It is that time of the season where I am on river less than I would like to be but am forced to the fringes of the day to chase trout.  August is my least favorite month personally for fishing, but it is by far one of my favorite for guiding as long as conditions allow.

Big bugs, big eats, fast retrieves, and quick releases.  Do that 15 to 30 times, rinse repeat, 5 hours at a time, every morning and evening, for about 3-6 weeks straight if you’re lucky.  I am getting ready for 7 days on in a row starting at 5:30 am tomorrow.  Guiding in the summer is fast, fun, and high energy, and for someone like me, it is just a blast.  And it is by far the best time for new anglers to come learn to fly fish here on the Yakima.

One of the other reasons I get stoked this time of year besides the awesome guiding, is the fact that every day brings me closer to my favorite time of the year…Autumn.  The sockeye return, the river drops, the temperatures cool, the days slow down, and the trout become eager for food, and begin acting like their normal trouty selves after a heavy water summer.  It’s gonna be good.

I love guiding the summer, especially with new anglers, but the late season is also one of the most consistent times of year for good fishing here on the Yakima.  My September is already filling up quickly.  You say crane fly and cutthroat in the same sentence to the right person and they are telling you to take their money to reserve a day.

We are in the meat of August and summer time fishing.  Its hot, but it will simmer down next week.  The early morning water temps are good, but the late afternoon is starting to show us 65 degrees and above in the lower canyon sections of the river.  Upper river is high but fishing well.  Water temps are good.

I have days still open in August, hopper fishing is in full swing, stoneflies are hatching, and of course the very popular caddis is always a good bet.  Early mornings are stellar right now.  Give me a call, and we can chase some wild trout before noon and you can beat the heat of the day indoors or at the local swimming hole.

 

Next Blog, “Mending is making your presentation shit.  A lesson on proper dry fly casting from someone who watches people miss fish for a living.”  Or something like that.

 

Tamarack

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Published by tamaracksguideservice

I have been fishing the Yakima River and its surrounding tributaries, creeks, and lakes for 10 years. I have been tying flies specific to this river for 10 years as well. I have guided not only the river but also many of the hiking and mountaineering trails in the area and fished some of the more remote lakes and streams. I love to fish the Yakima River and have been running my driftboat here for 5 years. I guide a little differently than the other services here and have a slightly different philosophy on guided fishing trips. Its all about the experience, and while I can't promise there will always be cooperative trout, there will always be good times. I learned from some of the greatest anglers the Yakima has both on the water and at the vise and I guide to share and pass on that knowledge and expertise so others can enjoy this river as much as I do. I love to teach people to fish, I love to teach people how to read the river, and I love showing people the beauty and art of fly fishing. My service is a bit cheaper but that is because I have no shop taking a percentage. I use a lot of my own fly designs and patterns that no other guide has and have spent the past 10 years fine tuning my tying and patterns specific to this river. I have flies, leaders, tippets, and fly rods and reels, and always welcome anglers to bring their own gear. If you need waders and boots I can arrange for a rental. I support my local fly shop for my trips as well as it is important to me that our local shops stay open. When you take a trip with me it all about fishing and the experiences that happen along the river. I love getting my clients to have great moments with our trout here. Ask me all the questions you can, I want to teach as much as you want to learn. Whether you are an experienced angler or brand new to the sport I love sharing this river with people. I guide the Yakima River and many other secret waters in the area. When you give me a call I will ask you lots of questions as I want to make sure you have the best experience possible while chasing the trout we have here. Whether its a guided river float or a hike and fish, or a walk and wade to the secret places, I can help make your fly fishing experience memorable and fun. Give me a call today and lets set up a time to go fishing.

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