TCO Fishing Report - November 29th, 2024 for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake

The Truckee River continues to fish well as most of the brown trout finish their spawn and look to recover lost calories. During the overcast days of last week, we saw a fair streamer bite for those willing to put in time. As well as some good dry fly-fishing east of Sparks. With the subfreezing temps in the mornings, the fishing will be best after the sun has hit the water and the fish wake up a bit. So put a good focus on the 11am-4pm window.

For streamers, we have been doing good on some smaller profiled flies such as sculpzillas in a size 8 and Egan’s poacher. Both patterns have been producing in olive or black, and I would base color selection on lighting and water clarity. Olive when the water is clear/sun is high and black when there is lower visibility/low light. The dry-fly fishing on the lower river has been mostly mid-day and can happen both when it is sunny or overcast, with the biggest factor being days with little to no wind.

Although, often when it comes to baetis, or BWO’s, they do prefer overcast days. This can make the dry-fly bite a bit more predictable. The nice thing about dry fly fishing on the Truckee is that even though it doesn’t happen too often, when it does, the fish aren’t overly picky in terms of fly selection. A good drift remains important, but they are typically willing to take a variety of imitations of both the adults and emergers. 5x tippet is normally just fine.

As per usual, the nymph fishing on the Truckee remains the best way to consistently get into fish on an otherwise tough river system. We have been finding fish on the same flies as weeks past, and they will continue to work for most of the winter. So be sure to stock up on stonefly nymphs, worms, eggs, baetis nymphs, and midge larvae. The patterns that have been working this week have been brown Pat’s rubber legs in a size 8-10, brown or red San Juans in a size 12, size 12 squirmy worms in all colors, juju baetis in 16-18, olive micro mays in 18, rainbow warriors in size 18-20, and all colors of size 18-22 zebra midges. 

Little Truckee River Fishing Report & Forecast

The Little Truckee is still seeing excellent fall flows and is fishing very well. While we are seeing fewer spawning fish this week, there are still some fish doing the dance, and a lot of trout redds along the river. Please be very aware of where you’re fishing or wading out here and give these fish plenty of space right now. Trout often spawn in a lot of the same spot we as anglers use to cross the river or wade out to. To fish a run, please familiarize yourself with what a trout’s redd looks like if you wish to fish out here this time of year. The health of the fishery depends on it.

The access out here currently remains open to all vehicles as the snow level during this last storm remained high in altitude. However, due to the road not receiving maintenance in the winter, be aware of patches of ice or rocks in the road right now. Drive slowly, the fish aren’t going anywhere! The dry fly bite has been good. But, as is normal for the Little Truckee, the fish have been very picky. Without an accurate fly selection, long leaders, light tippet and a good presentation, then your success may be minimal.

The main two hatches remain BWO’s and midges, both coming off daily. The baetis are likely what the fish are keying in on any given day, and they mostly prefer the emerger stage out here. They are typically found hatching around midday. The dry fishing will also mostly happen on a short section of river just below the Stampede dam, leaving nymph or streamer anglers with a lot of good fishable water. The fish in the lower sections of river (meadow and down) are a bit more spread out. This water is really great for people that prefer the stick and move style of fishing. Cover water efficiently and keep moving. The populations aren’t as dense, but they are also far less pressured!

 

Pyramid Lake Fishing Report & Forecast

I know you’ve heard us say it over the last few weeks, but so far this season has been nothing short of fantastic. We are hearing “The best November ever” thrown around a bit and we have a hard time disagreeing. Most of the employees in the shop have been getting out on a weekly basis and have been consistently landing fish over 15 pounds and some just falling short of that coveted 20-pound mark a few times.

Although it’s a common belief that the bite often slows down in December, with how good it has been thus far, we’re having a tough time thinking it will shut off to the point where we will not want to fish here every weekend. Both the indicator bite and strip bite remain great, and depending on the beach you decide on for the day, you can have shots on both any given day.

The indicator bite remains mostly on leeches, and on days with chop. When fishing deep, the larger profiles have been fishing better over the micro leeches popular later in the year. This week, the main color palettes have been various shades of black, with some luck on olive or white when the sun is high.

For stripping, the ubiquitous midnight cowboy has been working in most situations. As well as larger profile beetle pattens in chartreuse and white or shades of black. We recommend 1x fluoro tippet for indicator fishing and 0x or 15-pound fluoro for the strip. We are stocked up on Cortland tippet and most sizes of Seaguar Invizx Fluoro, micro swivels, jaydacators, rods, reels, flies and lines all specific for this lake. As well as all the info on how and where to make the most of your day out here. So stop by and gear up!

We’re open every day of the week, from 9-6 and we absolutely love getting people geared up to fish this world class fishery!