Yakima River Fishing Report
 

August 19, 2008
Not much new on the Yakima.  Summer fishing continues to be very good on the surface with big dries as it has been for the past month.  We are catching fish on size 8 hopper patterns that are yellow, red, gray, purple, pink and black.  We will vary the color until we find the one that works best for any given day.  We are also fishing big mayfly patterns such as adams, purple haze and royal wulffs.  Make sure there is movement on the bug versus a dead drift.

Water Hazard - Left channel below the State (East Cle Elum) boat launch has lots of logs in it.  It is passable, but you need to be on your game.  Not for the inexperienced rower.  The right channel is easy just below the launch and is the recommend way to go.

August 5, 2008
Lots of dry fly fishing on the upper river with hopper type patterns.  Red, yellow, pink, gray have all been good colors for attacking fish.  Royal stimulators have also been productive.  We have also been fishing the canyon below Ellensburg early in the morning.  From 5:30 to 10:30 AM has been good for fish on the surface.  Make sure there is good movement on the dry fly versus just a dead drift.

The Methow is also fishing well with flows about 700 cfs.  Big dries and some streamers have been very productive.

July 21, 2008
The summer high flows are stable and the water clarity is great.  It's difficult to wade fish with the increase in flow for irrigation, however, fishing from a drift boat or raft is very good with dry flies and nymphs close to the stream banks.  Successful dry fly set-ups include a hopper pattern in gray or pink flesh color with a mayfly nymph dropper.  Good mayfly nymphs are patterns such as a regular Copper John, red Copper John or Prince Nymph in sizes 12, 14 or 16.  As the day progresses to evening, switch to a caddis pulpa dropper such as a sparkle pulpa.  For a good nymphing set-up, a brown stonefly nymph in sizes 8 or 10 with a mayfly nymph dropper tends to work well.  Place a BB size split shot about a foot from the top fly and a strike indicator six feet up and the nymphing set-up is complete.  No known obstructions exist other than one hard left between South Cle Elum bridge and the state boat launch, the state boat launch itself, and a very sharp and hard left just below the state boat launch.  The right channel below the state boat launch is the way to go.

The Methow is fishing well with big dries.  We have some guide trips headed in that direction if anyone is interested.

July 13, 2008
The river remains stable, the clarity is awesome and the fishing has been great. Big dries have been working. Try some big chernobyl  type stuff, as well as, stimis or parachute madam X's. Yellow. Tan, and red have been working well. The hoppers are also out, so try chucking your favorite hopper pattern right off the bank and you should have some success!

July 7, 2008
The river has stabilized with summer flows.  The water is nice and clear.  Fishing has been good with some big fish caught (over 20 inches) in soft water, off shelves, and in gentle seams.  There have been caddis, drakes and yellow mayflies on the water.  Sculpin patterns have also been productive.

June 28, 2008
Looks like the irrigation water is here.  We should have a few transitional days followed by typical Yakima river summer fishing at weeks end.  Comm'on Hoppers!

June 24, 2008
The river is back in shape from the irrigation water discharge with a stable larger flow and only a slight off-color green tint to the water.  Lots of bugs around by mid morning and into the afternoon hours.  We have been seeing drakes, salmon flies, golden stones, yellow mayflies and some caddis.  We been catching trout on some basic flies such as lightning bugs, brown stonefly nymphs, PMD nymphs (size 16 yellow underneath and brown on top) and some stimulators.  The weather is forecasted to be warm by the end of the week.  Lets hope the irrigation water will not flow during the weekend.

June 16, 2008
The Yakima is fishing good right now.  The flows are low and the clarity is good.  On the upper river, we have been having salmon flies and grey drakes on the surface with feeding fish.  Lots of other bugs including yellow mayflies, golden stones, crane flies, caddis and some March browns and mahogany duns hatching in the afternoons.  The weather is great - fish now before the flows increase with irrigation water.

June 10, 2008
Despite the weather being a little weird, fishing has been very good the past few days.  The river is about perfect in terms of clarity and flow.  Lots of mayflies in the afternoon with fish feeding on the surface in certain runs.  Nymphing is consistent throughout the day.  Dry flies include adams, yellow cahills, orange and yellow stimulators.  Effective nymphs have been brown soft hackles, peacock soft hackles, green or white sparkle pupa, golden stone nymphs, copper johns, and lightning bugs.

June 5, 2008
The river flow and clarity are just about great for fishing.  Lots of mayflies coming off from mid morning to evening along with crane flies and some caddis.  Nymphing is good with things such as copper johns and dries are good with the mayflies of hatch.

May 31, 2008
The water clarity is much better at about 3 feet.  Water flows are very nice.  Guided the upper river yesterday.  Lots of mayflies (March browns, yellow mays), caddis in the late afternoon and crane flies (small yellow and large brown).  The only surface activity were smolts on the caddis.  The fish we caught yesterday were on golden stonefly nymphs and the always delicious San Juan worm.  We needed to have the nymphs right on the bottom.

May 26, 2008
Fished the upper river yesterday.  A few nice bows and cuts were caught.  Clarity is about 12 inches.  Lots of mayflies hatching in the afternoon with only salmon smolts feeding on the surface.  All fish caught on big stonefly nymphs (size 4) or the San Juan worm.  Flows are okay for wading on the upper river.  Please be careful as it's difficult to see things in the water when wading due to poor clarity.

May 24, 2008
The Yakima flows are much improved and are look good for fishing.  The clarity is about 12 inches or better on the upper river with more of a olive color to the water versus chocolate.  We have canceled most of our guide trips this past week due to water conditions so I'm not completely certain of the fishing.  I've got to think it might be fishing okay given the trout have been swimming in the muddy water for over a week.  We will fish this afternoon and report back tomorrow.

May 16, 2008
The river is high and muddy.  Maybe late next week.  The basin lakes are fishing well and we also have a private local pond with lunkers if you're interested. 

A quick plug on our guide service.  We have several more days of availability on the Clark Fork in Montana during June.  We are hoping to hit the magic window between high water and summer heat when no wrong can take place.  We are also scheduling the Methow this year for trout fishing in the summer.  It's pretty awesome using big terrestrial dries in July and August.  Give the shop a call or send us an email.  Thanks - Jim

May 11, 2008
The river above the Teanaway river is in good shape in regards to clarity and flow.  Below the Teanaway is better every day.  Lots of different insects are available to trout.  These include March brown duns, blue wing olives, Mother's day caddis, golden stones and salmon flies.  We have only been catching fish on the surface with the March browns.  Nymphing has been good with large, stoneflies representing the salmon fly nymphs that are migrating out of the depths.  Peacock softhackles have been good when the caddis are coming out as not a lot of surface feeding seems to happen during the Mother's day caddis hatch on the upper river.  The feeding happens a little under the surface.

April 30, 2008
The teanaway is once again coming back into shape after a minor blowout.  We've really lucked out this year so far with only a few minor water quality issues, just when we think its going to get warm over here, it starts snowing again.  The upper river is looking great, your still going to have to work hard to find rising fish, but the nymph game has been steady and productive.  golden stone nymphs, caddis rock worms, march browns, bwo's are all standard dining fare for our resident trout.  Seeing lots of caddis larvae, the caddis madness should commence soon.  Skwala's are on the decline, but we thank them once again for making us grin from ear to ear.  Come by the YRFF booth at the FFF conclave in E-burg on Saturday and say hi. 

