The Yakima River is the only major designated Wild Trout fishery in Washington State — a 100-mile stretch of wild rainbow and brown trout water that runs through the eastern Cascade foothills from Cle Elum down through the Yakima Canyon to Ellensburg and Yakima. It's a tailwater, a hatch machine, and the closest thing the Pacific Northwest has to a western blue-ribbon trout river outside of Montana. If you're in Washington and you want to fly fish for trout, you're almost certainly going to the Yakima.
The River and Its Character
The Yakima's upper section — from Cle Elum through the Yakima Canyon — is where the serious trout fishing concentrates. This is the Wild Trout section, managed under selective gear rules (single barbless hooks) with artificial-lures-only regulations on most of the productive water. The flow is regulated by reservoir releases from Keechelus, Kachess, and Cle Elum reservoirs — which means the Yakima is a tailwater in function even if not in the classic sense. Dam control keeps flows more consistent than a pure freestone river would allow, and the cold, clear water supports both a high fish biomass and a rich invertebrate community.
The canyon section between Ellensburg and Yakima (the "Yakima Canyon") is a classic Pacific Northwest float fishery — basalt walls, sagebrush, and the river running between them. Most of this section is floated by drift boat or raft; wade access is limited by the canyon walls. Below the canyon, the river widens into the Yakima Valley agriculture region and the trout fishery diminishes.
Species: Wild rainbow trout (the dominant catch), wild brown trout (less common, larger), whitefish. All rainbows and browns must be released in the Wild Trout section. Check WDFW regulations for the specific boundaries — they change at marked access points.
Spring: February – May
Midge fishing: February – March
best early-season option
The Yakima's winter/early spring midge fishing is outstanding and under-fished. February and March on the upper river bring consistent midge hatches in size #18–#22 — the fish feed actively in the slower flats and in the backeddies below riffles. A two-midge dry dropper rig (a visible #18 Griffith's Gnat or CDC midge with a tiny bead-head dropper) catches fish in 40°F water on bluebird days.
This is also when most of the pressure is absent. The Yakima in February is quiet. You can get to the river by 8 AM and not see another angler until noon.
Skwala stonefly: March – April
earliest significant dry fly hatch
The Skwala stonefly is what brings Pacific Northwest dry fly anglers to the Yakima in late winter. Skwalas are medium-sized stoneflies (size #10–#12, olive-brown) that hatch earlier than any other significant stonefly — typically peaking in mid-March on the Yakima. On warm afternoons, the hatch brings surface-feeding trout out of their winter lethargy into aggressive dry fly takes.
The Skwala hatch is temperature-sensitive — afternoons in the 45–55°F range produce the best emergence. A parachute Skwala or foam-bodied pattern in olive, size #10 or #12, fished in the slower water adjacent to main current seams, is the standard approach. The hatch lasts 2–4 weeks, making the timing window relatively forgiving.
Skwala crowding is real. The Yakima gets significant pressure from Puget Sound and the I-90 corridor during the Skwala hatch — it's one of the few times to fish dry flies in the Pacific Northwest before warm weather arrives. Weekday trips and floating past the obvious access points helps. The fishing isn't better with fewer people, but the experience is.
Runoff and Caddis: April – May
transition season
The Yakima's reservoir-controlled flows reduce (but don't eliminate) the spring runoff effect. High water in April can make the canyon challenging, but dam releases are managed partly to maintain fishable flows, especially on the upper river. By late April, little olive (BWO) hatches begin on cloudy days and caddis start appearing in the evenings. May brings the river into consistent fishable condition.
Summer: June – August
PMD and caddis: June – July
peak dry fly season
The Yakima's summer fishing is caddis-heavy. Evening caddis emergences on the canyon section from late June through August bring fish to the surface in numbers that make it one of the best evening dry fly rivers in the state. Tan and olive Elk Hair Caddis in size #14–#16 cover most of the summer hatch. Pale Morning Duns supplement the caddis in morning windows.
The lower canyon section gets very warm in July and August — fish the upper river in summer or concentrate fishing in the morning. The upper Yakima near Cle Elum stays cooler due to the cold tailwater releases and is more productive in the middle of summer than the lower canyon.
Water temperature advisory: July – August
check temps before fishing
Unlike the Missouri or Bighorn where dam control keeps temperatures fishable all summer, parts of the Yakima — particularly below the confluence with the Naches River near the city of Yakima — warm significantly in late July and August. WDFW publishes water temperature data and can issue temporary closures when temperatures reach stress thresholds for trout. Always check conditions before a summer trip.
Fall: September – November
Fall on the Yakima is excellent and underrated. October brings cool temperatures, BWO hatches on overcast days, and the pre-spawn aggression of brown trout. The river is lower and clearer than in spring, making streamer presentations along bank structure more precise. The browns in the canyon section run to legitimate size and are aggressive to swung or stripped flies in the low-water clarity of October.
October BWO: the best-kept fall hatch
size #16–#20, overcast days
Blue-winged olive hatches on the Yakima in October can be as good as anything the river produces all year. On cloudy afternoons (which is most of October in the Cascades), BWOs emerge in heavy numbers and trout rise freely in the slower water. Parachute BWOs and sparkle duns in size #16–#18 are the standard patterns; the smaller end (#20–#22) produces fish on technical flat water when the fish get selective.
Float vs. Wade
The Yakima Canyon is primarily floated. The basalt walls on the canyon section limit bank access, and a drift boat or raft covers the productive water efficiently. Full-day canyon floats from Umtanum to Roza Dam or similar take-outs are the standard trip, with guides available out of Ellensburg and Cle Elum.
Wade fishing concentrates on the upper river sections near Cle Elum, Thorp, and the publicly accessible stretches below the main reservoirs. The Yakima River Canyon Road follows the river and provides some road-side wade access in the canyon, but the productive water is mostly accessible by boat.
See the Washington regulations guide for current selective gear rules, Wild Trout section boundaries, and license requirements.