The Metolius River is just magical in September. I fished there with my friend Bryce this week on a warm afternoon, and I arrived a little late for seeing green drakes, Bryce said they were popping well at 1:00. I arrived at 2:30 (thinking I was on time for the drake hatch…) and saw none, but did catch fish on Purple Comparaduns and a Spring Creek Chute, so I was happy. But there is nothing like a “drake take” and my next trip there I will make sure to leave the shop a little earlier. 
Hatches are really good throughout the river, and Golden Stones continue to be a staple from the headwaters to Gorge Campground, and look for them to be in isolated spots where variable water temperatures create pockets of habitat conducive to the 3rd largest, but best hatching stonefly on our favorite river. Other stoneflies to note are Cascade Stones, especially around the Lower Bridge area, and some Salmonflies, and a lot of Little Olive Stones #16-18 (Henryville with the hackle cut flush to the bottom or an Olive CDC Caddis).
Plenty of Caddis to chase and match! Tan #16, Olive #16-18, Yellow #18-20, Grey #14, Orange #8. Pupa as nymphs practically anytime of the day you have a fly rod in hand, and emergers and adults later in the afternoon and evening. Iris Caddis in Tan and Olive are essential. Parachute Caddis, Corn Fed Caddis and Missing Link Caddis are 3 others we fish a lot and they work. 
Arguably the mayfly is my most adored trout stream (or lake) creature! The elegance of a mayfly is hard to beat, and the way their life cycles work they are easy to identify and choose a pattern based on some deductive reasoning. Patterns of all hatches are repeatable from year to year, season to season, and with mayflies some of my favorite flies, and favorite techniques to present these special creations have emerged. Pun intended. I’ll be happy in any hatch, but mayfly hatches are icing on the cake, and the next 5 weeks are extra sweet on the Met!
Flav hatches are a small Green Drake. Sometimes Flav’s are referred to as “lesser green drakes”. They are smaller at an average hook size of #14, but that is the end of discussion of lesser. Flav’s are all things beauty, and all things important to the Metolius in September. Make sure to carry a few patterns to match them as the fly that worked yesterday won’t necessarily be the same today. 
Green Drakes are popping more this week than last week, and several customers and friends have been absolutely stoked on their recent success on #10 drake emergers and duns. 
Pale Morning Duns are one of the most important mayflies in the West, and from April to November on the Metolius they roll off the surface more than most of the other mayflies. #16 is the size to match, and nymphs, emergers, cripples, duns and Rusty Spinners will cover you on the stages of the hatch cycle.
Blue Wing Olives #18-20 are gaining ground on the hatches now. They have been important since late July in some areas of the river, but now the hatch spreads to all areas of the river and the quantity and quality of the hatches will both get better. Just like the PMD above, the whole life-cycle is important to have flies in your box to match the moment. 
Finally, Mahogany Duns are a great fall hatch and the more the Vine Maples turn orange and red, the more Paraleptophlebia’s you will encounter here. We have a fly that is called an Upright Rusty Spinner that we occasionally use as an actual Rusty Spinner, but always have used as a Mahogany Dun #16. Also, a Quill Gordon (old school baby) and a Grey Comparadun are my 2 favorite flies for the Mahogany Dun hatch. A Grey Film Critic is a fabulous emerger for these. I remember a time on the river using a Timberline Emerger with good success when they were selective about eating a dun. A #16 CDC Soft Hackle PT with a copper tungsten bead is a great nymph for them. 
Nymphing Euro/Tight Line Style is always a great method to catch about anything that swims in the Metolius. A friend was in the shop today and said he hammered the Whitefish recently with his nymph rig. Bulls, Bows and Browns (the 3 B’s) love a tightline rig. Standout nymphs for the moment are Tan Caddis Pupa, Tungsten Jig 20″, Jig Green Drakes, TJ Hooker Olive, Olive and Brown Perdigons, BWO Micro Mayfly, and Walts Worms. 
Bull Trout Fishing is good, keep an eye out for Redds (spawning gravel being used or that shows signs of recent use from cleaner spots in the gravel compared to surrounding areas). We have amazing BT streamers in stock and lots of them. It isn’t always about the old white streamer. Yep, they work, but they also are shown to a lot of fish, and changing it up to other colors is a good idea. I personally love our triple articulated streamers in Black/Purple and all Black, and the Milk Shake.