About the Author

Steve Joyce

Steve is one of the original partners at Red's Fly Shop. He was born and raised in Billings, MT. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Carroll College where he played football for 4 years. His wife Natalie is from Choteau, MT. Together, they have 3 wonderful children and feel lucky to raise a family in Ellensburg WA. Steve has guided extensively throughout MT, WA, and South America. His fly fishing travels have taken him around the world. He works in the shop and continues to guide fly fishing and bird hunting on a full time basis. If you have any specific questions for Steve, email him at steve@redsflyshop.com

Low flows could mean high water temps this summer!

June 10, 2015

?You can sheer a sheep a thousand times, but you can only skin it once!?

Water levels and water temperatures are, and will become a significant concern this year. While low water years are great for the fishing, they can be tough on the long term health of the fishery. We want to be proactive in our management of this issue, as our shop and guide service have a tremendous influence on the quality of this fishery. To protect these resources, we are outlining and implementing the following policy:

We want everyone who travels here to experience good fishing throughout this season, and for years to come. The success of our business is dependent on that! Therefore, as of June 15, we will be recommending Half Days on guided trips in order to minimize our daily impact. By simply reducing our time on the water, we feel as though we can reduce mortality significantly. To start with, these trips can be scheduled for whatever time best fits the clients schedule. Just like the outfitters have done annually in MT and other states, we can fish anytime until water temps (at Umtanum) touch 70 degrees at any point during the day. Once that happens, we will go to mornings only with no fishing past noon. At no time will our staff put a fly in the water with water temperatures in excess of 70 degrees.

The coolest time of day for water temps is about 730 AM. From there it rises until well past dark before it starts cooling down again. We anticipate this happening towards the end of July, but it could be sooner if the weather gets hot and stays hot. We are fortunate that the coolest water in the Yakima River system comes from the largest reservoir, Lake Cle Elum. That deep water storage helps a great deal, but as the reservoir draws down, temperatures can warm quickly.

-Consider running only one fly when nymphing. (2) flies may delay the unhooking and releasing time of trout.

-Bring trout in quickly and keep them in the water. Buy a catch and release tool and use it! Not handling these fish at all improves their survival.

Please don?t let this detour you from coming out! If you want to spend a full day out here, consider adding a bass or carp afternoon session, or even a round of sporting clays. Thank you for your continued support and understanding this season! Perhaps given the awareness that has been created, this will be the best summer ever for big fish survival and we'll all have 20" trout swimming at our feet. Okay, that is an extremely positive outlook but the idea of us actually improving the quality of the fishing by implementing these strategies is not far fetched. You all have the opportunity each and every time you fish to help improve this already amazing river.

Sincerely,

The Entire Red's Staff

I understand the implications this has on you short term and long term. Most people only look short term. So my harty THANK YOU. You will get my business whenever possible.
This shows who you are and how you care for the fish habitat and the fish. Good thinking.
Long term thinking to aid conservation of the resource. I just wish more people felt the same way. Bravo Red's.
Denial has proven to be problematic. Congratulations for stepping up to the line. It is the responsible and right thing to do.
Great post. You might also encourage your clients to forgo the hero shots. A "grip n' grin" is fine for Spring and Fall, but adds more stress to an already stressed out fish in the Summer.
What is the water temperature at currently?
Thank you for modeling the resource ethics that will help in maintaining our fish in the Yakima. This long-term approach will pay dividends even though short-term, I am sure there will be some level of financial loss. Good on all of you!
Please, let's all think about not doing the 'grip and grin" anytime of the year for the trout's health. "Let's CATCH and RELEASE all wild trout as if it's the last trout on earth".
Congratulations on a sensible approach to the problem. Hats off!
Conservation at its finest. Way to go, Reds!!
I am proud to fish with these guys, sense and sustainability before profit = long term success for all. Great write up Steve!
To quote Forest Brimley, "because its the right thing to do". I, like many others, applaud Red's moral conscience. If you haven't tried fishing for carp, now is the time---------its a hoot!
Totally think this is the right approach, but for those thinking of getting over to fish right now do it! Just got back 6/11 from an evening/morning guided trip and the fishing was great in the p.m. and ok in the a.m. Fish are big and biting so don't miss the fun but catch and release as noted in the article.
Guys, thanks so much for the support. We don't want to disrupt the flow of our guide service, but if we can minimize mortality and still get folks on the water that is a win-win. We genuinely want everyone to experience the best possible fishing whether they are with a guide or not. More fish = more catching for everyone including our guests.
Thanks for leading on this issue even though it will impact you this summer. Let's hope your stewardship will cause others to show the same respect for the fishery.