Where to fly fish in washington
Fly Fishing Wild Rainbow Trout, Yakima River, Washington State
hello and welcome to welders TV today
I'm off drift boat fly fishing on the
Yakima River with our friend Joe rotor
from reds fly shop at the Canyon River
Ranch in Washington State Joe's going to
show me how to fly fish for wild rainbow
trout on my first ever moving water
fly-fishing adventure it's a cracking
day the sun's out and so the wildlife
let's just hope those trout - bye - my
name is Joe rotor I'm fortunate enough
to be a professional fly fishing guide
at Red's fly shop on the Yakima River in
Washington State the Yakima River is
considered a big Western River and what
that means is you are going to get some
big wind there is big current and fast
water and what really makes this stream
unique is in the summertime it actually
runs very very high and there's a lot of
very good fish habitat right along the
shore this is very different than a lot
of other Western rivers which get very
low and warm during summertime the
Yakima runs with big high flow and stays
very cool all summer long
well we're gonna do some trout fishing
we're gonna drift in a drift boat we're
going to float about twelve miles River
we're going to use dry flies ones that
look like grasshoppers and stone flies
which is a great big leggy bug looks a
lot like a grasshopper where to throw
those flies right up against the
shoreline or the big trout are holding
up under the brush and hopefully we'll
swim out eat our fly today
well typically we use a five-way rod for
almost everything for fishing a strike
indicator and an emphasis weight is nice
to have but a fast action five wave will
do just about anything you want to do
and just to explain what a fast action
rod is for a lot of people haven't
really been explained that term before
it requires a very quick rapid-fire
casting stroke which is exactly what we
do out of a boat we take the housings of
cast literally in a day I know that
sounds crazy but we take thousands of
shots at the bank and having a rod that
will pick that fly up and throw it back
in at a very very high rate of speed is
very important
especially when we're dealing with just
a little bit of wind to which we do deal
with it often times but a 9 foot fast
action 5 way it would be an excellent
choice
all right all right go get them Nicki
okay I've completely total confidence in
you go ahead and stand up and get
comfortable you'll be standing all day
now go ahead and shoot we don't want to
miss a second yes all right good lay it
in the water now give it a little man
whoa
yeah real soft when you man the fly
shouldn't actually move go ahead and
cast again here and what we want to look
for Nicki er coves okay it's loading a
little bit further because there's kind
of a Cove in there where they're slower
water good give it a little man
excellent good it's fine go ahead and
bring it back up to the surface
be very careful don't lose a fly here
this waters a little fast but we have a
good spot coming up here a second we're
the first fly of the day to go over the
spot so we just need to throw up look
for a little bit slower water down we'll
be very careful with the fly our goal is
to primarily fish dry flies today it's
the best way to fish in my opinion you
actually get to see the fish swim up and
grab a fly we're going to primarily use
a fly that looks like a grasshopper some
have foam bodies and they float really
well which is important in these heavy
currents during the middle of the day
we're also going to use some nibs or web
flies under a strike indicator we have
fabulous stone fly hatch which is a very
large bug and those nips will be active
during the day and the trout will eat
those especially in the Whitewater
sections a little bit further
you kind of want to tell a sell the
story that your fly just felling off the
bank or crawled in off the bank there is
get them okay put them look quicker when
you set do it exactly like your back
cast the two motions should be a perfect
image one another okay we're getting a
few drops beautiful morning dad get out
here and do this okay that's good name
for that opening right in there try to
convince the shore there you go give it
nice man there he is get them get them
Mickey oh-ho missed them ok give it
another man it's really important you
don't catch too much sidearm because the
fly will curl upstream onion in it would
drift poorly he's from the bank good
little mintage good mend a little bit
again there is get a Mickey get them all
you got to set in it light just like
your cast a little bit closer to shore
get a little bit length here on your
line so you've been fishing for four
months you're doing good give it a nice
minute there you go good especially for
not having river fish this is a whole
different deal Telemachus yeah give it a
very soft mend again and add some line
to it when you man yeah sometimes you
got to get it flat there's an infinite
number of techniques that you use
mending their game hit them all you got
to be faster
you are you were a true trout
conservationist
is what we would call you in the u.s.
