Truckee River Report 10.24.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Alright! Game on, these trout are basically at the peak of their metabolism and they are hungry. Those big brown trout that were mainly eating in the late evening during the warmer months will now be on the run during the day. You should hopefully be wrangling in these trout, if not then give me a call! As your wading watch out for the redds, these browns are in full blown spawn mode and we want many more generations of these guys in the river. Please don’t fish for these guys when they’re sitting on the redds, wait for them to come off then they’re fair game. Streamer activity should be picking up nicely in the river. With streamers, persistence is key, keep working different types and change up your presentation to find these pigs. Our biggest brown was near some deeper water but only about 2’ in the water column near some deep water. As your approaching the water ease into the run and fish the shallow stuff first, these trout can be sitting anywhere. that being said, plan full day trips and again fish in all sorts of different water.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps mid 50’s

• Air temp 61 degrees and sunny

• 430 CFS clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Duracell #14

• Olive Sculpzilla jr. #8

• Spanish Bullet #14

Truckee River Report 10.10.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Were seeing a short hot spell this week with water temps so I’m focusing a bit more on the California side of the Truckee this week. Seems like that decision paid off, the trout fishing on the Cali side was out of control! yea, that’s pretty rare when my decision making pays off lol….. I believe I’ve explained this in my prior reports but if you see high air temps on the Nevada side its always good to visit the Cali side due to lower water temps and a change in the hatches. Dry fly fishing was excellent in the morning into the afternoon, We sat in the same run for about 4 hours and just wrangled these trout to the net. We basically switched from dry fly to dry dropper and when they stopped rising we brought out the nymph rod. During this time of the year brown trout may start spawning so watch your step when walking in the river and don’t disrupt the redds.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps mid-high 50’s

• Air temp 83 degrees and sunny

• 380 CFS clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Parachute adams #16

• Perdigon #16

• Quill body soft hackle grey #16

Truckee River Report 9.30.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

This is my favorite time of the year to fish. Brown trout are in full blown pre-spawn and they are hungry and aggressive. Water temps are starting to settle in the high 50’s mid day spiking trout activity throughout the day. Even though water temps are hitting the high 50’s I’m still seeing a ton of trout near the head of runs next to faster water. I suppose when the water temps drop a bit more they will spread out and be found in different water types. Dry fly was fairly active in the late morning with sporadic rises near the tail-outs. We even had some great action on streamers targeting rocks and other types of structure near the banks. where we found our most success was still at the heads of runs near drop offs and fast water. As you plan your fishing trips this time of the year, plan for full day trips these trout will eat more consistently throughout the day. I would suggest bringing a few different setups or having a rod you can change up from nymphing to dry to streamer fishing. In town and west of town are still going to be the most productive. The lower Truckee east of town is still seeing low 60’s.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps mid-high 50’s

• Air temp 80 degrees and sunny

• water low and clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Quill body soft hackle grey #16

• Spanish bullet olive #16

• Yellow bangtail #4

• Olive Sculpzilla #4

Truckee River Report 9.2.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Were still seeing air temps in the low 90’s with water temps in the low 60’s throughout the day. The good news is that the night temps are starting to come down quite a bit. We were on the water by 7 am today and immediately had some great hatches. No significant rises though so we focused on nymphing most of the day. We went from ESN to indicator nymphing with ESN being the most productive. We found most of our fish near faster water in big runs. We were running a heavy nymph as our anchor and a soft hackle for the point fly. We saw most of our action on the point fly as the trout were eating higher in the water column rather than off the bottom. You might think, what about a hopper dropper rig or swinging emergers and you’re not wrong for thinking that, but having a heavy anchor fly on bottom which slows your point fly mid water column may just be the ticket. Fishing a hopper/dropper rig in fast water will make that nymph go to fast through the water column not allowing the fly to get down or giving the trout a chance to eat. Point being, ESN is also good for targeting trout that are eating higher in the water column in faster water. Keep playing around with your rigs throughout the day to target where the trout are eating. through the month of September keep expecting these trout to move, so fish different water.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps high 50’s/ low 60’s

• Air temp 89 degrees and sunny

• 340 CFS slightly stained

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Quill body soft hackle grey #16

• Spanish bullet olive #16

• Pats rubber leg brown/gold #10- #12

Truckee River Report 8.29.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

I like to get on here and leave a few more reports as August ends and we get close to September because you can really see a change in the fishing conditions. You want to keep scouting the river and covering water. The spot you fished a week ago may not be as productive. These trout will move so fish different water. If you’re on the water early you may start seeing some BWO hatches as the PMD’s wind down and almost become non existent. If you ever intend to get into trout spey, now is a good time to start learning. Swinging bugs and covering water is very effective. As I was saying in my previous report these trout will move and spread out, no better time to learn a new style of fishing if you haven’t already. Evening fishing will still be productive if your looking to mouse or throw big streamers at night. The Truckee east of town is still a bit hot. staying west this time of the year is where you will find most of your trout. This is the time of year you can really change up techniques throughout the day and learn a lot. you will usually find me with a few different rods on my person as i’m scouting the river. YES, i’m that guy!

