December 5th Fly Fishing Report for the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and Pyramid Lake
The lack of storms to start the winter have made for some good days to be on the Truckee River. However, because of these same weather patterns, the fishing at Pyramid Lake has been a bit more day to day. While both are certainly in play, we wouldn’t claim that either one is fishing “red hot” right at this moment, but on both bodies of water all it takes is one solid fish to make a happy camper. After all, what else are you going to do? Stay inside?
Winter Guided Fly Fishing
Winter on the Truckee is a truly special time, and our guided trips are your ticket to the best of it! Leave the crowds at home. Winter solitude brings cold, clear rivers, and the biggest fish are ready to strike. Whether you want to hunt for a trophy or looking to dial in technique, our guides know exactly where the action is. Maximize your time on the water, learn the local secrets, and make this winter the most productive yet. Don't wait—book your Truckee fly fishing adventure today!
Truckee River Fishing Report
While the flows have stayed much the same on the Truckee for a while now, the water temps are plummeting, and the clarity is improving. This is due to some very cold mornings this week. When we get into these types of winter conditions, there are quite a few important factors to consider for your best chances of success.
With the water being so clear along the entire river system right now, bringing a good amount of stealth will be important. This means, downsizing your flies, downsizing your tippet, using a natural colored indicator, or ditching the brightly colored sighter if you’re euro nymphing. We have seen greater success with fishing two small bugs this week over using the typical Truckee River “something large and gaudy, down to something small”. The best success we had was using a size 16-18 baetis nymph to a size 20 zebra midge and taking plenty of time to fish each run very thoroughly, to really try and bump these fish on the nose.
If fishing anywhere from Reno down, the worm will still remain a solid option if you’re looking to fish a larger fly. The water temps are now down into the high 30’s to start the day, that means that the fish are going to be pretty slow and won’t really wake up until noon or so most days. Focus on the 12pm-4pm window, as this is when water temps will be at their highest and the fish most active. The fish are not exclusively in slow pools just yet, as a matter of fact, we were still finding most in soft edges next to decently fast seam. Fishing the Truckee this time of year is definitely a game of patience and persistence, but the payout can often be worth it.
Recommended Flies for the Truckee River
Little Truckee Fishing Report
The LT remains very low at 40 CFS. Please stay off the Little Truckee right now and give these fish a much needed break.
Pyramid Lake Fishing Report
Even though we have not seen enough storms to really push the cutthroat in with any regularity, the cold nights have dropped the surface temps on the lake which has made for a bit more of a consistent bite this week. There are three main factors we look for when deciding good fishing conditions out here, and ideally, we would want at least two of the three. Number one is overcast, if there is cloud cover present, the fish are a lot less fearful of predation and more comfortable higher in the water column because of less light penetration. Number two is wind, we are ideally looking for 10-15 MPH winds, but depending on the direction, you can still effectively fish up to 25-30 miles per hour. The wind pushes bait towards the shore and can keep fish cruising drop offs in search of food. The third factor we look at is precipitation, while we haven’t found a totally clear reason why this keeps fish eating, in our experience it just does, especially if coupled with one or both aforementioned conditions. The other things we take a close look at would be time of year, water temperature, wind direction, moon phase and barometric pressure. Knowing how all of these variables can change this fishery will be a great way to crack the code.
Fly selection is also important, as the trout’s preferences can change in an instant, that’s why tying your own is another important aspect of being a Pyramid Lake angler. Did we mention that we just got a huge fly tying order in? Check it out in the shop or online! Sorry about the shameless plug there, back to the report. While most beaches have had their days, we have been hearing the most consistent fishing on beaches with good drop offs, I.E. a lot of the southern beaches, look for good ledges that drop 12’ or greater. The indicator bite has been the best, but we have had a few good days on the strip, especially when there is the presence of bait.
There hasn’t really been a clear bite window other than maybe after the sun has popped up over the hill for the first few hours in the morning, but when fishing out here last week, we had a seemingly random 3:30 bite on size 14 midges for a solid hour, providing countless bobber downs. Overall, we are still in the early season for shore fishing at Pyramid and the best is still yet to come. Once we get a good series of storms pushing through the area, the bite will be quick to improve, until then, just keep those flies in the water and you never know what you’ll find!
Recommended Flies for Pyramid Lake
Check the Flows Before You Go...
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