Enter
to Win a Guided Fly Fishing Trip and Lodge Stay!
We have a great Facebook page that we update all the time, the problem
is nobody knows about it! So we are giving away a free guided fly
fishing trip and lodge stay to some lucky winner that "likes"
Red's Fly Shop Guide Service, Lodge, and Outfitter.
Everyone that likes us will automatically be entered into the drawing
which will take place on March 1st! Yes, it sounds crazy but we
want to keep you informed! Sage Complete
Spey and Steelhead Starter Package!-
Sage VXP 7 Weight Spey Rod, Ross Reel, Skagit Line, Flies, Leader, DVD
set, and more! Special package price of $999!
You save $204.40!.
Fly Fishing
Tippet Buyer's Guide-
This will help you get the right tippet for the job on your next fishing it
explains the basic differences between Fluorocarbon tippet and Mono along
with a basic guide on what size tippet to use for various size flies.
Yakima, Naches,
Methow, Wenatchee, and Klickitat River Fishing Reports
12/27/2011 - Construction Update on the
NEW Red's Fly Shop and Cafe' - Cement is being poured!
- The crews
are working hard and the project is off to a fast start. This shot
is looking downstream from the lodge. The Cafe' will be on the
near half of the building on the right, the fly shop will be on the main
floor on the far half of the building. You will be wandering back
and forth in between!
12/29/2011
And... its over.
The Yakima got big and ugly last night and is temporarily out of order.
Stay tuned and watch the river flows because when this baby drops it
should fish very well. A wintertime freshet of water stirs
up a lot of food that typically isn't available during the cold season.
It should only be a couple of days before it comes back into nice
fishing shape again.
This might save you
valuable fishing time. Instead of YOU tying their flies on,
untangling their nymphs, taking their backcast out of the tree, dropping
your new Sage on the ground, repeating the phrase 10 and 2, 10 and
2..... I SAID TEN AND 2!!!! Let the pro's at Red's teach them to
fly fish in a way that is easy and fun. We are very good at taking
raw beginners and building a good foundation of both skill and
knowledge. This holiday special is a great gift and is delivered
by email in just a few short hours.
12/19/2011
This week is looking
pretty good for fishing, the temps yesterday were ideal and it looks
like it is going to be nearly ideal for winter fishing in the Canyon.
If you can sneak out for a day it might be worth it! Also, be
thinking Yakima
Canyon Cast 'n Blast!
12/17/2011
*amendment - just got a report from a friend that fished the lower
Lower Canyon yesterday from 1-2:30 and caught several fish on a red
Brassie #18 - for what its worth!
Today seems about as
fishy as it gets. We have been slammed packing boxes all week with
no time to fish, but to let you die hards know there is no serious shelf
ice or ice flow. Conditions are actually pretty darn good just
dress warm.
Especially in the lower Lower Canyon where the freezing fog doesn't
hasn't been a factor. Use a
Sculpzilla or
Dolly Llama in a variety of colors behind a sink tip in the first
half the day. Once it warms up, go for the
Pat's Stone (#12) with
an
Anato Mayfly #16,
or
Yeager's Tungsten SH Hare's Ear, or a
Purple Lightning Bug
Speaking of cold
weather fishing. If your waders leak, or have ever leaked consider
an upgrade to set of
Simms G3 Guide Waders this year. Who knows, with trustworthy
waders you might fish more!
12/13/2011
Cold with some shelf
ice, fishable but chilly. It was gorgeous in the LC yesterday, but
freezing fog has inundated the Ellensburg valley. Nothing exciting
to report on the fishing front, make sure to stay in tune with our "12 Days of Huge Christmas Savings" campaign. We'll
post as many products per day as we can and the first caller gets it!
12/10/2011
We hooked A TON of
people up with great rod and reel combos today. Congrats to
everyone that shopped with us in Seattle today. Can't wait to see
you this spring in fly fishing class on the Yakima River. All the
reels are pretty much all gone, but there are some fantastic rods left.
Among them is a new RPL 1290-4, so if there is anyone interested
in a 12 weight, awesome price $249 (mention this ad). There are
some great beginner rods that make great gifts or backups. Among
them is a Diamond Back 590-4 brand new, $49 great rod (retails $299).
There are plenty of Redington RS4's for $139 (retail $200), and lots of
odds and ends. The Fly Tying Materials are going to 75% off, and
there is ample supplies left. Trout flies are going down to $5 per dozen
for the last day! (there are a PILE of great Stonefly Nymphs left).
We have Redington CPX Switch and Spey Rods - 30% off. The famous
Red's Yakima Canyon Map T-shirts are only $5! There is still a lot
of little stuff that we want to sell versus packup. If you are
looking for stocking stuffers or any small gifts there are lots of them
to go around.
We will be opening at
9 am, and will be operating full force until early afternoon then we
pack up and take the rest of the inventory back to Ellensburg.
Great to see so many familiar faces. Hope to see lots of you guys
tomorrow again. We'll have a lot more time to chat and educate
folks wanting to learn more about fly fishing in general tomorrow. The
last 2 days have pretty hectic. It was nice being able to take
some time and chat fishing with folks today.
12/9/2011 - later
pm
Wanted to mention
also, there is a 5 weight CPX Switch Rod that is 30% off - it is the
10'6" 5 weight. Here is a link:
http://www.redington.com/rods/cpx It is a GREAT trout nymphing
stick and good for light summer steelhead like the Methow/G. Ronde
Rivers. If you are there early tomorrow you'll get first crack at
this one. It only made it through today because it was mashed
between so many big spey rods. Also, we have some hard to find
Centerpin Rods as well for a smokin' deal of $59 each. You won't
ever see that price again!
We are at 1911 4th
Ave, Seattle, WA - C U There!
12/9/2011 - late
pm
We had a great day at
the sale in Seattle today, it was a little more chaotic for the first
few hours than we had anticipated! In fact, we planned to open at
11 am but when there were dozens of people lining up almost 2 hours
early we had to open the doors to prevent a violent stampede that would
have surely ensued. We didn't want anybody getting hurt. It was
great seeing so many regulars that we usually see on the east side of
the mountains, and it was an equal pleasure meeting so many of you that
supported the old franchise that use to occupy that space for so many
years. We appreciate all the support very much and it was good to
get introduced to all of you in person.
There are hundreds of
great deals to be had tomorrow (Saturday), and Sunday as well. We
reduced prices after closing on a lot of the rods and clothing that were
left on the racks and there are some great combo deals on rods and
reels. There are some demo reels that we are gifting away as part
of a package when you buy certain fly rods. Some even have fly
lines and are ready to fish. We have some closeout Sage rods left,
some demo Loomis rods, plenty of Redington RS4 rods ($139 bucks!), and
so much more. We are still bursting at the seams with Simms
Freestone and Freestone Zippered Waders and there are lots of boots
including a healthy supply of Patagonia Flats Boots and Simms Flats
Boots that are more than 50% off. At noon tomorrow, flies will go
from $8 per dozen to $5 per dozen! There is a Sage 7130-4 VT2 Spey
Rod for $199. Dan Bailey Waders at $99, Simms Pursuit Shoes $60,
Wright McGill Waders at $50, Korkers Boots (one model) for $60, and a
few other ridiculous deals. There are lots of "tid bits" that are
fun to pick up especially when you are paying next to nothing.
Come take a gander.
The fly tying
materials hardly got touched, so if you need materials you will be
overjoyed to see the massive stock that is marked down to 50% off.
There are some tools like Matarelli Whip Finishers and more that are
also 50% off. Books, DVD's, Guide Pants, etc. There are a
few pieces of closeout Simms Windstopper Jackets in various sizes and
colors with deep discounts. Lots of good stuff left. If you are
even thinking about coming down... come down. You won't regret it.
It is a chilly start
to the day here in the Yakima Canyon! 16 degrees this morning, but
as it often is... sunny and beautiful. The afternoon will warm up
nicely and the fishing should remain on track for those of you willing
to adorn gloves and a stocking cap. Focus on the walking speed
pools, and refer to the article above for some very specific advice on
flies and strategies. One of our customers caught a very rare and
very large Bull Trout while fishing alongside one of our shop staff
members in the lower river a few days ago. That is rare indeed,
but it just goes to show that you never know what you are going to
catch. The mystery keeps us coming back time after time. The
Wenatchee is also an option as well, especially for those that plan to
do a night of "holiday" in town and see the tree lighting festival.
Consider a day trip to at least drive the Canyon even if you don't plan
to fish. Between Ringer and Red's we took a few minutes and
spotted 52 Mule Deer and Bighorn Sheep. It is a great time to
watch wildlife so bring your binoculars.
12/6/2011
We updated the link
to the Winter Fishing Tips article that was broken these past few days,
it seems as though we have been having some difficulty on the computer
front. We also posted a survey but our server wasn't working!
For those of you that were able to participate, thanks very much and
we'll carefully analyze the data and post the results soon. It is
always fun to see what you guys had to say. What we did not have
difficulty with yesterday was figuring out how to catch some trout.
Good fishing yesterday on both nymphs (in the morning), and streamers in
the afternoon. We landed 4 VERY NICE trout on streamers. A
small sculpzilla being pulled and swung by a 15' Type 3 Sink Tip was
very effective. For nymphs a T. Ready Baetis and a standard
Brassie #18 were the best trailers. The Wenatchee is also fishing
quite well too. Doug P. was guiding the past couple of days and
got clients into multiple fish including a 12 pound buck which was the
woman's first ever steelhead! And you thought it was too cold.
She didn't! I am sure we will see a lot of you on Friday at the
big sale in downtown Seattle. There will be a pallet of Simms
Freestone Waders to buy at a super discount so prepare to "wader up"!
See you then at 11 am!
Red's
12/3/2011
We mostly ramping up
for the the big sale over in downtown Seattle starting on the 9th, but
we did sneak out and hit the Yakima and the Klickitat since the
conditions were favorable. Earlier this week we
had great fishing and it looks like conditions are going to remain
fishable but slightly less than ideal. The Klickitat is now
closed, but ended on a high note. It will be open again starting
in June. The nightime lows are going
to dip down into the mid-teens which is just about the threshold for
ice-up and will slow the bite down. Our success early in the week
was spread between small midge patterns, (size 20 Brassie and a black
WD-40), and a #10 Olive Jimmy Legs (we are already thinking Skwala even
though the hatch is months away... can't help it). The streamer
fishing for us was dead, but that doesn't mean it isn't a worthy option
especially in the mornings and evenings. The key to success is to
find groups of fish and try to spend as much time on that "spot" as
possible. Make sure to read the short article above for some some
tips on fly fishing the Yakima River during the winter time.
11/23/2011
Just an update, great fishing conditions this upcoming week. Time
to fish. It might be the last stint of good conditions for a
while! Highs will be in the mid 40's and nighttime temps will be
in the high 20's which makes for a fairly predictable afternoon bite.
We also want to post an update on the big fly shop blowout event
happening at 1911 4th Ave in Seattle. We will be emailing out a
few updates as the date approaches, but wanted to get some hours posted.
11 am starting time on Friday - we'll unlock the doors. The deals
will naturally be best on Sunday but the best products will be available
on Friday!
Red's Fly Shop
recently purchased a massive supply of inventory and fixtures that were
left behind when a longtime Seattle fly shop went out of business.
The Red's staff is hosting a huge liquidation sale on December 9th,
10th, and 11th. Consider this event Black Friday for fly fisherman!
There will be some outrageous deals. Mark your calendar and plan
to restock your fly box in a big way. There are thousands upon
thousands of flies for sale at $5 per dozen. Lots of good stuff.
There will be clothing, rods, waders, boots, reels, tying materials, and
so much more. Get there Friday morning for a crack at the best
stuff.
11/18/2011
Snow in the valley this morning, but fairly warm bad temperatures.
Steve is heading out guiding today and it should be a good afternoon.
Thanks to the Rainier Club in Seattle and the NWFA (Northwest Fly
Anglers Club) for hosting us as guest speakers this past week.
Both were great experiences and it was fun to spend time with an
enthusiastic group of anglers. We hope that you learned a lot
about fly fishing Central Washington, and we hope to see you out at
Red's sometime this upcoming season.
We heard a rumor that Santa Claus is stopping by Red's Fly Shop this
afternoon sometime, does he have your wish list yet? Email Santa
Claus at info@redsflyshop.com
to let him know what you need this Christmas.
Fishing wise, the river is in fantastic shape. Swing Sculpin
patterns in the morning and fish Midge patterns under a stonefly nymph
through the middle of the day. Fish walking speed water where
cannot see the bottom of the river and when you start to get suspicious
takedowns - mark that spot! The fish begin to group up this time
of year and it is very common to catch the majority of your fish in a
day in just a few spots. Good luck!
Results:
10++ Trout landed, mostly small fish (but fiesty!)
Hunger
Level: 6.5 out of 10
Yesterday was a perfect afternoon to be outside. The fishing on
the Yakima was productive with nymphs, since we started during prime
time we didn't explore the river with streamers although about 3:45 pm
the nymph fishing slowed down and the streamer game would have been a
smart move in the low light. The takes yesterday were VERY soft,
probably some of the most consistently soft takes that we have ever
seen. Use a Yarn Strike Indicator to see even the lightest takes.
We were laughing yesterday because after the guest missed about 4 takes
in a row, the guide proceeded to miss about 5 or 6. We were
anchored in an obscure spot that over the years has always produced
great fishing in cold conditions. It doesn't look like much, but
there are a lot of fish that hold in that spot. We landed 4 fish
there, but had about a dozen good bites in one spot. On small
flies like Brassie's or other Midge patterns, the fish eat so soft that
they are tough to hook. Once that starts happening, lighten up
your hook set to a mere lift rather than a full backcast of the line.
Experiment with a few different strategies and see if you can find a
system that works well for you. Setting the hook too hard will
cost you a lot of fish! If you can't seem to soften your set, then
try holding the rod in your opposite hand i.e. if you are right handed -
hold the rod in your left hand once it is mended. I guarantee that
you won't set too hard! It sounds funny but it works. We
hardly saw a soul yesterday, (it was a Saturday) so if catching a
handful of trout on quiet water sounds like a good time then head this
way. The wade fishing is at its best in the afternoons since the
river is low and the fish are starting to condense in "winter water" and
living in groups. If you were to wade fish and hit 2-3 holes in a
day, that would be enough water to keep you occupied and productive.
Wenatchee and Methow
River Fishing Report
We fished the Wenatchee pretty much all weekend, and am anxious to know
how the class did yesterday that we taught up there but haven't heard a
report yet. They are on the Methow River today as well, and with
the above average temperature that moved into Eastern Washington
overnight they will likely get into a few fish. Guiding on Friday,
we did quite well with several fish landed for one of our guide's boats
and a lady that is dear to all of us at Red's landed her first
steelhead! With some great coaching from Troy she managed to bring
it to shore and was SO happy. Great job Coleen! Steelhead fishing
is for everyone as long as you are patient and willing to fish hard.
You don't have to be a pro, or cast 85' into the wind..."if you
can catch a trout... you can definitely catch a steelhead!" If you haven't ever gripped an 8 pound steelhead around the tail for
a picture you are missing out! Give it a try, there is still a lot
of season left. On the Methow, without a big push of fall rain the
fishing on average is slower than we expected. Anglers we know are
consistently putting a fish or two a day in the net though which is a
big deal considering that for many it is their first steelhead!
For most of the fall the Methow and Wenatchee were running above average
river flow, but without the typical October rain that often hits the
valleys up there the rivers have dropped to slightly below average flows
and it is keeping the fish holding and not traveling. When fish
aren't moving much, stick to the water that you "know" there to be fish.
Lighten your leader, downsize your fly, and work the water over in
detail. Chances are the fish that want to eat a giant egg sucking
leech and a 10MM Bead have already been hooked! Try some small
bugs, deepen up your indicator, and fish the deeper troughs that you
might normally pass over. Take your time, be confident.
11/7/2011
Cold
mornings, nice afternoons. The bite for Steelhead and Trout has
remained solid despite below average temperatures. We enjoyed a
great week on the Klickitat this past week. Most of the crowds
have gone home on most rivers. On the Yakima, use sink tip lines
and streamers in the morning and mid day, shifting to nymphs about 12:30
pm or so. The trout sense the days getting shorter fast and they
like to put on some body mass before the hard freeze sets in.
Water temps in the Yakima Canyon are down to the high 30's which is
cold, but the fish are still feeding. There is hardly a soul on
the river, in fact, there is only 1 shuttle coming through our store all
day today in the Lower Canyon! That is pretty cool, so anyone
interested in having the river to themselves... its all yours with good
fishing to boot!
What a great time of year in the Pacific NW! Trout, Steelhead, and upland birds... too many options and not enough time to do it all. The mornings have become a bit on the "brisk" side, but the afternoons remain fantastic. With the turn in weather combined with daylight savings (don't forget to Fall back this weekend), the productive fishing window has gotten shorter. That nice flat where you like to try and swing one up at first light doesn't look quite so appealing at 22 degrees with ice in your guides! No need to worry, the sun's trajectory is low enough that we can find shade on the water in certain zones throughout the day now. The fishing has been steady on the Yakima with the trout moving into the slower deeper seams. A month ago we were targeting the foam lines that were moving straight down the river - now we are fishing the ones that "meander" or "swirl" a bit along the way. This is what we mean by the slow side of the seam. A great combination for any sportsman or sportswoman right now is the Cast and Blast. Come out and shoot some Roosters in the morning, then fish the best window of the day in the afternoon. Traffic in November begins to drop off to the point that you may just find yourself completely alone on the water or in the field. On Sunday's Klickitat float, we saw only one wade fisherman all day long, and today there was one drift boat and one pontoon in the entire Yakima canyon. Pick one of our specials above and come join us for a NW outdoor adventure!
Afternoons on the Yakima are very good nymph fishing
in isolated zones. Over the past week the guides have noticed that
the fish are becoming condensed into somewhat "winter water" and the
bigger slower pools are harboring more fish. The best flies are
still oriented towards small BWO's. The #20 WD-40 in chocolate
seems to be the most popular bug. Streamers are effective early
before the hatches start to trigger the nymph action.
On the steelhead
front, the fishing is very steady. The Klickitat has lots of
clarity and swinging smaller flies early and late is a good strategy.
Nymphing has been a bit more active - but we all know the game... one fish makes your day!
The Wenatchee is
always our late bloomer. The water here is so clear that later in
the fall after a little rain and a dropping sun angle the fishing picks
up. Swing early and late, use a nymph mid day. The same
strategy applies to the Methow. Make sure you bring gloves, it is
getting pretty darn cold in the morning.
10/26/2011
Just a quick note,
fishing is solid all the way around on the Klick, Yakima, Methow, and
Wenatchee. We want to see you out here! Steve Joyce just
released a fantastic Buck Steelhead caught spey swinging on the lower
Wenatchee River moments ago. We are also announcing some November
fishing specials to you get one last strip in before the snow flies!
November
Fishing Specials
10/24/2011
The Steelhead bite is
"medium" and the trout bite is HOT. You still have lots of time to
get another trip or two in this year. Whether you enjoy casting a
light 3-5 weight for scrappy trout in the Yakima Canyon or you are
looking for your first steelhead on a fly, get one last trip planned
with Red's to finish off the season in style. Mike Canady was on
the Yakima River and said yesterday was some of the best fishing of the
year for pure "numbers" of fish. Lots of trout. An October
Caddis dry fly with a small dropper nymph about 24" below the dry fly
was very good. Focus on the afternoons since the mornings have
gotten pretty cold. During the mornings and evenings, swing a
Dhali Lama streamer on a sink tip for shots at the biggest fish.
The dry fly fishing has been oriented towards October Caddis, and the
BWO hatch has been there but the fish aren't on the surface. It
will happen. Look for the next drizzly day to be the one.
Mayflies love to hatch when it is cloudy, and fish seem to float better
when there is a low pressure system. This helps them sit suspended
near the surface in the water column and eat dry flies.
We still have some
space in the lodge for the Klickitat, and the season is open through
November 30th. We typically see the average size steelhead
increase as the fall progresses. On the Wenatchee River, our
guides have been getting a fish or two a day on the swing with floating
line most of the time - very exciting! There are a few more
anglers on the Methow but since that river has countless runs there is
lots of room. The fish are spread out from Twisp to the mouth so
if you want to escape the crowds just drive upstream until the foot
traffic diminishes. Swing flies early and late in the day, and use
a dead drift with a strike indicator mid day. Also, if you are
planning on heading to the Klickitat please know that we have a small
satellite fly shop in the Klickitat Canyon Market that you get flies,
indicators, tippet, fly lines, or even a rod. This makes it super
easy to just head down there, buy some flies, and catch a steelhead.
Ok, maybe it makes it super easy to go "fish" for steelhead! You
still have to work for them but at least you will have some killer
flies.