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps high 50’s/ low 60’s

• Air temp 91 degrees and sunny

• CFS clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Hopper grey or pink #8

• PMD dry fly #16

• BWO emerger #16

• PT flashback nymph #14

• Sculpin olive and black #4-#8

Truckee River Report 8.18.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Today was a great day on the river. As we start to roll through August you may find that the fishing starts to pick up a little. The days are getting shorter and the water temps will start to come down slowly, which is a good sign that those super hot days are coming to an end. Technically its not fall yet but like I said you’ll notice more activity on the river as these browns look to pre-spawn with the big cut-bows in tow. There is a reason why this time of the year is called streamer season because these trout are hungry and aggressive as they move throughout the river. Since the days can still get hot stick to your early morning and evening hours for the best times to fish. If you really want to do some damage throw a jig streamer on that euro rod and go to work. These trout will love that jigging action you can do with that 3-4wt 10’ rod. I would still expect those trout to be near some faster water but expect them to spread out a bit and cover different types of water, but I would still leave that slow frog water alone. The CFS is starting to come down as well, pay attention to how you approach the water, these fish can be aggressive but their awareness is still heightened. So get that streamer rod out and have a good time as fall approaches.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps high low 60’s

• Air temp 84 degrees and sunny

• 300 CFS clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Hopper grey or pink #8

• PMD nymph #16

• Quill body jig Nymph #14

• Sculpin black & olive #4

• Micro sculpin black & olive #8

• Jig streamers olive & black #8-#12

Truckee River Report 8.11.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

As I have been saying in my prior fishing reports for the summer, you have to be careful about water temps. Today I decided to head up the mountain where the air temps are a bit cooler with canyons that cast a nice shadow on the water preventing the water from getting too hot. I’ll be honest, late July into August is my least favorite times to fish due to water temps and its just stinking hot. Like usual I head out early in the am hoping to catch the first few hatches that pop off first thing in the morning. There was no disappointment, hatches are in full swing but hardly any risers giving away their positions. When you have some great hatches but don’t see very many fish coming to the surface to eat, its all about reading the water and covering water effectively. When I’m reading the water this time of the year I’m really not looking for the deepest runs in the river, I’m looking for runs and pockets that are on average about 3’. Some good techniques to use in these areas would be ESN or dry-hopper/dropper. You can also use a #12 caddis dry pattern in hopes of making a trout rise to your fly, a fun way to fish but very technical and challenging on the Truckee. On this trip I focused on throwing a hopper/dropper rig. A foam #8 hopper will suspend a fairly good size nymph in order to get down somewhere near the bottom of the run. Yes grass-hoppers are out in full swing during this time, however I still expect to catch far more on the dropper than on the hopper pattern. If you have descent polarized glasses you may be able to see fish as they start to move for your dropper giving away their position, then adjusting your cast or your rig to hopefully get a bite.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps high 50’s/ low 60’s

• Air temp 94 degrees and sunny

• 320 CFS clear

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Hopper grey or pink #8

• PMD nymph #16

• Micro-Caddis nymph #16

Truckee River Report 7.11.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Its July and again you really have to get out early to hit those AM hatches. Its almost imperative that you hit the water by about 6am mostly due to water temps reaching above 65 degrees by noon time. If you’re practicing catch and release you really don’t want to be on the water with high water temps due to harming the trout. If you enjoy fishing in the evening i’d say hit the water around 5pm-6pm, the evening hatches should be in full swing by then as those water temps start to cool down. In a nutshell, the early morning and late afternoon into the evening is going to be the key times to get out and do some fishing. On this day we got out early as expected and almost right away we had some top water action, nothing too crazy but enough to get excited about throwing on a dry fly. Almost immediately we started to get onto some fish, with sporadic rises and even a few streamer chases. I love those days when the trout are hungry and aggressive, they will take just about anything you throw at them! If you are remotely accurate about reading the water throughout the year as the water temps change, you’ll understand that trout will move into that faster water as water temps reach the mid 60’s. First thing in the morning pay attention to more uniform water with a few seams coming off of barely submerged boulders. I’ve noticed a ton of action in these areas as the trout lock in on emerging patterns. As you get further in the morning you may see some adults hatching more regularly, be cautious of what fly your using, don’t be afraid to change up those flies as the hatches start to change and develop. Remember bait fish and sculpin eat bugs to, try some streamers if your having issues with those trout taking your dry. When 11am rolls around you may want to focus on hitting those last few holes before the water gets too warm, nymphing during this time may produce more success. At this time you may notice the top water action has died down a bit so those trout may seek faster runs near deeper water and structure.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps low to mid 60’s

