September 24, 2022 Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River Region
It’s officially fall, and the weather is definitely showing it. We saw our first few days of snowfall on the peaks and night time temps here in Truckee are dropping into the mid-30’s all throughout last week. This shift in weather has improved conditions on our rivers and we are excited about some of the best fall fishing weather we’ve seen in years. Even as this week is expected to warm up into the 70’s it will still say cold at night and fishing will likely get better as the weather evens out.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
The Truckee continues to have cold water and good flows along the canyon stretch and the fishing pressure remains light. With a lack of a significant hatch around, the fish are taking a variety of bugs. It’s a good idea to have a wide selection of patterns at your disposal to see what they are keying in on that day. We’ve seen stoneflies, BWO’s, PMD’s, midges, October caddis, and smaller caddis present so you still have quite a bit of options this time of year. Not only should you be mixing up your fly selection right now, but it’s also important to mix up water types as well. We’ve been finding fish sitting in both the slow and fast water and there doesn’t seem to be a clear pattern here, so the best policy would be to fish it all. Last week with the overcast days there was a bit of a streamer bite, but we would say it was spotty at best and it’s mostly about having your fly presented well in front of the right fish more than anything. For those looking to toss streamers this week, focus on the evenings when the sun dips over the hill for your best odds.
Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report
With flows on the LT sitting around 100 cfs for a few weeks now the fishing here has been excellent along most stretches of the river all the way from below Stampede dam to the Boca inlet. If you are mostly looking to toss dry flies, we recommend fishing the upper parking lot below Stampede dam, as this section is the most conducive for prolific hatches and willing fish. If you’re looking to euro nymph, we’ve been having some good days along the meadow stretch and down into the Boyington Mills campground. And then there’s the inlet where indicators, streamers and dries will all work well. The hatches are mostly PMD’s in a #18, BWO’s in a #20-22 and midges in #20-24. When imitating bugs this small a 6x tippet is strongly encouraged, but always be ready for a battle when a large fish takes. While the fishing remains fairly consistent throughout the day, due in large to it being a tailwater, we’ve noticed a great nymph bite towards the evening hours when the sun sets over the hill and the crowds thin. The dry fly bite has been throughout the day, and carrying two rods is not a bad idea right now.
Evening sky on the Little Truckee River
Local Still Water Fly Fishing Report
The Lakes are coming into shape nicely during this first week of fall. With surface temps dropping, most lakes in our area should be beginning to fish better and will continually improve until we see some significant snow fall. This is a great time to get the float tube out and toss streamers on a sinking line to target the big fish looking to get some calories before winter. With the nice weather and clear skies this week, it will also make for some incredible hiking conditions and the clock is ticking for those looking to check any boxes on their fishing bucket list for the year. The warmwater species such as bass and carp are still active and now is a unique time of year in terms of the variety of species one can target, but fishing for these guys will likely only last for a few weeks before we see a decline in activity due to cooling water temps.
As always, we truly appreciate your support of Truckee’s only dedicated fly shop and I would like to personally thank all of you that take the time to read my report every week. You’re the best and we could do it without you!
Tight lines,
-Miles