WBFC-Fly Fishing Report-June 2015

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Welcome to our monthly newsletter, July 2015	visit website

Greetings fly anglers! With the incredible summer conditions we are experiencing in the Pacific Northwest, we hope you have been getting outdoors with family and friends and enjoying your life to its fullest. That's why you live here right?

In this month’s news letter, I wanted to address the key water issues and shed some light on the current state of the Yakima and its fishery. With a usually low snow pack in the Cascades this past winter, 2015 could turn out to be the worst recorded drought in the state’s history. I have lived here for 25 years and have never seen the WDFW shut down fisheries or enact "Hoot Owl" restrictions on any body of water. I'm sure it’s the same for many of you that grew up in the Evergreen State. Hoot owl restrictions are new ground for Washington State, but my home territory of Montana has been enacting them for decades, when water flows deflate and water temperatures hit 73 degrees for 3 consecutive days on any of the Big Sky Rivers, hoot owl restrictions are put in place. Here, in Washington State the minimum high temperature is 65°.

Select Yakima Basin tributaries to close or fall under "Hoot Owl Regulations" to fishing for game fish due to drought-more info

Actions: Partially or completely close current seasons for game fish in select areas to reduce drought-related injury and/or mortality.

Effective date: Immediately until further notice

Species affected: All game fish (trout, whitefish, etc.)

Locations for new restrictions or closures:

1) Yakima River from I-82 Bridge at Union Gap to the South Cle Elum Bridge: Closed 2 p.m. until midnight

2) Swauk Creek and all tributaries downstream of Williams Creek: Closed 2 p.m. until midnight

3) Williams Creek and all tributaries: Closed

4) Swauk Creek and all tributaries upstream of Williams Creek: Closed

5) American River: Closed

I would also like to give you a good idea of what you can expect to see over the next several months throughout Central Washington, so you can prepare your fall fishing calendar. So, whether you love to trout fish the Yakima, swinging flies for steelhead or prefer the slower pace still-waters of the desert basin, I will break it down and give you a good idea on what you can expect, so you don't encounter any unexpected disappointments.

Learn More →

Yakima River Trout

The most popular time to fish the Yakima is upon us as July, August, September and October are by far the busiest months of the year for fishing pressure and recreational actives that the river experiences. The lack of water and server drought conditions that are happening across Washington State has not affected or impacted Central Washington residence as dramatically as other portions of the Evergreen State.

Groups of Kittitas, Yakima & Benton County farmers and ranchers with second or even third generation water rights are definitely feeling the pinch as they struggle to keep their fruit bearing crops alive during this time of high heat and distress. Many have experienced this type of drought before or anticipated it well in advance and have made the necessary adjustments in their operations. Most, if experience prevails, have emergency water wells in place to insure proper watering during the hottest days of August.

For the resident and anadromous fish of the Yakima River Basin, it’s business as usual.... and business is good!

Even though we have experienced an intensely warm summer across the entire Pacific Northwest, the major dam releases of water from the storage reservoirs on Snoqualmie Pass have kept the fishing on the Yakima in tune to our summer schedules. Even during the warmest portions of a summer day, when air temperatures break triple digits, water temperatures and dissolved oxygen contents remain well within the normal operating parameters for this time of year.

The water temperatures at this time are fluctuating between 59° in the early morning hours to a high of 70° during the warmest portion of the day. (this was recorded on a day when the air temperatures recorded 107° in Ellensburg) Dissolved oxygen content remains high, recording between 7.77 and 8.0. Many of you will probably not understand these numbers. I didn't either and had to refer to the expertise of our staff fisheries biologist, David Duvall and had him explain the numbers to me. So in laymen's terms, look at it this way. A D.O.C of 10.0 or better is ideal and well within the normal range for oxygen content in any body of water, where a 5.0 or below would be harmful or fatal to fish. So at this point, we aren't that far off from being at normal water temperatures and D.O.C. for the month of August.

For those taking guided trips on the Yakima, all of the outfitters have been starting their guided trips early in the morning and fishing into the early afternoon. Despite, what you may see on social media or the newspaper, the early starts aren't because of water temperatures. Who wants to fish when it's 105° out?? Nobody. So the schedule demands an early or late afternoon start time. There is a cooling trend about to occur across the state as temperatures are projected to plummet into the mid 80 degree range. This will be a dramatic improvement and over a 20 degree drop in air temps. This will in turn drop water temperatures with cool nights in low 50's and increase the DOC. We expect excellent fishing conditions to remain and continue, even with hoot owl restrictions now in place on the Yakima for the remaining month of August.

