River guide · Washington

Fly Fishing the Yakima River

Washington's blue-ribbon wild rainbow trout fishery, the Yakima flows through a dramatic basalt canyon east of the Cascades with some of the most reliable hatch fishing in the Pacific Northwest. From February Skwalas to October caddis, it's a four-season river.

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When to fish

Year-round

Best months: year-round

Best

Skwala Stonefly: February–March. March Brown & Blue-winged Olive: March–May.

Today's conditions

Where to fish

Easton Dam to Roza Dam

Roslyn1 shop

Wenatchee1 shopEllensburg2 shops

The main trout section runs from Easton Dam to Roza Dam, paralleled largely by I-90 and Highway 10. Key access sites include Easton Dam, East Nelson Siding, Rinehart City Park in Ellensburg, and the Roza Access above Roza Dam. Most productive float-fishing is done below the Cle Elum River confluence.

The water

Tailwater

Key hatches

Blue-Winged Olive
Midge
Skwala
March Brown
Western Green Drake

Hatch calendar

Conditions

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6-day forecast

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Forecast from the National Weather Service ↗

Hatch calendar

Months each hatch is active on the Yakima River, with hook sizes and local timing notes.
Hatch · hook	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Blue-winged Olive(mayflies)hook #18–24	January	February	March	April	May				September	October	November
Midge(midges)hook #18–22	January	February	March	April	May						November	December
Skwala(stoneflies)hook #8–10February–March	January	February	March
March Brown(mayflies)hook #12–14March–May			March	April	May
Western Green Drake(mayflies)hook #10–12			March	April	May
Caddisfly(caddis)hook #12–18				April	May	June	July	August	September
Salmonfly(stoneflies)hook #6–8May–July				April	May
Golden Stonefly(stoneflies)hook #10–14					May	June	July
Pale Morning Dun(mayflies)hook #14–16June–August					May	June	July	August
Yellow Sally(stoneflies)hook #14					May	June	July
Trico(mayflies)hook #22							July	August	September	October
Mahogany Dun(mayflies)hook #14									September	October
October Caddis(caddis)hook #8–10September–October									September	October