Truckee River
The Truckee River is fishing well with abnormally warm weather for March. We’ve seen diverse bug life in the last week with hatches of Midge, BWO, March Brown, Caddis, and Skwalas.
The Rainbow Trout spawn is in full swing with fish on redds in many spots. Be mindful of where you walk as the spawning beds are oftentimes in shallow water. The fish that are spawning now are creating the future for the Truckee River!
Nymphing and dry fly fishing have been the two most productive methods as of late. On the nymph rig, march brown mayflies have fished well and can be imitated by a Pheasant Tail, Quill Jig, or Spanish Bullet in size 14. Caddis have often had their moment as well and we’ve been fishing the Carot and Bird’s Nest in size 12-16. Eggs are also on the menu with a large number of rainbow trout depositing their eggs in the river. Dropoffs with good speed are a solid place to start fishing a pegged Trout Bead.
The dry fly fishing has been surprisingly good this week with the warm weather. While you may find an occasional fish mid day sipping March Browns, evening has been the best bet to target fish on the surface. Caddis and Skwala Stoneflies have been the ticket. The Purple Chubby has been the top producer this week but you’ll need to cover a good bit of water to get eats. If you spot a fish rising consistently in soft water, try either the Caddis or March Brown. A few dry flies you should carry include the Bullet Head Skwala, E/C Caddis and the Purple Haze.
Pyramid Lake
The heat wave we're currently feeling is a strong signal that seasons are changing. With this, expect typical spring behavior of LCT. Fish are beginning to move into shallow water. This is less than ten feet from indicator. Start exploring the middle portion of the lake in search of cruising cutthroat. The middle portion is approximately bound by, Spider Point to the north and Indian Head to the south.
Both stripping and indicator setups have had their moments but this has changed day to day. In the mornings and evenings a stripping setup is a good way to go as fish are looking for a moving target. On sandy beaches, the floating flies such as Pyramid Lake Beetles and the booby fly are a good bet. Spacing of flies is important especially this time of year. You’ll want to space your flies 2-3 feet to avoid snagging fish if possible. If you can see them, they can see you. Try casting beyond the fist that are swimming at your feet. White/Chartreuse is always a great color in the spring as well as the rest of the season.
On the Indicator, midges are a good choice and should continue to fish through March. If the lake is flat or calm, try downsizing to the Micro Holographic Midge. We also find downsizing tippet can help with the increased angling pressure. Size 2X or Size 3X Tippet is a good choice and the Cortland Top Secret Tippet is your best bet. Productive midge colors have varied but the tried and true red tones are producing the most. ASB colorations are also good and imitate real chironomids very well.
It looks like we’ve got cooler weather on the horizon and that should really help at the lake. The most important part about fishing Pyramid Lake is keeping your flies in the water!
