Fly Fishing for Trout on the Metolius River - Gorgeous Rainbow Trout & The Elusive GIANT Bull Trout

Fly Fishing for Trout on the Metolius River - Bucket List Checked!!! Gorgeous Rainbow Trout
What an adventure!!! It's my first time on this amazing fishery and it did not disappoint!! The magical Metolius River is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon, near the city of Sisters. The river flows north from springs near Black Butte, then turns sharply east, descending through a series of volcanic gorges before ending in the western end of the lake. The headwaters rush out from the ground at a very chilly, sharply blue and consistent frigid 48 degrees and flows for just over 30 miles to the reservoir below. Home to Rainbow Trout, White Fish and MASSIVE Bull Trout - this river should definitely be on your bucket list!!
Things that I use and recommend for fly fishing:
O'Pros Rod Holder (Best Fly Fishing Accessory EVER!): bit.ly/3mlaQC9
BEST floatant EVER: amzn.to/3jZOPrk
Simms G4 Waders: bit.ly/3vQyl99
Korkers Wading Boots: bit.ly/3w3rIRj
Wading Staff: bit.ly/3bgM148
SAGE Fly Rod (Great 1st Fly Rod!): bit.ly/31bVXKt
SAGE X Fly Rod (Fast Action next generation Sage TCR): bit.ly/3nBQJiq
ECHO Euro Nymphing Rod (Love this rod!): bit.ly/3BiOrcL
Winston 3-weight Fly Rod:
Orvis Battenkill Fly Reel (Bullet Proof Fly Reel): bit.ly/3CnUw98
Lamson Liquid Fly Reel (Great fly reel): bit.ly/3EkGrtH
Ross Colorado (Click & Paw - oldschool!): bit.ly/2ZtGELX
Rio Fly Line (The BEST Fly Line out there!): bit.ly/3ClzJ6r
Landing NET (Great net!): bit.ly/3CspJbC
Simms Sling Pack (LOVE THIS PACK!):
Simms Boat Bag: bit.ly/3BkPLMk
Fly Fishing Gear Bag (My recommendation; Simms no longer makes my exact bag): bit.ly/3pEDHU5
Best Rain Jacket PERIOD:
Waterproof Fly Box (Does not leak):
Love This New Fly Box (light and compact): bit.ly/3pJi990
Dry Shake: bit.ly/3CnBAr5
Forceps & Nippers: bit.ly/3Bj0LKk
Tapered Leaders: bit.ly/3EkpX4W
Tippet (5x, 4x, 3x): bit.ly/3ElZ5Se
You NEED a Dry Bag: bit.ly/3bnbrwF
Indicators (will not kink line):
Fly fishing for trout, fly fishing for Cutthroat in the Pacific Northwest has been a passion of mine for the last 40 years. I have spent most of my life fly fishing the great Pacific Northwest to include fly fishing in Alaska, fly fishing in Washington, fly fishing in Oregon, fly fishing in Idaho and fly fishing in Montana. I generally will fly fish and practice catch and release when fly fishing for trout, but I have been known to catch and cook during camping trips to many of my favorite fishing spots. I love to fly fish lakes in the higher elevation, though I have a few lowland lakes that are fly fishing only that are also on my most favorite list. I have a ton experience fly fishing rivers for trout and always enjoy discovering new rivers to fly fishing in and around the greater Pacific Northwest. I am also an accomplished at casting a fly rod - whether it is fly fishing casting for distance, fly fishing casting for accuracy, the double haul, roll cast, tower cast and many more fly fishing casting techniques - I can show you the basics when it comes to casting a fly rod. I also will cover many topics that relate to getting started with fly fishing. From your basic fly fishing setups, flies and fly boxes - we cover all the fly fishing needs for beginners. Thanks for taking the time to tune into FlyFishDan and I hope you consider subscribing to my fly fishing channel. Cheers and FISH-ON!!!

[@LA-th2xf]

Nice touch with the choice of music and the way you held it in the background through much of the action! Also great was the way you told the viewer about the locale and what to expect. Content delivered as always! Nice job!

[@FlyFishDan]

LA thank you so much for your kind comments! I found that I love the editing and the production process nearly as much as flyfishing itself. Been such a great positive distraction, love it!

[@user-zb2gp3uj2v]

Back in the 80's we fished the metolius where the head water ended and it got wider. We fished from small boat using broken back rapala. One evening on our way back from fly fishing the people were conducting a study on the fish and they were checking their nets. They pulled a bull trout out that was easily over 3 feet. We called them Dolly Vardin's. They had salmon colored polkadots with the protruding bottom jaw, the meat was a lighter in color than salmon and tasted like if you combined salmon and trout. Not as fishy as trout and not as strong as salmon. My favorite fish to eat hands down. My dad's cabin was at the street creek inlet. The second place of that row of homes. The only true log cabin. The logs were brought in slabbed on 2 sides with the bark still on. I hand peeled logs with a draw knife. Metolius is spectacular!