10/19/2011
All systems continue
to produce. The Yakima River is fishing well in the afternoons
with the Baetis family of nymphs continuing to be the steadiest
producers. The fish are still holding in the heads of the pools
and in fairly quick water. After a few hard freezes look for the
fish to slink bank in the body of the pools and lurk in slower water.
The weather has been pretty warm and the fish are still happy to be
feeding in the riffles and choppy spots to help them fatten up for
winter. Use 5-6X fluorocarbon with 2 small nymphs on the "color
changes" where the river fades from brown to green. Bounce your
flies off the ledge and stick to areas where you can't quite see the
bottom but you know its there. With the frost we had last night it
stands to reason that the fish will finally move out of the extremely
shallow water and stay more resident on the edges of the deeper spots.
Klickitat River
Report - The fishing was lean the past 2 days, which is strange
because the several days before that was very good! We are seeing
some very large fish - most of which cannot be landed. When the
water gets clear, don't be afraid to run lighter line down to 3X
fluoroflex Plus tippet (the more expensive version), and consider
fishing one fly. Especially while you are wading the fish get used
to seeing a 2 fly rig dragged over them and get a little tired of the
"junk". A single egg or a single nymph is trusting and sneaky...
they don't even know what's coming! Swing flies early and late,
especially late in the evening when the fish are spunky and moving
across the tailouts. We still have some space on our multi-day
trips. These are very long fishing days and more fun that you can
imagine. A nice place to stay on the river, good food, the best
guides, and more river time than most people can handle.
Methow River
Report - The Methow is the place to be if your goal is to catch fish
swinging flies on a floating line. Bo guided there yesterday and
accomplished that for a guest and it was an incredibly memorable
Steelhead! A nice big buck caught on a surface fly in flat water.
Very cool. They rose 6 steelhead to dry flies which is very good.
The Methow has plenty of fish in it and they seem to be spread out.
Drive upriver close to Carlton or Twisp if you want to get away from
other anglers. There are plenty of fish in that upper stretch
thanks to above average river flows.
10/11/2011
We are fishing all
over Central Washington right now for both trout and steelhead. If
you are interested in trying something new, don't hesitate! We can
teach you in class or on a guided trip how to fly fish for steelhead.
Take a look at our
CLASS CALENDAR and get signed up for a class or head out with a
guide on the Wenatchee (easy day drive from the Puget Sound area), the
Methow, or Klickitat Rivers. Each stream is kicking out a couple
of fish per day and the Methow is probably the best bet for beginning
spey casters looking for their first hookup on the swing. We
hooked a beauty on a skated dry fly there Sunday, boiled a few on a dry,
and boiled a few with no hookups there yesterday. It is pretty
intense to watch a steelhead follow, accelerate, and finally eat a
skated dry fly! Very exciting. The fish in the Methow seem
to be really well spread out throughout the river from Twisp to the
mouth.
The Yakima is fishing
great. A couple of pro's sent us the report below yesterday.
Keep in mind they are experts, but it can be done! Throw your dry
flies with delicate perfection (always work on your casting and
presentation - you will be amazed at how many fish you can find as your
proficiency builds). In the morning hours, focus on #18/20 Baetis
nymphs below an October Caddis Pupae.
"Bob and I continue to fish from Red's to Mahres.
Again yesterday, we rose 8 VERY large rainbows. I landed three 18"
plus - and Bob brought a slab to the net that was a bonafide 19". Of
course, all on dry flies. We take no pictures. Fish are never handled.
We look for "sneaky" seams that are not fished over.
#16 Blue wing Olive
#8 Mike's October Caddis
# 10 Black Bob (Canadian pattern - orange body,
rubber legs, low profile.
Amazing day in the Canyon. No other boats.
Fall colors."
10/9/2011 - Despite a series of rain showers along the Cascades, the East side rivers have all remained in shape and fishing well. The Klickitat was in perfect condition again yesterday and we found a few willing Steelhead. As Graeme (pictured above with his first ever Steelhead) can attest, it only takes one and your fishing career is forever altered! The fish he is holding in the photo came to the net after an epic battle in which it "blew" the pool, ran the rapids, and finally settled into a soft inside. Nice work Graeme! The Yakima and Wenatchee are also in great shape and are the best option for the "one day" break away! Call us for an up to date report: 509-933-2300. Make sure to see our
Lodging and
Fishing packages if you are interested in fishing the Klickitat.
10/9/2011 -
Klickitat, Wenatchee, Methow, and Yakima River Fishing Reports
The month of "fly fishing Nirvana" continues
in central Washington. We have been fishing the Yakima River daily
with steady results. Use Baetis or BWO nymphs in the #18/20 range
in the morning and early afternoon and about 1 pm start keeping your
eyes peeled on the slick flats for rising fish. When you spot
fishing feeding on the surface, try a split wing BWO dry fly over them
(if you want some - give us a buzz and we'll ship 'em same day for you)
and if that doesn't work and they continue feeding try an RS2 emerger
which is just a simple CDC emerger tied in a Mayfly profile. The
October Caddis are still quite active in the evenings and anglers should
pay special attention to the back eddies. Typicaly, this week is when
the larger fish start aggressively foraging for streamers. Every
year after the first few hard frosts in Ellensburg the streamer fishing
seems to get good. Use a 15' sink tip line and sculpin patterns
like a Dali Lamma or various Sculpzilla patterns.
The Klickitat River is fishing steady, a
couple of fish a day seems to be the norm. The water is VERY clear
right now and the fish are holding in pretty steady positions. The
Kings seem to be occupying most of the big pools in the lower river and
the Steelhead are on the edges which makes them fairly accessible with
the flies. That doesn't mean they are easy to catch though! When
the fish are on the move and they are sitting in the heads and tails of
the pool they are a bit "snappier". Be sure to fish under the
trees in 2-4' of water. Just an idea....
The Wenatchee has heated up since the bump
in the flows 2 days ago. If you like to spey cast and throw big
distance.... this river is for you. The huge runs and clear water
make it a dry line steelheader's dream. It doesn't put out the
pure number of Steelhead that the Methow River does but for most of us
it is closer to home and hooking a Steelhead on a long cast is pretty
rewarding.
The Methow River is fishing quite well on
both a swinging fly and a nymph setup. The flows are quite a bit
higher than normal so a rafting trip with a guide isn't a bad plan.
If you are wading, consider using a spey or swtich rod even if you
normally fish a single handed rod. The flows are in the upper
600's and are normally in the mid 400's to give you a baseline on what
to expect. The most recent freshet of rain seems to have brought
in a good number of fish so this upcoming week should be worth a trip.
10/3/2011 - We've experienced good conditions and great fishing on the Klickitat over the past 5 days. The fish are in the system, and they are big and they are certainly strong. With Steelhead fishing, our victories feel remarkable, but we also learn to celebrate the defeats. Just having an opportunity to feel the strength of one of these magnificent fish on the end of your line leaves you weak-kneed and trembling! We've had the best success fishing indicators, but have picked up some fish on swung flies. Honestly, there is much more and better swinging water on the lower end of the river through the town of Klickitat. Try any articulated leech patterns in purple or black colors. There are also a good number of Chinook in the system and we have caught several and hooked several more in the past few days. We have hooked most of the Chinook on Stonefly nymphs under the bobber. A
Draggin' Fly,
Agent Orange, and a
Sep'tober Caddis. If you are heading down to swing flies, try
a
GP Spey or a
Hoh Bo Spey. Standard tactics.... cast, mend, and hope like
hell! Make sure to see our
Lodging and
Fishing packages if you are interested in doing this trip.
Yakima River Report
10/3/2011
Anglers:
Frank, Julie, and Mike C
Location: Ringer to Umtanum
Posted By:Steve J.
R.
Time:
10:00 am - 5 pm
Flies:
WD-40's, Anato May, Pyscho Mayfly Nymph, BWO Bubbleback Emerger, Jimmy
Leg's #10, Crane Fly #10, Kingrey October Caddis, Red Winged Thing,
Purple Chubby Chernobyl
Results:
12+ Trout landed including some very nice fish!
Hunger
Level: 9 out of 10
Today was certainly one of those days that the Yakima can give us glimpses of in the Fall season - great nymphing in the AM with small flies and a shallow indicator. The dry fly fishing picked up in the afternoons as well. We're seeing BWO's and October Caddis on a daily basis now. There are definitely more October Caddis activity on the Upper portions of the River. Don't get "land locked" in your fishing efforts. The fsh have moved off of those grassy banks and are concentrated around the structure and drop offs. Fluorocarbon tippet is a must for Fall nymphing, as the clarity becomes an issue. Give us a call and we'll be happy to help plan floats and flies.
Klickitat River
Report
9/27/2011 - Good
fishing yesterday after a rough one on Sunday. Some heavy rain in
the high country put the river into a fairly ugly state, but it
recovered nicely and we put up a good day yesterday. Nothing on
the swing, but we hooked several fish per boat using a nymph and a
strike indicator. Most of the fish were wild, bright, and HOT!
It appears that the recent rains invited a fresh batch of fish upriver.
The best fishing of the year is coming up this next month, so don't miss
an opportunity to land a steelhead on a fly! A
Draggin' Fly,
Agent Orange, and a
Sep'tober Caddis. If you are heading down to swing flies, try
a
GP Spey or a
Hoh Bo Spey. Standard tactics.... cast, mend, and hope like
hell! Make sure to see our
Lodging and
Fishing packages if you are interested in doing this trip.
Yakima River Report
9/28/2011
Anglers:
Jim, Dan, and Joe R.
Location: Irene Rhinehart Park to Ringer Road
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time:
12:30 am - 5 pm
Flies:
WD-40's, Anato May, Pysco Mayfly Nymph, BWO Bubbleback Emerger, Jimmy
Leg's #10, Crane Fly #10, Kingrey October Caddis, Red Winged Thing,
Purple Chubby Chernobyl
Results:
About 6 trout landed, tough fishing.
Hunger
Level: 3.5 out of 10
Yesterday reminded us how good we have had it the past few weeks!
It was one of the toughest days we have had this fall. There was a
nasty pressure change that moved in and the fish hunkered down.
There was a lot of wind. The cool cloudy weather is welcome, but
wind like that in the fall is usually accompanied by a pressure change
that the fish don't like (according to past experiences). The bugs
are still the same. There are lots of October Caddis, Stoneflies,
BWO's, and a variety of very small nymphs still seem to be the best.
We did get most of our fish on dry flies in the late afternoon and
hooked one fish that would have gone 17" plus before it shook.
Overall, the fishing wasn't bad but in contrast to the past several
weeks it was tough. It should be a little better today as things
seem to have stabilized.
9/27/2011
The fishing hasn't
changed much this past week, but today may be the turning point.
We have some cool cloudy weather upon us and that will probably shift
the bite from an evening event more towards mid day and encourage some
fresh hatches. Mayflies prefer to hatch in cool cloudy conditions
because the humidity and lack of sun helps prevent their wings from
sticking together as they hatch. Look for good numbers of Baetis (BWO's
are the same thing) this upcoming week and us a #18 Split Wing BWO if
you see a fish feed on the surface. If it does not eat the Split
Wing, us a cripple or a
Quigley's Loop Wing Dun or similar. The Quigley's is our favorite,
but we usually search with a split wing because it is super buoyant.
Continue to use an
October Caddis Pupae as your primary fly and drop the Baetis nymphs
underneath the Pupae. In the evenings, twitch, skate, skitter,
chug, wiggle, scoot, and shimmy and
October Caddis Dry Fly across the surface.
9/21/2011
Silly numbers of fish while nymphing #20 Baetis nymphs in the LC today.
Very good fishing up until about 2 pm, then the bite got soft once the
thermometer topped about 85 degrees. Picked back up on dry flies
in the evening though. A #10 Crane Fly (we have lots at the shop -
it is a "go to" bug). The Crane Fly was the best, but we
also turned fish twitching a #10 Tan Parahopper. The Baetis nymphs
we were using have a tungsten bead - more on this later, but it is a
huge advantage when working with little bugs. It seems to give the
fly control of the tippet rather than the tippet controlling the fly.
Hopefully that made sense. Ask for the T. Ready Baetis Nymph and
the Idylwilde Tungsten Baetis Nymph. The Psyco Mayfly Nymph Olive
#18 was also a killer. Sorry we don't have these online to see,
call to order or have the staff hook you up in-store. Thanks and fish
on! The wade fishing is prime right now in the Yakima Canyon.
Use 6X Fluorocarbon with your #20's.
9/19/2011
Anglers:
Larry, Steve, Sue, and Steve J.
Location: Lmuma to Marhe's and then... KOA to Irene
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time:
8:30 am - 5 pm
Flies:
WD-40's, Anato May, Pysco Mayfly Nymph, BWO Bubbleback Emerger, Jimmy
Leg's #10, Crane Fly #10, Kingrey October Caddis, Red Winged Thing,
Purple Chubby Chernobyl
Results:
10+ trout landed, great fishing. Nymphs in the morning..... dry
flies in the afternoon!
Hunger
Level: 7 out of 10
The fishing was quite good yesterday. Fish small nymphs in the
morning and be very aware of light takes and use soft hook sets.
The fish don't take a #18 nymph very aggressively (because they don't
move far to get it!), so be ready all the time and learn to set the hook
on even the slightest hesitation.
The dry fly fishing seems to be best in the late afternoon and don't be
afraid to twitch that fly a little bit. Both October Caddis and
Stoneflies move a lot on the water and giving your fly a bit of action
will usually do the trick. The water has bumped up a little bit
from some of the recent rainfall but that should only spur the bite as
it it typically encourages nymph movement and the fish will try to take
advantage.
9/13/2011
No surprises here, good fishing all the way around. The summer
stonefly hatch is NUTS, us a tan parachute hopper or a Hopperstone in
the low light and don't be afraid to twitch it a bit. The October
Caddis hatch is very evening oriented, but fishing the Pupae during the
day is productive along with very small mayfly nymphs in the whitewater.
There is a cooling trend predicted for this week and that should spark
some mid day activity which is very convenient for the angler! The
fishing won't change much over the next week or so. The water is
stable, clear, and the fish are enjoying the late summer bounty.
9/11/2011
Fish the whitewater mid day in the Lower Canyon if the dry fly fishing
is slow mid day - the water temps are in the mid 60's and the fish seem
to be heading into the heavy riffles for oxygen. Don't be afraid
to use a split shot as well to get down through the fast currents.
Anglers have been reporting good dry fly fishing in the mornings and
evenings today. In the Farmlands the October Caddis hatch is
rolling! Fish the Pupae mid day and in the afternoon, don't be
afraid to swing the
Pupae as well on a traditional tight line swing. Skate the dry
flies and twitch them aggressively!
9/10/2011
The Yakima is continuing to fish well right through the heat wave.
Fortunately by this late in the summer the sun angles are pretty low and
there is ample shade and not the same direct sunlight that the fish have
to deal with earlier in the summer. This helps the mid day fishing
and the fish seem to rely much more heavily on terrestrial insects and
dry flies this time of year. All guides are reporting great
fishing and the evening dry fly fishing has been VERY good.
Stoneflies in the #8/10 range that are very natural in shape and profile
seem to be the best. The
Hopperstone has been the hot fly these past few days.
This time of year the Yakima is perfect for wading and the water is warm
enough to wet wade in sandals or boots (boots are preferred). The
flows are less than half of what they were a few weeks ago and the fish
are pulling away from the banks and into more traditional mid river
runs. When the fish do this, they get more accessible by all
anglers (boats and pedestrians alike). When this happens, they are
much more selective as they are seeing a lot more flies placed directly
over there heads. Try lighter tippets, even 5X to a hopper, and
longer leaders like 9'. This helps the presentation a great deal.
Focus on getting longer drifts and those that fish their hopper with the
grace of a Mayfly.... do very well. All terrestrials are producing
right now, and we have a killer Crane Fly in the shop that claimed at
least 3 big fish today that we know of so far. If you are
considering a DIY trip on foot or in your pontoon boat the next week to
2 weeks looks good. The fishing will be steady all through the
fall especially when the nights get cold and the days are warm because
it will isolate the fishes feeding activity to the middle of the
afternoon, making it convenient for the angler.
If you are not generating success on dry flies (we encourage you to
stick with them and don't give up), then try very small nymphs on 6X
fluorocarbon. The fish will be looking for very small bugs in
large quantities as the fall mayfly hatches get ready to mature.
The BWO in a #20 is our most prolific fall hatch. Be ready with
little tiny olive colored WD-40's nymphs. Every year they seem to
produce the best results
The October Caddis hatch is getting close but isn't quite hear yet.
When it starts happening we'll post some videos and suggested patterns.
Enjoy the last week or two of hopper season while it lasts!
Results:
10+ trout landed, mostly small fish, overall pretty slow fishing, BUT we
did land a fish that pushed 20" on a 3 weight and a hopper!
Hunger
Level: 4 out of 10
An interesting day...for weeks the fishing mid day on Hoppers has been
strong, very strong. Yesterday the fishing seemed like it should
have been rockin' mid day but we were scratching our heads! A
stable environment, dropping water, lots of bugs, shorter days, etc.
All this typically fuels the late summer/early fall dry fly fishery on
the Yakima but the trout were off slightly. We had our best
success on a
King Prince #12 dropper about 16" under a dry fly.
We hooked one fish that must have been over 20" on a nymph and a couple
of other nice ones. The fishing was pretty good, but our
expectations this time of year might be too high. (September is
very good!) As it turns out, the fishing went on FIRE at about
4:30 - 5 pm for the other guides that were running evening floats.
The mornings have been great over the past several weeks, but it looks
like the cool nighttime temps (frost in Ellensburg last night!) has
thwarted the morning bite and the fish are feeding heavily in the late
afternoon and evening. That can change at a moment's notice, you
never know!
9/1/2011
Perfect conditions for good dry fly fishing, we have a small amount of
space left on Saturday mid day if anyone wants to fish! The
Klickitat has great clarity this morning and should be in good shape the
next couple days. Keep in mind the Ellensburg Rodeo is this
weekend and it is a fun time to combine some fly fishing with a visit to
the Rodeo.
8/31/2011
Quick note, good fishing on hoppers much of the day. The Yakima
River is on the drop and fishing well. In a few short weeks it
will be very wader friendly and quite low. "flip flop" is what we call
the change of the Yakima River going from very high flows during the
summer, to very low more traditional fall flows. It becomes much
easier to convince a trout to come out from under the grass or sticks to
eat your fly when the water is lower and slower. This trend marks
the beginning of the most consistent (and best) dry fly fishing of the
season.
8/26/2011
Good hopper fishing today as long as the fly was "tight to the salad"!
The Yakima River is fishing great, the morning is quite good prior to 9
am. Please come out to the Cast 'n Blast Shootout tomorrow.
In addition to all the wingshooting seminars, there will be lots of fly
casting events and clinics as well. Dave's Hopper won the
shootout, Solitude Foam Hopper Next, the only regret is not entering the
Brown Leopard Hopper into the competition but hey, there were only 2
anglers!
8/25/2011
Anglers:
Guy, Dick, and Joe R.
Location: South Cle Elum to Thorp Bridge
Klickitat Report: Dirty most of the day. A clearing trend in the
evening through morning is fishable but for the next couple of days it
is less than ideal. At least through Sunday.
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time:
8:30 am - 5 pm
Flies:
Dave's Hopper,
Brown Leopard Hopper (best fly), Morrish Foam Hopper,
Tupac Stone Black (second best), Pat's Stone #10 (various colors -
not very productive yesterday), Black Double Post Chernobyl Ant #10,
Purple Chubby Chernobyl #8 (carries a dropper nymph very well)
We decided to head upriver yesterday and had a great float. The
water above the town of Ellensburg on the Yakima River is much cleaner
and it adds a lot of aesthetic beauty to the float, after all you tend
to spend most of your day staring at the water anyway!
The fishing was pretty slow overall. We landed 2 nice Cutts that
were 14-15" and rose another 10 nice trout but we mostly caught small
trout 6-9". Watching them rise for a dry fly in clear water is
awfully fun though! We enjoyed the heck out of that. For
larger fish the Lower Canyon seems to be producing the best numbers of
mature Rainbows but that isn't the most important part of fly fishing.
The upper river is clear, pretty, fast, and doesn't have half the number
of inner tubers so it is a toss up on which way to go.
Our biggest tips from yesterday were learning how to keep your rod tip
up high during the casting stroke in order to develop extremely tight or
even tailing loops for putting the fly under trees. When the river
is at 4,000 cfs, many of the best fish are underneath heavy cover.
A good "tip cast" where the rod tip stays on a high level plane is the
best method for slipping the fly in deep under the trees. You shouldn't
sidearm as that is very inaccurate. Keep your tip high and make a
short little forward stroke. The fly will shoot it right along the
waters surface for up to 20' of the cast and if you do it right... it
even skips along the water as it shoots towards the bank. We
worked a lot on casting form and there was no coincidence that the best
casts consistently brought up the best fish. If you don't set some
time aside to think about your fly cast and improve it, your cast won't
improve very much. Next time you are on the water and the fishing
is slow. Take some time to experiment with your casting stroke and
see what you can do to tighten your casting loops and improve your
accuracy and efficiency.
8/24/2011
Anglers:
Bryan, Tom, and Joe R.
Location: Klickitat River Day 1, Lower Yakima Canyon Day 2
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time:
All day on the Klickitat, just the afternoon on the Yakima
Flies:
Jimmy Legs #6 (best fly on Klickitat), Egg Patterns, and various
spey flies. On the Yakima, Hoppers against the bank is all you
need!
Results:
The Klickitat fished quite well on Monday, but got pretty dirty and
fished tough on Tuesday. There are plenty of fish in the river!
Hunger
Level: 6.5 out of 10
We mixed some trout and some steelheading the last couple of days.
The fishing was pretty good on Monday and the water was in decent shape,
about 18" of visibility. We caught fish in the traditional spots
on Stonefly nymphs and briefly hooked one fish on spey swing.
There is only about a week left for those of you that want to steelhead
fish in your shorts!
On the Yakima, hoppers against the bank for the experienced anglers is
all you need. For the rookies, nymphs are more productive but if you are
willing to stick with dry fly fishing and improve your cast throughout
the day you will find success. It is fishing great right now
throughout the entire system. Lots of hoppers and terrestrials
along the shore.
8/21/2011
Anglers:
Bill, Doug, and Joe R.
Location: Naches River Day 1, Lower Yakima Canyon Day 2 (early morning
float)
Results:
Great fishing on both rivers, this has been a great stretch of dry fly
fishing and should continue to get better and better.
Hunger
Level: 7.5 out of 10
We had another group come out for a "2 Rivers, 2 Days" trip and it was
great. We fished the Naches on Day 1 and caught a handful of
scrappy Cutts on dry flies and had a great time. If you are
considering trying to squeeze in a Naches River float trip this year, do
it in the next 10 days or so because the river is getting pretty low.
If you are interested in doing a wading trip with us and learning the
river, we can do that anytime and our staff is happy to show you the
ropes. On the Naches, the fishing was by far the best during the
heat of the day! Strange eh? The trout on the Naches seem to like
feeding during the hottest part of the day which is likely due in part
to the fact that they prey heavily on terrestrial insects which happen
to be dormant in the mornings and evenings, and have peak activity
during the middle of the day. Fish the mid-river seams and current
lines and use small terrestrials.
On the Yakima. The early morning fishing picked up strong
yesterday. There were a few slow days in there last week but the
fishing was great yesterday. We fished "pre rubber hatch" to keep
the aesthetics high for a Saturday. The tips we learned yesterday
were valuable. Our best success was in the direct sunlight using
smaller sized hoppers (Brown Leopard Hopper was best), and fishing them
in the sun was helpful so that the angler could effectively fish and see
their fly. It helps immensely in reading the currents and seeing
when there is a big fish following it downstream!
The Trend... we have seen this year after year. There
is a certain trend this time of year where the hatches get very light
(Caddis are weak, Stone nymphs are sparse, and there are few Mayflies).
It happens every summer. At this point, the trout have a difficult
time finding enough aquatics to fuel their growing appetite and high
summer time metabolism. At this point, they move in VERY tight to
the bank and start becoming very resourceful in their search for
terrestrial insects. In the past week, the hopper fishing has gone
bananas and the fish have started to move into the shallow water under
the grass (whereas last week a substantial portion of the fish were out
in the heavy "nymphing seams". This change in behavior of the
trout and bugs fuels our summer dry fly fishing. The trout are on
the hunt for terrestrials. The next week should be very good AND
we start seeing the fish eat dry flies sporadically all day long rather
than simply responding to the late night hatches (which are getting
lighter by the day). This trend gives the angler far more
opportunity to fish dry flies during the day. It does present its
own set of challenges. Getting close to the bank and under the
brush and grass is a challenge. The wise angler practices casting
in their backyard and learns to throw short quick casts that smack the
water pretty hard. This helps shoot the fly up against the bank
very closely without loosing very many flies... in theory.
"The Pulse of
the River - Update August, 2011"
The fishing lately has been everything we hoped it would be after a
monumentally large and long spring runoff. The trout are abundant,
healthy, and as long as everyone handles them quickly and gently - we'll
have an amazing fall and future on all of our rivers, especially the
Yakima and namely the Canyon. The trout population is finally
climbing back up towards the level we saw it at in the 2001-2004 time
frame. It is great news and very exciting. We want to keep
this trend going. Other than severe draught, which won't happen for at
least a couple of years based on the current reservoir levels, the most
major threat to the trout is the over zealous angler. An
interesting thought to keep in mind is that every trout you catch and
handle is shared equally by everyone that fishes out here.
Although the game rules are easy to understand (let the fish go), Catch
and Release is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. It is
much more complicated than that. It represents a whole different level
of respect for the individual trout, and for your fellow anglers that
might catch that fish next. We should all do everything in our
power to keep this fishery strong and growing. If we could
eliminate all C&R based mortality it would add a noticeable number of
fish to your creel count. Make sure to pinch your barbs down as
flat as possible, fish a single fly setup (to prevent foul hooking and
dropper tangles when the fish is in the net), keep the fish in the
water, take immense pride in a clean quick release, and rather
than hoisting a fish into the air for a picture - take a picture of an
action scene, a sunset, or a unique moment instead.
Over the past 3 years
our personal fish handling practices have changed pretty dramatically.
Each day, our guide staff is individually doing their part to protect
this resource by rarely removing a trout from the river, we take very
few photos of fish (although we catch A LOT), and we take extreme care
in handling all fish with the utmost haste. We get excited just like
anyone and we tend to get caught up in the moment so this took a little
adjustment, but now when we net a fish our primary goal is getting that
trout back in the water fast. We want a healthy population of
trout so we have become very conscientious about each fish that gets
hooked. We save fish pics for the right trout, situation,
and moment. At Red's, we care a lot about these special fisheries.
Heck, we live and work right on the river. If there is one thing
we can all do as an angling society geared toward conservation that is
free, feasible, and has immediate results. It is to handle every
fish in a way that you would like to see the other anglers handle "your"
fish. You have a vested interest in the health of ever fish on the
river. You own a little piece of every one of them. In fact,
as you sit at your computer in the office reading this someone is
reeling in YOUR trout! You better get out here and get a move on
and stop him. Seriously though, trout in a C&R environment are a
unique resource in the sense that all anglers fish to the same group of
trout year after year. These fish do get caught frequently during
the summer and since it takes 6-7 years for a Yakima River Rainbow to
gain trophy status - that is a lot of time invested to bring that fish
up to size. 6-7 years can go down the drain in a hurry in a matter
of 1 minute or so if someone gets sloppy. We have a good trend
going on the Yakima River right now, let's be easy on the trout and see
just how good this river can be in another year or two! It is very
exciting to see the fishery improve the way it has. We appreciate
everyone out there that has already adopted this mind-set and we'll keep
doing our part to handle "your" fish with as much care and respect as we
possibly can. We want them big, strong, healthy, and hungry when
you get back out here next time!
Share the Trout,
Red's
8/19/2011
We pretty much had
the whole south central Washington area covered yesterday. We had
guides on the upper Yakima, Lower Yakima Canyon, upriver on the Naches,
down river on the Naches, and on the Klickitat River. It was hard
to tell who had the best fishing! Great reports all the way
around. The Klickitat was solid, the anglers fished nymphs and had
their best success by far on an
Olive Pat's Stonefly #4.
Fishing Strategy
for the Yakima River: Stoneflies in the early morning (Gypsy
King, Chubby, Plan B, Hopperstone), then switch to a true Hopper Pattern
mid morning, mid day go Hopper Dropper or Stonefly Nymph, then in the
late afternoon go back to a Stonefly. At 6:30 pm go for a Caddis
trailer behind a big dry or a 2 Caddis setup (Elk Hair Caddis in front,
CDC Emerger behind). Use this strategy and you will know you have
the gamelan correct. If you aren't finding success then simply
work on execution. If you would like to see pictures of these
flies, go to
www.redsflyfishing.com and type the name into the search box and hit
"go". You'll find them. It is helpful if you a fly tyer or
want to index your own fly box for something similar.
"The Pulse of
the River - Update August, 2011"
The fishing lately has been everything we hoped it would be after a
monumentally large and long spring runoff. The trout are abundant,
healthy, and as long as everyone handles them quickly and gently - we'll
have an amazing fall and future on all of our rivers, especially the
Yakima and namely the Canyon. The trout population is finally
climbing back up towards the level we saw it at in the 2001-2004 time
frame. It is great news and very exciting. We want to keep
this trend going. Other than severe draught, which won't happen for at
least a couple of years based on the current reservoir levels, the most
major threat to the trout is the over zealous angler. An
interesting thought to keep in mind is that every trout you catch and
handle is shared equally by everyone that fishes out here.
Although the game rules are easy to understand (let the fish go), Catch
and Release is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. It is
much more complicated than that. It represents a whole different level
of respect for the individual trout, and for your fellow anglers that
might catch that fish next. We should all do everything in our
power to keep this fishery strong and growing. If we could
eliminate all C&R based mortality it would add a noticeable number of
fish to your creel count. Make sure to pinch your barbs down as
flat as possible, fish a single fly setup (to prevent foul hooking and
dropper tangles when the fish is in the net), keep the fish in the
water, take immense pride in a clean quick release, and rather
than hoisting a fish into the air for a picture - take a picture of an
action scene, a sunset, or a unique moment instead.
Over the past 3 years
our personal fish handling practices have changed pretty dramatically.
Each day, our guide staff is individually doing their part to protect
this resource by rarely removing a trout from the river, we take very
few photos of fish (although we catch A LOT), and we take extreme care
in handling all fish with the utmost haste. We get excited just like
anyone and we tend to get caught up in the moment so this took a little
adjustment, but now when we net a fish our primary goal is getting that
trout back in the water fast. We want a healthy population of
trout so we have become very conscientious about each fish that gets
hooked. We save fish pics for the right trout, situation,
and moment. At Red's, we care a lot about these special fisheries.
Heck, we live and work right on the river. If there is one thing
we can all do as an angling society geared toward conservation that is
free, feasible, and has immediate results. It is to handle every
fish in a way that you would like to see the other anglers handle "your"
fish. You have a vested interest in the health of ever fish on the
river. You own a little piece of every one of them. In fact,
as you sit at your computer in the office reading this someone is
reeling in YOUR trout! You better get out here and get a move on
and stop him. Seriously though, trout in a C&R environment are a
unique resource in the sense that all anglers fish to the same group of
trout year after year. These fish do get caught frequently during
the summer and since it takes 6-7 years for a Yakima River Rainbow to
gain trophy status - that is a lot of time invested to bring that fish
up to size. 6-7 years can go down the drain in a hurry in a matter
of 1 minute or so if someone gets sloppy. We have a good trend
going on the Yakima River right now, let's be easy on the trout and see
just how good this river can be in another year or two! It is very
exciting to see the fishery improve the way it has. We appreciate
everyone out there that has already adopted this mind-set and we'll keep
doing our part to handle "your" fish with as much care and respect as we
possibly can. We want them big, strong, healthy, and hungry when
you get back out here next time!
Share the Trout,
Red's
8/15/2011
Anglers: Bo and Richie
Results: Good fishing! 80+ degrees and steelhead... anyone
interested? 509.933.2300
The Klickitat has been a little spotty, but a surge of fish has moved in
and the bite finally picked up. The flows are a bit higher than
normal so work the inside seam lines and don't be afraid to fish the
heavy water. It seems as thought the fish are craving the
oxygen. The afternoon was the best fishing and the preferred fly
was a black Stonefly. Swing flies early, late, and in the shadows
but try a nymph in the heat of the day.
8/14/2011 - late pm
Anglers:
Paul, Paul, John, Jon, Mark, Troy, Shan, Bo, and Joe
Results:
10+ trout landed, average fishing in the Farmlands mid-day, GREAT dry
fly fishing in the evening in the Canyon.
Hunger
Level: 4 out of 10 from 10 am - 6 pm, 9 out of 10 from 6 pm - 9 pm
What a great week. We did an "immersion" getaway for a group that
covered 2 rivers and 3 days of guided fly fishing and it was superb.
It was a lot of fishing! We started with an evening float on
Thursday night after they got into the lodge and fished till dark
landing a handful of heavy trout and dozens of small fish. The
evening fishing on the Thursday was probably the best fishing with "big"
(#10-6) dry flies of the week. The next 2 nights the bit was
reported being much more Caddis oriented with unlimited numbers of fish
rising during the last hour. It is very wise to get your Caddis
trailers (a small fly tied behind a larger fly - use the big fly for
visual reference in low light) tied on before the bite hits. Time
is of the essence in that last hour so efficiency is king. On
Friday, we took off for the Naches and had a really good day with hardly
a soul on the river. We topped it off by watching Troy L. attempt
to eat a 5 pound hamburger which was as entertaining as any fishing we
had done that day. Troy can put down some serious food after
guiding but he barely made it through half! Fishing wise, the
trout seemed to respond to a big dry fly just fine and a Red Chubby
Chernobyl was voted best fly at dinner that night. (a Red Winged
Thing or Chernobyl will suffice if you can't locate a Red Chubby).
On the Naches, use a #10 as a lot of the fish are pretty small and a #8
or #6 is overkill.
On the final day of this float we floated from some private access in
the upper Farmlands down past KOA, Irene, Ringer, and all the way to
Umtanum. A great float. It is fun wading side channels in
the Farmlands during the heat of the day and then topping it off with a
HUGE Caddis hatch and dry fly fishing till dark in the twilight of the
Canyon. This is a good program. It is possible to make it
through the Farmlands although we only recommend it to rowers that
consider themselves "expert". There are dozens of tight spots and
one spot that you have to shoot through a tiny gap over a submerged log.
Our boats with only one person in them made contact on the log so if the
flows get any lower it will be even more dicey than it is. But it
is possible, so if a day of Farmlands wading and an evening dry fly run
down into the Canyon at dusk sounds like a good time then hire one of
our guides to take you through there. It is a great adventure AND
we didn't see a single person all day on Saturday doing this float!
Tips for the Farmlands: try to break the river up into small
pieces and fish water where you can identify the bottom. A lot of
the water in the Farmlands is extremely fast and deep - too much so for
a good presentation with a fly so choose your battles wisely and fish
the water that makes the most sense. Visible color changes are
like the cookie jar in there right now.
8/11/2011 - after
morning fishing from 5 am - 10 am
A bit slow this morning and after a great day yesterday we were a bit
surprised. Fish liked the hopper after the sun was on the water
and we had equal success on dry flies and nymphs. The water is up
a bit but that typically doesn't affect their hunger this time of year
so we attributed to slow down to a colder night and water temperatures
that dipped down to 54 degrees! That is cold. The afternoon
and evening should fish well today but it isn't worth getting out there
at 5 am unless you are are doing it for the solitude (which might be
worth it!). We didn't see another angler yesterday morning or this
morning in the Canyon.
Results:
10+ trout landed, pretty good dry fly fishing.
Hunger
Level: 6 out of 10
We put on at daylight yesterday morning and had a trout landed before we
left the boat launch. In fact, we had to wait for it to get light enough
to cast! We did well using most dry flies but found that as the
light began to creep over the ridge the fly made a big difference. Prior
to the sun's arrival, we skittered and twitched the big flies with great
success. Once light was on the water, the Chubby and Winged Thing action
died up fast and the fish that were coming to the fly were very hard to
hook. We switched up to a HopperStone and did much better even on
the sunny banks. Once the sun became more direct, we switched
up to a Solitude Hopper and it quickly became our best fly yielding
several very large fish! It is hard to see it in the shade and low
light because it sits very low on the water, but since it still manages
to fish well in the sunlight don't worry too much about the shade and
just fish it where you can see it. It is a heck of a bug!
Results:
10+ trout landed, GREAT evening dry fly fishing!
Hunger
Level: 7 out of 10
Nice float today, it is always fun to float the Farmlands down into the
Canyon. We did some wade fishing in a few of the many side
channels in the Farmlands area and then rallied downstream into the
Canyon fishing dry flies during the twilight hours. Good fishing
in the Farmlands mostly on nymphs, but this was likely just a reflection
of the time of day since were were in that area during the afternoon
hours. Troy guided using a dry fly/dropper nymph combo and had a
few fish take the dry fly in the Farmlands but the dry fly fishing
didn't bust loose till we hit the Canyon for the evening. There is
still a tight log jam mid way down the Irene to Ringer section.
Strong rowers can baaarrely get around the left side of it after ducking
around a downed tree. You can float over the submerged log if you are
brave. Just do it with an empty or light boat.
The evening dry fly fishing in the Canyon was absolutely awesome.
The best big dry fly seemed to be a Peach Gypsy King - we fished several
patterns similar but the most takes was on this bug. The fish are
starting to take pretty light so if you are missing a lot of bites, make
sure to get your line mended so that the back end of the bug is going
downstream first. This does two things to help your hookup ratio:
1) It allows the fish to eat your fly without the tippet impeding the
approach, especially if you are using stiff tippet like 2X or 3X.
2) It gets the micro-drag off the fly so that the fly will actually
float into the trout's mouth instead of pushing around it on light
tension. The trout isn't anticipating tension on the line, so when
it eats it isn't "leading" the fly. Other tips to convert more
strikes to hookups: anticipate the strike (be hyperfocused during
the best parts of your drift and EXPECT a bite - don't let it surprise
you, set the hook like you cast (accelerate back so the slack comes out
evenly), orient your rod towards your fly during the drift so the line
pulls to center between the rod tip and the trout, fish more, or drink
Red Bull.
The Naches River is dropping into prime wade fishing shape. Small
black terrestrials have been the hot ticket on the Little Naches and
Naches River systems. Don't forget about the Teanaway if you like
to wade fish. The Yakima River flows are up, YES!, and the fish
are spreading out into better dry fly water instead of holding the big
seam lines and pools. Try fishing the weak banks and even the
shallowest of water. The Klickitat River has good clarity right
now, but spotty fishing so stick with trout for the time being.
8/6/2011
It's on, all the way around fishing is very good. The Yakima River
Canyon is putting out some very nice trout (handle with care!), the
Farmlands is an option for courageous rowers. The water has the
log pile baaarrrrrely passable. Be careful in there. The
Stoneflies are strong in the later afternoon, very early morning, and
the evening of course. The evenings have been slightly stronger
than the mornings but the tradeoff is a very quiet river for the first 5
hours or light. The Naches is continuing to make fly fishing
dreams come true on a daily basis and keep an eye out for the upcoming
classes.
As we like to say, "if you are tired of the same old bread and butter,
learn something new!" Take a look at the schedule and see if you can
find an interesting class or destination that tickles your fancy. Below
you will find a great link to some fly fishing classes. Look for
the Spey stuff upcoming this early fall to get prepped for Steelhead
season.
The Yakima River is back up closer to historical summer flows and has
spread the fish out a bit making the "soft banks" fishy. We are
glad to have the water up, especially in the Canyon.
Fly Selection
Strategy:
5-10 am - Stonefly dry flies
10 am - 1 pm - Hopper dropper
1 pm - 4 pm - Thingamabobber w/ a Stone/dropper combo
4 pm - 9 pm - Stonefly dry w/ a Caddis trailer if they are feeding on
the surface
Results:
10+ trout landed, mostly small fish, 3 very nice fish.
Hunger
Level: 6 out of 10
We decided to mix it up and take a raft from KOA to Ringer and check out
the obstacles that have plagued that stretch for most of the spring and
summer. The first one is at the diversion weir below KOA.
There is a stubborn root ball/tree that just will not move! It has been
planted there for months even hanging on through 10,000 cfs. It
hasn't budged and has made it impossible to get through the main
channel. You can float over the jagged boulders but it would be
pretty sketchy in a fiberglass boat. We made significant contact
with a raft. A couple of years ago somebody hung up a boat
in those rocks pretty severely.
The next blockage, was down at what was historically called the "tree
farm". Earlier this year it was completely impassible. In
the late 90's the river was completely blocked for several years
requiring a portage through a side channel that was painstaking in low
water. Since that that time, the main channel of the river has
lost a significant portion of water to a couple of side channels.
By dewatering the main channel and making it smaller, the river lacks
the ability to push the obstacles free in high water events. The
result is that the "tree farm" is getting choked up pretty bad.
You can make it through by splitting the gap between two down trees, and
then sliding over a tree that is downed perpendicular to the current.
