Truckee Tahoe Fly Fishing Report July 23, 2021
As the weather returns to average temperatures for this time of year the water temps dropped slightly and fishing remained an option until about 10-11am on most sections of the river. We will see a few days near the 90’s this weekend then back to normal 80s. Please continue to keep your thermometers on you when fishing and look at temps regularly calling it a day when they reach 68 degrees.
Temperatures have also been getting too warm on the Little Truckee in the lower section of river and inlet and this usually happens after the warmest point in the day (3-5), so in addition to the main Truckee please also bring a thermometer to the Little Truckee as well to insure ethical catch and release fishing during these drought conditions. Dawn patrol on either river has been providing some excellent fishing for 4-5 hours as this is when temps are best and when fish are most active.
Early morning temps have been between 60 and 62 degrees near Hischdale.
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report
The Truckee River is still too warm to fish in the afternoons, so please be sure to do your part and fish only in the mornings. The flows continue to hold strong out of Lake Tahoe this week and most of the river is in great shape in this regard, so use this to your advantage and explore the less fished stretches of river. Even though the temps are warm, we have still been finding fish is some pretty slow water, especially in the tailouts of deep buckets. Be sure to fish anything that looks “fishy” even if nothing more than a few drifts. Focus on the water in front of you instead of the water across the river, remember that its better to get a really good dead drift in a short area rather than a long drift with drag. We have been doing well nymphing stonefly patterns, caddis pupa and PMD nymphs as well as BWO’s and midges. Crawdads like a “Dead Drift Cray” have been also doing well under the indo and work well as an alternative attractor fly to the stoneflies. Streamer fishing is also good right now, so try using small to medium sized streamers in olive, white, black, brown or yellow.
Recommended Flies for the Truckee River
Stonedaddies #6-#8, Tungsten Trout Retrievers #6, T’s Stone #8, Pat’s Rubberlegs #6-#10, OCD Caddis #14-#16, G6 Caddis #14-#16, Z-Wing Caddis #16, Fox’s Poopahs #16, Splitcase PMD’s #14-#16, Jigged PMD’s #14-#16, TNT PMD’s #16, Olive Mic Drops #16-#18, Dead Drift Crays #10
Little Truckee River Fly Fishing Report
Water temps on the Little Truckee Have been fluctuating quite a bit between the top parking lot and the Boca Inlet area. We marked water temps at 70 degrees around 5 at the inlet on Wednesday, so please continue to keep your thermometers on you when fishing this tailwater fishery. Flows remain in the 40’s and while this isn’t great, we still consider it a fishable level. With lack of other options this river has seen a good amount of angling pressure so please think about keeping your fishing here to a minimum. If you do opt to fish here, spread out and don’t crowd out fellow anglers. The Meadow sections sees far fewer anglers than the top parking lot and is a great way to get some walking in during your fishing. Dry fly fishing here has been good but due to the pressure these fish are being very selective and having a good inventory of flies to swap out can make a huge difference. We have seen good action on PMD’s, Midges, BWO’s and Caddis.
Recommended Flies for the Little Truckee River
Melon Quills #16-#18, Light Cahills #16, Limestone Cripples #16, Para BWO’s #18-#20, Silhouette Duns #16-#20, RS2’s #16-#20, Mole Flies #18-#20, Griffiths Gnat #18-#22, Comparaduns #16-#20, Dandelion Midges #18-#22, Juju Baetis #18-#20, Zebra Midges #18-#20, Flexy Floss Worms #14
Truckee Tahoe Still Water Fishing Report
We have seen good fishing for trout in our higher elevation lakes and will be best during low light hours, so get out on the water early and take a nice long break before getting back out for the evening. These upcoming months will be the best time to get out and hike to some of the backcountry lakes and fish for species such as Golden Trout or Brook Trout. You’d be surprised how many golden trout lakes only require a short hike in and are do-able in a day. Float tube fishing has been a very good alternative to fishing our moving waters and these are a great tool to cover our still waters while targeting a variety of species. Come on in and let’s chat about your options!
Recommended Flies for Still Water Fishing
Balanced Leeches #8-#12, Chironocones #14-#18, Zebra Midges #16-#20, Pheasant Tails #12-#18, Z-Wing Caddis #16-#18, Fox’s Poopah #16, AK’s Callibaetis Spinner #14, Callibaetis Adults #14-#16, Para Adams #14-#16, Elk Hair Caddis #12-#18, Morrish Hoppers #8-#12, E/C Caddis #14-#18, Bellyache Minnows #12, Simiseal leeches #12, Mini Buggers #12-#14
Thanks again for following Trout Creek Outfitters. This is an amazing time of year with so many streams, rivers and lakes to choose from, so try out so new spots and have a great time!
- Miles and the TCO crew
