WESTERN WATERS >> Don Roberts PRIME FISHING DESTINATIONS Your Own Water: Yakima River, Washington. HE YAKIMA MAY BE ACCURATELY VIEWED AS A “CONTRARY” RIVER. BUT angling year-round. Management DON’T LEAP TO THE CONCLUSION THAT “CONTRARY,” AS IT’S USED HERE, by special regulations has ushered in an era of vital trout growth, both in HAS A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION. IN FACT, AS REGARDS THE ANGLER, THE T size and numbers, and has resulted DEVIANT NATURE OF THE YAKIMA HAPPENS TO BE THE KITTEN’S MITTENS. in one of the most productive and Because of accumulations of rain issues from a series of reservoirs and decades has yielded an exceptional consistent fisheries in the West. and snow, nearly every river in the dams, the flows closely monitored trout fishery in approximately 70 Pacific Northwest typically flows and controlled to serve the agricul- miles of river stretching from Stream of Consciousness high in the winter and low in the tural demands of the Kittitas and Easton, just below Kachess Lake in One of the most logical ways to summer, with almost catastrophic Yakima valleys. Rich volcanic loess. the north, downstream to Roza begin to comprehend the Yakima is runoff occurring (some years) in the Endless sun. And water. Huge infu- Access at the southern verge of the to think in terms of approachability spring. Not the Yakima. It does just sions of water. In short, all the Yakima Canyon. In 1983 the or, more precisely, the type of angler about the opposite: discharging the ingredients necessary for a farm- Washington Department of Fish usability. From April through greatest volumes of water April land cornucopia: apples, pears and and Game (WDFG) ceased plant- August the river is characterized by through August and the least peaches; potatoes, onions, carrots, ing hatchery fish and adopted a pol- serious flows, usually 2500-4000 amount of water November corn and beans; even spices, fra- icy of natural propagation. Noting cubic feet per second (cfs), a rol- through March. The reason for the grant herbs and flowers. You name the successful in-stream recruit- licking, almost crazy push of water. oddball flow regime is quite simple. it; the Yakima region grows it. ment of “wild” trout, in 1988 Though some runs and riffles can The Yakima is, in a sense, a created Although the main complex of WDFG placed that section of the be accessed by foot, by and large, river. Though its streambed is quite dams and canals was constructed in Yakima from Easton to Roza under and I mean large, during these natural — chiseled by ice and mon- the early 1900s, thus all but eradi- Selective Fishery status: no bait, sin- months the Yakima should be umental floods through layers of cating steelhead and salmon runs gle barbless-hooks required. Then regarded as a boater’s river. volcanic basalt thousands of feet (no ladders for passage), prudent in 1990/91 WDFG designated the In the fall, September to thick — the water it now carries management in the last couple of fishery catch-and-release, open to December, with agricultural thirst The Yakima River is full of productive pools and fabulous tailouts. Guides like John Lease do well when nymphing the larger pools in the upper stretches of the river, which is home to lots of wild rainbows. February 2003_WESTERN OUTDOORS 103 WESTERN WATERS >> Above, Yakima’s wild rainbows can’t resist huge streamers during the times when the river runs high. Below, Blackstone Lake, a fee fishery, is located only a stone’s throw from the Yakima. slaked for the year, the irrigation boat to slogging along and casting than bore you with a mind-numb- below town, it’s full-tilt-boogey all system gradually shuts down and from the platform of one’s feet, ing description of how many fish the way. the Yakima recedes, falling from there’s also a corresponding con- we caught and how much fun we Though this is definitely run about 2000 to 1000 cfs, the lowest trast in angling method and tech- had and all that yadda yadda yadda, and gun style fishing, the beauty of flows occurring in November. Then nique. In mid-August 2002, I jour- I’ll cut right to the chase, to the August is that one has the option of in mid-winter, January through neyed to the Yakima with a hard- details that really count. either pounding the banks with a March, the entire system begins to core angler named Derek Fergus. First off, it needs to be made streamer, typically a Woolly Bugger recharge, and the river bumps back We met up with Steve Worley, very clear that during summer flows or sculpin imitation, or lofting big up to 1500-2000 cfs. At 1500 cfs