reviews

Seasons of the Metolius

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Seasons of the Metolius, by John Judy. Published by No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guidebooks. 112 black-and-white pages in 8.5 x 11 format, plus color fold-out map and color photo plate. $20.95. Available in some Northwest fly shops, or can be ordered from the publisher, amazon.com, or other online sources (google the title).

n the first chapter of Seasons of the Metolius, author John Judy tells of preparing 60 copies of his resume. One envelope falls to the floor, and Judy's Irish setter saunters over and places a muddy paw on it. Judy interprets this as a canine stamp of approval for that job prospect.

Later, when he travels to Oregon for an interview with that potential employer, he figures the dog's intuition was correct. The job is near the Metolius River, and Judy--an avid fly angler--camps on its banks. He describes his first encounter with the Metolius and its environs, including bits of natural history, his feelings about the place, and his first fly fishing venture on the spring-fed river. He admits to being captivated. He also admits to not catching any fish.

It's a concise, well-told story with just enough botany, geology, and biology to be interesting and informative but not so much that your eyes glaze over. Honest, too--few fishing writers can publicly admit to a skunk.

That's an apt summary of this book: Seasons of the Metolius is short, to the point, and has a satisfying mix of natural history, fishing lore, and good story telling. And it's honest.

You can fly fish on the Metolius year-round, and in 13 chapters spanning 72 pages, John Judy takes you on a journey through the seasons of the Metolius. He talks about everything from caddis hatches to the wild fish vs. hatchery fish controversy.

The Metolius has one of the Cascade's most varied and complex ecologies. Judy gives the flavor of it but avoids sinking his readers in a swamp of intricate details.

It's a good read, both informative and pleasing. If the crystalline waters of the Metolius have baffled you, you'll get some good fishing tips. If you've never seen the Metolius, you'll get a sense of how to look more deeply at your home waters. The book is blessedly free of the self-conscious philosophizing that sometimes crops up in fly fishing literature. The text is interspersed with fine black-and-white illustrations by Pete Chadwell.

The appendix contains Metolius hatch charts, a resource guide, and brief descriptions of nearby fisheries such as the Deschutes River and Hosmer Lake. An excellent foldout 3-D color perspective of the Metolius is in the back, along with a color photo plate.

Seasons of the Metolius is published by No Nonsense Fly Fishing Guide Books. I'm lukewarm about some of the publisher's other guidebooks because I don't feel they contain enough information. But this book is their first attempt at something more than a guidebook, and I think it succeeds.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 09/24/2002.

Uploaded 09/24/2002.

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