Although the weather this week has been warm, the fishing has not skipped a beat. We are seeing excellent trout fishing along the entire Truckee, at Pyramid Lake and in most other lakes and rivers in the area. Fall is always one of the best times to get out and fish. Thus far we have not been disappointed.
October 9th Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake
Fall Guided Trips
Autumn brings classic fall fly fishing conditions to our local rivers, making it the prime time to experience a guided half-day walk and wade trip with Trout Creek Outfitters. Whether you’re targeting eager trout during crisp morning hatches or mastering technical presentations through glassy runs, our expert guides are ready to put you on fish for an unforgettable autumn day on the water.
Truckee River Fishing Report
The Truckee has seen continued good temps and good flows this week, despite the warmer weather and the slight drop out of Boca, going from 300 CFS down to 200. This will lower the canyon slightly but won’t be enough to make much of a difference to the fishing. It will, however, make for rafting in that section to be a bit spotty and anyone looking to float the river should look to head out somewhere in Nevada.
With the lower water upstream, our main recommendation will be focusing on anywhere from the Hirschdale exit down. Even fishing out east (past Sparks) is once again a good option but be sure to still fish the mornings here as Steamboat Creek is still pumping in some warm water and temps are a bit warm in the afternoons. We have once again begun to offer floats out east now that the temps have dropped off and the few trips we have done down there have provided some really good results. This lower section is always a good place to try and find some of the bigger browns in the river, and using streamers or crawdads are great ways to temp them as they are in prespawn. Hit us up if you want to get out there!
We have seen the streamer bite pick up this week even with the sunny days, but with a few stormy days this weekend, that will provide a great window to move some fish on these guys. If fishing nymphs, we would recommend the indicator at this point to more effectively fish varied water types as fish have begun to sit in everything from the walking speed foam lines to the heads of runs in the fast water. The main bugs will be baetis and midges, but we have begun to fish some egg patterns with good success and worms will likely have a solid window with the precipitation on the horizon.
Recommended Flies for the Truckee River
Little Truckee Fishing Report
The Little Truckee remains low and we are recommending avoiding fishing out here to give these fish a much needed break.
Recommended Flies for the Little Truckee River
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report
It has begun! While the opener this year maybe wasn’t as good as years past, there were still countless 20+ pound fish caught in just the first week alone and overall things are looking promising for another excellent year at the lake. There are two main methods of finding fish on fly gear out here right now. Both involve a boat, electronics and persistence. While we use the term boat loosely, because you’ll see everything from Boston Whalers to pontoons, kayaks and float tubes getting in on the action, the idea is you have some means of getting into deeper water, using a fish finder to mark not only the trout, but more importantly the bait balls of Tui Chub, and you hold over them trying to get your presentation down 30-60 feet.
The two main differences would come in how you get them down. The more traditional way would be to use the fasting sinking line made (I.E. a type 7 or 8 full sink line) with a moderately weighted streamer and give is a solid count down, using a bit of math in an attempt to try and gauge how deep you’re fishing before stripping it back up, rinse and repeat. The second, and increasingly more popular method would be to use flies tied on heavy lead head jigs and use a thin, low stretch line of some kind, like braid or even dacron backing, attach a short fluoro leader to it and fish a much more vertical presentation, which gets down quicker and has better strike detection. You essentially drop your jigs down to the bottom, get tight to them and either jig or strip them, bringing them back to the boat before dropping them down again. While this isn’t exactly fly fishing in the traditional sense, it’s effective, and a fun way to find the big early season fish on your fly gear. Just be sure to use a stout rod like an 8wt or heavier, definitely no 6 weights out here!
All of that said, if you would like help trying either of these methods of early season fishing at the lake, stop in the shop and we are happy to help you get set up the right way! If targeting fish in 50 feet of water on fly gear doesn’t really interest you and you want to just wait until the shore bite starts up, we should see that by about mid-to-late November, depending on when the lake flips and the fish begin to cruise the shoreline.
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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