UPDATED: June 6, 2025
We've certainly had a great start to summer this year. In addition, river levels are pretty good thanks to a cool May and consistent temps in June so far. Our local trout rivers like the Cedar, Forks of the Snoqualmie, Yakima, Naches, Green and South Fork Skykomish are all open and appear to be in great shape for some summertime trout action. Those are just a few fly fishing opportunities in Washington in June, however. Read on for more fly fishing ideas this month and I hope something here leads to a great day on the water!
Trout
Rivers - The key Washington trout rivers for the Western Washington fly angler for the month of June would be the Cedar River, the South Fork Skykomish, the Green River and the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. For those with the time to take a longer drive, Oregon's Deschutes, the Naches, the Yakima, and the rivers of the Olympic Peninsula all have excellent trout fly fishing opportunities this month.
The Cedar River (in the Kent/Maple Valley area below Landsburg Rd bridge), is a close, beautiful river even though it is in an urban area for sure. The Cedar produces some really nice rainbows and cutthroat. The largest of these fish, which can certainly be over 20", are likely spending some time in Lake Washington to achieve that size. Whatever the case, the Cedar is only open June through August and this year, June will likely be the best month and it is in nice shape as of today (Jun5). Fish nymphs, streamers and dries. Imitate golden stones, PMDs, yellow sallies, caddis and minnows of suckers, whitefish, and salmon. Have a sinktip line or sinking leader like an Airflo Polyleader with you to fish those streamers in the deeper pools and don't be afraid to fish a large streamer.
The South Fork Skykomish and the Middle Fork Snoqualmie are both open and are fishing great right now. On the SF Skykomish near Baring, WA, cover lots of water with dry flies, nymphs and certainly strip streamers through the many deeper pools. The SF Sky can really produce some beautiful, good-sized trout but you have to look for them and they usually come off of streamers. Olive or white are great color choices for your streamers and fish them deeper than you might think. That clear water can be deceiving.
The Middle Fork Snoqualmie is probably better for numbers of fish but they are usually smaller. It's a great day nonetheless so grab the 3-weight and a box of dry flies and small nymphs and go do it.
Jordan Rae of Pacific Fly Fishers with a beautiful Yakima rainbow swung up on a Winston trout Spey rod.
The Yakima River is currently running at 2580 cfs at the moment and that is a tad high but certainly in the prime zone for June. Rafts, pontoon boats, or drift boats are all appropriate for floating the Yak and it is still low enough that walking and wading the shoreline is certainly an option. Boats can be rented or hire a guide from our friends at the Worley Bugger fly shop in Ellensburg for a great day on the water. Golden Stones, Pale Morning Dun mayflies, possibly Salmonflies will still be around, and various caddis are at the top of the menu for June. Top dry flies to have on hand are the Chubby Chernobyl – Gold, Henry’s Fork Stone – Gold, Morrish May Day – PMD, Missing Link – PMD, X-Caddis – Olive. Top nymphs would include Pat’s Rubber Legs – Golden, Tungstone – Golden, Roza's Red Tag Jig, Yeager’s Crack Back PMD, and Graphic Caddis – Olive. Also, don’t forget to take a few Gummy Worms if we get a hard rain and streamers can be good all year long.
Another great trout river to explore in June is the Bogachiel River near Forks, WA. So many people flood the OP for salmon and steelhead but there is some pretty cool trout fishing to do in what must be one of the most scenic places in the world. Hike the Bogie with a 4wt and/or a little trout spey rod and it can be a pretty incredible day June through October. Hardly anyone is taking advantage of this fishing opportunity and it is practically in our backyard.
Need some more trout river ideas? Check out the Naches river near Naches, WA or the Green River near Flaming Geyser State Park.
Lakes – June is one of the best months of the year for fly fishing trout lakes. The water has warmed up a bit, food items are available to the trout and they have the feed bags on. Lakes with some weeds will certainly have adult damsel and dragonfly nymphs still available plus mayflies, caddis, leeches, chironomids, and baitfish can all be available too. To the trout, June is a prime time of the year when water temperatures are still good and food is abundant.
Lakes with Selective Gear regulations are the most popular with fly anglers because there is usually less fishing pressure, there are usually higher populations of trout, and there are usually larger trout.
The following list of Selective Gear lakes are all popular bets in June:
- Lone Lake (south end of Whidbey Island)
- Vogler Lake (near Concrete, WA)
- Dry Falls Lake (north of Ephrata, WA)
- Lenice and Nunnally Lakes (near Beverly, WA)
- Chopaka Lake (near Loomis, WA)
- Pass Lake (near Deception Pass, WA)
Washington also has tons of lakes that are not regulated as Selective Gear lakes. Many of these lakes opened at the end of April and are great for anglers who wish to keep some trout. These lakes are typically planted for fish prior to the opener and the good fishing usually lasts throughout June. For a list of trout stocking reports in local lakes, click here.
