The Yakima River
Cutthroats and "cutt bows" Fall rainbows Rocky Ford Creek
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A May 2001 Rainbow... on a spectacular day. Lots of great fish and bigger than in years past. More and bigger fish. A fly fisherman's dream.
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| The Caddis in dark browns was the ticket for sure. Floating until it was so slimed it couldn't anymore, but it still worked fine below surface...but very hard to see the strike when fished wet. I was setting the hook on any flash in the area, and many times it was a take by a 18inch Rainbow. Faultless perfection. |
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| (Above) a very colorful Rainbow... yellowish like a
Brown, but of course it isn't and it is just probably a spawning color. Anyway a
very beautiful fish on a spectacular day on the Yak in May 2001. The Caddis were
hatching so thick it was amazing.
(Left) A 2001 April day on the Yakima when the hatch was BWO's and March Browns. This guy posed so well I made him immortal...sort of. |
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Some would argue the Yakima is Washington's premier fly fishing
river. Some years ago I would have agreed. But, the canyon section, in my
opinion is suffering from "the crowds" in recent years. (1997 to 1999) In
the summer, the rafting/inner tubers are very thick especially on weekends. Even
though they are not fishing, it's still pressure on the river. Not to mention the
esthetics suffer greatly from rafters going by only feet away, many drinking and smoking
and shouting. The inevitable "catch any," is answered 20 times in one
afternoon. But, I remind myself often, I would likely ask the same question if I was
a non-fisherman, out on the water, having fun. They are having a good time and are
sincerely curious, and I work at being polite. In addition, the drift boat pressure is high. I would guess at 25 per day, on a given section of water especially on weekends. That adds up to many fish being caught and put down over and over again. Many of the drift boats are guided and successful. The result is fewer and smaller fish than in years past. It is the natural ebb and flow, of us, the predators, flocking to the current hot spot until it is no longer hot. I do it too. |
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A Yakima Rainbow. The fun thing about the Yakima is you can catch nice Rainbows on a dry fly nearly any month of the year. On those rare occasions when nothing is happening on the surface, all day, the standard nymphing techniques are rewarded. An occasional white fish also comes to the nymph.
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The extended foam body Mayfly can be tied in the usual colors and sizes to imitate the current hatch. Above is a size 16 PMD (below) The fly is a bit bedraggled in this nice 18" Rainbow's upper lip, but it did the job well on a beautiful September day in 1999.
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Yakima Cutthroats and "Cuttbows"
| Cutt/bows are a hardy fish that may end up surviving better than the pure Western Slope Cutthroat. I'm personally very interested in keeping some waters pure natural genetic hatcheries for the West Slope Cutts, to maintain their breed intact. In other words no Rainbows planted to interbreed. Our West Slope Cutthroat is very different from the Yellowstone Cutthroat, yet one can see they are similar. The tendency to go anadromous being the largest difference... But, if given the chance, would a Yellowstone Cutthroat go to the sea to feed and return to its native waters to spawn? Who knows. And it is OK with me that we never find out! |
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A beautiful Cutt/bow hybrid, that are common in the Yakima. (above) Notice the red throat slash, and lots of Rainbow spots. Below is a pure (more pure) Cutthroat from the Yakima.
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A September 2000 Rainbow from the Yakima.
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Nice Rainbow fall 99. |
The Yakima is always there as the stable area for Washington fly fishers. I have fished it in every season and all times of the day and caught fish with every technique and style of fly fishing that I know about. It is where I go to try out something new. I experiment with new ideas on the Yakima because I know what is "normal" on that water, and it gives a reference point for exploration. In the Fall, the irrigation demands go down as they stop the draw-down from the high lakes, and the fishing gets back to what a trout stream "should" be. Pocket water, gin clear and demanding. But the larger fish are now feeding out on the flats and you have to walk alertly or you'll scare the biggest fish of the day out of his hold in 8 inches of water! It is the best time of the year in my opinion. |
A Sept. Rainbow from 99. |
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To be honest I don't fish as hard as I used to, and don't put in as many
hours hiking to good water etc. With that said, the Yakima is one of the best places
I can think of to have selective (match the hatch) dry fly action with Rainbow or Cutt/bow
over 12 inches now and then. In the old days it was not uncommon to see a half dozen
fish over 14 inches and the odd 18 inches once or twice a day... all coming to dry flies.
What makes me more nervous about the future of Trout fishing on the Yakima is the re-introduction of Salmon into the drainage. I really hope they co-exist gracefully. |
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Floating the Yakima is a good way to get to those places on the far shore where bank fishermen can't usually get. |
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Above are; extended body Mayfly and a new Caddis variation I'm playing with that has semi transparent wings. Very buggy looking. |
These are my stand-bys for many Eastern WA situations. A beadhead Caddis Pupa, and a typical Chronimid. Both are very productive at times. |
| Eastern Washington has a spring fed creek that is used heavily as a hatchery water source. It is unrivaled in Washington as far as spring creeks go. Its' pure cold waters flow at a even temperature and a consistent rate year round. It is the main water source for Potholes Reservoir, as I understand it, but I've never fished it anywhere except near the head. In summer the water gets a lot of moss and water weeds in it. It gets so choked it is nearly impossible to get a clean drift due to floating vegetation, fowling the leader and fly. In winter the greenery is much less and much easier to fish... and so there are many fishermen as well. (Right) is a Male in full spawning colors. |
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(Left) This is a beautiful "leopard spotted" Rainbow from Rocky Ford creek in April of 2002. (Below) A large old Rainbow rather beat up and scared from battling for prime spawning spots and the fishermen.
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Rocky Ford requires small flies presented perfectly. Whether nymphs or dries. Usually, the larger fish are reluctant to come up for dry flies. Therefore, the nymph fishermen often catch the larger fish. The above fish took a size 16 Chronimid. A great day. |
Rocky Ford can be very frustrating place to fish. Many times, even if you manage to hook a fish, they are large enough to dive into the moss and water grass, and snap the tippet or pull out the hook. I have fished all day and not landed a single fish. Part of the rules on Rocky Ford is no wading. So, in certain situations...you loose. There are some big Rainbows in this water and usually in full sight patrolling their feeding area. That alone can give your hands the shakes as you tie on a new fly for the 20th time in the last 1/2 hour! It is a unique place. But I guess they all are if you think about it. |
  A couple of bead head nymphs that work in many situations. One is the Caddis bead head and the other is a bead head version of a Chronimid. |
(Below) Another nice shot of the
Leopard Rainbow.
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