North Washington guide service

YAKIMA

Bugs include
#10 Skwala Sones but fading
#12 – 14 March Browns  Sporadic but present
#16 – 18 Blue Wings

Coming Soon
#14 American Grannom Caddis
#6 Salmon Flies
#12 Flying Ants

The March brown hatch is a bit sporadic and being in the right place at the right time is very important .  The bright sun has not been helpful.  The trout are definitely in spawn mode as well this month.

There are a few Skwala Stones here and there but they are fading.

Water temps are ranging between 46-50 depending on time of day and stretch of river.  Mother’s day caddis is just around the corner and we should see that kick into gear at that 53 degree mark.

Hot bugs recently
#12-16 Pheasant tail variations
#6-8 Pats Stone in Black and Brown
#6-10 Sparkle Minnow
#12-16 Purple Haze, Thorax March Brown

Upper Columbia

Lake Roosevelt in very high for this time of year, which definitely affects the lower portion of the American Reach – This is the new norm on the Upper Columbia.

This time of year the predominant technique is swinging flies.  There are A Variety of patterns one can choose from….Including Wooly buggers, Sculpins, Stoneflies etc.

There is minimal dry fly activity but there are opportunities…..Typically they are eating Blue Wing Olives.

Nymphing is certainly an option and generally worthy in isolated zones utilizing tandem nymph set ups of a Stonefly and a dropper.  Droppers could include, CDC Pt’s,  Princes, Brassies…. etc….

BEEN AWHILE  since I did a  fishing report.

YAKIMA

The Yakima is in great shape!  We have Skwala adults, Blue Wings and close to March Browns as they are just around the corner.

Both the nymph and dry have been productive.  the streamer here and there as well.

We have been on all stretches and the entire river is fishing good.

Bug selection for the current season

 

 

OLYMPIC PENINSULA

As per usual, variable conditions paint the picture……We have had everything from bone chilling cold with record low flows to typical rain driven fluctuations of water volume.

Both bobber fishing and the swing have been productive for us. Tough to land the beasts, but great to find them.

Our best swinging  this season so far  has been with standard floating Skagit’s and T-11…..weighted and un-weighted depending on zone

 

 

 

YAKIMA

The river is LOWWW and CLEAR …. with some ice build up in the lower canyon based on the current cold weather pattern.

GOOD BUG SELECTION FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR

 

WINTER STEELHEAD

Definitely need some water for our Winter Steelhead rivers….. For sure there are fish around but definitely need a mixer currently.

Looks like we should see a weather pattern change starting next Thursday.  Definitely needed.

Keith Wersland with a good one from last winter

YAKIMA is in great shape. Low and clear. Honestly, I could give you a huge list of flies but that would be just to sell flies. Really, you can pare the list down substantially in the Winter:

Nymphs
1) #8-12 Pats stones and Skwala nymphs
2) #8-12 San Juan Worm
3) #6 Millimeter Whitefish Egg
4) #2-8 Streamers Sparkle Minnow, Sculpzilla, Seal Bugger, Sex Dungeons

Occasionally there can be a good midge hatch. Utilizing a #18 Cluster pattern or a #20 single Parachute presented correctly will usually suffice,

The fishing has been quite good recently and from now until April some of the biggest fish are caught on the Yakima. Great time to be on the river. Focus your time during the warmth of the day. 11AM to 4PM

Although I wrote this blurb a long time ago, it still holds true. Check it out

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WINTER STEELHEAD

Nice double a few years back!

Hatchery season has already started. The peak of the hatchery run is usually in mid January. Wild fish will start to trickle in beginning in December but the bulk of the run will be February / March. We will be running day trips from now until March 31 and start our overnight operation the 1st of Feb.

More to follow.

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YAKIMA

Fishing remains consistent .  Water is LOWWWW and CLEAR. This is the ‘far and fine’ of the Yakima. If you are targeting fish on the surface eating the Blue wing olives I would highly suggest a 12 foot leader terminating in 5-6X. When nymphing, terminal tackle needs to be flourocarbon and 4-6X depending on the size of the bug- Suggestion -> #10-12 4X, #14-16 5X, #18 and smaller 6X
Predominant bugs include:
Mostly Fall Baetis #18-20 

Upcoming food sources
Whitefish spawn
Skwala nymphs 

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KLICKITAT

This season has been good. The steelhead numbers over Bonneville were above the 10 year average. The pressure has been heavy. There were also a lot of Chinook and steelhead in the system.  

Techniques vary but getting  creative is probably a good idea.  The season is over at the end of November. We are only doing day trips from here on out. If someone needs a cabin rental, we can help with that too.

One of my favorite techniques when the river is LOOWWW and CLEEAARR is to quarter way day with a light tip and toss a subtle traditional…. just a thought!

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UPPER COLUMBIA

The 2024 season at Black Bear Lodge on the upper Columbia just ended. There certainly are fish to still be had up there but things get a little bit more difficult as the fall progresses as there are less and less bugs.  

The Hatch season from May 15-July 15 was good to great. This fall was a little tough as the flows were not very consistent. Regardless it was a fun season. We are currently filling dates for the 2025 season.

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ALASKA

We just finished our Alaska season for 2024. It was highly successful. Fabulous guests and fabulous fishing:)) Actively filling this program and all our others for the 2025 season!

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OLYMPIC PENINSULA

We are getting ready for our upcoming season starting February 1 operating until the end of March. Hopefully the numbers on the Olympic Peninsula this winter reflect what the last year and a half has been. According to creel surveys, the return this past winter was better then the past couple decades!

