Truckee River Fishing Report

[gilligan]

Don’t mean to over saturate things with all these Truckee River posts, but here’s my take on things. We’re just coming off the best mid-winter fishing I can remember here on the Truckee River. Mild weather and stable flows have made for some good days. On the Cali side, sometimes good days in the winter can translate to just be a few fish, but they’re usually big trout when you do get them. Even though the sun’s out and the weather’s nice, the water is still cold. It’s been about 10 degrees in the morning at my house in Hirschdale this week, and hasn’t really gotten out of the upper 30’s for a high. It’s actually warmer higher up the river near the Glenshire bridge stretch. When I have fished the river on the Cali side, it’s usually the Glenshire bridge stretch, the schoolyard, etc. Work the water patiently and methodically. The Nevada side of the river is much more consistent this time of year. Warmer overnight lows, and warmer daytime temps make the fish more active. The catch rates are a bit higher as well. West and East of Reno have pumped out some big fish this winter. I spend 90% of my time down there guiding, and fishing this time of year. March is when I start spending more time up near the Hirschdale area. February has some very good dry fly fishing East of Reno, blue wings, and midges, maybe some skwalas by the end of the month. It’ll be another solid 4-6 weeks before we start seeing those bugs up on the Cali side. I have seen some winter stones out, but not much interest in them from the Trout. You don’t have to be that critical on your fly selection this time of year. Stones, worms, baetis, and midges will do the trick. Fishing the correct water is the key. Look for water that is at least 4-6 feet deep, and moves at about a walking pace. Take a look at my blog if you’re interested in updated reports on the Truckee River in both California and Nevada. Thanks.

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