The Metolius River still has a small area of seasonal closure from the Headwaters through Camp Sherman down to Allingham Bridge. This is closed to protect important spawning areas for redband trout and opens on May 22nd with a lot of celebrations.
From Allingham Bridge to Lake Billy Chinook is open year round and this gives you beats like Allingham to Gorge, Canyon Creek to Wizard Falls, the Hatchery to the Powerline, Pioneer Ford to Bridge 99, and Lower Bridge CG to Candle Creek. All of these sections have game now, but with some different expectations and different flies for upper areas compared to lower areas.
In the Upper River from Allingham to Gorge just like the rest of the river we have seen most consistent fishing using nymphs. Golden Stones, Tan Fat Ass Caddis, Soft Hackle PT, CDC Hares Ear, Perdigons, 2 Bit Hookers to imitate PMD and BWO nymphs and Eggs. When hatches have been occurring it is 40/60 if the fish rise much or not. I wish I knew why. Oh to be in the mind of a trout. Many of the mayfly hatches are mid day after lunch, but keep an eye on evening with the warmer days and also hope to be on the river with a good early evening caddis hatch. Tuck some Corn Fed Caddis and Iris Caddis in for now, and if you get the opportunity that is great, but for sure in the next 5 months around Central Oregon from the Metolius and beyond those are 2 kick-butt caddis you need to add to your fly box whether you tie them yourself or if you come to FFP and buy a few.
In the Middle and Lower River areas add Green Drake Nymphs and absolutely add a Sparkle Dun and Film Critic Green Drake in #8-10 this week. The “hatch” is still 2 or 3 weeks from being called a hatch, but now in isolated pools you truly have the opportunity to see some early drake soldiers take flight and usually the fish always notice! A Peacock TJ Hooker and Jig 20 Incher nymph are the 2 to have for GD nymphs. Absolutely great patterns and if you read my reports over the years you also may connect the dots that they are newer discoveries. That is always fun to find new flies, and in the case of these 2, they match the criteria of size, shape and color, but neither fly was invented as a green drake nymph. That said, the magic is strong.
PMD hatches are increasing in hatch intensity and as we move to May I think we can expect to see it better and better until about early July. Fishing is good with PMD mayflies from the nymph, to emerger, cripples, duns and rusty spinners. When we get hot days and warm nights the rusty spinners usually come back to the water to lay eggs at dusk, this is called the spinner fall, but at this time of the year in the early PMD hatch the spinner fall could be at any time, including coincidendly at the same time as today’s hatch. Observation to what they are feeding on is not easy, but it is important.
There are a few October Caddis left but it seems to be petering out now. We will see them in August again.
Quite a few little stoneflies including little olive stones and yellow sally’s have been on the water lately. This doesn’t always mean the fish care, but they could so a Henryville and a Yellow Sally adult should be in your dry fly box.