Truckee River Fly Fishing Report

Matt Koles, Gilligan’s Guide Service

Flows are up a bit since last report, about 320 cfs here in the Hirsch, a just barely floatable flow, and something I have been taking advantage of while it lasts.

Typically this time of year with this warm weather the river would be just about un-fishable, high and muddy from snowmelt, not so this year, or the last, but it is what it is and that’s the cards we’ve been dealt.

I’ve seen every bug that could possibly hatch. Golden stones, pale morning duns, green drakes, etc, etc. That is 6 weeks ahead of schedule my friends. Maybe Al Gore is right about global warming.

Fish are looking up.

Take advantage while you can. Don’t be the guy or gal fishing when the Truckee River when it get’s to low this summer. It is going to get very low, like last year, but there are other things to fish in Tahoe and Reno.

Bass in the lakes, brook trout, carp in the lower Truckee River, brown trout in the some of the high mountain lakes. They’ll be some things to shake a fly at.

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Matt Heron, Matt Heron Fly Fishing

The Truckee continues to be in good shape with flows and especially water temps for the time being. Not much has changed since our last report but we’ll see if we can add a few updates.
Our March Browns have been pretty good mid day if you hit it right. Some days they’re really popping and some days there are just a few around. Either way if you want to fish dries I would put on a MB attractor and a small baetis emerger behind it. That set up has been working well for us the last few weeks.
As far as the nymphing game goes, it’s your normal spring bugs. If you’re chucking a sz 18 baetis and something bigger ahead of it, it’s hard to go wrong. We also have a few early season caddis around already. I’ve seen them from 20s up to 14s. There were a few giants out today.
We’re happy to announce that Sawmill Lake is open for the season here in Truckee. Right now most fish seem to be in the middle of the lake holding in deeper water. As water temps start to go up over the next few weeks those fish will transition to the shallow flats where we can sight fish them. Once that happens this lake can be as fun as it gets for stillwater.
Lastly, our Fly Fishing School at Squaw Creek is finally open for the season. Our private, stocked ponds are ready to go for the season and fishing is absolutely off the charts right now. This is a great option for beginners and intermediate anglers. We have multiple class options to choose from.
Spring is always a busy time of year for our team because of the perfect fishing conditions. Shoot us a call sooner than later and we’ll make sure you have a great time on the water.
Matt