All the while in very fast and deep water so there is no chance of
getting out and pushing the boat over. We were able to float over
the downed log with some contact in a raft, but it is not recommended
for drift boats right now. At the moment, you could float over in
a drift boat (as long as it wasn't loaded heavily), but if that log
shifts a bit or twists and comes up even a few inches it will be right
back up blocking the entire channel with no way to stop. If you
have a pontoon boat and are and advanced rower and don't mind a portage,
this stretch would be a great choice! Lots of gravel bars and side
channels to explore.
The fishing in the Farmlands was good, but not nearly what the Lower
Canyon has been. We have been catching big Rainbows in the Lower
Canyon this past week and the Summer Stonefly hatch is at its absolute
peak. There are monster bugs everywhere and the trout are on the
hunt for big leggy stuff. The Stonefly hatch hasn't hit the
Farmlands with the intensity that it has the Lower Canyon. The
river flows are going to be coming up every day, but the fish want the
water and we expect it to help fishing. This will allow the fish
to spread out into the shallow water and disperse them. It helps
the dry fly fishing a great deal. Yesterday in the Farmlands,
there wasn't the number of bugs that the Canyon has... yet. Later
on perhaps. We had 2 guides on the Naches yesterday, both with
great dry fly fishing reports. The Klickitat report from yesterday
was dirty water, grey glacial runoff and still pretty high. It
will be fishing well soon, if you schedule a trip with us we will be
very flexible based on conditions. Enjoy your summer and don't
forget to mend!
Share the Trout,
Red's
7/29/2011 late pm
Lot of activity right
now. The Klickitat River is starting to fish well, one of our guides
hooked 2 on a spey swing a few days ago including a fish that came up for a
swung fly behind a dry line! For those of us that don't speak "spey",
the significance of hooking fish while swinging a dry line means very aggressive Steelhead! Consider a night in our August
summer camp down there for Steelhead in a couple weeks. It is a great
trip and we fish very long days in this camp. If you have never caught
a steelhead, don't be intimidated. The guides are great teachers and
since the weather is nice you don't have to worry about freezing your toes!
The Naches River is in
absolute prime for float fishing right now. We have been having good
fishing for mainly Cutthroat and some Rainbows. We have enjoyed the
serenity of being the only boats and practically the only anglers around
anywhere down there! If you like few anglers and a mix of float
fishing and wading then this trip is definitely for you. Here are a
few new pics to check out,
http://www.flickr.com//photos/28271646@N05/sets/72157612449846465/show/
The Summer Stoneflies on
the Yakima River are rockin'. This is some of the best fishing of the
year. Nothing profound to report except that you just need to make
some time to go fishing. For adivce on flies, check the past few
reports,
check this video out,
or grab a couple of these flies for success:
Solitude's Hoppper Stone - Tan OR,
Solitude's Foam Hopper. Both are great choices and
during the heat of the day simply fish them tight to the grassy banks or dry
a hopper dropper combo. To learn how to rig up a dry dropper and get
some tips and advice, see this video:
http://youtu.be/VyZvx4ywc3I
7/25/2011 late pm
Great day for big fish
during and after the monsoon today, the river shot up several hundred cfs
and the big fish responded in force. It absolutely poured rain on us
during a lightning storm today. It was worth it. :) It wasn't a
numbers day today, but several anglers either hooked or landed the biggest
trout of their lives! Dry fly fishing was slow in the rising water,
but the trout were looking for the nymph and taking it with a vengeance!
Hopefully the water will stay up and keep these big fish on the move.
A
Jimmy Legs stonefly nymph and a
Kingrey Ice Nymph seemed to be the popular flies today amongst the guide
staff. The dry fly fishing at dusk should be VERY good. LOTS of
summer stoneflies hatching right now.
7/24/2011
The Naches River is in
prime float season right now and the next several weeks are the time to get
in a raft and experience this special float. The Naches does not have
the density of fish per mile that the Yakima does, so a float trip that
covers a lot of water proves itself to be an advantage. We have had
great success on small black terrestrials like a
Black Tupac Stone. We did catch some fish on nymphs, but the mainstay is
always the dry fly fishing on the Naches. That is why we go there!
The Yakima continues to remain status quo, great fishing - nothing new to
report, fish hopper/droppers during the heat of the day. Caddis in the
evening. We are expecting more water down the Yakima River anytime.
Some more water will do us wonders. The fish are still holding on the
bigger banks and in the main seam lines. We are not seeing big fish in
the extremely shallow water. Pull your flies away from the bank and
search for meandering bubble lines. Look for PMDs and other yellow
mayflies mid day (gold lightning bug works great for this) during the mid
day hours. You will see Caddis mid day but since the primary emergence is in
the evening time the Mayfly patterns will prove themselves more productive
mid day, then in the evening focus on Caddis.
7/21/2011
The Weather and fishing are
aligning to be the "perfect storm" this weekend. Hot weather
will spur the stonefly hatch and the bite even more! It has been very
good fishing all the way around both upriver and down. We have been a
little too spread out to pick out one "powerhour style" audit of our day but
here are some tips. Hoppers are starting to happen, and since they are
most active mid day you can raise some fish in the midafternoon by using
flies that specifically imitate hoppers. Summer Stoneflies are
nocturnal, so use a pattern like a Chubby Chernobyl, Gypsy King, or a Winged
Thing in the evening. See the left margin of this page for a couple of ideas
on new bugs that the trout seem to like... a lot. There hasn't been a
time of day that has been better than another. Evenings are great,
mornings are good, mid day is best for getting a tan. It's all good.
BTW - The Naches is rockin' - come
on down for a great scenic whitewater float and good dry fly fishing.
7/19/2011
The
fishing is very good right now, the cloudy weather has been keeping the
trout biting during the daylight hours. The next 2 days will be
cool, cloudy, and windy (which is often VERY fish!), but after that - it
looks like we are in for a good spell of hot weather. This will
spur the slowly developing Summer Stonefly hatch. The Kittitas
County creeks are fishing great. The Teanaway has been productive
and we have caught some very nice trout in there. The Naches River
is still very high for wading but the float trips are very fun in the
big water! Try to take advantage of the fishy conditions, see you
on the river, Red's.
The
fishing was a bit better last night, still just "good" not great. The
summer stonefly hatch is in a slowly developing stage right now.
We need some HEAT to trigger this. 80 degrees is nice, but the
bugs and fish willl really go off when we get a week in the 90 degree
range. Especially the summer stones, they like the hot weather.
In the evening time you can do very well just working very slowly and
using a Caddis and casting it at rising fish. Just make sure if
you are wade fishing that you are in a good area right at dark.
When it gets just a bit too dark to see your fly.... the bite is on!
7/13/2011
A large
group of us fished till dark last night, overall.... just average
fishing. Not bad, but not great either. One boat fished dry
flies or dry droppers all day and landed 7 fish with a couple in the 16"
plus range so not too shabby. The fish seem to have gotten pretty
picky as the water has become low and very clear. That is ok with
us, it just makes it that much more of a challenge! After an early
summer plagued with big runoff it is nice to have some low and clear
river flows. Our advice is to go slow and work the water in detail
with smaller flies and don't ignore the PMD hatch. That was one of
the best opportunities for good dry fly fishing yesterday and we wished
we had switched off hoppers and spent more time looking for fish feeding
on PMD's because there were enough to keep us busy. The river
could not be more fishable or wadable. Stay away from the
Farmlands if you are boating right now because both the KOA - Irene
section and the Irene to Ringer section have blockages. The one
from Irene to Ringer is severe and impassible.
7/12/2011
The
fishing continues to be very good throughout the system. The Lower
Canyon is running very clear and unseasonably low. It seems as
though the high flows on the Naches River system, which is a tributary
to the Yakima, is meeting the irrigation demands of the lower valley.
As the Naches flow subsides we expect the Yakima flows to pick back up
but it won't hurt anything. In fact, by the time it comes back up
the fish will want the cool water so it should work out pretty well.
Start using Hopper patterns during the day and Stonefly patterns like a
Chubby Chernobyl or
a
Winged Thing in the evening time. You can catch fish on a variety of
small nymphs, but we seem to have had the best success on a
Silver Lightning Bug.
Hunger
Level: 7 out of 10, good dry fly fishing in the morning and then we did
well on a dry dropper/hopper setup mid morning.
Completed the back end of a
Twilight Highlight program yesterday morning
and caught our first couple of fish this summer so far on grasshopper.
The hopper fishing will gain momentum in the next month as the Caddis and
Mayfly hatches subside and the trout start to look for other treats to fill
their bellies. The fish are holding in the traditional rocky areas and have
not yet spread out into the shallow water. Fish your dry flies in the
same seam lines that you would fish your nymphs.
Hunger
Level: 6 out of 10, from 4-8 pm, 9 out of 10 from 8-9:30 pm
Midstride through a
Twilight Highlight program, the fishing was
so good late last night that a short post was required. We are hitting
it early this morning (5 am) as well. Great dry fly fishing in the
evenings right now. There were a few dead times but overall -
incredible fishing. If you plan to focus on Caddis, just go slow and
work on individual fish and anchor the boat up a lot during the last hour of
daylight. For wade fisherman, if you are in a spot that you can't move
much then work the Caddis hatch. If you can move around a lot then try
using the big dry fly/Caddis trailer system. Great fishing right now.
Hopefully it will hold out through the weekend!
Share the Trout,
Red's
7/6/2011
Fishing
and conditions can't get any better. It is good enough that we
actually closed the shop for a few hours yesterday and took our entire
shop and lodge staff out for a short trip from MM20 to Red's and had a
great time. We put both the boys and girls onto some nice trout.
The guides even cooked a steak lunch on the river as a way of saying
"thanks" - working that fly shop is harder than it appears!
Hundreds of phone calls, special requests from customers, and great
fishing advice takes a lot of energy. They do it with a lot of
heart and a true passion for helping people. They are always
friendly, organized, and will do what it takes to make things happen for
the customer. Whether it is learning a new knot, a hot fly, doing
a river rafting trip, or scheduling a unique fishing itinerary - our
staff wants to make your time spent on any water the best it can
possibly be.
We are
grateful to have accumulated the staff that we have right now and
appreciate them so much. We also took this opportunity to announce
to our staff that Mike Canady whom is in his 6th season with Red's and
has demonstrated extraordinary work ethic, leadership, and a team
oriented attitude is joining the ownership front at Red's. He was
recently made a working partner at Red's and the entire staff is very
proud to have him as one of our leaders and a top guide. This is
very exciting for everyone. Mike has worked almost every single
sportsman's show for us for the last 6 years, guided 180 days last year,
and has worked in every facet of the Red's business. Make sure to
say congrats to him next time you see him around!
The dry
fly fishing wasn't productive during the day but was awesome in the
evening - however during the day the nymph fishing was outright silly.
LOTS of fish, especially small ones, there are plenty of small guys with
some big ones mixed in. We hooked several in the 16" range that
were straight up ballistic! The best flies seem to be the
Kingrey Ice Nymph in any color,
Red Holo Prince #14/16,
Knotty Girl Stonefly Nymph (any color),
WMD Stonefly Nymph (black),
Prince of Darkness #16, in the evening time use a
Purple Chubby Chernobyl
or a
Brown or Tan Gypsy King.
These are the conditions we have been waiting for, let's go fishing.
Share
The Trout,
Red's Fly
Shop
7/2/2011 - late pm
Look at that, it is coming back
down fast! Great fishing today througout the system. In the
upper river between Cle Elum and Thorp the
Purple Chubby Chernobyl was the hot dry fly and the best dropper was the
Kingrey Ice Nymph in Gold (makes a GREAT PMD emerger and Yellow Sally
nymph). We fished our dropper pretty deep - about 24" down and there
was lots of fish. Good numbers of small fish with a few big boys mixed
in. The Lower Canyon below Red's seems to be producing the biggest
fish in the system right now so head downstream for the lunker Rainbows. If
you are even thinking about fishing over the next couple of days... do it.
Fish on, fish out, fish more! (one of our guide's favorite lines:)
7/1/2011
We don't
know what to think. The river jumped back up and the fishing got
better, for the guides anyway, we only talked to one other angler that
floated and they had tough fishing which is understandable in the big
flows and the big wind that accompanied it. Today is looking much
calmer it looks good through the weekend with highs over 80 degrees and
7 mph wind which isn't hardly considered a breeze in this part of the
country. Red's guide Troy L. and his guests from Tri- Cities
(thanks guys!) stopped back through the fly shop after fishing at about
5:30 and their report was a shocking number of fish hooked, especially
big fish, hooked throughout the day. The best fly was a a Red Holo
Prince #14 fished under an indicator with some split shot to help get it
down. They landed several fish at around 18". The
flows are now steady at 5400 cfs in the canyon which is about 20-25%
over normal but the water is nice and clear.
6/30/2011
The river
is back up, over the past 24 hours it has bumped back up again and
fishing will likely be tough for a few days as things settle in.
Look for the soft spots and pick your battles wisely. Not every
spot will fish in the high water, but some will fish very well so just
try to identify zones that "make sense" and have some identity. We
were hoping flows would stay down for a few more days but there must
have been some irrigation demand or something because despite relatively
cool temps they opened up the reservoirs a bit. The fish don't
seem to mind but it certainly makes them a bit tougher to get at.
If you are coming our way this weekend consider doing a pleasure float,
www.redsflyshop.com/raftrentals
Hunger
Level: 6.5 out of 10, lots of little fish - 3-4 very nice ones.
The bit
slowed a bit yesterday but it was still very good. We got great
numbers of fish on nymphs but the dry fly fishing was slower. We
turned a couple of very nice fish on big dry flies but we could have got
a lot more trout on dry flies during the PMD hatch in the early
afternoon but the nymphing was pretty silly for about 2-3 hours. In the
evening the bite died down quite a bit and I'm not sure if is worth
staying out till dark this week. Focus on the feeding frenzy that
is revolving around the PMD hatch. Much more productive. The
fish are starting to spread out a little bit as the water drops are not
isolated exclusively to the soft spots. As they spread out more
and the water warms up the dry fly fishing will get very good in the
lower Canyon. The upper river is dry fly fishing the best, but the
Lower Canyon seems to be kicking out some of the biggest rainbows.
We have hooked several these past few days that were incredible.
Especially in the section between Lmuma Creek and Roza. For some
reason that stretch has been putting up the biggest fish.
6/26/2011
- late pm
Anglers:
Former Governor & Senator Dan Evans, Nancy Evans, and Joe R.
The Yakima
River is rockin' - awesome fishing today - time to get out here.
Mostly on small nymphs but we got a few on the WMD Golden Stonefly
(hooked a couple of big boys on this one). The water is down and
looks like it will stay down throughout the next week to 10 days
according to our calculations. Until Friday the Free Air Freezing
level is running about 8000' above sea level. Friday it will be going to
11,000 and 13,000-14,000 by Sunday, but even then the runoff shouldn't
come down in a sudden torrent. If you can fish the next few days,
do it. It appears as though the operators at the dams are trying
to hold the capacities at 100%. This means higher water in
September and October to be sure, and that will extend our dry fly
season. Dry droppers and nymphs in the Lower Canyon for lots of
fish, dry flies for fewer fish but some Cutthroat in the upper river.
We hooked some slabs today in the Lower Canyon though!
We had the
pleasure of hosting former Governor and Senator Dan Evans. What a great
man. He spearheaded the legislation that led to the Yakima River
Canyon being nominated as the very first Scenic and Recreational Highway
in the state. This led to so many of the recreational
opportunities that we enjoy today. Without this attention, things
like the footbridge at Umtanum, the LT Murray State Wildlife Area, the
Bighorn Sheep introduction, etc. may have never happened. It
really got the ball rolling in the right direction and the rally that
the CLC and KEEN groups led yesterday at the lodge was essentially a
passing of the torch to modern day conservationists that want to
preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and recreational environment
in this Canyon. It was great getting to know Mr. Evans. He
is an avid backcountry enthusiast and has backpacked most of Washington
State's Wilderness areas, he is a fly fisherman, grandfather, and has a
good sense of humor. It was fun listening to Nancy and Dan heckle
each other about whose fish was bigger and who was fishing in whose
water. After 52 years of marriage, those two have it figured out!
Truly an inspiration in many ways. It was a great honor listening
to him speak on the veranda at Canyon River Ranch. Even with 100+
people crowded around you could have heard a pin drop. When he
speaks people seem to listen because it appears that most people like
what he has to say. As the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway project
progresses, it is likely that we will host more of these functions.
Please try to help in any way you can. Just learning about the
project and sharing the knowledge is a good way to start. Learn
more here:
Awesome
fishing yesterday in the upper river, and it looks like the Canyon will
be ripe for this upcoming week! The fish were eating dry flies and
dry droppers with a vengeance yesterday and we think that the river will
stay within a reasonable fishing volume the remainder of the summer
without any sudden bursts. The weather will be in the 80's all
next week and that is PERFECT! Not so hot that there should be any
significant runoff that would trigger releases from the dam, but it will
be hot enough to activate the dry fly fishing. All in all, the
weather and water point towards very a very optimistic outlook next
week!
6/23/2011
What a
turnaround yesterday, awesome fishing and much of it on dry flies.
The warm day and the high clouds had the fish looking up big time.
There were Golden Stoneflies, Caddis, PMD's, and all sorts of other
various hatches. Today it looks like it is going to be rough out
there. Big wind and slightly colder temperatures. We got a taste
yesterday of what the rest of the summer is going to be like, LOTS of
fish. The water is back up, so in the Lower Canyon try to break it
up into little pieces. The fish are biting and don't seem to
realized the flow conditions are out of whack! From their point of
view these are ideal feeding conditions. We fished a few different
flies but the best pattern for us yesterday was an
Orange Chubby Chernobyl Ant #8. We don't really have any
profound insight to offer than try to break the river up into manageable
pieces. Find little spots that make sense, find the river within
the river.
Rough
fishin' for the most part. There were some highlights, we landed 3
exceptional trout (1 was pushing 20") and had a great day basking in the
90 degree weather. The fish were upset due to another mid-sized
release from the reservoirs but that should settle out soon and they
will be back on track. The hot weather will sure help. There
were lots of PMD's, Yellow Sally's, Caddis, Big Yellow Mayflies, and a
few Golden Stoneflies out today. We caught our fish primarily in
pocket water where the current was noticeably broken by a rock or ledge.
Prospecting the open banks was pretty unproductive. We talked to a
wade fisherman at about 11 am that had bought flies and sought advice
from us that morning and he had landed 3 fish at that point and was way
ahead of us, so the wade anglers were winning at the end of the 1st
period. I think we got him at the weigh in though, 3 of these
trout today were incredible in both size and girth. A good sign
for what lies ahead as the river settles in a bit more. The
biggest tips we have right now are find what that "feels" right.
If it is boiling or upset then look elsewhere. The fishy seams are
stable and easy to keep the fly or indicator afloat. If your
indicator is getting towed underwater.... find a new place to cast.
6/20/2011
We are
hitting the 90's this week in Ellensburg, very nice. The remaining
tickets should go pretty fast but if you call in the next 2 days or so
you can get a seat at a nice dinner at the lodge on Saturday for the CLC
event where Governor Evans will speak about recreation in the Yakima
Canyon. This is very important, it concerns public acquisition of
a lot of private land that can be used by recreationalists and fly
fisherman. Dinner will be great, there will be raffles, wine
tasting, river rafting, and fly casting lessons (free casting lessons!).
Give Diedra a call at the Cascade Land Conservancy.
For Tickets:
Contact Diedra Petrina of the Cascade Land Conservancy
The bite
was pretty good yesterday and we put some nice Rainbows in the boat
between gusts. The fishing was just as productive at 5,000 cfs
plus but anglers are reporting that the boat work is much easier for the
DIY angler so if you have your own boat, now is the time. Anglers
are also reporting productive wade fishing, and we appreciate all the
good feedback on this video
http://youtu.be/EUDMPduFrg0 So many of you reported that it was very
helpful in figuring out a good wading strategy for the Lower Canyon that
we want to be sure you see it. The weather this week is going to
be in the mid 80's which should trigger a serious boost in the trout's
metabolism. Currently the water is still very cold for this time
of year, it is ranging from the low to mid 50's which is several degrees
cooler than we typically have in the third week of June. There are
a lot of PMD's and large yellow Mayflies out right now, and regretfully
we did not fish this fly (will have a BUNCH on the next day out) the
Gold Lightning Bug is deadly when the yellow Mayflies and PMD's are
hatching.
6/17/2011 - late pm
Just got some voice and text
messages from the guides, things are poppin' big time. Golden Stones
all over and the trout are hungry for PMD nymphs and Caddis in the Lower
Canyon. The time has finally come. Grab your fly rod, stinky
waders, and hit the road Jack. Crank up some 80's on 8 and drive down
to the Canyon for a good time. We are having a big sale, Crazy Steve
is practically giving this stuff away tomorrow and the fish are biting.
Plus then you get to meet the new retail manager, Erin. We also had a
couple of lodge suites come open at the last minute too after being booked
full, so if you want to do a quick audible and hit the Father's Day events
we can make that happen.
