River Flow: 1,110 cfs
Water Temp: Yesterday high temp 47.5 degrees
Trending: Steady for now, cold nights are keeping the water very low and extremely clear.
Water Clarity: 4+
- Real Time Flows at Umtanum (Near Red's Fly Shop)
- Current Fly Suggestions for the Yakima River
Hatches Upcoming and Current:
- #12 - #10'ish Stonefly Nymphs (olive/brown is best)
- San Juan Worms (especially on the rainy days)
- Midge (Zebra Midge)
- Skwala Dry Flies After Lunch
- Crawfish
- Sculpin
- Misc. Nymphs #16-20 dark colors preferred
The nights are cold, but the afternoons are pretty warm. In the lower Canyon we are seeing the vaunted "Skwala Hatch" begin! Although dry fly fishing has been lean, there are anglers picking up fish on dry flies every day. One quick reminder, next weekend is our Trout Spey Rendezvous. No RSVP required. Bring your waders if you want to cast some rods and get some free and friendly tips.
On the Skwala hatch, the key is patience. This ain't hopper season. Heck its not even spring yet! The water is very cold and the fish are holding in very soft seams. Your drift should be delicate, patient, and you need to be able to hold a drift long enough for a big lazy trout to yawn back and sip your fly.
One mistake we see is anglers coming out to a stonefly hatch and thinking it's like Golden Stones in June on the Henry's Fork. Far from it. This is a cold water stonefly hatch that happens during the warmest part of the day, to fish feeding in 45 degree water. They are picky, have a low metabolism, and won't go chasing a poor drift. Come out with reasonable expectations. Try from 1-2 trout on a dry fly, if you have a killer day - great! But play the slow game and be smart and realistic. Long, slow, quiet drifts are winners.
Nymph fishing should be spot specific. Big drop offs, obvious buckets, and winter holding water. The fish are podded up in the primary holding lies and haven't begun to wander out. Some more water would help, as the river is extremely low right now due to the cold nights. This weekend should offer some increased dry fly action with the hatch ramping up later in the month.
Current Fly Suggestions
Vehicle Shuttle Service
We move cars, not bodies. Just choose your float, leave us a key and we will valet your rig from launch point to take-out.
River Flow Links
- Yakima River Basin and Reservoir Storage Diagram
- Teanaway River at Forks Near Cle Elum (this is the tributary stream that affects the Yakima the most during spring runoff)
- Yakima River Flows Near Horlick, WA (this is about 10 miles above Ellensburg, Swauk Creek area)
- Yakima River Flows at Cle Elum, WA
- Yakima River Flows Near Easton, WA
- Cle Elum River Coming OUT of Lake Cle Elum
- Naches River Flows
- Tieton River Flows
Yakima River Flow Prediction Chart
While the chart is only a "prediction", it is based on historical data, weather forecasts, current weather, current snow-pack etc. You can use this to get a rough idea of how the river is going to react to predicted rainfall, run-off, etc.
Yakima River Flow Prediction Chart at Umtanum
Yakima Water Temperatures
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