Truckee ?

[ARichcrook]

Going to Reno airport to pick up my son tomorrow evening and thought I might spend some time on the river beforehand if it's worth it. Anybody fished it recently and can help me out ?

Thanks , Rich

[bigfly]

Although my last post is down the page..
It is current. Go early....or late..an Ant emergence could motivate mid-day rises.
This is bigfish on a big dry, time of year....
Bigger water in the canyon.
Take your big rod....
Near town is easier to wade.
Not many risers, but keep an eye open.
Mostly nymphing...Golden stones are around. Hoppers too.
We are using 2-3 ABs at least, with higher flows......4 shot in the canyon, and a 14 ft leader....I debrief fishless visitors, and to a man...when I ask about weight used, they all say " A couple of BBs."....

Heard they stocked cuts on NV side if you want easy fishin....
Have fun.

Jim

[ARichcrook]

Thank you for the info
Ended up fishing off Farad for about 3 1/2 hrs. Not a touch on anything i tried.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Traditionally the 4th of July has been a good time to go to the Truckee River.

40 years ago we would call Millard Fox, of Fox's Flies, in Sparks, Nevada for good fishing reports.

Back then some of us would drive up to the Truckee River just for the evening hatch......

.

[bigfly]

Bill, I'll be honest, traditionally the 4th may be good.......Ahhh memories.....
But hi-noon on the 4th is when I'd hide out. The fish do too.......call it high flog factor.....there might be more fishers now....
than in days of yore....
Early before the melt off, and right about now is when it starts to get fishy..
There is no normal year up here, which is why I report.
Also, it's not exactly the amount of time you spend on the water, but how well ya fish.
I have a friend who once kept track in a journal for a year on the T....time/fish, and found he invested 10 hours for every one.
So Arichcrook is getting closer by 3.5 hrs. Of course, I did meet a local who's fished for 6 years to no avail...?????
Some folks fish the way they do elsewhere, and suffer here, instead of getting some help. (I'm here to help.)
The evening hatch hasn't really started yet, but the flows are coming down. You can get a dry to drift under bushes now on the upper river.
Hoppers are out....ants are about done....and Green Drakes feel like they will show any minute.
Pick up some GD's dries and nymphs at Keine's before you come up, local shop may be picked over.....
Many seasonal creeks and springs have stopped flowing, so we are past the major melt, but the drought continues...
The flows will drop and warm from here on out...
See you on the water. Fish now!

Jim

[cdevine]

Bill, I'll be honest, traditionally the 4th may be good.......Ahhh memories.....
But hi-noon on the 4th is when I'd hide out. The fish do too.......call it high flog factor.....there might be more fishers now....
than in days of yore....
Early before the melt off, and right about now is when it starts to get fishy..
There is no normal year up here, which is why I report.
Also, it's not exactly the amount of time you spend on the water, but how well ya fish.
I have a friend who once kept track in a journal for a year on the T....time/fish, and found he invested 10 hours for every one.
So Arichcrook is getting closer by 3.5 hrs. Of course, I did meet a local who's fished for 6 years to no avail...?????
Some folks fish the way they do elsewhere, and suffer here, instead of getting some help. (I'm here to help.)
The evening hatch hasn't really started yet, but the flows are coming down. You can get a dry to drift under bushes now on the upper river.
Hoppers are out....ants are about done....and Green Drakes feel like they will show any minute.
Pick up some GD's dries and nymphs at Keine's before you come up, local shop is picked over.....
Many seasonal creeks and springs have stopped flowing, so we are past the major melt, but the drought continues...
The flows will drop and warm from here on out...
See you on the water. Fish now!

Jim



I've caught fish on my first drift and i've been skunked on the BIG T plenty. So don't worry if you got 3.5 hours in without any grabs. At least you got out. Lots of weights still to get flies down. Often its as easy as adjusting the bobber or adding weight. Honestly if you wanted to catch some easy ones there are a crapload of LCT in near Reno. But that is fun for the kiddos not so much for us adults.

I plan on getting up on the big T sometime this week. Flows are dropping like Jim says and it should be game on again soon. 600+ in the Canyon is nice. Cool temps this week so I don't think we will see any of those pulses. Typical unpredictable June weather. Snow down in Mammoth last night.

[Ralph]

Traditionally the 4th of July has been a good time to go to the Truckee River.