you are a trout conservationist you are
very eco friendly with the trout it's
natural doesn't moving going with the
flow it's a loop there is get them okay
better that time better you won't feel
yeah you won't feel the bites
yeah it's all visual it's going to go a
little bit closer the bank that's one
adjustment that's tough to make on River
fishing is it's just to describe it
simply it's a slackline presentation and
on slackline presentations it's a visual
stimulus that lets you know the fish is
biting in this case we watch the trout
swim up the fly eat them eat it which is
pretty cool and you know as soon as you
eat it and you know closes mouth and
really goes back underwater by that
point we've just kind of recognized that
it's happening at that point we just
come up just like a back cast and that
immediately takes the slack out of the
line and buries the hook into his lip
and puts a smile on Nikki's face when
you're ready you're casting excellent
just keep playing it safe you're not
trying to be a hero and get an inch from
the shore okay you did good okay
they cast again because it's not going
to make it to whitewater very long right
along the brush line trout are kind of
loving it yeah they're loving spitting
it out
they're quick you're doing good I mean
they just yeah the happy guy it perfect
perfect get rid hit ring that's got to
be a fish get him get him get there go
ahead no no no you did great you did
great
he actually came up but the fly she hit
the fly as he was coming to it yeah it
made contact the plane actually pushed
it out of his mouth Wow
little guy did okay the downstream
they're still biting right in here haha
the trout really aren't that complicated
of a creature they're going to eat what
they see and today we have these grassy
banks behind us in this canyon section
and there they're actually a lot of
grasshoppers here that we're seeing jump
around the bank and especially with the
wind we get our River is located right
between the mountains in the desert and
we do get big wind and a lot of
grasshoppers will wind up in the water
and so we use a fly like this one right
here and you can see the likeness there
and granted ours is a little bit bigger
but there are lots of different sizes of
hoppers and when those hoppers fall in
the water our fly is going to imitate
that hopper that's falling into the
water and a trout doesn't have to eat a
whole lot of those in order to gain a
lot of fulfillment out of it so that's
what we're using today as a fly that
isn't worry too much like a grasshopper
and there's also another insect called a
stone fly that I'll show you at some
point today too that it also imitates so
basically we just imitating its natural
food resource absolutely and that's why
we throw our flies right up against the
bank trout aren't necessarily real
selective on the fly that they have that
is more than behavior so if we can cast
our fly right by the shore where a
grasshopper very likely to fall in
that's we're going to have the most
success
and a bit closer in thousands of now
someday yeah grip about practice to use
in the right spots yeah autopsy's always
using Google brings Angeles pose
good nice trout
nice job Quinn what six inches yes with
Roy under the bag
hey that's great I need you for
rewarding when you get a fly that close
to the shore well it's routed a big
river like this one thing you want to
look for is you're not looking for like
holes you know there's not going to be
one big pool there's a handful of trout
just missed one almost Adam you're not
going to find a hole where there's a
bunch of trout but we're looking for or
holding lies one two three trout maybe
just enough space sometimes it's smaller
than a bathtub and there will be a
little little holding lie or what we
like to call a bucket and within that
spot they're holding in there for a
couple of reasons one is protection that
it needs to offer some safe haven form
that might be a branch coming over their
head providing shade from from a
predatory bird it might be some choppy
water that obscures the Predators view
or might be just depth might be just
that spot is deeper than the
surroundings and therefore they can
hunker in there and be unseen by
predators the other component of that is
they need enough current to help them
breathe and push water through their
gills and they need enough current to
feed them so between those three things
that's how they choose their their place
that they're going to live
fight us on Nikki we're good fluoride is
all he is a huge monster that is a guy
that's a trophy fish
especially in this autumn like this oh I
don't believe it you should have seen
the size of that one oh that's got the
adrenaline going yeah that was pretty
cool especially I mean we're in this
white water right here they I mean
that's about a three pound fish let's
say but they fight unbelievably well in
this fast water
it was great okay let's go ahead and
let's go fueled up filled up fish that's
what it is it's did your boat style
fishing that we're doing really appeals
to all skill levels the great thing
about as a beginner is you're not having
to hike around in the brush and snag
your back cast and a tree behind it
you're not going to get your line
tangled around a bunch of sticks at your
feet and go through some of the
frustrations that you do in fly-fishing
as a beginner by getting out on the boat
you get 12 miles of river to cast at if
you miss a cast or you make a mistake
yes play a couple seconds and other
targets coming up there's no limit to
how many opportunities you get during
the day inversely for an advanced angler
this river offers some really unique
challenges that you don't see on other
rivers and there really is an
exponential reward based on casting
skill the advanced anglers are loved
this too just as much as the inners
got it
thank you good yeah that was awesome
yeah congratulations it took us a little
while but we got it done and the first
one's always hardest
after that they usually start jump in
the boat so we'll see what happens but
that was pretty neat in the fast water
like that that's one thing really unique
about our river that may be different
from work that where you're from is
these big fast currents like this I mean
I'm a couple feet from the bank and I
can hardly stand even just right here
it's it's very unique good high picket
now bring it into a little more firm we
have your high stick good gently did
that rot
you got to do just like that
there yes
the next rock when you get writeable old
is next Rock right now mixed white water
okay go for it look further back on your
back now
there you go I stick just up no man's
keep high-sticking got one dellons hit
the Hooksett hook i watched him eat that
that was good yet to fish on at once
wow that was cool that was awesome
yeah that was incredible now I Nicky we
do that all the time we're always
looking to a long ride and his feet
would haven't small ones get on
should have seen the other one
if you're planning an adventure to the
Yakima my number one piece of advice
would be to hire a guy it is a good boat
River especially from June through
August when the flow is very high this
river is managed for irrigation it comes
out of a dam it's a tail water so it
really is difficult waiting fishing if
you have a do-it-yourself passion and
you want to plan your own adventure you
can bring your own drift boat you can
rent a raft or fishing raft or reds fly
shop here if you don't want to do that
or if you prefer to finish on foot I
would really recommend coming out in
September October November or February
March or April and first half of May
that time of year would be very good to
wait
are you gonna push me out
we're each way out there
there's a guy to twelve seasons I've
seen a lot of anglers at different skill
levels and I always give the same advice
to everyone that's just to practice your
Caston just get out there take your
Robin out in the backyard it's free you
don't have to pay for it you don't have
to buy anything and you can use the
Internet you can research casting
lessons and tips and ideas and improve
your skills before you actually get to
the river
it's like going and playing golf before
you've ever even in a range ball go do a
little practice
get your game dialed in and then come
out and it'll help you make the most out
of your adventure the Yakima River for
me has become a very special place and I
know your love of fly-fishing adventure
here on the river you'll see all sorts
of wildlife in a stunning unspoiled
natural environment the fishing is epic
and with the help of Joe and Red's fly
shot it's an adventure I will never
forget let's just hope Joe and Red's fly
shop invite me back for a spot more
drift boat fly fishing for awesome
wild rainbow trout in the near future
you
