Month: April 2021

The run off and salmon pulses can be a real pain in the ass. But the are a neccessary and natural part of the way the tailwater here is managed. Fish are used to crazy water flows in Washington state so these periodic bumps that mimic run off and snow melt to help outward salmon migration. These bumps are good for the river too.

The Yakima is a tailwater and needs to be recharged with with big flushes of water. Like it’s little brother river the teanaway which is freestone and foes this run off and pulse process without help. The Yakima needs to facilitate those naturally occurring flow fluctuations with the temps, precip, and snowmelt and its done with these pulses.

This season they have matched the Teanaway output and there is still over 100 percent snow pack for the upper Yakima Basin. When these pulses hit the Yak the fish get moved and pushed. It opens up new areas. It also pushes particulates, sludge, bugs, gravel, trees, organic material, all over the place. This is a good thing and helps with the health of the river. I’ve seen these pulses and how they are run improve over my tune here. The river benefits, and in turn the trout, and so to the angler.

I’ve had the pleasure of guiding the Yak for 7 seasons and fishing it for over a decade now. The river has only improved in that time. While these pulses makes the fishing tougher than hell. It’s good for troots. And with the spring being pretty fing decent this season I can’t complain.

The spring is about done. With March Browns finishing out April and bringing us into May. Caddis are close. With the forecast I think they will be late this season. Everything seems to be pushed back a bit. It’s cold, water is still sub 50, fish are just now really spawning. Things are more normal this season in the trout world. Which after 2020 is a nice thing.

I also anticipate a good salmon fly hatch this year. After skwallas and how many nymphs I’m seeing, with the amount amount of fish taking big chunky stones underneath and not caddis…makes me wonder. We usually get crap flows during salmon flies here with irrigation water, but that shit is already running due to the snow pack and with these pulses the fish have come accustomed to the flows changes now. It’s all a matter of how warm it gets over the next 3 weeks.

May is starting to fill up with trips. The 8th 15th and 16th and the 23rd and 29th are the weekends that are open. I highly reccomend weekdays as we get into the warmer days. Gets crowded out there. We have caddis, Salmon flies, and the streamer game will really pick up. It’s gonna be a good year anglers. Caddis for dinner soon. Late starts, off river at dark 30, taking out with the taillights. Get in on the caddis half days or those all day full days. Skwalla specials are over! Was a great skwalla holla, gotta thank everyone who came out and made this spring one of the busiest.

See ya riverside anglers.

Tamarack

The Spring. It has been a pleasure and an absolute blessing to wake with the river this season. All of here were denied access to our waters and outdoor escapes this time last year. 2020 can eat it. We all lost our ability to escape; whether it be our places of worship, our communities, our outdoors, our families, it was all a cluster.

After not being to come out of hibernation and wake with the river last year I felt always disconnected from it. I never felt like I was fully understanding what she was saying. Having the constant disconnect to its tole. This season season has been quite the opposite.

The spring has started off fantastic. Warmer and sunnier than usual, and with less runoff and high water than I anticipated. It’s here now, but already on the downward trend. As an angler and a guide the spring is a little different. While this valley is a farming community and things are just now starting to grow….the spring is on its way out in fly angler terms.

You have winter, then mid February hits and that’s the start of the early season for me. March and April are Spring…May is its own thing…its called caddis. While BWOs, Skwallas, and March Browns round out our spring bugs.  There is this transition month of May that brings the Yakima River two things.  The bigger flows of irrigation, and the caddis hatch. The fish get pushed into the bank due to the heavier than normal flow…and the caddis are there for them to eat.  Works out great for anglers.  And while May isn’t technically Summer…its not really Spring either. It’s just caddis.

Caddis are best described as an aquatic moth. We have lots of different kinds in the river that hatch from May to October. The big ones are Mother’s Day Caddis or the Brachycentrus numerosus, or American Granom, and the October Caddis or Dicosmoecus Gilvipes.  We will focus on the mothers day.

The scientific name even says numerosus, as is numerous or a fuck ton. And if you’ve witnessed a decent caddis hatch you know. Sometimes the bugs are so thick you can see the other side of the river, you’re eating and shit. And so are the fish. On the Yakima fish are post spawny, hungry, and the flows are jacked….so they need calories.  And shoveling caddis into their mouths is what these feesh do.

The caddis hatch brings about the bigger number days on dry fly eats, but fish in general are more inclined to take a fly as we get into the month of May. Things start working for the anglers advantage unlike the spring where the trout typically has the upper hand. Water temps, flows, metabolism, food sources, and weather all shift and the angler has a few cards to play.  The Yakima is a caddis river, especially the lower end.  The time is almost nigh.

Chucking elk hairs and pupa patterns tight to bank, where two inches closer adds two inches to the troots tail. It’s a fun time to fish the Yakima. And this season is shaping up to be DECENT! 

The Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch is already starting to fill up. Check that calendar and schedule a fish chasing day…bring your mum!  It’ll be wicked fun.

I can’t thank everyone enough for coming our for trips this spring, for the fly orders that I am still behind on, for the help with the shenanigans, and the continued support of your local trout guide. I appreciate it greatly. This spring has been one of the busiest in the past 7 YEARS! of guiding.  The 2021 season is looking really busy and super fishy! 

See ya riverside anglers.  We back in the flow this season anglers.  Get it, get Bent, and chase troots.

Tamarack

According to the BOR the salmon pulse will begin its downward trend today and into Tuesday. Hurray!  Fishing the drop can be wicked. I’m hitting it tomorrow to see what’s up!  Spring Time Flows Baby!  Fish are spawny, they just got pushed around, they gonna be hangry.

I have the 7th and 8th this week when the river will drop hard!  I also have the 12th, 14th-16th open!  The last Skwalla Special Days up for grabs! 

Aww ya!

Tamarack