Fly Fishing Yakima River
This includes a Yakima River fishing report
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwaters
Species
Rainbow Trout (Wild)
Cutthroat (Native)
Brook Trout (Wild)
Bull Trout (Native)
Size
Medium to large – 75 plus miles of
trout water
Location
Central Washington
Nearest Towns
Yakima
Ellensberg
Season
Year-round
Access:
Fair to great, depending on the
location
Non-Resident License
State of Washington
Seasons:
The fishing season is open year-round in the Yakima River
Spring:
Runoff can dingy the water but otherwise fishing is usually great during the Spring because of the numerous aquatic insect hatches.
Summer:
Fly fishing the Yakima River from a drift boat during the Summertime is usually great because of the high water conditions.
Fall:
Early fall is usually very good.
Winter:
Fishing in the Winter is tough but can be productive on some warm day. Midge fishing is popular on the stream.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
Yakima River Washington – Fishing Report – April 29, 2024
The stream is flowing near a normal level and the water is clear. There are some good hatches taking place. Western March Browns, Skwala stonefly and light green and red, or blood midge hatches coming off. Keep checking back with us as we update the Yakima River fishing report weekly.
Rate: 1870 cfs
Level: 21.59 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 51
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data At Umtanum
7 Day Weather Forecast:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Light Green and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, work good here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Skwala Stoneflies: 10, nymphs and adults
March Browns, 12/14, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
Little Black Caddis: 18, pupa, adults
Salmonflies: 4/6, nymphs and adults
Fly Fishing On The Yakima River In Washington
The Yakima River is formed in the Snoqualmie Wilderness in central Washington. It flows from the east side of the Cascades down to the Kittitas Valley and then into a desert like canyon. It’s a tributary of the Columbia River. Its headwaters flow into three reservoirs – Kachess, Keechelus and Cle Elum. Each of these three reservoirs have tailwaters that flow together to form the main river. Although each of these three tailwaters have trout fishing opportunities, fly fishing the Yakima River is best in its prime section that begins where the three tailwaters merge together near the town of Cle Elum. Miles downstream, the river flows through Rosa Dam between Ellensberg and Yakima. Although fishing is decent below the Rosa Dam, the prime area is between Keechelus Dam and Rosa Dam. Fly fishing the Yakima River can be challenging but also very rewarding. The river is 75 miles long between these dams and includes some prime, blue-ribbon rainbow trout fishing. Fly fishing the Yakima River tailwater section involves both a top and bottom releases. It’s flows are just about right the opposite of most western tailwaters. Its water is low during the Spring and Fall and high during the Summer, being controlled that way for irrigation purposes. Its water temperature is more of what normally exist in a freestone stream than the typical tailwater. The river is very diverse depending on which section of the river you are fishing. The upper river down to the Cle Elum confluence has some braided channels and isn’t suitable for floating in larger vessels. Below there you’ll find what’s referred to as the flat water section that is usually very suitable for wading anglers. It has some braided channels but also some nice, long riffles. From East Cle Elum downstream for fourteen miles, the river flows through its upper canyon section. This is a beautiful section of the river with some road access but most of the water must be accessed from the John Wayne trail. This section is filled with large boulders and contains more cutthroats than most of the other sections.Wading is okay but only on low water. Three tributaries, the Teanaway, Swuak and Tanuem, enter this section of the river. From the Diversion Dam downstream to Wilson Creek, or what’s usually called the farmland section, you will find some more good water but more difficult access. Fly fishing the Yakima River in this area can be tough due on low water because it’s difficult to float and access for wading is very limited. The river is bordered with private land in most areas. The water clarity is sometimes affected by the inflow of Wilson and Cherry Creek from the farmland. It is best floated on high water conditions. The lower river from Wilson Creek to Roza Dam, called the Yakima Canyon, is the most fished section of the river. It flows through a desert like setting with big horn sheep. It’s mostly fished from drift boats.
Yakima River Fly Fishing Guide:
The most important thing about fly fishing the Yakima River an angler can do in advance of fishing is to check the discharges from the dams and the rates of flow on the various tailwaters. The height and speed of the water determines whether or not you can wade the stream and/or float it. Since the dams have top and bottom releases, the water temperature is usually affected by the discharges of water. During the warmer months of the year, top water discharges are warmer and bottom discharges have cooler water. Spring runoff can adversely affect the flows from April through early June. The discharges can vary greatly during the Spring months. Normally, steady flows occur during July and August.The water levels drop down in late summer and Fall levels are usually on the low side. Floating the water can be a problem in some sections, especially if your using a larger size drift boat. About every fly fishing technique in the book will work on the Yakima river at one time or another, depending on the location you are fishing. It is a very diverse river with every type of water you will find in any trout stream. Although we provide a summary of hatches below, keep in mind these vary greatly depending on the location at any given time. You cannot expect them to occur any and everywhere on the river at the same time.
