First off, I want to thank everyone that has supported the Reno Fly Shop this summer! This year has been epic. We have been very busy here in the shop, teaching and guiding clients out on the water.
We are stoked that so many of you have been able to find time to get gear and information through the shop this summer. We hope it has helped your fly fishing adventures.
We are have a ton new inventory arriving daily. When you have the chance to swing by we are confident you will be excited by the variety of new products available. I highlighted a few new products that are new to the shop at the end of this report.
Truckee River and its Tributaries
The Truckee River is in great shape and fishing the same. Flows at Farad are just below 700 CFS and cool. No worries on water temps getting too high as they are starting out around 58 degrees and topping out around 65 degrees on the hotter days. This means the trout are in feed mode and have recently begun to push up into faster riffles and oxygenated water during the middle of the day. High sticking Dead Drift Crayfish and caddis patterns, like the G6 Caddis, E/C Caddis, BH Caddis Pupa and the Ticket have been most effective in faster moving water and seams. Hopper/Dropper in the afternoons, once the ground has warmed insect life, can be a very fun and effective way to fish. As your Hopper try the new CDC Spring Hopper and a dark Baetis nymph, such as, a Brush Hog, Copper John or Quasimodo. Dead drifting or swinging streamers, has also been working well with a lot of the bigger fish being caught in this way.
We are seeing a ton of fish in the 8-12 inch range being caught. This is great for our rivers as these fish are estimated to be about 2 years old, and show that even in the drought fish recruitment was still strong and we are looking towards some truly awesome seasons to come on the Truckee River!
Frenchman, Davis, and Other Still Waters
Though water surface temperatures are still high, fish are being caught deep off drop offs on a multitude of flies. The key is to get down to where the fish are. This varies throughout the day as fish will move to find comfortable water with food present. Early morning spinner falls and late evening callibaetis hatches can produce surface takes. Streamers late morning and early evening, and chironomids deep with or without an indicator mid-day. Float tubes are a perfect tool for this time of year as they position you vertically over deep drop offs and allow you to move to find good water.
FLIES WE SUGGEST: Chironocone #12, Gilled Nymph, Sheep Creek Special, Gee Leech, SST Leech
High Alpine Reservoirs
Trying to escape the heat? High alpine reservoirs are the ticket for you. Fish in these reservoirs tend to be on the small side, but are usually very eager to take a fly on the surface or below. With limited fishing pressure trout will eat just about any fly presented well and can be a fun way to catch many fish. Dry flies are the most appealing way to fish as their enthusiastic eats can get anybody’s heart racing. Small streamers and subsurface callibaetis/chironomids will also be very effective.
New Gear in the Reno Fly Shop
The cliche that “you are as good as what you have under the hood” couldn’t be more accurate when you are tying your own flies. The hook is the foundation of what we build upon and I can’t imagine a better time to be a fly tyer. We have gone to great effort to find the best quality hooks in the most innovative styles to offer here in the Reno Fly Shop.
Recently we have begun to stock two new hook companies. Hanak and Firehole Sticks. We are really excited about these hooks because every single one of them comes barbless and chemically sharpened. We have gone deep in the available styles and will continue to expand our inventory as needed.
Hanak come from the Czech Republic and have been around for a while. These are one of the most popular hooks in Europe and have been a leading choice of competitive anglers and masters of European Style Nymphing (Tightline, Highsticking, etc.). The Hanak Jig Hook H450BL is simply the best in grabbing on and holding on.
Firehole Sticks are new on the scene but are making a huge impact. A U.S. company out of northern Utah, Joe and Deb, are super enthusiastic and have been developing new hook styles and fine tuning many of the classics. My personal favorite is the Firehole 413 dry fly hook. Mike is stoked about the Firehole 839 as a sturdy and barbless streamer hook for the upcoming Pyramid Lake season.
As you have seen here and heard on our podcast catch and release is our chosen style in handling fish. In doing so we advocate for the use of nets to be as gentle as possible while handling, photographing and release fish. Recently we have begun offering a new net to add to our existing net inventory.
Rising is another U.S. company that are great to do business with. Their nets are 100% made in the U.S.A and are some of the strongest nets available. As an added bonus the handles double as a flask for your favorite bevi while on the water celebrating your next catch! Multiple sizes, configurations and handle lengths availble.
