Truckee Area

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I have fished the Truckee River "off and on" for over 40 years, very sporadically though, so much of what I can tell you about it is older info and from thousands of shop conversations for that long too.

It is close to Sacramento and the Bay Area.

It is a very unique fishery with very diverse food for the fish.

It has some monster fish in it.

It is very finicky for most average trout fly fishers.

It would be cool to fish it a lot and try many different techniques.

It has almost any type of water you can imagine in a trout stream too.

** I would go at least once with every local Truckee area fly fishing guide if you want to learn faster and change you luck dramtically.

[bigfly]

Bill, you nailed it on every count.
I tell people that aim to fish here, that it is as difficult as it is rewarding.
If you care to fish it well, address the points Bill made, and the fish will start to "magically" appear!
1. Since it is so close to population centers in NV. and CA both... try to fish some water that requires a walk. Fishing close to the car means a smarter/higher pressured group of fish nearby.
2. Because the food forms are so diverse, one must pay close attention to daily/seasonal changes to the "menu".
Do a seine for bugs, watch for daily hatch patterns, get as close to natural in you fly selection, etc.
3. We do have some fatties lurking about, but, they don't really want to cooperate.
Attention to detail (a fresh leader, and a good 1st drift for instance), and persistence counts here.
4. One can be an "average" fisherman, and get seriously spanked here. Those that fish it at a high level of competence, for a long time, still get hard lessons. The badly presented dry, or a nervous mend when drifting an indicator, tips them that the game is on.
5. Exploring, and mastering the wide range of techniques that work here, makes a better all around fisherman out of you.. when you fish this water well, fish will line up and take a number to be caught, when you fish other places. Cliche but true, really.....
6. The diverse types of water, and the way varying flow rates interact with it, forces changes to my approach, almost every time I go to the water.
The flows, force changes in where the fish will hold, so.. some water holds fish only some of the time. Avoid pool fixation, keep moving, cover water.

For the time being, I'm dealing with a loss in the family, and stand eight hours from my favorite water (In the desert!).
I'd appreciate it if you guys would fish it for me while I'm gone (and report). This is perhaps the best time of year to fish the Truckee, and I seriously miss it..
Say hello to Walter for me.

Jim

[Scott V]

Any time I fish anywhere I only hope for 1 fish, if I get more that is great. But I enjoy being out in the outdoors so if I do not catch fish, oh well it beats mowing the lawn. I have horrible allergies.

[Woodman]

Scott, I agree with you. One fish is my measure of a good day. If I get skunked I need to find a new "lucky hat"

The hours that I am focused on my fly/line/indicator are time I'm not thinking about more stressful things.

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

Scott & Woodman---I agree with your sentiments on "good" or "great" as it applies to fly fishing. I like to say that fishing is an excuse to walk and commune with nature.

Your comments also remind me of a POGO cartoon that I have clipped-out of the newspaper 10+ years ago:

Panel #1---character sitting by tree with rod and fishing in a stream and another asks "How's the fishing?".

Panel #2---fella with rod responds "Good".

Panel #3---Questioner asks "How many have you caught?". Angler "none."

Panel #4---Questioner (perplexed) "How is it good if you haven't caught any?".

Panel #5---Angler, "Oh, when you catch fish it is 'Great'".

Frank R. Pisciotta

[WinterrunRon]

Frank,

I'm going to say 6-8 maybe, but like I said, I don't count these. Not that they're too many to count, but I have little interest in anything less than my target fish! In any event, it's not a lot.

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

...weather holding and the trout are bulking-up...and eating.

Really crowded on the LT this last 4-5 days but the BT has been a pleasure to fly fish...solitude.

Frank R. Pisciotta

PS---Since most people note their blogs & websites...check-out my eclectic posts on mine...you may like it.

www.flyfishingcalifornia.blogspot.com