The Truckee River has fished well between the storms over the past few weeks. The recent warm/wet storms have surged the water levels. Just before the water levels spiked the Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) had finally made an appearance on the Truckee River and fish are taking notice on days without much wind. Baetis Cripples and Parachute Adams have taken fish off the surface. Prior to the afternoon hatch, BWO nymphs such as the Jig TNT and Psycho May Olive have worked very well along the bottom. Fish have been caught in varying water types with the warmer afternoons we’ve had recently. 

The National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction predicts flows at the Reno gauge to peak just under 3,000 cfs later this week. Unfortunately, the river will be challenging until it lowers and clears back up.

Depending on the storms that follow into next week, the river may drop back into shape. As flows drop, water clarity will improve quickly and fish will settle into holding zones where they can escape the main current. This may be the beginning to our runoff season on the Truckee. While many anglers hang up the river rod during this time, there are many opportunities to target large fish with high flows. Since the current is heavy in the typical holding zones for trout, they will push to the edges of the river. This makes the fish a bit easier to target and we often see the biggest fish caught during the runoff period. 

Flies we Suggest: Baetis Cripple, Parachute Adams, Jig TNT, Psycho May Olive, Thin Mint, Sculpzilla, D&D