Hell or High Water
The hot weather has finally arrived and while it’s perfect for spending time outdoors, some of our river options have risen rapidly and may be a tough option for fishing right now. On the bright side, some of the lakes in the area have Iced off, or are close to icing off which means it’s go time for the still water angler. Other, more unique options such as bass fishing or fishing for warm water species has also been very productive. This winter gave us an average snow pack so we will have a few weeks of run off but it should settle down and make for an awesome summer of fly fishing in the area.
East Fork Carson River: The river was stocked with fresh fish leading into fishmas (Week before April 27th), but the flows have unfortunately come up with the hot weather which makes fishing the river pretty tough at the moment. The good news is that once the flows settle down, those fish should be spread throughout the river and will be catchable all summer long. We think this river will see a come-back year after the drought years, fire, mud flows, and everything else that’s been thrown at this freestone river. Fish are resilient and when given the chance to do their thing, they tend to come back bigger and healthier. The wild fish sections below Hangman’s bridge should fish excellent once the flows come down to around 400 CFS.
If you do give the river a shot in high flows, fish the edges of the bank even if you find yourself fishing a spot only a foot from the bank as this is where the fish find refuge in high flows. Lots of weight, stoneflies, streamers, and worm patterns will probably be your best chance.
Truckee River: Some sections of the Truckee river have been fishing pretty well even though the flows have jumped. From Tahoe they are releasing only 75 CFS which will keep the upper section completely fishable, but the river picks up steam as it heads down into the canyon and becomes ~1600 CFS at Farad. Sections in and around the town of Truckee are fishable and carpenter ants have started to show themselves which can lead to some high water dry fly fishing. Otherwise try some of the high water staples such as stone flies, squirmy worms, and big egg patterns. This year was an average snow pack year so we think runoff will be short and the rest of the summer should be fishing awesome.
Little Truckee River: Flows have crept up over the past couple weeks and the river currently sits at 400 CFS. While this flow makes it a little tough to cross, fishing the edges and seams can be pretty productive but guys often don’t fish enough weight or big enough flies. Try some squirmy wormies with tungsten beads, pat’s rubber legs, big prince nymphs, and PMD nymphs along with a SG or even SSG split shot. Any day now the PMD drys will start to emerge and the first few weeks of this hatch can be awesome dry fly fishing. As always, leave the spawning fish and their redds alone as that’s the future of this tailwater.
East Walker River: Probably one of the better options as of right now because the flows are surprisingly stable at around ~250 CFS. This flow can be a little high for some of the pocket water sections, but the miracle mile and Rossacci sections are completely fishable. Try size 12 or 14 Tan and gold stonefly patterns, streamers, and maybe not a bad idea to throw a big carpenter ant with a small tungsten mayfly pattern or midge pattern 3 feet behind it. The flows may change any day so check the flow chart before going and if it’s below 300 CFS, it’s go time! P.S., the picture for the report was taken as the East Walker! Flow Chart
Stillwater Options: I have heard of a really good shore bite from some of the more well known trout lakes in the area such as Frenchman’s, Bear River Reservoir, and even Union Valley Reservoir. Some of the higher elevation lake such as Caples and Red Lake are close to thawing out, and even as I type on this warm day the ice will be receding fast. If the highwater doesn’t sound like a fun time, try roll casting out an indicator and a balanced leech from shore on a local lake and you may be surprised at what grabs it!
Also a tip of the hat to a couple of the options Tahoe Fly Fishing offers, both Sawmill lake and the Float and Fly bass game is on fire. Sawmill lake is still hike in only until the road is free of snow, but trust me, it’s worth the short hike! Our bass guide has also been seeing the fish finish up spawning which is when they will be the most hungry and the big bass will eat our flies so give us a call to set up an awesome trip on a high end bass boat.
Hot Lakes:
Bridgeport Reservoir: Huge Brown Trout and Carp
Baron Lake: Awesome lake in SLT that is C&R, barbless, artificial.
Sawmill Lake - BOOK NOW Hike in option only but fishing is on fire!
Pyramid Lake - Season is winding down but some success from float tubes
Red Lake - Thawing out any day now!
Caple’s Lake- Thawing out any day, and probably free of ice at the dam and inlets
Tahoe - Not a numbers game but when we fish Tahoe we are looking for that fish of a lifetime
Heenan Lake - Closed
