This post will focus on the Truckee River, Little Truckee River, and Local Reservoir options. Last saturday was the traditional statewide trout opener but now we have several waters that are open year round with special regulations. In our area it is not quite the deal it once was. However, thanks to our local TU chapter #103 the Tahoe Trout Bums we still celebrated Fishmas Eve with a fundraiser on friday night. Super fun and lots of cool prizes were won by those that bought tickets. Thanks to those who participated and supported the conservation effort for our area.
On to opening day fishing. Even though the air temp got pretty cold friday night I wasn't expecting the water on the Truckee to be that frigid. 40 degrees was more than a few degrees colder than when I checked a few days prior. Needless to say the fishing was slow. After an hour of streamer fishing I moved on and found success in Prosser Reservoir. The local reservoirs are really good and often overlooked. Which was great because I had it to myself. Stampede and Boca reservoirs are also worth a look during high water on the Truckee. Based on our late season snow the rivers and creeks are going to be running high for a few more weeks. Perfect time to work on those nymphing skills. Just so happens that that is the first clinic I am offering this season.
Check out my clinics coming up for this spring and summer for those of you that are looking to improve your fly fishing skills.
Nymphing Clinic on May 18th
Women's Only Clinic on June 22nd
Trout Spey Clinic on July 20th
Call me 530-386-0525 or Click here for more info: https://www.flyfishingtruckee-tahoe.com/clinics
Truckee River Conditions
Truckee River flows are 566cfs above Truckee and 1,030cfs below Boca. Water temps are cold in the morning a warming some on 42-44 degree on the sunny afternoons. Clarity is good in town and super clear along Hwy 89.
Truckee River Tactics
Truckee River Tactics for these condition are deep nymphing and streamers. Remember to fish the edges first. The fish aren't always out in the middle. Hit the soft water and deep slow pools. Given that the water is cold so are the fish. Indicators work good in these conditons. Make a couple of extra drifts before moving on. Big ugly streamers may also get the fishes attention. This is when some of the larger fish of the season are caught.
Truckee River Suggested Flies
Truckee River suggested flies; The dries are going away for a bit and the Bacon and Leggs are going to do the majority of the work for a while. For nymphs: Haresear 14-18, Burks Bottom Roller 14-16, Micro May 16-20, Rainbow Warrior 16-20, Zebra Midge 18-22, Pheasant Tail 16-20, Flashback PT 16-20, Perdigons 16-18, SJW, Copper Johns 16-20, Prospector 16-18, Frenchie 14 -18, Rubber legs 8-12, Kauffman Stone 8-12, Twenty Incher 8-10, and Princes 10-16. For Streamers try Woolley Bugger 6-8, Sclupzilla 4, Baby Gonga 4, and Game Changer 4-6.
Truckee River Summary
The Truckee River is high and will be for a while. Fish the heat of the day deep nymphing low and slow for best results. Take your time and fish the edges first. Streamers are also a good option for finding Moby Trout.
Little Truckee River Conditions
Little Truckee River Conditions are very similar to my last report. Flow is 249cfs and the afternoon temps are 42-44. Clarity is good. Check my previous report for Tactics and Suggested Flies.
Local Reservoirs
Prosser, Boca, and Stampede have all been fishing well lately. A varity of fish have been caught and that is one of the coolest things about fishing them. Smallmouth, Makinaw, Cutthrout, Rainbows and Browns are all there for the catching and have been ending up in the net. The runoff is coming into the reservoirs at a pretty good pace and all of them are filling nicely. Access around them is still a bit muddy so be aware of where you drive!
Reservoir Tactics
Reservoir Tactics are pretty similar to the river at this time. Nymphing under an indicator or streamers. The water levels are rising pretty quickly and stirring up the shoreline as well as most of the inlet streames are pumping pretty well. The fish are cruising up into the shallows to pick up whatever is getting stirred up along the edges. You may not need to get too deep with your streamer or you nymphs. A couple of feet of depth is plenty along the edges with steep dropoffs that lead to deeper water. Walking the bank and fishing a streamer was really good this past weekend. Nymphing the inlets areas was also productive. Mix it up.
Suggested Flies
For nymphs: Haresear 14-18, Rainbow Warrior 14-18, Zebra Midge 16-18, Brassie 16-18, Duracell Jig 14-16, Pheasant Tail 14-18, Flashback PT 14-18, Perdigons 16-18, SJW, Copper Johns 14-18, Rubber legs 8-12, Balanced Leech 6-8, Sheeps Creek 12-14, and Princes 10-16. For Streamers try Woolley Bugger 6-8, Sclupzilla 4, Bunny Leech 4-6, and Game Changer 4-6.
Reservoir Summary
The reservoirs are where its at over the Truckee river in these conditions. Plenty of different fish being caught on Streamers and under an indicator. Inlet streams are a good starting point but the fish are also cruising the shallower areas.
Four Seasons Fly Fishing is the premier #Orvis endorsed #guideservice in the #Truckee #Tahoe area. We offer flyfishing walk/wade trips on our rivers and on the local reservoirs, as well as #flyfishingclinics for beginners to experts in all styles of Fly Fishing. Give us a call/text to book your #flyfishing #adventure today 530-386-0525 or, email brian@flyfishingtruckee-tahoe.com
Comments