I have been neglectful of my blog this fall, but have not neglected fishing and camping in the lower Yakima Canyon. This year instead of a single extended trip, I have enjoyed two – one in late September and one in early October. Would have liked to fit another in before it gets too cold but a consulting project and honey do list need attention. Will likely get over there for single day trips.
The September trip included son-in-law, Nate Boggs, and his buddy Tim*. Tim was probably the most excited for this trip due to sporting a brand new pontoon boat waiting for its maiden voyage.
Tim and I got to Big Pine a day ahead of Nate. I brought my trailer and Tim his Class C motorhome (translated: we only had one vehicle to transport boats), so getting a late start the first day we didn’t want to spend the money on a commercial shuttle so I offered to shuttle Tim. This way he could work the kinks out of navigating the river before Nate arrived with another truck.
Which he did and we hit the river early from the Umtanum launch for a float to our campground.
In short, the fishing was good with solid numbers of fish but no real trophies. Fish were on the usual Yakima River fall pattern of Blue-Winged Olive nymphs in sizes 18 and 20. My best flies were the Tungsten Beadhead Baetis (been good for years) and my version of the Thread Frenchie. I fished the smaller size 20s.
Got lazy with the camera but here are a few scenery shots floating the river.
*Tim’s last name is purposely omitted due to his desire to maintain a stealth internet presence. A little bio of Tim: He is a rockhound and, as such, spends a lot of time looking at the ground. As a result, he has an uncanny ability to find lost things. It is amazing the stuff he has on his boat at the take out, including lost paddles, cell phones, coolers, and, of course, interesting rocks.
Landing In The PNW 