November 27, 2022 Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake
The holiday hustle and bustle is now happening here in downtown Truckee, and it seems that fishing is certainly an afterthought for most visitors this time of year. This is definitely the time of year for the dedicated trout angler as most people look to other activities when temps drop and snow flies. With a weak storm system expected Monday and lasting through the week, the fishing should pick up, especially at Pyramid, where the bite has seemed to slow with the warmer weather in the last week.
The Truckee remains in good shape downriver from the Boca confluence and is fishing well all the way through Reno and beyond, and this is a great time of year to explore the lower stretch east of Sparks where water temps are a bit warmer, fish are a bit more active and throwing dries and streamers are just more productive.
Sunday, November 27th is the last day for our Black Friday Sale
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
We’ve been seeing some spotty days on the Truckee lately, and it seems that some sections are just holding more fish than others right now. With a few slow days around Verdi, but some great days further up the canyon around Farad and Floriston as well as east of Sparks, getting out and exploring different water may not always produce results but it will always help you familiarize yourself with the various differences of this river along it’s 120 miles.
When fishing here on the CA side, using indicator rigs with an attractor nymph up top and a smaller nymph down below is a good way to go, and fish will take both right now. For your attractors, we’ve been continuing to find fish on smaller stoneflies in a size 10-12 as well as worms and eggs. For droppers, it’s been BWO’s and midges in sizes 16-20. This won’t really change for some time, so be sure you’re well stocked with these winter go-to’s. The CA side has an abundance of slow, deep runs and these will always hold fish this time of year so focus your efforts on this water type and fish them thoroughly. If you don’t find fish adjust your depth weight and fly selection and try again. The Nevada side is a bit different game as fish will continue to hold in walking speed water, such as slow, deep riffles and pocket water. Try fishing tightline setups here and sticking with smaller nymphs, picking off rising fish on dries, or swinging streamers in riffles or in front of boulders looking for those big predatory Browns.
Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
This has been an exceptional Fall out here as flows remain above 100 and there’s a lot of big fish in the system right now. There are still a few browns sitting on redds, so please continue to watch out for these spawning fish and give them a wide birth to keep our fish populations strong, this is of the utmost importance to us here at the shop as our fish are all wild and if we want to continue to have these incredible opportunities we must do the right thing, even when no one is watching. Please focus on fishing deeper water not suitable for spawning, and avoid shallow riffles with gravel substrate where spawning fish can be found, they may not always be on a redd, but if your sight fishing for big fish in a shallow riffle, odds are these fish are spawners and they should be avoided just the same as fish that are actively on redds as this additional stress can cause them to prematurely release eggs or milt, not allowing them to pass on there genetics.
Photo credit Jason Shields
The brown trout spawn is on its tail end and should be done in another couple of weeks. The dry fly bite remains a bit spotty up here, but we still recommend coming prepared with a good assortment of emergers and adults in both BWO’s and midges in sizes 18-22. When these hatches do come off, it will typically be around mid-day through early afternoon. If no hatches are present, we recommend fishing the deep runs using a tightline rig or dry dropper to avoid spooking fish.
Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
The lake has seen some slower days as of late and it’s easy to assume this is because of the lack of weather. With a storm coming in this week that should change, and we should see some great days ahead. The name of the game has been indicator fishing using leeches, and color can vary day to day (or even hour to hour) but good go-to colors will be white, black and olive. We’ve been fishing a duel leech set up as it seems the midges haven’t been producing with as much consistency, and we’ve been finding fish around 8-12 feet on a regular basis, sometimes fishing deeper or shallower if nothing is happening after a good soak of 30 minutes or more. The strip bite has been best in the mornings, especially if you’re fishing before the sun pokes over the hill as this additional movement give them a better target to hone-in on. The fish are being found all around the lake and it seems that there hasn’t been any beach that is particularly hot, with maybe the exception of Pelican Point, because frankly this beach always fishes well due to it being one of the main stocking locations. The bite has been spread throughout the day and the best policy when fishing here is to keep your flies in the water as long as you can stand to up your odds, no real secrets here.
If you’re looking to up your Pyramid game, we encourage you to come to our Pyramid Lake Seminar hosted by Pyramid Fly Co. It is a free event and will be a great way to learn the nuances of fishing this lake. It will be held this Thursday December 1st at 6:00 PM here at the shop. The seating will be limited, and we ask you to call ahead to reserve a spot.
As always, Thanks for your support of Truckee’s only dedicated fly shop we couldn’t do it without you! We hope you have a great holiday season and look forward to seeing you on the water or in the shop!
-Miles