What's Really Happening?

At this time, the fish are revved up and running at full rpms with water temperatures stable and holding at ideal, peak summer levels. Any body that has fished the river in the past several weeks can attest that the fish are vibrant, healthy and packing on the calories. With plenty of food around this time of year, no fish in the Yakima goes hungry. We are closely monitoring daily conditions, as you can tell and will continue to do so as we move into fall. Water flows will continue to drop over the course of August, however the air temperatures are expected to do the same. This will provide excellent fishing opportunities for anyone interested in fly fishing the Yakima. If for some reason, we see water temperatures escalate to unhealthy conditions, then of course we will make adjustments in our schedules just like the rest of the Ellensburg outfitters will be doing.

This is our livelihood and we want to protect this incredible resource that we have. We know everyone else feels the same. If you are new to the sport, stop by your local fly shop before heading out and ask a staff professional the proper techniques for releasing a fish. Any professional will be happy to educate you on the proper handling and releasing techniques. Living in the PNW we are fortunate to have so many great fly shop around to refer to for professional advice. These are dedicated individuals that love the sport and spend their lives promoting it. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FLY SHOP! NOT THE BOX!!

Summer time flows (3300 cfs today) have the river bank full and the fish are ingesting a variety of bank foods like hoppers, ants, beetles, bees and more! It’s a fun time of the year to fish the river, especially with dry flies when the trout's diet is made up of a diverse diet of insects, both aquatic and non-aquatic. It gives you a chance to fish fun and exciting patterns that you normally wouldn't fish during other portions of the year.

River aquatics like caddis, craneflies and stoneflies are also on the menu at this time, so be prepared over the next 45 to 90 days with a variety of patterns and sizes to match the final round of hatches on the "Yak" before the colder days of winter set it. Need to fill your boxes?? We got thousand of flies to match the hatch. If you’re a fly tier then stop by the WBFC proshop and browse one of the largest inventories of fly tying materials you probably have ever seen.

With our recent expansion of the fly shop this May (we doubled it's size if you haven't been by), we have increased the inventory in all categories and will be adding even more as the year progresses, especially in the fly tying portion of the shop. We still have some building to do, but with our busy schedule this time of year, we haven't been able to give it our full attentions. We are also in the processes of rebuilding the WBFC website and online shopping cart platform. If you have experienced troubles ordering online, we apologize for the inconvenience. Feel free to call us during the transition and we are happy to take your order over the phone.

It’s the peak of summer, so the mainstay for trout fishing on the Yakima is dry fly fishing. Prerequisite for the day is casting big dry fly patterns along the grassy banks, underneath the brush lines and as close as possible to other river structures, where trout seek refuge this time of year.

If nymphing is your game and you love subsurface fishing, large trout are coming out of faster runs and riffle dumps throughout the day as they eagerly await the heaviest part of the famous summer stonefly hatch. With the stone migration taking place at this time, many of the fish are staging in key migratory routes, where these large insects can be easily devoured. The adult presence of this 3" long or better insect will begin in the mid-September time frame, when we see reduced water flows in the river.

September is a fun time to fly fish the Yakima because it offers a variety of fishing opportunities that you don't encounter during the other 11 months of the year. I say this because this is also a key time for the Spring Chinook Salmon to begin their spawning. Like it or not, egg fishing is an important part of the day when fishing anywhere in the Upper Yakima. (Easton To Thorp) If that's not your ideal day, then avoiding the river between Easton and Ellensburg is a good idea. These are the key spawning areas for salmon and throughout the spawn trout will be keyed in on the millions of eggs that are being delivered into the system by adult salmon. At this time, there are approximately 6000 Spring Chinook in the Upper Yakima watershed. Whether fishing from a boat or wade fishing the river this time of year, be extra careful not to disturb the spawning beds. Most beds will be flagged by the Yakima Nation & WDFW with colorful markers in the closest branches to the spawning area.

The Timbo & Bugger Crane

The other big September insect hatch will be our Cranefly. As the big flow of summer subside, the Craneflies return to the river to lay its eggs. This can be some of the most exciting dry fly fishing of the season as big trout respond to surface, skating Cranefly patterns.

