Waters · United States
Yakima River (Union Gap) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
Washington's only blue-ribbon trout stream is an irrigation river: its flows run backwards from the natural pattern, high in summer for the orchards and low in winter.
Today's report: excellent (83/100)
Chinook salmon is the most promising species on Yakima River (Union Gap) today. Water temperature is around 13.3°C and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge YAKIMA RIVER ABOVE AHTANUM CREEK AT UNION GAP, WA shows the water level falling (0 cm/24h).
Yakima River (Union Gap) water temperature and flow
- Discharge: 42.8 m³/s (1,511 cfs) — down 1% over 24 hours
- Level trend: falling (0 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge YAKIMA RIVER ABOVE AHTANUM CREEK AT UNION GAP, WA · reading 52 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 17:00–19:00 local time — score 83/100
- 12:00–14:00 local time — score 79/100
- 15:00–17:00 local time — score 78/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 81 — excellent | 81 — excellent | 82 — excellent |
| Smallmouth Bass | 78 — good | 73 — good | 72 — good |
| Chinook salmon | 83 — excellent | 80 — excellent | 84 — excellent |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Yakima River (Union Gap) rating:
- water temperature: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.95)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- pressure trend: helping (+0.7)
- wind: helping (+0.6)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 23:21:31 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge YAKIMA RIVER ABOVE AHTANUM CREEK AT UNION GAP, WA · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- The best time to fish for bass
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More rainbow trout waters
- Kenai River (Soldotna) — Alaska, USA
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- Chew Valley Lake — Somerset, England
- Animas River (Durango) — Colorado, USA
- Au Sable River (Mio) — Michigan, USA
Nearby waters
- John Day River (Lower) — Oregon, USA (105 km away)
- Wenatchee River (Monitor) — Washington, USA (107 km away)
- Deschutes River (Sherars Falls) — Oregon, USA (148 km away)
- Methow River (Pateros) — Washington, USA (174 km away)
- Sandy River (Bull Run) — Oregon, USA (183 km away)
- Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) — Washington, USA (190 km away)