Metolius September Madness 9/6/18

I love writing September reports for the Metolius. So many hatches to talk about.

Mayflies: 
Green Drakes #8-10 2 pm to 5 pm especially from the Canyon down to Bridge 99 and below.
Flavs #12-14 2 pm to 5 pm. A smaller Drake that overlaps the big guys. Important in September especially for the next 2 weeks.
PMD’s #16 mostly but a few #18’s mixed in. You can see PMD’s in all areas of the river from the Headwater stretch down to the Candle Creek area. Could hatch at different times of the day but look for them mostly noon to 5.
Blue Wing Olives #18-20. These smaller mayflies get over shadowed when the Drakes are out, but can be equally important to the trout. Usually they emerge later in the afternoon to the early evening this time of year.
Mahogany Duns #16 are another important Fall hatch. Not a ton out quite yet but any day now there will be. They are all over the river.

Caddis:
There are so many different caddis out in September. Later in the month we’ll begin the first October Caddis Emergences, but for now it’s Yellow and Black Micro Caddis #18-20, Tan Caddis (spotted sedge) #16 and Olive Caddis #16-18.
We rely on flies like the Missing Link, Iris, X Caddis and CDC Caddis to fool selective Metolius feeders.

Stoneflies:
September is the time we see the Golden Stones in more areas of the river besides from the Headwaters to the Gorge. It’s common to see Goldens in the Canyon and near the hatchery and even by Bridge 99. A Clarks Stone is still our #1 pattern.
The real deal on stones in September is the Little Olive Stones. They hatch in huge numbers for the first 2 1/2 to 3 weeks of the month and the fish love them. It can be hard to match but we’ve got some great flies to do just that.
There are still some Yellow Sally’s out.
It’s common to see a BIG stonefly near the Wizard Falls area called a Willow Fly this time of year and a few Salmonflies believe it or not mixed in as well. It’s certainly worth having a pattern or 2 to match these for the next 2 weeks.

Bull Trout fishing remains strong with streamers.

Euro Nymphing and Western Style Nymphing with indicators is also a great bet especially early in the day before the hatches get started when the sun warms the water.

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