Can't make it this weekend?
Come out for our Lazy Day special next week sometime.
www.redsflyshop.com/lazyday
See you then, these fish have been grossly neglected. They almost
forgot your name and your hook size. Better get reintroduced with some
tough love from a #16 Prince Nymph. Yea, that'll teach 'em a lesson.
Get busy, you have some gear to pack. Don't forget your cigars because we
out of stock.
Results: 5
trout landed, great for an hour and a half in big wind. The fish
were pretty hungry.
We decided
to get back to how the Powerhour got started yesterday... a break in the
day, clock out early, throw a boat in the water and go fishing, and we
were still home in time for dinner. The fish are heavy and hungry
in the Lower Canyon. The flows are pretty high still, about 20%
above normal in the Canyon, but the entire system is in great shape and
we are back down to manageable river flows. In fact, the upper
river is right at normal summer flows if not slightly less (which are
still high due to the unique hydrologic management on the Yakima River).
We are ready to help make your fishing trip productive. Floating
or wading is a great way to go and our staff can have you on the river
within minutes after getting a few flies and a bit of advice. If
you are floating, be sure to pick your sections wisely and don't "force
fish" the fast water. Take it easy and pick on the slower pieces
of water where you feel like the drift is working for you. Good
rowing makes a big difference right now so thank your oarsman and work
hard on your backstrokes. This is a key element. Much of the drag
free attitude of the drift is produced by the boat holding a good
relationship to the fly. As far as bugs go, we saw Caddis, PMD's,
and Golden Stoneflies yesterday. The box we put together for this
time of year seems to be spot on. Even if you don't purchase,
check out this link for a video and a few tips on what is currently
hatching.
48+ Fly
Assortment - Yakima River Fly Patterns Also, we are having a
Sidewalk Sale tomorrow so stop by and get some new duds and bugs and
free advice on fly fishing.
Results:
6-7 trout landed, great for beginning anglers!
The bite
on the upper river picked up yesterday despite fierce wind. It
looks like things are settling down nicely now and shaping up for a good
Father's Day Weekend in the Lower Canyon. We are glad to have the
river coming back into shape. We are going to have a Sidewalk Sale
this Saturday and put some items on clearance so if you are thinking
about heading our way the sale begins at 9 am. We'll have some
tables outside and you can score a great deal on some new gear.
Mike said
that yesterday the best strategy was to set up and deep nymph in the
traditional spots and use plenty of line feeding because the fast flow
is hard to keep up with. Stack lots of line and use a piece of
split shot. He also said they fished dry flies for about 45
minutes in the evening to no avail but it is always a nice way to end
the day by throwing and skating big dry flies along the bushes.
6/15/2011 - late pm
We fished
upriver the past couple of days. Big wind, pretty big water, and a
few big fish. Pretty lean yesterday, but better fishing today.
Finding the soft spots below the structure is key. Yesterday we
hooked about 12 fish, landed 4 to the net, 2 were on dry flies.
Mike C. reported better numbers than that at lunch today so things are
looking up. We'll post a detailed update tomorrow sometime, it is
pretty late right now but wanted to reinforce that the river is clear
throughout the system and a few fish are eating Golden Stoneflies on the
surface. The flow is still pretty high and fast but as soon as we
get some hot weather the fish will be acting the same way! The
Canyon is the way to go for the DIY angler right now. The upper
river is exceptionally fast although it has slightly less water - the
gradient is higher and that baby is pushing! Same deal in the
Farmlands, but the Lower Canyon is pretty friendly if want to car hop
along the road as a wade angler and fish the little eddies and weak
spots behind the rocks.
6/13/2011
The
powerful flows are relenting a bit, a few of our shop staffers have been
wade fishing in the Lower Canyon for a couple hours at a time and
netting a few fish these past few days, and with the flows subsiding a
little bit we are going to grab the oars tomorrow and get back on the
river. The fish are very hungry and not very spooky. Our
fishing strategy has been high sticking the pocket water in the Lower
Canyon. Our classes over the weekend get a great course on how "it
really works" when wade fishing big rivers. The image of wading
waist deep and shadow casting dry flies is a misconception possessed by
many anglers. Once they arrive on the Yakima and see the big flows
and powerful currents, it is hard for them to pick up on a productive
strategy. This is a challenging river! Keeping your
feet dry and your cast short are good basic tips for successful wade
fishing the Yakima Canyon when the flows are 3500 cfs on up. The
Naches River is still very high as well - but look for this little
beauty to drop into shape in the next 2 weeks. A guided float down
this river during the whitewater season (late June - mid July) is
something you will never forget. Big rollers, white water, dry
flies, and scrappy cutthroat. If you haven't considered this
float, check out the slide show and get some more information.
www.redsflyshop.com/nachesrivertrout
On the
Yakima, stick to trying to find the soft spots. If it looks to
fast... it definitely is!
6/9/2011
It looks
like we are days away from better conditions on the Yakima River still.
Same advice, if you want to get some casts in - head to the Lower Canyon
and fish the soft spots right at your feet. The fishing report for
the Teanaway River, Taneum Creek, Manastash Creek, and the Naches River
system is that they are still too high for productive fishing.
That doesn't mean you couldn't catch a fish or two but even seeing where
they should be holding is difficult. We were sent a great fishing
report from Lake Lenore a few days ago - good numbers of big fish on
buggers and intermediate sinking lines.
6/8/2011
The Yakima
bumped up again along with a spike in flows on the Teanaway yesterday.
The flows are extremely high in the Lower Canyon again. Without
being able to throw some casts and size up the water it is tough to know
if it is even possible to fish it. We were pleasantly surprised
over the last few days there were so many pockets of fishable water at
6,000 cfs but 7,000 might be a different story. When the water is
this high, the Lower Canyon seems to be on the best area for trying to
pick apart the edges. If you are heading out, look for areas with
no trees - where the grass/rocks meet the river. Fish right at
your feet in the soft water along the shore.
Results:
6 fish landed, a medley of Ytfish, Trout, and a Pike Minnow
We gave a
couple of rookies a crash course on fishing nymphs in big water
yesterday and we got into some fish despite the extremely high river
flows in the Lower Canyon. There is big water coming all the way
from the top down right now with a significant contribution stemming
from the Teanaway as well. The river clarity is very good and the
fish are hungry. We landed a great Rainbow at lunch yesterday
while wade fishing, it was one of the young man's first ever trout!
It works great to ditch the boat and fish the little soft spots on foot
- plus you have no shuttle cost and your arms won't get ripped off
trying to back row at 6,000 plus cfs! If you come into the fly
shop the guys will get you schooled up on what to use and where to go.
We will be running guide trips today as well, and much of our strategy
will be stopping at the fishy spots and fishing on foot. The boat
is still nice to have though, it carries the cooler. :-) The best
fly yesterday was a prince harry. If you need some and don't want
to come into the fly shop, give us a buzz and we will get them in an
envelope right away!g
6/6/2011
The river
is pretty high, but we got into a few fish this weekend. The
guides were working double time on the oars to keep the boat set up
right for the "hot spots" along the shore. The river is very clear
right now with the biggest obstacles being high flow, and LOTS of
Caddis. The hatch has been unreal. We are actually glad that
the cooler weather (mid 70's versus the mid 80's) is going to put the
hatch on simmer rather than a roaring boil. There are fish
feeding, but in the boat it is tough to get anchored and even tougher to
slow the boat down! It is better to try on foot. It looks
like that the flows are going to stay pretty high for a while but at
least the water is very clear. There are ways to combat the high
flows, try breaking the river into little pieces. We have our "how
to row a drift boat class" scheduled again - June 26th. This is a
great class for anyone, especially those that want to start taking
advantage of our Drift Boat Rental program which is a very cost
effective way to get in some float trips on the river. Combine
this with either our Fly Fishing 201 or 301 class and you will be ready
for action.
We had a
great Fly Fishing 301 Class yesterday, "Wade Fishing the Yakima River".
We had a wide range of students, some new to fly fishing - some salty
veterans, and everyone had the same goal in mind. How to
successfully wade fish the Yakima River. Along with the obvious
things like, what flies and when, where to go, what flows are ideal to
wade, when do I fish the Farmlands, when do I fish the Canyon, etc. etc.
We actually spend some time on the river driving to some productive
spots and the group learns how to fish the Canyon on foot. It was
a great success, and everyone agreed that the water type, and the
casting and line handling techniques were much different than they had
tried in the past. One of the students landed a 17" Rainbow during
the class on a dry dropper! We also saw a trout feed on a Caddis
and we casted to it and got it to eat a dry fly during class. It
was a great way to "close the information loop" for a lot of folks that
have felt frustrated in the past. If you have struggled to have
success wade fishing, consider taking this course.
www.redsflyshop.com/301
Also, check out this video as well to shed some light on wading the
Canyon.
http://youtu.be/EUDMPduFrg0
We got it
done in style today, but conditions are challenging given the big flows.
It will be hot this weekend, but the water is very cold so bring your
waders. On a scale of 1-10, the Caddis hatch today was a 12!
It was one of the best we have every seen. Rafts of Caddis 6 deep
were being condensed in the seams in the Lower Canyon. It was
incredible, we have seen it like this many times before but it never
gets old. Fishing wise, the guide boats seem to do well because we
know which soft spots are holding fish so we can set up for those exact
zones, but it takes a pretty dynamic angler/rower team to get the boat
slowed down and in position for the "perfect shot" into the bank where
the fish are holding. If you are planning a DIY trip it might be
best to wait until flows subside a bit, but don't let us stop you from
coming. Plan to work hard as a team and know that the rower needs
to get the boat slowed down and positioned (buy him dinner if he gets
you into a big fish!). There are some fantastic fish to be caught
right now since the big boys are off the spawn. We landed about 4
that were exceptional Yakima trout today. The best strategy
is to do a long drift and plan to do everything while moving - this
includes netting fish, changing flies, fishing, etc. You will find
it pretty tough to get your anchor to grab and you need to be careful
where you try and hook it up. Most of our fish were caught on
small nymphs, and a few were on dry flies. It was sweet seeing the
fish up on top today after a spring that had us tying on more San Juan
Worms than dry flies so even a few fish feels like a victory. The main
problem today was there were so many Caddis that it was tough to compete
with the naturals! Fun to try though. This will change in
the coming week.
If you are
planning to wade fish, which isn't a bad option actually, focus on
fishing the water right at your feet. This is the water that we
blow past in the boat wishing we could slow down! Stay high and
dry on the shore and high stick as the bug goes by (we have a great
Youtube video of this you can search for). If you are debating,
wade vs. float in your own drift boat... wade. Also, if you fish
till dark and are in the right spot on foot you will find LOTS of rising
fish the last 30 minutes of daylight. So many you won't know what
to cast at. The downside of fishing till dark is that sometimes
the slowest fishing of the day is that afternoon doldrum from 3 pm - 7
pm that you have to weather out. Have a beer, wait for them to
start rising. For us, it slowed down a bit during that time frame
today and then picked up a bit on dries right at the end about 7:15.
6/1/2011
The
rainstorm yesterday made the Lower Canyon a little muddy earlier today,
but it is clearing up and the Farmlands and Upper Yakima River are in
prime shape. The Lower Canyon has the most Caddis and until some
logs move around might be the best destination for the DIY drift boater.
There is a couple of very tight spots in the Farmlands right now, and
one of them in the Irene to Ringer section is a doozy. There are
some hydraulics near a log that are pretty spooky. Things will
settle out. In the meantime, fish the Lower Canyon and be smart
about where you anchor. That is how you will get the best dry fly
fishing. Our guide staff has been floating the Farmlands and Upper
River the past few days with good success, and anglers fishing on their
own reported that every time they could get anchored up on the feeding
on Caddis they were able to hook them on a CDC Caddis Emerger. One
angler in particular mentioned that the fish he was seeing were in
groups of 5-6! When they get going in pods like that the dry fly
fishing is incredible. The fish let their guards down when they
are feeding in groups.
5/31/2011
late pm
The Yakima
River is in perfect shape, the Lower Canyon is a touch higher than it
typically runs this time of year but overall it is perfect and the fish
are hungry and have been unpressured. The 10 Day forecast looks
perfect for great river flows and the volume will continue to drop and
the clarity will continue to improve (it already looks great though!).
The daytime temperatures will stretch into the 70's but won't get hot
enough to break loose an influx of runoff from the high elevation snow.
If the trend continues it will be a great June. Not to mention,
the big fish got refuge thanks to the high water and a serious lack of
fishing pressure during the spawn. This helps them build back
their body mass and overall survival rate during this critical time.
It should be a great summer, now its go time for the next 5 months!
5/29/2011
The upper
Yakima is in great shape! A hard drop cleaned up the water and
brought it down to a very fishy level. The Farmlands are a bit
high but looking great overall! The Canyon will be next to come
back into shape, so think about knocking the dust off your rod and
heading our way this upcoming week. The trout won't be shy after such a
long break from fishing pressure!
5/25/2011
Just when
things were looking good and we about to write a more positive report...
the flows boosted up again coming out of the reservoirs. Well,
what can you do? We'll tell you what you can do this weekend at
least. If you have a friend or family member that wants to break
into fly fishing have them come out and do Fly Fishing 101, 201, or both
on Saturday at the lodge. It is $69 per class and a great value.
It is really fun and the best entry level program in the country.
Being on the river and at a fly shop makes the course genuine and
productive.
We also
are excited to announce that our Wall Tent Cabins will be available for
rent this summer! This is an affordable way to come out and stay,
fish, camp, and not have to worry about leaving your personal belongings
behind at a random camp site while you are on the river. There
will be some very affordable mid week pricing so keep an eye out for
this. Here is all the information, call soon to reserve your tent
cabin for the busy weekends.
http://www.redsflyshop.com/walltents
5/23/2011
More
water... more water, and more water. Not the mantra we were hoping
to be chanting this year. The flows in Cle Elum are very high.
It is fishable in the right spots but quite a challenge to say the
least. Several boats floating from South Cle Elum hoping to take
out at East Cle Elum missed the takeout this last week due to raging
fast flows pushing by the takeout. If you decide to float, be VERY
careful up there. The water is clear enough to catch fish just big
heavy flows. The Lower Canyon is at least another week out at
best. In the meantime, sort out your tackle and start shopping for
flies for your next trip which will likely be June. Our
guided efforts will be going to Rocky Ford and maybe a few lakes in the
area.
5/22/2011
The flows
in Cle Elum bumped up again with a little more contribution from the
reservoirs making an already tough mission through there even more
difficult. Unless you are dead set on floating the Yakima versus
all other options, better find something else to throw your fly at.
We are hosting an Advanced Yakima River Fly Fishing 301 course today at
our lodge that starts at 11 am, it will be the best course we have ever
put together on fly fishing the Yakima River and how to plan D.I.Y.
trips with success. We will also teach the Double Haul and Reach
Casting strategies along with a litany of other techniques. Join
us if you live in the area and are up early. It is $69 and you can
bring a friend for free!
5/20/2011
- late pm
Anglers:
Mike, Guy, and Troy L.
Location:
South Cle Elum to Bristol Flat
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time: 10:00
am until 6:30 pm
Flies:
Pat's (various sizes/colors), Jimmy Leg's Rusty Olive #6, San Juan Worms
(various), Black Copper John #14, and a few other various flies
Results:
About 10 fish landed, a few Ytfish.
We had an
ambitious pair of anglers and an eager guided today. They braved
the big flows and off colored water and made a decent day out of tough
conditions. Some of our guests opted to postpone, but there is
always a couple willing to give it a shot! It was very technical fishing
and boat work but at then end of the day their efforts were rewarded and
the guys raked in enough fish to come off the water feeling great.
They only got 1 fish on a San Juan worm, and their biggest fish was
caught on a Black Copper John. The rest were hooked on a variety
of flies with no one fly in particular seemingly working any better than
another.
The
current conditions upriver are still extremely tough, but if casting a
fly rod, catching some rays, and having a few cold ones sounds like a
good day then our guide staff can handle that. There was a TON of
Caddis in flight upriver today but no heads poking up and feeding.
For the DIY (Do it Yourself) anglers it might be best to put your trip
off a few more days to a week if you can. From the Teanaway
downstream the flows are still very dirty and very high. In the
meantime, hit Rocky Ford, Columbia River Carp, the Basin Lakes, or do
some Bassin' out at Moses Lake or Potholes. A couple of our guides hit
Moses Lake today and Mike is heading to Potholes tomorrow. We'll
post some good bass pics in a few days! Bass on a fly in Eastern
Washington is definitely under appreciated.
5/19/2011
- 9:30 pm
The Yakima River in the
area surrounding Cle Elum is back and in fishable condition. The flows
are still pretty high but if a drift trip down the Yakima River is on your
radar... then we can make that happen. It will most likely take a few
days for the fish to settle in and the fishing to pick up but try to find
soft spots outside the main river flow. Areas that are broken and
walking speed seem to be the most productive up there when the flows are
this high. Wade fishing without the use of a boat for transportation
will be difficult. Utilizing a boat for moving from island to island
though is a good strategy. San Juan Worms, Pat's, and flashy Prince
Nymphs are the staples right now. Very few Caddis if any are present.
Another week and the lower Canyon will be back in shape and the Caddis will
be rockin'.
5/19/2011
We had a great day on
Rocky Ford yesterday. It was perfect conditions for spot 'n stalk
fishing and we did very well. We took 4 guests from Portland and they
spent hours tip-toeing along picking off big Rainbows on small flies.
We used a variety of small chironomids, scuds, leeches, and threw a few dry
flies but got refused on the dry flies was all and bluff charges on the
leeches. The most productive pattern was a scud that Troy tied that had a
buggy mix of olive and orange dubbing. The coolest part of the day was
probably when we had a "tailgate party" for lunch in the parking lot and
Troy tied a fly on the picnic table, and then Alec headed down to the creek
and caught a spectacular Rainbow on a guide fly that was tied 10
minutes prior! It was a fun day.
We also had one of our
instructors that fished Dry Falls this past Sunday and spanked 'em on
Calibaetis dry flies and stripping Calibaetis nymphs. When the wind
calm down it was all sight casting and it was a great day to be on a
stillwater. The Calibaetis hatch is probably the best opportunity at
stillwater dry fly fishing in Eastern Washington. The hatch will
continue for another 2 weeks or so. We have also had very positive
reports from another member of our staff that fished intermediate sinking
lines and Carey Buggers with great success on Nunally Lake about 2 weeks
ago. The fish population there is in good shape.
The Yakima River
conditions from Thorp downstream are still very ugly and high, but the upper
Yakima River above the Teanaway is starting to look ok. It will take a
couple of days for the trout to get adjusted to the higher water (there is a
lot of water coming out of the reservoir systems - clean... but cold).
By the weekend the upper Yakima above Ellensburg will be in fishy condition.
Probably 7 days for the the Lower Canyon to come around.
5/17/2011
- 7:30 pm
Just when things were
starting to look good for the upper Yakima, down comes the water out of the
reservoir system! The Cle Elum area was starting to show some signs of
life, but the lakes were no doubt feeling the strain from the recent rain
and snow melt. The next couple weeks are going to be touch and go.
Once the water clears up in the upper river we will be sure to let you know.
Tips and Advice: Make sure to get your gear in order during the
down time. As guides, we are paid to be efficient and we like to have all of
our flies, leader, tippet, indicators, split shot, tools, and rods in
perfect order so that we can make the most out of every minute spent on the
water. If you ever have to spend time looking for the right fly or
tackle, that is time you are not spending drifting a fly which results in
less fish. This week, manifest your inventory and fill in the gaps so
you are ready for game time. Clean your fly line, reels, vest, kit
bag, and anything else where disorganization might cost you float time.
It pays to be efficient! If you need to fill in some of the small
stuff, get some leaders and tippet from us online. We'll ship it free.
http://www.redsflyfishing.com/Fly-Fishing-Tippet-and-Tapered-Leaders-Rio-Frog-Hair-s/66.htm
The Yakima
River finally crested and it is very high, we have never seen so much
water flowing through the streets in the northeast end of Ellensburg as
we did yesterday. Even the smallest ditches and canals crested
their banks and ran into the street. In the long run, this is
great for the fish and we contend that it helps recruit fresh trout out
of the tributary systems and encourages them to move down into the
Yakima River. It just seems like the more high water events we
have had over the last few years the better the trout populations is.
5/15/2011
We were
hoping to wake up this morning and see the upper Yakima holding steady
but it looks like everything is blown this morning. It will take a
week for the Lower Canyon to come back in shape and probably several
days for the rest of the river to follow suit. This is a good time
to get your tackle in order and sort out all those messy old gobs of
flies that you have sitting around. Order some new leaders,
nippers, and basic equipment to replenish your stock. When the
Caddis hatch comes on in about 10 days you will want to be ready!
