TCO Fishing Report - December 6th, 2024 for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake

The Truckee River has been benefiting from these warmer days this week and the fishing has improved considerably compared to last week, when temps were getting just above freezing most days. The one thing these sunny days haven’t helped with is the streamer bite though, which tends to be a bit tougher during days of high sun. But it’s still worth putting some time into throwing streamers during the mornings or evenings. The fish are now mostly sitting in the slow tailouts with walking speed water and depths of 3-6 feet, or more. But when fishing in Reno last week we did find the biggest fish of the day in a bit of a faster moving riffle. So, it’s always a good idea to try various water types, even when you think you know where the fish are going to be. We have been doing best with the indicator. Indicator nymphing helps with our ability to fish slower moving water, present further away from the bank and makes it possible to fish those unweighted flies that present much better in this water type. We have been getting fish on the standard winter flies and things like stoneflies, worms and eggs are always great attractor nymphs. But the use of small flies below these can be important to up your success for the day. The small flies of choice this week have been juju baetis in a size 18-20, micro mays in a size 18, quilldigons in a size 18, zebra midges in 18-20 and Manhattan midges in a size 20-22. With the morning remaining cold, fishing has been best once the sun has hit the water for a few hours. So, focus on fishing the river from 11am-4pm right now.

Little Truckee River Fishing Report & Forecast

The Little Truckee continues to fish well this week as flows remain stable and the fish remain active from sun up to sundown. The dry fly fishing has been good most days, with a consistent hatch of baetis from around 11-2 or so.

In typical Little Truckee fashion, they are incredibly picky on fly selection and presentation when it comes to fishing on the surface. So having an assortment of flies that imitate all the life stages of BWO in sizes 18-22, and even having various shades of color in each fly is wise when fishing the Little Truckee. This is where those that tie their own flies may excel.

If you’re looking to nymph fish, the trout here aren’t nearly as picky. But there is still certainly value in both your fly selection and presentation. Worms and eggs remain great attractor nymph options and paring these with something small and dark imitating baetis or midges should get you in the game. Tungsten bead flies of choice this week have been juju baetis in size 20, micro mays in size 18, quilldigons in size 18 and the good ol’ zebra midge in 20-22. Our recommended unweighted nymphs this week would be San Juan worms in tan, flexy floss worms in pink or brown, globugs, olive WD-40s in size 20-22 and olive darth baetis in size 20-22.

 

Pyramid Lake Fishing Report & Forecast

While the bite may have slowed a little bit this week with cold sunny days following a significant drop in lake temps, we have personally seen multiple 20 pound fish caught in the last week by fellow Pyramid junkies.

When the lake gets glassy and the sun is high, the use of sinking lines and smaller flies such as boobies or beetles can be a great way to get into fish. During these days, fishing midges and utilizing a hand twist technique or a painfully slow strip can also be more efficient than balanced leeches if indicator fishing. As well as using a naked nymph technique.

If wind is present to move the bobber around a bit, try balanced leeches in lighter shades such as olive or white. Early mornings or late evenings should be almost exclusively black patterns. Most beaches continue to fish well, so base your selection on factors such as wind direction, areas with good drop offs or areas where there is an abundance of tufa rock if you’re fishing midges.