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

Red's Power Hour Fishing Report
October - December 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.

Flows have bounced around a little over the past 2 days, but they are currently at 1703 cfs and on the drop. Visibility is good with 2+ feet, and the river should be fishing again. We experienced a wet snow fall for most of the day yesterday, but the weather, both now and in the forecast ahead, looks pretty good with high temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. Best wishes to everyone for a Safe and Happy New Year! The shop will be closed tomorrow.

12/28/05

It looks like this rain is going to catch up with us after all. The river is on a steady rise and visibility has diminished to less than 6". We'll keep you posted as conditions change.

12/28/05

Flies: sz. 6 J&J Special, sz. 6 Root Beer, sz. 4 Brown COnehaed Bugger, sz. 6,8 Stone Nymphs, sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Brassie

After a slight bump in flows during the afternoon yesterday, the river is back on the drop with visibility remaining about the same as it has been over the past 3 days at 18". We went back and forth fishing nymphs and pulling streamers on this short float. The fish we did hook were all nice fish, with nymphing providing the majority of the action. We are getting a little more rain in the canyon this morning, but it's starting to break up.

12/27/05

Despite hearing the consistent "pitter patter" of rain on the roof all night, the river remains on the drop with visibility still around 18". We're looking at flows of 1810 cfs in the canyon this morning. It could go either way from here - as long as the flows keep dropping, it will remain fishable. We'll give it a try today.

12/26/05

The river rose steadily over the weekend due to consistent rain and snow melt in the mountains. After peaking at just under 2000 cfs last night, the river is 1878 cfs and on the drop. We are currently seeing about 18" of visibility at the shop and improving. If this tendency continues, we expect things to be in pretty good shape and fishable tomorrow.

12/23/05

Flies: sz. 10 Dbl. Beaded Skwala nymph, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Red Copper John

The cold spell has subsided, and gone with it are the ice flows we've experienced over the past 2 weeks. Flows in the canyon are around 650 cfs, and the river is in good shape. All sections are once again floatable except for taking out at lower Umtanum and Roza due to large ice build ups along the bank. We found some hungry trout on this short float, and we expect more of the same as the fish change their mindset from dodging ice to finding food. By the way, this photo is from Rocky Ford - you didn't expect us to stay home did you? We will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and we'd like to wish each of you and your families a Blessed Christmas season!

12/16/05

Sort of a non-traditional report today, but it's been a non-traditional winter! As is often the case in Chukar hunting, the dogs were great, the hiking challenging, and the shooting... well you know. We are experiencing one of the warmest days we've had over the past week (a tropical 25 degrees!), and the river is looking better. There is ice all the way across at the Railroad bridge below Ringer, and then it's clear with relatively little ice floating all the way to Umtanum. Below Umtanum, the ice flows pick up again and there are a number of places you couldn't get a boat through. If you want to plan it for the weekend, a float from Big Horn to Umtanum is feasible.

12/13/05

The cold spell has continued on the East side of the mountains, and the ice build-up along with it. The current status of the river is unfishable, as there is a constant barrage of large bergs floating and build-up completely across the river in a number of slow water areas in the canyon. It did warm up to 33 degrees at the shop yesterday, but we were back down to 12 last night. It looks like the cold snap will continue through the week. On a brighter note, the East bound I90 is open in both lanes again! Rod's off to town to get more coffee - we seem to be drinking a lot of it these days!

12/9/05

The evening temperatures the past 2 days have bottomed out near 10 degrees. Although the river is not fozen across anywhere other than Roza Dam, there are ice chunks floating throughout the canyon. Daily high temperatures are forecast in the mid 20's through the weekend. It's not UNfishable, but it's probably not a bad idea to plan a ski trip or get some home improvement projects done.

12/7/05

We started out at Mahre's and ended up at Umtanum. I started swinging a Teeny Leech and ended swinging a Teeny Leech. Steve started with a deep nymphing rig and finished swinging a Teeny Leech. I caught bottom a couple of times; and Steve, well he caught fish. He hooked fish on both the nymph rig and swinging. The largest being on the Teeny Leech. At one point while swinging the fly, he hooked four fish on four consecutive casts. I am looking forward to the next time we go, cause "I'm due". After one day of warmer temperatures on Monday, the weather has cooled again with the high today of 27 degrees, and much of the same forecast for the next few days. The river flow is staying at just under 700 cfs.

12/6/05

Flies: sz. 10 Black, Olive Buggers, sz. 10 Seal Bugger, sz. 10 20"er Stone, sz. 18 Red Copper John, sz. 22 Para Midge

We went back and forth between fishing nymphs on the go and swinging streamers through a few of the wadable runs. It was a nice afternoon weather-wise, but the fishing was not especially productive! We did locate one nice pod of fish feeding on midge and managed to trick a few of them into eating the fly, but they didn't quite make it to the boat. We had this entire section of river to ourselves.

12/4/05

Flies: sz. 8 Black Bugger, sz. 10 Olive Seal Bugger, sz. 10 20"er Stone, sz. 18 Red Copper John

We have been experiencing cooler temperatures in the canyon over the past few days, especially in the evenings with readings dipping into the teens. However, the daytime weather the past two days has been beautiful, with blue skies, calm, and highs near 40. The fishing has been pretty good, mainly utilizing nymph and streamer techniques, but we have still been seeing some fish feeding on midge during the day. Once the sun goes down, it cools off fast. We moved from the Upper end of the canyon to the Lower end to take advantage of the extended sunshine where the west slope is not so high. Water temps have cooled down and are fluctuating between 34 and 38 degrees. Expect the most productive window to be between 11:00 and 3:00, as the water temperatures experience a steady rise.

12/2/05

The snow and wind died down long enough in the afternoon to get out for a while. It was still cold enough to freeze up the fishing guides, but the fresh blanket of snow in the backdrop is so peaceful. We have been spending our short fishing windows mostly swinging streamers, but nymphing has remained productive, and there are fish working midge on the surface in some of the flat water areas. We have about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground this morning, and it looks like we're in for blue skies and sunshine today.

11/28/05

After spending 3 days (including Thanksgiving day) floating and fishing the Klickitat, I drew shop duty yesterday. By the way, the Klickitat closes for steelhead fishing November 30. The afternoon was a little slow in the shop, so Brian and I decided to swing a fly in a couple of spots on the Yakima. We struck out on the Rainbows, but the 20" suckers sure liked the Olive Bugger that I was fishing. We are seeing water temps in the high 30's to low 40's and nymphing or fishing streamers during mid day is still the most productive way to fish. We have been seeing fish sipping on the surface in select areas so trying midge patterns when you find this kind of activity is an option. The river is at 759 cfs this morning and we are suppose to have air temps in the low to mid 30's throughout the week.

11/22/05

Brian got to spend part of his afternoon off swinging a fly in one of his favorite runs at Ringer. The results are a little deceiving, because aside from the fish he hooked, he got to feel "the tug" on several of his drifts. When swinging flies in a run, it is best to cover the water in consecutive casts from closest to you out into the width of the run. Take a couple of steps downstream and do the same thing again. Continue this process all the way through the run. Water temperatures are in the low 40's and the river is in great shape. All of us at Red's have alot to be thankful for this year. We consider ourselves blessed to be here in the canyon and to have all of you as friends and customers. We wish you and yours a "HAPPY THANKSGIVING." We will be closed on Thanksgiving Day but will be back in the shop on Friday, November 25.

11/20/05

We got a chance to slip away from the shop for an hour yesterday afternoon, so we tried our hand at swinging the fly. We had several tugs that kept our blood pumping, but Brian only managed to connect on the one rainbow. The air temp was 40 degrees; and after an hour of standing hip deep in the river, our hands and feet were ready for a warm-up. The river is in great shape and still flowing in the mid 800 cfs range. The weather has been pretty consistent too, with temps in the low to mid 40's. Deep nymphing and streamers are the best way to go right now. If you see fish eating on the surface, a midge pattern is worthy of a try; but keep in mind how "Frustration Flats" got its name. Success is always sweeter when it isn't easy.

11/16/05

Flies: sz. 16 Red Copper John, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 20 Brassie, sz. 8 & 10 Stoneflies, sz. 12 Lightening Bug

The BWO activity has certainly slowed down, and nymphing and streamers are the most consistent options for hooking a Yakima Rainbow. Leif and Brian did see a little midge activity late in the float but decided to stick with the deep nymphing rigs. The weather forecast is for much of the same with daytime temperatures in the mid 40's and partly cloudy skies. The river is in great shape at 840 cfs. Swinging a thin profiled, lightly weighted, olive or other dark colored bugger pattern on a sink tip line is certainly worthy of your time right now.

