Outing Leader: Ron Romeis and Stephen Willams 

Again, this year the outing will be held on the Metolius River at Pine Rest Campground. This is a beautiful river with very nice camping and the reputation for being a tough river to catch fish. Last year, everyone who attended caught at least one fish. Not something that can be said about some of our outings. In September, there are numerous hatches of mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies. The Golden Stoneflies persist on the upper stretches of the Metolius well into September. The water temperatures on this river are relatively stable and will be in the middle to high 40’s. Wading the Metolius can be dangerous, as there are areas of swift currents and drop offs. Use a wading staff and exercise caution when stepping into the river. It is often deeper than it looks close to the banks. There are other fishing options in the area. Three Creeks Lake is nearby and so is the Middle Deschutes River. Sisters, Oregon offers shopping, restaurants, and also makes a decent location to base camp for heading off to the High Cascade lakes or other rivers in the area a bit over an hour away.

Pine Rest Campground will be the main HQ on the Metolius River. However, it is for tent camping only. I've chosen this site because it has a very nice gazebo that would be good for the cooking area and provide cover in the event of rain. It is the best site for managing our group. This site does not have potable water, but water is available at another nearby site. Alternatively, the Gorge Campground is less than 2/10 of a mile away; and is available for RV, or trailer campers. Both of these sites offer beautifully shaded, well maintained sites and are right on the river. None of the sites at Pine Rest campground offer reservable sites. Other campgrounds are reservable through Hoodoo Recreation’s website. However, I will go to Pine Rest in advance of the outing and pitch tents to hold at least three sites. Each site is large enough to accommodate at least two or three tents. There are numerous other camping sites on the Metolius, but none have a gazebo or other "group" site set up like Pine Rest. Camping fees are $16.00 per night, per site. If there is more than one vehicle on each site, they charge an extra $8.00 per vehicle, per site, per night. I will attempt to hold some sites, but would appreciate it if everyone registered would provide me their Golden Age Pass number, if you have one, and your vehicle license plate number. That way I can save a few bucks on the sites.

NFA will provide all the meals for the weekend fromSaturday breakfast through Sunday lunch. Saturday dinner will be available between 6 PM and 10 PM. Bring your own beer, wine, and hard stuff. The outings fee is $25. I do not have the kitchen gear to prepare the meals for this large group. I will need some help from the club with the kitchen gear, table ware, etc. If I am unlucky, and the sites are all occupied at Pine Rest, I will attempt to get sites at the Gorge Campground close by. There are plenty of sites, but no gazebo at the Gorge.

To see pictures from previous outing, click here.

What to Bring: 

• Oregon fishing license.
• Fishing equipment: four or five weight rods, floating lines, 3-X and 4-X leaders, and strike indicators (for nymph fishing). 
• Camping gear: tents, sleeping bags and pads, and flashlights. Folding camp chair. 
• No floating devices.

• River flies: bead head nymphs (12-18s) and elk hair dries (14-16s). soft hackles 18-20’s, golden stone nymphs, mayfly emergers, parachutes,16-22’s.

• Lake flies: green, brown, and black woolly bugger and mayfly dries (14-20s). Callabaetis dries and nymphs.

• Water bottle. 
• Camera (in Ziplock bag).