On the Metolius River you are going to find consistent nymphing results, and you’re going to need a little luck and patience to get in on the numerous hatches that are coming off, but really spotty or dispersed at the moment.
On the nymph side October Caddis Pupa and smaller Tan Caddis Pupa, Golden Stones, Green Drake Nymphs, Olive, Purple and Brown Perdigons, Two Bit Hooker, Soft Hackle PT and Black Zebra Midges are in the top 10. If you are on the Metolius this month and without these 10 patterns you’ll be at a disadvantage as these are matching what is maturing, and getting ready to hatch whether that hatch is this afternoon or in 6 weeks or more (drakes and goldens for example).
When hatches occur, or when they occur and the fish cooperate by feeding at the surface you should expect the top dry fly opportunities to be Blue Wing Olives, Cinygmula, March Browns, October and Silver Stripe Caddis, mid size Caddis in Tan and Grey, plus some more obscure but potentially important small Stoneflies and very small Midges. The first 3 mayflies in an emerger and dun will cover you well, add a big orange caddis and a Corn Fed Caddis, a Griffiths Gnat and a Henryville to your dry fly box and you’ll have what you need for 98% of what could happen this week.
I was talking to a customer who got 2 bulls tight lining small streamers yesterday. I also was hearing Gavin talk to some customers about how good the bulls have been biting articulated streamers in the sculpin color scheme. Keep in mind my comment from last week about the Chinook Smolt releases from Wizard Falls. A bigger white streamer is what you want for that feeding opportunity. I remember one year they released all the smolts at once, but it seems like the last couple of years they are doing them in phases I think to let pulses of fish get downstream in stages and not expose all of them to the dangers of that process at once. In any event, it is an exciting opportunity for spring fishing on the Met.