 April 25, 2008
Lots of March brown duns on the upper river sometime between 1 PM and 2:30 PM.  Lots of fun.  They are a little on the lazy side eating immergers versus the duns on the surface.  Also look for the bwo's mixed in with the Marchies and as the hatch is coming to an end.  Jim

April 23, 2008
 The Teanaway is back in shape, the upper river is perfect.  However, the weather has been anything but, daily snow showers all this past week are getting old, real old.  The fishing has been average, not bad, not great, just average.  But hey, the upper river is about quality, not quantity.  March browns, bwo's, and even a few skwala's are still on the menu.  With this cold weather, the surface feeders are very sporadic, an angler must cover lots of water and be in the right place at the right time.  Nymphing will be your best option, and never forget to throw a streamer if the mood strikes you.  It can only get better, right?  Caddis are coming, pmd's and more stoneflies are on the way.  Pray all that snow on the pass doesn't ruin your plans, if it gets too warm too fast, were gonna start crying and wonder what went wrong.  So get your behind over here, dress warm, get creative, get ur done!  YT

April 14, 2008
Well, the river below the Teanaway has become high and muddy.  Above the Teanaway is up slightly and a little off-color but clarity is generally good.  We are seeing a few very nice bows and cutts both on the surface and subsurface.  The skwalas are still on the water, particularly after 2 PM.  Sporadic blue wing olives and March brown duns appear about 1 PM.  Streamer fishing throughout the day is consistent with sculpin patterns fished on the dead drift or a slow, non-rhythmic retrieval.

April 2, 2008
In the spring, there is usually a couple of windows when a fly fisher can do no wrong.  One of these windows is currently open on the Yakima River.   The air temperature is in the upper 50's with water temperatures in the lower 40's.  The water is clear and flows are perfect.  Strong hatches of blue wing olives, March brown dun are occurring in the early afternoon.  The skwala stonefly adults are on the water surface in the late afternoon into the evening hours.  The predicted weather pattern is most likely going to hold off the snow melt for a few more weeks, so now is the time to fish the Yakima, particularly if dry fly fishing is desired.

March 28, 2008
Spring fishing continues to be good despite the snow we are having today.  Typical bugs that have been showing up in the afternoon include skwalas, March brown duns and we had a good hatch of blue wing olive this past week.  It is not uncommon to have feeding fish on the surface once the air temperature has increased at about 2 PM.  The river flow is perfect and clarity remains great.

March 19, 2008
The March Brown Duns showed up yesterday in the Cle Elum area.  We did not see any feeding fish on the browns, however.  Water temperatures are still about 40 degrees.  Seeing lots of skwalas in the afternoon along with black winter stones and midges.  Fish are being caught on the surface with skwala patterns.  Nymphing is consistent with pheasant tails and skwala (yellow and brown) stone nymphs.  Caught several nice (18 inch plus) rainbows on a black string leech fish very slow.  Water is low and clear.  We expect continued great water conditions over the next week with the cool overnight temperatures and mild days.

March 12, 2008
Fishing remains consistent on the upper river and in the canyon.  Fish can be taken on the surface in the afternoon and nymphing is steady in the morning.  Bugs are skwala adults and nymphs, black winter stones about size 16, and midge emergers and adults.  Some of the black winter stones have a touch of red on the underbody.  A black chronomid with a red head fishes pretty well for the midge emergers.  Water levels are good with no run-off issues.  Water temperature around Cle Elum are about 40 degrees.

March 10, 2008
The river above the Teanaway remains low and clear with a water temperature of about 40 degrees.  The Teanaway river is dumping very cold water that is a green snow melt color.  We have been seeing feeding fish on the surface in the late afternoons when the air temperature has risen.  Fish have been caught on skwala adults and midge patterns.  Fishing is moderately productive by nymphing throughout the day with skwala nymphs or midge emergers.  When fishing the upper river, one can expect several hard earned, but very large rainbows. 

March 4, 2008
Fairly good day of fishing yesterday in the canyon and on the section through Cle Elum.  Water clarity is a steelhead green from local snow melt.  Flows are great for wading and floating.  Water temps are about 40 degrees.  Lots of surface takes on skwala stones in the canyon.  Nymphing with pheasant tails on the upper river caught a few large slabs of rainbow.  I think some of that good spring fishing is upon us.  The water should remain in good shape with the predicted weather pattern of cold nights and mild days over the next thus week minimizing snow melt.

February 26, 2008
Water levels and clarity remain great.  Water temperature is in the upper 30's and 40 degrees at best.  Lots of midges on the surface along with an occasional funky, orange caddis that comes off this time of year.  I'm yet to see and adult skwala, but that doesn't mean they are not in existence with the warm weather.  Had a guide trip on Monday in the farm lands.  It was a fiver day with all quality fish taken on skwala nymphs. 

We will be at the Sport Fishing show in Spokane, so please call the shop before hand to make sure someone is available to open the doors.  Thanks 509/674-2144

February 20, 2008
The Yakima river is fishing pretty good right now. Fished the lower canyon the other day and caught plenty of fish. Keys to cold water fishing is hitting the insides of each bend along with any kind of choppy water 3-6 feet deep. Nymphs have been the key for us lately. Stone flies, mayfly nymphs along with a variation of different color aquatic worms have been the key. There are lots of skwala nymphs along the rocks in shallow water, so any day now we should see some good numbers of adults. Stop by the shop to see new flies and gear or see us at the Spokane fishing show Feb. 29 thru March 2nd. Tightlines! 

February 19, 2008
The Yakima river in the Cle Elum area is low and clear.  Very good for wading if you don't mind snowshoeing to get to the river.  There is about 18 inches of snow still on the ground.  The boat launches may be tough to get to without a four wheel drive. I think the Bullfrog area and Ensign Ranch area can not be accessed by anything other than a snowmobile or walking.  The snow is melting slowly with nice temperatures during the day (mid 40's) and low twenties at night.  This is a good weather pattern for preventing the river from blowing out with snow melt.  It's much more tropical past Thorp and Ellensburg.  Not much snow remaining downstream of Ellensburg.

Our last float trip was from KOA to Reinhart.  Fishing was typical for this time of year.  We did see LOTS of skwala nymphs in some shallow areas close to rocky beaches.  I think the water temp is a little too cold but improving every day.  We are almost there.

November 15, 2007
The solid hatches that we have experienced all fall have begun to dwindle with the coming of winter.  However, we are still seeing blue wing olives in the afternoon on the upper river along with baetis and some midges.  We have been finding trout feeding in unusual water such as the almost non-moving water about three feet deep next to the beach.  They are spooky and line shy.  Nymphing has been most consistent with basic patterns such as pheasant tails, lightning bugs, and red copper johns.  There are still occasional October caddis bouncing on the water.  Flow are great for floating and wading and the clarity is very good.

November 7, 2007
Yakima River - Dry fly fishing continues to be exceptional along most sections of the river.  Blue wing olives predominate on the surface with some October caddis and baetis.  We should continue the pattern of very good fishing with the predicted weather of cloudy with some rain on and off until next week.  It's fishing good.

Methow and Wenatchee Rivers - The river is low but the steelhead are in the system in moderate numbers.  We expect more fish to enter from the Columbia with the forecast of rain and water levels slightly rising.  It wouldn't take much rain for the number to significantly increase.  We are catching about 2 to 3 hard earned steelhead per trip.

November 1, 2007
Fishing on the Yakima has been phenomenon with dry flies thru out mid day to dark.  Flies Such as for parachutes, cripples and thorax patterns in the 16 to 20 range to be effective once the fish begin look up around noon. Other effective methods has been October caddis with droppers, and slow, deep moving streamers. Weekend weather has been predicted to be in the upper 50's with over cast and with little to zero W.

