Our local waters have been fishing well the past few weeks with anticipated improvements from incoming storms. It is a great time to get out before winter settles in. We have guides available to help get you out.
Truckee River
Fly fishing on the Truckee River has been great through the first half of November. Fish are keying on a variety of food sources and have started to congregate in slower water. It looks like we have a storm coming in before the weekend. This should raise the river slightly and put some color in it.
The brown trout spawn is well underway on the Nevada and California side of the Truckee. Rainbows have begun keying on egg patterns in deeper water. This time of year, an egg paired with a small mayfly or midge can work really well. The Galloups Jig BWO is a great option with a natural body color and white gill highlight. Try switching out your nymph pattern every 20-30 minutes to identify what fish are keying on. The standard zebra midge in either black or red can work well. Look to fish these in a size 18-20.
The dry fly fishing has been consistent on cloudy days on the Nevada side. Hatches of midges and Blue Winged Olives can be found on cloudy, non-windy days. Rainbows and browns will typically hold in flat water when keyed in on these hatches. Stealth and a purpose driven presentation go a long way when targeting fish on the surface.
Look for water temperatures to rise and the fish activity to increase mid morning. While you certainly can get out at sunrise, fishing has been better from mid morning continuing throughout the afternoon. This is one of our favorite times of year on the water around the region!
Flies we suggest for the Truckee River: Galloup’s BWO, Split Case BWO, RS2, Baetis Cripple, Pullover BWO, Parachute Adams, Truckee River Selection (November)
Pyramid Lake
It’s been a warm fall, but water temps are dropping quickly. Surface temperatures started the day around 55° and were only 57° by the end of a recent trip. We are seeing a lot of Daphnia along the shore. The trout are eating those as well as anything they can get their mouths on. To imitate Daphnia, a notoriously difficult prey item to imitate, I like to use smaller balanced leeches in olive, or bright red/pink/purple. Daphnia can be difficulty to imitate on the retrieve, however, when doing so we suggest using beetles and boobies with a slow retrieve. (pro tip: you can always cut the maribou off of boobies to better imitate the daphnia clouds.
We have been finding the LCT at shallower depths, with most fish caught between 6-11’ on the indicator. We’re not seeing a lot of fish hugging the bottom, but they are still also searching for food down deep just not as consistently as would be expected. There is a lot of weather in the near forecast and the possibility for more weather the following week. As always this is great for fishing and we could see a productive bite window open if the weather materializes.
Flies we suggest for Pyramid Lake: RFS Balanced Leech, Mini Jigged Leech, Beetles, Booby Fly, Pyramid Lake Bugger and Pyramid Lake Selection
Frenchman's Reservoir
This has been fishing good to very good all Fall. RFS guide Brendan has been able to utlize the boat to search for and find fish. Many of the fish found have been subsurface and holding about 6-12 feet. Balanced Leech and stillwater nymphs like the Micro Holo Midge and Yankee Buzzer have put some really nice trout in the net.
We will continue to fish it and guide it until the reservoir freezes over.
Flies we suggest for Frenchman's: Yankee Buzzer, Micro Holo Midge, Mini Jigged Leech, RFS Balanced Leech, Balanced Chub, Jiggy Fat Minnow
Happy Hour | State of the Truckee River | Thursday Nov 20 @ 6pm
Join us for an evening with NV Dept of Wildlife fisher biologist Sam Sedillo as he shares the results of the 2025 biologic sampling of the Truckee River. This annual report is a great way to learn more about the overall health and angling opportunities of the Truckee River on a reach by reach basis.
Sam will make a presentation of the data collected, discuss the NDOW managment approach to the Truckee River and answer any questions that you might have
What: FREE Happy Hour Presentation with Sam Sediool
When: Thursday, November 20 at 6:00 PM
Where: Reno Fly Shop (238 S. Arlington Avenue, Reno)
This is a FREE event and a great opportunity to:
- Learn from NDOW's regional fishery biologist
- Ask questions about the health of the Truckee River
- Connect with fellow anglers in the community
- Share a drink with fellow anglers (BYOB) and make plans to get on the water.
No registration required—just show up! Bring your questions and get ready to learn our local fishery biologist expert. BYOB if you want.
We look forward to seeing you there!