More Snow?!!...Seasonal Prognosis*

Yeah, it started again last evening on our return from Ralph & Lisa Cutter's new presentation entitled "Lies". It was at the Cal-Neva resort & sponsored by the Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers. Visibility was dicey, especially driving over Brockway Summit. You lucky skiers & gliders will be in Nirvana into late May. SquawlyWood received nearly 59 FEET of snow this winter, breaking the old record by 29 inches. This has been a wonderful year for snow as it relates to invigorating & enhancing habitat for ALL of our local flora & fauna. As of April 1st the Truckee River Basin's 17 measurement sites has this year's snow-pack at 181% of average. More important to us fly anglers is the water-content for April 1; it was 161% of normal. As far as "wettness", this year trails only '83 and '95; 227% and 182%, respectively. So what do these numbers mean as it relates to melt/run-off into our waters? Multiply 181 x 1.61; hence flows will essentially be 291% of normal. Yikes! da PROGNOSIS: It will be a very 'late' year for the BT and it will negatively impact the fishery (read:crowds) on the LT. The up-side is that the BT big boys & girls will not be stung for a long while because we'll not effectively tempt them down-deep...if we can even reach them. I'm predicting a spectacular Fall season. Another plus is that the smaller streams will be fly fishable for an extended amount of time. There will be plenty of healthy, stream-bred trout available for those who will know the whats, wheres, whens and hows. HINT: take-out your seldom used 3 weight rods so that you can put a proper bend in them when encountering the smallish brookies, browns & rainbows; a 12 " trout is "big". A couple of last thoughts. Expect the aquatic HATCHES to be compressed and intense...but later than usual. Do not forget about terresterials; it can be a banner year as it relates to beetles & hoppers. *I do know about paragraphs...my Google editing seems to be disabled, so above are 5-6 paragraphs without seperation!!

Springtime!!....

...in Nevada. Finally, the extended period of snow-fall has ceased. There is talk that this will be a "top-3" year. The snow-pack around Truckee is waaaay above normal for this time of year; still limiting access severely on both the BT and LT. Yesterday Pancho and I ventured across the border into Nevada. Succinctly, 3 hook-ups, one break-off and ZERO lands during a 1-1/2 session from 3:15-4:45 PM. We experienced clear skies, sun and no wind with water-temp at 46 degrees, relatively low flows and great clarity. We came upon a run that had "bulging" surface-feeders. Skwalas, BWO and midges were emerging...sparsely. The hook-ups were on the stoneflies; two at the surface and one below. Still another 2 weeks for things to get going in the immediate Truckee area. Remember, water-temps will be a determining factor....not to mention clarity & volume of flows.

Truckee Fly Angling Update

As for fly fishing in the immediate Truckee area...it is wishful thinking. We received heavy snow yesterday (Sunday, March 20) and the minimal access points that were available on both the BT and LT are officially declared closed by CyberFly!!

The grapevine has this season's snowfall as the heaviest in 25 years. My recollection is that the most famous recorded snow-falls to date were the winters of '51, 83 and '92.

Suddenly the sky has cleared & the sun is peaking through. I'm sure it is a temporary aberration because there are forecasts for the next 5-6 days of snow! Is there such a notion as TOO MUCH SNOW...from a fly angling perspective?

SOME NUMBERS:

Truckee measurement Site #2 @ 6509'---217% of normal snow-pack. It is the highest % of pack as of this date in the Truckee Basin; the lowest % being at Mt Rose site (8800') at 116%

Basin-wide average is now at 147% of normal...good stuff! I haven't even mentioned water-content, which is more critical than snow-pack as it relates to run-off/melt and our precious fly fishing. Let's assume a minimum of 130% of normal water-content (which is a conservative guess), thus 147 X 1.30=191% of average water-content. Hey, we may not be able to see our first consistent dry fly fishing until the end of July...at the earliest. Sub-surface fishing this year will account for 99.9% of the trout fooled...a very liberal guess.

Bob-Bob Bobcating Along...

Today I've seen two images of a bobcat. The first was on da Sheriff of the Canyon's blog (http://www.gilligansguideservice.blogspot.com/) and the second was in today's Sierra Sun newspaper (http://www.sierrasun.com/). So, I had to share my "bobcat" image in the blogisphere.For those who have never observed a bobcat in the wild; it is an exhilarating experience. They are reclusive & seldom seen. I was here in Truckee for about 20 years when I saw my first one along the "West Loop" of the Truckee river.

The one imaged above was seen "up close & personal". Three, late winter-early springs ago I was in my living room and heard a loud thump* coming from our back deck. I turned a saw this magnificent animal, on its haunches on my deck rail. It was almost robotic in that it was slowing rotating its head side-to-side. It was not more than 10 feet from my window. My camera was readily available. I grabed it and went to the patio door, hoping that he/she was still there, it wasn't. It was slowly walking up a snow-patch off our deck with its back to me. I hissed and it turned around &...I clicked the camera.

