My buddy Ken and I floated the Yakima River on Saturday, from Cle Elum down to the WDFW East Cle Elum launch. Hoping for a March Brown hatch in the early afternoon, we were in no hurry to get on the water. We rounded up our gear and got on the water around 1:15. There were already birds working and we saw a few bugs on the surface.

We had some new equipment to try out; Ken wanted to use our new Freestone Deluxe model; completely made in USA. I wanted to try a new set of Sotar pontoons and the Pro Loks oar system. We brought dry fly, streamer, and nymph rods but pretty much planned on looking for rising fish and targeting them. It was a first time we had ever drifted this section. It had some good water but the first part was a little noisy with the freeway traffic. Once around the bend, it was much nicer.

We floated casually, looking for rising fish. When we found them, we caught (or at least rose) them pretty regularly. The only problem was we didn't find that many; maybe half a dozen. We were as interested in learning the float and trying new gear as much as much as the fishing so it worked out good.

Ken and I saw the first fish rise at the same time. I motioned for him to try for it and he waded out as far as he could and tried to get a good drift but the cast was too far and too much fast water between him and the fish to get a proper drift. After he tried a bit, I jumped into the Freestone and rowed over to the other side of the river. I din't give him much time because the hatch never lasts very long and this was our first spot; we still had a lot of water to cover.

I did manage to pull two nice cutthroat out from underneath the overhanging tree. One nice feature about this boat is it doesn't have a floor, allowing you to put your feet down (think Fred Flintstone) anywhere you want to "anchor". This technique works great for working the water right next to the bank, often where fish are feeding.

All said and done, it was a good day, cold and windy but the scenery, company, and catching were pretty good. A little warmer weather should start to bring the caddis out.

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