Owen Murray's Idaho Trip: August 9th-12th

Late summer in Idaho can be one of my favorite trout fishing opportunities — big foam flies imitating hoppers or mutant stones, streamers thrown against shallow rocks, and caddis hatches at sunset are all hard to beat. On the South Fork of the Snake, anglers get the chance to experience all of those subgenres of trout fishing in one day. 

Even though striped bass fishing at home had been heating up, I traveled to Idaho to scratch the trout fishing itch and see some good buddies on August 9th. We first floated the Teton to find some cutthroat eating caddis and small PMDs during the last few hours of sunset. Long casts with delicate presentations proved to be the ticket, and in just a few hours of floating we landed some solid fish. The fly of the night was the brown CDC Bubble Back Caddis in size 16.

The following day, we floated Section 1 of the South Fork. Streamer fishing and hopper dropper rigs with a pink size 8 Morrish Hopper and a 14 Duracell yielded fish during the mid-morning and afternoon. Once the sun started getting lower, we focused our efforts on fishing riffles with small caddis emergers and PMD dries. The Hackle Stacker PMD in size 16 worked best for our group, and it claimed a few nice cutts. 

The grand finale of my time in Idaho was the Canyon Section of the South Fork. On our final day, we put the boat in at sunrise to capitalize on a mutant stone hatch and some low-light streamer fishing. I fished some of my articulated streamers in the morning and moved some big, wary brown trout out from under rocks. Unfortunately, those fish spooked at the boat. They are still occupying real estate in my mind. 

While I streamer fished or rowed, my buddies fished everything from a size 8 Chubby to similarly-sized golden and mutant stones. He caught quite a few large cutts on top and broke a big brown off. As the sun got higher, we transitioned to indicator nymphing Pat's Rubber Legs with size 16 Duracells, and that worked great.

In terms of rods, reels, and line, I primarily fished my 10 foot 4 weight Sage R8 paired with a Galvan Torque 5 and a WF5F Rio Gold. This proved to be a great riffle rod for small dries, and when I threw my WF5F Rio Single Hand Spey line on it, the setup was phenomenal for indicator nymphing with long drifts and big mends.  

For the heavy duty applications, I gravitated to a 6 and 7 weight. The 6 fished hopper dropper rigs well with a Rio Grand, and the 7 worked great for bigger streamers. If you are gearing up for some late summer trout fishing, make sure to give us a call — we'd love to help you out. 

In the last 2 months I have managed to catch my 2 best striper on Ocean Beach! 

The LCO team has been fishing like maniacs. Infact, on Sunday the entire team was fishing. I was on the Trinity, Jose and Brett were on the bay, Owen was in Idaho trout fishing, and Jake was on Stinson. It's pretty rad how much our team gets out to fish!

Striper fishing has been good! Jose and Brett went out with Captain Gregg Holand on the bay and caught some nice fish in the usual spots Red Rock and Angel Island. The delta fished well for me last week, but it's been really windy out west, Sherm and I casted in 25 MPH winds with 3/0 adachi rattle clousers and found a few quality fish up to maybe 10lbs.

The birds have been all over Ocean Beach and I found a couple of fish early in the week and then a few skunk days to remind me its Ocean Beach. Rising morning tides this week so thats cool!

A great time to be thinking about chrisy feild. 

Saturday/Sunday Trinity River to skate some dries with Tom Mahan at Swingwater guide service. Fish were starting to show up! I boiled a few in the evening. The recent rains should do well to get the fish moving around! Tom was fired up and great guide if you are looking to swing flies on the Trinity River. 

I managed to head back for a few days of work then spent a day with Capt. Ben Thompson on the Sac fishing for striper. A similar story to the delta we fished hard looking for the grande's. We caught some quality fish up to maybe 8 or 9lbs. Ben is an excellent capatian and I highly reccomend booking in on the Sac, Yuba, or Feather for striper or trout. 

Owen hopped on the airplane and touched down in ID for a trout trip with some of his college buddies fishing the Teton and South Fork Snake. 

Hot, hot and hot!

I’ll start with a Truckee fishing report and end with Hoot Owl closure updates.

Wow, what a difference a few weeks makes. We thought last week was warm, but were we wrong. It got even hotter! The high for today as I write this it supposed to be 97. That’s pretty ridiculous for Truckee the first week of July.

