Klickitat River Fishing Report

Date
Tuesday, 19 Apr, 2016
Report
Many of you have already seen images of this, but the below pics are of the launch ramp, or should I say, 'the lack there of," at Stinson campground on the Klickitat. The actual launch is gone....
 
Fishing Water Report
The Klickitat River, located in south-central Washington, flows generally south from its origin on Mt. Adams in the high country of the Yamaka Indian Reservation to its confluence ... morewith the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge. The designated segment is the lowermost 10.8 miles of the river. At the upper end of this segment, the river flows through a broad canyon. As it drops toward the Columbia at a steady gradient of 26 feet per mile, the canyon tightens and small rapids spike the channel.

At about river mile 2.5, the Klickitat drops into a tight, rock-walled gorge. The water cascades and crashes through the rocky channel where the tribes and bands of the Yamaka Nation have used dip-net fishing continuously for generations to catch salmon and steelhead. Of the mid-Columbia tributaries, the Klickitat is one of the favored fishing sites, due to both the number of fish and the narrow canyon with its high water volume.

In addition to the river's outstanding hydrology, the geology of the gorge between river mile 1.1 and 2.5, and the dip-net fishing sites, the river is also the most significant anadromous fishery on the Washington side of the Columbia in the stretch from Bonneville Dam to the Snake River. It supports steelhead trout, Chinook salmon and coho salmon, with six distinct runs.

The lower Klickitat offers a variety of recreation opportunities, including boating, fishing, hiking, camping and sightseeing. Boat fishing is popular when the salmon and steelhead are running. There is an undeveloped boat put-in/take-out on Klickitat County Park land just below the Pitt bridge, and river access at several places along Highway 142, including a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fee camp site. The take-out is before the fish screw trap at about river mile 5, just above the Klickitat canyon gorge. Ongoing construction of the fish bypass at the top of Lyle Falls requires boaters to take out at this point. The falls also marks the beginning of the tribal in-lieu fishing sites and no boating is allowed through this area.

The only permits required are from commercial outfitters; existing commercial outfitters include beginning kayak schools and fishing guides.

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroad built a railway linking Lyle and Goldendale in 1903. This branch line was abandoned in 1992 and is now the Klickitat Rails-to-Trail. The trail parallels the river's east bank from the Columbia River to Fisher Hill Bridge, where it crosses to the west bank and continues to the town of Pitt. It crosses Highway 142 and continues along the west bank leaving the wild and scenic river portion and continues for many miles upriver.
Reporting Outfitter
The Evening Hatch started by Jack Mitchell, began guiding on the Yakima in 1988. We are one of the remaining original outfitters on 'Our Home River.' Since then our services have expanded ... moresubstantially, including three post and beam lodges. For those who have fished with us, we appreciate your loyal support as this is our 27th year of operating and it continues to be a fun adventure. If you haven't fished with us, we invite you to join us waterside and experience a day, two, three or more on the water with The Evening Hatch.

Over the years The Evening Hatch has seasoned a good number of the guides that are on the Yakima and in Central/Eastern Washington today. Some are with us and some may be out there on their own or with other outfitters. One thing is for sure, The Evening Hatch set the standard of excellence and continues to do so.

..The reputation of The Evening Hatch is based directly on our developed and original programs, quality facilities and our staff that greets you at the Yakima river fly shop, at one of our lodges or the guide that shows you the best of the fishery. We are fortunate to have our crew. These dedicated professionals are hard working, fleece wearing, sunglass bearing, weather tattered, sun lined, oar pulling, fish netting, fly tying, genuine fly fishing guides, bums, chefs, hosts and more. At first glance they may appear to be aloof, out there, glaze eyed, robotic and/or just 'guide like.' A closer look reveals a group of people that will do whatever it takes to make your day the best it can be, period! Our programs have always been 'the first' on the east slope of the Cascades. We guarantee our service, and were the FIRST to do so! - See what our guests have to say.!

Most of our guide staff are full time for The Hatch and some are freelancers roaming the waters... Regardless of their origin, rest assured the experience will be an enjoyable adventure. We guarantee our service! Some of our guide staff have been on the water with us for over 26 years now.....No other Washington or Yakima guide service can quote that statistic... Link below to learn more about our guide staff...

A good guide is your link between the knowledge you already have and the knowledge you would like to gain when it pertains to fishing with the fly.

We are grass roots, from the get go... We won't presume to tell you how to fish; Whether it be dry flies, streamers, nymphing or swinging...We are well versed in all techniques with a fly rod, both single hand and double handers and can teach you the intricacies of the methods you are interested in. If there is something you would like or not like on your trip, let us know and we will make it happen!
Reported Trip
  • Expert guide
  • Riverside lunch and beverages
  • Flies, tippet, and tackle
The headwaters of the Klickitat river originate on the slopes of Mount Adams in Washington. The topographic map shows an incredible myriad of small streams combining to form this glacial ... morewaterway and the river is home to a strong Fall Chinook and Summer Steelhead run. The landscape is unique and predominantly a combination of scrub oak, pine trees and cottonwood. The watershed is home to a large population of deer, turkey, cougar and elk.

The drainage is quite steep and in fact some of the lower portions of the river are not navigable due to class 5+ falls. The river tumbles into the Columbia approximately 120 miles from the salt and this can equate to some rather 'hot' summer run steelhead. The Klickitat river's wild strain of steelhead are strong and unpredictable. Typically in the 8-12 pound class with fish as large as 18-20 pounds caught occasionally. The wild summer steelhead runs enter the river anywhere from June until November. In addition to the wild steelhead, the hatchery steelhead that inhabit the Klickitat are of the Skamania strain. We like to say...'What is the first clue that you know you are on the Klickitat river? Answer, 'You just got your A_ _ handed to you!'

During the heat of summer the fishing can be a bit sketchy due to the lack of clarity in the river. However, once the weather patterns cool down a bit, the river's clarity will typically be in the 2 to 5 foot range. We fish the river with both swing and nymph tactics. Two handed rods are a useful tool as are single handers. For those of you who would like to swing the fly exclusively on the Klickitat, then we are your crew. For those of you who would like to nymph the Klickitat, then we are your crew. For those of you who would like to mix it up, then we are your crew. We are well versed in all techniques from skating dries to slack line drifting egg patterns. We don't presume to tell you how you should fish the fly for steelhead, we do however listen to your desires and build an adventure based on those requests.

Come spend a day with us on the Klickitat. Our day and multiple day trips are based on a full day or series of full days. Accessing the river can be by boat, walk/wade, bike/wade. If you have a preference or would like to mix and match, let us know!
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