The 4th is a HORRIBLE time to go (Sorry Bill :-) )! Back in the day fishing on the 4th was predictably good. You might bump into a few anglers but they were far and few between. In the 70's into the early 80's me and Randy were the only fly fishing guides for the entire region. Today the listing for licensed guides on the Truckee reads like the Yellow Pages and there are many, many others who are not licensed. Not only have the number of anglers increased by an order of magnitude but the number of people in general has increased. Stick throwing dog walkers, kayakers, rafters, people splashing at the swimming hole with boom boxes blaring . . . The paved bike path between Truckee and Glenshire has been great for recreationalists, but certainly hasn't done the river or its denizens any favors. 4th of July weekend the rod will be in the truck and I'll be drinking cold ones and watching the fireworks at Grayeagle. The time to hit the river is now.

[bigfly]

I always sweat when Ralph posts right after mine....like, what did I mis-state!!!
Ha!
Having said that it's a bit busy on the 4th...
I will say that the raft companies, and the private floaties... don't use all the river.
Water below the take outs are a thought..
And since many fish ineffectively....I fish behind visitors quite often....
I wouldn't want people to cancel their trip, due to our report..
Just know it may take some consideration and higher play level.
Thinking like a bug, a fish, a fisherman and a rafter....the fish can't leave...it just seems like it. You need to remember we chase fish here year-round, so the 4th is the highest pressure point of the year.
The fish are therefore hunkered down, with that spooky look in their fishy eyes.....
Local creeks running, are clear.
Maybe walk a bit for some quiet...and a slightly less persecuted trout.
Right now the cloudy cool conditions are about as perfect as it gets...fish all day.
July will probably be hot and clear, best fishing early and late...with a siesta in between.....

[TyV]

Ralph/Jim

I have been looking for a better/really good Truckee river Hopper pattern. Could either of you suggest a recipe that you really like? I also am pretty sure that I have seen 2 very common size/color hoppers up there...do you fish imitations for both?

Thank you both for all you share with the community...and considering helping me out on a hopper pattern either way. I won't think any less of either of you, if you don't have any suggestions on this one. Thanks again.

Ty

[John Sv]

Remember the saying though- the best time to go fishing is when you have time to go fishing!
FWIW, I have been swimming in the long run below and around the corner from fornication rock, on about my 5th time swimming through, and a guy came up and asked if he could indi-fish his way through. I said sure, popped a beer and sat on the rock while he got 2 fish, one was pretty big! Wife and dog were still in the hole swimming.
I agree with Jim and Ralph, the 4th is a zoo.

PS Jim, thanks for waiting for me to cross at the Safeway this morning!
PPS I defer to those guys on hopper patterns, and I'm not nearly as legit of a fisherman, but FWIW if have luck with a #12 muddler fished like a nymph when it is hopper time. A little bluish color seems to help (i use pheasant rump for the underwing)

[cdevine]

Remember the saying though- the best time to go fishing is when you have time to go fishing!
FWIW, I have been swimming in the long run below and around the corner from fornication rock, on about my 5th time swimming through, and a guy came up and asked if he could indi-fish his way through. I said sure, popped a beer and sat on the rock while he got 2 fish, one was pretty big! Wife and dog were still in the hole swimming.
I agree with Jim and Ralph, the 4th is a zoo.

PS Jim, thanks for waiting for me to cross at the Safeway this morning!
PPS I defer to those guys on hopper patterns, and I'm not nearly as legit of a fisherman, but FWIW if have luck with a #12 muddler fished like a nymph when it is hopper time. A little bluish color seems to help (i use pheasant rump for the underwing)


This goes without saying but there is a lot of water to fish on the BIG T. Hike down and walk if you can. You can get away from a lot of people with a little effort. If you park in the normal places get ready to meet a lot of people. Also there is a ton of water period to fish in the greater Tahoe basin. Stillwater stuff will be going off and has seen less pressure this year because we have water in our rivers.

Personally I've never fished hoppers in the Sierra's until later in the summer. (July-August). Maybe I should change my tactics? But right now I'm thinking crawdads, green drakes, ants, and PMD's.