Thus far I haven't seen a mountain lion up here in the mountains. They are around because last year one was sighted about a 1/2 mile from my home and tracks were identified about a 1/4 mile away. If my heart was pumping when I saw the bobcat...I hope I don't pass-out when I seen lion in close.



* I later attributed the loud thump to the probability that the bobcat attempted to ambush (from a close-in tree) a squirrel or chipmuck that are frequent visitors since I live on the edge of the forest.

Over-Due Truckee Weather/Fly Angling Report

...a self-portrait


It is 7 PM...new "daylight-saving-time", and we're receiving a steady fall of heavy-wet snow. Before we gradually settle into early spring we can use a few good wintry-blasts to pad the recorded, March 1 water-content of 124% of normal for this region. Jeez, if we can get the figure above 130+% of normal water-content...the trout will be appreciative. This is wet/sleet/snow pattern is predicted for the next 5-6 days. Bring it on!

This post was to occur about two weeks ago. At that time I'd just finished a busy 6-week run of three shows and venturing to Chilean Patagonia. Then the unexpected occurred; severe water-damage from a failing fixture at my "labor-of-love" cabin in Truckee; built in 1979. It has occupied the last 10 days of my life. Now I'm resigned to getting screwed by the insurance company. They will "depreciate" a 30 year-old carpet and padding. They'll subtract that $$$ figure from the replacement of a new carpet. I'll probably owe them money!!!

So, what do the current weather-patterns suggest to us fly anglers? Here's my take:

Access is, and will continue to be of concern for the next 2-3 weeks. More of a factor in the BT 's upper-river with more ingress points downstream as one proceeds down the canyon to the state-line. For sure everything is open in Nevada.

A "low & slow" mind-set with a tandem big-fly/small-fly rig (I think light/dark also) will get more tight-lines than hoping for the rarer near the surface taker. If the latter, think in the surface-film or slightly below; there might be a stillborn or crippled BWO or March Brown, midge, winter black stone or Skwala adrift. If the latter scenario is your choice, then go at mid-days, hope for little or no wind, lots of solar heating (read sparse cloud-cover) Prospect/target eddies, flats or light-velocity runs.

An excerpt from "Early Season on the Truckee" which I authored n the 2009 spring issue of Sierra Fisherman:
"...Early in the year there are sparse surface emergences. You will observe the ubiquitous, little, black winter stones peppering the snow banks and flitting above/on the water surface; midges, March Browns, first-brood BWO...Skwala hatch. Don’t hold your breath anticipating many, if any, of these bugs getting eaten on top…"

So, wait until early June when the "Big Bugs of June" make an appearance.

Truckee Fly Angling Update

Let it snow! As for fly fishing...fogetaboutit!

After six (6) weeks of a relative La Nina dry-spell this current dump of "white gold" is welcome. At my 6500' elevation we've received 2 feet...good forthe trout. If you're really jonesing head for Reno.

UPDATE: as of 6:45 AM on Friday the 18th: 4 feet of new at my place since last Monday night! Yeah!

Chilean Patagonia Report/Images

Here's a quicky e-report to Jon (http://jonbaiocchiflyfishingnews.blog/) who has also had the pleasure of fishing Chilean Patagonia waters (specifically in & around the Rio Cisnes) near the Picacho Lodge (http://www.picacholodge.com/) where I stayed from 5-12 February:

"...The weather was almost too warm for me. We (the 7 anglers at the lodge) got some nice trout; there was one Brown netted that was 28” (or 80 centimeters) and several in the 23”-26” range, Saw the stag beetle. The two largest trout I personally landed were both Browns to 22”, on dries (#8 Black Fat Albert and # 6 Beige Chenobyl Hopper). My largest Rainbow was 21” ( #8 Damsel, dry). There were 5-6 landed by the group that were in the 24”-25” range; mostly Browns and one RainBow".

I haven't mentioned streamers, and yes I did use them. They produced best on the lagos (rivers) and "lagunas" (smallish ponds) They accounted for most of the larger trout by the group. Rubber-Wiggle-Legged streamers in Black, Rust & Olive produced best. We used 20'sink-tips at 200 grains with the sub-surface imitiations. The "group" consisted of myself & Al Smatsky (http://www.excellentadventures.com/) and five (5) Hungarians. I thought my flights were long; it took them 42 hours from Budapest Hungary!

The food, as usual, was fabulous. The staff was as helpful, professional and fun; becoming family since I first went to the lodge in 2008.

Al & I will be "hosting" groups there in 2012. If anyone wants info contact me and I'll provide fees for the 7night/6day day that you "...can't refuse".

Yes...even chinooks were present in very sparse numbers...we didn't target them...way to deep.

Note: The Picacho Lodge started operation in 2005. It is a fly fishing lodge. This year the owner allowed the Hungarian group to fish with conventional gear (spoons & spinners...single-hook only, barbless and strictly catch & release)....only the second time since the lodge opened. The salmon above and the largest Brown imaged were caught via "hardware". I wanted to disclose this and not mislead the reader. For sure the big guys are there and we are figuiring how we will adjust our fly fishing techniques & gear to dupe them. Essentially they are down deeper in the lagos & rio pools and we could not get down to them...this year.