The good news is morning water temps on the Truckee are holding in there and the fish are still eating!

Most fish this week are being landed on mix of Hopper-Droppers, Euro nymphing the pocket water and the occasional dry fly fish on a caddis or mayfly.

The hatches we saw a few weeks ago have slowed down quite a bit, maybe even a lot depending on where you are on the river.

The bugs we are seeing are a mix of sz 14-18 caddis, some PMD's in 16s, some golden stones in 12s, and Yellow Sallies in 16s. If you want to blind cast a sz. 10 Green Drake, there are still a few fish looking up for them!

That said, Hoppers with deep droppers have been really good to our guides this week and should get even better as more hoppers show up for the summer. I would suspend one or two flies at least 30” down and hold on. The dropper bite has been good with a few fish eating the hopper.

Euro has also been excellent too. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. Get down fast and fish them. Trust me.

Fish this week have varied in size, but like most summers there’s a lot of fish in the 8-14” range. With a few fish 16-20” being landed. As some of you know, it can be numbers, not size this time of year.

Flows: 

Flows above and below Boca are starting to stable and looking more like summer conditions by the day. From town to Boca is at 381 cfs. Farad in the canyon is dropping by the day, 744 cfs.

See all flies HERE.

Hoot Owl Closures:

Unfortunately, it’s that time of year already where we need to take a serious look at water temps and protecting our fish. Ridiculous to think about since we still have snow left!

Please fish with a thermometer and consider getting off the water once the water temps hit 65-68 degrees. This is nothing new, Hoot Owls have been happening for as long as I can remember and it’s the best way to protect fish once dissolved oxygen levels dip.

Above Boca we’re seeing it hit that temperature anywhere from 11-3pm. This basically means that late afternoon and evening fishing is off limits from Boca upstream to Lake Tahoe.

With releases coming out of Boca, the water temps are a bit better but still fish with a thermometer through the canyon. I’d check every 30-60 minutes or so to be safe.

Daily Classes:

Classes are still going strong on our pond at Everline Resort. Definitely drop us a note if you’re looking to get in on the action. Class fish are being caught with a mix of dries and hopper droppers depending on the time of day.

Justin and his son with a few nice class fish! Thanks Ethan W.👍

Even with the heat, we’re still cranking this time of year and getting into fish daily. Drop Lu a note if you want to fish this summer. We’d love to get you out there!

The Little Truckee

With hot temperatures affecting Northern California, most bug activity on the Little Truckee will be in the mornings and evenings. Cash and Owen from LCO fished it mid-morning and observed PMDs, baetis, midges, and some caddis. Despite the presence of adult bugs, the fish seemed to be wary to eat on top. As such, nymphing on a dry dropper or tight line rig will produce fish during the sunny hours. Use small mayfly and caddis nymphs on light tippet, but make sure to keep your eyes out for rising fish.

The nymphs that produced the best were homemade PMD patterns in sizes 16 and 18 with small tungsten beads. For action on top, consider fishing a Hackle Stacker PMD or an olive Sparkle Dun.

Flows were prime at 2500 cfs, but the crowds were thick. Be prepared to hike to find spots that haven't been taken, and consider fishing transition water that most anglers discount.

The Truckee

The Truckee is also in perfect shape, and it offers the opportunity to get away from crowds. Indicator nymphing in the remote canyon section worked well for Owen and Cash. Try using a size 14 caddis pattern like Gil's G6 Caddis. PMD and drake nymphs worked well too.

Look out for hatches in the morning and evening. Yellow Sallies, Drakes, Caddis, and PMDs were abundant in the evening, and fish started taking emergers on the swing around 6 pm.

Be careful of land boundaries in the canyon section. An uninformed landowner hassled Owen and Cash while they were within the Tahoe National Forest, but his comments served as a reminder that anglers need to know where they stand. 

Middle Fork Feather River

Fishing remains very good on the Middle Fork Feather River with all methods still working. Flows are getting low on the upper river with only 45 cfs on the Portola gauge. Better flows can be found below Jamison Creek with an estimated flow of around 200cfs. Water temps have gotten a bit of a reprieve with the dry cold front that just passed dropping temps a few degrees. This won’t last long as air temps creep back into the upper 80’s and water temps head back into the upper 60’s. Please carry a stream thermometer and use it often throughout the day. Stop fishing when water temps hit 68 degrees. The fish will be eternally grateful!

