Truckee, CA.

[bigfly]

It's been cooler at night, AND cooler during the day.......
Water in the main stem, below Boca, was 59 deg. at 9:30 this morning.
Perfect...
But up near town was warmer earlier.......still a little warm to fish afternoons.....
Challenging fishing regardless.....
Some clouds today made it nice..
A few Baetis....
Think small nymphs.....
The fish are thinking the flies may be electrified. ....beyond soft takes....

The fishy window is from before dawn to about 10:30 am.....You can grind it out by dredging deep near bubbles.
HOPPERS are the special just before noon....a variety of sizes and colors.....mud your leader for best results. Or fish'em soggy.....

A few risers, then the door slams.......
Chocolate Caddis sz 18
Dark chocolate Midges sz 22-24 and some tan ones too.
Micro mays.......try a Bird's nest sz 18 or 20.
Sparse PMD maybe a Peaches .
Swinging soft hackles in the shallows......
Be imaginative.....

Treat'em nice.....

Jim

[bigfly]

It's beginning.......Most visitors are gone. There isn't five cars on every pullout. Nice.
Nights are cooler, and the days are a bit better.
They dropped the flows out of Tahoe...and bumped it up from Donner....Back down to 158 cfs up from 134cfs in town.
Kinda wish they cared about the fish...........A mile downstream, I could smell the warm lake water.....
I'll go lower in the canyon for love.
Water temp is about 59deg early, and creeps up to 63deg in the afternoon. Still not great, but much better.
Was a cloudy window yesterday, and the Baetis went off, fish too. Pray for clouds....
Ive been turning nice fish on a HOPPER....3 drifts for a 19" Brown....get a drift, they are looking up, but are way picky.
Mud yer leader....
Very sparse PMD, probably will increase with cooler temps.
Some chocolate Caddis, and Glossisoma aflyin.....some Infrequines too.....
Sz 18 Baetis nymph, and sz20 zebra midge, are good to have.
Cray......Buy or tie your Oct Caddis......
Beautiful time to be on the water.....or just out. Nights are epic....
Lots of critters......the gathering is beginning......it's almost migration time. Flocks of Geese getting together.
Good fishing is stating to happen.........!
Treat'em nice...

Jim

[bigfly]

My favorite time is at hand....its Fall fishing time!!
Nights have been near freezing, and there is smoke on the water in the mornings.
Color is covering the hillsides....

I've been tagging fish almost at will. On dries, and a bobber, and a streamer on the swing.

I mentioned about 3 weeks ago that Oct. Caddis were already sealing up to pupate. Now I'm seeing them on the wing at dusk....Tie or buy time. It's Sept Caddis this year.
This subtle observation is the difference between visiting 2-3 times a month, and walking the water the other 28 days a month.
Had an evening hatch of sz 16 PEDs on a big eddy 2 nights ago, it's so nice to see risers for a change.
Mid morning is a breakout small Baetis hatch, with a few Infrequines too....
Steady Glossisoma hatch..sz 18 EC caddis.
Midges are sz22-24 white.
Hoppers come in two colors of under-wing. Fish them when the wind blows.
Sierra Blues and common yellows...a variety of sizes, smaller is sneaky. Match them close to succeed. Float'em, or drown'em.
Have gotten a bonus fish or two by fishing a hopper, with a weighted baetis dropper on the end of the drift, kind of a dangle style...
If you are fishing mid-day dries...mud your leader...for fewer refusals.
And....let them eat it....seen some too-fast vertical sets recently. Professionally, I see way too many folks work hard for the eat, then take it away. I also think a sweep set has better odds. even on a dry. Try it.
Water temps are coming down nicely.
Flows are very low near town 117cfs (winter flows), better down below Boca.
It's always better to fish new water...otherwise, you are teaching them how you fish.
Had a guy book me in Nov. and wondered how it will be....?
I said, either a foot of snow.....or fishing Hoppers still...

