Any tips for fly-fishing the Yakima river?

On Dec 28, 7:28*pm, Mark Allread none@none wrote:

The concept of "mending your line" is still sort of a mystery to me...
The descriptions in the books seem obscure on the subject.

One of those things that descriptions can never do justice to. The
simple truth is that mending line will, one day, suddenly seem
natural. It may take a while.

Till then, practice, practice, practice. Read, by all means, but the
only way to learn to do it is to do it.....a few thousand times.

I can
understand giving the line an extra flip as it settles to the river, but
once the line is stuck to the water..?

Yep, that's the hard part. I could describe it, but.....

Ah, well! Nobody starts out knowing everything!

Actually, many do. Some of them eventually get over it, though.

I'll look up the Skip's Nymph, and try to tie one, while I'm waiting for
the Adobe Flash software I ordered. I'll be learning to flash people
this winter! Good thing I already have an old raincoat.

Old raincoat is good, but by no means necessary. As is true of fly
fishing, there are innumerable ways of flashing successfully.....and
at a reasonable cost. Remember, it ain't the fiddlestick that makes
music.....it's the fiddler.

giles
impresario to the impecunious

On Dec 28, 6:23*pm, Giles wrote:


One of those things that descriptions can never do justice to. *The
simple truth is that mending line will, one day, suddenly seem
natural. *It may take a while.

Till then, practice, practice, practice. *


One thing that has helped me approach nearly adequate at mending is to
realize that most times you have to add line to the system not just
move line. So make sure you have the needed extra line ready and
visualize throwing it into the place where it's needed to add more
slack. This WILL pick up what's already out there and move it,
usually, but makes it easier ( for me ) to avoid moving the fly in the
process.


One more thing ... I've redefined my 'poor mending' into "advanced
twitching tactics" for fishing things like damsel adults, caddis
dries, hoppers, etc. ... helps my ego :-)

On Dec 29, 12:51*pm, Larry L wrote:
On Dec 28, 6:23*pm, Giles wrote:



One of those things that descriptions can never do justice to. *The
simple truth is that mending line will, one day, suddenly seem
natural. *It may take a while.

Till then, practice, practice, practice. *

One thing that has helped me approach nearly adequate at mending is to
realize that most times you have to add line to the system not just
move line. * So make sure you have the needed extra line ready and
visualize throwing it into the place where it's needed to add more
slack. * This WILL pick up what's already out there and move it,
usually, but makes it easier ( for me ) to avoid moving the fly in the
process.

Another thing that often helps is to tug on the line a bit before
begging the mend. This helps to ensure that more (if not necessarily
all) of the line is on the surface, thus reducing drag somewhat. Both
your method and mine WILL often move the fly. This, while not always
desirable, is often unavoidable. Sometimes, though, it IS
desirable.....to correct an errant drift, for example. And one can
make allowances for this movement by deliberate placement of the fly
in the first place. In other words, do not place the fly where a
perfect drift will bring it where you want it to be IF you can execute
a perfect mend without moving the fly in the process. Place it where
a perfect drift will bring it to where you want it after a mend that
moves the fly a bit. As with many other techniques, this takes longer
to describe than it takes to do. And it takes no longer to learn than
any other mend. Nor does it take any longer to perfect (well, as near
as any of us comes to executing ANY technique perfectly, anyway) than
doing it without moving the fly. In fact, since learning to mend well
without moving the fly is difficult in itself, it is at least
plausible that learning to do it well WITH that movement may take even
less time.

One more thing ... I've redefined my 'poor mending' into "advanced
twitching tactics" for fishing things like damsel adults, caddis
dries, hoppers, etc. *... helps my ego :-)

Making a virtue of necessity.....or, malleable standards. By whatever
name, a useful and valuable technique in its own right.

giles

On 12/28/2010 06:21 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:
On Dec 28, 7:12 pm, Mark Allreadnone@none wrote:
On 12/28/2010 06:57 AM, Frank Reid 2010 wrote:









On Dec 27, 11:40 pm, Mark Allreadnone@none wrote:
On 12/25/2010 08:51 PM, Bob wrote:

On Dec 25, 5:14 pm, Frank Reid wrote:
On Dec 16, 8:16 pm, Mark Allreadnone@none wrote:

I'm just another laid-off electronics tech., currently taking IT classes
here in eastern WA (Sorry to any ozzies, not that EWA) and hoping to
find time in a few months to knock the rust off of my fly-casting arm.

