Mary Ann and I had to get out of the house for a few hours and managed to sneak out to the Metolius River yesterday evening for two hours. It was an incredibly peaceful evening away from the crowds down on the lower river. We both took out our 7′ 9″ 4 wt bamboo rods for the evening. A few BWOs starting showing up about 5:00 PM and then some PMDs about 30 minutes later. No fish seemed to want to come to the surface but we did well swinging PMD soft hackles…Thanks John Kreft for your great PMD Soft Hackle Pattern.
We’re you fishing them as a dry dropper? Sure looks like a beautiful stream. We’re you fishing more than one fly at a time?
Hi Michael,
Yes, the Metolius River is a beautiful place…although the fish can be pretty educated at times. I tried a couple of techniques. Swinging two soft hackles through the shallow riffles caught the attention of a couple of smaller rainbows. I also had one come up for a greased up soft hackle on the surface.
Dave
please don’t tell the world about this stretch of the river….it is a special place that doesn’t need the publicity…
Hi Ron,
My Blog is all about sharing my bamboo rod building and fly fishing experiences with others. It’s not my intent to publicizing any particular area of any river/stream to brag about the big fish I catch. There are plenty of other anglers posting grip-and-grin photos of big fish they’ve caught in the Metolius River…and on other rivers in our area. I can respect your love of the river, and it’s a special place for me as well. But, it’s hardly an unknown river, and with the number of people in the campgrounds and fishing the river, there really aren’t any “secret spots”. And, with all due respect, I hardly think that posting a picture of a 7″ rainbow is going to motivate a lot people to get out and fish a particular area of the river.
Dave, no offense, it’s not the grip and grin of a little fish or a “secret spot” I’m talking about. But a picture of that area of the river is a dead giveaway and just draws attention to a sensitive area of that river. I don’t think it says anything about your beautiful rods. I know both you and your wife and just think shots of the fish and the story alone would have accomplished the same thing. I know you both to be great sportsmen and stewards of the water. Just an opinion from another lover of that river.
Hi Ron,
It’s funny….I’ve received more comments asking “Where can I buy Moscow Mule in a can” and “what’s the fly pattern” than on the beauty of the river…but your point is well taken. I greatly appreciate your input. Hope to see you out on our favorite water soon.
Respectfully,
Dave