Treat'em nice

Jim

[bigfly]

It's fishy time! The fish much prefer this cloudy stuff, no killer birds and few fishers, so they relax a bit.
The water has cooled some, but isn't cold by any means...
The flows have dropped a bunch.....always check the flows before you go.
In town a trickle at 78cfs, better down below at 378cfs.....
There are many midges..............
A few PMDs, very few.
October Caddis is the special right now. A well drifted orange Stimi may do the trick.
Hoppers if it gets warm enough.....on the surface or otherwise.
It's still wet wading time for a while yet..
Some risers, mostly nymphing, but I have had some follows on a streamer as well.....
Treat'em nice.

Jim

[Troutstalker55B]

Monday and Wednesday was on fire! Cloud cover.
Water temps are perfect 56 to 61 degrees, every watershed is different, and trout will tell you that, not in a science class.
Flows have been dropped for Tout Unlimited Truckee River Wildlife Area's restoration project - We've been waiting for you to drop by.
Midges are thick in the am.
Not impressed with this years population of the October caddis. Historically it is nothing like the Upper Sac or the McCloud which I use to spend a week on near the end of October every year until my business skyrocketed in 08. Love the big bug. My guest have been getting takes on the burnt orange Stimi, more than expected.
There is still plenty of hoppers, but don't forget to drown an ant.
Lots of rising fish on those cloudy days - spot 'em - you got 'em. More baetis now than PMDs.
Dry/dropper all day long including the the little tail water.
Always do, thanks for the report. See you on the water. - J

[bigfly]

Hey Jon...
The T has has never been a Caddis bucket list spot like the McCloud, for the 30 years I've fished it, we get some and I fish them.
I just like the way a big fish swirls on them. The fish can follow for a long ways (20-30 feet) before they eat it....get a good extended drift. I think they do this out of caution....the average dry fisher gets about a 10 ft drift, so the fish follow waiting to see it go bad. If it doesn't.....they eat.

I'm busy, but I don't try to pump it up here......just report.......we have plenty of fish hero's on the water already! Ha!
A client suggested doing video for my business....I declined, because I don't need the stroke, and the T should make you earn the game to fish here, not just go fish the spot seen on u-tube......hard fishing makes you a better angler.....

Saw the excavator in the river......and am not into it, so I won't be by....I know the history......

Not that I don't like big equipment........will be moving snow at Alpine meadows again, so I can give accurate snow reports...on location.....
Lets hope we get more snow than rain.......
BTW...not seeing and hearing as many birds around. It's that time of year......
Tream'em nice!

Jim

[Morgan]

"Not that I don't like big equipment........will be moving snow at Alpine meadows again, so I can give accurate snow reports...on location.."


I love this quote right here Jim! Hahaha. It gives me a good chuckle.

[bigfly]

Not trying to be funny....really.
That's called a segue.....
All summer long, I miss being out in the shite, in the night. When most are snug in their beds, and you can't see where you are going...and required to wear a beacon while driving the Big Cat... It is a fun level difficult to share.....
And what better reporting than from the battle front?.....Anything else would be faux news, or second hand.....
It comes from being an old fun-hog, and an ex-journalist......don't hold it agains me. It scratches me where I itch.
I will still be guiding during the day should the urge strike a bold fisher...
Think snow.....! We got our first trace up high last night......
You coming up to fish soon? Or U gonna wait till its good?

Jim

[bigfly]

