Metolius River, OR (Upper near Camp Sherman)

So I was sitting at work on Thursday, looking at my calendar, and noticed my Mom was going to be on the Metolius River this weekend. Figuring as good as time as any and an excellent excuse to make the 5+ hour drive from Federal Way. I headed out for a weekend on the greatest river in the world. This is not an opinion but a fact.

Check my other blogs to read more, but as for this trip, it was as almost as good as it gets. I say almost simply because of the Thunder Storm that caused me to abandon fishing to run back an button up the camp I was too lazy to straighten up before I went fishing. This resulted in multiple things of mine getting drenched but could hardly put a damper on my weekend.

On the upper stretch of the river, I consider the upper to be from the gorge to the head, there is a lot of good water and great holes to fish. The best way to experience this river is to park at blue hole and walk the river all day until you get to the gorge. If you want to cut corners, than pretty much every pull off or camp ground indicates a good place to fish. As I mentioned in previous blogs this river was once stocked on this stretch but is no longer. The river picked up and was really strong about 5 years ago, but now has tapered off and can at times be both difficult and frustrating. Fish aren't were you think and white fish are plentiful.

This trip however would be opposite to those experienced by many. After the second thunder storm and the skies finally opened up the river started popping. I had caught several white fish by this point but no trout. Until I walked into one of my most productive holes, tied on a fly I have looked at over and over, and landed five fish (three trout, two white) in ten cast. One of these fish was a rare German Brown. A fish I have caught in few other rivers before. The German brown has the same side speckles as a brown but has the silver belly similar to a rainbow trout.

You can fish this river with almost any set up and people will tell you a hundred different ways to be successful. I tell you this, listen to what they say, and then do what makes sense to you. I use floating and sinking line without an indicator to nymph, floating line with an indicator to nymph, and floating line to fish dry. My lines are green, grey, black, or orange, and it has made little to know difference. The only thing I have found makes the most difference is using as much leader as I possibly can. This river is fly-fishing only and catch and release, they have seen it all, so what they haven't seen or can't see will make a difference.


Read this for more info.

Summary:
Location: Metolius River, Camp Sherman, OR, located about 100 miles (2 hrs) east of Salem, and 20 min from Sisters, OR
Time: 9am - 7pm
Rod: 5 wt w/ floating line, 5 wt w/ sinking tip
Tackle: 8 black stone nymph, 18 rainbow warrior, 18 zebra midge, 18 copper john hybrid, 10 Clark Stone, 10 Rogue Stone, 8 black and brown Pat's Stone, 16 lighting bug, 18 rainbow warrior
Fish:8
Species: White Fish, German Brown, Rainbow, Red-Band Rainbow
Biggest Fish: 17"
Smallest Fish: 11"
Rating: 9.5/10 (It rained, stereotypical, but it still rained, else 10)

 Below Blue Hole

 German Brown

 Red-band

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