Cold Nights and Sunny Days
The weather we have been experiencing and is forecasted to continue is hard to beat for enjoying the outdoors, especially fly fishing. The nights have been cold while the day time temps have been in the upper 60’s with virtually no wind, leading to some awesome days on the rivers and lakes. Water levels are pretty low on some of our rivers, but there are plenty of other options to enjoy a full day of fishing. Primary hatches in the area have been fall time caddis, and the Blue Wing Olive.
East Carson River:
They’ve held the flows steady between 20 and 25 CFS which are about half the normal flows of this river during this time of the year. The water is clear and the fish are spooky, but they are still there. Stealthy approaches and good presentation will lead to your best opportunity at catching fish. If you get that grab, and set the hook, whether you hook the fish or not that hole is probably blown and it’s time to move on to the next one. Cover lots of ground and fish any water that may hold fish with a dry dropper rig or small indicator set up. Small Caddis or Blue Wing Olive nymphs have been working well, as well as stimulators and large elk hair caddis especially in the evening.
Truckee River:
Flows are a little funky on this river with them being less then 20 CFS through downtown Truckee, but at 420 CFS through the canyon section. They are dumping a ton of water out of Boca, Stampede, and Prosser to keep average flows of water flowing down into Nevada. My best advice is to choose what type of water you want to fish, either low and clear, but with potentially good dry fly action in the upper sections of this river, or the normal technical, nymph friendly, water in the canyon. Baetis AKA blue wing olive mayflies have been the primary hatch with both adults hatching in the daytime, and the nymphs being found in abundance. We don’t know how much longer the water master will be releasing water to sustain good water levels through the lower section of the river, so get it while we can before they cut flows and the river drops below ideal fishing levels.
Little Truckee River:
Flows have been great as they try to sustain the Truckee River with water from Stampede and Boca reservoirs, which has lead to some awesome fishing. Unfortunately word has spread that this river is one of the better options at the moment so the crowds have been thick. Weekdays, or late afternoon is probably your best chance at getting some solitude. If you do find yourself there on a busy day, fish the inbetween stuff with a walk and cast style and cover some ground. Fish can be in a lot of nooks and crannies at 120 CFS. Hatches have been midges, Baetis, and Caddis. Try to be respectful of your fellow angler or guide, and give each other some room.
East Walker River:
Reports are improving from this tailwater as the water is clearing up, cooling down, and the fish are trying to get some calories before they spawn and winter hits. Swinging small or medium sized streamers, or throwing dry dropper rigs has produced some nice fish recently. Flows are below average so cover some ground, the big fish are often found in shallow water!
Stillwater Options:
With both Pyramid and Heenan lake open, the time for catching large Lahontan Cutthroat is now. Pyramid is mostly a boat/pontoon/float tube game right now, but fishing bait balls with streamers and sinking lines has produced some really nice fish. Stop by the shop to see some of the flies and talk about the lines that are needed for this style of fly fishing. Heenan is fishing great, but you may need to switch up your style of fishing as the fish are starting to spread out and won’t be stacked up near the bottom. Try letting your sinking lines sink for different amounts of time until you find the depth that the fish are feeding at. Midge fishing relatively shallow at 5-8 feet will also produce some fish. As the water gets colder and the weeds die off, fish will be feeding shallower and shallower and the deep indicator rig won’t be needed!
Hot Lakes:
Sawmill Lake - BOOK NOW! Fall fishing at Sawmill can be spectacular.
Heenan Lake - Lots of large fish being caught!
High Elevation Lakes - Stop by the shop for more information
Blue Lakes - Lower is fishing great
Prosser Reservoir - Trout and Smallmouth
Lake Baron -Stocked and an awesome community option.
Bridgeport Reservoir - Water has cooled down enough to go for those large brown trout.
Caple’s Lake- Chance at a big Lake Trout
Tahoe - Not a numbers game but when we fish Tahoe we are looking for that fish of a lifetime
