WINTER STEELHEAD

Some big fish have been hooked lately on both tactics… Sporadic is the word.  All the rivers are lowwwww , some more clear than others. We would prefer more precipitation.

Quick ties in the evening….. Rabbit and marabou is hard to beat

YAKIMA

Cold nights and warm days with lots of sun in the forecast.  Reasonable conditions….We would prefer a few more clouds.   Fishing has been avg. to good depending on the day and zone.

As always, dry fly activity is limited and specific to zones… Skwala dry fly water can be slooowwwww.  Not always, but often.

Blue wings here and there.

We have SKWALA dry fly activity:))

OLYMPIC PENINSULA

The swing fishing has been pretty consistent

Line choices depend on the depth and flow of the run you are fishing.  Recently we have caught fish on everything from 10′ of T-11 to a FIST line with T-17

Make sure you have a line that gets your fly in the zone.

Nymphing has actually been more sporadic recently…..Best choice-> Yarn.

YAKIMA

Bugs dejour…..

We have Skwalas and Baetis.  Above is a half dozen hot patterns for the Skwala.  Stop by the shop and pick some up:)))

Fishing has been avg to great depending on the day and zone.  It is fishing, not catching:)

Afternoon Skwalas have been ‘happy’

WINTER STEELHEAD

The last 24 hours we received an inch of much needed rain.  It appears we will not see much more for awhile based on the forecast.  Fishing has been awesome….the catching has been all over the board.  Swingtastic as well as a nymphorama…

Best bug recently -> Peachy Cream
Best nymph -> Yarn

YAKIMA RIVER

The 2018 Skwala action is game on…. Every day will be different but the next week should prove to be thumbs up based weather forecast.  Nights at the freezing mark and days at 50…..PERFECT.

Skwala fishing tip…. You may not see a lot of Skwala’s, but the trout know they are there.  At times, the dry will definitely out fish the nymph.

Trout will key on the adult Skwala in a variety of water types; however, error on the slow waters. Grassey banks that are slow – equals thumbs up.

Suggested Pattern Choices -> Images coming soon.

YAKIMA REPORT

GOOD TO GREAT FISHING AS OF RECENT….

We are always talking about the Skwala hatch at this time of year…However, there are some other insects including the Blue Wing Olive.  Here is one of our favorite patterns for the Blue Wing…. SPARKLE TAIL

In addition to the dry fly fishing sometimes the nymphing can be the mainstay at this time of year…Learn more about the ‘Drift’

WINTER STEELHEAD REPORT

Pretty darn good:) End of story:)

Doing my best to be more current with the reports page….As suggested by Mike and Larry.

WINTER STEELHEAD – Got to spend a day with one of our  guests and guide staff yesterday – Ed Fischer took the picture of Chris Owens and me.

Difficult weather yesterday………  We swung hard and nymphed hard and ended up with this nice doe. No complaints.  Just needed one more layer:))

Might catch more if Judge Boldt’s decision got reversed!

YAKIMA RIVER REPORT
Mark and Josh just spent a day on the Yakima with our veteran guide Keith and enjoyed some good trout fishing.  100 % nymph day with a variety of patterns used.

Best bug of the day – Modified Pat’s Stone Size #10

Fishing on the Yakima can be up and down at any time of year.  if you look at the forecast,  most people would say that the next week would not look good for fishing.   However,  the next weeks forecast is perfect…….

Not frigid cold,  cloud cover,  reasonably warmer winter afternoons….

Exactly what you want:)

WINTER STEELHEAD

Fishing has been wintery and reasonable.  Both tactics have proven worthy – both the nymph and the swing.

We have caught fish with big integrated lines and heavy tips while the rivers were low and the fish were holding in the runs. We have also caught fish in transitions buckets when the water was changing and the fish were moving.

Just spent a few days with Mike and Larry from Michigan…. These boys could fish.

Best color of fly this past week….Pink
Best line……Intermediate Skagit with T-14

YAKIMA RIVER REPORT

Definitely a wintery mix of weather on the Yakima.  Fishing as been average to  good with the Winter Staples as noted in the last report.  Some big trout have been caught lately.  Tis the season for the big boys.

Sculpzilla is a great choice for some streamer action;  Although there are a myriad of other patterns that prove effective.

The Pats stone pictured above is a take-off on the old Girdle Bug.  When I first used this pattern on the Yakima in early 2003 it was AUTOMATIC.  At that time, we kept them ‘behind the counter’.  The pattern has become very popular and it still works.  The difference between it and the Girdle bug are the legs…. The Pat’s stone has very lifelike legs: Not just round rubber legs like the Girdle bug has. Sometimes,  taking a black marker pen to the legs and creating a variegated look can enhance the effectiveness.  Great pattern…But the Yakima is due for a new ‘ Pats Stone ‘ What will be the next hot fly?