August 19, 2022 Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River Region
With a bit of a “false fall” this August we have seen a high number of thunderstorms and cool overcast days, keeping our local waters cool and trout fishing good. This is certainly an unexpected surprise as we anticipated another rough summer with similar snowpack as we had in 2021. The especially wet spring, cooler than average summer, not to mention the lack of wildfires in our area *knock on wood* has made for some pretty great days outdoors – and even with a slight increase in the daytime temperature expected this week, we expect some excellent fishing in the coming weeks.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report
The last week of fishing on the Truckee has been excellent as water temps continue to hover around the high 50’s in the canyon. The upper river along Glenshire Drive is a little skinny at 167 CFS which will make this area warm quicker due to greater sunlight penetration, so because of this we recommend fishing below the Boca confluence to the Nevada state line where flows will be at their most consistent and the water cooler. In the last week we did not see the river exceed 66 degrees down here, but with warmer weather expected please continue to carry your thermometers and call it a day if/when water gets to this mark.
We’ve seen a serious increase in activity from the larger fish in the river with good catch rates of fish over 16 inches, but you may still have to weed through a number of smaller ones to find these guys. Look for fish to continue to hold in those medium to fast water speeds down in the canyon as water temps haven’t dropped quite enough for them to move out of this water type. Pocket water, riffles, and the tops of runs will be the ticket this time of year but stripping streamers on the slower buckets may surprise you with a big brown, especially when fished during low light hours.
Beautiful Truckee River Brown Trout from Jason Shields
When nymph fishing, be sure to use ample weight to insure you are on the bottom where the fish are. This is especially important when the trout are sitting in the faster moving water where you often only have a short 10’-20’ drift where they are holding, even if the water isn’t very deep. With the possibility of some afternoon fishing now, keep an eye on the caddis hatches in the evening, as this can be some of the most consistent dry fly fishing the California side of the Truckee can offer.
The bug selection this time of year consists of caddis pupa in #14-16, PMD’s in #16-18, BWO’s in #16-18, golden stones in #8-10, nocturnal stones in #4-6 and crawdads.
Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report
The Little Truckee saw yet another decrease in flows and as of today it is at 37 CFS. This is borderline ‘shooting fish in a barrel’ and we encourage you to stay off this river until flows increase.
Local Still Water Fly Fishing
The cooler temperatures in our area and smoke free days have made for some incredible hiking conditions and great fishing opportunities at our local lakes, especially ones found at high elevations. The recent thunderstorms have kept the dust down on the trails, cooled the water temps and greatly improved the bite. This week we did one of our favorite hike-in lakes and we were rewarded with large brook trout, cutthroat and rainbows with over 20 to hand and a sore body to start the work week as a reminder of the great weekend had.
High elevation lakes are holding some amazing fish too.
For those looking for a more laid back day of fishing, we still have a handful of float tubes for sale here at the shop, which is a very relaxing way to lake fish and opens up a lot more options for a full day of fishing or even just a quick after work trip to a local reservoir. If you ever have any questions about a particular body of water, stop in and chat, odds are we’ve got some intel to share with you!
As always, we are eternally grateful for your support of Truckee’s only dedicated fly shop, the only reason we are here is because of each and every one of you that makes the conscious effort to support local small businesses. Thank you!
Miles