Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters

Mick and Dan enjoy a day of guided fly fishing on the West Carson River and young Dan catches his first fish on the fly!  Call us and put yourself in this picture…learn more in one day with a guide than you can learn in five years by yourself!!!

Had a great day on the East Carson River today with Mark and his son Tommy from Illinois. This was both of their first times fishing with fly rods and they caught on quickly. Within the first hour Tommy hooked into a hefty rainbow that put on quite the show before finally throwing the hook after a long fight. Mark stepped into the same run a few minutes later and managed to land a nice rainbow after a pretty intense battle. The nymph bite was great until about 1:30 when things began to slow down. Our best fly was a size 16 black micro mayfly. Great job guys! I then spent the evening out on the West Carson with Alan and his 10 year old son Cal. We began the trip at around 4:30 and the fish were eating dries as soon a we started fishing. Cal picked up the roll cast easily and was making drifts like a pro in no time. I was amazed at how well he could see a size 18 EC caddis on his first day of fly fishing. It was a great evening hatch with hardly anyone on the water. Towards the end of the trip Cal landed a nice 12 inch rainbow which turned out to be the fish of the day. Thanks again Alan and Cal!

Mike O’Dell

Guide/Instructor

Mark with a nice East Carson rainbow

Had another great day on the East Carson River with clients Bob and Chris today. After a nice hike to the river Bob hooked up on a nice fish on his 3rd cast. It turned out to be a nice fat brown. The bar was set high pretty early on in the trip, but Bob and Chris managed to hook a few more pigs throughout the day. The river was busy, but everyone I talked to was having a great time enjoying a beautiful day on the water. We managed to pick up a few more nice fish on nymphs and dries through the middle of the day. Thanks again to Bob and Chris for 2 great days on the water.

Fish on.

Fish Landed!

Mike O’Dell

Guide/Instructor

Tahoe area Fly Fishing report for July 23rd

East Carson River fishing report – Currently flowing at 240 cfs and is fishing well. The fishing is better early and later in the day. Midday nymphing has been the most effective technique. Look for good hatches of pmd’s, yellow sallies and caddis in the evening. Flies to try Nymphs- Mercers poxyback golden stones and black stones  6-10, Wiers Caddis lime and tan  14 and 16, Fox’s poopah tan 14-16, micro mayfly’s black and olive 16-18, pheasent tails 68-18, little yellow stonefly nymphs 14-16. Streamers-buggers in olive in black, woolhead sculpins, crystal buggers, meat whistle olive and black.  Dries-yellow stimulators 6-16, ec caddis 14-18, tan elk hair caddis 14-16, parachute adams 14-18, henry’s fork yellow sally 14-16 and ants and beetles. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

West Carson River fishing report – Currently at 75cfs and is fishing great. The best fishing has been in the morning and evening. Try nymphing with size 6-8 golden stones, size 14-16 Pt’s, 14-16 fox’s poopah, 14-16 copper johns, 14-16 hares ears, Wier’s caddis tan 14-16, black and olive micro may’s 16-18 also San Juan worms in natural and red. Large olive and black buggers can be effective at this flow. For dries try ec caddis 14-18, parachute adams 14-18, hackle stacker pmd’s 16-18, and little yellow stones 14-16. Streamers through the pocket water has also been effective. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

West Walker River fishing report-  Currently running at around 400 cfs. The flows are finally down to a fishable level. Try a mix of streamers in olive, black and white. Nymphing with caddis, stoneflies has been good.Use lots of weight to get the flies down to the fish. In the mornings and evenings look for caddis and pmds to hatch, beetles and ants are also a good bet this time of year. Nymphs- stones in golden and black 6-10, micro mays 16-18, PT’s 14-16, fox’s poopah 14-16. Wiers caddis in tan and lime 14-16. Dries- Ec caddis 14-18, Elk hair caddis 14-18, stimulators 12-16, hackle stacker pmd’s 16-18, ants and beetles.Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

East Walker River fishing report- Flows are down to 179 and Fishing has been good. Keep an eye on the water temps. Once they get over 68 the fish get stressed after a long fight. Fish early and late in the day.Nymphing is still producing lots of fish. The dry fly action has been pretty good using caddis and terrestrials. Streamers have also been producing some bigger fish. Nymphs- Wiers Caddis 14-16, Fox’s poopah olive and tan 14 -18, Wiers sprinkles in chocolate and vanilla 18-20, tailwater tiny’s in olive and black 18-20, red and black zebra midges in 18-20, PT’s 16-20. Dries- EC caddis 14-18, parachute adams 16-20, elk hair caddis 14-18, hackle stacker pmd’s and ants and beetles.  Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Little Truckee River fishing report- Flows are 99cfs and it is fishing well.  Nymphing with barr’s emergers 18-20, crystal hunchback pmd’s 16-18, black and silver zebra midges 18-20, baetis 18-20, PT’s 16-20 and San Juan worms has been effective. For dries try hackle stacker pmds 16-18, parachute adams 16-20, ants 12-14 and drakes. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Truckee River fishing report- Flows on the Truckee are 282cfs  in the town of Truckee and 485 below Boca bridge. The Truckee has been fishing well throughout the entire river. Nymphing has been the most effective method on the Truckee but we have been seeing some fish rising mid day and in the evenings. Streamers on a sink tip has also been working. Nymphs- golden stones 6-12, Wiers caddis tan 14-16, Fox’s Poopah olive and tan 14-18, pheasant tails 16-20, Wiers sprinkles 18-20, prince nymphs 14-18. Dries-EC caddis 14-18, parachute adams 14-18, Green Drake, yellow stones 14-16, ants and beetles. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Tahoe area Still waters

