SummerTime in Truckee

...Bring it on! Flows & water temps are near-perfect alignment...

Seek & Find Uncrowded Truckee Angling

Progressively, as the Big Truckee and Little Truckee water flows become more "user friendly" there are likely crowds at these venues. If you want to avoid such; explore other regional waters within an hour's drive of the town of Truckee. You'll likely find some solitude at popular spots, venture way upstream or down and think about boats for difficult access.

Have Boat...Will Travel

Even on well-known  waters one can find no other anglers...search

Waiting for the hatch...and heads

Brookies & Bent Rods...Truckee Area

I love fly fishing small waters...been doing such for eons in the Truckee area. There are numerous  tiny brooks and creeks within a hour's drive of my home. Some are "secret"...others not. If new to the region study your topo-maps and start exploring. A few provide us the chance of bringing-to-hand the area's "Hat Trick"...brookies, rainbows and browns. In the near future Lahonton Cutthroat will be available; creating the area's unique "Grand Slam". A trophy is  in the 12"-13", most are 6"-10"...perfect quarry for a 3 weight rod...and dry flies.

There are important  considerations when seeking such waters. Below is an excerpt from my Destination Theater's presentation at Pleasnton CA's 2019 Fly Fishing Show: 

INSIGHT #2

SMALL WATERS

a) initially, the water temps are too cold and flows are too high

b) then, the flows are ideal, but water temps remain too cold

c) finally, flows and water temps are optimum for about 10 days ONLY

...then flow and temps are too low and warm!

if there's water , there are trout

Your first cast is the most productive for these opportunistic feeders

Above and below..."pan-size" or shall I say "hand-size" stream-bred trout

"OK, rise again..."

Lower Sac & A Near Death Experience?

The Lower Sac...sort of reminded me of southern Chilean Patagonia

Recently, I've been spending some time fishing well-known tail-waters of the West; the Beaverhead,  BigHorn, Missouri and the Green in Flaming Gorge; the latter three being BIG, tail-waters, below really huge dams within sometimes wide and sometimes narrow terrain.  (see images at bottom).Then I realized we have a famed and productive tail-water in the Lower Sac; right in our proverbial "back-yard".

Mike Brugh with a typical LS RainBow

So recently I spent two fun-filled days drifting the Lower Sac with members of the local fly fishing group; Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers. Suffice it to say; we netted respectable numbers of RainBows which made long runs, pulled hard and were healthy and strong.

 The LS is an "urban" fishery...along Interstate 5

The fallen tree, right-side of image, just missed the drift-boat

Peter, the fella in the center of boat has new name, " Woody". The fella in the stern was brushed by the tree as it broke into pieces as it hit the port-side of the drift-boat.…really lucky nobody got seriously injured. We were up river around a bend and our guide Shane received a cell-call from Peter. The other boat in this image was drifting behind and saw the whole thing; seeing and hearing the tree falling and smashing on boat.

the Wide-Missouri

...a wadable Missouri side channel 

The Green River...entering the infamous Flaming George

One of the few rapids on the Green  River

The across-stream footpath covers the entire 7 miles of the Green's Section A

the BigHorn….with its ugly terrain

BigHorn Brown

BigHorn RainBow

Ants!!...Truckee Area

Today is my first sighting of the Flying, Black Carpenter Ants, one of the three infamous "Big Bugs of June". I didn't notice them yesterday on the LT. Now, we await the Green Drakes and Golden StoneFies on the BT to make their sparse and unpredictable appearance.

As for Truckee area's fly fishing. This is the opportune time to encounter a hefty river trout; not numbers, but quarry measured in pounds. Our second opportunity occurs at lake inlets in fall.

Well, we're experiencing still heavy flows on moving waters and the still-waters are at near-maximum pool; both water-types make for challenging conditions. It seemed the snow-melt/run-off was waning and then we had an uptick in with the melt this last week. There still remains a lot of snow at the higher, north-sloping mountain peaks. Prior to the increased river flows we had some mid/late-spring, dry fly action; BWO's and March Brown and the occasional terrestrial pattern. Both huge attractor/indicator flies to sparsely dressed, small emerger patterns all fooled the sighted surface-feeders. Netted trout were RainBows ranging from 12"-19".

Guess I'm going to fashionably "redact" my 5/7/2019 post saying "Now, water temperatures supplant flows as the more important consideration...most especially on the BT."  Flow volume has re-entered our angling strategy again; along with its equally important partner; water temps. We're still awaiting a sustained warming period and the last-waning melt; thus triggering the early sequence of seasonal hatches.

The BT is flowing high and clear in its upper reaches; 835-1920 cfs from Tahoe City to Prosser Creek's inflow. Below Boca dam, there is less clarity and it is raging at close to 3000cfs. All these flows are ideal for kayak and sturdy inflatable fans; less so for us fly anglers...but be patient. As for wading the river...forgetaboutit! Besides, no need to be in the water, the trout have dispersed to the stream-edges, avoiding the turbulence of the main flows; resting and preserving energy behind obstructions that create deep, quiet eddy water.

 The productive techniques remain going deep, "low & slow" along the river-bottom. Suggested searching rigs adhere to the small/large concept; either a #12 San Juan or #6 Pat's Rubberlegs trailing a #16 FB Pheasant-Tail or Green rock Worm larva. I've no fly selections relative to Euro-style sub-surface fishing; if I did I'd be lying; being old-schooled in NorCal's tight-lining or high-sticking.

We're a MINMUM six weeks from the lower flow in the above image

Here are three FRANKISMS relative to angling during high water periods:

1---"Stick & Move"
2---"If fishing is slow, move fast, if fishing fast, move slow"
3---"When in doubt, add"...as related to weights

The LT below Stampede dam recently ramped-up to 760cfs; still too high for my jaded, liking.

 If you are resolute fishing there, I suggest the same BT advice as above. The exception being a #8 Green Drake nymph for the anchor-fly and the trailer being a size #18-20, black or red midge larva pattern (off-set the hook!).