The Yakima River Yearly River forecast explained. From January to March you can expect low flows and find bigger fish that are feeding on small bugs and whitefish eggs. In the Spring we are looking at March Browns and Skwalas. The Summer is Summer Stones and Terrestrials. The Fall is Blue Wing Olives and October Caddis.
When the year starts in January till March we can expect fish in the respectable lies. This means slow inside bends will hold fish. This is because of cold water and bug life. Fish, in the colder water get lethargic just like we do in the cold so they move into water that forces them to use less energy just like we would to survive.
In the Spring we like to start with dry flies. This means Skwala Stonefly dries that draw even the most opportunistic trout to eat your fly. We also have our Blue Winged Olive coming off in the Spring which can be exciting if you are patient for the hatch. The March Brown is the mayfly that everyone gets excited for but that hatch is very hit and miss. It is an awesome hatch if you are on the river at the time but it can also be very disappointing if you are expecting it and it doesn’t happen.
The summer time is very popular. It triggers our summer time hatches and makes fishing pretty easy. Terrestrials and Summer Stones keep the guesswork out of our Summertime fishing.
Yakima River Yearly River Forecast Explained.
The fall is a completely different forecast. We have October Caddis and Blue Wing Olives coming off. This is the time to skate dry flys or wait for the BWO hatch and do a short float. Walk and wade in the afternoon is also extremely friendly.
In my opinion, the late fall to early Spring is the best time to fish the Yakima River!