The Yakima in July

From 2010 Fishing

July can be tough on the Yakima. Whatever the temp is in Seattle, add 15 or 20 degrees and that's what it is on the Yakima. The hot weather keeps the fish down. Below Cle Elum, the water is very high and usually not wadable. Above Cle Elum, the water is low and the fish get pooled up in holes; they keep their heads down and don't often rise to a fly.

From 2010 Fishing

But if you work at it hard enough, or happen to be there at the right time of day, you can pick up a fish or two. And even if the fish don't cooperate, it just feels nice to be fishing dry flies in your sandals and shorts. Often you have to cover a lot of ground in between pools so you'll be getting some excercise.

First Fish Ever

The Boys and I were coming back from an interesting desert hike in Ellensburg and we stopped at the river for some water play near Ensign Ranch. There's a long run there ending in a little pool. I had Casey step out into the water with me and told him to hold the line against the rod while he flipped a stonefly into the pool. On his second cast, he had a fish on! He played it just right, working the fish back to the shore, where we got this great picture! We let the fish go and kept the fly and we'll put it in his scrapbook. This was Casey's first fish that he caught by himself. "Are you proud of me, dad?" he asked me later. Heck yeah.

From 2010 Fishing

Amy and I stopped at the same pool a week later so I could show her where it happened. We had to fish the pool again of course. Right at the same place that Casey caught his fish, I hooked another one, also on a stonefly. This is a pretty good fish for July in that part of the water!

I know that this blog is called "Fly Fishing from Snoqualmie," but for me and my family, the Yakima feels like our real home river.