About the Author

Noe Perez

Noe Perez is one of our most diverse staff members and you'll find his smiling face in the shop, in the drift boat, in the shop, and on the shooting range. He hails from White Salmon, Washington, not far from the Klickitat River, and has always loved doing anything and everything outdoors. He is studying at Central Washington University and plans to be a Physicians Assistant. Noe loves elk hunting, fly fishing, and makes an Avocado salad that you would die for. He is a man of many skills.

Winter Fishing on the Yakima River

January 9, 2016

Yakima River Fishing Report

Hey guys, I've been itching to get out and catch my first fish of the new year. December was miserably cold on the east side of the mountains so we have all been in withdrawal. It finally warmed up and I got some free time, so Erik and I decided to go for a float. We started the day around 11 am and set up our float from Umtanum to Lmuma creek. We started out landing a nice bow on a blk/brwn Pats Stone #6 just a short distance below the bridge. Since the there had not been any pressure on the trout recently we opted for a larger fly and it paid off. The fish was laying out in some very soft water just at the edge of the main channel. Look for water just slower than walking speed right now, or if its not walking speed it needs to have some rolling chop or some type of significant current break.

We then pushed through some water that is moving too quick to hold fish right now. The next pool we got another one in the net at the tail out on a Red Beaded Power Worm #10, again big flies are always a good choice when the river hasn't been pressured. Its been weeks since it has been fishable due to the cold weather.

After moving down to another soft seam we managed to get another big bow to the net. This fish came in on an Olive Brassie #18. Make a few passes through the likely spots with your big bugs... THEN swap out to the little guy. One two punch.

Through out the day we hooked into another 4-5 fish that shook loose. The bite did slow down after about 2:30. Here's just a brief summary; spend most you time on a few deeper pools and work the soft edges. Big, then small flies. We did not streamer fish, but using some fairly heavy sculpin and a sink tip would certainly produce a few hefty rainbows.

Here's a list of flies used through the day:

-Pats Stone blk/brwn #6
-Red Beaded Power Worm #10
-DB Biot Stone #10
-Olive Brassie #18

-Black Zebra Midge #20
The weather should stay warm the next week so right now would be a great time to get out the water and get that first fish of the year!

Good update Noe from yesterday, thanks! How was today's fishing?
The fishing was a bit slower yesterday. didn't manage to get one into the net but had a few hook ups. definitely had the most action from about 11 AM till 1 PM
The switch to a black Dali Lama was the ticket last Saturday up around Irene. Two nice 18" plus rainbows on the swing.
nice, I have ever been here. :)