Bull_Dog
05-14-2013, 10:25 AM
Pyramid Lake
The water temperatures at the lake have really jumped in the past two weeks. There is not much water coming in from the Truckee and our local air temperatures have jumped into the high 80’s for a few days now. The water has been turned off at the hatchery and the fisheries department has completed their spawning for the year. It looks like they got close to 1 million eggs. With any luck most of them will hatch and be put back into the lake next winter. The fishing has gotten tough due to the water temperatures climbing into the mid to high 60’s. Boaters fishing in 25-50 feet of water are doing really well but shore anglers are not able to get into deep enough water to catch many fish. If you are going to go to the lake concentrate your efforts near deeper drop off areas like Block House, Sand Hole and Wino. Most of the South West end of the lake has some pretty good drop offs and has some deeper water closer to shore. This is pretty early for the fishing to have slowed down this much but with no water coming into the lake it just heated up fast. We do have a cooling trend ahead of us later in the week so we will have to see if that can get us another day or two of good fishing. www.Pyramidlakeflyfishing.com
Truckee River
Not much has changed since last week on the Truckee. IT is starting to Yo Yo a bit due to snow melt but it is only fluctuating about 100 CFS a day and most of that is below Boca Bridge. The upper section around the town of Truckee has actually not had much effect from run-off at all. We are right around that time of year that the Carpenter Ants come out for a few days and with lower warmer water in the upper stretches it won’t be long until there is a Green Drake sighting.
Once you get below Boca Bridge the water is still pretty high. The clarity is not too bad and it is totally fishable all the way down through Reno. It is however tough wading. Fish will hang out more along the edges of the river banks in higher flows like this so there is not much need to wade out anyway. Be really careful trying to cross and for sure take a wading staff along. Nymphing in the lower section is a good way to go right now but make sure to use plenty of weight on your line. A big Stonefly with a smaller dropper like a Caddis or a Little Yellow Stone is a good way to go. Look for the flows to come down some later in the week as we get some cooler weather. Flows are: Town of Truckee 261 CFS, Boca Bridge 773 CFS, Farad 847 CFS and Reno 773 CFS.
East Walker River
The flows have come up a bit over the past few days to 117 CFS. It actually has helped the fishing some. The East Walker really fishes best when the flows are between 100 CFS and 200 CFS. The California side is fishing pretty well but it is mostly small bugs like Midges and smaller Caddis. Dry fly fishing has been pretty sporadic.
On the Nevada side there are still some fish looking up for big Stoneflies. Dry dropper rigs are the way to go right now with a big attractor dry like a Turk’s Tarantula or an Orange Stimulator with a size 16-18 Caddis dropper. Hares Ears and Bird’s Nests will do the trick. The pressure has settled down from the past couple of weeks and this would be a great time to plan a trip to the East Walker.
Little Truckee River
Not much has changed on the Little Truckee. The flows are still in the 440 CFS range and the water is still outside the banks in many places. Boca is about 80% full so look for the flows to come down soon. Not much in the way of hatches right now but it is just a matter of time before we see more midges and eventually some PMD’s. Until then Nymphing with more weight than you are used to with the higher flows is the way to go. Try using Baetis and San Juan worms with a BB split shot under an indicator. Approach areas carefully as there are a lot of fish along the banks and side channels out of the main current right now.
Davis Lake
Blood Midges are out in force on most days. Fish are really keying in on them and can be caught in a variety of ways right now. Hanging Wine colored Maholo Midges under an indicator in 6-14 feet of water is the most common way. There are fish eating on and or near the surface as well. Emerger patterns fished in some of the bays on the West side of the lake can be a lot of fun. There can even be times when you can target and sight cast to rising fish. This works especially well on days with little or no wind in the mornings. There have been some Callabaetis and some Damsel sightings as well. Damsels usually swim in a little deeper water until we get more week growth in the weeks to come. Try slow stripping a couple of Damsel nymphs with a type two sinking line in 8-12 feet of water. Davis should only get better over the next month or more.
Frenchman’s Reservoir
The reports at Frenchman’s are starting to pick up but they are still not great. In going back over my notes from this time last year there is no comparison. Some of us have been spoiled by the last two years at Frenchman’s and we may have to look at it a little differently this year. The water is much lower and finding where the fish are hanging out this year is going to be part of the battle. The fish that are being caught are in great shape. A few Callabaetis are starting to show up.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my reports. I have been writing fishing reports for the Reno Tahoe area for about 12 years. My goal is to give out good honest information about our local fishing so when you have a day off or are planning your next fishing trip this information can help you make a good decision on where to spend your free time.
