On the Metolius River the fishing is good and definitely worth the trip this week, especially Sunday and Monday and then it looks like some snow might come in Wednesday and be better for next weekend.
The only reports I got this past week were nymph and streamer reports, but I have to imagine along with you that there are Blue Wing Olives hatching most afternoons sometime from 1 to 3 PM, and that in most cases you can poke around for some dry fly fishing on a #18 BWO emerger, cripple or dun.
I would also have some October Caddis dries and a few Corn Fed or Weiss’s Hi Viz Caddis to bob in the eddies and pools. A large orange Elk Hair, orange Stimulator, and a small #12 Clarks Stone can be really good searching flies in January, February and March.
The nymph action is really where it is at for most of the day. Golden Stones, Eggs, Zebra Midges, Perdigons in Blue, Purple, Brown and Olive are especially productive, Light or Dark Walts Worms, Soft Hackle PT Jigs, 2 Bit Hookers and all kinds of Caddis Pupa, especially Orange #8-12, Tan #14-16 and Olive #14-16.
I just talked to Sequoia at the shop and she has been having good luck on the Jig Streamers using an indicator and a good dead drift. Olives and Browns mostly, but she said a Black with an Orange Bead has taken a few fish too.
This is often a good time of the year to nymph with a #10-12 Red Ice Cream Cone. It has always been a good winter Bull Trout Nymph. With the mild winter and all, things seem to be more of an autumn pattern for the Bulls, and that makes articulated streamers the #1 go-to choice. On wednesday when the snow is coming down try one of the all black, rubber leg conehead articulated streamers we have. It’s a one of kind fly that we came up with (Eric B- Chief of Security and I) to have Dreamcast tie up for us. Dark fly on a dark day is a winning combo. Bring your 8 weight.
Remember the upper Metolius River is closed from the Headwaters down through Camp Sherman to Allingham Bridge in the winter until 5/22/26. Don’t fish the closed water and respect the closures as this is the sanctuary for spawning native trout and so important to the health of the river.