• Air temp 104 degrees and sunny

• 475 CFS slightly stained

• FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Black bugger #12

• PMD emergers #16-#18

• Caddis nymphs #16

Truckee River Report 6.19.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

During this time of the year you really have to start getting out a bit earlier than usual. When those water temps start hitting low 60’s during the day, most of the prime time fishing is going to be early morning or late afternoon. You still can grab some nice trout mid-day however they may be more interested in going after rich oxygenated water rather than chasing your fly. On this trip we sought to hit the water around 730 am when water temps are in the high 50’s. As we hit the water we already saw a few browns rising chasing those caddis and sulphurs skating around the water. With the water still running over 1000 cfs and moderately turbid a few rises doesn’t really get me excited, my instincts are telling me streamers and nymphing. I do love it when your instincts pay off. Here’s some advice, don’t let a blue bird day with high turbid water scare you away from throwing streamers. We got a few good ones on nymphs, however those browns were diggin those bait-fish patterns. When your chasing these browns in this area its all about swinging, stripping, and jigging those streamers around rocks and off the banks.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temps high 50’s/low 60’s

• Air temp 85 degrees and sunny

• 1100 CFS slightly stained

• FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Balanced bait-fish/clouser minnow #8

• Rock worm #14

• Caddis nymph #16

Truckee River Report 5.24.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Over the last month I decided to tear out the front yard and drop some sod while the run-off on the Truckee went through its stages. In reality the flows never really came up too much, the flows seemed to stay somewhat manageable. The east Truckee never really got higher than 1800 CFS and the west side of town and through town stayed reasonable. This time of the year I’m thinking of fishing near the town of Truckee and around Glenshire Dr. I know this area will have some lower flows that are easier to navigate. I’m also wanting to be on the water by 8am because I’m thinking there will be a descent hatch by 9am-10am. The Fishing this time of the year should also be good throughout the day with hatches consistently occurring due to water temps staying in the low to mid 50’s. The weather conditions was partly cloudy with a high of 75 degrees (air temp). A small breeze ensued but nothing too crazy. With these conditions and the amount of bugs hatching, nymphing and dry/dropper is going to be my go to methods of fishing. Just a hint when your out there drifting your nymphs this time of the year, don’t always go for bottom out of the gate. Bugs are emerging throughout the water columns so start a little higher in the water column then work your way down.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp low 50’s

• Air temp 75 degrees, partly cloudy

• Water was slightly stained

• FLIES OF THE DAY:

• PMD nymph #16

• yellow stimulator #12

• Olive Spanish bullet #16

Lake Almanor Report 4.20.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

As ya’ll know by now the Truckee River is a little high right now during the spring run off. Don’t get me wrong the river doesn’t fish that bad during high water depending on how high the CFS is. If I really wanted to fish the river and I had to choose an area during this time of the year, I would most likely head up towards the Glenshire area on the California section. This section will offer lower flows with clearer water. The Nevada side during the run off is a bit messy, high turbidity and stained water really turns some of these fish off. If your fishing the Truckee during the high water I would target the soft pieces of water near structure or near the banks. Streamers are of coarse my go to for this type of water while using a high sticking/jigging presentation in these softer pieces of water. I suppose I’ll break down and fish the Truckee here before too long, I enjoy still-water but the river is where its at for me. Be careful and don’t take risks!

Over the weekend the family and I took a trip up to Lake Almanor which is know for the Hexagenia hatch in June and July. This lake offers some monstrous browns, and I know that the chironomid hatch is most likely in full throttle as spring fly fishing picks up on lakes in the area. As I was putting the raft in the water at about 9:30am, I’m noticing a pretty good hatch coming off the surface with some casings in the water. As I punch out on the raft keeping my eye on the fish finder I’m trying to seek out water that’s somewhere between 20'-30’ deep preferably with a nice little drop off on the bottom. After some time and moving around I anchored up in about 25’ of water targeting a shelf that sat about 20’. With the slip indicator setup I had a grey chironomid on the bottom, and a wine chironomid on top. Fortunately for me I was able to see results pretty quickly. Both of these gorgeous browns took the grey chironomid off the bottom. The trout were pretty active, I had some other good fish on that didn’t see my net as well. I’m sure I will be back to this lake soon before the spring ends.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp low 50’s

• Air temp 72 degrees, partly cloudy

• Water was clear

• FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Grey chironomid with black bead #14

