Truckee River Fly Fishing Report

Jordan Romney Reports on 6.9.2017

If you haven’t noticed, this has been the best year for fishing the Truckee in years.  By far the best I have ever seen it fish.  With the river being so big it has forced some very big brown trout out of there normal hiding places.  The nice part of this situation is that the fish have no choice to seek refuge on the edges.  This puts them in a very obtainable distance for our drifts.  The tough part is the snags and the flies that we are losing a day. We will get them back when the river drops.

The river is big and powerful, if you are wading past your knees you are spooking fish out of good holding lies.  Fish at your feet first, and then work out.  Don’t worry about fishing the middle fast water, they aren’t in the big stuff yet.  Look for walking pace speed of water with smooth surfaces.  Some of the edges have weird swirls and turbulence to them which are hard to keep the drift looking right.  I guarantee that there are fish there but it’s not easy to fish.  

The river is a very good color right now.  Clear enough for the fish to find food but colorful enough for them to not be as selective as they are in normal years. The fish are going back to eating normal bugs rather than the junk food.  The baetis are out mixed with a few pmds.  Midges can be seen throughout the day and the yellow sallies are just showing up. The caddis is a little MIA right now but they should start to pop here soon.  We are starting to get a some pretty good grabs on the streamer too.  I think since the water has cleared up the fish are willing to go a little further to get a big fly.

I’ve had a few half days the past couple of weeks so I have had so time to go scout.  My “Truckee Alternative” trips are all dialed in. This is fishing all the weird creeks, rivers, ditches, and areas other than the main river.  These trips can sometimes have big payoffs to fish that rarely see any pressure. 

The busy season is upon us. My calendar is already getting full for the rest of June and July.  Get at me now to get on the books.  This will be a year we will not forget.

June: 19, 21-23, 25, 27, 28, 30