Bull_Dog
05-22-2013, 05:25 PM
Truckee River
The upper stretches of the Truckee are actually really low for this time of year. There is not much water coming out of Lake Tahoe and it is only running 150 CFS through the Town of Truckee. By the time you get to the Lower California stretches it is still pretty high. Most of the water in the system is coming in from the smaller tributaries downstream of Truckee. The entire river is fishable and with some cooler weather ahead looks like it could really go-off any time. Even though the water is a little high in Nevada it is clear and in great shape. The evening hatches are starting on the lower river and should really kick in as the weather starts to warm again this weekend. Nymphing with Caddis and Little Yellow Stones as a dropper and a Green Drake for a lead fly is a good way to go right now. Steamer fishing in the lower river with a sink tip line in the deeper pools and up against the banks has turned a bunch of big fish over the last week. Flows are: Town of Truckee 154CFS, Boca Bridge 682 CFS, Farad 778 CFS and Reno 614 CFS.
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.
East Walker River
Flows have been at 98 CFS for a few days now. That is really low for the end of May. This is due to the lack of run-off and snowpack in the Sierras around Bridgeport. These are great flows for fishing this time of year. The Caddis have started to hatch and Nymphing during the day with size 16 light colored Caddis patterns has been working well. If you are there in the evening look for Caddis to hatch and fish to feed on the surface. Fishing has been really good from Bridgeport Reservoir all the way down to the lower end of the public stretch of Nevada. If you want to fish the East Walker the next few weeks would be a great time to go. It looks like the flows are going to stay in fishable flows through the spring. Farmers in the East Walker Basin are only going to get 23% of their water rights this year. At some point we are going to be talking about low flows and warm water so now is the time to go.
Davis Lake
Davis continues to impress this spring. There is a great Blood Midge hatch on most days especially when the wind stays down a bit. Nymphing with Blood Worm patterns in 8-14 feet of water is a great way to start. If you are there on a day when the water is calm in the mornings you might see some fish taking Blood Midges on the surface. Good Dry and Emerger patterns can fool some fish in close to the shore in shallow water. There is a great article on Davis Lake in this month’s California Fly Fisherman from Jon Baiocchi on sight fishing at Davis. Jon is the guru at Davis Lake. The Damsels have also started to appear already as well. Davis is on its way back and this is going to be an awesome year there.
Frenchman’s Reservoir
Frenchman’s continues to be a head scratcher this spring. Last year this time it was wide open. This year the fish seem to be in deeper water and a little harder to catch. Indicator Midging in 12-20 feet of water has been fairly productive so far. Last year the fish were in shallow by this time. The Callabaetis are a little late so far which might have something to do with it. The water temperature is around 59 degrees and should be perfect. Keep an eye on the reports from Frenchman’s for some better reports.
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid can be tricky for shore anglers this time of year. The fish have moved on from the spawn and warmer water moves most of them back into 30-50 feet of water. However cooler weather has stalled the warming of the water and the fishing has picked up. The fish seem to have moved to the North end of the lake and places like Monument and Warrior have been best. First light has been the time to be there for sure. It looks like the wind is going to blow for a few days and this should help the fishing. There is no one fishing Pyramid from shore right now. You can have just about anywhere to yourself. The boaters are really doing well. Korey Farnsworth has been hammering fish from a boat the last few weeks.
The upper stretches of the Truckee are actually really low for this time of year. There is not much water coming out of Lake Tahoe and it is only running 150 CFS through the Town of Truckee. By the time you get to the Lower California stretches it is still pretty high. Most of the water in the system is coming in from the smaller tributaries downstream of Truckee. The entire river is fishable and with some cooler weather ahead looks like it could really go-off any time. Even though the water is a little high in Nevada it is clear and in great shape. The evening hatches are starting on the lower river and should really kick in as the weather starts to warm again this weekend. Nymphing with Caddis and Little Yellow Stones as a dropper and a Green Drake for a lead fly is a good way to go right now. Steamer fishing in the lower river with a sink tip line in the deeper pools and up against the banks has turned a bunch of big fish over the last week. Flows are: Town of Truckee 154CFS, Boca Bridge 682 CFS, Farad 778 CFS and Reno 614 CFS.
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.
East Walker River
Flows have been at 98 CFS for a few days now. That is really low for the end of May. This is due to the lack of run-off and snowpack in the Sierras around Bridgeport. These are great flows for fishing this time of year. The Caddis have started to hatch and Nymphing during the day with size 16 light colored Caddis patterns has been working well. If you are there in the evening look for Caddis to hatch and fish to feed on the surface. Fishing has been really good from Bridgeport Reservoir all the way down to the lower end of the public stretch of Nevada. If you want to fish the East Walker the next few weeks would be a great time to go. It looks like the flows are going to stay in fishable flows through the spring. Farmers in the East Walker Basin are only going to get 23% of their water rights this year. At some point we are going to be talking about low flows and warm water so now is the time to go.
Davis Lake
Davis continues to impress this spring. There is a great Blood Midge hatch on most days especially when the wind stays down a bit. Nymphing with Blood Worm patterns in 8-14 feet of water is a great way to start. If you are there on a day when the water is calm in the mornings you might see some fish taking Blood Midges on the surface. Good Dry and Emerger patterns can fool some fish in close to the shore in shallow water. There is a great article on Davis Lake in this month’s California Fly Fisherman from Jon Baiocchi on sight fishing at Davis. Jon is the guru at Davis Lake. The Damsels have also started to appear already as well. Davis is on its way back and this is going to be an awesome year there.
Frenchman’s Reservoir
Frenchman’s continues to be a head scratcher this spring. Last year this time it was wide open. This year the fish seem to be in deeper water and a little harder to catch. Indicator Midging in 12-20 feet of water has been fairly productive so far. Last year the fish were in shallow by this time. The Callabaetis are a little late so far which might have something to do with it. The water temperature is around 59 degrees and should be perfect. Keep an eye on the reports from Frenchman’s for some better reports.
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid can be tricky for shore anglers this time of year. The fish have moved on from the spawn and warmer water moves most of them back into 30-50 feet of water. However cooler weather has stalled the warming of the water and the fishing has picked up. The fish seem to have moved to the North end of the lake and places like Monument and Warrior have been best. First light has been the time to be there for sure. It looks like the wind is going to blow for a few days and this should help the fishing. There is no one fishing Pyramid from shore right now. You can have just about anywhere to yourself. The boaters are really doing well. Korey Farnsworth has been hammering fish from a boat the last few weeks.