Yakima River Trout
Yakima River Fly Fishing Guides
Our Yakima River fly fishing guides are blessed with three things: wild trout, good water flows, and summer stones to offer excellent fishing opportunities in summer time. On top of that, with the recent consistent runs of SALMON, Yakima trout are becoming predatory and the streamer patrol dominates large catches!
The wild trout on the Yakima river consist of native Westslope cutthroat trout and wild rainbows. For the most part the “cutties” are found in the upper Yakima river above the diversion. Wild rainbows – both “red sides” and “Gerard” are found throughout the system, while Cutt – Bows (hybrid Cutthroat and Rainbow) are found predominantly above the Thorp area.
Yakima River Trout Photos
Yakima River Highlights
- Season: April - August
- Target Species: Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat
- Techniques: Dry Fly, Nymph, Streamer
- Headquarters: Yakima, WA
Lodging Options
Ellensburg Lodging
Resources for lodging option in Ellenburg, Washington
Cle Elum Lodging
Resource for lodging options in Cle Elum, Washington
Yakima Valley Lodging
Resource for lodging options in Yakima, Washington
VRBO
Options for your entire group in Kittitas County, Washington
How To Get Here
Meeting Place: we prefer to pick up at your lodging location provided it’s a suitable range. Otherwise 9 am Jennica’s Coffee House 1300 N Dollarway Rd, Ellensburg, WA 98926.. Meeting details should be arranged a few days ahead of trip.
Fly Fishing Techniques & Seasons Of The Yakima
The high summertime flows offer a “run and gun” style of angling for our Yakima River guide trips. This approach is very technical in casting, and rewarding when it comes together in the act of getting trout to rise inches from cover to our offerings.
The shoulder months offer complete counteraction to the high water of summer. Yakima River fly fishing during Springtime often calls for fish changing conditions requiring streamers, heavy nymphing, and fishing specific zones for specific hatches. During spring on the Yakima, we have the opportunity to fish to risers with a variety of insects from Green or Grey Drakes to Caddis and Skwalla Stones.
The fall season again changes the conditions on the Yakima when the days become shorter and the water drops from 3-4 thousand cfs. to 1200 cfs. and lower. We fish much smaller hatches like 16-20 size Mahogany Duns and Blue Winged Olives etc. Then there’s the “egg drop” which follows a completely different set of rules, if you will. This time frame also brings out the big guys gorging on the best food of the year fattening up for winter… and it can be a spectacle!
Yakima River Trout
The wild trout on the Yakima river consist of native Westslope cutthroat trout and wild rainbows. For the most part the “cutties” are found in the upper Yakima river above the diversion. Wild rainbows – both “red sides” and “Gerard” are found throughout the system, while Cutt – Bows (hybrid Cutthroat and Rainbow) are found predominantly above the Thorp area.
Sections of The Yakima River
Our Yakima River fly fishing guides have 70 miles of water to choose from for our trips with a very diverse set of conditions. Fly fishing the Yakima River above Roza Dam offers two majestic river canyons, large flats and braided areas, connected by a ten mile section of large log jams and cut-banks. Fly fishing the Yakima near Cle Elum includes spring creek attributes and a freestone geography through out.
Yakima River Hatches
The summer stoneflies on the Yakima offer both the trout and the angler opportunity, food in big bites for trout and flies in big dries for the angler. The Yakima stonefly hatch runs from July through September and is the prevailing food source during these warm summer months. Combine the stoneflies with hoppers, beetles, crane flies and ants, and you could say that our Yakima River fly fishing trips are exclusively a “big bug” game. Maybe it’s not 100% big dries all the time, but I have never fished the Yakima River without using some kind of stonefly or terrestrial during the summer months.
So what does this mean for us as anglers? It means we can choose to fish the Yakima with the dry fly nearly anytime with one that is large and visible and do this on the move from a drift boat covering many miles a day.
Yakima River Rates
Yakima River Day Fishing Trips
**Day Trips Include: guide, flies, all terminal tackle and necessary fishing gear.**
**Not Included: Washington State sales tax, all necessary Washington State fishing licenses and tags, and travel to and from your guide meeting location.**
**Guide will provide cooler with ice, drinks and snacks. Guest will need to bring their own light lunch.**
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253-307-3210