TCO Fishing Report – March 5, 2021
New and Updated Fishing Regulations March 1
The new California fishing regulations went into effect on March 1st which opened quite a bit of new water in the winter months. This will help spread some of the fishing pressure from places like The Little Truckee and the Glenshire and Hirschdale areas of the main river. While we do not feel a lot of the changes are a great win in terms of conservation, there is a few small victories mixed in there. Please take the time to digest all the new rules and get out and try some new options! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call or stop in. Check out our quick summary of the Truckee River regulations here, and also grab the full regulation PDF on this page if you like.
Truckee River Fishing Report and Forecast
While the consistent bright and sunny days have not necessarily helped the fishing, it has far from turned it off. On bright days try using some flashy bugs fished deep under the indicator in some of the deeper buckets or slow deep flats from 3-6 feet deep. We are still seeing a lot of baetis and midges moving around and if you are in the right place at the right time you could see some noses, this will usually happen at the warmest part of the day and could go into early evening. Fishing until dark has begun to pick up as days get longer and temps get warmer, often when the sun goes over the hill your odds go way up as fish are less on edge and you are more concealed. When flipping rocks, we are finding a good assortment of stoneflies in a #8-10, baetis in #16-20 and we are seeing an increased population of free-swimming caddis (Rhyacophila) in #12-14. While midges and baetis are certainly on the main menu do not count out this early season caddis in coming weeks.
The river flow continues to come up the week as they raise flows out of Tahoe City from 75 CFS to 200 CFS within the last week and this will make the sections in the upper river a better option with an increase in good holding water. By the time you get to the lower river from the boca confluence down the Nevada state line the increase is less drastic from 350 CFS last week to 400 CFS this week. This is due to the watermaster cutting flows coming out of Boca dam to fill the lake, which is a great thing as it has been exceptionally low for the last couple of years.
Recommended Flies for the Truckee River:
Pat’s Rubberlegs in brown #8-#10, Tungsten Trout retrievers in Black or brown #8, San Juan Worms in red or pink #12, Gummy Worms in red or pink #12, Flexy Floss Worms in red or pink #12, Zebra Midges in red, black or olive #16-#18, Juju Baetis #16-#18, Lightning Bugs #16-#18, Birds Nest in olive #14-#16, Hare’s Ears in olive #14-#16, Glowbugs in pink or orange #12, Unreal Eggs in pink or orange #12. We also offer a set of 12 Big Truckee Flies for sale online or in the shop. Click here to see those.
Little Truckee River Fishing Report and Forecast
The Little Truckee saw a good increase in flows as well this week as it came up to 150cfs. This will be a great time to try and find some of the lake run fish making their way upriver. Often these fish will take larger offerings as they are not quite as acclimated to their surrounds as the residents and throwing larger bugs such as stoneflies, worms, eggs or even streamers is a great way to target these fish. In general, this increase in flows should improve fishing here and using baetis, midges and worm patterns paired with 6x tippet will be a great way to find consistent results. As we approach spring please begin to keep a close eye for spawning fish here and give them plenty of space, or even better fish elsewhere to minimize human contact when spawning fish become present. If you’re not sure what to look for when looking for spawning fish please feel free to ask, we are happy to explain! The Boca inlet will be another great option with the increased flows and nymphs, dries and streamers all have their place here. Please be aware of other anglers here as there isn’t a lot of room for multiple people and the fish do get put down quick by passersby.
Recommended Flies for the Little Truckee
Zebra Midges in red, olive or black #18-#22, San Juan Worms in red or pink #12, Flexy Floss Worms in red or pink #12, Gummy Worms in red or pink #12, Juju Baetis #18-#20, Micromays in olive #18, Bead Back Midges in gray or black #18, Palomino Midges in red or black #18-#20, RS2’s in gray or olive #18-#20, Hackle Stackers in BWO #18-#20, Mole Flies in olive #18-#20, para BWO’s in #18-#20, Griffith’s Gant #18-#22
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report and Forecast
The good days at pyramid have been really good and the slow days have been just the opposite. The continuing factor here remains the weather. If you have the luxury to choose the days to fish here make it during times of overcast, snow or rain, and moderate to heavy winds. With all of the big fish showing up this year this lake should continue to be on your radar all spring. The midge bite continues to get stronger but balanced leeches are still putting fish in the net. Knowing that the 39-inch fish caught on Valentine’s Day was on a sinking line should also make you think about stripping streamers with a little more regularity. We recommend sticking it out until dark here as the weather warms up, last light can provide some of the best fishing of the day. We are well stocked on Pyramid bugs, come on in and take a look and chat about techniques for out here. To read more about Pyramid Lake fishing, check out our 4-part series on the website.
Recommended Flies for Pyramid Lake
Midnight Cowboys #6, Estaz Woolly Worms #6, Pyramid Beetles in White/Chartreuse or Black #8, Cutbait Midges #8, Moo Midges in red or wine #8, Patriot Midges #10, Miles’ Pyramid Bombers #8, Pyramid Beach Leeches in black or olive #8, Moo Minnows #8. We offer a set of our recommended flies for Pyramid online and in the store. Click here to see that set.
Good luck out there, and we hope to see you soon.
– Miles