Rob Anderson
The water temperatures at the lake have really jumped in the past two weeks. There is not much water coming in from the Truckee and our local air temperatures have jumped into the high 80’s for a few days now. The water has been turned off at the hatchery and the fisheries department has completed their spawning for the year. It looks like they got close to 1 million eggs. With any luck most of them will hatch and be put back into the lake next winter. The fishing has gotten tough due to the water temperatures climbing into the mid to high 60’s. Boaters fishing in 25-50 feet of water are doing really well but shore anglers are not able to get into deep enough water to catch many fish. If you are going to go to the lake concentrate your efforts near deeper drop off areas like Block House, Sand Hole and Wino. Most of the South West end of the lake has some pretty good drop offs and has some deeper water closer to shore. This is pretty early for the fishing to have slowed down this much but with no water coming into the lake it just heated up fast. We do have a cooling trend ahead of us later in the week so we will have to see if that can get us another day or two of good fishing. www.Pyramidlakeflyfishing.com
Truckee River
Not much has changed since last week on the Truckee. IT is starting to Yo Yo a bit due to snow melt but it is only fluctuating about 100 CFS a day and most of that is below Boca Bridge. The upper section around the town of Truckee has actually not had much effect from run-off at all. We are right around that time of year that the Carpenter Ants come out for a few days and with lower warmer water in the upper stretches it won’t be long until there is a Green Drake sighting.
Once you get below Boca Bridge the water is still pretty high. The clarity is not too bad and it is totally fishable all the way down through Reno. It is however tough wading. Fish will hang out more along the edges of the river banks in higher flows like this so there is not much need to wade out anyway. Be really careful trying to cross and for sure take a wading staff along. Nymphing in the lower section is a good way to go right now but make sure to use plenty of weight on your line. A big Stonefly with a smaller dropper like a Caddis or a Little Yellow Stone is a good way to go. Look for the flows to come down some later in the week as we get some cooler weather. Flows are: Town of Truckee 261 CFS, Boca Bridge 773 CFS, Farad 847 CFS and Reno 773 CFS.
East Walker River
The flows have come up a bit over the past few days to 117 CFS. It actually has helped the fishing some. The East Walker really fishes best when the flows are between 100 CFS and 200 CFS. The California side is fishing pretty well but it is mostly small bugs like Midges and smaller Caddis. Dry fly fishing has been pretty sporadic.
On the Nevada side there are still some fish looking up for big Stoneflies. Dry dropper rigs are the way to go right now with a big attractor dry like a Turk’s Tarantula or an Orange Stimulator with a size 16-18 Caddis dropper. Hares Ears and Bird’s Nests will do the trick. The pressure has settled down from the past couple of weeks and this would be a great time to plan a trip to the East Walker.
Little Truckee River
Not much has changed on the Little Truckee. The flows are still in the 440 CFS range and the water is still outside the banks in many places. Boca is about 80% full so look for the flows to come down soon. Not much in the way of hatches right now but it is just a matter of time before we see more midges and eventually some PMD’s. Until then Nymphing with more weight than you are used to with the higher flows is the way to go. Try using Baetis and San Juan worms with a BB split shot under an indicator. Approach areas carefully as there are a lot of fish along the banks and side channels out of the main current right now.
Davis Lake
Blood Midges are out in force on most days. Fish are really keying in on them and can be caught in a variety of ways right now. Hanging Wine colored Maholo Midges under an indicator in 6-14 feet of water is the most common way. There are fish eating on and or near the surface as well. Emerger patterns fished in some of the bays on the West side of the lake can be a lot of fun. There can even be times when you can target and sight cast to rising fish. This works especially well on days with little or no wind in the mornings. There have been some Callabaetis and some Damsel sightings as well. Damsels usually swim in a little deeper water until we get more week growth in the weeks to come. Try slow stripping a couple of Damsel nymphs with a type two sinking line in 8-12 feet of water. Davis should only get better over the next month or more.
Frenchman’s Reservoir
The reports at Frenchman’s are starting to pick up but they are still not great. In going back over my notes from this time last year there is no comparison. Some of us have been spoiled by the last two years at Frenchman’s and we may have to look at it a little differently this year. The water is much lower and finding where the fish are hanging out this year is going to be part of the battle. The fish that are being caught are in great shape. A few Callabaetis are starting to show up.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my reports. I have been writing fishing reports for the Reno Tahoe area for about 12 years. My goal is to give out good honest information about our local fishing so when you have a day off or are planning your next fishing trip this information can help you make a good decision on where to spend your free time.
Rob Anderson