YAKIMA RIVER

Fishing has been pretty amazing so far this year.  With this warming trend the Yakima is currently WAY out of shape.

Clarity chart

1/2 foot Upper proper
1 foot Upper flatlands
1/2 foot Upper canyon
1/2 foot  Farmlands
3 inches Lower Canyon

…..more to follow

UPPER COLUMBIA

Dang good fishing on this one currently.  No problems when it comes to fluctuations.  The Columbia is a massive watershed and is fed by multiple reservoirs. Basically this means there is a large ‘ cushion ‘ above and it doesn’t really ever blow out. In fact, she is on the drop and will be at its lowest level most likely on the 21st of April.

THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA

The season closes at the end of this month. It has been a bit spotty so far this year but certainly has had some highlights.   We have caught them on the swing and with the bobber.  Fish the way you want.  It is your day:))

YAKIMA

The river is in spectacular condition.  We are kicking into gear for our early season hatches which include…

Blue Wings
Skwala Stone
Midges

Yesterday’s Dry fly fishing was thumbs up.  The lower Canyon is currently  more predictable for numbers of fish on the dry fly than  the river from the Farmlands and up.  That being said,  The dry fly is worthy throughout the system.

I would like to say there are some magical flies that you have to have….but that really isn’t the case.  One suggestion for the Skwala stone is if the fish start to get a little picky, make sure to utilize a rendition that is ‘skinny’ and not robust.  In addition, this time of year is cooler and therefore the stonefly is less likely to be moving around as much on the water as his/her cousin, the summer stone.   We impart a lot of movement utilizing the Summer stone.  The opposite could be said with the Skwala stone.

UPPER COLUMBIA

This river is in GREAT condition and is setting up to be at its lowest level here over the next 45 days.  Current techniques are predominantly Swinging, Retrieving as well as some nymphing.

OLYMPIC PENINSULA

Winter Steelhead fishing is not for the faint of heart.  The weather can be abrupt, action can be slow and focus is paramount;   However,  The rewards can be spectacular:)  We have been targeting the fish by either nymph or swing tactics.  We have hooked fish with 5and5 of T-8 as well as Game Changers with T-14.  Fishing the correct line to put the fly in the strike zone is critical.