October 24, 2007
The Yakima continues to fish well.  Water clarity is great and flows are low with cool temperatures.  These conditions are good for lots of different insects.  The mainstay have been mayflies of the blue wing olive and grey baetis type.  There are also other bugs such as brown/tan caddis and big October caddis.  And then there are some weird bugs, such as a little grey/brown horse fly looking thing that the fish are eating.  I don't know what it is once it's matched up with an imitation, the fish eat well.  Streamers are also working well.  My advice - fish now.

October 14, 2007
Dry fly fishing has been the name of the game.  About 1 PM the mayflies show and there are several different varieties.  Yesterday, we saw blue wing olives, baetis and mahagony duns.  The fish were podded-up and feeling well.  We also picked up fish throughout the day on October caddis with droppers.  We used pheasant tails and parachute adams as droppers.  The weather is great, the water is cold and fishing is good.

October 9, 2007
We've had some good catching this past weekend.  On the water we are fishing blue wing olives adults and nymphs using patterns such as pheasant tails and copper johns.  There has been pods of fishing trout on the blue wings.  The hatch usually starts about 1 PM.  Fishing the nymph version of the blue wings in the morning before the hatch has been good.  The October caddis continue to come off in the late afternoon and at dark.  Crane flies are also producing.  The weather has been outstanding with the temperature in the middle 60's, high, bright overcast.  It's a good time to fish.  Get it before winter arrives.

October 5, 2007
Fishing has been very nice.  The water temperatures are great in the middle fifties and the flows are good for wading and floating.  We have been seeing lots of fish on the surface.  The rain and cooler weather has gotten the blue wing olives going.  We have also seen baetis and a few mahogany duns.  The October caddis are still strong on the upper river.  Should be a good weekend to fish.

The Methow river opens this Saturday for steelhead and the Wenatchee river is opening the 22rd of October.  Pretty darn exciting.  We are scheduling guide trips on both rivers.  Give the shop a call at 509/674-2144 or an email.

September 30, 2007
The full moon is no longer and yesterday was a very nice day of catching and releasing.  Lots of surface takes using October caddis and crane flies.  We have seen blue wing olives the past three days with feeding fish.  The BWO's usually show about 1 PM.  Water levels are good and we are having lots of rain today, which is also a good thing.  Overall report: fishing is very good.

By the way, there has been close to 5000 steelhead over Wells dam and the Methow River should be open soon.  We are booking guide trips.  Give us a shout.  Methow River Steelhead

September 26, 2007
Fishing has been slightly off the past few days.  Don't get me wrong, fish are still being caught, it's just a little more hard work than normal.  I'm blaming the full moon.  Yesterday we found the bigger fish right in the middle of the river on the bottom in the heavy current.  Two to three split shot with a stone fly and a lightning bug found these guys.  Lots of October caddis on the water and fish feeding at dark.  Try staying out after the sun goes down and twitching size 8 or 6 Octobers on the surface.

September 23, 2007
Fishing has been very good on the upper Yakima river.  We have been catching quite a few nice rainbows and cutthroats on the surfacing using October caddis patterns.  Later in the day tends to fish better than early.  Still seeing lots of bugs on the surface such as bwo, baetis, mahogany duns, PED, crane flies and the Octobers.  It's a great time of year to fish.

September 19, 2007
Water levels are low.  Typical good fall fishing is upon us.  Lots of dry action and nymphing to be had.  Bugs on the water include blue wing olives, mahogany duns, pale evening duns, blond caddis, October caddis, and crane flies.  The fish are eating all of these bugs.

August 28, 2007
The river flows appear to be dropping about 100 cfs per 24 hours.  Rumor has it that the flows will continue to be up until the 15th of September in order for the farmers to get a fourth cutting of alfalfa.  Fishing on the surface continues to be good using hopper type patterns.  Some October caddis adults are showing in the evening hours and fish are moving for big, orange patterns.  We have warm days and cool nights.  Feels like fall fishing has begun.

August 23, 2007
Flows continue to drop.  Dry fly fishing with big attractors was better than nymphing yesterday.  Seeing more October caddis adults on the water towards the evening hours.

August 21, 2007
The river flows are beginning to lessen.  Fishing continues to be very consistent on the surface.  Terrestrials, caddis, some bwo are on the water.  We saw the first October caddis adult two days ago.  Should be a nice time to fish the Yakima.

August 13, 2007
Big surface bugs are the ticket for catching fish.  The mornings and evenings are more productive than mid-day. Red, pink, tan, purple and white are good colors.  Think about a white spruce moth along banks with heavy, high brush.  The river is fishing good.

August 10, 2007
Fishing on the surface continues to be consistent with lots of fish in the 12 to 15 inch range caught.  We are throwing big stuff and bright colors.  We are also picking up nice fish (20 plus) nymphing stones and using sculpins.  The wind has been nasty the past week but predicted to only be about 5 mph this weekend.  Should be nice weather in the middle 80's.

August 4, 2007
Yesterday was another nice day of dry fly fishing using big patterns representing terrestrials.  These patterns need to be presented close to the bank and underneath overhanging brush (it's a game of inches).  Once presented in the feed lane, the always effective twitch should initiate a strike.

August 3, 2007
Fishing yesterday continued to be good on the surface with attractor patterns.  We floated the upper canyon (East Cle Elum to Thorp) and had a very nice day on the CFO ant along with some sculpin streamer patterns.  Go fishing - the river is great right now.

August 2, 2007
Dry fly fishing continues to be good using big attractors.  The fish are most active during early morning and late evening.  Avoid the mid-day heat.  Try a sinking a grasshopper with a little split shot and twitch it under water tight against the bank.  Nymphing on the upper river is also consistent most all day, particularly in transitional water such as seams or where a shallow shelve gives way to a deep hole.  Wading is limited with the high flows and fishing is best accomplished from a boat.

July 31, 2007
Fishing on the BIG western has been steady thru out the whole river. Big dries tight on the bank and heavy tippet have been the key. Such as Big foamies, ants, beetles, bees and anything red.  Again, early morning and late evening have been the best times to be on the river.

July 27, 2007
The weather forecast for this weekend calls for high 70's to low 80's. Big dries have still been working well for us pretty much all day. However, it has been the best in the early morning and evenings. Nymphing has been giving up fish as well.

July 23, 2007
Dry fly fishing continues to be very good with big attractors (red, yellow, tan, grey).  Nymphing is also good.  It's a good time to fish and there is lots of catching going on.

July 22, 2007
The Yakima continues to fish really well both with dry flies and nymphs.  Early morning and late evening are great for dry fly fishing and nymphing is productive throughout the day.  Big attractors and caddis on the surface are the flies of choice while a stone fly nymph with a beadhead dropper is what to fish subsurface.  It's pretty easy right now, particularly fishing from a boat.

July 18, 2007
Cooler weather (finally) and some rain is predicted over the next few days.  Fishing continues to be very good both with nymphs and on the surface.  Yummy, big attractors (red, yellow) with a little dry dropper (elk hair caddis) is working good.  Summer stones are migrating from the river bottoms so stonefly nymphs (brown) with a smaller beadhead dropper is productive.  The fish are pushed into smaller water with less current.

July 16, 2007
Dry fly fishing continues to be consistent in the early morning and late evening.  Big attractors with a small caddis dropper works well.  Fish were caught throughout the day on yesterday's guide trip using a stonefly nymph and size 12 prince nymph.  The fish are very tight to the bank, off shelves and riffles.  Fishing is very good now.

