Truckee River and Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report April 29, 2022
Spring has sprung yet again after a couple weeks of unsettled weather, and we should see some of the best river fishing of the year over the next couple of months, as well as good options on most of our lakes as surface temps will keep fish higher in the water column and active most points in the day. This time of year gives you so many good options including wading or floating the Truckee, bushwhacking along our abundance of creeks, float tube or boat fishing in our lower elevation still waters or hiking into lakes just icing out and that haven’t seen angling pressure since the fall. Admittedly, it can be overwhelming, but don’t worry, stop on in and we’ll be sure to get you going in the right direction.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
With air temperatures in the 60’s expected this week, we anticipate these post storm weeks to provide exceptional fishing as water temps continue to rise and fish become more active throughout the day. In the canyon section, we are seeing flows hang right around the 950 CFS mark which hasn’t changed in a few weeks, a great indicator for a prolonged release of our remaining snowpack. This may help keep fishing on the Truckee viable most of the summer, but only time will tell as we are only sitting at about +/- 40% of our annual snowpack. Odds are strong that we will see another ‘hoot owl’ type closure at some point this year, so don’t wait to get out there as the next few months will undoubtably provide the best conditions for trout fishing in our local rivers.
With good water clarity along most of the river, we continue to find most of our fish on smaller offerings such as baetis and midge patterns, but we have also seen some hatches of march browns and caddis as well. So don’t be afraid to try some larger pheasant tails or caddis pupa in sizes 12-14. The streamer bite remains steady up and down the river and will continue to be one of the best ways to fish while floating, as you can effectively cover lots of water while moving, and fish some low pressure water often overlooked or inaccessible by shore anglers. Most sections of the river are floatable at this time, and we’ve been doing our share so if you have any questions about put in’s/take out’s or methods for fishing out of a boat, we are happy to help! Keep in mind that there is typically a short window for flows that will provide this many options for float trips – so if you’ve been wanting to get the raft out, we recommend doing so soon.
Little Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
As the majority of the rainbows finish up their spawn, we should see fishing on the Little Truckee continue to improve over the coming weeks, especially if the flows remain in the 150’s. With these solid flows, the euro nymphing game has been excellent. Using heavy anchor flies will be necessary to make sure your flies are being seen, like jigged pheasant tails, green drake nymphs or caddis pupa will be large enough bugs to provide the weight needed to get down, but using a baetis or midge as your point fly will be what you likely find your fish on. Even with the higher flows, 6x is still best out here for both dry flies and nymphs as these fish are very educated. As of now the dry fly bite remains spotty with your best odds being mid-day for the potential hatch of baetis as well as some march browns in the mix. Although most of the fish have finished up their spawn, there will still be a few that are late to the party as well as the vacated redds present, and we ask you to continue to keep an eye out for these when wading to give the best odds for success of our next generation of trout. If you have any questions about what to watch out for or appropriate ethics for fishing during this time, don’t hesitate to ask.
Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
Pyramid has begun to pick back up after last week’s storm and it appears that a number of fish have started their post-spawn bite. During this time, stripping streamers along the gradual drop-off’s can provide some of the most consistent action We have been finding fish in depths of 3-8 feet so using an intermediate or type-3 sinking line will be best so you’re not constantly cleaning the algae off of your set up. The indicator bite appears to have fully switched over to midges or other bugs such as maholo nymphs, copper johns or even worms and eggs and this technique will be best when fishing off of rocks or any drop-offs. The bite will be consistent most of the day as water temps are right in the sweet sport to keep fish active. As we come into the tail end of the season here the crowds have mostly disappeared and between the great weather, beautiful, lush green hills and fair fishing this is a great time to visit the lake if fishing isn’t your main objective. This is also our favorite time to camp out here for the very same reasons.
So get out there and enjoy this week of epic weather and fly fishing. We are racing to open the new shop next week ... if everything goes to plan. Lots to be done but we couldn't be more excited for this opportunity. Stop by the 'old' shop and grab some flies for the weekend.
- Miles