Indian Creek Reservoir fishing report- Fishing is slow. Water temps are getting warm. Try fishing deep with heavy tippets so you can land the fish quickly and revive them. Buggers, blood midges, damsels and callibetis should produce fish. Evenings have been ok with fish rising. Try stripping small nymphs just under the surface. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Caples Lake fishing report- Fishing well try streamers and terrestrial from the shore. Best bite is in the early morning and evening. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Red Lake fishing report- Fishing well  try olive and black buggers from shore. Blood midges under an indicator in the evening. Some fish have also been rising to terrestrials. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Marlette Lake fishing report- 

Spooner Lake fishing report- Fishing well in the early morning and evenings if you can get through the chubs. I fished it the other night and just casted towards the bigger rises with nymphs and picked up a few nice trout. 3 wts and under are extremely fun on this lake. Try Rickards seal buggers and small woolly buggers. Aggravator princes and hares ears size 12 -16 have been effective. Caddis 14-16 have been working on the surface in the evenings.

Blue Lakes fishing report- Fishing well. Try buggers on a sinking line in olive and black. Casting at cruising fish with ants and beetles can also be effective. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Silver Lake fishing report- Fishing well. Try natural zonkers, black and olive buggers from the float tube or shore. Terrestrials have also been picking up a few fish. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

We have offered guiding on most of these waters for over 15 years. The shop is fully stocked with all the latest equipment and flies needed to fish the Eastern Sierra and more. Call 530-541-8208 or stop by the shop for more info. We will be updating our fishing report weekly so check www.tahoeflyfishing.com/blog for the most up to date info on fly fishing the Tahoe Region.

Tight Lines!

Tahoe area Fly Fishing report for July 16th

East Carson River fishing report – Currently flowing at about 460 cfs. The river spiked a little today with the rain so it will likely be off color for a few days. The fishing on the EC should improve over the next week. The river is fishable but wading is still challenging in many areas so be careful. At this flow try nymphing with a lot of weight using stones, caddis and San Juan worms. Fishing streamers on a heavy sink tip or full sink line can be very effective at high water. Flies to try Nymphs- Mercers poxyback golden stones and black stones  6-10, Wiers Caddis lime and tan  14 and 16, Fox’s poopah tan 12-16, copper johns 12-16, pheasent tails 12-14, little yellow stonefly nymphs 14-16. Streamers- buggers in olive in black, woolhead sculpins, crystal buggers, meat whistle olive and black.  Dries-yellow stimulators 6-16, ec caddis 14-18, tan elk hair caddis 14-16, parachute adams 14-18, henry’s fork yellow sally 14-16. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

West Carson River fishing report – Currently at 91cfs and is fishing well. Try nymphing with size 6-8 golden stones, size 14-16 Pt’s, 14-16 fox’s poopah, 14-16 copper johns, 14-16 hares ears, Wier’s caddis tan 14-16, black and olive micro may’s 16-18 and San Juan worms in natural and red. Large olive and black buggers can be effective at this flow. For dries try ec caddis 14-18, parachute adams 14-18, hackle stacker pmd’s 16-18, and little yellow stones 14-16. Streamers through the pocket water has also been effective. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

West Walker River fishing report-  Currently running at around 600 cfs. It is coming into shape but still fishing pretty tough. Try sreamers on a full sink or sink tip line or nymphing with caddis and stoneflie nymphs. Use lots of weight to get the flies down to the fish and make lots of drifts in the same area to pick up fish. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

East Walker River fishing report- Flows are at 349 and Fishing has been good. Nymphing is still producing lots of fish. The dry fly action has dwindled a bit with the higher flows. Streamers have also been producing some bigger fish. Nymphs- Wiers Caddis 14-16, Fox’s poopaholive and tan 14 -18, Wiers sprinkles in chocolate and vanilla 18-20, tailwater tiny’s in olive and black 18-20, red and black zebra midges in 18-20, PT’s 16-20. Dries- EC caddis 14-18, parachute adams 16-20, elk hair caddis 14-18.  Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Little Truckee River fishing report- Flows are 227cfs and it is fishing well. The extra water has spread the fish out and they are happy. Nymphing with barr’s emergers 18-20, crystal hunchback pmd’s 16-18, black and silver zebra midges 18-20, baetis 18-20, PT’s 16-20 and San Juan worms has been effective. For dries try hackle stacker pmds 16-18, parachute adams 16-20, ants 12-14 and drakes. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Truckee River fishing reort- Flows on the Truckee are 252cfs  in the town of Truckee and 549 below Boca bridge. The Truckee has been fishing well above Prosser Creek. Nymphing has been the most effective method on the Truckee but we have been seeing some fish rising mid day and in the evenings. Streamers on a sink tip has also been working. Nymphs- golden stones 6-12, Wiers caddis tan 14-16, Fox’s Poopah olive and tan 14-18, pheasant tails 16-20, Wiers sprinkles 18-20, prince nymphs 14-18. Dries- EC caddis 14-18, parachute adams 14-18, Green Drake, yellow stones 14-16, ants and beetles. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Tahoe area Still waters

