November Fishing Report
Yakima River: The Yakima has continued to fish well during Fall, with low flows and mayfly hatches being the name of the game. While we are seeing good amounts of rain in the Cascades, flows have remained low as most of the precipitation has been held in the reservoirs. Wading remains incredible throughout the system, and fishing from a boat is viable though hard boats will find some rocks besides in the lower canyon. The only concern in the river is below the State (East Cle Elum; Hwy 10) boat launch, where the main channel has an impassable logjam. The trout have generally remained in Fall time lies, pertaining drop-offs, inside seams, and longer troughs with enough depth and near walking pace speed water.
Bug life has waned significantly, mainly limited to BWO's, with some of the best mayfly hatches we have seen stealing the show! If there is cloud cover that given day, it is imperative to be prepared to match this hatch. From roughly 1-4 pm we have been seeing bugs emerge, so be ready during the afternoon hours. Otherwise nymphing outside of the hatch will be productive, though streamers should be highly considered to turn some bigger fish. For dries to mimic the BWO's, Purple Haze #16-18, Quigley's Sparkle Flag BWO #18-20, BWO Comparadun, and the biot body BWO Comparadun both in #16-18. If you're nymphing, Cofee/Black Pats' Stone and TJ Hookers #6-10; Olive Psycho Mayflies, Pheasant Tail's, Lightning Bugs, and Perdigon's all in #16-20 hook, #16-20 Zebra Midges in black, red or olive and Whitefish eggs (small, yellow/cream colored roe). Streamers should entail Sculpin imitations such as the Near Nuff Sculpin (a great sparse pattern!) and the Sculpzilla, as well as baitfish patterns, though smaller tends to be more effective during the lower flows. If you see flows change on this river it should be noted that San Juan Worm's will be quite effective!
Snoqualmie Forks: Our local mountain streams have been subject to flow fluctuations due to the recent rainfall, and seemingly more to come in the future forecast. While this does limit opportunity to days where the river isn't blown out, if the water flows are stable, you can still catch fish! The majority of your technique should entail subsurface presentations, though BWO hatches should be present and should be prepared for. Nymphing and streamer fishing will be the ticket to find fish! When the snow starts to consistently fall in the mountains, this fishery will slow down significantly, which means we still have some time to fish our local mountain streams.
Puget Sound Streams: We are beginning to see more of our local Puget Sound streams open up! Specifically the Snohomish, very lower section of the Skykomish, Wallace, Cascade, and Nooksack Rivers saw recent openings, giving some good opportunity to fish closer to home. While Salmon will be the main players, there will be trout mingling amongst the salmonids, feeding on eggs, and easily persuaded! With native Cutthroat and Rainbows present, fall is a great time to target the returning Salmon, and their trout counterparts as they prepare for winter!
Steelhead: Fall steelhead fishing has been quite good the last month on the desert streams of Eastern Washington! We've had employee's and guides on the Klickitat, which has seen a good number of fish, with a large proportion of them taking a swung fly as well. The Grande Ronde has likewise been producing fish! As temperatures continue to cool, the fish will be less active, making the warmest part of the day the best to spend time with your fly in the water. (We had reports of 43 degree water temperature on the Grande Ronde!) These fisheries will continue through November, so don't hesitate to go encounter these beautiful fish!
Saltwater: Even though we have seen the passing of Pink Salmon season in the saltwater, there remains the chance to fish for Cutthroat trout and the feisty, late returning Chum Salmon as well! The Chum are an incredibly hard fighting salmonid, though tend to get a bad rap for their short time spent in freshwater and their odd markings/coloring. Don't be fooled, as mentioned these fish are great fun to fight on a fly rod. Targeting this species near their natal estuaries in the saltwater (as well as lower in the streams) can provide a great day on the water. Additionally the Cutthroat will be present, and tend to fish well into the winter months. The trout will tend to meander the saltwater around their natal estuaries this time of year, and even use the rivers to spawn as we move through winter. With water temperatures staying stable in the Puget Sound, the trout stay active all year!
Flies to consider in the saltwater arena are: for Chum, Clouser Minnows, Egg Sucking Leeches, and Flash Flies, preferably in chartreuse and/or black. The Cutthroat will chase varied fly patterns including Clouser Minnows, Sand Eel's, small shrimp and squid patterns, and Flatwing style baitfish patterns. If targeting Chum an 8 weight rod will be necessary, while floating, intermediate or sink tip line will suffice. For Cutthroat, grab your 5 or 6 weight with floating or intermediate line to target these anadromous fish.
