Yakima River Conditions and Report

Yakima River Fishing Report

Upcoming BLM Site Closures

The BLM plans to do some work on their recreation sites later this month. Be aware and plan to use some alternative spots.

• Lmumma Creek Recreation Site: June 10-24 (14 days)
• Roza Campground: June 10-24 (14 days)
• Big Pines Recreation Site: June 15-29 (14) days

Yakima River Report

After a few days of big, burly water, the river has finally taken a breath. Flows have slipped back down to roughly 3,000 cfs out of Cle Elum, and that 700 cfs drop is going to make the next stretch of fishing noticeably better than what we just battled through.

Earlier this week the river spiked hard—topping 4,000 cfs above the diversion—as managers pushed smolt downstream and ramped up irrigation supply. That surge made for some tough sledding: cold water, fast banks, and trout that were hunkered down instead of feeding. The silver lining is that big water always “reshuffles the deck” on the Yakima. High flows push trout into the bank habitat, and once the river settles, those fish stay tucked into that soft, juicy structure. It’s one of the reasons this river is so unique—there’s nothing else in the country that fishes quite like the Yakima during summer flows.

Now that we’re back around 3,000 cfs, we’ve got enough water to keep fish tight to the bank, but not so much that every cast feels like you’re rowing through a firehose. It’s still pushy, and the wind hasn’t exactly been polite, but the river is far more manageable than it was a couple days ago. Above 3,500 cfs it’s a grind to hold a boat in the right lane long enough for a fly to matter; at 3,000, things start to feel fishable again.

Where the Trout Will Be

Expect the fish to begin spreading into the oddball edges as the river stabilizes—little pockets, funky seams, and the subtle stuff that only shows up when flows drop. For now, the most consistent holding water remains:

• Outside bends (where there is structure)

• Soft insides if there is a ledge

• Defined current breaks

• Edges of eddy lines

The cooler weather in the forecast should keep fishing steady but not explosive until we get a couple of warm “ignition days.” The recent bump cooled the river off, which is great long-term but definitely put a chill on the bite.

Tactics That Matter Right Now

• Short‑leash nymph rigs with stones remain a staple.

• Streamer folks can still pitch small chickens tight to the bank—big trout are hunting salmon fry that get flushed around during these flow swings.

• Dry fly action will revolve around the phantom PMD hatch. It’s unpredictable, but when it lines up with warm, cloudy weather, it can be lights-out.

Wading vs Floating

Wade fishing above 3,000 cfs is still a challenge. There are spots where it can be done, but they’re limited and require caution. A float trip or personal watercraft remains the best way to cover water safely and effectively until flows drop further.

Naches River Fishing Report

The river is very low and offering some good wading right now. It's crazy that we are actually fishing and wading this early in June! The hatches yesterday were very light, but we found fish subsurface on a variety of small nymphs. Streamers were largely ineffective, except for a small bugger we dead drifted in a few spots. Several days ago one of our guides had pretty good dry fly fishing on big mayflies, it seemed like yesterday we had some cold wind and were in the middle of a significant pressure change. We still have some opp's for guided float trips down there, but the flows are dropping quickly. By the time we get you booked, we might only be able to run single-angler trips (1 angler + 1 guide). Just email dallas@redsflyshop.com to try and carve out a date! Maybe we can run a traditional 2 angler trip if the flows hang in there!

Bass Fishing Report

We've been guiding a bit on the Lower Yakima River for smallmouth and in the basin, but the flows are lower down there than we prefer right now. The fishing has been GREAT but with the low flow it's tough making it from access to access in a day without pushing downstream a good portion of the float.  Effective flies have been varied from Sir Sticks A Lot Streamers, Euro Minnows, Poppers, and Crawfish flies.

Hilltop Lake is crushing, poppers in the late afternoon and evening have been quite good and bank patrol with Jiggy Worms and Jawbreakers during the day has been super. As a side show, the Crappie bite has been epic! It's waning a bit from a few weeks ago but fishing buggers 4'-6' deep is still turning up some slabs. 

Latest Podcast

We had the pleasure of hosting Ryan Mock "Carp on the Fly" on YouTube a few days ago for a SUPER discussion on what it takes to effectively fish Carp. Anyone can cast at them... it take some nuance to find success. It's a great listen and has us motivated to get on a freshwater flat!