I've taken a couple of basic fly-tying classes, and it seems my old tech
skills work there too. Any thoughts on what types and sizes of wet or
dry flies might find success on the mighty Yakima River?

You might try this over at rec.outdoors.fishing.fly (leave out the
"tying")
Frank Reid

The Yakima usually gets a good hatch of Skwala's from mid-late March
and any good Skwala pattern size 10 -8 will produce through mid May.
Standards like PMD's, BWO's, Pheasant tails, and Gold ribbed hares
ears in sizes 16-12 are good the rest of the year.

Thanks for the info.
I've tied #16 Pheasant tail nymphs and Hare's ear nymphs in those
fly-tying classes, and I think I still have the instruction sheet
somewhere. I'll have to look up an easy Skwala pattern (probably both
nymph and adult?) online, which will help keep me occupied until IT
classes start for the winter quarter.
Oh, hey... There's a tutorial on YouTube! Now we're getting somewhere!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0rUpGC_mVY

Okay, I'll go back offline for a while... thanks again!

An IT guy going "off line?" Not until u surgically remove the DS3
from the pop on your skull.
Frank Reid
(except on stream)

Hey! I'm still just a student! They don't bring out the drill press and
the tap-and-die set until after graduation!
I'm hoping to find work in one of the little street-corner
computer-repair shops. It seems to me that would be a good way to find
out how much of what I'm being taught is obsolete, useless, or just
plain wrong.
Until then... An occasional chance to get a little fishing in should be
a nice way to retain some sort of sanity.

Go to work for a small to medium size company in the IT department
where you will be called upon to do all ends of the spectrum. Much
better learning environment where you will probably find an area to
concentrate on.
Frank Reid
(Fly Fisherman (kinda) and Computer Scientist (kinda))

I will definitely keep this in mind as I approach graduation.

On 12/29/2010 03:04 PM, Giles wrote:
On Dec 29, 12:51 pm, Larry wrote:
On Dec 28, 6:23 pm, wrote:



One of those things that descriptions can never do justice to. The
simple truth is that mending line will, one day, suddenly seem
natural. It may take a while.

Till then, practice, practice, practice.

One thing that has helped me approach nearly adequate at mending is to
realize that most times you have to add line to the system not just
move line. So make sure you have the needed extra line ready and
visualize throwing it into the place where it's needed to add more
slack. This WILL pick up what's already out there and move it,
usually, but makes it easier ( for me ) to avoid moving the fly in the
process.

Another thing that often helps is to tug on the line a bit before
begging the mend. This helps to ensure that more (if not necessarily
all) of the line is on the surface, thus reducing drag somewhat. Both
your method and mine WILL often move the fly. This, while not always
desirable, is often unavoidable. Sometimes, though, it IS
desirable.....to correct an errant drift, for example. And one can
make allowances for this movement by deliberate placement of the fly
in the first place. In other words, do not place the fly where a
perfect drift will bring it where you want it to be IF you can execute
a perfect mend without moving the fly in the process. Place it where
a perfect drift will bring it to where you want it after a mend that
moves the fly a bit. As with many other techniques, this takes longer
to describe than it takes to do. And it takes no longer to learn than
any other mend. Nor does it take any longer to perfect (well, as near
as any of us comes to executing ANY technique perfectly, anyway) than
doing it without moving the fly. In fact, since learning to mend well
without moving the fly is difficult in itself, it is at least
plausible that learning to do it well WITH that movement may take even
less time.

One more thing ... I've redefined my 'poor mending' into "advanced
twitching tactics" for fishing things like damsel adults, caddis
dries, hoppers, etc. ... helps my ego :-)

Making a virtue of necessity.....or, malleable standards. By whatever
name, a useful and valuable technique in its own right.

giles


I've had some success doing a sort of a "roll cast" using a big loop of
additional line, while the original line remains in place on the
water... more or less... No idea whether this is what I'm supposed to be
doing, of course.

On Dec 29, 9:26*pm, Mark Allread none@none wrote:

I've had some success doing a sort of a "roll cast" using a big loop of
additional line, while the original line remains *in place on the
water... more or less... No idea whether this is what I'm supposed to be
doing, of course.

If it works, it is exactly what you are supposed to be doing. There
are no laws worthy of note.

giles

Yakima has made the usual incubation Skwala good from mid to late March any good Skwala pattern size will have a mid-October to August. Standards such as PMD's, BWO's, pheasant tails, gold ribbed hare ear size of 16-12 the rest of the year are good.