July 12, 2007
Fishing has been great in the early morning and the late evening. We've been seeing summer stones, caddis, and pmds (peds in the evening). If you can only fish during the day when the temps are high, try a double nymph rig or streamers. The river is still fairly high, but the clarity still looks great.

July 6, 2007
This weekend should make for some good fishing! We are expecting slight overcast with temps in the lower to mid 80s. The fish should still be looking up for the big dries and the river should still be in good shape.

July 5, 2007
Even with the increase in flows that we've been having the river still continues to keep its clarity and is still producing fish! Big dries are the ticket: chernobles, pmx's, and stimis. When they're not eating dries try a tandem nymph rig with a stonefly and a small beadhead dropper or san juan. Streamers are another good option black, brown or olive.

June 29, 2007
The river is still in great shape. Excellent fishing yesterday on big dries! Should be the same story today. Hatches consisted of golden and summer stones, drakes, pmds, and a few caddis. Get out there!

June 28, 2007
The water has been coming up gradually over the last few days, but it hasn't been enough to effect the fishing. The dry fly action has been great the last few days and with the overcast today it should be even better! Patterns of choice have been yellow stimis, royal wulffs and trudes, or yellow sallies should get you into some fish.

June 12, 2007
The river has been fishing outstanding the past three days.  Dry flies, nymphs and streamers are all working well.  Smaller fish will take the dries while the larger fish tend to be on nymphs and streamers.  Patterns include light cahills, royal trudes, orange stimulators, big parachute adams, parachute pheasant tail, stone fly nymphs, red copper johns, lightning bugs and olive sculpins.  Flows are great, clarity is great.  Call in sick, go fish, have fun.

June 9, 2007
Water clarity and flows remain outstanding.  Lots of bug activity, particularly pmd's in the morning, bigger bwo's and some drakes in the afternoon with ped's towards evening.

June 8, 2007
Fished through the Cle Elum area on the Yakima last night.  Lots of bugs including big bwo's (size 12 or 14), pale evening duns, crane flies, caddis, golden stones, salmon flies, ants and beetles.  Caught fish on the surface with a royal PMX, light Cahill and a crane fly.  Hooked, but not landed, several bigger fish with streamers (black, articulated leech and woolhead sculpin).  Water flows are low and the clarity is great.  My suggestion is get it while you can.  Should be a nice weekend.  We still have June 26, 27 and 28 open for Montana.

June 7, 2007
The flows have taken a dramatic drop and the fishing conditions are the best they've been in weeks.  Clarity is great.  We are fishing today after several canceled trips due to poor water conditions.  Look for an updated hatch report tomorrow.

June 6, 2007
The river is on the drop with the cold front that has moved in over the past few days.  Clarity is good.  Should fish this weekend.  Montana dates available (see June 5 post).  Salmon flies are currently crazy on the Big Hole.

June 5, 2007
The Yakima continues to be blown out from regulated flows as well as rain.  On a side note, we are trying to fill a few open dates left on the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers in Montana.  The remaining dates are: June 20, 21 & 22 (guide is Scott Wilson); June 23 & 24 (guide is Jim Gallagher).  Please call Jim at the shop 509/674-2144 or cellular at 509/929-1357 for more information.

June 4, 2007
The river flow has increased 1500 cfs yesterday, making the flow 6,000 cfs through Cle Elum.  We also had rain last night that has muddied the water and rose the water above the confluence with the Cle Elum river.  I think fishing might be out for a few days despite high overcast, low 70's, awesome fishing weather.

June 3, 2007
The upper river is in the 4500 cfs range but clear.  Fishing is actually pretty good.  We've been hitting fish on the surface with golden stones, terrestrials, anything royal wulff style, caddis and big, grey mayflies.  Nymphing has also been consistent with golden stones and small, shiny things.  Fish are found tight to the bank and out of the main current off shallow shelves.

May 28, 2007
The water flows continue to be at summer levels.  Catching has been pretty decent using golden stone nymphs (size 10) along with some small, shiny nymphs.  Working streamer/sculpin patterns have been successful for larger fish.  We're keeping an eye out for salmon flies.  They typically hatch this time of year on the upper river and fishing can be excellent for a few days on the surface.

Water Hazard - East Cle Elum boat launch is a very difficult takeout during high water.  Not recommended for the inexperienced.

May 24, 2007
Water levels are stable but elevated.  Clarity is good and the river is really coming into shape.  Lots of bug activity with feeding fish.  Bugs include crane flies, pmd, bwo, march browns, goldens, salmon flies, caddis, beetles and ants.  We feel the river is fishing good now, but be prepared for everything and anything when it comes to bugs.

May 21, 2007
Water levels have increased to typical summer flows for irrigation.  We expect this to be the pattern until Labor Day and the flip-flop with the Naches river.  The clarity is improving.  Most of the volume is from the Cle Elum river.  Insect activity has included salmon fly adults and nymphs, golden stones, caddis and a sporadic variety of mayflies (March browns, bwo's, mahoganies, big yellow cahill type).  There have also been flying ants and some beetles on the water.  Most productive fish catching method recently has been a big stone fly (size 4 or 6) with a red San Juan worm.

Thanks for your patience with our delayed fishing report.  We have moved the fly shop to a new location that is across the street from our old location.  The address is 113 E 1st St in Cle Elum - directly across the street.  - Jim

May 3, 2007
(Thanks for your patience with an updated report - server issues. Jim)

Water clarity and levels are prime for fishing on the upper river.  The water temperature is still a slight issue with it being cold.  Lots of different bugs including March browns, blue wing olives, mahogany duns, baetis, mother's day caddis, golden stones and an occasional salmon fly.  The dry fly fishing, however is hit and miss.  The most consistent method has been nymphing with a stone fly and a small, shiny dropper (about size 18), 6 feet of leader to a bobber and a small piece of split shot.

April 21, 2007
Outstanding.  The Yakima river through Cle Elum and down to Thorp has been great for March brown duns, blue wing olives, baetis, some crane flies and small, lime colored caddis.  Clarity is pure and flows are perfect.

April 19, 2007
River conditions continue to remain great with good flows and clarity.  Lots of wind the past few days making casting a bit of a chore.  The forecast for the weekend is predicting some sun, some clouds and just a little wind.  The March brown duns are strong on certain sections of river starting about 1:30 PM.  The blue wing olives are becoming stronger and stronger and typically show when the Marchies are beginning to dissipate.  Nymphing in the morning is good with pheasant tails and stone fly nymphs.

April 14, 2007
Epic afternoon dry fly fishing: March Brown Duns, Blue Wing Olive, Skwala.

April 7, 2007
Fish now.  Water conditions are great, weather is overcast, skwalas and March browns are happening.

April 4, 2007
Upper river clarity is much better at a few feet and the flows are really coming into shape.  Lots of March brown duns and skwala adults on the water through Cle Elum yesterday.  Also seeing some blue wing olives.  Trout have been caught both subsurface with skwala nymphs and March brown nymphs and on the surface in the afternoon once the temperature increases.  We should have good fishing over the next week.

April 1, 2007
Clear, cold weather has produced an awesome hatch of yellow sallies, green drakes, butterflies, ants, and mother's day caddis.

March 31, 2007
Pretty good day on the water yesterday.  The trout were very active on skwala stone nymphs throughout the day and adults in the afternoon.  Finally a good day on the surface.  The San Juan worm also produced.  Water flows are holding a little under 1800 cfs and clarity is good.

March 30, 2007
River flows are much improved and clarity is moderate to good with approximately 30 inches.  There have been lots of adult skwalas on the surface in the afternoon when the air temperatures increase.  Have not seen many fish on the surface however.  There has also been pretty good numbers of blue wing olives and midges with just a sprinkling of March brown duns.  We are expecting the river to fish good this weekend with the current cooler weather pattern and bugs activity.

