I'm going to the Elensburg rodeo and staying at the red lion in yakima... I'd like to actually have FUN in this so called vacation, instead of watching a bunch of fools run their horses around barrels.
Whats Yakima got to offer for fishing? Any good lakes or should I go for the river? And what works? Thanks ahead of time!

In the lowest reaches of the river, near Richland, there's great smallmouth fishing. The river above Roza Dam is managed for catch and release trout fishing, and the action is mostly fly fishing oriented. There are some ponds near Zillah, visible from the freeway, that have warm water panfishing and bass.

you probably would rather stick around e-burg. check out fio-rito lake. just down I-82 a few miles, go south and just before you start the big hill take that exit and follow it back to the lake you just saw on your left, they pull some dandies out of there, lots of freeway lakes in that country.

If you fly fish, the Yakima has been fishing real well lately from the canyon all the way to Cle Elum. There is O.K. fishing below Roza Dam if you are not a fly fisher. Also, most all the lakes around E-burg fish pretty well with some nice fish in them. Some have some good cats in them also. Drive a little farther east and Lenice, Nunnally, and even farther Rocky Ford are great at times, although Aug. is a bit warm for Lenice and Nunnally.
Don't shorchange the rodeo though....it can be an blast, the city is usually one big party.
If you are a fan of great beer you have to go to Grant's Pub while in Yakima....some say it started the micro beer craze, and the brew is fantastic!

As stated above, the Yakima River is a good trout fishery. If you don't fly fish it is selective gear rules so you can toss spinners and spoons.
If you don't like watching horses you can always wander downtown Ellensburg and mingle with the CWU coeds.