5/14/2011
- LATE PM
The
Teanaway downstream through Ellensburg and the Lower Canyon will be out
of commission tomorrow and for the next several days at least.
There won't be a bit of fishable water below the Teanaway by tomorrow.
We are currently being pummeled by a serious rainstorm that means
business. The river is going to get very high, and we'll have to
wait and see what happens above the Teanaway tomorrow but by the sounds
of the rain drops on the roof right now it is going to be out of shape
up high as well. Fishing today was "ok" from Cle Elum to Thorp and
we saw some Salmon Flies on the water. We landed a few nice fish,
but we sure had to work hard for them! The only tips that we have
are to fish the water where you feel like YOU are in control of the fly
and not the big currents... "if it feels to fast then it probably is".
The river
above the Teanaway is in great shape, so we opted for the clean water up
high yesterday. The fishing was slow but the river is in great
shape so anything can happen. The morning was devoid of life, but
during the March Brown hatch we got into a decent rally on nymphs but
there were no fish rising for the hatch. We fished pretty much
every fly in the box with a sharp hook but most of our success was on a
March Brown nymph. The Salmon Fly hatch is going full tilt but we
only managed a hook up or two on a big nymph. Use a #4 Pat's or K
Stone in the fast water to try and hook up some big fish on Salmon Fly
nymphs. Look for Salmon fly shucks in the dead grass and sticks along
the shore. They will rarely hatch on a bare rock because they cannot
pull themselves free of the shuck with out a twig to latch onto it.
If you see these and they are damp, then you know the Salmon flies are
actively hatching at dusk and a big nymph in the low light can be highly
effective. Although Salmon Fly Adults prefer to lay their eggs
during the heat of the day, the nymphs migrate out onto the bank at
night to avoid predation by the masses of birds that would love to
gobble them up.
Regarding
river conditions, the Teanaway downstream is dropping today and should
make the Cle Elum to Thorp section fishable along with the Farmlands.
The lower Canyon is hovering on the fringe, but truthfully after a lean
day upriver yesterday the dirty water down below might be equally
productive from a fish count standpoint. We will likely give it a
go on the lower river today and hope for some Caddis! All in all,
it is definitely less than ideal from a hydrology standpoint and a
"catch factor" standpoint. It should take a turn for the better
within a few days.
5/12/2011
The river
is flirting with the idea of going haywire and is pretty dirty down in
the Lower Canyon but still in a fishable condition. Especially if
you are the type of angler that is more concerned about just getting out
on the water and having fun than you are trying to boat a couple dozen
fish. The Farmlands area is slightly cleaner, and the Upper Yakima
above the Teanaway is in great shape but showing a steady rise.
This rise might turn into a bad deal in the next couple of days but for
today it is just fine. The long term weather forecast calls for
pretty cool temperatures, except Friday which is supposed to be 73, so
we don't imagine the river getting too big. We might be wrong but
we expect it to get to about 5,000 cfs in the lower river and stay
relatively green. All in all, pretty sour conditions but if what
you have in mind is a cold beer and some fly casting this can be
arranged! Mike C. had a good day yesterday in the upper river and
we are hoping to see the Caddis hatch bust loose in the next week.
Overall, the extended forecast looks like the river will stay in shape.
It might not be ideal, but then again it might be the best we see
in the next few weeks with the snow pack that is still sitting up there!
Fish on, Red's.
5/9/2011
Scratching
our heads yet again? The water bumped up... the fishing turned
back on! We got multiple text messages from the guides yesterday
while they were on the river. The Caddis are beginning to show up
and the fishing was GREAT. The best fly was a Prince Harry by far.
We will try to get it online so you can see a photo of it, but it is a
hybrid between a Prince Nymph and a Hare's Ear. It makes a great
Caddis. You can get a rough view of it in this video.
48+ Fly
Assortment - Yakima River Fly Patterns If you are heading this
way consider getting this fly box. It is all you need for success
in the next month and a half.
5/7/2011
Anglers:
Mike C., Doug, and Lauren (dad and daughter)
The
fishing still has us scratching our heads a bit, but Mike found a
section of river and way to get 'em yesterday. Other than that, it
is still pretty stagnate. Mike's anglers yesterday were finishing
off their Red's University of Fishing program with a guided trip after
completing Fly Fishing 101 and 201. They learned the basics in
class and then put their skills to work on the river! They had a
great day.
It seems
like a lot of the fish are spawning and not feeding right now. Mike C.
found that fishing soft water in the very distinct pools proved to be
the best strategy and most fish were hooked on a San Juan Worm. We
had guides out everywhere and the best fishing was in the Irene to
Ringer area. Above that was slow, below that was slow. If you are
thinking about floating that area in your own boat be extremely careful.
There are a few tight spots and always lots of new sweepers here and
there reaching out. The March Brown hatch was very short, no fish
rising. In the Canyon, one of our guides managed to get a couple
of bruisers on a Chartreuse Copper John late in the evening below Red's.
The clarity in the Lower Canyon is slightly less than the Farmlands but
that is very typical this time of year so don't be put off by that at
all. We are still waiting for the Caddis hatch, it looks like it
will be a while.
5/7/2011
Anglers:
Bruce, Art, and Joe R.
Location:
Umtanum to Marhre's
Posted By: Joe
R.
Time: 10:00
am until 6:00 pm
Flies:
Every fly in my box, which is quite a few. The bug that seemed to
get the most takes was a
Chartreuse Copper John #16
Results:
6 trout landed, they worked very hard to get these fish.
Man oh
man, tough fishing again yesterday. We aren't sure why but the
fish simply were not hungry. They should pull out of this funk any
day and go back on a feeding binge, which will be significant based on
the fact they haven't been hitting the fly much these past several days
and have to be getting hungry. We landed about 6 trout yesterday
but we worked super hard for them. As a guide, I tied on flies
that hadn't seen action in years just trying to mix it up!
Unfortunately all those interesting old patterns that I brought out of
retirement didn't produce any better than the current model years.
Kind of like when Michael Jordan decided to suit up and play for the
Wizzards. He probably should have just stayed on the bench.
The fly
that produced the greatest number of hookups was the Chartreuse Copper
John, and to see why that fly might have been the best pattern make sure
to read our Mother's Day Caddis page if you haven't seen it yet.
The color of this fly is a good match for the Caddis Larvae that
comprised the MDC hatch.
www.redsflyshop.com/mdc
It will help get you prepared for planning a trip later this month to
hit this hatch. Shoot for the week of May17th on. Just a
loose prediction but the instinct suggests that time frame. There
were only a few Caddis yesterday, hardly worth mentioning. There
were more BWO's and one of our guides found a couple of fish feeding on
them but that was about the only dry fly action reported.
There are
also Salmon Flies hatching right now as well! See our Salmon Fly
video to learn more about this big bug.
Salmon Fly Video The
best nymph we have found to imitate this is the
Pat's Stone Orange/Brown #4.
5/5/2011
The
reports from the guides and anglers we talked to was that it was very
slow fishing yesterday.... but the blazing sunshine was a nice tradeoff!
We got similar reports for the Cle Elum area, Farmlands, and the Lower
Canyon. It will break open soon, be ready. Make sure to
visit our page dedicated to helping you prepare for the big Caddis hatch
that is brewing. Learn some tips and strategies at
www.redsflyshop.com/mdc
Results:
6 trout landed, they worked very hard to get these fish.
It was
tough fishing yesterday for some reason? The water is perfect, the
conditions weren't bad.... just a very slow bite. The only fly
that they caught fish on was a Purple Lightning Bug which makes you
wonder, what if they hadn't tried that fly? It is good to be armed
with a good variety of ammunition! Mike said that they worked
their tails off to get 6 fish to the boat and that it was one of the
slower days he has seen this year (with the exception of some big water
days). I guess that goes to show you what an angler's perception
of good conditions is and the trout's are two very different things!
We were spankin' the fish when the water was high and slightly off
color. The upside of this whole thing though is that the bite is
exclusively in response to hunger, they can't go on strike forever.
When their feeding activity picks back up the fishing will be very good.
They need to starve themselves every now and then so we can have a few
killer days later this week! Is that optimism or what? It is
not only optimistic but it is true! When the fish fast for periods
of time they come out of that slump with an empty stomach and are ready
to do business with your fly. This is also the time of year when
the big trout are either on their spawning beds or looking for a mate.
They will pull off of this routine for the March Brown hatch though.
Troy has been fishing the Farmlands almost every day and he said the
hatch time has varied from about 1:15 - 3:45 or so depending on the
weather. He also mentioned that when you see the hatch start -
hustle to a bigger hole because the dry fly activity has been short and
sweet. The upside is that almost every fish that has been found
feeding on it will eat your fly. Use a
Split Wing Adams.
5/2/2011
Fishing
over the last 48 hours leveled out to just "ok" catch numbers (which is
still fun!), and the fishing was flat out tough on Saturday due to the
big wind. The river itself is in PERFECT shape right now and with
yesterday's warm weather the water temperature at Umtanum bumped up to
over 50 degrees which is going to trigger some significant activity.
Today's dark atmospheric conditions combined with an increase in water
temps looks like a winning combo. Mayflies such as March Browns
and Blue Winged Olives prefer to hatch on humid days so that as they
emerge from the water their wings dry slowly and do not stick together
as they try to fly away. Caddis on the other hand, prefer sunny
days to hatch. Since we are not seeing any Caddis activity yet,
focus your efforts towards the 1-4 pm time frame and look for fish
feeding on March Browns. Watch the meandering foam lines and if
the rises are soft and subtle then most likely the trout are rising to
Blue Winged Olives rather than March Browns which often trigger a
splashy rise from the trout. The fishing overall is going to be
great on most days this upcoming week with an increase in dry fly
fishing for short periods of time in the afternoon.
4/28/2011
Lights out
yesterday in both the upper and lower Canyon. We had guides on the
water from Cle Elum to Ellensburg and the Lower Canyon near Red's and
both had excellent fishing. The river is in perfect shape, we
haven't got to say that very often lately! We had great dry fly
fishing for 2-3 hours yesterday on March Browns in several different
holes and fished nymphs productively all day from start to finish.
A
Split Wing Adams imitated the March Brown perfectly and was easy to
see in the glare. Use a #12 and if they won't eat that use a #14.
The fish loved the
#12 Anato Mayfly in the Upper Canyon.
In the
Lower Canyon the #14 Pheasant Tail was the hot ticket (no beadhead).
It was fished 3-4' under and indicator with a small piece of split shot
to get the fly down. The fishing prior to 1:30 pm was very slow,
but when the March Brown hatch came off it triggered the bite and the
fish were all over a small nymph.
The
extended forecast looks GREAT for fishing. It is going to warm up
into the upper 60's this weekend but won't get so warm that it will
effect river flows at all. This should trigger feeding activity
and hatches. It appears that the river will stay in great shape
for at least the next 10 days as long as there aren't any surprises.
Time to plan a fishing trip!
Results:
10+ trout landed, the biggest was about 16" (river conditions are VERY
good)
It was a
wet one for the first 4 hours yesterday. The rain was a steady
saturating drip that made us very glad to have good
Gore-tex Wading Jackets because the fishing was incredible! Being
warm and dry makes fishing in the rain enjoyable and we were glad that
we were prepared for it. The morning bite was awesome, then it
slowed down to just "good" fishing in the afternoon. During the
heavy rainfall we had numerous double hook-ups and Matt even hooked two
fish on a two fly setup at the same time! Days like yesterday
remind us just how many fish are in this river.
We didn't
see any signs of a March Brown hatch and very few BWO's. The fish
were feeding on a variety of nymphs and we had great luck on a small
Mayfly nymph called an
Indigo Child. Fish the smooth water and try to avoid the seams
that are boiling up and have whirlpools. Find calm walking speed
water for success.
The
Farmlands are pretty hairy to float right now. There is a log jam
at the diversion weir below KOA that is troublesome. There are a
couple of different ways to deal with it. In a short boat it is
possible to row through the traditional chute by cutting between some
branches and a root wod. That what we did yesterday, and it was
VERY tight. Probably better to avoid this section all together
until the situation resolves itself. In a raft, you could go over
the drop that is on the right half of the river without any issues or
worries so this would be a great run to do if you are in a raft.
In a hard boat the drop would be pretty violent on your fiberglass.
Occasionally they will make adjustments to this diversion with a
track-hoe and perhaps they will give the big log a little nudge and send
it downstream. Below the Irene Rhinehart boat launch there are
several tight spots with sweepers so use extreme caution if you decide
to float this section. It would be very easy to tip a boat over.
Overall
the fishing in the Farmlands was very good. We did not catch as
big of fish as we have been in the Lower Canyon these past few days but
it was still a lot of fun. The river conditions are excellent
right now throughout the entire system so jump on it!
4/23/2011
Great conditions today! The river is still dropping fast and we
are catching fish. Mike Canady sent a message that they landed a
Rainbow that will push the 24" mark today! that is a pretty
special fish, we aren't sure if they took pictures or not because the
safety of the fish comes first but if he did we will post a shot of it.
The angling is still a challenge for anglers on foot or using their own
boats. The guides seem to do quite well because we are familiar
with the pockets that are holding fish in the above average (and colder
than average) flows. We talked to several people today that saw a
March Brown hatch. Use a
#12 Anato Mayfly Nymph in Hare's Ear to mimic this nymph underneath
the surface.
Use a #12 Split Wing Adams to mimic the Dun (adult) version of this
insect.
4/21/2011
Look at
that drop! Fishing should be good this weekend, and it will be our
first bout of nice weather too. Finally... some light at the end
of the tunnel!
Results: 9
Rainbows landed, one 18" and the holy 20" Rainbow!
Steve
bucked the odds and had a good day yesterday in the Canyon. The flows
are big but if you work hard and get the drift to stay in the pockets
nice and slow for a few seconds you will find success. The clarity
is good and the flows are stabilizing. Same advice as the last few
weeks. Find the soft spots and stick with them. Wading is a
good option... the boat streaks by the fishy spots pretty fast!
Fish on! We also had another guide on the upper river near Cle
Elum and he landed a handful of trophy trout in the 17-19" range, not
big numbers but the gross tonage was very respectable.
4/20/2011
Another
push of water came out of the Cle Elum Reservoir yesterday, the next
24-48 hours might be tough fishing but then it will settle back in.
The water is coming down clean, it just takes the current seems time to
settle back down. Consider a San Juan Worm dropper!
Results: 4
Rainbows landed, all pretty small, 10-12"
The
fishing was tough for us yesterday despite the water finally becoming
very clear. It was quite windy and the water is still very high
and cold which made for a challenge. We fished hard and did our
best, but when you combine that with a soft bite and it made for a lean
creel count at the end of the day. I am sure that I could have
gone into Nazi guide mode and scratched out a few more fish but the chit
chat was pretty engaging so kept me from going nuts over a few missed
strikes! :) We hooked enough fish to keep us busy but even when
the wind would relent and our drifts were on line the bite still wasn't
aggressive. The takes will be very light until we get a few warm
days so keep the hammer half-cocked and ready for action at any point
during the drift. We hooked about 8-10 fish total, almost all of
which were on small flies oriented towards Caddis. The Grannom's
hatch is going to be huge this year. Every time our flies hit the
bottom it came up with at least one or two Caddis larvae. We have
about a month to go before it busts.... but when it does it will be a
big one.
TIPS:
We saw an angler wade fishing the rock garden yesterday, and truthfully
I think he probably had nearly as much success as we did because of the
wading strategy he used. Casting from the bank across slow lines
of current gives you a perfect high stick type drift. When in the
boat, we are forced to cast across multiple speeds of heavy current
which is a very tough drift to control (especially in a downstream wind
because it thwarts your ability to mend upstream). This angler was
able to spend most of his day in only the "prime" spots and I have a
hunch he did very well. Wade fisherman shouldn't shy away from the
Yakima when its high just adjust your strategy and plan to do most of
your fishing "dry" - staying up on the bank. A Wulff Ambush fly
line and a couple of nymphs on foot would be an interesting combo (this
line allows for a tremendous roll cast). Steve Joyce did extremely
well in just a couple of hours wade fishing last week using this
strategy. Consider giving it a shot because it might allow you to
fish the tasty zones that are inaccessible by the boats going by too
fast to fish.
4/17/2011
Overall we
have good but not perfect conditions on the Yakima River. Chances
are it will be about as good as it gets for a while though. The
reservoirs are at nearly full capacity and will continue to pour water
all spring. Our guide staff is doing fairly well, but the boat
owners that came out over the weekend will testify that cold water at
over 4,000 cfs is a challenge that has its nuances. We expect to
be fishing in high water all spring so if you are waiting for it to drop
it may not, and you may have to battle the high water at some point.
Big water has its challenges but the rewards are worth it. Bigger
fish, stronger fish, and when the bite is on... its on! The wind
storm kept the catch numbers down over the weekend, about a half dozen
fish per boat seemed to be the average. The number of fish landed
doesn't mean a whole lot though, it is the overall experience that
counts. In the Lower Canyon right now there are nesting Bald Eagles
(about 1/2 mile above Red's), Bighorns, and lots of Mule Deer to see.
Regarding wildlife, we learned that there are 21 known raptors to
inhabit the Yakima Canyon making it one of the most diverse raptor
habitat in all of the west. We always see hawks, eagles, and
falcons along the river but none of us realized how many different
species are actually living in the Canyon.
Look for
the Prince nymph and Hare's Ear variety of flies to be more productive
in the coming weeks as the Caddis hatch readies itself for the Mother's
Day burst. Thanks to everyone that came out for the spey courses
this weekend, and we hope to get a few more people out for the 101/201
- 2 classes for the price of 1 combo on April 23rd! There is still
some space so tell your friend that has been asking you to teach them
about the class so they can sign up. We'll teach them so you
don't have to and they can flog the grass with our fly lines instead of
yours!
Wow the
river came back into shape fast! The water is clear in the Lower
Canyon and the fishing picked up in a big way over the last couple days.
Time to get back in the saddle and grab the oars! It won't be easy
because the flow is still relatively high (by April standards), but if
you play it right or wade the edges of the back eddies you can be VERY
effective. This is a great time to do a guided trip and see how
our guide staff handles these types of conditions, also - keep in mind
we are running our "Raising the Steaks" campaign this month which
means every full day trip includes a grilled steak lunch on the side of
the river! Not a bad way to break up the float.
We caught
a handful of thick trout in the 16" range that were hot and hungry.
The big fish will be most vulnerable over the next few days because they
haven't been poked at in 2 weeks. All the larger fish ate the fly
very aggressively and were incredibly strong jumping numerous times and
were a great fight in the big cold water. Make sure to channel
your efforts on water that is roughly walking speed. There are
also a lot of fishy looking spots where the water is boiling up and/or
down - try to avoid these areas and put your efforts towards water
meandering in more of a traditional horizontal flow. Trout like to
see food coming towards them, but they don't like it doing loopty loops
in the boils! We saw one fish aggressively strike a dry fly but
weren't in a very good position to throw a dry fly at it at the time.
It is tough to anchor in a lot of places so be prepared to fish on the
move and take turns on the oars because it will require some elbow
grease to get the boat slowed down enough to effectively fish the right
water.
4/13/2011
Anglers:
Steve and Mike
Location:
Big Pines to Mahre's
Posted By:
Steve J.
Time: 1:00
pm until 3:00 pm
Flies: sz.
6,8 Pat's Stones (Brown/ Blk), sz. 8 Dirt Snakes (aka San Juan Worm)
Results: 8
Rainbows landed 12"-15"
Despite
the continued unseasonably high volume, we have decent clarity in the
Lower canyon and experienced a good afternoon of fishing. It is
imperative that you target the "soft water" zones such as inside
corners, rock piles, or downstream points of islands. We were running
an indicator and stonefly with worm trailer, but all of the fish we
hooked were on the stonefly nymph. Water temps were 42 degrees today
which is an improvement over what we have seen since the flood. There
were also a lot of big Spring BWO's (true sz. 14's) on the water,
although we didn't find any fish eating them. The weather forecast for
the weekend looks pretty good, so if you're thinking about fishing, the
Yakima is once again a feasible option!
Stop in to the shop and we'll be happy to point you in the direction of
some accessible water to wade - even in these high flows!
4/12/2011
Things are starting to
look better! The clarity has not been too bad, but the flows have
remained very high. Our most experienced guides ran some trips
over the weekend for the most ambitious of guests and one of them landed
a 24" Rainbow! They only landed 2 fish that day but it was worth
it. The flows around Cle Elum are now quite reasonable, still
high, but there is enough soft water along the edges to get some fishing
in while you float. The downside is that the East Cle Elum boat
launch is still very sketchy.
The Farmlands are a good bet
because there are some great wading bars and the river gets broken up by
some islands, but be careful because 5,000 cfs plus pushes the boat
through very fast and there are lots of trees to row around.