• Wine chironomid with brass bead #14

• Black and blue balanced leech #10

Truckee River Report 4.1.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Yet another raft trip in the books. We just decided to throw in the towel and wing it on this one. Going into this fishing trip I grasped the fact that the conditions were going to be less than optimal. We have a bright sunny day with high stained water, which can spell S.K.U.N.K.E.D in some cases. When we launched we actually had a fair amount of bugs hatching but of coarse no top water action nor are we really seeing any fish take ANY type of nymph patterns. We’re talking the kitchen sink; low profile, high profile, small, medium, big, darker, brighter…. They really weren’t grabbing any bug drifting through feeding lanes. Now I’m thinking about chuckin some meat. To be honest, streamers wasn’t even my first choice. I’m thinkin, high stained water on a very sunny day with temps climbing mid day, nothing will ever chase a streamer off the bank. I love throwing streamers on a more overcast day with stormier conditions, after all, that’s where my confidence lies. That’s why I say “just gotta wing it sometimes and not think so much”. Much to my delight we had a few pigs to the net and some great memories.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp 50 F

• Air temp 58 degrees, sunny

• CFS low 800’s, stained

• FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Rubber legged stonefly brown/yellow #10

• Black Sculpin #4

Truckee River Report 3.27.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Usually this time of the year I continuously chase big pre-spawning rainbows west of town because I know those big boys are running in march with big browns in tow. Instead this week I decided to meet up with a few friends on the East Truckee for a float. I’m always happy to bump and grind the East on the boat this time of the year because I know there are still some big browns to hook up on. In late march I’m still not getting on the water until about 10 am, I’ll wait until those water temps come up a little before I really start pounding the water. Within the first few hours were starting to get into some smaller rainbows and browns, but no shame here, a fish to the boat is a fish to the boat. It took a while for the bugs to really start poppin, and just like clockwork as soon as those bugs started poppin the soft hackles started working! While considering the conditions that day (slightly overcast, a little humidity, warmer, and higher flows) you just have to throw that streamer on and see what’s lying right below those undercuts. Those aggressive browns didn’t disappoint, they hate it when an annoying bait pattern hits their lawn. Without a doubt some of the best streamer fishing i’ve had this year with consistent eats and a ton of chases. Here’s some advice, when smackin streamers on the bank its all about a floating line and extending that 2x fluorocarbon leader to 11’.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp low 50’s

• Air temp 58 degrees, partly cloudy

• CFS low 600’s, slightly stained

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Softhackles olive, brown #14/16/18

• Sculpzilla olive and natural

• Fish skull sculpin olive

• Spanish bullet w/ orange hotspot #16

TRUCKEE RIVER REPORT 3.13.24

RECAP of the day:

Today we got out at about 9am and it was a bit cold. Yes I looked at the forecast knowing that it wasn’t going to warm up until a bit later but I was itchin to hit the water. As I was expecting the morning offered no success, but it turned into a great scouting mission, after all time on the water is time on the water right. As the early afternoon rolled up we noticed some bug life on the water which was a sigh of relief, you think to yourself “theres got to be a few around starting to eat something”! After runnin around the water and fishing a few different techniques we finally got our first hookup in the tail out of a nice run dropping a heavy nymph to the bottom then letting it swing back up to the surface. I love that feeling when you hook up on the first one of the day, it almost feels like the feeling you get when you caught your first fish ever on the fly. As the afternoon went on a massive march brown hatch popped off and it was on from there, those mayflies were about a 14 and it was just the antidote for these fish to get nice and aggressive. Myself and Jimmy got into some nice pre-spawners in the afternoon making this day one to remember.

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp high 40’s

• Air temp 52 degrees, partly cloudy

• CFS 397, slightly stained

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Light brown softhackles #14

• TH olive jig #14

• Spanish bullet #16

TRUCKEE RIVER REPORT 2.16.24

RECAP OF THE DAY:

Today we launched at about 10am with the expectation to stay on the water for a solid day. Water temp was about 40 degress when we launched which is always a blessing in February and it didn’t disappoint. During this time of the year when we’re on a float I don’t usually expect to get into them until the afternoon, but its a great sign when those browns are eating off the surface as your pulling up to launch. It didn’t take us too long to get into some fish, the water column was filled with baetis and midges. As we pulled up to a few of my favorite spots we immediately started to get into them with the indicator setup. A soft hackle beadhead BWO emerger was the ticket. by about 2 o’clock we already had a few good fish to the net and some big smiles. The thought always enters my mind as we push into the later afternoon, “boy it would be great if we had a few eat off the top”. As the late afternoon nears we see a very subtle disturbance on the surface near the bank next to a fairly large rock and some brush. As I pull up to this fish in the raft Steve throws a perfect cast just a few feet from his head and he grabs. Immediately we all knew it was a good fish, Steve took his time and worked his fish to the net then the celebration and the fist bumps commenced!

CONDITIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• Water temp 44 degrees

• Air temp 50 degrees, mostly cloudy skies

• CFS 475, slightly stained

  FLIES OF THE DAY:

• Parachute Adams 14/16

• Beadhead BWO Emerger 16/18

• Winter Stone Jig 12/14