owner/operator of the Worley- on the Yakima you’ve got to know dries, particularly “attractor” or the Yakima can be easily negotiat- Bugger Fly Co. in Ellensburg, and how, or be with someone who hopper patterns, under overhang- ed on foot, with proper discretion, two members of his guide staff, knows how, to maneuver a boat in ing willows and sedges. And as the of course. At 1000 cfs wading John Lease and Travis Wallace. The fast water. On this river there’s no water warms from mid-day to sun- anglers waltz around like they own objective was to get a feel for the slacking off on the sticks. Whether set, there’s the chance of encounter- the place. river (at high flow) by fishing differ- on the woodsy, foothills section of ing a hatch of pale morning duns, Obviously, with the change of ent pieces of water over the course the river above and adjacent to little yellow sally stoneflies or, at venue from fishing out of a moving of three consecutive days. Rather Ellensburg or drifting the canyon dusk, tan or olive caddisflies. If 104 WESTERN OUTDOORS_ February 2003 you’re an entrenched nymph nazi — handful of personalized streamer a style of fishing that really knows no patterns: considerably arcane and season nor time of day — concen- not a little gaudy concoctions, gor- trate on dead-drifting a stonefly geous monstrosities accented with nymph, plus a petite dropper, such tufts of bright plumage, wiggly rub- as a size 16-18 Bead Head Pheasant ber legs and shimmering swags of Tail or Prince Nymph, through the tinsel. riffles and inside seams. We tried the big stuff first: When the sun sets and the bunny-fur style streamers that splat- canyon becomes shrouded in shad- ted on the water and pulsated on the ow, the larger rainbows, feeling safe retrieve. Strips of tenderloin undu- from predators in the low light, will lating in the current. They looked often move into the shallow tailouts damned good to us but, apparently, and back channels to feed, particu- not to the trout. Having started with larly on emerging caddis. This is an the largest ordnance available, we opportune time to cover the water then ratcheted down the selection with a bushy dry, such as an Elk Hair process, switching to smaller and Caddis, and a size 14-16 olive or tan smaller streamers until finally finding caddis pupa fished as a dropper 18- a pattern — a size 8, weighted, cop- 24 inches behind the dry fly. per and yellow-marabou Bead Head Note: You might have noticed Woolly Bugger which, when mend- that I’ve been sparing regarding spe- cific choices of fly patterns. There’s a reason for that, which will be addressed further along in the text. The Scuttle on the Yak Gaudy and Gorgeous On the last stretch of river we drifted, ly Connection: It’s hard to imagine a the upper canyon from Ringer to F more organized, more completely stocked fly shop than the Worley-Bugger Umptanum, Derek Fergus and I Fly Co., (888) 950-3474. They’ve got encountered a period when the fish everything worth having, plus a few items refused to look up. Although you need but don’t even know it yet. And dependable hatches occur eight the Worley-Bugger web site ranks among the most comprehensive and months of the year, the canyon qual- sophisticated to be found anywhere in the ifying as a dry fly Shangri-la, for some outdoor sporting world: reason on this day it just wasn’t hap- www.worleybuggerflyco.com. pening. While Travis Wallace bent to Marching Orders: Don’t start the day the oars in one boat and Steve without a side trip to Winegar’s, 608 N. Main St.; (509) 933-1821. This mom and Worley, an ex-iron worker, effortless- pop coffee house makes Italian-style ly defied the current in the other espresso guaranteed to iron the kinks out boat, Fergus and I stood in the bow of brain cells, if not fly lines. Not to of each vessel and throttled the mention hand-crafted scones right out of a Scottish folktale and (for later) real, home- banks and riprap with a maddening churned, deep-sledding ice cream. array of streamers. Info Center: For information regarding When the locals claim that lodging, restaurants, fly shops, guides, Yakima trout can be highly selective, and activities and events in the area, they “aint a’whistling Dixie.” Such contact the Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce, (509) 925-2002; tried and true generic streamers as [email protected]. the Black Marabou Leech, Olive Further Reading: No doubt the single Zonker and Muddler often fail to most handy volume concerning this impress the cranky trout on this watershed is the softbound titled Yakima River by Steve Probasco, Frank Amato river.