The best flies for the Yakima River are the ones that work. Of course, this is the golden question everyone wants answered. The answer to this question is relative to time of year of course though. In the Winter months we will be nymphing with a Stonefly and some sort of small nymph typically. In the Spring we have our Skwala Stonefly hatch to start off the season along with a couple of Mayfly hatches and our Mother’s Day Caddis hatch to end the Spring. Summer time includes our Golden Stoneflies, Shortwing Stones, and terrestrials. Going into Fall we have our October Caddis hatch, along with a couple of Mayfly hatches.
The easiest way to tell which hatch is going on and which flies to pick is to go into a local fly shop and ask what has been working and which bugs the guides are choosing. If you are more of a do it yourself kind of person you can do some research on entomology and go out on the river, flip over some rocks or look above the water column to see what bugs are coming off.
That being said the best flies for the Yakima River are not always the ones that everyone else is buying or the guides are using. Sometimes switching up a pattern slightly or changing colors can present a different opportunity to weary trout that have seen the same fly for weeks. Big fish don’t get big by being dumb so switch up a pattern slightly and see if it yields more or bigger fish!
The Best Flies for the Yakima River is a relative question depending on the time of year!
Seasons and weather change which challenges us with different hatches and water the fish lay in. Knowing entomology and talking to your local fly shop can help you choose which bug to choose and where to fish to be successful. Of course this just takes experience and talking to someone who has experience on the water to learn these things so you can be successful yourself. Sometimes the best flies we fish are the ones in the water!