The Truckee continues to see stabile flows as cold nights have prevented any premature runoff, and while they are a little on the low side of average the fishing remains good on most sections of the river. With access open along most sections and firm snow conditions keeping postholes to a minimum, we encourage you to get a good walk in and try some quiet runs found away from the easy access points to up your odds.

The sections of river from Tahoe City to Hirschdale will still have a fair amount of snow along the banks hindering your travel. Below Hirschdale however, there is little to no snow, making navigation easy. Access to “Horner’s Corner” and “School Yard” off of I-80 will still be closed out due to snowbanks along the interstate, and any parking should be chosen carefully this time of year as you can be ticketed for parking in snow removal zones during the winter, even if no equipment is present, so watch for signage!

With the current low and clear conditions, we have still been mostly fishing small baetis and midge patterns under the indicator, but we’ve also been mixing it up by trying the occasional Skwala nymph or winter stonefly with fair success. These bugs will only become more effective as we come into spring, so now is a good time to stock up! As air temps are hanging below freezing most of the day, don’t worry about getting that early start on the river but instead focus on fishing mid-day through the evening, with the best window typically being when the sun goes over the hill. The lower river east of Sparks also continues to fish well with good euro nymphing for rainbows in the riffles and consistent hatches of BWO’s mid-day through the evening giving you a shot a some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. The streamer bite still remains a little spotty however, as we haven’t seen a lot of overcast days as of late. 

Here are some flies we have to help with the Skwala / Stonefly hatch.