The Metolius is the one river I am concerned will see some rising waters today for a few days. A lot of snow sits in the basin and with rain falling on snow we will see surface run-off I’d think. I don’t think the river will be unfishable, but I do think flows will be stronger than average.
Despite the weather this week with ice, we did have some warm afternoons and fishing was quite good. BWO’s have been hatching pretty well most days and around 1:30 to 3 is the zone you will see the hatch. It won’t be an hour and a half of mayflies rolling down the currents, but you likely will witness 15 to 40 minutes of hatch and, in the right place at the right time fish looking up.
Of note, the current hatch of BWO/baetis that are coming off are kind of light, many folks describe them as a hue of tannish. They are pretty solid #18 and have tall wings. A lot of folks are wondering if they are PMD’s but you can use your entomology skills and count tails and look at the eyes and tell the difference. The main identifier will be if it has 2 tails, which baetis (sp.) have 2 tails. Little orangish eyes usually and more on top of the head will be another way to tell if these are baetis, and not cinygmula which have a flatter head and the eyes are black or another dark color and are more to the sides of the head.
You might recall before the cold snap we were talking a lot about tan caddis pupa. They’re back! It’s been an awesome fish catcher this week. October Caddis Pupa and Snow Sedge and Silver Stripe Sedge Pupa are also important now.
Eggs, Golden Stones and Micro May’s, 2 Bits and Rainbow Warriors, Perdigons, Frenchie and little and medium sized Euro Streamers.
Speaking of Streamers…Big ones for Bulls is doing the trick and ought to be even better with some higher flows which we typically equate to a better Bull Trout bite.
Access and Parking are not ideal. Plenty of snow in the parking lots with LIMITED parking spots at the Hatchery, Allingham and other areas. Walking through soft snow through the forest and along the banks is a chore. A few people have made the drive to Lower Bridge. I personally would not try that now. If you do, bring a tow rope, chains and a shovel, and a Garmin Inreach in case you need to text a buddy to come pull you out.