It�s been a while since I floated the upper Yakima and the partial weir just below the irrigation diversion ABOVE the Thorp Bridge was new to me. It�s pretty obvious but you need to be far river left; maybe a four-foot drop. Now the question. I fished both Saturday and Sunday and the fishing seemed quite off, in fact I haven�t had a grand Yakima day this year, or since the river was filled with smolts. What gives? I got used to fishing a giant irrigation ditch and I assume I can adjust to a giant hatchery raceway but I can�t seem to figure out where the trout have gone. I didn�t see a single respectable trout rise in two days on the river (except for a couple who rose to a stimi and an ant- and I caught a few more on streamers) in conditions that I would normally expect to see risers all day. I didn�t catch enough trout to get any real pattern of a change in their behavior or lies. I also noted as I drove out of the Canyon late Sunday afternoon that three of the five boats I saw in the canyon were not fishing just floating so my guess is others were finding it even worse than I. Anyone care to give me some clues as too new fishing practices in the land of smolts, or even any EDUCATED guesses on what the long term impact of the salmon hatchery/runs will be on the trout fishing. Have fun Bubba
