Yakima River

About the Yakima River

The only major trout river in central Washington. Flows are managed for irrigation nearly end to end, so the hydrograph runs opposite the natural one — high in summer, low and stable in winter. Covered here from Easton down to Roza Dam, which is the trout water.

◆Needs local review. The flow mechanics come from how the Yakima Project is operated and are safe to publish. The hatch windows and seasonal feel are the parts a local should sign off on.

Access and closures

Check locally before you go. Land ownership, tribal boundaries, easements and access law change, and public water can run between private banks — a legal river does not always mean a legal bank, parking spot or path to it. Confirm current ownership and local rules with the landowner, the tribe or WDFW rather than relying on anything here.

What moves the flows

• ·Irrigation storage and release from five Reclamation reservoirs — Keechelus, Kachess, Cle Elum, Bumping and Rimrock. These, not rainfall, set the flow most of the year.
• ·The irrigation season, roughly April through October, inverts the natural hydrograph: the river runs highest in midsummer and lowest in winter.
• ·“Flip-flop” in late summer, when Reclamation shifts releases off the upper Yakima reservoirs and onto Rimrock on the Naches, so salmon build redds at flows that will not be dewatered when irrigation releases end. Upper-river flows can drop sharply over a few days.
• ·The Roza diversion at the foot of the canyon, which pulls a large volume out through the irrigation season — the gauge below the dam can read well under Umtanum above it. Bigger diversions still, at Wapato and Sunnyside, are further downstream than this page reaches.
• ·Spring snowmelt from the east Cascades, which is the one period flows behave like an unregulated river.

Through the year

WinterNov–Feb

Reservoirs are storing, so flows are at their lowest and most stable all year. Cold, clear water and the most wadeable conditions on the upper river.

SpringMar–May

Snowmelt and the start of irrigation releases. Flows rise and can get off-colour; the Skwala hatch overlaps the early part of this window.

SummerJun–Aug

Peak irrigation delivery means peak flows. The canyon floats well; the upper river can be pushy. Warm afternoons push trout to the margins.

FallSep–Oct

Flip-flop drops the upper river, often dramatically. Dropping, clearing water and October Caddis make this the most sought-after window of the year.

Target species

Wild rainbow trout

The main event, present the length of the trout water and entirely wild — the river is not stocked with rainbows.

Westslope cutthroat

Native, more common in the upper river and the tributary mouths. Often takes a dry fished tight to the bank.

Mountain whitefish

Abundant and native, a genuine winter fishery on small nymphs when the trout are slow.

Spring chinook

Spawn in the upper river, which is the whole reason flip-flop exists — the late-summer flow shift is there to keep their redds wet. Seasons are narrow and set by emergency rule; check the regulation status before planning around them.

Bull troutnot a target

Present in the upper basin and federally listed. Catch and release only, and never a target.

Hatches

• Skwala stoneflylate Feb – Apr
• Blue-winged oliveMar – May, again in Oct
• March brownMar – Apr
• CaddisMay – Sep
• Yellow sally / little stonefliesJun – Jul
• Grasshoppers and antsJul – Sep
• Short-wing stoneflySep – Oct
• October caddislate Sep – Oct

Fly shops

Guides

Shuttle services