The following photos are of a solid 26 inch rainbow Sims Weymuller caught on a guided trip Saturday, March 24.  We have caught a handful of 25 to 26 inch rainbows on the upper Yakima in the past, but I've never seen a bow this thick at 26 on the river - Jim

March 25, 2007
We were able to get a couple three good days of fishing in before she blowout last night.  The weather forecast shows cooler, dry air over the next few days, so we are hoping flows in the Cle Elum area will drop to about 1800 cfs in order to be able to fish again.  Before yesterday's rains, we had been seeing skwala adults on the surface and taking a few fish on dries.  There have also been bwo's and some March brown duns.

March 18, 2007
The flows have come down since last weeks blowout but it continues to be above normal for this time of year.  Clarity above the Teanaway is also improve with an estimated visibility of about 18 inches.  There has been lots of skwala activity on the river.  We've been seeing adults in the early afternoon when the temperature warms.  There has also been an occasional March brown dun and blue wing olive.  The catching, however, has been difficult.  The past few days we've had good anglers working hard for just a few fish a day on our guided trips.  The fish have all been in the 19 to 22 inch range, but hard earned.  My feeling is with a little more clarity and drop in the river flow, it's going to be crazy good fishing given the current insect activity.

March 14, 2007
She's high and muddy.  Maybe lake fishing?

March 11, 2007
Recent rain has risen the upper river slightly.  The flow is still in real good shape above the Teanaway river.  The Teanaway is dumping lots of volume and dirty water.  Catching was okay yesterday.  A few nice rainbows in the 17 to 22 inch range.

March 10, 2007
The river has been fishing pretty good.  Water levels are still ideal for wading and floating.  The clarity is a slight steelhead green and becomes a darker green below the Teanaway river.  Fished above Cle Elum the other day and bumped into lots of nice rainbows using stonefly nymphs.  We had a trip in the canyon yesterday and they caught a few rainbows and lots of whitefish.  No surface activity yet, but it's coming.

March 5, 2007
We've been on the water most every day over the past week.  Flows are very good and the clarity on the upper river is crystal.  Below the Teanaway river, the water becomes more green and continues to become darker green as the river travels towards Ellensburg.  This is primarily from snow melt.  Fishing is a little on the slow side with water temperatures about 38 degrees.  They are hard earned, but we are finding very nice fish close to the bottom caught on skwala stone fly nymphs.  There are lots of midges on the water however we are yet to see any pods of feeding fish.  It's worth your time to fish now and will only become better as we get closer to spring.

February 19, 2007
Lots of rain and warmer temperatures since the 16th has brought the river flows up significantly and the water clarity down.  Hopefully the weather situation will improve and flows will return to normal.

January 20, 2007
The river is no longer slushy with warmer temperatures (low 30's) the past few days.  The weather forecast is calling for continued mild winter temperatures through the weekend so I would expect fishing to be typical for this time of year.

January 12, 2007
Have not fished this week.  The river is slushy with ice on the surface due to the cold temperatures we've been having the past few days.

January 5, 2007
Floated Sunday (New Years eve) from the South Cle Elum bridge to the State boat launch.  What a great way to end 2006, particularly when the last trout of the year caught was a 24 inch metallic colored rainbow.  The bug was a size 18 red copper john.  It was a quick float not getting started until about 1 PM.  I think we could have caught a few more if more day light was available.  The water has come up slightly in the Cle Elum area with some rain this past week and warmer temperatures.  The Teanaway river is pretty high and dumping some muddy water.  Above the Teanaway, the clarity is much better.  The past two days has brought a few inches of new snow (it is currently snowing as I write this) with temperatures in the low 30's.  I would expect fishing to be consistent, but one has to work hard.  Try small, shiny nymphs close to the bottom with no drag and a slow swing at the end of the drift.  Slowly swinging and stripping black string leeches can also produce trout in the right water.  The trout currently holding in the Cle Elum area tend to be large this time of year.

December 27, 2006
Wow!  Can't believe I've been so tardy in providing an updated report.  We've been fishing two to three times per week.  It's pretty typical winter time fishing with several nice size fish each outing.  Largest yesterday was a beautiful 23 incher with dark, metallic winter rainbow colors (of course, no camera).  Swinging black leech patterns is productive along with small size 16 to 20 nymphs.  It is important to get the nymphs to the bottom and really let the drift develop by being drag free for as long of a drift as possible.  There is lots of snow in the Cle Elum area and a beautiful winter landscape.

November 25, 2006
Water levels and clarity are good fishing has been pretty good.  Small bead head nymphs, big streamers fished slow and some surface activity with midges or baetis.  Guide trips are discounted over the winter at $230 per day.   

November 20, 2006
Water levels are looking pretty good.  The water color is improving but still green - better than brown.  We hit a few fish yesterday on a float trip using string leeches and stonefly nymphs.  There were fish feeding on midges later in the day almost at dark.  Unless we get heavy rains again, fishing should only improve. 

November 13, 2006
As most know, it's been raining.  The Yakima definitely rose significantly last week to a volume close to 14,000 cfs.  That was up a little from it's normal of about 700 cfs.  Currently the flow is down and stable  The clarity is improving and I estimate the visibility to be about two feet.  The water is more of the steelhead green versus chocolate brown.  I'm out on a trip tomorrow and will update the fishing report then.

October 25, 2006
The nights are becoming more and more on the chilled side while the daylight is becoming less and less.  Once the days warms, the bugs continue to be very active.  Lots of blue wing olives on the upper river down to Thorp.  The brown/tan caddis (size 12) and October caddis are strong.  This week has fished very similar to the last report.  I expect fishing to remain consistent until we get a good freeze.  I did snow in the cascades last night.

Please join us this Saturday for our first upper river clean-up.

October 18, 2006
Fishing remains consistent on the river.  At times it can be very technical fishing due to water clarity and depth.  There have been nice hatches once the air temperature increases after lunch.  The bugs include bwo, mahogany duns (small), small black stone flies, brown/tan caddis, and October caddis.  Over the past few days we have seen the bigger fish feeding in pods on small mayflies.  It's lots of fun if you're matched up correctly with the right bug, size and color.  There are also opportunistic fish taken on big attractors such as wulffs, simulators and black betty while moving from the boat.  The morning can be okay while nymphing.  Lightening bugs and pt's are most consistent.  I would suggest experimenting with your drift/mend technique when nymphing until you get a hook-up.  The fish will take if it is presented the way they want it - just try your drift in different ways.

October 14, 2006
Fishing this past week has been hot on the upper river.  Lots of dry fly action with royal wulffs, October caddis, brown elk hair caddis and blue wing olives.  Lightening bugs and pheasant tails have also been good throughout the day.  The typical fishing pattern has been nymphing in the morning and throwing dries once things warm up in the early afternoon.  It's necessary to put lots of action on the October caddis patterns otherwise the fish will not hit.  The water is gin clear and the river is very similar to fishing a spring creek at times.

The South Cle Elum boat ramp is still closed by the Fish and Game Department.

October 9, 2006
The beautiful fall weather continues with warm days and cool nights.  Lots of bugs around when the air temperature increases in the afternoon.  These bugs include October caddis, small brown/tan caddis, crane flies, short-wing summer stones (tan color), blue wing olives and yellow mayflies.  Yesterday was the first day that I've seen several pods of fish feeding on bwo's.  Lots of dry fly action from the boat with big orange flies imitating the October caddis.  Creating movement on the surface with the fly is much more productive than a dead drift.

