The early kick off to spring fishing has started off with a bang here on the Truckee River this week with pretty unanimous reports of great fishing. It is definitely go time for moving water fishing in the area, so don’t wait too long to trade in the ski boots for wading boots this year. We are lucky to see Lake Tahoe and most of the local reservoirs sitting at good levels right now, so were looking good for squeaking by any low flow issues this summer despite the low snowpack. Looking at the warmer-than-average March though, we can count on getting hoot owl conditions early this year.
March 20th Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake
Spring Half-Day Guided Floats
Trade the long wade for a spring float on the Truckee. This is one of the best windows of the year, Skwalas and Baetis bringing consistent dry fly chances and higher flows setting up the kind of streamer water this river is known for. Spring can bring some of the most exciting fishing of the year, and our guides know how to stay ahead of shifting conditions. It’s a short season, book a half-day float and make the most of it.
Truckee River Fishing Report
The rainbows on the Truckee have mostly entered spawn-mode at this point and if spotted these fish should be avoided to allow a successful spawn of our wild Truckee trout. Caution should also be taken when wading across any shallow gravels bars, as these redds can be hard to spot at times. With that said, you can definitely guess what junk fly would be good to fish right now. As one may expect on a year like this, we are seeing bugs hatch a bit earlier this year, and we have begun to see some caddis in the evenings and sporadic hatches of March browns in addition to the skwalas and baetis. Other than the egg, the other good junk flies would be worms and stoneflies, but this would also be a good time to consider mixing in some dead drifted crawdads into the rotation as we head into the little runoff that we will see this year. Streamer fishing remains fair here on the California side, and good on the Nevada side, especially downstream of Sparks where the turbidity, the temperature and the percentage of big browns increase. For those curious about this lower section of the Truckee, now is the time to check it out. If you’re interested in a float, give us a call. We’ve got a few more excellent weeks of fishing down here.
Recommended Flies for the Truckee River
Little Truckee Fishing Report
The flows on the Little Truckee are holding around 125 CFS, which is right around average for this time of year. The flows coming out of Boca and into the main river are completely shut off to fill the reservoir right now, which means that the lake level will constantly rise over the next few weeks. This will mean that for those of you wanting to fish the inlet, where you fished successfully one day can easily change overnight, so be ready to adjust tactics as Boca comes up. As for the Little Truckee, we are seeing fewer winter stones this week and baetis have regained their status as the go-to bug out here. Skwalas are definitely happening out here too and they make for a fun way to present a nymph via a dry dropper set up as well as a good larger fly to use as a searching pattern for those that like to cover a few miles of river in a day. We have also seen a lot of spawning fish out here, so the same etiquette for the main river will apply here but will be even more important due to the smaller size of the LT and the high fishing pressure it receives.
Recommended Flies for the Little Truckee River
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report
As with everything else this year, we have seen the fish at Pyramid begin their spawn a bit earlier this year, and this week we have seen fish paired up and creating redds right along the lake shore. Despite this, there are still fish hanging in deeper water feeding and these are the fish you would be targeting if you headed out here right now. Look to fish shallow under your indicators along beaches with more gradual drop offs and use midges in the #12-14 range. Stripping streamers on these same beaches can also be great, with the classic popcorn beetle reigning supreme right now to the point where we would recommend just fishing the one fly and ditching the bugger. With the longer and warmer days we’ve been seeing out here, taking a second to give yourself a break from fishing, grab water and some food, seek out shade and re-apply sunblock. This will become very important for the remainder of the season. This is also an excellent time to get out on a boat, pontoon or float tube and beat the crowds along the shoreline. The slip indicator with midges can work really well in this situation and will often keep the rod bent throughout most of the day, well after the morning bite for the shore fisherman has slowed.
Recommended Flies for Pyramid Lake
Check the Flows Before You Go...
Trout Creek Outfitters Clearance Rack!
Before you go, take a moment to explore our end of summer blowout sale featured on this Clearance Rack. It's a great opportunity to find quality gear at reduced prices, perfect for adding to your kit or trying something new. You might just hook a fantastic deal!
Watch Doug Ouellette Break Down Pyramid Lake Beetle Retrieves on YouTube!
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