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Yakima River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Washington's blue-ribbon canyon: wild rainbows on a farmland river that fishes like Montana.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~47 F est.
Air / High
61 / 66 F
Wind
NW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12511800, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Yakima River asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 8 mph, falling pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 66. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:35 AM-11:35 AM and 10:06 PM-12:06 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 63 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Washington requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $39.95 for residents. What a Washington licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with WDFW before you keep anything. The season dates for Washington, read off the agency, are on the Washington seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from YAKIMA RIVER AT VAN GIESEN BR NEAR RICHLAND, WA.

No recent gauge reading

USGS 12511800 has not returned a reading for this chart; it comes back when the gauge reports again. Until then conditions are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp61 F
High / Low66 / 44 F
WindNW 8-15 mph
Pressure1021.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset07:25 / 17:56
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)53 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Yakima River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Yakima River, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:35 AM-11:35 AM and 10:06 PM-12:06 AM
Minor period
4:01 AM-5:01 AM
Sun
07:25 to 17:56
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 9 mph
Rain chance
13%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Yakima River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Yakima River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Yakima River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Washington requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

C&R for all trout, artificials only canyon-wide. Confirm with WDFW.

Access

Canyon pullouts on SR-821; floats Ringer-Umtanum-Roza; shuttle services in Ellensburg.

About this water

Washington's blue-ribbon trout river, Kittitas/Yakima counties: wild rainbows under basalt rims.

Fishing Yakima River: the full guide

The Yak

The Yakima's Lower Canyon runs like transplanted Montana: wild rainbows and cutthroat on hoppers against basalt walls, with flip-flopped flows (high in summer for irrigation) that keep fish on the banks. Fall drops the river into its prime: October caddis and quiet drifts.

Flip-flop flows

Irrigation runs the Yakima backward: high summer flows (fish the banks hard), low September flows (classic riffle-pool). The Lower Canyon (Ringer to Roza) is the marquee: wild rainbows tight to every edge seam. Adjust to the calendar and the river fishes all year.

Hopper season honesty

August-September hopper fishing against the canyon walls is Washington's best dry-fly stretch: foam patterns tight to grass banks, twitched once, eaten with intent. Cloudy days add October caddis: the season's exclamation point.

Flip-flop flows, explained

The Yakima runs backwards: irrigation demand keeps summer flows high and cold (big-water streamer and hopper floats), then September's 'flip-flop' drops the river to a wadeable autumn stream overnight. That switch triggers the year's best dry-fly stretch: October caddis and BWOs over resettled trout. Winter offers midday midges in the Lower Canyon: Washington's only blue-ribbon trout river fishes all four seasons by design.

Common questions

Why are summer flows so high?

Irrigation deliveries downstream: the river runs bank-full July-August. Fish don't mind: they slide to the edges: exactly where a hopper lands best.

Should I float or wade the Yakima?

Summer: float (high flows drown wading). After the September flip-flop: wading opens everywhere. The Lower Canyon between Ringer and Roza is the classic drift either way.

Is fishing good at Yakima River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Potholes Reservoir52 miMoses Lake60 miDeschutes River91 miGrande Ronde River93 miKlickitat River98 miColumbia River103 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 12511800 β€” YAKIMA RIVER AT VAN GIESEN BR NEAR RICHLAND, WA
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 46.2529, -119.2308 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.