*** The South Cle Elum boat launch has been closed since last week due to the number of salmon that were spawning along the beach.  Please continue to show caution when wading and not walk on the spawning beds.***

October 1, 2006
The dry fly action had been very good early in the week but cooled off over the past few days.  Might be due to an increase in water temperature and a little extra wind.  Still seeing opportunistic big takes from big fish with large attractors such as black betty, royal wulffs and October caddis.  Nymphing with stone fly nymphs and pheasant tails has been consistent.  With the water being low, it's typical to see several fish in the same area.

When wading and fishing the upper Yakima river, please be conscience of salmon and steelhead spawning redds.  Walking across a redd can create all sorts of damage to the eggs.  The spawning redds can be identified by clean, washed gravel.  The Yakima Nation has also marked the redds with ribbons along the stream side.  Please avoid wading in these areas.

September 21, 2006
Fall fishing has been very good the past few days.  Lots of action on the surface with crane flies and October caddis.  Other hatches include bwo, a cream colored drake, light and dark caddis.  Nymphing has been productive with October caddis pupa and red copper johns.

September 18, 2006 - **River Hazard**
Back on the Yakima yesterday after leading our guided fly fishing trip on the Kanektok river in Alaska since the beginning of the month.  The Kanektok was flippen awesome.  Talk about nice Leopard Rainbows on the fly rod.  What a great trip - Get signed up for next September for some of the best rainbow fishing that can be had.  We only have six spots.

Yesterday's guide trip on the Yakima was great.  We launched at a private site on the Cle Elum river and floated to the East Cle Elum launch.  No fish on the Cle Elum river but once we hit the Yakima, lots of fish on the dry fly.  Good bugs included general attractors such as the orange stimulator, peacock stimulator and parachute madam X in orange and peacock.  Bugs hatching on the water included crane flies, blond caddis, dark caddis, BWO, and mahogany duns.  We did good on a brown crane fly.  Red Copper Johns also fished well.  Water levels are low and wading is easy.  Saw lots of individual salmon but no pairs on redds.

*** There is a semi-water hazard between Hanson Ponds and the I-90 bridge.  The river is now going through a right channel with lots of hard sweepers that could bounce a boat around.  Most of the danger exist with the one person pontoon boats.  My advice is to walk your pontoon boat down the left channel that is mostly dry.***

August 31, 2006
The water levels have been coming down the past few days and should drop significantly over the next few days.  Fishing has been consistent through the upper canyon with yellow grasshoppers.  Nymphing with big stoneflies has recently been good most likely due to the drop in water levels displacing the bugs.  Lots of caddis in the evenings with small amounts of caddis first thing in the morning.  The October caddis nymphs should become active in the next week.  The good Yakima river fall fishing is just beginning.

August 10, 2006
Fished most of the week from the East Cle Elum launch to Thorp area.  Mostly dry fly action with grasshoppers and general attractors.  Good colors are red, orange and yellow.  Small stimulators, royal wulffs and Dave's hoppers have all been good.  We also have a yellow hopper/stone in the shop that has fished real well.  Most fish have been in the 12 to 14 inch range with one or two larger 19 to 20 inch fish each day.

The big tree remains across the channel below the East Cle Elum launch.

July 31, 2006 - ** River Hazard **
A very large tree has fallen a few days ago and it is blocking the entire river channel below the East Cle Elum fishing access.  Please do not attempt to float the main channel.  The alternative is a right channel just after the boat launch.  Call the shop if you need further info.

July 14, 2006
Fishing remains consistent with quite a few fish being caught in the 10 to 13 inch range.  Occasionally a much larger trout will opportunistically take a dry fly if a good shot can be made under all the overhanging canopy.  Good bugs include dry flies that are red, orange, yellow or tan.  The parachute adams in a size 8 or 10 is working well as there has been gray drakes coming off in the afternoon.  The grasshoppers are increasing in numbers and size.  I've seen completely white hoppers as well as tan and tan/neon green.  The drowned flying ant does work. 

Wading is difficult due to the high water flows.  I would suggest wade fishing above the confluence with the Cle Elum river.

We are still trying to fill our last spot for the Alaska Kanektok River trip September 7 through the 15.

July 11, 2006
Fishing is actually pretty good now.  The trend of early in the morning and late in the evening continues to be the more productive time of day.  We have been seeing lots of drakes on the upper river.  A size 10 parachute adams or adams irresistible have been good surface flies.  Gray grasshoppers and large tan/rust colored caddis have also taken nice fish on the surface.  Streamer fishing with a black wolly bugger or olive zonker has produced several large fish early in the morning (6 AM'ish).  The river flows are stable and the water is clear.  Cooper says he has been nymphing with ants and catching fish?????????????

July 1, 2006
The river is running clear and the flow is consistent.  The temperature has been in the 90's for the past week or more making mid-day fly fishing a little tough.  The morning and evenings have been fairly good.  Lots of smaller fish on the surface in the 10 to 15 inch range.  Being creative and working flies such as muddler minnows and beetles in unconventional ways such as jigging has taken the larger fish.  Hatches include yellow sallies, golden stones, drakes, crane flies, pmd, and caddis.  A general attracter dry such as a yellow stone is the most consistent dry.  Large parachute adams are also good.  We've seen small grasshopper.  These guys should be larger in the next week or so.  Because the weather pattern for the next 10 days is predicted to be warm, we suggest fishing in the mornings and evenings.

June 21, 2006
Flows have stabilized and the water clarity is very good.  The fish should be adjusted to their summer areas by now.  However, the catching has not been that good on our past two guided trips.  We've taken a few nymphing and on the surface, but it's not like it should be.  Active bugs include some golden stones, PMD's, caddis, crane flies and a salmon fly every once in a while.  There are the small, immature grass hoppers in the weeds along the river.  They should be active soon.

On a side note, we had a cancellation and now there is one available space left for our Kanektok River, Alaska trip this fall.  The dates are September 7th to the 15th.  Give Jim a call at 509/929-1357 for info.

June 16, 2006
Summer flows have arrived two days ago.  I'm always amazed initially with how much water volume is in the Yakima when the summer flows arrive.  It's business as usual however - just a slightly different approach.  We did good yesterday on a float in the Cle Elum area.  Every place we fished we had at least one or more fish on with the largest to the boat of 20 inches and fat.  We targeted soft merge lines where, channels come together and the outside edges of riffles.  Surface bugs included caddis, PMD's, a bettis looking mayfly and craneflies.  Stonefly nymphs, hare's ear and San Juans were good.  Water clarity above the Teanaway river is not an issue.  Below the Teanaway it gets more dark.  Please be careful when wading or floating as the river is swift with some debris in the current.  The right channel downstream from the East Cle Elum launch is open.  I am unsure of any water hazards in the left channel as I did not go down it yesterday.  Get out there and fish.  Don't let the higher flows stop you.

June 11, 2006
The salmon flies are still active along with drakes, some yellow mayflies and caddis have shown up (finally).  The water levels are great and clarity is perfect.  The weather for this upcoming week is suppose to be very good.  We've had lots of takes on the surface the past two days.  Most have been on salmon flies and caddis.  Nothing like a large fish moving hard for a salmon fly.  I would suggest fishing now.  (By the way - we have some availability for guide service this week.)

June 7, 2006
Salmon Flies.  The weather is nice, warm and sunny with temperatures in the 70's.  The past few days have been outstanding with large fish chasing salmon flies on the surface.  The fun usually begins about 1:30 PM and goes until about 7:00 PM.  It's best to fish on the move from a boat covering distance looking for the opportunistic large fish that will move hard and fast for salmon flies.  If you have been waiting to fish for the right conditions, GO NOW.