Launching a drift boat at Irene Rhinehart would be considered an extreme
sport right now. The Canyon is a safe easy float, but you will
need your rower working very hard on the oars to slow the boat down
enough to get some good floats in the slow water.
Overall, conditions are still
not looking great but in the next few days it will be come more feasible
to put a trip together. The high flows should freshen the river up
with new gravel bars, slots, and a few trees that will make some good
habitat. The last big water moved a lot of boulders around near
the rock slides at Mile Marker 20 that look like they are going to be
super fishy! It is nice to see the river sculpting that section
year after year and turning it into a rock garden.
4/7/2011 late pm
Anglers: Ian and
Joe R.
Time:
9:30 am -
5 pm
Location: South Cle Elum to East Cle Elum
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: 4 Trout landed, 9 hooked up and battled. All very nice
fish today!
We went for it today, the upper river cleared up overnight like we hoped
and had a great day considering we were battling some big flows and very
cold water. The clarity is great in Cle Elum, but the major
obstacle is that the flows are higher than the gauge reflects. It
seems like they are closer to 4500 cfs in Cle Elum. Also, the
water temps are frigid. The fishing is very technical, but the
boat work is even more so. Fishing right now is very tough
upriver, but we managed to have success. There are a handful of
little nooks that are fishy when the water is this high and cold.
They are very hard to find and get the boat positioned on. Try
finding just a few spots and hyperfocus your efforts there!
If you are
thinking about booking a trip, push it back a week or so and the flows
will settle in. If you have a trip scheduled, you will get a call
from us and we'll talk strategy, reschedule, or maybe we'll take you
somewhere else. Our guest today was delighted to tackle the rough
conditions head on and we had a great day together. It was also
his first ever guided trip and he couldn't have been happier. He
learned a ton and we made it a mending class for about an hour that will
stay with him forever. Fly fishing is always fun no matter what the
outcome.
For
anglers wanting to wade the river or bringing their own boats, seriously
consider postponing your trip or just making an eco float or a booze
cruise out of the deal. It is very tricky when the flows are this
high. Please know that the East Cle Elum boat launch is very
dangerous for anybody less than an expert rower. Please be
careful, there have already been 2 boats underwater there this year.
We are
taking a few anglers to Rocky Ford tomorrow, and we have had positive
reports from Lake Lenice this last week too. Those are greatly
overlooked fisheries! Thanks for reading, and please give us a
call for the most recent clarity report. The Farmlands had about 2' of
visibility this evening and the Lower Canyon about 16". The river
near Cle Elum is looking good without about 2-3' of visibility.
Frankly though, it is very high. Sometimes it takes some courage
and caution but it can be tamed at these big flows if you know the right
moves to make It never hurts to try, the challenge is refreshing.
4/6/2011
It is very cold in
Ellensburg this morning, so we are hoping that the creek water will
taper back and the flows will begin to clear up. The dams have
been pouring for a few days now but have leveled off so we expect the
upper river to clear up today. It is a slight gamble but we are
going to go for it and have some fun. Some of the best fishing of
the spring can happen at the onset of a rise, or at the onset of a drop
so you have to be aggressive at times to take advantage of it. The
Lower Canyon is still too fast, and the Farmlands is a good bet if you
can find a few soft gravel bars to wade fish but the big water and new
timber down in the river should keep you on your toes. Be careful.
We are heading way upriver to give it a shot. We'll be in touch,
thanks!
4/5/2011
We are still a
little ways out from fishable water, the reservoirs are nearly full and
the powers that be are beginning to release water. We will
definitely be having a high water spring this year! This is great
news for the fish, look for our trout to be big and strong this year but
it will make things more challenging for the angler. That's ok,
fly fishing is always hard. That's why we love it.
4/4/2011
The river is still
extremely high from the Teanaway downstream, the upper river above the
Teanaway is starting to look better but we are not quite there yet.
It won't take long for the upper river to come back in, so by later this
week we'll have rods and oars in hand! It looks like it is going
to be a high flow spring. The river volume is going to stay very
high and the river will clear up despite flows near 5,000 cfs. It
reminds us of 2006-2009 when were guiding at 5,000 in the spring
regularly. Last year had more favorable spring flows, but the
years prior the flows were big on average.
4/2/2011
We fished the Cle
Elum River below the dam near Roslyn yesterday and floated down to Cle
Elum. The Cle Elum River stays very clear even when the Yakima is
dirty everywhere else. There are not very many fish per mile in
the Cle Elum, but it has some very large fish so that keeps you on edge.
We landed one fish and hooked 2 others. Overall, pretty tough
fishing much like it often is. Keep in mind that this river stays
clear and if you simply need to wet a line with hopes that a big trout
might wind up on the other end don't be afraid to try it. It was a
good fix for us yesterday with the lower river being in such rough
shape.
Mother Nature
pulled a cruel prank on us to start April with a river that nearly hit
floodstage. The Lower Canyon will be back in shape in about a week
or so and the fishing will be great. Stay tuned until then.
There are many upsides to these high water events as they relate to the
health of our population so this is a good thing. It charges the
ground water so that summer water temperatures stay cooler, it brings
nutrients into the stream from the mountains, it helps juvenile fish in
the tributary streams relocate into the Yakima, and it cultivates the
habitat by moving log jams and other fish habitat into fresh locations.
3/30/2011 late
pm
We pulled a magic
trick out of our hats today and had GREAT dry fly fishing a mile or two
in front of the muddy swell that was chasing behind us. Take a
look at this graph, you wouldn't have thought it could be done.
The morning was great fishing.... the afternoon was rough. We were
barely in front of the worst of it. Driving back up the canyon in
the evening we saw logs, sticks, debris, and a few stumps floating along
- one stump I recognized and it had been relocated several miles!
Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to be a week or so before the
river is back in prime shape in the lower Canyon. Up above, the
river may clean up around Cle Elum but don't hold your breath.
There was torrential rain over the snow in the high ground and that is
never a good combo. The upside is you have some time to sit down
and look at your calendar for April and get a few trips, classes, or
Destination Outings planned with us.
CLASSES, OUTINGS, & EVENTS...
Don't forget to look at our calendar and get a date or two planned for
learning something or someplace new!
3/28/2011
The Lower Canyon was
back in EXCELLENT condition yesterday and although we did not fish, we
watched trout busting Skwalas on the surface while running shuttles in
the afternoon. Unfortunately, the river is on its way up big time
this morning up above. The Lower Canyon will fish today, but
another microburst of rain hit us yesterday and is on the way down.
We do expect the Skwala hatch to peak later this week with temperatures
finally getting over 60 degrees. The upside to these rain bursts
is that they hit fast, and run off fast. Usually the water mixes
pretty well coming in and the river should hold its clarity. Keep
an eye on it though, if the Canyon hits 3500 cfs it is definitely out of
shape at least for the first day or two of that high of a flow.
3/28/2011
The Lower Canyon is
definitely in less than ideal shape today after deluge of rain we had
over the weekend. Give it a couple of days to come back into ideal
shape, but it isn't unfishable right now if you have the day set aside
and just flat out need to fish. The weather is beautiful in
Ellensburg today, but the rain this past weekend didn't dampen the
spirit of the Red's Rendezvous on Saturday! It was too much fun to let a
little drizzle get in the way.
Thank you to everyone that
came out to the property on Saturday. The event was a huge success and
we introduced dozens of kids to fly fishing and casting, and their were
dozens upon dozens of anglers there interested in learning some basics
about fly fishing and wanted to know how to get started on this great
sport. It was truly a celebration of fly fishing and the outdoor
lifestyle. Brian O'keefe had to do an encore session of his
Outdoor Photography seminar because the lodge was so packed with no room
for more! The casting seminars were outstanding by all hosts.
We played lots of games including casting at and popping balloons with
flies for prizes. Steve Joyce actually caught a nice fish during
the nymphing seminar... what a venue to learn to fly fish!
The kids program was
probably the biggest hit. We dedicated 4 staff members to running
several hours of kids activities. It included kids fly casting, a
bug hunt in the river (see the slide show), fly tying, more fly casting,
and we rounded it out with a campfire and marshmallows! The kids
had a great time and it was the perfect way for them to learn to "love"
fly fishing instead of just tagging along with dad.
The giant KEEN raffle prize
giveaway went to Dan Morrison from Ellensburg! He bought only 2
tickets and won the package with a total value of $2250. It
included a G Loomis NRS Rod, Abel Spring Creek fly reel colored like a
Rainbow Trout, Simms Waders, Boots, Simms Jacket, Fishpond Wasatch Pack,
5 Dozen Trout Flies, and more! We raised quite a bit of money for
KEEN and the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway project. We will continue
working towards raising money for KEEN as this vision progresses.
Congratulations to Mark Kane
for winning 1st place in the Red's Casting Competition. He took
home a Redington RS4 Fly Rod! (a GREAT rod, the best casting rod under
$200 that we have ever touched).
For 2nd place, Jeff Picard and Erik Hansen were dead locked in the
finals. Jeff Picard edged out a win during a cast off with a
fantastic round. With the crowd watching and under pressure he
threw his best round of the day to win a Redington Rise Reel and a Rio
Fly Line ($200 + value). Erik rounded out 3rd with lots of solid
shots to take home a Rio Gold WF Floating Line. It is
inspirational to watch great casting, and there was plenty of it at the
Rendezvous.
The spey casting seminars
are always good, but the thing I seem to remember most were all the guys
that had never even considered spey casting before not giving up the
rods! They got a hold of a rod wouldn't let go! That is a
good thing. There were definitely some new passions developed out
there on Saturday. Many people discovered just how fun learning
some new skills can be instead of just flat out trying to catch a fish
every time they hit the water. About 25 people learned how to
Double Haul, how is that for progress?!
Overall, the event blended
family, fishing, friends, and fun all into a single time and place that
introduced us to some new folks but it also introduced people to one
another. There were no doubt some new fishing friends made on
Saturday that will last a lifetime. We thank everyone that was
able to make it out despite the weather, and we are already planning the
next one! We have lots of new ideas that will bring us all
together for a great time.
3/26/2011
The Lower Canyon might
be out for most of the day.... that is ok though! Come to the big
Rendezvous and have a great time. We have several casting courses
and lots to see and do. The Raffle prizes are out of this world
and everyone has a chance to win a prize just for showing up, oh yea,
did I mention it is free? See you sometime today!
3/242011
Anglers: Dick, Jerry,
and
Joe R.
Time:
11 am -
6:30 pm
Location: MM20 to Lmuma
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: 10+ Trout landed, more on dries than nymphs!
If you are coming to the Rendezvous on Saturday (which you should!), and
have a leak in your waders. Just bring that old stinky set into us
and we will give you $75 OFF a new set of G3 Waders and Simms Guide
Boots (when purchased together)! If you choose to just get waders,
you'll get $50 for bringing in a set of waders and in case you are
wondering.... we'll take ANY waders on trade.
The river is clear again and the dry fly fishing came around yesterday.
We caught more fish on dry flies than nymphs for the first time of the
year yesterday. We are hoping that the bite holds through this
weekend so that you can mix a day at the Red's Rendezvous with a fishing
trip in the Canyon. The lower Canyon was pretty off color until
yesterday and it cleared up a lot during the day as we were fishing.
We saw good numbers of fish up to our dry flies and if anybody pulls a
hand tied Skwala out of a big fish across from the Alfalfa pasture drop
it by the fly shop! We left 2 flies in big fish down there last
night. The water temps look good all week because the lows are
only supposed to barely dip down to freezing, unlike last week where
they were in the 20's most of the week.
3/22/2011
Anglers: Mark, Richard,
Arlan, Steve, Mike C.,
and
Joe R.
The upper Canyon was stingy yesterday. However, we felt like the
day was a success because we worked very hard and were able to boat a
half dozen fish or so. Each trout seems to take on more value when
you catch less of them. There were definitely some "feel good"
trout worked into the mix. We landed a couple of dandy Cutthroat
and several were on dry flies. The native Westslope Cutthroat that
live in the Upper Yakima are among the prettiest in the world.
Arlan landed some great fish on a streamer which turned out to be as
productive as any other strategy. By day's end, the group landed
fish on dries, nymphs, and streamers. The only words of advice
from yesterday is that you have to stick with the flies that you know
will work and fish them well and fish them hard! The fish are
always sitting underneath just hoping you will give up and get
soft...... so don't loose your edge even when the fishing is rough!
The lower river fished much better than the upper yesterday. Derek
guided the Lower Canyon and had an above average day, and it kicked out
better numbers of fish than Mike and I saw in the upper end. Of
course the trade off is that we landed some gorgeous Cutts. As far
as river conditions goes, the LC (lower Canyon) is back in great shape
and is ready to fish on dry flies this week. The weather won't be
"hot" but it will be warm enough to ignite some hatches without
jeopardizing the river flows. We are very excited about the
Rendezvous coming up on Saturday, don't miss it!
Click for more information.
3/19/2011
- late pm
The river shot up big
time today, mainly due to the creek and drainage systems in the lower
Kittitas Valley. The rain yesterday caught up with us big time in
the lower river. The river was in good shape from down to the
Swauk Creek/Taneum Creek area and then it got quite a bit dirtier, but
the rough stuff was pouring in right around Eburg.
We had guides throughout the
system, and we all wound up making a day out of conditions that were
pretty rough in the lower river. We landed 6 nice trout (in the
net, no LDR's!) in the Lower Canyon which was a feat considering the
poor conditions, and Derek J fished the Upper Canyon and had the same
results. We turned 3 nice trout on dry flies in the Lower Canyon
including a great Cutt.
Sunday looks much better,
the river is dropping and clearing now and it will be in decent shape in
the Lower Canyon tomorrow which is great news. The Skwalas are out
and as the river shapes up it will get better. Rough flows today!
Looking forward to the flows settling down over the next few days.
This has been an interesting week. Overall, great fishing.
Mike C. and Vern Crow had great fishing in the Lower Canyon on Thursday
fishing dry flies and droppers. Lots of fish, and a few biggies on
dry flies. The river has been running a consistent greenish-grey
which is slightly unusual. It isn't uncommon for it to get dirty,
but the tint this spring so far is somewhat unique. The scouring
we had in January must have gotten rid of most of the really small
particulate that is "mud" and the sediment coming down now isn't nearly
as thick because the river has continued to fish well despite limited
visibility. Just make sure you work slowly and patiently, the
water is cold and grey so you will need to get your fly quite close to
the fish.
The Upper
Canyon from Bristol to Thorp was amazing yesterday. We hooked fish
on both Streamers and Nymphs and for about 3 hours in the front half of
the day it was epic. 16"+ fish about every 10 minutes or so with
some great Cutts mixed in. It slowed down quite a bit after lunch
but with a little hard work we found some more nice ones in the back
half of the day. Focus hard on the spots you know there to be fish
and ignore the mediocre stuff.... "don't try to make something out of
nothing!" (a quote from the day that was worth its weight in
gold).
The
Wenatchee River is on fire for steelhead. We fished the Wenatchee
Thursday and hooked a few of the biggest, brightest fish I have
personally seen there. Usually the fish on the Wenatchee run 5-9
pounds with it being extremely rare to see a fish over 10 pounds.
We hooked 2 that looked to be in the low teens, and another that was a
chunky 11 pound fish. All the big fish were wild and jumped
numerous times. I think that these bigger fish must hold in the
Columbia all through the fall and winter and then push in just prior to
spawn and that is why we are seeing more big fish now than in the fall.
I couldn't get over how much they jumped for Summer run in March.
We landed one hatchery fish, and of course... kept it since we are
required. When I was cleaning this fish I checked out the stomach
contents like I always do and had more content than I have ever seen in
a Steelhead's stomach. It had 2 Stonefly Nymphs and a numerous
Caddis Larvae! This puts any debate as to whether these fish eat
or not to rest. Obviously they do. There was also a lot of
unidentified matter in its intestines that had been digested suggesting
that it had been routinely feeding. This is pretty cool info to
have. Usually there is just a small bug or two, but I have talked
with a biologist on the Methow that is also a fisherman and he has told
me many accounts of Stonefly Nymphs and Crawfish in the stomachs of
hatchery Steelhead. Try to fish the Wenatchee the next couple
weeks, there are some big fish in that river right now.
3/12/2011
- late pm
Anglers: Leif, Steen,
and
Joe R.
Time: 10:30 am -
5 pm
Location: MM20 to Red's
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: About 8-10 nice trout landed, 3 on dry flies.
The river didn't drop or clear up as much as we thought it would but the
fishing was ok anyway. There was about 18" of visibility and that
was plenty if you knew right where the fish were hiding. However,
it is tough fishing for guys prospecting and trying to locate fish in
the cloudy water. Being out here everyday gives you the upper hand on
the trout. Keep in mind the water is still very cold and you need
to "feed" the fly to the fish very slowly and extremely drag free.
The fish won't be much help coming to get it or chase it because they
can't see it very well in the cloudy water, and it is cold so they don't
want to expend energy chasing things they aren't certain are food!
Go slow and be patient while working the water in great detail. I
would encourage anglers to do short drifts or wade spots they are very
familiar with. It looks like the river will drop and clear more
tonight than last night, so the fishing tomorrow will likely be better.
3/11/2011
- late pm
The report... here it goes. We
carved out a good day today from Ringer to Red's although early in the
day was quite muddy and the water temp was down to 39 degrees. We
fished our brains out, hooked 1 on a streamer, 3 on dries, many on
nymphs. 10+ trout landed, several great fish. Don't feel bad
if you didn't have success today, because conditions were rough.
The Lower Canyon cleared up about 2:30 pm and the evening fishing was
great on a #10 Jimmy Legs Stonefly nymph. Leif got a couple of
nice trout on a pink San Juan Worm. Tomorrow is looking good, and the
Canyon will be back in nice shape. Don't expect the dry fly
fishing to turn red hot tomorrow, but there will be some available if
you dedicate yourself to it. All 3 dry fly fish we hooked were
very nice trout about 14" or so. Good job to everybody that fished
hard today, it wasn't easy but it was very rewarding. Days like today
require you to dig in and demand more from your fishing than just
flopping the fly about in the current and waiting for a bite. When
conditions are easy, anyone can get a few decent drifts in a row and
catch a fish. On a day like today, you might need to get 50-100
perfect drifts in a row to catch a fish. It is not easy,
experience and concentration pay big dividends when the water is 40
degrees and dirty. It was inspiring however to watch anglers today
respond to coaching and hook some great fish in conditions that demanded
an above average skill set and the ability to consistently place great
drifts again and again. They were very patient and kept
working on their drifts and it paid off in the end. Regardless of your
success on any given day, always seek to improve your presentation
abilities and always believe you can get better because we all can.
Days like today are essential to building a fully developed skill
set.... so if you were out there in the Canyon fishing your brains out
but didn't have success don't feel bad. Just keep working on your
presentation and your ability to move the fly around the river with
great efficiency - because that is what will bring you great success.
There are never any secrets around here. We'll tell you exactly
what flies we use, or where we go. Success seems to always lie in
the realm of the angler's ability to present the fly so keep fishing
hard and try to enjoy it even when the chips are down!
3/10/2011
- late pm
Anglers: Derek J and the
boys
Time: 11 am -
5:30 pm
Location: Red's to MM10
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: Incredibly tough windy conditions... tough fisherman persevered
though and had a darn good day of fishing!
We knew it
would be windy, but the lower Lower Canyon was a tornado in action.
Combine that with a river that went on an exponential rise last night
and that is a recipe for tough fishing. It pays to have a hearty
experienced guide though, Derek made a fabulous day out of conditions in
which most anglers would have thrown in the towel. They rose over
20 fish to a dry Skwala, and caught other fish nymphing (although all
Derek and I only discussed was the dry fly fishing so I don't know how
many). They landed 4 fish that were 18"+ which is remarkable
fishing. Especially for early spring.
The river
came up substantially today due to a VERY inconvenient burst of
torrential rain that hit the valley in the middle of the night.
The water clarity in the Canyon got really poor about 2 pm and there was
a wall of mud moving down that Wilson Creek pushed out. It was
like a nightmare in action watching that water get brown while we were
running shuttles. We think the river will level off tonight
and come back into shape by mid day tomorrow. It is very hard to
predict what it will do, but since the fishing has been so good we are
planning on fishing tomorrow full speed ahead. Call us about 9 am
if you are planning on coming over and want a clarity report in the
morning. Our guides plan on fishing above Wilson Creek if the
Canyon is dirty.
One of the best days I have seen in early March in many years... if not
ever. The only downside was that we did not fish dry flies enough,
we had about 15-20 great trout eat dry flies, most of which were mature
fish in the 14-17" range. Unfortunately we started to fish the dry
flies too late after we caught tons of fish nymphing. We saw a few
adult Skwala Stoneflies on the water and we switched over had great
success. March can be a rough month, we just about got blown off
the river a few times today so we threw fast action rods and leaned into
'em deep. As they say, March comes in like a Lion so you never
know what you will get for weather or fishing but today was as good as
it gets. Hopefully the bite will hang on through the weekend.
