Fly Fishing Report | Pyramid Lake and Truckee River | late April 2019

Apr 25, 2019 | FISHING REPORT, Pyramid Lake, Reno Fly Shop, Truckee River


Pyramid Lake

The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout are in full spawn mode now. We’ve been seeing fish actively trying to create redds in shallow water. These fish and those that are chasing each other in the shallows are not the trout that you want to target. It’s rare that a shallow fish will take a fly, but they are a good sign of activity in the area and fishing deeper and beyond these shallow fish is where you want to target your efforts.

As always windier days are going to be more productive than the calmer ones. And as I said last week during our On-the-Water report (watch it again below) suspending midges or using an intermediate or floating line with weighted  buggers, boobies, and balanced leeches will trigger the fish on the outside of the spawning fish to eat.

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Fish are following retrieved flies a lot so don’t pull your flies out of the water too quickly as the angle change of your retrieve can trigger a strike. Vary your retrieve as well, erratic retrieves can trigger a predatory strike.

Flies We Suggest: Holo Midge (wine/copper, brown/copper, black/silver), Marabou Midge, Balanced Leech (peacock,diablo,olive), Cat Whisker Booby, Dirty Martini Booby, Spanish Olive Booby Midnight Cowboy, Pyramid Lake Beetle

Aden at Pyramid Lake

Truckee River

The Truckee River is flowing over 4,000 cfs and at 45-50 F around mid day. Finding slower along the edges of the channel is key to being effective this time of year. This means that sometimes you are fishing from shore in small pockets that are formed from bushes, trees, and rocks just off the bank. This type of water can be spread out so searching for the perfect conditions will prove productive, and typically fish will be stacked up together in the same spot.

Truckee River Rainbow – pic Jason Mattick

Water clarity has been perfect! Keeping an eye on the river clarity is also key as upstream tributaries can sometimes flood or a mudslide causing water turbidity to increase. When the water is clear fishing stoneflies and bright bigger attractor flies has been best. Squirmy worms are very effective this time of year.

Brierley on a recent road trip down the East Side of the Sierra

Flies That We Suggest: Squirmy Wormy, San Juan Worm, Wire Worm, Double Bead Stone, Sculpzilla, Weirs Sculpin, Beldar Rubber Legs, Cheech Leech.


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