Truckee River 

Flows on the Truckee river have been bouncing around a bit with a series of storms that pushed through the area last week. The increase in flows helped fishing by bringing much needed nutrients and some turbidity to the otherwise crystal clear water. The fish are holding in slow water and are targeting small flies (#16-#20). Hatches have been happening on overcast calm days, but we’re still waiting for the bigger hatches we get in the mid/late winter and early spring. Some fish are poking their noses out of the water though to get this abundant food source.

When fishing slower water, ESN may not always be the most effective presentation. Fishing indicators this time of year can really increase catching rates as slower deep water can be harder to navigate with the Euro method. I still bring both set ups, but lean more towards indicator fishing in slow deep pools in cold winter months.

Flies we suggest: Spanish Bullet, Quill Jig, Hot Spot, CDC Red Tag, Zebra Midge, Baetis Nymphs, Carot, The Ticket, Para Adams, Para Olive,Psycho May BWO, ID Thief

Pyramid Lake 

After a week of pretty slow fishing due to inclement weather and the lake’s surface temps dropping 6 degrees in a week, the LCT are settling into the colder water and feeding in the afternoons. We’re picking up some cruising fish in the early morning under windicators with balanced leeches, but the main bite has been in the afternoons retreiving boobies and beetles. The fish are mixed whether they want the Cat Whisker, white and chartreuse boobie of the Deadpool, black and red boobie, so I have been fishing both with a little split shot 6-8 inches in front of my last boobie to keep it closer to the bottom. 

As always, a little bit of wind and chop is key to productive days, and with another few storms in the forecast we should have some great fishing up ahead. As the surface temps at the lake begin dropping below 45 degrees remember that quality is king over quantity. You fish more hours for less fish, but the average fish should be a much a greater size.

Flies We Suggest: Boobies (Martini Olive, Cat Whisker, Diablo), Pyramid Lake Beetle, Bellyache Minnow, Jans Tui-Chub, Balanced Leech, Holographic Midge