Yakima River Fishing Reports/2000

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11/21/00  BWOs are pretty much done for the season, although cloudy days with temps in the 40s or 50s can produce small hatches.  Midge fishing has been fair, mostly to smaller trout and whitefish.  With colder water temps trout have slowed their caloric intake, resulting in fewer catching opportunities for anglers.  Nymphs and streamers are the best producers.    
11/9/00 Fall hatches have slowed considerably over the past few weeks.   After a reasonably good start in mid October, bug activity has been disappointing compared to previous years.  As a result, dry fly fishing has been mostly slow, however, nymphing has been consistently good.  As water temps continue to drop, more fish will move into slower, deeper water, which translates into more nymphs and streamers.
10/17/00  Fall hatches are going strong, expect to see the best activity on cloudy days.  #18, 20 and 24 BWOs, # 14 Mahoganys, a few Cahills and #18 dark grey caddis. 
10/1/00 Fishing since the last report has been just average, with a few slow days and great days thrown in.  October caddis are the predominant hatch currently, and should be good for a few more weeks.  Summer Stones have slowed way down, and the fish don't seem to be looking for them as much.  Cahills have been disappointing again this year for the most part, but the big BWO hatches of fall are just around the corner.  Expect to see a few cranefllies, assorted minor mayfly hatches, and some decent fall caddis activity.  There are also lots of  spawning spring chinook in the upper reaches of the Yak, which have pushed trout out of their normal holding and feeding areas.   
9/20/00  The annual flip-flop (reducing flows from the Yakima reservoirs and increasing flows into the Tieton from Rimrock reservoir) went well this year.  The change, although always radical (this year from aprox. 4400 cfs to the current 1300 cfs at Umtanum) was done fairly gradually, with the greatest drop from Sept. 10 to Sept. 16.  Unfortunately this still has a huge impact on aquatic insects that are stranded by the dropping water levels.  Worse affected are October Caddis, which begin to pupate in Aug. and are unable to migrate as the river drops. The flip-flop was implemented to enhance Salmon spawning, and since Salmon are a much higher priority in the Yakima than bugs and trout, the flip-flop is most likely a permanent fixture.
     Fishing has been mostly very good since the last report.   The combination of dropping water and unusually high temps. between Sept. 10 and 16 produced poor fishing as trout moved out of many of there summer lies and into deeper and/or faster water.  Cooler weather this week, coupled with more stable water levels has begun to reverse this and the fishing is returning to normal.
     Summer Stones,  which have been a staple in the trout's diet since July, continue to emerge and should provide dry fly opportunities for a few more weeks.  October Caddis began to emerge in mid Sept. and the fish are beginning to key on them.  Other hatches include BWOs, Cahills, a few smaller caddis, and a variety of small mayfly hatches. 
8/28/00  Water levels and air temps have dropped over the past few weeks and fishing has been mostly good.  Summer Stones have begun to emerge in greater numbers and should continue be good well into Sept.  Caddis can be active throughout the day, but late afternoon to evening will usually be best.  Other bugs to watch for include tan and yellow mays, yellow sallys, BWOs, craneflies, hoppers, ants and other terrestrials.
7/31/00  Not much change over the past few weeks.  The river is running higher than normal and the weather has been on the warm side.  Best dry fly fishing has been early morning and late afternoon/evening.  Nymphs or streamers during late morning and afternoon.
7/6/00  The River is back to normal levels and is producing well.   Caddis, Summer Stones, PEDs, Yellow Mays, BWOs, Yellow Sallys and terrestrials.   The best dry fly fishing is in the morning and late afternoon/ evening.
6/27/00  The Yakima continues to drop and flows are now much lower than normal.  While the occasional low flows have provided some very good fishing, the 2 to 3 thousand cfs rise and fall of the river over the past months, particularly June, will have a negative impact on the aquatic insect populations.  Unfortunately, the Yakima is managed for the benefit of irrigators and salmon.  Trout are currently a low priority.  Excellent dry fly fishing today.  Caddis, Yellow Sallys, BWOs, Terrestrials and Summer Stones.  To access Yakima River Basin flow charts, click here.
6/24/00  Fishing has been good.  Trout are definitely beginning to look up again.  Pressure from flyfishers has been fairly light, but expect crowds of  salmon fishermen on the weekends, both on shore and in anything that floats.
6/21/00  The Yakima is back in great shape.  Dry fly fishing is still slow but should pick up again after the river has been stable for a few days.
6/13/00  After two days of excellent fishing, releases from the reservoirs have raised the Yak to unfishable levels.
6/11/00 The Yakima dropped rapidly the 7th through 9th, and fished extremely well this weekend, with huge PMD hatches lasting 4+ hours.  Caddis activity has been minimal, but will pick up as warmer temps move in.
6/7/00  Releases from the reservoirs on the 5th and 6th  have raised the yak to unfishable levels.
6/1/00 Good fishing. Strong PMD and Caddis hatches.
5/31/00  The Yak is still high (4400 cfs in the canyon) and is not fishing particularly well.
5/24/00  The Yakima is still rising and though water clarity is o.k., fishing has been very slow.  Once the levels have been stable for a few days, fishing should  improve.  Currently we are seeing Caddis, PMD's, Summer Stones, Salmon Flies, Yellow Sallys, Yellow Mays and BWO's.
5/18/00  After three weeks of mostly ideal water conditions, the Yak has begun to rise once again.  However, clarity and fishing have remained good.   Caddis are the mainstay of trout feeding, with both grannom (morning and afternoon) and hydropsyche (evening) emerging in good numbers.  PMD's are present, but spotty.
4/25/00  Cooler weather has dropped the river even more, but has also slowed the caddis activity.  However, the March Browns have more than compensated.  Comparaduns and parachutes will fool most fish, but bring a few soft hackles and cripples as well.  Hatches the past few days have been excellent.   BWO's are emerging in smaller numbers, but some fish still prefer them.  The fishing is generally slow after the March Browns are done for the day (unless caddis are active), but we have had some success with dry salmon fly imitations.  Look for the March Browns between 1pm and 3pm.  Caddis should become more active when the water temps reach 53-54 degrees.
4/22/00  The Yakima is back in great shape.  We've started seeing good Grannom flights in the afternoon, and should continue to see March Browns and some BWO.  Small numbers of Pteronarcys (salmon flies) have begun to appear as well.
4/16/00  Cooler weather this week has begun to drop the Yak.   May be fishable by Tues. or wed.  The upper stretches should drop and clear 24 to 48 hours before the Ellensburg and Canyon water.  To access Yakima River Basin flow charts,  click here.
4/11/00  The river is once again on the rise.
4/8/00 The Yakima is down to fishable levels with fair color.  Good March Brown and fair BWO hatches.  Trout are looking up in the right water.
4/3/00 Due to warm weather over the past few days, the Yakima is high and brown.  Cooler temps are forecast for the next week or so and the river should begin to drop and clear.

3/30/00  Flows have been fairly constant for the past 3 or 4 weeks and fishing with dry Skwala stone patterns has been the longest and most consistent in years.  Stimulators and other large attractors in sizes 10 or12 work well. Vary colors and types (high or low floating).  BWO's are emerging, with fairly good hatches on overcast days.  Most fish are still feeding primarily on nymphs, so patterns like pt's, princes, zug bugs, lighting bugs and stone nymphs work well.   Streamers are also producing.

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