Images from the River

This week’s post includes some images from the river. While we’ve picked up a few fish here and there, the colder temperatures seem to have impacted the hatches and fish eating habits. So I seem to be paying much more attention to my surroundings when I don’t see any rising fish. On the other hand, perhaps I’m a little obsessed these days with my new camera equipment! I hope you enjoy the images from the last couple of weeks.

Caddis on Metolius - Closeup | www.riverkeeperflies.com

The image above is a close-up of a caddis wing. I was stunned to see the variation in the wing. I was sitting, watching the river and this Caddis landed right next to me in the bushes. I think it was a sign! Here is a full image.

Caddis on Metolius | www.riverkeeperflies.com

The next image is of a Crane Fly. You’ll see these in different sections of the river.

Metolius Crane Fly | www.riverkeeperflies.com

I’ve been practicing with shots of insects floating on the surface. They are quite difficult to capture and I delete most of them. Occasionally, I get lucky. This is a size 16 PMD Mayfly.

PMD on Water | www.riverkeeperflies.com

Yes, the fish do rise at times. We are blessed to be able to fish for and catch a few of these beauties.

Metolius Rainbow | www.riverkeeperflies.com

and the release…

Releasing Rainbow on Metolius | www.riverkeeperflies.com

We found some friends fishing along the river and were there at the right time to capture this moment.

Playing Fish on Metolius | www.riverkeeperflies.com

She landed a very fat fish!

Fat Metolius Rainbow Trout | www.johnkreft.com

Keeping an eye out for insects available to the trout helps to select the right fly. You can find them floating in the water or crawling along the shore and bushes. Here are a couple I found recently.

A size 16 Olive Stonefly

Olive Stonefly - Size 16 | www.riverkeeperflies.com

And a small BWO.

Metolius River BWO | www.riverkeeperflies.com

You can tell it’s spring by the occasional wildlife like this Canada Geese family.

Canada Geese on Metolius | www.riverkeeperflies.com

On one of the warmer, dry days, I decided to pull out my 8′ 6 weight bamboo fly rod. The fish gods smiled down on me and I was able to land a couple fish with it.

Metolius Rainbow and Bamboo | www.riverkeeperflies.com

It seems like my river photography is taking time away from my fly fishing, but I really enjoy it. I marvel at the beautiful fish we are able to catch and the insects I attempt to match with my fly tying skills.

I hope you enjoy them as well.

If you’d like to see more images, back cast to a previous post entitled My Home Waters, The Metolius River.

Lastly, I encourage you to follow me on:

  • Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/riverkeeperflies/
  • Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/riverkeeperflies/

Enjoy…go fish!

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4 Comments

  1. Hey John:
    I’ve been following you for many years. You’ve come a long way man! The flicks are just great and the written script is very fine too.
    Many thanks for all of your work!

    1. Thanks for your Comment and being a long-time follower, Scott. I shake my head at the quality of my images from the first year. What was I thinking???

  2. Great shots! You’ve got a good eye, and having good equipment certainly helps. Keep those lenses out of the water 🤑

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