Truckee river float question

[John Sv]

Anybody do floats in the Nevada section of the Truckee?
If yes I'm wondering the following:
1. Canoeable? (Class 1-2)
2. Is Fernley down toward Pyramid a nice float? Is it fishy? It looks fishy but I never seem to go east of Mustang
3. Are there/ what are the floatable stretches between Sparks and Mustang?
4. Any online resources regarding floating these sections?

Thanks in advance

[Reese]

Floating the lower Truckee can be pretty fantastic if you hit the flows right. The biggest issue you'll have is getting in and out of the water. There aren't any established boat ramps as far as I'm aware. But if you have a canoe or raft you should be fine. Depending on where you put in, the few large rapids there are usually need to be portaged since they're mounds of boat destroying rip rap. I don't know about downstream of the I80 bridge before Fernley. Could be good, but it'll be slow water and you're on tribal land so check the regulations. The McCarran Ranch Preserve (http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/nevada/placesweprotect/mccarran-ranch-preserve.xml) is the best spot. You can launch a raft or canoe off exit 23 and then take out down near the power station. There's some skinny spots that require some agile navigation but otherwise its a really mellow float. And it should be empty because I think the Nature Conservancy hasn't opened up land access yet. Just below Sparks can also be good if you don't mind slow water and the boating access is a little better.