[Ralph]

I've never found Truckee trout too selective about patterns when it comes to eating (or not eating) a hopper. Chubbies are about as painless as they get (you never have to baby them) but I like Madam X and Gartside style hoppers tied with a deer hair body (either spun or pulled back bullet head fashion). The deer body hoppers ride lower in the water and seem to have a much better hook up rate than foam hoppers. Foam is often pushed around while the heavier deer hair is more likely to stay anchored in place and stick the fish. People say that trout refuse foam hoppers, but I'm thinking that refusal is a fly that got pushed aside. Deer hair gets chewed up, needs to be dried and dressed and ulimately all will get waterlogged. It's a price I'm willing to pay. For all my bad mouthing the 4th, if I were visiting the area, the Truckee River would be on my hit list anyway. Fishing is never BAD!

[bigfly]

It used to be peaceful on the water....
Human trail builders are like beavers...
they can't help themselves....
MUST BUILD!!!
Wait till the transients move in.
Kids on moto-cross bikes ripping..
Who's tax dollars for patrol....? Nevada county?
That's if they complete it....I like the 2.3 miles going in, down lower in the canyon.
Starts nowhere...goes nowhere..
They will try and leverage the remaining land owners for access, or use eminent domain....the trail must go through...
It's a dis-ease. May all trail builders get one through their yard at no added cost.

A sz 9 Very High Sierra blu'e is tied with a spindly dubbed pale yellow body with white thread wrap, with wings of blue/grey turkey wing (free range). Taper wing to a razer thin butt. Coat wings with fleximent...for durability.....
Leggs are barred pumpkin, nicely knoted. You asked....
Soggy is best, when fishing hoppers.
More takes... and fewer push-aways.....
I have been known to float mine with a split shot.
The closest Comercial tie is a Burks spent Hopper. Tied for the T.
Mostly though...it's a good drift.

Jim

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

"...Back in the day fishing on the 4th was predictably good. You might bump into a few anglers but they were far and few between. In the 70's into the early 80's me and Randy were the only fly fishing guides for the entire region."

Ralph----I fully agree with your above comment....

Ah, the "good old days". Times do change. When asked about local fly fishing history in the Truckee area I'll inform people that I was the 3rd licensed fly fishing guide in the Truckee area. I believe Randy got his guide license in '78, you in '81? and me in '84.

For sure there were less crowded conditions on the local waters then. We seldom bumped into each other then and left each other lots of space; regardless if we were guiding or personally fishing. If I saw your or Randy's vehicle, I'd go else where and I'm sure you and Randy reciprocated. That was then and this is now. Nevertheless, the water still intrigues me and provides me with my spiritual recharge.

Frank R. Pisciotta

[TyV]

WOW...Thank you Jim, John and Ralph...in no particular order. Incredibly helpful! Can't say thank you enough. I look forward to sitting at my vise and seeing what I create...then fishing those creations.

John, are you fishing that #12 blue toned muddler on the bottom dead drift? I need to hear more please.

Jim, how do you float a hopper with a split shot? How far above? Assuming you are fishing water where you can see the take a few inches below the surface...and that is where you want your hopper to be presented...just under the surface???

The common thread of all 3 of your responses is that you are all fishing hoppers...low in the film, below the film/drowned...and possibly lower John? That is GOLD. Please share any more that you can think of on exactly where in the water column each of you are targeting and having success. THANKS!!! AGAIN!

Ty

[bigfly]

Andy B wrote an article one time he called "The final foot".
He made the point that anything that falls on the service, sinks....through the top foot.
And anything that swims for the surface will pass through that top foot......
Simple really. Fish the foot.
One of the most amazing days of fishing I have had, was sight fishing with my hopper a foot down.....
Hoppers come in every color from pink to black. I once served a blackened Burks to effect, the fish approved, and so did Andy .
I have fished one for 46 years....they don't work well in winter..but as soon as you hear the males flying, fish'em.

Jim

[Ralph]

TyV-
I fish hoppers in the film and as deep as I can see them. Nymphing with a hopper is honestly the most productive way, but the least fun (for me). All terrestrials drown sooner than later and I'm convinced the majority of terrestrials are eaten once drowned.

[TyV]

Ralph/Jim

If you both knew the level of excitement that I have at the moment... I LOVE that about fly fishing, I will never live long enough or fish enough days that learning gets old...or that there isn't more to learn. 20+ years...and it just gets better for me.

Thank you!!!

Ty