Yakima River Winter fishing is some of my favorite fishing throughout the whole year. This is when all the crowds leave the river and the majority of the fish we catch are above average to big fish for the Yakima river. This average is usually between 14-20 inches. Sometimes we don’t catch a lot of fish or fish all day but those days when you catch 10+ 20 inch fish make it worth the time to get up and go out for the cold day.
Fly selection this year is really simple. A Stonefly and a small nymph usually gets the job done. We do have a Whitefish spawn where small opaque beads can get it done in the coldest days of Winter when nothing else is working though. On rare occasions there are some chironomids that come off during these cold months and you will see fish feeding on them, getting them to eat a dry fly is a different question though.
A lot of fly fishermen don’t want to hear it, but a San Juan Worm is a great fly selection in the Winter too. When the water gets high a lot of these worms from the ground or parasitic worms start to move and the trout love to eat them when there isn’t much other food source. Many fly fishermen frown on this move but in order to match the hatch sometimes this is what we have to do. People overlook the parasitic worm that trout love to eat and they think of it as bait fishing. Sometimes this is the case but there are many times where the worm outfishes the bug.
Yakima River Winter Fishing is My Favorite Time of Year to Fish!
It may shock some people that the Winter time is my favorite time to fish the Yakima River. Yet this is the time of year to get out and catch some of the biggest fish the river has to offer. With little to no crowds and big fish I don’t really know what keeps people away from fishing besides the cold weather. In my opinion, if you are willing to put up with a little cold weather you are in for a treat and also much cheaper prices if you are looking to hire a guide for a day.