Another Yakima Canyon Fall

Made my annual fall fishing / floating trip to the Yakima River Canyon recently though this year I did not camp.  I missed camping along the river, but this year’s trip was later than usual (read: colder) and, having sold the travel trailer, I am tent camping again. A nasting cold and other obligations delayed the trip by a couple of weeks.  I managed to free up three days last weekend to do the trip and splurged for a hotel room in Ellensburg.

The weather forecast looked ominous with rain and wind; the latter being the biggest problem.  However, by strategically planning my floats with the help of guides at Red’s Fly Shop I was able to avoid the worst of it. The idea is to do a shorter float, so if needed I could get to the takeout quicker but if the weather allowed just fish each spot thoroughly making a full day of it.

As it turned out it was an enjoyable, if not chilly, trip.  The fall scenery was nice and caught just enough fish to make it fun.  For those reading that know fly fishing I’ll add that each afternoon saw the best Blue-Wing Olive mayfly hatches I’ve seen on the Yakima River.  Even got me to put my nymphing rod away and force me to dust off my tiny dry fly game again.

I appologize for the smudge on my camera lens, but you should see how I handle the poor thing when I’m fishing.