June 3, 2006
Floated in the Cle Elum area.  Good water clarity and flow.  Expect the unexpected with regards to bugs.  Yesterday the bug list included drakes, salmon flies, golden stones, pale evening duns, no caddis, crane flies and one blue wing olive.  In the morning, red copper johns, black hare's ears, stone fly nymphs all took fish.  The air temperature increased in about 2:00 PM and the salmon flies, cranes, and ped's became active.  The salmon flies were the most productive.

June 2, 2006
Fishing has been pretty good the past few days.  Water clarity is good and the river is low.  The cloudy/rainy weather pattern has been great.  It's been muggy and in the upper 60's to low 70's.  Lots of surface activity with caddis, golden stones, pale evening duns, and some blue wings.  I'm still seeing a very light amount of March brown about 2:00 PM.

May 25, 2006
Float from South Cle Elum to East Cle Elum in the cold and rain.  Water clarity is much better and the flow is just right for fishing.  Lots of different bugs on the surface with feeding fish in the afternoon.  Surface bugs included red quills, March brown duns, pale evening duns, blue wings, and yellow crane flies.  The crane fly produced well along with the PED.  Hooked into lots of fish with the biggest about 18 inches on a caddis pupa.  It's a cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend, but fishing should be fairly good.  We have rain jackets on sale at the fly shop.

May 24, 2006
The Teanaway is still dumping colored water, but not as much.  Above the Teanaway the water clarity is still on the murky side with more of a dark green than brown.  I estimate it to be about 30 inches.  I have not fish for the past two days (only slight withdraw experienced) but have a guide trip tomorrow.  I expect it to fish pretty well with the cooler weather pattern.  I do not think all the rain has had an impact on the water levels or clarity.

May 21, 2006
The river is slowly going down and clarity is improving.  Fished from South Cle Elum to the East access site.  We did fairly well nymphing with three nice fish to the boat and four LDRs.  Nothing on the surface.

May 20, 2006
Yep - still the same.

May 19, 2006
It's still muddy and big.

May 18, 2006
The river got bigger and more brown yesterday.  Might want to think about doing some yard work today.

May 17, 2006
With temperatures in the 90's yesterday, the river is blown.  NBC - Nothing But Chocolate.  The river being blown is too bad because the 15th was outstanding dry fly fishing with caddis and salmon flies.  Hopefully this is the big run off and things will be more regular soon.  If you are wanting to brave the high, mocha waters of the Yakima, I suggest big stone flies at the top of riffles and towards the banks.

May 14, 2006
Floated the past two days from the Cle Elum river to the Thorp bridge.  The 12th was good in the morning with caddis pupa, after that, one word, WIND.  Still saw some nice fish above the South Cle Elum bridge.  Yesterday was outstanding weather and a great day of fishing from the East Cle Elum access to the Thorp bridge.  Nymphing was very slow in the morning with a yield of only one sport fish until the air temperature increased.  It was March browns from 2:00 to 3:00 PM then it was all about the salmon fly on the top.  Good stuff despite a full moon.  The weather is suppose to be nice this upcoming week.  I expect fishing to be good.  Get out if you can.  That's all I know.

May 12, 2006
Yesterday was another good day of fishing.  Floated to the Thorp bridge amidst the nuclear winds of the upper canyon.  Bugs on the water included caddis, March browns, blue wing olives, salmon flies - and - new are the golden stones in a size 10 to 12.  Fish taken subsurface on salmon fly nymphs and caddis pupa on the swing (slow swing).  Water clear and at a very good level for fishing.  Biggest fish about 23 inches and smallest about 11 inches.

May 10, 2006
Fishing was pretty good today.  Water clarity and levels are perfect.  The Teanaway river is much cleaner.  Lots of feeding fish on March browns and caddis.  Salmon flies also seen on the surface.  Fish taken on all of the before mentioned bugs.  Also nice fish (20+) taken on big salmon fly nymphs and swinging caddis pupa.  Weather was a little windy, but you can't let that stop you.

May 9, 2006
Floated in the Cle Elum area the past two days.  Water levels and clarity have been good despite a sudden but brief release of water from Lake Cle Elum.  Very windy and cold yesterday.  It was quick, but there was some March brown action about 2:00 PM.  No other hatches seen.  The salmon fly nymphs are migrating (walking) out of the river to begin their reproduction thing.  Fish taken yesterday on big stone fly nymphs and soft hackles on the swing.

May 6, 2006
Fished below the Teanaway to the Thorp bridge.  Water levels are very fishable with clarity still on the greenish side.  Lots of caddis on the water along with March brown duns about 1:45 PM.  About a half dozen salmon flies seen and a salmon fly dry fished for about an hour with no lookers.  There is even a salmon fly on the sidewalk in front of the fly shop that someone stepped on.  Fish taken on flying ants, beetles, March browns, caddis and the guide saver.  Caddis pupa on the swing also worked.

May 5, 2006
Water levels are much better and the clarity is also much improved.  The river is no longer chocolate colored but more of a steelhead green color.  Loads of bugs on the water including the Mothers Day Caddis.  Other bugs include March brown duns, drakes, salmon flies and some blue wing olives.  It's a little bit of a weird site seeing huge numbers of caddis on the water with hardly any feeding fish.  Try caddis pupa during these times as the fish are activity feeding just below the surface.  Fishing is a lot better than it was last week.

April 29, 2006
The river is up significantly with the warm weather.  Looks like a triple shot mocha.  It's only a double shot above the Teanaway.  There are bugs all over the place with some feeding fish.  These bugs consist of caddis, March browns, blue wing olives, salmon flies, flying ants and beetles, and an occasional drake.  I think the fish might be looking at the salmon fly nymphs.  Very important to let the nymphs sink with no drag whatsoever.  The honest report - fishing is tough but fish can be caught if one works hard.  We do have lots of bugs for lake fishing in the shop.

April 15, 2006
Float in the Cle Elum area.  At about 1:30 PM the March browns came off in good numbers with no feeding fish until about 2:15 PM.  The blue wings also showed about 2:00 PM.  Several pods found feeding heavily on mostly blue wings with an occasional take on a March brown.  The feeding continued until about 7:00 PM and maybe longer but we didn't hang around due to darkness with many miles yet to travel.  Lots of fun dry fly fishing today targeting individual feeding trout.  Two 19 inch rainbows taken this way along with a 20 inch cutthroat.  Several other very good takes with failure to complete the task.  One 19 inch rainbow taken on a lightning bug.  Good bugs today were a bwo comparadun, parachute pheasant tail, and soft hackle.  The river levels are stable and the water clarity is good.

April 14, 2006
Guide trips every day this past week.  The honest truth - fishing is a little tough unless you are at the right place at the right time.  The water level rose this past week with clarity issues early in the week.  After about three days, the river leveled and the clarity improved.  The fish adjusted by moving into areas that held little amounts of water previously.  The March brown duns are continuing to gain strength.  Some days the hatch seems to be about 15 minutes, on other days it's about 45 minutes.  The usual start time is about 1:30 PM.  Sporadic blue wing olives are seen along with fish feeding on midges.  The skwala stones continue to be on the water significantly.  They are more active in the afternoon, especially when the air temperature is in the middle fifties.  The usual number of fish per day is about five to six caught and released with about the same number of LDR's (long-distance releases).  Most fish are 17 to 22 inches and are taken while dry fly fishing.  The Teanaway is still dumping dirty water in large amounts.  The Teanaway has been dirty for several weeks and the fish seem to be adjusted as some pretty nice fish have been caught on the surface.  There has always been nice fish in this section of river and they do have to eat.  The key to fishing right now is all about knowing the right place at the right time.

