Upper Yak=Don't Even Waste Your Time!!!

[obiwankanobi]

*

[Beckler]

Obi, I love fishing the Cle Elum area in general, but my experience around the Hansen's ponds water has been exactly the same as yours. I think I have fished behind the ponds 5 or 6 times with only one moderately successful trip there. One particular time there were March Browns everywhere on the water and not a single fish looking up. My buddy and I wondered as you did, if the fish had been poached or just what the deal was.

I spend most of my time near Cle Elum and I have caught more Cutts there than lower on the river, but I have pretty much marked the ponds access off my list.

[Calvin1]

I caught the fish in my avatar in that section of the river.

[ChrisW]

I don't know specifically about the Hansen Pond area you describe but I have heard and experienced good things in general with regard to the Cle Elum area. From what I've read there are fewer fish but bigger fish and that echoes my experience. I have had several 1-2 fish days there but I caught my all time best river trout in that section:a 23" :eek: battle scarred veteran on an EHC during the mothers day hatch.

My only westslope Cutthroat (about 15") came from there too. He took a skwala dry on a 75 degree Feb 28 wet-wading day. Big whitefish around there too.

A new 4wt and you didn't throw dries? What's wrong with Ya? :cool: I would have had to try a golden stimulator at least. You have to figure if you're fishing a streamer you aren't playing a numbers game and may get skunked as often as not, but then again you may hook the fish of a lifetime.

CW

PS 4wt w/ T14? you are more of man than I!

[ewhitaker75]

Has anyone successfully fished this area of the Yak? I suspect that every fish worth catching has been harvested by the meth heads that roam in that town.

Wow, sounds like a pretty ignorant statement to me. Did you actually drive around town yourself or did you figure out the rampant meth problem in Cle Elum from the freeway? The thing about the upper Yak is that fish are few and far between unless you have it really dialed in (but who does?) I've fished the Yak from west of Cle Elum to the slab and I have yet to see gangs of meth heads yanking fish out by the hundreds.

[obiwankanobi]

*

[papafsh]

It is a fact boys, there are no fish worth catching in the upper Yak, so don't waste your time. :rolleyes: ;)

LB

[obiwankanobi]

*

[BDD]

Do the cutts migrate to the lower part of the river and that is why I have never had a strike. Being from Idaho, I have never encountered cutts that migrate from ocean to fresh yearly. If you ask anyone who fishes the St Joe or Kelly Creek, like I have in the past so much, 30-40 fish days are not a rarity. I know both of those waters are not near a place like Seattle, which get far less pressure than the Yak.



While it is common for westslopes to migrate lower in the system during the fall in Idaho, I don't believe that is the case with Yakima cutts and they certainly are not anadromous. Location to a major met area like Seattle can certainly increase pressure but other times slow fishing is just what it is everywhere at certain times: slow fishing. Some things you just can't control so you might as well make the best of it and enjoy being out.


My only westslope Cutthroat (about 15") came from there too. He took a skwala dry on a 75 degree Feb 28 wet-wading day. Big whitefish around there too.

PS 4wt w/ T14? you are more of man than I!

Wet wading in February? I don't care what the air temperature was, the water temp. had to be in the low 40's. And I thought I was tough but YOU are more of a man than I.

[Jergens]

It is a fact boys, there are no fish worth catching in the upper Yak, so don't waste your time. :rolleyes: ;)

LB


Agreed, total waste of time, if you manage to catch one of the 5 trout up there you take a huge risk of a meth head attacking you:cool:

[Coach Duff]

So you are from Idaho and used to fishing the St. Joes and the good people of the Cle-Elum area are methheads and banjo players? Wow.:confused: Seems like your posts are really flat out attempts to find the keys to every lock you might encounter in the Evergreeen state. Just a tip: People that consistantly catch fish in Washington are damn good flyfisherman, world class. This site is full of those guys. I have seen many a rod come over from their 27,000 trout per square mile rivers and get their ass handed to them in Washington. Not alot of fish, a good amount of pressure and wacky weather. Keep picking at those locks and you might open a few. And learn how to play the banjo. Us methheads and toothless banjo pickers always need another buddy to play "dueling banjos" with.;) Coach

[obiwankanobi]

*

[phishon]

while i love the upper yak for it's grandure, i agree with the fish count comments. i fish the cle elum section every fall and it doesn't produce a stringer worth writing home about. however, this section holds pigs and i'm fortunate enough to have landed one of them. the brute hardly even fit in my wachter 20" net. (my net has been permanently shelved ever since)

btw. it took a #16 BWO sparkle dun.

[papafsh]

Nope, no fish of any size in the upper Yak, honest ;)

LB

[Coach Duff]

Nice work Papa san!