[@FlyFishDan]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing!

[@rimrockoutdoors9524]

Well done. I have belly crawled to many holes on the wonderful Metolius sneaking up on the catch. If you are catching here... you are doing it right. You earn your catch on the Metolius... Nice job!

[@FlyFishDan]

Thank you - Cheers!

[@hhal2065]

A beautiful and strong river that commands respect. Well done!

[@FlyFishDan]

It really is one of the most unique fisheries I’ve ever fished, river wise

[@nonewherelistens1906]

Tough river to fish. You did well on your first visit.

[@Prostotakrybalka]

Hello my friend! Good fishing 👍 Like

[@FlyFishDan]

Просто так рыбалка thank you!!

[@girdlebugboys]

Metolious can be tough fishing, clear water and smart fish. Nice work🤙🏼

[@FlyFishDan]

Thank you! Love that fishery too...awesome fish and so beautiful!

[@strider0590]

Thanks, nice video. I'm going to be in Camp Sheman next month to fish the Metolius for the first time. Can 't wait!

[@FlyFishDan]

Dean Bates very nice! Good luck to you!! Watch for the epic evening mayfly hatches!

[@AdventuringthePNW]

The Metolius River is such a beautiful river. Only a 3 hour drive from my place. I don’t get over there enough. Love central Oregon. Such an amazing place. Another great video. Some beautiful trout. Caught my first white fish the other day. Didn’t even know what it was. Thought it was a messed up sucker fish 😂

[@FlyFishDan]

This was my first time at the Metolius as well - I will be going back soon to target the Bulls!! White Fish can be fun - bonus fish when trout fishing!

[@sydneyfishingstory]

Nice Video very good trout fishing

[@FlyFishDan]

Thank you!

[@HighEndTroutFishing]

haha your fly fishing video is always super fun to watch :D tight line ~

[@FlyFishDan]

Glad you like them! I appreciate your support!

[@seribas]

Beautiful fish!! Nice work dude

[@FlyFishDan]

Appreciate it!

[@kr4ckp0t53]

Awesome video. Thanks man.

[@kr4ckp0t53]

I shared it to my new fb group called World Fishing Collective. I hope you don't mind.

[@FlyFishDan]

KR4CKP0T thank you and that is awesome! I don’t mind at all, thank you so much!

[@kr4ckp0t53]

@@FlyFishDan You're welcome, keep up the good work. If you have a moment would you mind checking out my new website for fishing related gifts? www.the-angling-man.com many thanks. I've subbed so looking forward to your upcoming content.

[@puakebujoktheangleradventu6381]

wow...nice

[@FlyFishDan]

Many many thanks!!

[@carlgaebe8699]

you have great attitude and mindset! thank you, planning to fly fish with my dad in Oregon in about a week and a half; we are planning on which rivers/possibly overnight hikes to take; he is new to fly fishing so i'm hoping to go out with a good guide on one or two rivers before we set off on our own. thanks for the video, hope you are still well and fishing this summer

[@FlyFishDan]

That’s awesome and thank you! - fly fishing and camping as we speak. Fish - on!!

[@mmckeown503]

…are you in shorts? What the heck‽ So cold! ;) Nice catch.

[@FlyFishDan]

I only made that mistake on the first outing...even when it was 90 degrees that water was COLD!

[@daled8221]

Beautiful, I'll be there in July for my first time, but I thought you couldn't night fish in Oregon.

[@FlyFishDan]

Awesome - really an incredible fishery. No more than one hour after sunset and you're good! Cheers!

[@russelrogers2540]

Something to note. It is illegal to angle for or take game fish other than daylight hours, one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. You were probably legal, but need to keep an eye on it. Beautiful spring fed river.

[@FlyFishDan]

Agreed! Thanks for the information - definitely important to protect our fisheries and follow these guidelines.

[@L3GENDZLuLKeK]

I narrowly survived drowning in this river when my dad took me with a friend of his who fished it often. I went too deep towards the middle with the waiters and was being pushed down stream and couldn't stop... Was my first time. I dove towards the bank swimming with my dads old pflueger reel in one hand as the waiters filled...felt like 200 lbs I was slowly dragging I managed to grasp some branches that held. And I think the only reason I was able to pull myself up with all the water in those waiter was thinking I couldn't let my dad live with me dieing this way and never seeing my body again maybe. I pulled myself up and out and the guide who took us ran up a couple minutes later astounded I was on the bank with waiters full of water. My dad was furious I still had the pole in my hand. My dad said it made him sick when he saw me fall and leave sight in the river swimming .

