Winter flyfishing offers special challenge in Yakima River Canyon | Outdoors and Recreation

Even in winter, the Yakima River Canyon holds a special draw for fly fishers from Washington and beyond.

Last December FishingBooker.com named the state’s only section of Blue Ribbon trout stream one of America’s top nine winter fishing destinations for 2023, the only place west of Arizona on the list. Yakima Fly Fishers Association president Donna Broers said the year-round catch-and-release fishery often attracts people traveling in from elsewhere, including some from outside the United States.

Another Yakima Fly Fishers Association member, Selah’s Kevin Sugden, said he’s been fishing the Yakima for more than 40 years in just about any condition, although he no longer goes out when the air temperature is below freezing. But the harsh temperatures aren’t the only reason he doesn’t recommend winter fishing on the Yakima for those just learning how to cast flies.

“The fishing has gotten better and better and better, and it can continue to get better,” said Sugden, a paramedic who occasionally guides fishing trips on the Yakima and also builds and sells handcrafted bamboo fly rods. “That being said, it’s also a hard fishery. It’s not a pushover. It’s a technical fishery.”

Trout don’t move as much in colder water, so Sugden said it’s necessary to know where they’re likely to congregate and essentially land a fly on their nose to attract any bites. Particularly cold temperatures, like those in November and especially December, can cause significant ice buildup in the river, making it more difficult to get around by boat.

Winter fishing in the Yakima does offer some advantages, notably lower flows and less algae on rocks to allow for easier movement for those brave enough to wade into the water. Fewer people on the river means better opportunities to not compete with other anglers where fish congregate, part of the reason why Sugden said the knowledge of guides becomes more important this time of year.

Drew Bessinger and Dan Berdel would have preferred to make the trip over from Seattle to enjoy last Friday’s spring-like temperatures, but they settled for a full day of fly fishing near the Lmuma Creek Recreation Site on Saturday. Bessinger noted the surrounding scenery and nature — they saw a bald eagle in the morning — makes the canyon a place they love to fish all year.

“In the summer it can be a little easier, the fish are very active,” Berdel said. “But right now you really have to sit down and wait.”

A recent hatch of bugs gave them some optimism trout might be biting, or Bessinger said they wouldn’t mind if whitefish went after their flies as well. From Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 throughout most of the Yakima River Canyon, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife allows anglers to use bait — a fly tipped with a maggot — to target whitefish, which unlike trout can be kept.

Sugden prefers to utilize a double fly setup this time of year with plenty of weight to ensure he can get to the fish most likely to be near the bottom of the river. He keeps a box full of stoneflies along with some San Juan worms and nymph flies, noting olive is the best color because it looks like the common sculpins that live near the bottom.

“Don’t be shy about switching flies this time of year,” Sugden said. “But you’ve also got to understand that this is a time of year where if you go out, you could touch three or four fish, you’ve had a pretty good day.”

His 16-year-old son, Gatlin, didn’t have any luck while wading out for about 30 minutes with a trout spey rod, meaning a lot of roll casting and creating a tight line so the fly can swing downriver. A few others went out on their boats despite limited options thanks to significant ice buildup at several of the canyon’s boat ramps.

But as anyone who’s driven through the canyon on the weekends knows, a handful of anglers always seem to be out on the water, no matter the weather.