YAKIMA

The Yakima river is at fall levels now and many would call this their favorite season. The catching has been legit with some nice fish and good numbers

Predominant bugs include: Summer stones # 6-8 soon to be a thing of the past for 2024  but still a few around

Crane flies #10 Craneflies are active and bouncing flyers. On many rivers, the trout do not target the adults. We are fortunate on the Yakima,  as they do here!!

Grass hoppers # 8-12
Caddis #16 Hydros generally hatching in the late morning
October Caddis #8-10
Fall Baetis #18-20 
Mahogany Duns #16

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KLICKITAT

Definitely some fish around. Last couple days the water was a little rough; we should be back on track now. Both swing and nymph tactics are worthy. Certainly prefer to let’er swing. John Miskulin just did that and ended up with a big smile!

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KVICHAK

Literally world class trout fishing….plain and simple. Don’t know how else to state it. No bobbers, just swinging. Variable tips to match the water.

YAKIMA RIVER TROUT

The Yakima river is at fall levels now and many would call this their favorite season. The catching has been legit with some nice fish and good numbers

Predominant bugs include: Summer stones # 6-8 soon to be a thing of the past for 2024  but still a few around

Crane flies #10 Craneflies are active and bouncing flyers. On many rivers, the trout do not target the adults. We are fortunate on the Yakima,  as they do here!!

Grass hoppers # 8-12
Caddis #16 Hydros generally hatching in the late morning and soon
October Caddis #8-10 coming soon
Fall Baetis #18-20 

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UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER TROUT

The river has been putting out some nice trout. The levels have been all over the board. This might be the new norm. Recently, we have caught some wonderful trout. We have also caught a sturgeon on the fly. I guess you just never know what you are going to catch when you are swinging a fly on the Upper Columbia

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KLICKITAT RIVER SUMMER STEELHEAD

Great return of fish this year so far in the Columbia river tributaries. Although it’s not historically full, it is certainly above the 10 year average. 

Good numbers of Skamania hatchery fish and wild fish returning. The clarity of the river has been appropriate to the weather dealt. Currently, she is not in that great shape. However, with a bit of cooling she should be in good shape again.

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KVICHAK RIVER ALASKA TROUT

We are in our first week of the Fall season! 8 guests a day chasing BIG bows with the swung fly.  We love using little 6 and 7 weight 2handers to target these fish. However, a single hand rod is appropriate as well.

YAKIMA

The early morning game is certainly worthy during the hot weather and more so in the lower river…..The Farmlands and the Lower Canyon. The Upper Canyon and the Upper Flatlands have not been so good in the AM with the heat waves. Recently we have seen some cooler weather and the water temps are varying between 60 and low 70’s depending on time and zone. Current big bugs include the Hopper and the Stonefly. Coming soon are the October Caddis and Craneflies as well. Back in the early 90’s it was an awakening when I realized that I could move the fly on the surface to entice the fish to eat. I remember Tony Bynum quoting a Joe Brooks saying…. ‘The only way to fish an adult stonefly is to impart movement’.

If you add up all the big bugs listed above that like to move around when on the surface, it is no wonder the Yakima is a good big dry fly river late summer and early fall.

Dry Fly and dropper is a great choice….
Big Dry Fly Goto’s – Chubby’s, Daves Hopper, Gypsy King,
Dropper Goto’s – Tungsten head is a good idea as they get down fast – #14-18 YB’s, Prince nymphs, Perdigon, Duracell

As much as the big dry fly can be part of the game late summer and early fall, as the season progresses downsizing the nymphs will be crucial. Nymph sizes in the fall are the #16-20 variety, especially in the Lower Canyon.

Also, The lost art of swinging soft hackles is a technique that is almost forgotten…. more to follow on that in the next post.

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KLICKITAT

This river is currently in GREAT shape. The term Steelhead green is appropriate. Flashy has been good for the swing. The real light tips and drylines have not produced much. We have been more ‘down’ in the water column, although tossing some of those lighter lines daily to stay in check. Summer stones are a little late on the Klickitat and when those kick into gear the surface game might get a bit better. Water temp on the Klickitat in the AM up river is 54 degrees; The lower river in the afternoon …. 61degrees.

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UPPER COLUMBIA

While this river doesn’t give up numbers, it does peak your fishing prowess. A day on this river will make you rethink a lot of what you know when it comes to fishing for trout. Your average fish is nooooiiiceee and there are some world class fish swimming in its currents. We open up Black Bear lodge in about 8 days!!

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KVICHAK

We are about 16 days away from opening our operation for the Fall on Alaska’s Kvivhak river. More to follow!

The fish are eating hoppers and summer stones. Dry fly fishing is good to great early, and dry/dropper when the sun gets high. Swinging or stripping a streamer is productive for bigger fish. Crane flies should be here soon! The water temp is in the low 60’s in the early AM and 70 +mid to late afternoon. Our days have been starting as early as possible and off the river by 1-1:30pm. The fish are doing well and we have not had any problem with reviving fish. We are basically self regulating with a hoot owl policy.

Dry fly and dry dropper fishing is good to great. Getting on early is the best option as the water temps are elevated to 70 and above by mid afternoon but starting out at 63-65 degrees depending on where you are. Summer stones, Hoppers, Yellow Sallies, Ants, Beetles, and Caddis.