Welcome to the 2025 State of the Truckee River with Sam Sedillo from the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Sam discusses the results of this year's biological sampling of the Truckee River, with detailed data from six locations representing four watershed zones that NDOW has monitored for years.
If you're new to this annual episode, here's what you need to know: NDOW conducts fall fish surveys at six transects—these sample locations are chosen for their unique characteristics like gradient, habitat type, and position in the watershed.
This year's results are encouraging. The Truckee River is in very good shape, maintaining or improving across several key metrics compared to 2024. Sam attributes this to our abundant water in 2024 combined with effective water management.
While there's still room for improvement, it's exciting to see the Truckee River healthy and thriving. Detailed data, graphs, and images are available in the show notes at renoflyshop.com.
So settle in for an in-depth conversation on all things Truckee River with Sam Sedillo.
Summary
The Nevada Department of Wildlife conducts annual fish surveys on several location within the Truckee River. The results of this survey are published into an annual report that presents the assemblage and distribution of game fish. Fish Assemblage is defined as the variety and composition of each gamefish species in the Truckee River described as a percentage of all fish sampled during the survey, i.e. rainbow Trout, brown Trout, LCT and Mountain Whitefish. Species Density is the measured concentration of each unique species reported in each surveyed reach, reported as fish/mile.
The Nevada portion of the Truckee River was divided into five zones beginning at the mouth of Pyramid Lake and ending at the California state line. The zones are numerically sequenced starting at the downstream limit of the Truckee River at Pyramid Lake and moving upstream. These zones are described as follows:
Zone 1 – Not Sampled by NDOW – encompasses Pyramid Lake to the Wadsworth Bridge and is entirely within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT) Reservation. Zone 1 is not sampled by NDOW.
Zone 2 – Sample Transect Painted Rock – stretches from the Wadsworth Bridge upstream to Derby Dam.
Zone 3 – Sample Transect Lockwood – covers Derby Dam to East McCarran Bridge.
Zone 4 – Sample Transects Rock Park and Wingfield – captures most of the greater Reno/Sparks urban area and extends from East McCarran Bridge to Mayberry Bridge.
Zone 5 – Sample Transects River Bend and Verdi Dam – is the reach of the river from Mayberry Bridge to the California state line.
The survey each year is executed by NDOW staff and community volunteers. Electro-shocking is utilized to facilitate fish capture and measurement. NDOW has utilized different methodologies in electro-shocking year to year and Sam discusses the differences in methodologies and how the data could be biased between these different techniques.
Throughout this episode, as in previous State of the Truckee editions, Sam presents sampling results and observations, interpretations of fish behavior and angler approach, and finally some of the hot topics of resource management in the Truckee River watershed.
Throughout this episode Sam provides his expert assessment of the many complex issues and management topics that are ever present around the Truckee River. This is a very important topic both for angling community but river enthusiasts as well. There seems to be competing ideas, objectives and approaches to the management of the fish populations in the Truckee River and not all might be conducive to maintaining our wild trout populations.
For a perspective on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approach to LCT Recovery and their management alternatives I suggest you listen to Episode 56 which is linked here
EP056: Helen Neville and Mary Peacock – LCT Recovery – Challenges and Opportunities
We hope that care and science based options will be employed to these and all fishery management options implemented on the Truckee River.
Please enjoy our deep dive into the Truckee River and the next installment of the State of the Truckee River with Sam Sedillo.
Show Notes:
