Mild Winter Means Good Fishing
With snow falling heavy to the north of us and to the south of us, the Tahoe Area largely remains snow free. While we hope that changes in the near future, take advantage of it while you can. Several of our rivers remain open in the winter time to catch and release, barbless, artificial style fishing. The bite window is smaller, and the water is colder, but often times the rivers are empty and the fishing can be fantastic with a chance of some dry fly activity as well.
TROUT REGULATIONS CHANGE NOV. 16 for some of your favorite Sierra Rivers. See below for seasonal regulations
East Fork Carson River: Alpine county once again did the area a huge favor and stocked the river with a last chance fish plant after the season closed to keeping fish. That means this river should hold fish all winter long, and will be one of our preferred winter time rivers in the area. My go to winter rig is a medium or large attractor nymph such as a blow torch, Duracell jig, pat’s rubber legs, or frenchy followed by something small, natural and winter like. Try a small zebra midge, tiny tailwater, or other small midge or mayfly patterns. Fish the deep, slow moving pools as the lethargic fish often conserve energy down there. Even if the waters cold, fish still gotta eat!
East Carson River Fishing Regulations:(starting Nov. 16th)
Above Hangman’s Bridge: Catch & Release Barbless Artificial - NO BAIT. Zero Bag limit.
Below Hangman’s Bridge: Catch & Release Barbless Artificial - NO BAIT. Zero Bag limit.
Truckee River: Another great winter fishery that starts high elevation and ends in low elevation. Aim for a midday fishing session from about 10 AM to 3 PM for best success. In many sections of this river, you might find a steady Blue Wing Olive hatch during this window where you will have a great chance to catch some fish on small baetis dry fly patterns. If the hatch isn’t happening, keep it small and subsurface with black midges, BWO nymphs, and tiny stone flys. Eggs and Worms also work well in the winter time. Another trick is to break the mold and throw a medium to large streamer hoping to find that one fish that is conserving energy…. unless the meal is too large to turn down. Crawdad and Sculpin patterns work well in the winter.
Truckee River Fishing Regulations:(starting Nov. 16th)
Below Lake Tahoe Dam:(All Year) Closed for 1000’ below Lake Tahoe Dam. Catch & Release Barbless Artificial - NO BAIT. Zero Bag limit.
Trout Creek to Mouth of Prosser Creek: Catch & Release Barbless Artificial Flies only. Zero Bag limit.
Prosser Creek to NV Stateline: Catch & Release Barbless Artificial. Zero Bag limit.
Little Truckee River: While the browns are wrapping up their spawn, the Redds are still fresh so please avoid shallow gravel areas and other spawning zones. This river fishes well in the winter but the road is unmaintained so be careful not to get stuck in a snow patch out there. Small, beadless nymphs and BWO dry fly patterns are the normal flies during the winter.
Little Truckee River Fishing Regulations:(All Year)
Stampede Reservoir downstream to Boca Reservoir: Catch & Release Barbless Artificial - NO BAIT. Zero Bag limit.
East Walker River: Probably too low for us to make the drive out there, but if they raise the river to 40+ CFS, it can be a fun wintertime option. We look forward to early spring (March-April) where the Skwalas will start to emerge and the fishing gets really good.
East Walker River Fishing Regulations:(starting Nov. 16th)
Below Bridgeport Reservoir to Nevada Stateline: Fully Closed in California. Open in Nevada. Catch and release, artificial, single hook only from Stateline to the Elbow. Below the Elbow, general regulations.
Stillwater Options: Pyramid shore bite is heating up in the early season. Let’s hope it sticks around this year. For your other stillwater options, float tubes, small boats, and sinking lines will be working better the next few months, with opportunity for the bank angler in the mornings and evenings. Calibaetis, midges, and random terrestrials will wind up in the water if you want to try dry flies, but leeches and wooly buggers are the safe choice if no fish are rising.
Hot Lakes:
Bridgeport Reservoir: Closed
Sawmill Lake - Closed untill May. Reach out about season and mini passes for the 2025 season.
Pyramid Lake - Shore bite picking up especially on stormy days, look for 10-15 MPH wind and cloudy conditions. Lots of big fish caught this year, get out there!
Lower Blue Lake - Roads closed
Caple’s Lake- Big lake with big fish. Do you fish inlets? We do.
Tahoe - Not a numbers game but when we fish Tahoe we are looking for that fish of a lifetime
Heenan Lake - Closed until September.