Summer Steelhead Fishing-Fall

It’s still too earlier in the year to hear of a potential steelhead season on the Wenatchee or Methow Rivers, however with low water flows on both of these systems and not much precipitation expected this fall, we aren't holding our breath for a fall opener. If I had to say, a late season opener in February-March of 2016 may be possible to rid the system of an over abundance of hatchery fish before they begin spawning in April.

As of this week, we are finally starting to see good numbers of steelhead entering the Columbia River system over Bonneville Dam. To access the androumous fish totals and how they are migrating throughout the Columbia River system, please refer too the link below.

BONNEVILLE DAM COUNTS

This leaves the Klickitat, Deschutes, John Day and Grand Rhonde Rivers in the central portion of our state for summer steelhead fishing. At this time, the Klickitat region of the state is experiencing the same heat wave as we are. However, with the cooling trend moving in, this weekend and the following week should produce excellent fishing conditions here. At this time, the "Klick" is flowing at 712 cfs, which is water flow we typically see in October under dry conditions. Of course, the river will elevate when rain showers preside over the glaciers on Mt. Adams, but there are no showers predicted over the next week.

These are low flows on the river, which like I said we typically see in the fall. The "Klick" is not an easy river to maneuver or wade fish and can punish a fiberglass drift boat with its sharp, jagged rocks, steep gradient and fast currents. It’s a good idea to go equipped with a studded boot and a durable wading staff, if you plan to fish on foot. If you are rowing the river, having good knowledge of the Klickitat as well as skills on the sticks is a must! We will be running some trips on the Klickitat this year, so if you are interested, call the proshop for some of the dates we have set aside. Our Klickitat guide has 18 years of experience on this water.

For the current CFS river flows on the Klickitat, please refer to the link below.

KLICKITAT RIVER FLOWS

Central Washington Still-Waters

The lakes in central Washington are heating up and trout fishing has slowed to a crawl for the summer. However, there are Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass opportunities on some of the larger reservoirs like Pot Holes, Moses Lake, Banks & Evergreen Reservoir. Fishing top water popper patterns in the shady areas around structure will entice large bass to the surface. The desert basin is infested with Bull Frogs, an invasive species that was introduced from the south many years ago and its population has exploded. Their tadpole offspring are around for as long as three years before become adults and these are readily available for big bass.

Many of the patterns I tie and fish myself are replication of bullfrog tadpoles and have always provided me with lots of exciting and aggressive takes. They are usually fished best on a sinking tip line and cast to structure or if given the opportunity, site fishing to a cruising feeder along the tullies. I like to work them as divers and find a lot of the takes as the fly is floating back towards the surface. September is an excellent time to target big bass in the desert basin!.

In September, as the cooler days and nights begin to settle in, trout fishing in many of the local lakes will begin. Impoundments like Lenice, Nunnally, Merry, Dusty, The Seeps & the Quincy Lake region will all begin fishing well. Late summer hatches of Damsels and Dragons will still be evident in the early days of the month. As the days progress and the water cools even more, Midge fishing will take precedence and small Chironomid patterns in a variety of colors will be important to have in your box. Fly fishing resumes in many of these fisheries until the end of November before they close for the season. Check your regulations for seasonal closures or call the WBFC proshop.

Rocky Ford Creek also becomes a popular destination once again in the autumn months and throughout the winter as well. However, expect weedy low water conditions here. This has been the norm now for several years at Rocky Ford in the fall, so low water and small openings between the weed beds can make for some difficult fishing. Once the colder nights of October settle in, the weed growth typically breaks up and begins decomposing making it much easier to keep fish on a barbless fly hook. This is a popular destination for many so don't expect to find solitude here.

We understand that not everyone wants to hire a guide for the day. If a guided trip is not in your future, stop by the WBFC pro shop for friendly, honest advice. We have been hard at it for over 20 years and have built our reputation on delivering top notch customer service. We are happy to give you the right advice, gear and flies that will aid in your successes!

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. If there are any additional questions you may have, please feel free to call our pro shop at 509-962-2033.

It is time to go fishing, so we hope to see you all this autumn. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Steve Worley

Worley Bugger Fly Co.

WORLEY-BUGGER FLY CO. 1713 SOUTH CANYON ROAD - ELLENSBURG, WA 98926font>