The Truckee River is fishing well with nymphs under indicators and when using ESN setups. The streamer bite has slowed but the dry fly fishing is good on cloudy days or later in the afternoon when the sun leaves the water.
Cooler weather and wind have helped a lot at Pyramid Lake. The LCT have responded by coming into the shallows and eating flies both stripped and under an indicator. Most fish are still being found in 6-10’ of water so the beaches with deeper drop off might have better access to fish.
Truckee River
The Truckee River has been fishing well and improving as storms and cooler temps have finally arrived. The Brown trout have begun to spawn. Redds that were unoccupied last week are now full of large spawning adults! It’s always a treat to watch these fish (usually the largest in the system) breed. Please be mindful of these areas and leave these fish to do their thing in peace. Trout have really responded to the change in weather and are actively feeding towards the middle part of the day. Smaller flies are still on the menu. We’ve been fishing a lot nymphs in sizes #16-20 flies. The streamer bite has slowed as the browns are in full spawn mode and the rainbows are focused on what the browns are doing.
Dry fly fishing has also picked up specifically on overcast days or later in the day as shadows cover the water. Blue winged olive hatches have been , and fish are looking up for them. Fishing up stream to rising fish will give your fly the best drift. When casting dry flies try not to overcast the rising fish. You can be more effective by delivering your dry fly several feet upstream of the rising fish and allowing current to deliver the fly into the feeding lane. Leading the rise by a few feet is plenty of room for the fish to locate your fly.
Flies we suggest: Micro Mayfly, split case BWO, Ready Baetis, Jig TNT BWO, Cray Z Emma, TJ Hooker, Olive Perdigon, Pullover BWO, Parachute Adams, Emma Stone, November Truckee River Selection
Pyramid Lake
Shore fishing has started to pick up since the opener. We have found the LCT moving into shallower water earlier than previous years. We have been hooking fish anywhere from 6-15’. Continue to change your depths often nWhen fishing either the retrieve or under an indicator to change your depths often. The Cutthroat have been primarily on the retrieve, but some days the indicator bite has been better. Surface temperatures have been in the high 50’s to low 60’s depending on where you are fishing and the water is clear of all algae.
For the indicator, dark balanced leech and baitfish have been producing well. We have been starting the day deep 12-15 feet and decreasing our depths every 20 minutes or so until the fish are found. If you’re fishing with friends, stagger your depth to find the depth more quickly. A castable sonar like the Garmin Striker Cast to determine bottom depth and to mark fish can be invaluable.
Garmin Striker w/ GPS
Garmin Striker w/o GPS
Our approach for the retrieve technique is like that of the indicator. Starting deep, dragging your flies along the bottom of deep drop offs and decreasing your sink time until you find their feeding depth is the way to go. Buggers and baitfish flies have been best, but it won’t be long before the tui-chub retreat into deeper water and the boobie/ beetle bite will be on!
Flies we suggest: Balanced Leech, Balanced Chub, Mini Jigged Leech, Jiggy Fat Minnow, Holographic Midge, Micro Holographic Midge, Pyramid Lake Bugger, Booby Fly, Mopcorn Beetle, Pyramid Lake Tadpole, Pyramid Lake Selection