We have yet another significant storm passing over us this week, which will lay snow down all the way through Reno. Here in Truckee we are looking at a few feet over the next 7 days, and access to the Truckee will once again become a bit more difficult. While these snowy days are so important for our water supply, truth be told, April can’t come fast enough. We are certainly ready for warmer weather and wet wading. Until then, Pyramid Lake has been fishing very well and the river will still be there for those adventurous souls with a case of cabin fever.

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast

While access may be a bit tougher this week here in California due to this current storm, the lower river east of Sparks will not get hit as bad by this weather and should continue to fish well. This last week we saw river temps down here reach 45 degrees and the BWO’s have certainly responded with some great mid-day hatches. While we expect those to be a bit less pronounced this week, the fish will certainly still take the nymphs throughout the day. Although the dry fly bite may slow down this week, the streamer bite should keep firing with consistent overcast weather. Overall, this winter has been really good for the streamer game along the entire river.

If you’re trying to stay local while you fish this week, the California side of the river should still be a good option as long as you take a few things into consideration. First and foremost, access. With fresh snow comes limited parking and a bit more effort to get from point A to point B. To minimize this, fish the areas that allow parking close to the water such as the Hirschdale exit on the north side of the freeway where the “park and ride” parking area is, this is close to some great water, and it typically remains plowed. However take note of the seasonal no parking areas underneath the freeway kept clear for snow removal off of the overpass.

The Floriston exit will likely have very little parking this week as keeping this parking area clear is not top priority during storms. If you do find parking here though, there is some great water close to the car with a great pool both upstream and downstream of the overpass (remember, you want to focus on the slow deep water this time of year!).

Lastly, the Farad exit will probably have the easiest parking and river access this week as they mostly keep this parking area clear during snowstorms and the slight drop in elevation will mean a few inches less snow. Down here there are some exceptional winter runs downstream from the exit, but they will require a bit more hiking to get to, though with less snow this should be easier to achieve. One other thing to note would be getting out during the warmest point in the day, remember that winter fishing is all about waiting until those water temps come up throughout the day, so focus on fishing from 11:00 on.

The bugs haven’t changed this week, and the typical winter flies such as worms, stones, eggs, BWO’s and midges will be the menu when fishing subsurface. Be sure to fish deep and use ample weight this time of year as these fish are less willing to move or your presentation this time of year and must be bumped in the nose.

Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report & Forecast

Last weekend (President’s day weekend), we saw some beautiful weather with warm, sunny days and not a breath of wind. This was one of the busiest weekends on the lake this year with very few people catching more than a fish or two… Ouch! Fast forward to later in the week and this latest storm pushing through, the lake is right back to fishing great, funny how that works. When we get a high-pressure system in the middle of the winter out here, the fishing will die off quick, but as long as there is some degree of cloud cover, or a bit of wind, the lake will be fishing ok. Always keep an eye on the weather when heading out here for the day, and if its looking like some false spring conditions in the next few weeks, you may consider fishing the river instead.

With the storm system hanging around all week, Pyramid should continue to fish great. The flurries of activity have been a bit random, one day being fast a furious right at sun up, and the week before being a slow continuous bite throughout the afternoon, and this is why you see people tough it out from sun up to sun down, waiting for that window of great fishing. When the fish are around you want to make sure you are too, with your flies in the water and remaining ready to strike when your moment arrives. These long days can be physically and mentally taxing, with a lot of “what the hell am I doing here” moments, but that’s a big part of the appeal for some, and then again some just don’t get it (usually until they hook a big fish). Of course, the beauty of the lake is awe inspiring and when the fishing’s slow, there is plenty of time to soak it in. more times than not, these moments of disruption are when the fish strikes, almost as if they knew, and sometimes I do really wonder.

The midges are continuing to come out in force along the beaches with submerged tufa rock, and we’ve been doing best on double midge set up’s under the indicator on beaches such as South Warrior Pont, Spider, or Pelican. If large waves are present or fishing a beach with a sandy bottom, leeches will still be putting a few fish in the net and it be worth rigging a leech and midge combo. We have been finding success fishing these rigs at a depth of 6-9 feet, sometimes going shallower early in the mornings or going deeper if you’re fishing a significant drop off or when sunny days are prevalent. The strip bite has really put some large fish in the nets this week and if you looking to chuck your sinking line all day, consider fishing one of the more consistent drops offs such as The Nets, Windless Bay or Warrior Point, to name a few.

As we come into the best time of year to fish out here, now is the time to neglect your chores, forget about previous obligations and grind in search of the fish of a lifetime. You will only be asking what the hell you’re doing out here until you feel the power of that large cutthroat on the other end of your line, after that there’s no more questioning it..

A quick note

Miles and Austin will be heading down to The Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton on Friday the 24^th, so we will not be hosting our bi-weekly fly tying event. We apologize, and hope to see you on Friday, March 10^th instead. However, we will still be hosting our Fly Fishing 101 class this Saturday as per usual so if you are new to the sport come in for this free class, we guarantee you will walk away with a greater sense of confidence on how to fling flies.  If you are going to the show on Friday and see us, please be sure to stop us and say hi, we’d love to chat with you. We are also putting the final touches on our online store and we should have it up and running in a week, so be sure to check it out and support us from the comfort of your own home!

As always, we thank each and every one of you for your continued support of Truckee’s only dedicated fly shop, we wouldn’t be here without you!

Much Love,

• Miles