TCO Fishing Report - November 22nd, 2024 for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake
The town of Truckee was likely as quiet as it will be for the entirety of the year, this week. The weather was rainy, windy and overall, a bit dreary. We are at just under a week away from the start of the holiday season, and the resorts are set to open this weekend with a good amount of man-made snow on the hill and a fair bit of the real stuff moving in as well. These quiet days are sure to be short lived, and the downtown crowds of the spring, summer and fall are going to be quickly replaced with the distinctly different crowds of the winter, brought in by the resorts. This is when a good majority of fly fishers switch gears and start their winter sport of choice, and only the most dedicated, fish-crazed, and arguably foolish few are still getting after it in search of one of the real trophies that are seldom caught during the peak summer months. This is when we here at Trout Creek love to fish this beautiful river.
Truckee River Fishing Report & Forecast
The Truckee River has been seeing some fair fishing this week. The cooler weather this week has seemed to reduce the number of fish willing to play but has upped the average size with some really nice fish hitting the net this week. The fish have mostly transitioned into slower water at this point and the majority of your focus should be in the seams where fast and slow water meet. Focus your efforts on bubble lines, tail outs, just about anything walking speed or a bit faster.
This doesn’t only mean the water that appears slow at the surface. Where you often find the biggest fish is the water that looks quite turbulent at the surface, but there is a slow and well oxygenated pocket below it for the fish to sit in. Think of that bubbly white water behind a boulder. In this water the fish get the best of both worlds. An abundant food source and the ideal water speed where they don’t have to work too hard. Using indicators will be recommended for these water types.
We have been doing well on typical winter flies such as brown Pat’s rubber legs in sizes 10-12, globugs in peach or orange, worms in most colors, juju baetis in 16-18, micro mays in 18, rainbow warriors in 18-20, and zebra midges in 18-20. The lower river east of Sparks is also fishing well as a whole this week, with good nymphing, streamer fishing and even the opportunity to fish dry flies and swing soft hackles right now. We expect the streamer bite to really pick up this week as we get this warm storm pushing through for a few days. Olive or black are always great colors to start with for this presentation during low light conditions such as overcast days or during low light hours.
Little Truckee River Fishing Report & Forecast
The Little Truckee continues to fish very well this week. The current flows make it great for dries, nymphs and even streamers if you’re feeling ambitious!
As I write this, the road remains snow free, but with a few days of snow in the forecast, it may very well be impassible by early next week. Please remain aware that there are still actively spawning fish out here right now and they should be left alone during this vulnerable time. If you have any questions on how to identify spawning fish, what a trout’s redd looks like or ethical practices when fishing this time of year, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
The hatches are still strong despite this shift in weather, but we are seeing less of a variety this week. Baetis and midges are really the most consistent and fewer mahogany duns and little olive stones. The best dry fly fishing will be during the warmest point of the day and along the upper section of the river.
The dries that have been working well this week are olive or brown mole flies in sizes 18-20, gray or olive RS2s in 18-20, BWO silhouette duns in 18-20, and cream or olive para midges in 20-22. If nymph fishing, we recommend using indicators over tight lining due to the heavy winds making the euro presentation tough. For nymphs, we have been doing well with an egg or a worm up top with a small nymph such as a baetis or midge as your lower fly. The go to nymphs this week have been globugs in peach or orange, san juan worms in tan or red, flexy floss worms in brown or red, juju baetis in 18-20, WD-40s in 20 and zebra midges in 20-22. For the latest on fishing or road conditions out here, give us a call!
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report & Forecast
This November has been one of the best in a long time or possibly ever. The number of fish above 10 pounds is mind-boggling, and now only if it’s above 15 does it feel worth mentioning. Absolutely incredible. What’s more, most of the beaches are fishing almost equally as well, making your odds of finding good fishing even better!
Both the indicator bite and the strip bite remain excellent, with maybe only a slight advantage to the indicator on most days. Of course, the feeling of strip setting into a massive trout may even things out a bit for the angler. As expected, with last week’s full moon, the bite did slow a bit. But we are right back into the swing of things with endless reports of great fishing on any given day and location. There will occasionally be tough days in between, depending on weather and fish activity from day to day. However, 15-20 fish days with the possibility of one nearing 20 pounds are a realistic possibility. The bite window remains good most of the day, with the slowest fishing usually happening around 1-3 in the afternoon. But often this is when that one big bruiser cruises through and drops your bobber.
When fishing under the indo, we have been mostly setting our depths at around 6-10 feet, spacing our flies out a few feet apart to cover a greater range of depths. If in doubt, the go to color has been any shade of black, but when the sun pokes out, olive, white or brown can out-produce the dark colors. When stripping your flys, one light color and one dark color is always a great way to maximize your color contrast on your presentation. So, start with one black bugger and one white or olive bugger. We have also been finding greater success in larger profiles for balanced leeches, buggers and beetles right now as they are coming off eating large bait most of the summer. As winter sets in out here and the abundance of food diminishes and angling pressure sets in, look to downsize your flies if you aren’t having much luck.