Yakima River Hatches and Trout Flies:
Our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, are not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Yakima River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726
January provides some opportunities thanks to the many tailwaters that come from the warmer water of the lakes and reservoirs. Hatches are rare but there are some Little Winter Stoneflies that hatch in January through March. These are often called snow flies and at times, can be seen crawling along the banks during the winter months. By mid February, Blue-winged Olives begin to appear. There are many different species called BWOs the majority of which are Baetis species. These will range in hook sizes from a 20 up to a 16 depending on the species. March and April are the prime early season BWO months. They continue to hatch on into May. In March, Skwala Stoneflies start to hatch. They crawl out of the water on the rocks and banks. Imitating the nymph is usually more effective than imitating the adult egg layers but both work depending on the time and status of the hatch. Western March Browns begin to hatch at the end of March and on into April. They peak during the month of April. The large salmonflies hatch in some sections in April and May. Runoff can create some problems but again, thanks to the many tailwaters where releases can be controlled to a certain extent, the adverse effects are usually much less than that of the freestone streams. March and April can provide excellent dry fly action. Mahogany Duns begin to hatch in May along with a huge American Grannom caddisfly hatch called the Mother’s Day Hatch. Pale Morning Duns start hatching in late May and throughout the month of June. This is the largest mayfly hatch and the most consistent in late Spring and early summer. May brings on Green Drake hatches in some sections of the river. Little Yellow Stoneflies hatch in late May and June. These little stoneflies can bring about some great dry fly opportunities when they lay their eggs in the afternoons. In July, the Summer Stones, often called short-winged stones (members of the Golden Stonefly group) hatch in July, August and September. Large hatches of Spotted Sedges begin to occur in late June and July. These caddisflies bring on some good dry fly action when they deposit their eggs in the late afternoons and early evenings. Several other species of caddisflies can be found including Short-horned Sedges, Green Sedges and a few species of long-horned caddis. Hoppers, ants and beetles are the prime terrestrial insects of the summer. Imitations of these often bring some decent dry fly action. Yellow Quills, Eperous species, hatch in the late summer and bring on some good dry fly fishing at times. These mayflies hatch on into September and early October, depending on the location. During the same period of time, some sections of the Yakima will have hatches of Pale Evening Duns. In late September, October Caddis will begin to hatch. The second phase of Blue-winged Olives will begin to hatch. This little mayflies bring on the best dry fly fishing of the Fall. A different species of Mahogany Duns also hatch in September. November has some BWO hatches but as the water gets colder, they will gradually be replaced with hatches of Midges. Most of the midges are cream or red (blood) midges. Midges hatch throughout the year but become the most important insect to imitate during the cold months. The Yakima River has many different species of baitfish and sculpin. Often streamers produce the best fishing opportunities and result in anglers catching some of the largest fish in the river. We recommend Perfect Flies because they the only fly company in the World with specific imitations of most every aquatic insect, in all applicable stages of life, found in trout streams.
Stream Report Archives:
05/14/19 The river has been high and warm. There are still some Salmonflies hatching. March Browns are going good as well. Don’t overlook the little Black Caddis. The trout feed on them as well as anything.
05/26/19 The river is in good shape with good numbers of trout being caught. There are
several good hatches taking place.
06/01/19 The river is in good shape with good numbers of trout being caught. There are
several new hatches starting up including some stoneflies, caddisflies and mayflies like the PMD.
06/11/19 the river is a little high which is normal at this time of the season. We are getting some good reports of stoneflies hatching. Salmonflies and some Goldens are hatching along with some other good hatches.
06/19/19 The river is in good shape in all respects and all sections. Good numbers of trout are being caught. There are multiple hatches taking place. This coming week should be a very good one.
06/28/19 The stream levels are good in all sections of the river. Trout are being caught in good numbers. We continue to receive good reports. There are lots of insects hatching and dry fly action has been good and should continue to be good this coming week.
07/11/19 Conditions remain good in all sections of the river. The stream levels and discharges are all in good shape with clear water. Lots of trout are being caught. There are lots of hatches taking place.
07/19/19 The river is in good shape from a stream level standpoint and with good clear water. There are some hatches taking place and a few trout are being caught on the dry fly. Most of the action is coming on subsurface presentaions.
07/29/19 Conditions remain good. We continue to get good reports from our customers. The stream levels are a little too high to wade in many places but fine for drift boats.
08/08/19 Stream levels are still in good shape in all sections of the river. We received some good reports from customers fishing this past week. There are some good hatches taking place and terrestrials are starting to work.
08/21/19 The river is in good shape with good stream levels in all sections. Our customers are sending in good reports and are catching trout in all sections. There are still some good hatches.
10/01/19 There are trout still being caught, but the low, clear water is making it tough on some anglers. Stay as low and hidden from the trout as possible, make good presentations and use Perfect flies that look like the naturals
10/20/19 The river is back to a little above normal which should make it easier to catch trout. We are getting good reports from our customers. BWOs, Mahogany Duns and Midges are hatching.
11/04/19 We are getting good reports from our customers about the Trout catch. Midges rigged in tandem are working well. There are several good hatches taking place and the good weather should make this a good week.
03/20/20 The river is running just a little below normal level. There are a few hatches taking place but the water is still cold and the good hatches are a little behind schedule. We didn’t receive any good reports this past week.
04/31/20 The river is in pretty good shape with okay stream levels and mostly clear water.
There are some very good hatches taking place and trout are being caught.
07/08/20 The stream levels are a little above normal levels but still okay. There are multiple hatches taking place and terrestrails are starting to work good. We are getting good reports from customers fishing it.
07/20/20 The river is still running above a normal levels but okay to wade in some places. There are multiple hatches taking place and terrestrial imitations are working as well.
We are discontinuing posting the archive reports due to the large
number we already have.