Play now and pay later could be an apt phrase for Yakima River trout aficionados this year. At the moment, they’re enjoying an unusual spring of warm temperatures, little runoff and consistent hatches. That could all change this fall, according to Ryan White at the Yakima River Fly Shop in Cle Elum, as a lack of snowpack catches up with anglers and results in low river levels and a whole lot of driftboat wrestling.
But for now, guides are seeing rainbows and cutthroat in the 18- to 20-inch range daily, White said, and the river is runoff-free and clear enough to make wading access easy.
“Things could get pretty bony by fall,” he said, “but, hey, enjoy it while we have it.”
White said fly fishing (the river is not fly fishing only, but it is “selective gear” in some portions) has been no less than fantastic this spring, and he sees no reason why top fishing shouldn’t continue through this month, when the hatch will be the March brown mayfly.
“Every day at around 1 p.m. should produce some nice fish eating these tasty bugs on the surface,” White said, of the upper river. “A few Skwala stoneflies are still present, also, and anglers should fish these flies late in the afternoon, the key being to work smaller, slender patterns that sit low in the water.”
When most people think “Yakima,” they think fall in the canyon section below Ellensburg, he said, not necessarily spring on the upper river.
“The canyon is a great fishery,” he said. “A lot of fish per mile, easy boating, good access. But it gets hit pretty hard, and our emphasis up here is on quality as opposed to quantity. The upper river is smaller, there are fewer people, and while we don’t have as many trout per mile, there are nice, top-quality fish to be had.
“As for fall,” he said, “our October caddis hatch is actually stronger up here than in the canyon.”
One popular upper river drift, White said, is from the south bridge in Cle Elum down to the state launch at East Cle Elum. That’s a stretch of about five and a half river miles, and with the river low and slow, it’s plenty of water to work carefully in a day.
Driftboating above Cle Elum can be tricky, White said, because of log jams, sweepers and assorted debris, and he wouldn’t recommend it to a novice.
For Yakima information, contact White or Jim Gallagher at the shop (509-674-2144) or online at www.yakimariverflyshop.com.
KIDS FISH-IN
If you have kids and live within driving distance of the Skykomish Valley, you’ll want to put a big red X on Sunday, April 25, the day after the opening of lowland lake trout season. That’s the date for the hugely popular free kids’ trout fishing day at Lake Tye, on the west edge of Monroe, off Fryelands Boulevard, sponsored annually by the Sky Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Children 12 and under fish at no cost (bring your own tackle or borrow an outfit) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., for a big list of fun prizes. Thousands of dollars worth of fat rainbow trout, some as large as 10-plus pounds, will be waiting in a netted area on the lake’s south end, making for easy fishing, and there will be experts on hand to help out.
The adults take over at 1 p.m., when the remaining trout are released from the net pen. Enter the adult derby for $10 and fish for the $250 first prize for the largest trout, or the bonus prize of $500 for catching the special tagged fish.
You have to see this event to believe it. These folks draw 800 kids to their fish-in without raising a sweat, and sometimes more. Incredible.
Contacts for more information are Gary Bee, nshore@nwlink.com, 425-482-6657 days or 360-794-6378 home; or Jeff Shirley, 425-359-7756.
SPRINGERS
Washington and Oregon salmon managers met yesterday and decided the spring chinook run on the Columbia and the recreational catch on the lower river are both progressing according to preseason estimates and should be left as published. So the sport season below I-5 closes as planned at the end of the day Sunday. Catch rates increased substantially last week, and managers say the 17,200-fish recreational quota below Bonneville will be reached by the scheduled closing date.
Monitors said there were 28,650 angler trips on the lower river last week, and they caught just under 10,000 springers.
Lower river tributaries remain open to fishing and there are springers being taken on the Cowlitz and Lewis. Above Bonneville, there has been no catch reported at the mouth of the Wind River, but effort is increasing and a few fish have been landed at Drano Lake. Both those fisheries will pick up in a week or two as more fish cross Bonneville.
RAZOR CLAM LICENSES
Remember that new 2010-11 licenses are required of all diggers 15 years or older, planning to participate in upcoming seasons (see accompanying Pick of the Week). They can buy a combination license or an annual shellfish license, or one of the razor-clam-only licenses in annual or three-day versions. Descriptions of license options are available on the agency Web site at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.
Licenses can be purchased on line or at any regular license vendor around the state.
HUNT RULES
The state Fish and Wildlife Commission set this year’s general hunting seasons and special-hunt permit drawings during a public meeting in Leavenworth over the weekend. The seasons reflect changes in game populations since the current three-year plan was adopted last year.
The commission:
Along with the new hunting rules, the commission approved a new application system for special-hunt permits that will give hunters more options by allowing them to apply for deer and elk permits in several different categories. The system applies “points” accrued by unsuccessful applicants from previous years to each of the new permit categories.
Another change allows hunters who use archery or muzzleloader equipment to carry handguns for personal protection.
OMAK CUTTS
Guide and Chelan resident Anton Jones (antonj@aol.com) said this is a prime time of year to fish Omak Lake for its large Lahontan-strain cutthroat. Single, barbless hook; Colville tribal permit required. Troll fast, Jones said, with Silver Horde darting plugs just under the surface at the south end of the lake.
STURGEON
Sam Ingram, guide and Arlington resident, said sturgeon fishing off Priest Point is picking up, and should get better over the next several weeks.
BLACKMOUTH
Fair fishing in the San Juan Islands when the weather allows. Checks at the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes on Sunday showed 20 fishermen with four chinook. Some halibut were reported coming off Coyote Bank, also when the weather allows. Checks at the Everett ramp hit an uptick on Sunday, where 56 fishermen were tallied with six fish.
DERBY RESULTS
Last weekend’s Stanwood Hotel Saloon blackmouth derby sold 43 tickets and weighed eight fish. First place and $1,161 went to Justin Logsden at 16 pounds. Second and $645 went to Wayne Logsden, at 14 pounds. Third ended in a tie at 11 pounds between Curt Ayeres and Scott Baker, who split $516 in third- and fourth-place money.
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