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!
