Fishing Report 5/18/25

Yakima River:

Warmer temperatures have lead to more active fish and bugs! We are now in the time of year where bugs will be prevalent, including large, medium and smaller bugs throughout the system. Fish will continually habituate in faster water lies as water temperatures warm, but generally fishing around seamlines, drop offs, and structure are always good places to start. Finally for insects, the Mother's Day Caddis hatch has bloomed, providing great dry fly fishing in the afternoon to evening hours. The Stonefly nymphs will migrate into June, with the adults soon as well (Big dry flies!). Yellow Sallies have been present in afternoon hours as well as PMD's. This time of year warrants flexibility in your fly presentations, but can provide some of the better fishing as water is still quite cool and remains low until the flip-flop. Otherwise, smolt and sculpin flies can always entice larger fish as well! We will continually see increased numbers of salmon smolt out-migrate to the saltwater during April/May, which are a great food source for the larger trout. During Spring it is wise to keep an eye on the river flows, as even release from one reservoir can blow the river out this time of year. The Teanaway should be just about done with its severe snowmelt influence.

For nymphing, Stoneflies #4-10, Caddis imitations like the Rio Rock Grinder #12-16,Hare's Ear's and variations in #12-16, San-Juan Worms, PMD nymphs such as Pheasant Tail's #12-14, the TNT PMD nymph #12-14, and other tungsten jig PMD variations should be your considerations. For when adults bugs are about, Elk Hair Caddis and the X-Caddis in olive or tan #12-16 are great options for the bouncing Caddis flies, Purple Haze and Parachute Adam's #14-16, Sparkle Flag PMD #14-16, and Parachute Quill body PMD #14-16 should entice some surface feeders. If streamers are your technique of choice, Sculpin patterns are always a good food source for trout, but baitfish/smolt flies will be key as the migration of salmon smolt begins!

Cedar River: This coming Saturday marks opening day for our local gem of a river! The river is currently quite low relative to historic flows on opening day, and if this remains the case, accessibility will be incredible! Generally 400 CFS is the marker for being able to access much of this stream. If water remains low, dry fly fishing will be quite viable! Nymphing typically is the most productive technique to employ though streamer fishing can be productive for some of the large trout in the system. We should see a variety of bugs including PMD mayflies, Caddis, and Stoneflies. Flies to consider will be very similar to the aforementioned ones in the Yakima River selection. We are excited for the opening of the Cedar River!

Steelhead:

We hope you were able to get out and swing for steelhead in the beautiful Northwest streams. While we did see rivers close earlier than anticipated, there were still decent numbers of fish being encountered. Now we shift our focus to either the Cowlitz or Kalama for hatchery fish, and soon enough the Desert Rivers will see steelhead returning!

Puget Sound:

The Sound has been having good reports lately, with good numbers of fish being encountered especially in the south sound. So long as we maintain the benign weather the opportunity to find cutthroat roaming the beaches will persist. Wind and rain can lead to challenging fishing conditions, so keep an eye on the weather and go after our cutthroat companions! In the Puget Sound, fly selection isn't the most pertinent variable to consider as the fish have a number of food sources, though for the next month Chum Salmon fry will continue to out-migrate to the saltwater, providing a great food source for the Cutthroat. The key to finding the fish will entail ensuring you are fishing on a moving tide in general, fishing rips and currents, and identifying structure the trout will inhabit! Some fly patterns to consider will be Clouser minnows, Seth's Sand Eel's, shrimp flies, and flat-wing style baitfish. A shop favorite this time of year is the Chumbody's baby!

Eastside Lakes:

The Eastern Washington lakes have been fishing well during the month of May, with lakes remaining cool and ready to target some trout and bass! As the weather continues to warm we should see a majority of these lakes fish well through May, until we see them get too hot for trout during summer. There is a plethora of still water to fish in Eastern Washington, Quincy Lakes, Dry Falls, Lenice and Nunnally to name a few, and right now is the best time to target trout. Stop by the shop to get some reports and reference on where to go!

Fishing from a float tube or pontoon is the best way to tackle these lakes, as bank access can vary and be inconsistent on many lakes. Tactics should entail trolling streamers like Wooley Buggers and Leeches, as well as baitfish patterns to entice any Browns and Tigers present. Otherwise, chironomid's and balanced leeches under an indicator or slowly retrieved with a midge-tip line can be quite effective for fish keying in on the chironomids. Keep an eye out for Callibaetis and Chironomid hatches as well, which can quickly lure fish to the adult bugs floating on the surface, or just under!

Lake Sammamish:

A great way to spend an afternoon during spring is targeting Cutthroat trout in Lake Sammamish, as they feed on the salmon fry/smolt released from Issaquah Creek. Recently nearly half a million Coho were released and Chinook fry have been released in the beginning of May additionally. Utilizing a floating device to access the lake is the best tool, though fish are generally caught around the mouth of the creek. Come find out more about this unique fishery!