Start of the Season

This past Saturday kicked off CA's fishing year for rivers, creeks, lakes, & any other bodies of water that may hold fish. Friday night was Fishmas Eve at Blue Coyote. A special thanks to Stefan, Dave, and anyone whom may of helped, thank you! It was a great event that helped raise money for our local Trout Unlimited Chapter #103. On that note, the Truckee is flowing a bit heavy in town @ 500 cubes and in the canyon @ 750-950 with snow run-off. I've been using the switch rod lately with a heavy tip. Getting that streamer down towards the river bottom is important. Finishing the drift will pay off, if you strip it along the sides of the river. The LT is fishing well. Flows are a big high, but you can still find some hungry trout. Lately I've been using Birds Nest patterns, zebra midges, Copper Johns, SJ's, BWO emergers, black stones, and soft hackle caddis patterns under lead. If you plan on nymphing, use quite a bit of lead and raise the indicator to proper height depending on the riffle, eddie, etc. Here are several that didn't get away…

Warm Temps & Cold Brews

The warm temperatures recently sure makes it feel like summer in the Tahoe area. Most of the popular ski resorts will stay open just on weekends through mid-May. I've been out fishing the last few days and the snow run-off peaks around 3 PM on the Truckee. This makes for some great streamer fishing! The LT's clarity was a bit murky, but has since cleared up. Birds Nest, Coppers, SJ's, WD40's, BWO's, Skwala's, and sedges have been the go to flies recently. Golden Stones should be popping here soon. The crowds are out, that's for sure… try finding some new water and maybe you will find a few wild trout while your at it. Nick wanted to get out of the office and get a few tugs… good thing he drove up…it was a great day! Good work Nick!

Fishing Report 4/16

Got the afternoon off, so I headed to the Truckee. The weather was a bit overcast, but the fish were still feeding. I saw a few caddis & mostly BWO's. Skies should be good for the next week, but the wind could be a slight issue. Got a few fish on dries, but the nymph bite was better.

Jim getting it done

photo via Jim

Fish Face!

We got a little weather headed our way the next few days, which should help with the Spring transition… BWO's, stones, san juans, coppers, and black/green streamers have produced several nice fish lately. The Truckee river flows are great right now, as well as the Little Truckee. Temperatures have been roughly around 42*, warming to 43-44 in the afternoon. I've been hooking fish in the tail outs & eddies. If your fishing a streamer, patience is key. Add a MOW tip (T-8) 10 ft and get that streamer down in the deep runs. Remember to hold on, because those browns will give you a ride! With the season around the bend, taking some time to clean your gear is important. I always invest in some new tippet as well. You don't want to lose a lunker to old tippet… it's a horrible feeling, hearing the infamous ZIGGG- POWWWW… This beauty ate a size 22 WD40.

Happy Easter

The Easter bunny brought us another few powder days for the coming week, which we may get anywhere from 2-4 feet. The ski resorts will be closing soon, but the snow will be good in the backcountry. I headed to Chico for Easter dinner with the family. The sky was a dull grey overcast and warm temperatures provided for some great bass fishing! We landed plenty under the surface and topwater. The strike was on and the fish were aggressive. Trout fishing is starting to heat up and the fish are going to be hungry! Start tying those streamers, because the browns will be waiting…