April 7, 2006
Guide trip from South Cle Elum to East Cle Elum access.  Lots of people on the water.  No wind today.  The March browns came out for about 40 minutes close to 2:00 PM.  Some blue wing olive activity after 2:00 PM that only lasted about 30 minutes.  Nymphing was good in the morning with stone flies.  March browns and BWO's were productive on the surface along with a couple of fish on skwalas.  About eight fish today 16 to 21 inches.  One nice cuttroat.

April 6, 2006
Water above the Teanaway is nice and clear.  The Teanaway is ugly.  Water temperatures are up slightly at about 45 degrees.  Hatches include some blue wing olives, March brown duns and skwalas.  The March browns seem to get stronger every day.  I don't see the trout feeding on the skwala as actively as they did two weeks ago.  The BWO's are sporadic and require more cloudy and rainy type weather.  Today is the third day of a sunny weather pattern, so the trout should be adjusted.  The past two days were hard work but four to eight fish were had each day.

April 2, 2006
Water levels on the upper river are definitely up with the recent rain and snow.  The clarity is not the best but still fishable.  The Teanaway river continues with its vomiting of mocha colored water in significant amounts.  If you decide to fish, think about stonefly nymphs that crawl from under their rocks in search of cleaner water along with exploring areas that now contain the increase flow with big dry flies.  Bugs on the water yesterday included BWO, midges, skwalas and I think I saw a March brown dun.  We did take a few nice fish over the past days on the Marchies.

March 28, 2006
Guided fly fishing trips every day since last report on different upper river locations.  The upper river continues to have skwala stone adults and midges.  New hatches this past week include blue wing olives and March brown duns.  The Marchie browns are only very slight in numbers.  We have been primarily taking fish on the surface with skwalas and midge clusters.  Most fish caught continue to be fairly large at 16 to 22 inches.  The Teanaway is a tan/brown color that significantly reduces the water clarity below its confluence with the Yakima.  Water levels are perfect for fishing and the water temperature is 40 to 42 degrees.

March 20, 2006
Float from S. Cle Elum to E. Cle Elum.  Significant surface fishing has arrived!  After a tough weekend of fishing with bright sun and warm weather, the clouds moved in today.  The fish were very active on the surface with the gray skies.  Lots of skwala adults on the water in the afternoon along with blue wing olives and midges.  Pods of fish were feeding on the midges and blue wings.  Sporadic big fish taken on skwala dries.  About eight fish caught and release with about the same number released via the LDR (long distance release).  Largest 23 inches and smallest about 17.  Good bugs included the peacock stimulator, H&L variant, Betty, bugmeister, and lightning bug.

March 13, 2006
Float from S. Cle Elum to E. Cle Elum.  Tough day with only one 19 inch rainbow caught on a lightning bug.  Don't know the exact reason why fishing was tough.  Suspect it was pressure from the weekend as well as the full moon.  The weather was also beautifully bright and sunny.

March 12, 2006
Float from E. Cle Elum to Bristol area.  Pulled big streamers most of the day.  Caught the largest fish of the year at 23 inches on an egg sucking scuplin.  Also the largest white fish was caught on a lightning bug that I've seen on the Yakima.  The Yakima bone fish measured 24 inches.

March 11, 2006
Float from S. Cle Elum to the E. Cle Elum fishing access.  Very nice, sunny day in the lower 50's.  Water temperatures still cold at 38 degrees.  Nymphing remains good.  Blue wings hatching about 1 PM.  Estimated 16 fish caught and released (can't remember the exact number).  No fish taken on the surface.

March 10, 2006
Float from E. Cle Elum fishing access to Bristol area.  Nicest day this month.  It only snowed once for about 15 minutes.  Fishing was outstanding with about 16 fish caught in the 17 to 21 inch range.  Nymphed most of the day with golden stones and small, shiny type flies of the lightning bug variety.

March 9, 2006
Float from S. Cle Elum to E. Cle Elum fishing access.  On and off snow showers most of the day.  Water temperatures around 39 degrees.  Thirteen fish caught and released with a few others lost.  Size range was impressive at 18 to 22 inches.  Nymphing remains consistent.  The largest fish taken on a Skwala adult.  Not as many feeders on midges as there were last week.  Blue wing olives seen about 1 PM.  Good nymphs were size 10 golden stones and size 16 to 20 lightning bugs.

March 8, 2006
The kitchen sink was tied on and given a try.  One 18 inch rainbow on a Skwala dry for the day.  Hats off to Jay and Jason for fishing hard through the all day snow storm and still having smiles and a good time.  Tomorrow is a new day.

March 7, 2006
Float from S. Cle Elum to E. Cle Elum fishing access.  Water temperature 40 to 42 degrees.  It was a bright, sunny day with wind.  Five fish touched and three released.  All released fish in the 19 to 21 inch range with one whopper right to the boat before spitting the hook.  Bugs included Lightning Bug, Black Betty and Royal Wulff.  Water remains clear and low on this section of river.  Oh, by the way, a handful of Skwala adults were on the water but only seen in one run.  The numbers should increase as the water temperature increases.

March 5, 2006
Float from South Cle Elum bridge to East Cle Elum fishing access.  Water temperature 38 degrees, overcast with snow in the morning.  Fish taken on a multitude of different patterns.  These included a size 12 double bead golden stone nymph, a 4 inch black string leech, Renegade, JJ Bugger, and Black Betty.  Surface activity on midges at specific locations.  No small tan/brown stones or Skwala stones seen.  Water clarity above the Teanaway river is good.  Things are still a little cold but it was a good day of fishing.

March 3, 2006
All day float from East Cle Elum access to Thorp bridge.  Beautiful, sunny day in the upper 40's.  Water clarity is very good above the Teanaway river.  The Teanaway is dumping green, dirty water as well as all the little snow melt streams that enter the Yakima along the way to Thorp.  Streamer fishing with black leeches and black/yellow whompus cat was good.  Largest fish was a 20 inch cutthroat.  Some surface feeders seen, but we didn't spend time with the dry flies.

March 1, 2006
Afternoon float from South Cle Elum to the East Cle Elum access.  Windy, partly cloudy day with water temperatures about 41 degrees.  Heavy rain the night before, but the Yakima above the Teanaway was nice and clear.  Slightly colored below the Teanaway.  Saw a few fish feeding on the surface.  One take on a Royal Wulff.  Midges and small speckled tan/brown stoneflies on the surface.  Two big fish lost on an olive bugger.  One 21 inches on a black leech and one 16 on olive bugger caught and released.  The new Hyde drift boat is awesome.

February 24, 2006
The Yakima became ice free on the 20th after a close to two week cold snap.  Bright, sunny day after a snow storm yesterday with water temperatures 37 to 38 degrees.  Floated from Reinhart Park to Ringer Road access.  Not many fish moving.  Morning was better than afternoon.  Black bunny leech was the most productive bug.

February 18, 2006
Consider a sport other than fly fishing on the Yakima.  The river bares a resemblance to a ice drink from your local 7-11 convenience store called a Slushy.  Maybe next week it will be in the upper 30's.

February 7, 2006
Water level in the Cle Elum area is perfect.  Clarity is good.  Partly cloudy.

February 3, 2006
Float from Gladmore to Reinhart Park.  Visibility poor and estimated at two feet.  Water level a bit high.  Rain and wind.  Two fish on black egg sucking mole leech.