Spring Fling
First day of Spring has come and gone, and while the weather feels almost like summer today, a series of small storms might pass through, but luckily we don’t expect the weather to mess with the fishing too much. For those of us that have found some time to hit the water, I think we would all agree that the fishing has been pretty damn good. At the moment almost all of our open rivers and thawed out lakes have been producing fish, and some are even fishing the best they have in years!
East Fork Carson River: The last few weeks of total catch and release on this river are here, so take advantage of that before the last Saturday in April. Last fall the county did a final stocking after the November 15th closure, and it turns out catch and release works because the river is still full of fish! The fish have spread throughout the road side section and down below Hangman’s bridge. People have been reporting that they have been catching good numbers and size of fish all winter long especially if they nymph or streamer fish the shelves and pools. Look for fast water next to slow water and fish those seams. One thing to keep in mind for this time of year is that the flows can increase quickly after a few warm days, so check that flow chart and avoid fishing after any major flow changes as the river will probably be off color.
Truckee River: This years spring fishing on the Truckee River has been some of the best it’s been since the major droughts several years ago. Midday dry fly fishing with blue wing olives and skwala stonefly patterns have produced some awesome fish. Nymphing before or after the hatches has also tricked some trophy fish for the guys dredging the slow moving pools. My best bit of advice would be to spread out, cover ground, and keep an eye out for the feeding trout. If you are patient and travel the right stretches of river, the fish will reveal themselves to you. Flies to try are blue wing olive nymphs and dries, egg patterns, Skwala dries and nymphs, and as the flows start to increase, the ol’ squirmy wormy.
Little Truckee River: Flows are low at the moment so I would probably recommend fishing the main stem of the Truckee, but there should still be some fish around. Keep an eye out for spawning fish in the coming weeks as this is the time the rainbows do their thing. Blue wing olive hatches should occur most days, and if you do find yourself there during a dry fly hatch, fish duns, cripples, and emergers. If the hatch isn’t happening, try small natural worm patterns, midges, and blue wing olive nymphs such as the RS2.
East Walker River: Some good reports coming from the Nevada side of this river since California remains closed through the last Saturday of April. Blue Wing Olives, midges, and Skwala stoneflies tend to be the main hatches for the East Walker this time of year, and you might even find some rising fish. My favorite way to fish this river in the Spring is with a Skwala dry fly, and a blue wing olive nymph such as an olive perdigon as a dropper fly. Small to medium streamers swung throughout the riffles also often produces some nice trout. Flow Chart
Stillwater Options: Stillwater fly-fishermen often know that spring time, or ice out, is the best time to fish a lake. Trout in lakes will conserve energy and tend to be very lethargic once a lake freezes over, but will quickly snap into gorge mode once a lake thaws out. If trout eating with reckless abandonment sounds like your style of fishing, I highly recommend trying a lake as the ice retreats. Some lakes that have already thawed out and have been fishing well are Indian Creek Lake, Martis Lake, Fallen Leaf lake and Boca reservoir. If you are fishing from shore, try a balanced leech under an indicator as these fish are looking for big meals after a long winter. From a tube or boat try an intermediate line with leeches and wooly buggers.
The inland sea also known as Pyramid lake also has a few more weeks of spring time fishing as the fish condense towards the hatcheries. This time of the year the beaches close to the hatcheries tend to get pretty busy so get their early, or hire a guide to claim the best spots for you!
Hot Lakes:
Sawmill Lake - BOOK NOW for 2024 season!
Indian Creek Reservoir - Hot from shore or tube with black leeches!
Pyramid Lake - Shore bite is on and it’s go time with midges
Red Lake - Thawing out but still frozen
Caple’s Lake- Ice starting to change color but still frozen
Tahoe - Not a numbers game but when we fish Tahoe we are looking for that fish of a lifetime
Heenan Lake - Closed