11/11/05

Flies: sz. 20 Para BWO, sz. 22 CDC Baetis Emerger, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz. 20 Sparkle Dun

Although the mornings have been cool enough to greet us with a coat of frost each morning, the afternoons have been both beautiful and productive on the water. We are still seeing a fair amount of dry fly activity between 2:30 and dark. Until this window begins, nymphing with small Brassies and Copper Johns has been the most productive option, but conditions are also good to catch some big fish stripping or swinging streamers. It looks like the weather is going to change - not necessarily for the worst as far as the fishing goes - but to some wetter conditions with cloud cover through the weekend. Congratulations to Steve and Natalie on the birth of their son, Henry Wayne Joyce, yesterday! Everything went very well and both Natalie and Henry are doing great.

11/7/05

We took advantage of a beautiful afternoon and the opportunity to swing some streamers. We utilize sinking lines (130-175 grain mostly) when fishing this technique on the Yakima. As is typically the case, we had a fair number of tugs that didn't result in hookups. Rod did set the hook on one pull and tightened up on what he thought was bottom, only to have it start swimming and come to the surface in a big boil as the hook came loose. There were enough BWO's and fish working the surface that dry fly fishing may have offered some good action as well. With the snow topped ridges against the blue sky, wildlife, and solitude, it's a wonderful time to enjoy the Canyon...

11/4/05

Flies: sz. 14 Red Copper John, sz. 14 Lightening Bug, sz. 10 Kaufmann's Stone, sz. 10 Prince Nymph

The river is in good shape. Water clarity is good, and it is currently at just over 1000 cfs. The fishing was good on this short float using a standard nymphing technique with the Red Copper John being the best producer. Fishing the soft seams just inside of the faster water seemed to provide the most action. Look for BWO activity in the afternoon with the mornings best spent throwing streamers or nymphing. The weekend weather forecast is predicting daytime temps in the mid to high 40's with late night lows in the high 20's.

11/1/05

Flies: sz. 12 PT, sz. 18 Beaded PT, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray Sparkle Dun

The morning fishing session has slowed considerably over the past few days. We did get a good BWO hatch around 1:00 that lasted almost 2 hours. During this time we found quite a few fish willing to eat the small emergers. We have had some steady rain over the past couple days and the river is on a steep rise. Clarity remains decent at the moment, but may decrease throughout the day. We're certainly glad to see the precipitation and to see the water levels in the reservoirs start to climb.

10/30/05

Flies: sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Beaded PT, sz. 16 RCJ, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray Sparkle Dun

We had our first frost of the year two nights ago, which seems to have pushed the peak time of fishing activity back a bit. We hooked a few fish nymphing on the go in the morning, and then had about an hour of casting small BWO's to feeders from about 2:30 to 3:30 pm. The majority of the feeding fish we saw were in slow, flat water, and were definitely on the picky side. If you can locate feeders in water that has some chop on the surface, it's a better opportunity.

10/26/05

Flies: sz. 16 Sawyer's PT, sz. 10 Tan Stonefly Nymph, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray Sparkle Dun

With continued sunny days and slightly cooler water temperatures, the BWO hatch didn't materialize like it had over the past couple of weeks. The nymph fishing, both on the go and wading riffles, was most productive between 11:00 and 3:00 pm. We have cloud cover this morning, which should trigger a good afternoon hatch today, and more of the same in the forecast. We have yet to use an ice scraper on the windshields in the morning. This extended Fall weather has been beautiful.

10/23/05

Flies: sz. 12 Pearl Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray Sparkle Dun

We had a beautiful fall day with plenty of sunshine for this float. The shallow nymphing technique was the most productive tactic for us, and both the small PT and WD-40 were equally effective. Todd got a chance to try his hand at fooling a pod of rising fish with a Sparkle Dunn and was able to hook a trout that waved good-bye as he went aerial for the second time. We have a little cloud cover here in the canyon today with mid to high 60 degree temperatures forecast for today and the first part of the week. Current flows are hanging around the 650 to 680 cfs range. We are testing the "Fear No Rock" slogan on our Clack's, and they are passing the test.

10/20/05

Flies: sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 16 Orange, Olive Soft Hackle, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 18 Para Adams, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray & Olive Sparkle Duns

The cloud cover we had yesterday morning did stick around for most of the day, and we had some good BWO activity from about noon until 4:00 pm. Fishing nymphs on the go was productive, both before and between pods of rising fish. We're still utilizing a shallow nymph rig with this method (indicator only about 3' above the top fly). The weather forecast looks good through the weekend with partly cloudy skies and highs near 65 degrees.