All of these lakes are best fished from a float tube, pontoon boat, or some other kind of small boat. Shore access is limited or non-existent on most of these lakes. Lenice and Nunnally require a walk to get into them so be prepared for that. Also, internal combustion motors are not allowed on most of the Selective Gear lakes and catch and release is either required or recommended. Check the regulations before you go if you are not familiar with them.
Techniques for June should be used with a floating line and a full-sinking line with a sink rate of type 3 to type 5. Use the floating line for fishing chironomid pupa, balanced leeches and for damselfly dry flies imitating the adult damsels. Use the full-sinking line for fishing leeches, damsel nymphs, and dragon nymphs.
Steelhead & Salmon
Steelhead -- Most our local rivers don't have a lot to offer in June for salmon and steelhead anglers but there are some exceptions. With a little driving, rivers like the Cowlitz and Oregon's Sandy and Clackamas will be in the peak of their summer runs and offer loads of potential. Also, a good river in WA to consider for steelhead in June would be the Bogachiel near Forks. The Bogie can be a good river to look for summer fish in June/July and is pretty easy to walk or float. The crowds are usually minimal and the lower water levels of summer can make access quite easy.
Salmon -- We are seeing much better returns of Chinook to many of our rivers this year as well. Catching Chinook on the fly is always going to be tough, but those ready for the challenge may want to look at the Skagit and Cascade rivers, the Hoh river, the Cowlitz, and the Icicle River near Wenatchee is open for Chinook through June. Next month, we'll start looking at pink salmon as they will start showing up for anglers fishing from saltwater beaches. This year is supposed to have a ton of pinks, so keep some time open for catching them in the saltwater and rivers beginning in later July and through October in the rivers.
Puget Sound Saltwater
The central and northern portions of Puget Sound typically begin fishing pretty well for sea-run cutthroat right about now on most years. We recently received some really good reports, which is nice to hear because earlier in the year was pretty quiet. The cutthroat action usually fishes well throughout the summer and fall. Late summer and fall also bring more likelihood of encountering larger, migratory coho salmon as they enter the Sound beginning around August.
Also, as mentioned above, forecasts for the pink salmon return are off the charts this year. They will begin showing up for saltwater anglers (including beach anglers) in July and will hit primetime in August for fly guys wading and casting from the beach. September will be the prime month in our rivers and the Skagit gets the nod from us as the best river for pinks. There will certainly be plenty of fish in the Snoqualmie as well, but the Skykomish may be closed during September to protect Chinook salmon. Hopefully not, however.
Whether saltwater or freshwater, save some time to get at least a day on the water for pinks. They only show up once every two years, they take flies really well, and this year may be one of the best you'll see in your lifetime if forecasts are on target.
For cutthroat, use baitfish patterns fished on an intermediate sinking line with a 5- to 6-weight rod. Our new favorite line for Puget Sound beaches is the SA SONAR Titan Full Intermediate line. Try Manchester State Park, Meadowdale Beach, Olalla, or Penrose Point State Park for good cutthroat water.
Another saltwater option is on the unique side of things for a fly angler but a lot of fun. Lingcod season is open thru June 15th and these fish take flies quite well. Anglers will need a heavy rod, preferably in the 10-weight to 12-weight range, but an 8-weight will get you out there. Fishing the fastest sinking lines on the market is important because you will need to fish 20- to 40-feet deep and close to the bottom. Flies don't seem to matter too much but they should be big. Like, as big as you can cast. Also, some kind of boat, kayak, or even a paddle board will be necessary to get into the action.
Bass & Panfish
June is another great month fly fly fishing for bass in Washington and may be one of the best months for fishing topwater poppers. Just about all small lakes and ponds have bass and panfish in them. Grab your float tube, pontoon boat, or other boat and hit the water this month. Most of the smaller lakes and ponds have mostly largemouth and panfish. Many of the larger lakes have smallmouth as well as largemouth and panfish. Eastern Washington abounds with these opportunities. Western Washington has gobs as well but Western Washington lakes may not have as dense of populations. Either way, take a 7- to 8-weight rod for bass and a 3- or 4-weight for panfish. As a general rule, cover lots of water and look for wood structure, docks or matted weeds in shallow water for largemouth and rocky structure in deeper water for smallmouth. This time of year, smallmouth will often be found on the deeper portion of docks as well.
Summary
Give us a call if we can help with further advice or equipment, flies, etc. Hope you get out and take advantage of these great June fly fishing ideas and Washington's year-round fly fishing season!
-- Michael
Pacific Fly Fishers
Ph: 425-742-2402
Email: Info@PacificFlyFishers.com