[@FlyFishDan]

That is a crazy (and very scary) story. The fly shop in Sister warned me about getting too confident when crossing. The clear waters can be deceivingly deep. There were a few crossings I felt I wanted to try...but didn't because of that warning. I am very happy to hear all ended well - except for wet waders and likely a wrecked fishing day. Way to keep the rod in hand! Thank you for sharing your story!

[@L3GENDZLuLKeK]

lol wish I woulda got that warning. But I think my dad and him. assumed I knew better :/. I'm a good hunter but fish alot less. Still that river is very beautiful. Someday I'll go back and do it wisely.

[@FlyFishDan]

Very good plan! ;)) Rivers can be scary for sure...I try to be as cautious as possible. I had a similar experience on the Saint Joe River...crossed, underestimated the depth, stripping basket filled up with water, started to drag me downstream...lost my net in the process of keeping my balance and waterline above my waders. Heart was pounding for sure!!

[@imcurious2731]

@KFPV That's why, I don't fish with Waiters, I'd probably do it with a Pretty Waitress thought LOL 😀 😂 I do like Chest-Waders!!

[@rosiestein5385]

How did I miss this video? Next time you're over here, send me a message and I'll bring you lunch! (I'm like 20 min away) so glad you had fun.

[@FlyFishDan]

That's cool - can't wait to fish the Metolius again. Is it influenced by the seasonal runoff this Spring? Fishable in April/May?

[@rosiestein5385]

@@FlyFishDan It is not influenced by spring runoff. It's not used for any sort of irrigation, and with the headwaters coming from miles of underground water, its run is basically the same all year long. The upper portion is closed until May 22 (each year), but anything downriver from the Allingham Brg is open for fly fishing.

[@FlyFishDan]

@@rosiestein5385 thank you Rosie!! I appreciate the thorough review :-)

[@FlyFishDan]

@@rosiestein5385 I have another question if I may - I have only fished one stretch which is up and down from the hatchery bridge. Is that section open this time of year? Thank you!

[@rosiestein5385]

@@FlyFishDan Yes it is. All that "stronger" water is open all year long. The Alligham Bridge is nearer to Camp Sherman proper and you can't miss it if you're on the east side of the river as there's a campground right there by the same name. I recently fished those SAME holes you did in this video. I even used the same dang HUGE fly you did for Bulls. Nada. It was windy as heck, but I had a good time anyway. :)

[@lesj3889]

Nice video. Beautiful river. Please release the fish without handling them. Take the fly out and let them swim out of the "release net". Thank you.

[@FlyFishDan]

Thank you for the kind words of advise - I always try to be as careful as possible when handling fish - I will keep that in mind the next time I fish the Metolius. I appreciate you watching!

[@Paulpoission]

What section was that trail on?

[@FlyFishDan]

By the hatchery - hope that helps, cheers!

[@mikeyprentice]

Hi i think that the place u fished I’ve been there

[@FlyFishDan]

It's an amazing river! Dangerous - clear and cold...but gorgeous fishery

[@mikeyprentice]

@@FlyFishDan my family went on vacation and we visited the fish hatchery and I saw those spots so it was so cool because I remember looking at it and wishing I had a fishing rod with me. I love your videos btw

[@FlyFishDan]

@@mikeyprentice That's awesome! Great place to fish for sure. Thank you for the kind words - I do appreciate it! :))

[@deschutesdegenerates5260]

How much does it really benefit you to spot burn in all your river videos? Serious question. Other KZbinrs seem to be able to achieve success without naming rivers (let alone exact spots) no hate intended, and I think people would still watch 🤙

[@FlyFishDan]

I’ve since evolved in my KZbin journey - check out the last full year of videos, names of places no longer included. Not even the river in your KZbin user name - Cheers!

[@mattfitzpatrick83]

If you catch a fish on the Metolius have 2-3 witnesses and have them sign sworn affidavits. Include pictures too. Find a guide who moonlights as a notary or justice of the peace.

[@reservoirdogoutdoors6035]

That’s an amazing looking river, great video! You had an amazing adventure👊🏽 great video just subbed! Check out my channel I’d appreciate it

[@FlyFishDan]

Thank you! It really was an amazing experience for sure. Thank you for your support and I certainly will!

[@mattfitzpatrick83]

Bull trout are not real trout. It’s a Dolly Varden. Brookies are actually arctic char. Not trout. Both elusive.

[@Ps2352]

Can’t handle the lame “fish on” over and over. The rest is good. But the fish on is just too much…I’m gone.

[@FlyFishDan]

insert *EYE ROLL*.... Cheers and FISH-ON!!