Truckee River
The Truckee River has fished very well in the last few weeks as Spring has begun. Flows and water temperatures are in a very fishable range right now and bug activity has really increased. Bugs that are hatching now include Skwala stoneflies, March Brown mayflies, Blue Winged Olive mayflies, and midges. Additionally, there have been caddis present on warmer afternoons.
The morning fishing has consisted of nymph fishing as water temperatures increase. Attractor flies have been working well in the early hours including TJ Hooker, Squirmy Worm, and Tunghead Stones. With the March Browns making their appearance now, bigger mayfly nymphs will work as well. The Jigged CDC PT and Spanish Bullet in size 14 are great choices.
With the warmer afternoons, the water clarity has become more green throughout the afternoon. This has opened up streamer fishing quite a bit with anglers having success throughout the system. Brighter flies tend to work best during this time- anything with a combination of white/ yellow and some flash should work great. The Articulated Trout Slider, Bangtail, and Barely Legal are all viable options.
Dry fly fishing has been surprisingly good in the evenings. A combination of Skwalas and March Browns are hatching and fish can be found feeding at dusk on these bugs. Aggressive, splashy takes on the surface may indicate that fish are feeding on Skwalas. Try either the Bullet Head Skwala or the Purple Chernobyl in this scenario. If the fish is rising gently and barely breaking the surface, this may indicate fish are feeding on March Browns. The Para March Brown is a solid choice or you can try the Purple Haze if you want something that stands out.
Flies we Suggest: TJ Hooker, Squirmy Worm, Tunghead Stones, Jigged CDC PT, Spanish Bullet, Articulated Trout Slider, Bangtail, Barely Legal, Bullet Head Skwala, Purple Chernobyl, Para March Brown, Purple Haze
Pyramid Lake
High sun and low winds have made fishing slow the last few days. A silver lining to the tough fishing is that the surface temps have risen nicely from the previous storm. We are seeing fish cruising in the afternoons and we are getting closer to the spawn.
We do have a smaller storm system moving in for the next week and I believe this will produce some better fishing as we get some cloud cover and wind.
Fish have been chasing stripped flies, but have not been committing to them. The fish that we have caught have been on micro midges in 5-8 feet. When fishing these smaller flies you should be adding additional weight to your leader to maintain a better connection to them, specially if we get some wind and waves it is very common for slack to form in between the flies and bobber making detecting strikes difficult or impossible.
The LCT will begin to school more as the season continues. Competition for your fly will increase and the retrieve bite will pick up. Moving your flies quickly with pauses can cause a predator prey response or cause the fish to become territorial.
Flies We Suggest: Pyramid Lake Beetle, Booby, Pyramid Lake Bugger, Holo Midge, Micro Midge, Balanced Leech, Pyramid Lake Beetle, Booby, Pyramid Lake Bugger