Truckee River Fly Fishing Report April 30, 2021
As the weather warms and the snow continues to melt, this will be a great time of year to begin exploring some of our creeks and lakes that have been inaccessible all winter. The low snowpack this year will mean that we will likely only have a couple of good months of creek fishing, and that most of the higher elevation lakes will open up sooner. As the crowds continue to increase on the river now is a good time to start thinking outside of the box in terms of your fishing locations. We have great fishing in our local reservoirs such as Boca, Stampede and Prosser as well and we are very knowledgeable on how to approach these waters. Come in to the shop or give us a call for more on local creek and still water tactics.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report and Forecast
The Truckee continues to fish well overall but the warmer weather as of late has made the fishing better during times of low light, and when the sun is high in the sky, we recommend taking a nice long lunch so you’re ready to hit it hard in the late afternoon. We are still doing best on Baetis patterns mostly but we are starting to see more summer bugs such as caddis, march browns and yellow sallies so definitely play around with your fly selections to figure out what is working best on any given day. Streamer fishing remains a very good option with the great water clarity and flows. We have been catching fish on a variety of sizes and colors of streamers and I would base your selection on what type of water you where looking to focus on. If fishing further up-river along 89 South to Glenshire, I would be using a smaller and more drab streamer due to the clarity of the water, whereas if fishing downstream we recommend using larger patterns with more weight and maybe even more flash. With the fish sitting in a variety of water types quite a few methods are doing well right now and anglers can use indicators, euro nymphing methods, dry droppers and streamers.
Recommended Flies for The Truckee River:
Juju Baetis #16-#18, Micro Mays #16-#18, Anato-Mays #16-#18, Pheasant Tails #14-#16, Bird’s Nests #14-#16, Pat’s Rubberlegs #8-#10, San Juan Worms #12, Gummy Worms #12, Zebra Midges #16-#18, G6 Caddis #14-#16, Caddistrophic Pupa #16, Z-Wing Caddis #16, Hunchback March Brown #10
The Little Truckee River Fly Fishing Report and Forecast
The fishing on the Little Truckee has been improving in recent weeks as we see a good number of lake run fish in the system. These fish are mostly up there to spawn – though and we ask you to keep an eye out for actively spawning fish if you head out here. Focusing on the deeper runs is a great way to avoid these fish and the best way to fish this water will be euro nymphing or using dry flies when hatches are present. The main bugs here continue to be Baetis (BWO’s) and midges and we highly encourage you to have a good assortment of patterns and sizes to try here as these fish can be extremely selective. We are starting to see hatches of caddis coming off in the evenings which can make for some great dry fly fishing later in the day and will be a great consistent hatch later in this summer. As this river begins to see increased angling pressure a stealthy approach, light tippet and a accurate fly selection will become increasingly important here. Drop in to shop for some bugs and talk about the best way to approach these selective fish.
Recommended Flies For The Little Truckee:
Zebra Midges #18-#22, Juju Baetis #18-#20, Micro Mays #18, Anato-May’s #18-#20, Olive Mic Drops #18, Jigged Baetis #18-#20, BH Back Midges #18-#20, RS2’s #18-#20, Dandelion Midges #20-#22, Palomino Midges #18-#20, Para BWO’s #18-#20, Hackle Stackers #18-#20, Mole Flies #18-#20, Griffiths Gnat #20-#22
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report
Fishing at Pyramid Lake can be some of the most frustrating this time of year as the majority of fish are focused on spawning and seem to mostly uninterested in your flies. When fishing here you will see thousands of fish swim by you but they only have one thing on their minds and it’s not eating. We recommend not getting caught up in the fish you can see but instead fishing for the ones you don’t see. This means either stripping streamers or indicator fishing off of drop-offs and focusing on fish swimming in 10+ feet of water. If stripping, we have been finding some fish on bunny leeches and sculpin patterns, especially the more subdued patterns with less flash. Woolly buggers, popcorn beetles and booby flies are also good fall backs. Under the indicator smaller remains better in terms of midges but definitely don’t count out the standard trout flies such as copper johns, prince nymphs, bird’s nests, etc. Fishing out here will be best early mornings as the air temperatures are now rising to the 80’s mid-day which is both tough on the angler and the fish. Bring a good lunch and a lot of cold beverages if fishing out here this time of year as sun exposure can be quite harsh. A pop-up canopy or sun shelter is another good thing to consider if doing a full day. The plus with this time of year is the decrease in crowds as many people look to transition to fishing other places in the spring, and the camping right now is great!
Recommended Flies For Pyramid Lake
Cutbait Midges #12, Ice Cream Cone Midges #10-#12, Albino Winos #10, Maholo Nymphs #8, Copper Johns #10, Prince Nymphs #10, Glowbugs #10, Squirmy Wormies #10, Pat’s Rubberlegs #10, Midnight Cowboys #8, Estaz Woolly Worms #6, Woolly Buggers #8, Bunny Leeches #8, McCune’s Sculpins #6, Swim Coaches #4, Mini Loop Sculpins #8
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Tight lines! – Miles
We believe that big flashy streamers can work really well at certain times - but let's keep it real. Help us all take care of our river and pick up a little extra trash while you're out there.
