Truckee River and Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report March 4, 2022

A slight shift in weather patterns this week should make for some improved fishing conditions when compared to the warm sunny days last week. Unfortunately, this is not the significant storm we need to further bolster our light snowpack for the summer months, but at this point any little bit helps. As other waters become increasingly accessible with lower elevation snow thawing, now is a good time to think about exploring some different options such as our local creeks that were previously closed to fishing during the winter, as well as the number of options for a day trip like the upper stretches of the Yuba and Feather Rivers to the north and southern tributaries like the Carson and Walker drainages, which both saw an increase in flows over the last week.

Most of our waters here in the Sierra will be fishing well this time of year as the fish will begin to feed more aggressively as days grow longer and water temps warm up.  Spring spawners – such as Rainbows and Cutthroat – will try and put on weight before their spawn. If you’re not sure where to start, stop into the shop and we can point you into the direction of some new waters to try!

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report and Forecast

With the daytime highs in the mid-50’s last week, we saw a 100 CFS increase in the Canyon section of the Truckee bringing it near its 5-year average flow of around 400 CFS at the Farad gauging station. This will mean more weight will be necessary when nymphing or throwing streamers, and additional care should be taken if crossing the river. As water temps rise, bugs such as BWO’s will be more likely to hatch, especially during overcast days with light wind, and this next week is looking fitting for some good opportunities to toss dries, especially along the lower river east of Sparks. Midges remain very active as well, with little interest from the fish on top of the water, however using a #20 zebra midge either under the indicator or with a dry dropper set up remains a very consistent producer.

We have yet to see the Skwalas really begin to show en masse, and some years can be better than others for this hatch, but we’ve certainly been catching our fair share of fish on the nymphs. This exciting hatch goes for another couple of months so we encourage you to have some dries and nymphs of these bug in your box as they make an excellent attractor/searching pattern in the spring.

Little Truckee Fly Fishing Report and Forecast

Patches of snow and ice remain on the road to the Little Truckee, and caution should be taken if driving back here. The flows on the LT remain unstable out of stampede dam and have been fluctuating from 35-50 CFS, at 35 we consider it too low for ethical fishing and 50 is right on the cusp, we’d much prefer to see it in the 60-100 range.

Please also remain aware that we are approaching spawning season for the rainbows out here so be conscious of this, keeping an eye out for any spawning behavior from the fish such as being paired up in shallow riffles or fish beginning to dig out their redds. This will usually happen over the course of a couple months and if you are unsure what to look for please feel free to stop in the shop or give us a call for additional information. Truthfully, the best policy when fish are spawning is to stay off the water completely, and this is much preferred to fishing around them to avoid any human interaction, stressing the fish out and inhibiting their spawn. This will be even more important on the Little Truckee due to the size of the water, and with this year having such low flows thus far. While we have yet to see or have reports of any spawning fish, we feel it’s important to note it’s right around the corner and anglers should remain aware of this over the next few weeks.

Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing Report and Forecast

With the light storm expected over the weekend we anticipate some good fishing as the barometric pressure drops and fish remain active throughout the day. This weekend will be a great time to get out here. Most methods remain productive, and fish are being caught on a huge variety of streamers, bugs and lures. It really doesn’t seem to make a big difference on fly selection but more so on presentation. Putting in a full day out here can be grueling but can be necessary for your shot at the 20+ pound fish that swim in these waters, so keep on the grind and keep that fly in the zone.

When fishing indicators, we are still finding good numbers of fish in the 6-8 foot range on balanced leeches while starting to see more action on midges and other nymphs such as Maholo Nymphs, scud patterns and even generic trout flies such as copper johns, dragonfly nymphs, and even worms and eggs, so don’t be afraid to throw the curveball every once and a while if you’re not seeing much action. The strip bite has been good as well using various buggers, boobies and beetles, and we always recommend having both set-ups on hand to cover a variety of situations and mix up your fishing for the day. The bite seems to be steady along the middle of the lake and beaches from Pelican down to blockhouse have all been producing, but with the number of fish in this lake, your odds remain high regardless of what beach you choose to fish for the day. Keep in mind that these fish are not stationary and are constantly on the move, so as long as the beach meets a few basic criteria you will likely find some trout.

Thanks again for supporting your dedicated local fly shop.

– Miles