Feels Like Fall
The cliches are all true and the leaves are changing, the nights are cool, and fall is here. With the changing season brings cooler water temps which really gets the big fish looking to eat before winter. For the majority of us at the shop, fall is our favorite fishing season and for good reason. Both stillwater and river options such as Heenan Lake, East/West Walker, and the lower Truckee (Nevada) all fish the best in the fall and this year the rivers are full and the fish are happy.
Carson River:
East Fork: The River saw a small bump in flows from the recent rains, but nothing crazy enough to turn the river off color. Flows have remained strong, and the water is clear and ready to fish. Dredge the buckets with a large stone fly, followed by a caddis pupae, or even sink a small streamer and then jig it for the larger trout. With the extra rod, try targeting the smaller guys with dry dropper rigs in the pocket water. The entire river is fishing well, but a general rule of thumb is the farther you get from the easy access, the better the fishing will be.
West Fork: With these flows we begin to look towards the “canyon section” of the West Carson which is the boulder filled section downstream from Sorenson’s Resort. Access is more difficult, but the fish will be more plentiful and will readily eat small dries and nymphs which can be a lot of fun with a 2 or 3 wt rod. Try stimulators with tiny emergers or bead headed midges as a deadly rig for this section.
Truckee River: The fall season and the Truckee go hand in hand. From Tahoe City to Derby Dam the entire river fishes better and often this is when the trophy trout tend to be caught. Nymphing, streamers, and dry flies should all work if presented properly. The fish generally start their day in the slow buckets and move into faster water as the day progresses, with the most surface activity happening in the evening. Flies to try in the fall are largish caddis (mop flies, pupae, buckskin caddis), small crawdad patterns, and the ever present small midges. IF you’re out there on a cloudy day, look for early baetis (Blue Wing Olives) and either throw emergers or small mayfly patterns. The streamer/swing guys also enjoy this season as the fish, particularly the large brown trout, are looking for a big meal before they begin to spawn.
Little Truckee River:
The Little Truckee has remained at a solid ~110 CFS for the majority of the summer which is a healthy flow for the fish. There have been whisperings of a significant drop in flows this month, and if that does happen we recommend trying a different river such as the Big Truckee as it both fishes well in the fall and has plenty of water. Be courteous to your fellow angler and give each other room, only step into a run if there is no one in there or you at least chat with them first. This river gets crowded, but there is plenty of room to spread out as fish are in all sections of the river when it is above 100 CFS.
East Walker River:
At last the flows have dropped to fishable levels, and we could not be more excited. Both California and Nevada sections of the East Walker should begin to fish well and more sections will become accessible as the river becomes crossable. Try streamers, large flashy nymphs, and small midges this time of year. The river is still larger than normal so the fish will be spread out, but still look for soft water next to current as the fish try to conserve energy while being next to their food conveyor belt.
West Walker River:
Similar to the East Walker, flows have finally mellowed enough to where we are fishing, wading and having a lot of fun on this river. Mono county does an excellent job planting fish on this river so large Rainbows are consistently caught throughout the system. Some smaller, wild fish can also be found especially in the upper section.
Stillwater Options:
One of the areas top lakes has opened and is fishing well. Heenan Lake is a special regulation, single barbless, catch and release lake that is well managed for fishing. The lake has large Lahontan Cutthroat trout and a good population of them. Generally the lake fishes better from a personal watercraft such as a float tube, kayak, canoe, or small raft/pram. Boats with electric trolling motors are allowed, but gas powered motors are not. A variety of methods work, but favorites are chrinomid fishing under an indicator and stripping leeches or small nymphs. The fish can be found at various levels of the lake and it changes from day to day, and also hour to hour. If you are seeing surface acitivity or cruising fish, try an intermediate line or a chinomid a few feet under an indicator. If you are seeing very little fish activity try a full sink line, or a slip indicator with a 20+ foot leader. A good rule of thumb is if you are not seeing results within 30 minutes of fishing, change up your depth, fly or both until you start getting fish to eat. There’s a ton of fish in this lake and 10+ fish days are common if you get your rig dialed.
Other lakes in the area that fish well into the fall are Caples, Silver, and Lake Tahoe. The big fish begin to cruise the shore line and the browns start coming shallow to figure out which river they are going to try to spawn in. Now’s the time of the year for a trophy from shore with a fly rod.
Hot Lakes:
Sawmill Lake - BOOK NOW! Open and fishing hot!
Silver Lake - Strong population of Brown and Rainbow Trout
Caple’s Lake- Fishing well near the inlets, chance at a big fish!
Tahoe - Not a numbers game but when we fish Tahoe we are looking for that fish of a lifetime
