Truckee River and Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report for February 4, 2022

With a 26.5 pound fish caught a Pyramid last week and some large browns showing up in the river, fishing this time of year can be a little unpredictable but your odds of finding larger quality fish are high. With over a month of no snow, we’ve seen our snowpack shrink substantially. Let’s continue to do our snow dances over the next few months so we can see a good water year to not only keep our fish healthy but to hopefully curtail the extreme fire danger we saw last year.

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast

The Truckee continues to see stabile flows as cold nights have prevented any premature runoff, and while they are a little on the low side of average the fishing remains good on most sections of the river. With access open along most sections and firm snow conditions keeping postholes to a minimum, we encourage you to get a good walk in and try some quiet runs found away from the easy access points to up your odds.

The sections of river from Tahoe City to Hirschdale will still have a fair amount of snow along the banks hindering your travel. Below Hirschdale however, there is little to no snow, making navigation easy. Access to “Horner’s Corner” and “School Yard” off of I-80 will still be closed out due to snowbanks along the interstate, and any parking should be chosen carefully this time of year as you can be ticketed for parking in snow removal zones during the winter, even if no equipment is present, so watch for signage!

With the current low and clear conditions, we have still been mostly fishing small baetis and midge patterns under the indicator, but we’ve also been mixing it up by trying the occasional Skwala nymph or winter stonefly with fair success. These bugs will only become more effective as we come into spring, so now is a good time to stock up! As air temps are hanging below freezing most of the day, don’t worry about getting that early start on the river but instead focus on fishing mid-day through the evening, with the best window typically being when the sun goes over the hill. The lower river east of Sparks also continues to fish well with good euro nymphing for rainbows in the riffles and consistent hatches of BWO’s mid-day through the evening giving you a shot a some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. The streamer bite still remains a little spotty however, as we haven’t seen a lot of overcast days as of late. 

Here are some flies we have to help with the Skwala / Stonefly hatch.

Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report & Forecast

The Little Truckee still has limited access due to packed snow on the road, and people are getting stuck out here on almost daily. This, coupled with the fact that the flows out of the dam are still irregular on a nearly hourly basis has us thinking you should probably stick to a part of the 120+ miles of river offered on the Truckee. Please avoid the Little Truckee at this time.

Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report & Forecast

While the bite is far from consistent, February truly is the month to try and get that trophy cutthroat. We’ve seen multiple 20+ pound fish landed this week, including a 26.5 pound pig caught by Todd Keller. With fish pretty well spread out this time of year, most beaches have a good likelihood of kicking out a big fish, and we are the kind of anglers to search for some quiet shoreline and patiently wait for that bobber to slip under while soaking in some incredible views (there will be a lot of waiting this time of year). We’ve still been doing best on balanced leeches in various colors but have started to see the stripping bite improving as well, especially along the beaches with sandy bottoms and a defined shelf. If you haven’t already, we recommend checking out Bearfish Alliance’s podcast on fishing scuds at Pyramid, it may very well have to rethinking your bug selection out here!

We would like to thank you all for your continued support of Truckee’s only dedicated fly shop. Also, a big thanks for everyone who signed up for this week’s fly-tying event, we have filled all the spots and we look forward to sharing our favorite river ties with you!

Tight Lines,

Miles

PS - We just got in a HUGE order for fly tying material.