, and from below the Slab to Roza is solid ice all the way across. We have gotten a couple more inches of snow in the canyon the past 2 days, and last night 5.5" of much needed snow fell on the Pass. The weather forecast looks like it will warm up today and tomorrow, but then is supposed to cool down again next week. This weekend might be a good opportunity for you to knock the dust off your ski boots!

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Low temperatures near zero degrees have caused ice build up throughout the Yakima. Shelf ice spans the entire river in some of the slower water areas, and large chunks of ice are floating down the river in between. The Yakima is currently unfishable. Warmer temperatures are expected and we will let you know as conditions improve.

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Flies: sz. 6 Fruit Fly, sz. 8 J&J Special, sz. 10 Double Beaded Skwala, sz. 12 Kaufmann's Skwala, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 14 Orange Scud

The New year was ushered in with a cold front on the East side of the mountains. Air temperatures didn't make 30 degrees yesterday, and we recorded the coldest water temperature of the season at 33 degrees. We did bump a couple of nice fish with streamers on sink tips and a slow retrieve, but nymphing was non productive. Thermal hand warmers are a great idea for this time of year. Rod snuck a pair into his coat pockets yesterday and the grin never left his face the entire float. Brian and I assumed he smiled when we got out of the truck and that the grin froze on his face, so we didn't think much of it at the time. However, it seemed to widen when I complained about my gloves being wet and Brian replied, "at least you've got gloves." That's when I looked at Rod and caught a glimpse of the hand warmer sticking out of his pocket! Awful nice of him to think of his buddies...