Indian Creek Reservoir fishing report- Fishing is slow. Water temps are getting warm. Try fishing deep with heavy tippets so you can land the fish quickly and revive them. Buggers and blood midges should produce fish. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Caples Lake fishing report- Fishing well try streamers and terrestrial from the shore. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Red Lake fishing report- Fishing well  try olive and black buggers from shore. Blood midges under an indicator in the evening. Some fish have also been rising to terrestrials. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Marlette Lake fishing report- Will give you a report as soon as we know!

Spooner Lake fishing report- Fishing well. Try Rickards seal buggers and small woolly buggers. Aggravator princes and hares ears size 12 -16 have been effective trailed behind a small streamer. Caddis 14-16 have been working on the surface in the evenings.

Blue Lakes fishing report- Fishing well. Try buggers on a sinking line in olive and black. Casting at cruising fish with ants and beetles can also be effective. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Silver Lake fishing reort- Fishing well. Try natural zonkers, black and olive buggers from the float tube or shore. Guides Available call (530-541-8208).

Sawmill Pond- For kids 14 and under only. Adults can help kids to fish but cannot fish on their own. This is one of only a few ponds in the state of California dedicated to young anglers. It will be stocked throughout the summer. Various nymphs under a bobber and streamers work great here fished with a casting bobber for catch and release fishing. For bait try power bait and worms.

We offer guiding on most of these waters. The shop is fully stocked with all the latest equipment and flies needed to fish the Eastern Sierra and more. Call 530-541-8208 or stop by the shop for more info. We will be updating our fishing report weekly so check back for the most up to date info on fishing the Tahoe Region.

Tight Lines!

Guide Mike Curtis with a 2 to 3 lbs Rainbow on the Indicator

Have you every have one of those days where it seems like you can’t do anything wrong? Then, come back the next day and it seems like you can’t even buy a fish? Even though “Guides” don’t like to admit it, we still do. I fished Indian Creek for four days over the course of a week and hit every range of emotion that one can. So here is the deal, Indian Creek at times can be on fire and other times the fish will be a lot harder to catch, But still catching fish ranging from 10 inches to fish over 20 inches.

Hatches: Damsels, are alot like the fish, one day they are coming off thick and the next day only a few come off.

   Midges: A few Blood Midges in the morning, and Micro Midges: both morning and evening.

Water Temp’s: 62 – 65 degrees and climbing with climbing Air Temps.

Also stripping a small brown or olive Bugger with a type II or Intermediate sink line has been producing fish. I have been fishing Damsels and Midges under the indicator with the bottom fly 2-4 feet off of the bottom. The fish are hanging around the weed beds looking for the Damsels in the mornings and looking for the Midges in the afternoon. Smaller fish are holding in 3 to 15 feet of water with larger fishing holding on average 8 to 15 feet of water.

Cleve Ferguson with a 4lbs. Rainbow

In the Evening with midges coming out, you can also try midges 1-3 feet under the indicator or a floating line with a 10 to 13 foot leader with a single midge on the end of it and hand twist (also known as the figure 8 retrieve) the midge back to you under the surface film. Like Cleve Ferguson did to catch this nice bow in 12 feet of water.

These fish are fighting so hard that they are completely exhausted by the time they are landed they are very hard to revive even though surface water temps have been 63-65 degrees. I REALLY recommend running 3x tippet to be able to get the fish in quickly and limit the amount of time they are out of the water for photo’s or removing the fly. These fish are great fish and I would like to see them around next year!!  

For more information or guide trips to Indian Creek Resvoir feel free to contact the shop.

“See the Fly, Love the Fly, Eat the Fly!”

Mike Curtis

Saturday April 24th is the Sierra opener.With cool temperatures this week flows should be good for weekend.Be sure to have your license with you and follow regulations.Try streamers like wooly buggers in black or olive.Nymphing the deeper holes with golden stones and copper johns.GOOD LUCK!
Peter guide TFFO

I recently had the oppurtunity to fish with Glenn Shore on the East Walker river. We had a blast. The fish are hungry and eating all kinds of patterns. We caught fish on 10 different patterns and I would say the most productive was a #16 Red Copper John. There were Caddis and Blue Wings coming off, but only the little guys were eating them and that was only sporadically. We got a great couple of holes and caught all browns up to 19″. Glenn’s wife was kind enough to be the photographer and took some great shots. Be ready to deal with crowds and always be courteous. The East Walker still lets you fish through, give it a rest and fish it again. So, if you are trapped by other fisherman, and like your hole, give it a rest and give it another go. The two biggest fish we caught were 5 feet apart in the same slot but 2 hours apart time wise. Have a great fish!

Fat Browny!