10/19/05

Flies: sz. 12 Lightening Bug, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 16 Orange Soft Hackle, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18, 20 Para BWO, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz. 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray & Olive Sparkle Duns

We split time throughout the afternoon fishing nymphs on the go and casting small dries at feeding fish from anchor. We had success with both methods, although several of the larger fish we hit were on the nymphs. Using small flies (sz. 18 & 20) was imperative for both techniques. We had some cloud cover move in for later part of the day, which certainly helped the BWO hatch along. We have more clouds and even a light sprinkle this morning. It looks promising for today...

10/16/05

Flies: sz. 12 Pheasant Tail, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz 16 & 18 Parachute Adams, sz. 18 & 20 CDC Baetis Emergers, sz. 18 Gray & Olive Sparkle Duns

We found actively feeding fish as soon as we got on the water, but boy were they ever picky. We might entice one or two fish from a pod to try our many and varied offerings; however believe me, our frustration level was higher than normal because of their overall selectiveness. We spent a little time nymphing and hooked a few fish, except it is hard not to use dry flies when you see fish eating on the surface. One thing's for sure "PERSISTENCE" and "PATIENCE" are virtues that are important right now.

10/12/05

Flies: sz. 12 Zug Bug, sz. 10 Kaufmann's, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Para BWO, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz 16 & 18 Parachute Adams, sz. 18 & 20 CDC Baetis Emergers

Nice weather conditions have prevailed, and the fishing continues to provide lots of action. We have had mostly sunny skies with highs near 70 degrees and no wind. We have been seeing several waves of BWO's coming off each day, with fish actively feeding on the surface between noon and 4:00 pm. The trout have become more selective and less willing to take a fly that is not presented with some stealth. If a challenging session of match the hatch dry fly fishing is your preference, then now is the time to get out here.

10/10/05

Flies: sz. 12 & 14 Pheasant Tail, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 18 & 20 WD-40, sz. 16 & 18 Para BWO, sz. 18 Purple Haze, sz 16 & 18 Parachute Adams, sz. 18 & 20 CDC Baetis Emergers

We found fish sipping on the surface right off the get go yesterday. They were considerably more picky about eating our offering in the bright sunshine. In the shade, they were a little more willing to give us a try. The late afternoon nymphing was great. We were fishing two smaller nymphs with a #1 split shot about 2.5 to 3ft. below the indicator on the go. Most of the fish were 13" to 16". The river is currently at 690 cfs. Be prepared to bump some rocks if you are floating. The weather is good with daytime temperatures in the mid 60's and lows in the 30's. If you are camping, be prepared for some cool evening temperatures and bring plenty of warm clothes.

10/8/05

Flies: sz. 10 Kaufmann's, sz. 12 Red Fox Squirrel, sz. 16 Lightening Bug, sz. 14, 16 Pheasant Tail, sz. 18 WD-40, sz. 16, 18 Para BWO, sz. 16 Purple Haze, sz. 18 CDC Baetis Emergers

We split time nymphing on the go and fishing small dries from anchor, and had success with both techniques. The BWO hatch has been great for the past 2 days, with cloudy skies and calm conditions. We had fish up to cast at from 11:00 until 3:00 yesterday. We have more of the same weather in the forecast, which should keep this hatch activity consistent. There are a few places where you'll rub a few rocks in a boat; but the river is still very floatable, as well as wadable.

10/6/05

I got a chance to slip off to the lower launch late yesterday afternoon and do a little wade fishing. It was good. The fish that I landed was on the third cast directly in front of the launch. Mixing it up with small dries and nymphing throughout the day is providing some pretty good action right now. For all you steelhead fisherman, we received an email notification from WDFW yesterday evening that the Methow River and the Okanogan River will officially open for steelhead fishing on October 8. If you want to look over the notification, you can access it at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm. I know that this bit of news is something many of you have been waiting for. The Yakima is currently low with a flow of 733 cfs but has been as low as 690. The weatherman is saying that the temperatures for the remainder of the week will be in the mid 60's with lows in the mid 30's.

10/3/05

Flies: sz. 16 Purple Haze, sz. 18 BWO, sz. 18 & 20 CDC Baetis Emerger, sz. 18 & 20 WD-40, sz. 18 Pheasant Tail, sz. 12 Pheasant Tail, size 8 & 10 Kaufmann Stonefly, sz. 20 Brassie

We saw lots of BWO's mid-afternoon with fish feeding in specific locations. They were very picky though, and overall we did better fishing a standard nymph rig with the smaller PT and WD-40. We did not see the number of smaller fish that we have been seeing nor the number of whitefish. We awoke this morning to a river that has dropped 200+ cfs since yesterday and is currently flowing at 795 cfs. The weather forecast is predicting temperatures in the low to mid 60's, mixed clouds and sunshine with rain showers at times.