On the Metolius River this past week the waters saw a steady drop after the big rains around the solstice, and at this point the gauges show a very normal flow.
You have 4 days to use your 2025 fishing license and then remember to pick up a 2026 license online, on the ODFW app or come to the shop and let Aaron, Mattias, Sequoia and Gavin make and print you a new one for 2026.
The last week of December and the early January time period on the Metolius is a good time to fish for trout, whitefish and bulls. That can offer you the excitement of using 3 or 4 distinctly different fishing methods to practice throughout the day. What will those be?
1) Look for hatches of (mostly) Blue Wing Olive mayflies between 1 and 3. Typically the January BWO’s are tall winged and often throw off observers who see them float by and fly off the water and they appear bigger due to the height of the wings in relation to the size of the body. A #18 is a good match for january in most cases, but #20’s ought to be ready in the fly box too in case another kind of BWO overlaps or is the predominant mayfly of the day. Grab some Film Critics, Sparkle Duns, KD Duns and Comparaduns (purple too) and an Olive Parachutes in #18’s and 20’s.
2) Nymphing either with a Strike Indicator or a Tight Line/Euro Rig. Here are X Nymphs to not be without over the next month: Eggs, Golden Stone, October Caddis Pupa, Silver Stripe Sedge Pupa, Fat Ass Pupa, Micro Mayfly in Olive or Black, Zebra Midge in Black or Red, Perdigons in Blue, Olive, Brown, Purple #12-18, Walts Worm and Blue Psycho Prince.
3) Tightline Streamers with Soccer Mom, Slum Lord, Sir Mix a Lot and Mini Gulp streamers. This is a great way to find bigger browns and bull trout.
4) Streamers to swing or strip that are various sized, usually articulated and can be fished on a larger 7 or 8 weight rod in deeper runs and around logs and structure. Also, an articulated sparkle minnow fished under an XL Oros or Airlock indicator is a great way to find Bull Trout.
The trend is good on the river now and there is not a lot of snow to contend with yet.
The bridge over Lake Creek on the road past Lake Creek Creek Lodge in being replaced soon, so prepare for a detour on the upper road past the headwaters this winter. That road is usually not plowed, but this winter it will be so the road crew can replace that bridge on the main road.
Remember the river is closed from the Headwaters to Allingham Bridge in the winter to protect rainbow trout spawning areas. I am astounded by the lack of people who don’t read the regulations (for a lot of waters) and want to remind you that it is absolutely your responsibility as an angler to know what what is open and what is closed, and what kind of gear is okay to use and play by the rules.