Thursday, July 24, 2014

Mid Summer Update

Hello all! Yep...it's been quite some time since my last post. Summer in Oregon has been great, but it's been going by way too fast! My latest fishing adventure around here was a two-day camping/fishing stint on the Metolius River. The Metolius River (pictured below) is located just west of Bend, Oregon, in the heart of the central Cascade Mountains. It's a giant spring creek that literally erupts out of the earth near Camp Sherman, Oregon. The water volume and temperature at the head of the spring is constant every day of the year. It runs incredibly clear over lush weed beds, while cutting through a beautiful pine forest. Needless to say, it's an absolute insect factory and home to some very large, wild Rainbow trout. The holes are deep, undercut and crystal clear. I sighted many fish over the two days. I approached it like the Henry's Fork, and left the nymphs at home. I waited out the hatch and tried to sight fish with dry flies. Although it's still Drake and Stonefly season on the river, I didn't spot any in the two days on the water. I did get to see a late afternoon PMD hatch but they weren't moving on them at all. The air temps were in the mid-90's, so that's my excuse :) If anyone out there has not heard of or fished the Metolius, definitely do not miss it if you are traveling through Oregon. The river is open to angling all year and there is a ton of public access. I'm hoping to head over to the Deschutes in the next two weeks to try my hand at some summer-run Steelhead fishing...can't wait! I've also got a trip planned back to Jackson Hole later in August to check in on Grand Teton Fly Fishing, participate in the Casting 4 A Cure event in Victor, Idaho, and to do some serious fishing with friends. I had a great call a few nights ago with my business partner Scott Smith, including a very detailed fishing report. In short, despite the high water year that Western Wyoming has been experiencing, the rivers are all in great shape. Fish are up taking large dry flies on the Snake, while higher than normal water around Pinedale is keeping the water temps cooler, and the fishing red hot. Oh...if you're wondering about the picture (courtesy of Simms Fishing Products) at the top of the page...meet Dawson Herzer. He's 8 years old, and barely 4 feet tall. He landed this Steelhead with a 12 1/2 foot, two-handed spey rod! Incredible! This photo has inspired me to do more Steelhead fishing :) Nice work Dawson!