Off to the Metolius River we go, where we are seeing some very nice fishing days stack up day after day. There are still a few fresh Kokanee spawning but the vast majority of these salmon are past their prime.

But the Kokanee spawn continues, so look for it to be an important food source for Rainbows and Bull Trout. An egg is going to be a darn good choice, and a streamer to match different phases of the kokanee’s from fresh to zombie is a good bet for Bull’s.
Other nymphs you should pick up include my new October Caddis Pupa to use from today until sometime in mid-April.

Stonefly nymphs like a Variegated Girdle Bug (Orange/Black) is a good crossover nymph when the fish could be eating Oct Caddis and Stoneflies. Tuck some in your box for sure.
Other more exacting Golden Stones are always useful here, and don’t forget the smaller ones like a Sloan’s Stone in a size #12 because they ain’t all large and in charge. If you had a #12 and a #8 you’d cover different age groups and be well prepared.

There have been really nice Mayfly hatches with #20 and #22 Blue Wing Olives and #16-18 Cinygmula’s, and a few straggling Pale Morning Duns #16 and #16 Mahogany Duns in the mix. The flies you can’t miss having are #20 Olive Film Critic, #20-22 Olive Sparkle Dun, #22 CDC Parachute Dun, #20 KD Dun (cripple) and Yellow Drymerger #16, PMD Sparkle Dun and Comparadun #16, Yellow Film Critic #16-18, #16 Yellow Soft Hackle, #16 Gray Comparadun or Parachute Adams, #16 Upright Rusty Spinner and while that fly is more than likely eaten as a Mahogany Dun than a Rusty Spinner, make sure you have some spent wing patterns and be prepared to see spinner falls at the same time as you’ll see the afternoon hatch. You know in the warm summer evenings the spinners fall at dusk, but in the fall and winter it’s more likely to be mid-day. Keep an eye open for that.

Caddis continue to march on, with a ton of Oct Caddis this week! The fish are eating the adults too. I believe they eat the pupa more often. Grab some Tan Iris #16, Weiss’s Caddis in the Grey #14 and Tan #16 and Missing Link Caddis in Olive #12-18. We have a new October Caddis I am excited about. This new fly with a Goddard Caddis like body has some wild rubber legs for the movement that looks like a struggling egg ovipositor.
Bull Trout fishing is really solid now, mostly with streamers and I’d say usually the bigger the better on the fly size. If you have a 7 or 8 weight rod, the larger triple articulated flies with cone heads will work, but if your 6 weight is the largest rod in your quiver you’ll struggle with those giant heavy flies (and could break your rod with a bad cast) and we have plenty of smaller streamers that will get the Bull Trout’s attention and the eat. We also have a lot of patterns you can tightline nymph with or run under the strike indicator.
Remember the Upper River is closed from the Headwaters to Allingham Bridge until 5/22/26 to protect spawning areas.