Seattle Metropolitan Magazine

June 2008
The Great Outdoors Guide
35 Northwest Playgrounds
by Courtney Nash

#2 | Chase the Rainbows
Yakima River, Washington

More than a hundred rivers, creeks and tribuataries meander through Washington state, but few are as scenic or as productive Fly-Fishing spots as the section of the Yakima River paralleling Canyon Road between Ellensburg and Yakima. Here the river bends repeatedly, creating numerous insect-rich pools where rainbow trout thrive. While you work to prefect your cast, you just might see a full-sized male elk amble down to the riverbank to drink, then cross and ascend the other side, as Greenlake resident Kevin Hughes once witnessed. “We often see no people, but plenty of wildlife,” he says. If you’re short on gear or dry-casting know how, book a trip with Dave McCoy, owner and head fish whisperer of Emerald Water Anglers.

Emerald Water Anglers, 206-545-2197; ewa.wpengine.com