YAKIMA RIVER has been GOOD to GREAT fishing. YES to dry flies, nymphs, soft hackles and streamers.
Hot bugs include
Nymphs – #16-20 Lightning Bugs, WD-40, RS-2
Dry Flies – #16-18 Purple Haze #16-18 Sparkle Duns’, #8-12 Chubby’s, Stimulators, Para Madam X, # 10 Crane flies,
Soft hackles – #16-18 Blue Dun, Partridge and Olive, Starling and Pheasant.
The river is in great condition…..The weather pattern is favorable for some continued great fishing.
Tip of the day…. Soft hackle fishing as an overall rule is somewhat of a lost art. Searching with a soft hackle typically is not a great idea. However, the next time you get on a pod of fish rising to Blue wing olives this fall and you want to fish a softie, position yourself quartered above the fish. Tie on a #18 Soft hackle on a 10 plus foot leader terminating in 5x. Cast quartered down to a specific fish, leading them by 4-5 feet making sure you do not have a big belly in your line. If there is a belly, ‘strip out the belly’ or utilize a slight mend to rid the belly. When the fish eats your fly, don’t lift or you will lose. If the take is confident the fish will hook themselves assuming you don’t lift.
Fun stuff!