It wasn't just the hatch spurring them on, it was a boost in water
temps. They were up several degrees from this past week and the
fish were feeling especially spunky. The Skwala hatch is only a
small part of the "bite".
Overall, good fishing. We worked very hard to get a young lady her
first trout on a fly rod yesterday and after hours of hard work, several
hooked and lost fish, and many speedbumps we did it! It was a nice
Rainbow on the very last cast of the day. No joke, what's more is
that it was a double - our only double of the day too. The fishing
really picked up late in the day around 4:30 or so. We had to work
very hard for the fish early and we tried a lot of different flies.
Our best combo was the Kaufman's style stone in Skwala dubbing with a
purple Mayfly nymph #14 behind it. We also used a piece of
Dinsmore split shot #4.
Another
cool story from the week. We had guests that went on a trip to a
famous lodge in Chile, great lodge BTW, but the fishing was very slow
with not much happening. Very few fish, one angler did not hook a
fish at all. They decided that after their 18 hour flight back
they wanted to squeeze in one last hoorah for their vacation and they
drove straight from Seatac to the Yakima and had WAAAAYYY better fishing
on the Yakima that one day than their whole week in Chile. Silly
numbers of fish on the Yakima , with a handful of 16" plus fish.
Moral of the story... maybe the Yakima is better than we think?
Great fishing today! We had 2 fish eat dry flies, we saw them
rise... threw the dry... they ate the dry... but we missed 'em.
So... we tied on a nymph or two and spanked 'em. Great fishing
today. Things will be picking up this next week and we are about
10 days out from some good dry fly fishing. You haven't missed a
thing. Over the years I have monitored the calendar and most years
the Skwala hatch gets going around the 10th - 12th of March. We
are pretty anxious in the Canyon right now but the upside is we have
another week of great nymph fishing for above average sized trout and
VERY FEW anglers. We didn't see a soul today. Hopefully we
see you in the next several weeks down at the fly shop getting advice
and a few flies. We have some great new flies and we will happy to
set you up with good advice, a shuttle, and a smile! We'll even
crack a few jokes if you hang around more than 5 minutes or so.
3/2/2011
Results:
Well, here we are kicking off March with snow on the ground! That's ok
though, because the temperatures have gotten much more mild and that
lends itself to productive fishing. Other than the roads being a
little slushy the overall outlook is good. Look for the Skwala
hatch to be delayed at least 10 days or so from now. The water
temperature peaked at 37 degrees yesterday which is very cold, but
warmer than it was a week ago! Which is what really matters when
it comes to the appetite of the fish. However, we need the water
to get into the low 40's for productive Skwala hatches to appear so in
short.... you haven't missed anything yet! Get your trips planned
and get a box full of good flies beforehand. It should be a great
spring. We have been seeing an above average number of "big fish
(16"+)" this year so far.
2/27/2011 - pm
Results:
Looking better these next few days, but still fairly chilly.
Posted by:
Joe R.
We are still battling
some below average temperatures but things are looking good the next few
days. Although it won't be "warm" per say, it will be a relief for
the fish which were recently said to be protesting with some sort of
hunger-fast down in the canyon due to the unexpected ice flow that
formed this past week. But always after a severe cold snap there
is always a good rebound bite and the fish are looking to make up for
lost time. Keep thinking "winter water" and focus on the slowest
seams. Bring your bugger box and a sink tip! Lately a
Tan Sculpzilla has been working the best. This is a good time
of year to go through your kit bag and make sure your gear is "river
ready" and you are good to go once game time rolls around. I like
to organize my bugs in a neat orderly fashioned and I cull anything that
I wouldn't be proud to put on the end of a leader and throw at a trophy
trout. Check for hook sharpness too. Small hooks need to be
fresh to penetrate. Make sure your tippet isn't expired, because
that stuff breaks down over time and its strength can be reduced by as
much as 50%. Test it. Also, make sure your indicator
selection is good. Thingamabobbers work great when the trout are
taking hard, but there are a handful of us Pro's that still use Yarn in
cold water. Yea, its old fashioned and out of style, plus it takes
a little extra prep time, but it works. Especially on days when
trout are hard to come by. When you are getting paid to catch fish
we find it worth the extra effort sometimes. Clean your fly line.
Chances are you aren't fishing right now (the shop has been empty!), so
most likely you are sitting at home reading Powerhour when you could be
cleaning your line and reading Powerhour. Get some
Rio Agent X dressing. It repairs your line and put a nice
slick coat on the line which will make your fly cast shoot like
Superman... errr.... Brian O'keefe (whom will be at the Red's Rendezvous
on March 26th). We'll check back with you later in the week with
some fish pics or something more inspiring but in the meantime manifest
your gear and get ready.
2/24/2011
Results:
Mega snow, very cold today.
Posted by:
Joe R.
Nasty snow storm today,
it looks like Mother Nature was teasing us the last couple of weeks.
The fishing got tough over the weekend, but it felt great to "earn" your
fish. It seems like regardless of what you catch the "fun" level always
remains at a constant r.p.m. as long as you are in the right company.
I got to fish with an old friend from way back on Monday. In fact,
he got me into fly fishing and is one of the best fly tiers I have ever
seen. I'll post a picture of one of his patterns after I get done
with this post. While spending the day throwing buggers on sink
tips we reminisced about all the trips past, the silly mistakes we have
made over the years while fishing, and joked about how our evolution of
anglers took so darn long. My old pal and I went to the same high
school and he was a few years ahead of me at Central Washington
University in Ellensburg, and he took me under his wing especially when
it came to fly tying. At that time, there were no "fly shops" per
say and very little fly fishing information available. The
internet was still in start up phase, there was no Powerhour!, no
Youtube videos, and we had to tie all of our flies because the pawn shop
in town (the Trading Post) didn't have a whole lot of selection.
The old version of Red's was the only other game in town. We
recollected many trips wading the river at over 4,000 cfs, falling in,
soggy waders, dirty water, no fish, knotted leaders, etc..... but
we still just flogged away at the river with euphoric pride.
We never caught much back then but it sure was fun. Maybe the slow
fishing on Monday reminded us of the old days because we had a heck of a
good time and only boated one fish. We stuck a few other biggies
stripping buggers in the big pools but they all seemed to shake off.
Anyway, take a minute today to think about some of your humorous past
trips where you made mistakes, had completely the wrong flies, didn't
catch much, got wet, or something went wrong.... It was still fun
anyway wasn't it? Man I love fly fishing.
2/20/2011
Anglers: Connor, Roe, and
Joe R.
Time: 12 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Ringer to MM20
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: About 10-12 fish landed including about 4 Ytfish. We
worked hard for them yesterday.
The fishing was slower yesterday, we yanked out enough fish to keep us
very satisfied but it was fairly stingy. The cold weather is
making the mornings very slow, and the afternoon bite shorter and
sporadic. We did however catch a few very nice fish and you
couldn't ask for better weather. Great sunshine all day. The
dry fly fishing is a couple weeks out, but keep checking back to to see
when it is to get going. Don't feel bad if you were on the river
yesterday and weren't catching many fish. The fishing required
some finesse, and knowledge on exactly where to stop and focus your
efforts. The best tip from yesterday was to look for obscure soft
seams near the larger pools that you might normally ignore. We had
to be very patient and position our drifts to work the softest water.
2/18/2011
Anglers: Troy, Shan, and
Joe R.
Time: 12 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Umtanum to Lmuma
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: About 10 trout landed, nothing over 15-16" but all nice fish.
We worked fairly hard for them.
We are extending our $269 Yakima River Float Trip pricing through the
end of the month, so take advantage if you want an affordable yet high
quality guided trip. We fished only nymphs and streamers
yesterday. There simply wasn't a "dry fly vibe" going on with the
fresh dusting of snow we got in Ellensburg night before last and
although we didn't look at the water temps, they weren't climbing much.
We found that fishing the very slow edges was the most productive, and
really taking your time and working down river working "spots" was the
way to do it. Other than Joe pitching streamers against the bank
and getting a few average sized fish, most of our fish were hooked
wading in very distinct holes. The trout are still holding in
"winter water" so take your time along the deep ledges. Troy had some
good success by adjusting the depth of his indicator in specific pools.
Watch for the next few weeks to pop the top off the Skwala hatch.
It will take some warm day to break it loose. The last couple days
have been absolutely beautiful blue bird skies in Ellensburg, but the
air is cold. Once we get water temps in the low 40's for a few
days straight things will get going on the surface. Just so you
know, you can link to the Yakima River Water Temperatures chart through
the "River Flows & Conditions" link in the
general navigation to your left.
2/17/2011
This is a neat blog post on
another website about a recent trip with Red's. It is a great
perspective on coming out to Red's for a day of early spring fishing and
a night at the lodge.
http://www.squashhousequilts.com/
2/16/2011
Anglers: Candice,
Robert, and Derek J.
Time: 11
am - 4 pm
Location: Lmuma to Mahre's
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: About 10 fish landed, including a few great rainbows 16-18" and
a couple of ytfish.
Don't get too hot and bothered about any dry fly fishing just yet, it is
still very cold at night in the valley here. The river is coming
into nice shape right now after being a tad higher than normal over the
last 10 days or so. Fishing yesterday was productive with VERY
light takes in the softest seems, more like typical wintertime "slow
motion" nymphing that puts you into a subtle trance that you have to
break out of at the moment of hook set. Derek J was able to find
some large trout in some extremely slow water yesterday. He said
the water temperatures had taken a dive and he had to adjust from the
walking speed seems that he had been fishing and focus his efforts into
the soft deep buckets. It takes a lot of patience but it paid off
for Candice and Robert with some great fish. It is still
wintertime so go slow, be detail oriented and try to pick apart the
"holding" water and shy way from the riffles until we get a significant
warm up. Our guide Shan reported that the fishing got very good
from 4 pm - 5 pm last night as the water temperatures peaked and there
was flurry of bites. Good luck this weekend, the river is in
great shape!
Great news regarding the
Rendezvous! Brian Okeefe will be hosting an "Outdoor Photography"
seminar to help you learn the basics of taking spectacular fly fishing
photos with the camera you already have. Sage fly rods has agreed
to host the casting arena, so you will have access to all of the most
popular models to play with in the casting games and the Federation of
Fly Fishers (FFF) will be sponsoring some Dutch casting games that are a
lot of fun. The event is really coming together and we hope to see
you there. We decided that the admission will be free to the
public and we encourage you to set the whole weekend aside for fishing
and coming the Rendezvous. We will be updating the
Rendezvous Page every few days so stay
tuned and we should have a schedule of events posted very soon that has
all the details regarding seminar times etc. This is a great
chance to learn from the pros... without paying for it!
The Yakima River is coming back
down into nice shape after running fairly high, but not unfishable, this
past week. Expect the river to be slightly higher than normal, and
a little green this weekend but don't be put off because conditions are
ripe for some GREAT early spring nymph fishing. Use Skwala nymphs
and consider a San Juan worm as a trailer. It is a little early
yet for any big expectations to be met with a dry fly, but it won't be
much longer and with all the low lying snow gone in the Ellensburg
valley it is shaping up to be a great dry fly spring. Anytime the
water is low and clear it forces the fish towards the surface because
nymphs are not as readily available. It is about time! The
last several years have boasted huge spring runoff making the dry fly
fishing scarce.
Back from MX.... It will be nice for us to get back to trout
fishing after spending some time in Ascension Bay, Mexico. Steve
is still down there right now and the fishing has been very good this
week, especially for the elusive Permit, aka Palometa in Spanish, which
are said to be the most coveted and challenging of all the flats
species. To get one single Permit in a week of fishing is a feat!
Steve got 3 week before last, and has at least one so far this week
currently. Joe landed his first Tarpon and the highlight from last
week may have Bonefish Paradise, white sands and dozens of tailing
Bonefish in ankle deep water! If you are interested in learning
more about this trip for 2012, come to the
Red's Rendezvous II for a low pressure slide show and presentation
about the "in's and out's" of fly fishing Ascension Bay. It is a fun
presentation without a sales pitch.
If you don't plan to fish
this weekend, and are looking for something to do. Consider coming
down to see us at the Pacific Northwest Sportsman's Show. It is
the biggest show west of the Mississippi and has an extensive fly
fishing arena with a huge casting pool indoors, competitions, and lots
of great seminars and vendors. We'll be there putting on casting
seminars on the pool, and we'll do several theatre presentations along
with fly tying every day. Come see us.
2/3/2011
Anglers: Bo
and Derek
Time: 1 pm - 4 pm
Location: Big Pines to Roza
Posted by: Steve J.
Results: 6 nice trout landed and a couple Whitefish.
Flies: Brassie #18, Matt's Double Beaded Stone #10, Ice Dub Skwala
Stone Nymph #10, Olive Pat's #8, Rock Creek Skwala
Stone #18, and a variety of San Juan's #8.
With the cooler temperatures the past several days, the river has dropped into prime shape, is ice free, and we have a GREAT weather forecast for the upcoming weekend! While nymphing has been the mainstay, we have caught fish on streamers, and even had a few SLOOOWWW looks at Skwala dries last weekend. The flood has certainly changed some areas of the river, but nothing to be concerned about in the way of obstructions from Ringer down. We have been finding fish in the slower deeper bubble lines and center channels. Be highly in tune with your indicator when nymphing, as many of the strikes you will get fishing cool water conditions are very subtle! The Wenatchee is also back in shape, so if you're wanting to do some Steelhead fishing it is an option! It's still a little on the high side for wading, but boat access (launches) and river clarity are good. We have had several guides up there who have caught fish on 2 different sections. We're looking forward to a great Spring season and hope you make it over to enjoy it with us!
Pacific Northwest Sportsman's Show - in Portland Show
Info
The biggest show of the season is coming up February 9-13! There is A
LOT of action for fly fisherman, or aspiring fly fisherman to enjoy at
this show. We will be doing fly tying seminars, and "how to"
presentations.
It is a fun show with lots of great prices on rods, waders,
gloves, $.50 flies, and more!
Come on down, chat fishing, and take
advantage of some great closeout deals. If you are even thinking about
new wading boots don't miss this!
1/25/2011
Many western Washington Steelhead rivers are closing February 1st, so if
Steelhead fishing is on your agenda consider heading our way. The
Wenatchee River is fishing good for Steelhead! Doug P. landed 2 fish
yesterday near Leavenworth and the river is in great shape. The
Yakima is just now coming into decent shape, a few more days and it will
be ideal. The good news amidst all this runoff is that we will have epic
dry fly fishing in March because the water will be low and clear which
forces the fish to feed on top because the nymphs won't be getting
stirred up by big spring runoff.
1/24/2011
We still aren't quite there
yet, but it is coming down fast. It will be a few more days, just
be patient! Come see us at the Puyallup Sportsman's Show this
week. We'll be doing some seminars at the indoor Steelhead River
and there will be a GREAT seminar on how to "unlock" the Yakima River on
Saturday. See you there!
1/20/2011
The river is dropping
fast, but it won't be in by Sunday. Keep watching the website and
we'll let you know when to string up and head our way!
1/18/2011
The flows hit about
28,000 cfs in the Lower Canyon last night and it has crested and is now
starting to drop. The river went much higher than predicted and
won't dropping nearly as fast either. We are looking at about 6-7
days before it might be fishable again. We are high and dry down
here at Red's in case you were wondering! It looks like we will be
fishing an entirely different river this spring, second year in a row.
1/17/2011
This graph is from the
NOAA Northwest River Forecast Center and is for the Yakima River flow at
Umtanum as of this morning. The river is expected to climb to
roughly 12,000 cfs by tomorrow so any thoughts of fishing should be
buried deep down inside you and not brought up again until Saturday or
so. By then, flows will be looking good and a dropping and
clearing river is almost always great! Cheers, Red's.
1/11/2011
The forecast is looking
great! This is an amazing outlook for this upcoming weekend.
After the bad cold snap that we just pulled through the fishing looks
like it is going to be very good. Reports from the past 2 days were
positive from the Lower Canyon and Farmlands, and poor from the Thorp
area. Looks good for this upcoming week though!
1/8/2011
Anglers: Steve, Blaise,
and Joe R.
Time: 1 pm - 4 pm
Location: MM20 to Umtanum
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: 3 or 4 very nice trout landed, 1 Ytfish, and 2 suckers.
Flies: Brassie #18, Matt's Double Beaded Stone #10, Ice Dub Skwala
Stone Nymph #10, Olive Pat's, Black Copper John #16, Rock Creek Skwala
Stone #18
I have never fished the river with that much shelf ice and free floating
ice bergs coming down, the boat was being BOMBARDED by drifting ice
chunks breaking free and floating downstream as the water warmed up and
began to melt the 2' thick shelf ice along the edges. It was like
being on another planet. When we launched the boat it just sat
there on top of the ice and we had to slide it about 20' across the
shelf ice into the river, then walk on the ice out to the boat and step
in as though we were stepping off of a pier. The fishing was
actually worthy, but the river is VERY different when there is that much
ice. The river was channelized and the flow was deeper and fast
than it normally is because the ice has it condensed. It was
really fun. Our expectations weren't high and we went out to just
have some fun in the sun on a beautiful winter day and wound up getting
some nice Rainbows and a couple of ancillary species. I wouldn't
recommend fishing until the ice situation gets resolved in about a week
hopefully. The boat launch ingress and egress are challenging
right now.
1/6/2010
Still lots of shelf ice both on
the edge and free floating in the Canyon but there were fish rising
between the ice bergs today at Frustration Flat! We are back at it
and guiding tomorrow, what the heck, we're not getting any younger so we
are going for it. After every hard freeze there will be a rally on
the warm up so don't be afraid to give it a shot. The worst thing
that can happen is you give it a shot and you don't catch fish but still
have a great time. We can handle that, in fact, it sounds like
fun. We'll let you know how it goes. It would have been
impassible from Umtanum to Red's due to the ice at Pac Man today, but by
tomorrow it should be wide enough to squeeze through. Hopefully
there won't be a new version of the Titanic written tomorrow! What
a movie that would make. It said Fear No Rock on the side, but
they didn't say anything about ice bergs so we'll approach with caution.
1/3/2010
Severe ice up on the river
today. Once the temp dips below zero its all she wrote!
Later in the week it is going to warm up and it is likely that the river
will be fishing but there will be some significant shelf ice.
Overall it has been a nice winter. Go Hawks!
12/31/2010
Too cold to fish today
or tomorrow, but just about right for bird hunting or watching football.
We had shelf ice form yesterday, and I haven't looked at the river yet
but there is a good chance we have some ice flow this morning because it
is 1 degree in Ellensburg right now. Watch the forecast for a warm
up trend, and there will be a great bite that develops as the water
warms back up. Happy new year! Red's.
12/28/2010
Anglers: Dennis, Mark,
and Joe R.
Time: 10:30
am - 4 pm
Location: MM20 to Red's
Posted by: Joe R.
Results: About 10 trout landed, 4 Ytfish.
Flies: Brassie #18,
Red Brassie #18,
Matt's Double Beaded Stone #10 (the smaller one... much better than the
big boy)
Great day on the water, and thanks to everybody that fished with us
today. It is always fun to see new anglers give fly fishing a try
even when it is cold out. One of the guests in my boat today had
never nymph fished once in his life, and is pretty much new to fly
fishing and guess what?.... he caught the most trout! The fishing
was pretty good when you could line up a good float without the slight
breeze pushing the indicator onto tension (there is a surprising amount
of wind drag that occur on strike indicators). During the winter,
even the slightest amount of tension can render the fly inedible so it
is critical to try and work with the wind whenever possible. Feeding
line with the wind and current at the same time makes the drift much
more natural, and it helps your casting too. The big fish were taken on
the stonefly nymph today, but most of our fish were hooked on the
Brassie. We stuck with the basics and didn't get cute trying new
patterns with the wind gusting the way it was. We did use 3X
Fluoroflex to our stonefly and the fish ate it willingly. Normally
I like 4X, but with the breeze and the tangles I decided 3X might keep
us in the water more and it not only stayed tangle free but hooked fish!
Always bump your tippet size up a little when you are getting a lot of
tangles or it is windy. We did however stay with 6X to the Brassie
and it paid off because that where we generated most of our hookups.
The next few days looks COLD, so come out and go upland bird hunting
with us instead of fly fishing. You don't have to be a good shot,
and you don't even need a hunting license on our preserve... so what are
you waiting for? Ok ok, a special deal? How about $399 for a
guided Pheasant hunt for up to 9 Roosters? Or, $299 for a self
guided hunt? You can split that cost as many ways as you like with
a few buddies and make it very affordable. We call it the "9
Rooster Cardio Booster", but most of our clients just call it good clean
fun.
Complete
Switch Rod Package! - TFO Deer Cre
