Truckee River and Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report March 11, 2022
It definitely feels like spring is in the air this week with some beautiful sunny days and good fishing using dry flies. As the weather continues to get nicer and days longer, we encourage you to explore some of the various waters throughout the area as both the fishing conditions and the weather align for some potentially epic days on the water. The drainages for the Feather, Yuba, American, Carson and Walker are all within a day trip of Tahoe and all have been fishing well. If you do feel like staying close to home, the Truckee hasn’t been too shabby either with some thick hatches of midges and BWO’s as well as some Skwalas starting to pop within the last couple of weeks.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
The Truckee continues to fish well along most sections of the river with the exception of some of the dewatered areas around Reno, where you may still find fish, but they will be very spooky with the low water. Our go to still has been the canyon section where flows hold around 400 CFS, down here we have been finding most fish under the indicator using midges and BWO’s down to a size 20 and pairing them with Skwala nymphs, eggs, or worms for our attractors, being sure to use ample weight with these flows. Dry dropper set ups using a Skwala adult paired with a midge or BWO nymph is a fun way to cover water this time of year as the fish begin to seek out these large bugs and can be very effective when fishing the skinnier water found along Glenshire Road or Reno.
The lower river, east of Sparks, continues to fish well too using the same bugs as up high but focusing on different water types as the fish down here are holding in a medium speed water, so focus on riffles and pocket water when fishing down here. The best way to really learn the Truckee is to make an attempt to fish as many different sections of it as possible, with over 120 river miles that will certainly keep you busy for a while and help you figure out the nuances that make this river one of the toughest on the west coast, embrace the challenge!
Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
The road out to the Little Truckee continues to hold snow and will be accessible by high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicles only. At 35 CFS this isn’t a great time to attempt fishing it as well and we currently recommend leaving this heavily pressured fishery be. There are plenty of smaller water options available right now. Stop in the shop and we’re happy to point you in the right direction.
Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report & Forecast
Pyramid seemingly slowed down a bit this week with the persistent bright days, but regardless we have still been seeing some quality catches and in true Nevada fashion, every day is a gamble out here with the possibility of a jackpot fish. With a small shift in weather expected mid-week, anyone looking to fish out here should make it a point to focus on these days for your best odds. Soon we will begin to see a more consistent bite as the fish stay in shallow and school up during their pre-spawn behavior. This should start in a matter of a few weeks and will continue on through most of April.
We have seen the indicator bite really switch heavily to midges now, so be sure to have a good variety of sizes, colors and shapes of these bugs for the spring out here. The strip bite has also become very consistent most points in the day and using a slower sinking line (around 2-3 IPS) will be better when targeting fish suspended in the 6-8 foot range. They have been taking a variety of offerings for streamers, and having a good selection of different buggers, beetles and boobies will be a great place to start, but also consider larger streamers such as clouser minnows or double bunnys imitating the Tui Chub, to grab their attention when other flies fail.
Have a great week out there! Stop by the shop and say hello.
- Miles