Truckee River
It might be a bit early to get excited about a change in the weather but I am sure everyone is excited about some cooler temperatures and a reduction in smoke. At the time of writing this the river is at 200 CFS through the downtown gauge. We have been in communication with the Federal Water Master and while the river will begin to drop due to lack of upstream reservoir storage flow conditions will not be as low as was observed in 2015 during the last major drought. As flows fluctuate the trout will begin to relocate and will move to different areas seeking refuge in deeper water with continuous flow. Most importantly anglers should be prepared to monitor water temps and understand the suggested temperature threshold criteria for the waterbody and state of which they are fishing. The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection published a paper in March 2018 that identifies the acute and chronic temperature thresholds for most gamefish species in the state of Nevada.
Hopper dropper is a great technique in lower water when searching out deeper areas of the river. This can be an interesting/fun time to explore new waters that you haven’t fished before or are newly accessible due to reduced depth and velocities.
Fly selection has been on the smaller side #14-$18s. Streamer fishing will pick up as we head into fall and as the water fluctuations reorder the fish, allowing smaller or weaker fish to become easy prey.
Truckee River Flies We Suggest: Hot Butt, OCD Caddis Pupa, Carot, Duracell, Split Cased Jig, Brush Hog, Spanish Bullet, Hot Spot, Bellyache Minnow, Sculpzilla, Truckee River Dozen
Local Still Waters
Higher elevations are still your go to destination for still water fishing, though a nice cooling trend is setting in this week with overnight lows in the mid 50s to low 60s. A lot of our local lakes and reservoirs will begin to really pick up with activity as we cool down. Indicator fishing, stripping burgers and damsels should be very productive. Dry fly fishing will continue to get better as the days get shorter and the thermal effect of the sun begins to taper off.
Fish will still be in deeper water but will move into the shallows early and late day or during any cloud cover. Look to weed lines and drop offs as the trout will begin to ambush smaller fish and invertebrates as they try to also migrate to deeper water.
Stillwater Flies We Suggest: Red Eye Damsel, Bead Head Woolly Bugger, Gilled Nymph, Carot, Yankee Buzzer, Parachute Adams, Zebra Midge, Balanced Leech, Mini Leech