I am a slow learner about some things (like fishing), but over the last few years I have had the opportunity to fish with some pretty fine fishermen. When I get the chance to fish with these guys, I pay attention to what they do. I noticed that they almost never rush. They take their time getting ready. They invariably spend time evaluating conditions before starting to fish. Are there any bugs in the air or on the bushes? Are the swallows feeding on the surface of the water? Are the fish rising? What kind or rises are they? They often don't cast to the first fish they see rising, they look for the biggest one or the one they might be able to catch without spooking the others. When they see a good fish rising, they find the best place to cast from, and position themselves there before making the first cast.

I fish more than I used to and it's a little easier for me to remain calm. I haven't lost my enthusiasm but I'm usually not too wound up when I get to the river anymore. I still catch myself starting to hurry sometimes, but I usually slow down before I start to fish On the days that I remain calm and unhurried, I not only fish better, but I tend to enjoy it more. The river has a certain rhythm and rushing seems to put me out of sync with it. When I rush I am less observant, less careful, and tend to cast too much. A wise man once told me "cast less, catch more". This advice is sometimes hard to follow, but it works.

June has not been a good month for fishermen in the Yakima River Canyon. I don't know if it's the schizophrenic weather or the hundreds of thousands of salmon smolt in the river but the fishing has been very slow. Many days have been too windy for dry fly fishing. Even the calm days have not been that great. July should be better. There is still some Pale Morning Dun action to be had in the late morning hours. Use Yellow mayfly patterns in sizes 12-16. July is prime time for late evening caddis fishing with tan or green caddis patterns in sizes 14 to 16. Later in the month we should start to have some grasshoppers and yellow stoneflies.