We are in the period of time when our local rivers are just about ready to wake up after their winter slumber.
Good luck and we hope to see you in the shop or out on the water soon.
Truckee River
The Truckee River has fished well over the last week and is starting to see an increase in flow. Warm spring temperatures are causing the snow at lower to mid elevations to melt. The Truckee has maintained a clarity of around 3-4’. Flows at the Reno gauge are hovering around 700-800 cfs but could rise or fall with air temperature over the coming days.
Nymph fishing the soft shoulders of runs has been most productive, with a lot of trout moving out of their winter feeding lanes. When flows come up as they have, it is important to read the water in front of you. Holding spots are often closer to the bank this time of year. Look for inside bends, tailouts, or wide areas. 800 cfs is very fishable and not unusual for this time of year.
Large mayflies have been most productive in sizes 12-14. Fishing these with an attractor fly such as a Squirminator or TJ Hooker is a great way to offer fish two presentations. For a mayfly, try the Jigged CDC PT or the Spanish Bullet. There are multiple hatches of mayflies during the late morning with a mix of size and color. Trout have been keying in on the larger mayfly imitations but you’ll want to cycle through sizes 12-16 to dial in what fish are eating.
Streamer fishing is continuing to improve day by day. Water temperatures are coming up with the warmer weather. Look for afternoons and evenings to be most productive with large articulated flies. Barely Legal in olive/white or the Articulated Trout Slider are great choices.
Flies we suggest: Carot, TJ Hooker, RFS Perdigon, Assassin, Duracell, Perdi Bomb, Neon Jig, Pheasant Tail Jig, Emma Stone
Pyramid Lake
Not a lot of change out at the lake.
The LCT are still chasing each other in shallow water. Fortunately, with this many fish in shallow water it is only a matter of time before one bites your fly. The naked technique (fishing a floating line without a bobber) has been the most effective with retrieving flies a close second.
This time of year, with the fish being so shallow, it is not uncommon that the trout become aware and weary of an indicator. To fish this technique I like to make my leader 1.5x longer than the desired depth to be fished. (I.e 6’ of water would require a 9’ leader.
We’re still using midges and micro leeches with this technique, but instead of just letting the flies sit you are slowly retrieving the flies to keep them off the bottom and to give them some extra movement. You will feel the fish take your fly or you will see the tip of the fly line begin to slowly pull left or right. Either way, a strip set is the best way to hook these fish.
Retrieving flies is not much different, but I personally like to tie beetles, buggers and boobies a little different. Smaller, bigger, different colors and combinations can sometimes make the fish eat your offerings as they are different from the traditional flies. Faster, more consistent strips will also help the fish react to your fly with more conviction, and can sometimes elicit a predator prey response in the LCT. Just remember to let the line sink fully to the bottom of the lake to make sure you foul hook less fish.
Pyramid Flies we suggest: Booby Fly, Mopcorn Beetle, Holo Midge, Micro Holo Midge, Mini Jig Leech, Belly Ache Minnow, Jiggy Fat Minnow, Balanced Chub
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