The dry fly fishing is good to great depending on the day and location. Look for Trico spinners and spent Tricos in the mornings around Graeagle and Blairsden. Yellow sallies and caddis ovipositing have fish feeding on the surface mid day. Baetis and PMD mayflies are hatching as well. It’s a veritable smorgasbord for the fishies right now. Dry dropper has been responsible for fish as well. 

The fish can be found in a variety of water types from slow frog water to fast riffles and pocket water. Be thorough when covering the water and make sure to put some casts in the fast stuff at the head of the riffles. 

What’s Working

Dry Flies: Missing Link Yellow Sallie (14), Parachute Adams, (14-18), Trico Spinner (20-24) Sparkle Flag BWO (14-16), Sparkle Flag PMD (14-16), Comparadun (16), Elk Hair Caddis (14-16), E/C Caddis (14-16) Chubby Chernobyl (10), Rubber Leg Crystal Stimulator yellow (10) Nymphs: Rusty Jig (14-16), Raindrop Perdigon (14-16), Plastic Surgeon (14-16), Electrolyte Baetis (14-16), Iron Sally (14-16), Sparkle Caddis (14-16), Fox’s Pupa (14-16)

Truckee River

The summer fishing season is in full swing on the Truckee River. With that we find the return of the smaller summer fish with a few good fish in the mix. While nymphing is the name of the game, there is some fun dry fly fishing if you are in the right place at the right time. A mix of BWO’s, March Browns, PMD’s, Yellow Sallies, caddis and a handful of green drakes have been observed hatching over the past few days and is . The fish are in the fast water and pocket water as well as some slower runs. Dry dropper, tightline and indicator methods are catching fish so it really comes down to a matter of personal preference.

The river is busy with lots of different user groups including guides and anglers. Please be patient, use proper etiquette and know that a smile and wave will go a lot further than a scowl and sharp word will.

What’s Working

Dry Flies: Parachute Adams (16-20), Missing Link PMD (14-16), Sparkle Flag (14-16), E/C Caddis (14-16), Yellow Sallie (14-16), Chubby Chernobyl (10), Turk’s Tarantula (10) Nymphs:Plastic Surgeon (14-16), Rusty Jig (14-16), Electrolyte Baetis (14-16), Perdigons (14-16), Iron Sally (14-16), Sparkle Caddis (14-16), Fox’s Pupa (14-16)

What a difference a few weeks makes!

Things are rolling on the Truckee River right now and conditions are almost as good as they can get.

Flows are a big higher than usual for the third week of June, but water temperatures (most of the day) and clarity could not be any better.

Depending on where you are the time of day, temperatures are anywhere from low 50s to low 60s most of the day. The wind from last week definitely did its job and stirred up Lake Tahoe a bit. That brought river temperatures down, in a good way.

That said, late afternoon and evening temps did hit 68 degrees this week according to our guide Jay Clark on Glenshire Dr. This means pack a thermometer and call it quits around 67-68 degrees. Hoot Owl river closers have started. Spread the word!!

Temps in the canyon, below Boca are better late becuase of the releases on the Lower Little Truckee. If you’re going to fish late, head down low.

Flows from town to Boca are still on a dropping trend (462 cfs), as they have been for weeks. The flows from Boca through the canyon (1,120 cfs) pumped a bit this week when they started dumping Boca Reservoir. The lake is pretty damn full. It’s been a while, definitely a sight for sore eyes.

See all flows HERE.

Bugs, bugs and more bugs. They are all popping on the Truckee River right now.

Where to even start…Green Drakes in Sz 10, PMDs in 16s, Caddis in 14-18s, BWO’s in 18s, Yellow Sallies in 16s, Golden Stones in 10’s, Midges in 20s, Crayfish in 6-10s, something similar to March Browns in a 16…did I forget anything?!!

Oh yeah, hopper-droppers. Don’t leave home without them! Or even Green Drake-droppers.

It’s all happening right now. Have your nymphs, larvae, pupas, emergers, adults and spinners ready to go when you get here. Who the hell knows what you’re going to run into.

We had a one trip this week where my guest landed fish on bobbers, Euro, dries, Hopper-Dropper and Trout Spey. Whey I say it’s all happening right now; I mean it’s all happening!