Wisps of vapor on the water at dawn.....It's time to fish! Honestly, the rest of the year is for practice!!!!!
The clouds helped the fishy factor this week. Fish shade if sunny.
Mahogany Duns are a new addition to the menu......spinners in the evening.....
Baetis are a good choice. Sz 20.
Some Ephoron leukon? OK, Ralph, tee off if need be........very small white May sz 20-22.
Still some PMDs flying...seems patchy...but had a nice hatch a few nights ago.
Little Glossasoma are around, and their bigger brother the "Sept Caddis" are occasional, but fish still will look....
Seeing more rise rings in the evening....some big ones....what I call trash-can-lid size.
There are fewer fishers on the water, but the ones that are, know their business....I recommend visiting fishers spy on them..
Think of it as a free lesson....most visiting fly folks find the T hard, because they fish the way they do everywhere else.
I think it's better to find a fish and fish him, than prospect with 200 drifts....the fish think so too...
Euro nymphing is good for numbers here right now, but all other techniques are producing as well.
I have been fishing a dry on my 6wt switch to really reach out to them. Mud for effect, the fish shop hard this time of year.
The river is getting slippery as the aquatic veg is dying off. Some will need a staff for safety. Bring some back-up clothes.....
As I said before, the woods are starting to get pretty quiet, many birds have flown already....
And, yesterday the spiders started flying........it means winter is nearby.
Even with the start of light frost at night, the water is still around 60 deg. Nice but not really cold yet.
Still not seeing huge follows on streamers but the next few weeks will change that.
The canyon is really pretty with color, days are getting shorter, and it's game on till snow fly....
Then we will see who really fishes........
Treat'em nice.

Jim

[yFly10]

Jim, thanks for your spot on reports. It's great to have your fishy perspective of what's happening on the water daily.
Thanks.

[bigfly]

Yfly10.....Thanks for getting back......It is good to know the reports are helping. You been hooking up?
I don't really mind your or other reports, (I can't be out every day) just not into weather/fish speculations for the future.
Even if you live here, you can't tell......so we don't try.
The thing to remember, and locals know, is everyday is different, and a report here is good for about a day.
For instance, the day before yesterday, it was fishy, yesterday was tough. Not sure why.....(no clouds!)
Two big grabs and I missed both. Have to go today to shake off the slam down. That's the T!
Fine time to be out.......
Treat'em nice....

Jim

[bigfly]

Was going to post a pic of snow here......but it is just more white. Ha.
I'll get a shot when the sun shines next....




Edit.....11/29/18
It is time to fish......or ski....we got about 24" of heavy snow at the resort, bring your rock skis!
It's rained even up high(ugly) so it was about half gone say a foot left, of real base snow. Since then we have another foot.
The resort forgets to subtract the melting parts of the week, I don't.
The T was up a bit, but has a nice color(typical of the T once nights are back to freezing).
I'd say about 6" in town and it is snowing lightly.

The upper river between Trout Creek and Tahoe City is closed till next year....but looks very good...ha!

The fish are very fast at picking up, and putting down!! Set on everything that MIGHT even be a fish.....twitchy is the way...
Getting a bit quieter on the water......we are down to two bugs, Baetis and Midges. Either dries or nymphing.
Seeing swirls just below the surface much more than a couple weeks ago.

Find one and fish to him if possible......as opposed to prospecting. First drift is key......
Hoppers are done....
October Caddis are about done.....saw a few day the before ......An emergence that lasted from Sept, to Nov.....longest in my experience.
Baetis sz 20 dries...Burks Silhouette Dun. JUJUs and emergers are best bets.
They come off about 11:00 am as a Dun, and return to the water about 2:30 in split wing mode.
Smidges abound of course...early they pop, later they bounce on the water.
You can cross in many places.....maybe wade the middle and fish the edges.....
The evenings are getting chilly, and mornings are brisk.....sure beats hot weather/water.
Soft hackles might be the best way right now. Just swing it! Perhaps in a riffle.....
Let your drift swing all the way through to the end and maybe dangle a bit...even when nymphing....I missed a big grab as I started to cast. You have been warned....
Temps will start warm and then get down to 7deg this weekend...ready? Bring stuff to be safe when traveling over the pass.
Flows are 129cfs in town......266 below..very wade-able...it is very slippery, bring studs and a staff, and backup clothing in case!
It's a good time to team fish, by having a friend spot for you. There are some nice fish in low water, but they are wise and can see a caster 30 yards out or more.

Treat'em nice.

Jim