Spring Creek · Volcanic · Oregon, US

Metolius River

Sunlit, clear water of the Metolius River winding through a pine forest meadow in central Oregon.
Today · A proper day on the water
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Today
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.27 m
Water temp9.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather10°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11h

12h(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 69%
Also:Black Midge49%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11h — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Rainbow Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Entire river catch-and-release
  • Fly-only barbless above Bridge 99
  • Closed above Allingham Bridge Nov–late May (spawning)
  • Bull trout are protected (release immediately, do not target)
  • Verify ODFW reach boundaries.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Sunlit, clear water of the Metolius River winding through a pine forest meadow in central Oregon.
    Metolius River, Oregon
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

The Metolius holds bull trout — a federally threatened char, catch-and-release only, to be released immediately and never targeted on or near redds. Bull trout poaching is a live concern here. We surface bull trout as present, but we do not score them as a catch target. Keep every fish wet, fish barbless above Bridge 99, and stay off the spawning closures.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Metolius River' (OR_SR_1707030109_05_101716), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OR_SR_1707030109_05_101716

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature59 × 28%16.5
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity51 × 12%6.1
Conditions total= 71
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Dernier Saturday in April → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts