Truckee Tahoe Fly Fishing Report June 11, 2021
After a very welcome cold front moved through the Truckee area this week, we saw another solid week of trout fishing as a whole, be it in the rivers, creeks or the lakes. This looks like it will be short lived however as we are going to see temperatures in the mid-80’s by next week. Please be sure to keep an eye on the water temperatures and call it a day when you see temps at 65 degrees or higher. Expect to find a lot of low water in coming weeks as we are seeing water levels dropping rapidly recently. Don’t count out all moving water yet however, there will likely be a handful of options locally over the next few months, mostly those controlled by dams. This is one of the few positives about dams and fish! Please stop on into the shop and let’s talk about your many options in the area. Fly fishing is often considered a river activity, but in reality, this method of fishing can be adapted to cover a huge array of situations. So before you go putting your fly rod away for the summer when trout fishing in a stream is no longer an option don’t forget about the many other options you have and use your fly rod as something more than just a means to catch a fish, use it as a way to get out and explore your area and take you somewhere new.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report
The Truckee River fished incredibly well this week as we saw multiple nights with below freezing temps and water temps dropped too. With highs in the mid-80’s this coming week we recommend trying to get out this weekend if you want good all-day fishing. They have begun to step down the flows coming out of Lake Tahoe over the last week and it is currently at about 300 CFS this week, about a 100 CFS difference over a week. This drop combined with the beginning of the “rubber hatch” will likely slow fishing down in the top stretch out of Tahoe City but below Alpine Meadows and through downtown should still be fishing well and you will see a fraction of anglers as you would see in Glenshire or Hirschdale. Down in the canyon towards state line is also fishing very well and flows have been great down there, this will often be where the bigger fish on the river are found. Begin to fish mostly faster water as fish look for areas with higher levels of oxygen. Pocket water, riffles, or the fast-moving water at the tops of buckets will be best.
We have seen an abundance of different bugs active, and the fish have their choice between caddis, PMD’s, green drakes, yellow sallies, golden stones, baetis, midges and probably a few others we’re forgetting! You definitely have some options for fly selection here and more important than your choice of fly is making sure you’re using enough weight (if nymphing) and getting a good drag-free drift. The evening caddis hatches have started on the T and for those looking to get their dry fly fix this can make for and excellent quick outing. The best time to fish this hatch will be during the last hour of light and can provide a good fury of activity in a short period, but to reiterate, please keep an eye on the water temps especially later this week as the weather gets warmer. We have also seen good action on carpenter ants which are a great choice on most waters when no hatches are present or if fishing mid-day.
Recommended Flies for The Truckee River
Poxy Back Stones #8, Tungsten Trout Retrievers #8-#10, Pat’s Rubberlegs #8-#10, OCD Caddis #14-#16, Caddistrophic Pupa #16, Fox’s Poopahs #16, G6 Caddis #14-#16, Splitcase PMD’s #14-#16, Jigged PMD’s #14-#16, Rainbow Warroirs #16, Lightning Bugs #16-#18, Green Drake Nymphs #8-#10, Micro Poxy Back Stones #14-#16, Two Bit Stones #14-#16, E/C Caddis #14-#16, Elk Hair Caddis #14-#16, Carpenter Ants #8-#12
Little Truckee River Fly Fishing Report
The Little Truckee continues to hold strong at +/- 75 CFS and it has been fishing well despite the continuous angling pressure. There have been good hatches of PMD’s throughout the day here and the evening caddis hatches have been great all up and down the river after the sun goes over the hill. Like the main river with an abundance of bugs here the fish are taking a wide variety of flies. Unlike the main river however, they can get very selective on fly patterns here so you got to have the combination of good flies, good drift and stealth to get fish here which can make for a fun frustrating day (if you’re into that kind of thing..) We have been doing well with PMD’s, caddis, baetis, midges and green drakes here so have a variety of these bugs for your best odds.
Recommended Flies for The Little Truckee
Silhouette Dun PMD #16, Hackle Stacker PMD #16-#18, Melon Quill #16, Light Cahill #16-#18, E/C Caddis #16-#18, Elk Hair Caddis #16-#18, Snowshoe Caddis #16, Para BWO’s #18-#20, Griffith’s Gnat #18-#22, RS2 #18-#20, WD40 #18-#20, Zebra Midges #18-#22, Juju Baetis #18-#20, Splitcase PMD’s #16, OCD Caddis #16, Caddistrophic Pupa #16-#18, Micro Poxy Back Stones #14-#16, Two Bit Stones #14-#16, Carotene Nymph #14-#16
Truckee Tahoe Stillwater Fishing Report
While most of the larger reservoirs in our area are low and on the warmer side, the lakes sitting at higher elevations continue to fish incredibly well. Using an indicator has been putting a lot of fish in the net at our local lakes and we have been fishing everything from blood midges, callibaetis, damselfies to caddis and even balanced leeches with good success. The dry fly bite has been good most of the day on our stillwaters when the wind lays down. If using dries try midges in the mornings, callibaetis and carpenter ants mid-day and callibaetis spinners or caddis in the evenings. The streamer bite also has been fun and using an intermediate sinking line with baitfish, damselfly or crawdad patterns can get you into some of the larger fish in the lake. If you’re new to Stillwater fishing using a fly rod, don’t be intimidated, it’s a lot easier than it sounds, we’ve got you! If you’ve been lake fishing for a while, stop into the shop and let us help you tick another lake off of your list. We have lakes containing rainbows, browns, Lahontan cutthroat, brook trout, mackinaw, kokanee, smallmouth bass, and sunfish all within a few miles. There’s definitely enough water to keep you occupied this summer, and you don’t need a boat either, just a flyrod and your legs.
Flies for Stillwater Fishing
Ice Cream Cone Midges #12-#18, Zebra Midges #16-#20, Albino Winos #12, Cutbait Midges #8-#12, Damselfly Nymphs #10-#12, Pheasant Tails #12-#16, Hare’s Ears #12-#16, Bird’s Nest #12-#16, OCD Caddis #14-#16, Caddistrophic Pupa #14-#16, Fox’s Poopahs #16, Balanced Leather Leeches #8, Woolly Buggers #6-#12, Bellyache Minnows #6, Simiseal leeches #12, Para Adams #12-#18, Ak’s callibaetis spinner #14, E/C Caddis #14-#18, Elk Hair Caddis #14-#18, Griffiths Gnat #16-#20, Carpenter Ant #8-#12
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Tight lines! – Miles and the TCO crew