Quick Reports:

NV Side Truckee River- Not much has changed down there. Our daily float trips are going well and nymphing has been the name of the game. Our crew is running into some fish on streamers and dries. As you can imagine, it’s the same fly list as above on the CA side.

Daily Classes- Our beginner’s classes are still going well and pond temperatures are holding strong to start the season, even with the warm weather. Some really nice rainbows are being landed each day by our students. Drop us a note if you’re looking to tune up that casting stroke!

Sawmill Lake- Sawmill continues to kick out some big rainbows for our guests this season. It’s been a mix of walk and wade from shore (sight fishing or w bobbers) and boat fishing. Most fish are being caught subsurface, but the dry fly thing is very possible if you hit it right.

Middle Fork, Feather River- This little gem continues to throw down good numbers of fish each day for our guests. It’s been some of the more consistent dry fly fishing in the area recently and PMDs, Caddis and hopper-droppers are by far been the go-to on our trips.

If you’re interested in getting out with one of amazing guides, drop Lu a note. She’d love to make your vacation one to remember!

Ben Thompson Outdoors

River Stripers

River striper season is coming into shape for my favorite time of the year to chase linesiders. Some of the resident fish are starting to hang in their regular haunts, while a lot of them in the upper stretches are hanging around the large schools of shad. We have been having encounters with/seeing 10+ pound fish more often than not lately, and were fortunate to land a true giant this week. It has not been a huge numbers game most days, but covering ground and stripping those flies really aggressively with good pauses to make the clouser look wounded has been bringing us success.

It is important to make your fly stand out when there are so many baitfish around for them to eat. Standard Adachi style clousers have been the go-to, in a wide variety of colors that hasn’t seemed to matter that much from olive/white to chartreuse/white to black/purple. When the bulk of the shad leave the system, July, August, and September are my favorite months to hunt for big fish out there so we are just getting warmed up.

Lower Yuba River

Hopper season is upon us! The Lower Yuba has roughly 3300 cfs coming out of Englebright Dam. I very much enjoy these higher flows for hopper fishing from the drift boat. There is more flow all the way across the river, allowing us to fish the hoppers right on the bank instead of having to fish the middle of the river (i.e. during drought flows).

The staple of the Fat Albert with pink legs is always the go-to out there, but there are large grasshopper infestations in the area this year. As such, mixing in more naturally colored hoppers throughout the day can prove effective. Hopper dropper can be effective throughout the coming months in the riffles, and in deeper water try using two tungsten nymphs below the hopper if you can manage not to tangle it.

Look for caddis hatches in the evening throughout summer, and don’t sleep on the X Caddis or Mercer’s Missing Link during these hatches as well as the standard Elk Hair Caddis.

For nymphing, match the hatch and watch for little yellow sallies. When they come off, fish can get very aggressive eating them. Fox’s Pupa and Bird's Nests are always effective nymphs for the caddis, and when there is not a lot hatching I like to use a lot of Hogan Brown’s flies that were designed for the Yuba. Examples include the red headed step child, Hogan’s S&M in olive and the military may.

Other attractors like frenchies and a multitude of perdigon variations have also been proving effective in between hatches. For those who like to use a two handed rod, swinging Bird's Nests during a caddis hatch, leeches, and soft hackles in the riffles can get you hooked up.

My current open dates are June 20 and 29, as well as July 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 20, 25, 30, and 31. I have more information on my website benthompsonoutdoors.com and feel free to give me a call 916-743-8290.

MacKenzie on the Fly

Gilligan's Guide Service

Flows are steadily coming down on the Truckee River and the fishing is very good.

Bugs of every kind are out. PMDs, stoneflies, green drakes, caddis, and a whole smorgasbord of bugs are on the menu. Nymphing with any of the mentioned patterns should get you on some fish.  I doubt you’ll see any fish rising during the bright sun of the day. Evenings are another deal now; you’ll see caddis, pale evening duns, and if you get lucky a green drake hatch.

It will mainly be a nymphing program from here on out. Tight line nymphing is the bread and butter here on the Truckee River, or "Euro" as they now like to call it. That’s how I guide and teach. Taking off the bobber will open up a whole new world for you. These trout are in the slots and faster water, and that is the key to catching these fish.