The rainbows in the Truckee have begun to show their spawning colors this week, taking on deep, vibrant hues of pink, olive, purple and red. They are working hard at putting on weight in anticipation of the next few months, and the catch rate of large ‘bows has been great recently. We’ve been having great luck along most stretches of the river from Glenshire Drive, all the way down to the lower river, and everywhere in between.

The bug selection remains much the same along the entire river. Worms, midges and baetis are great options along the entire system. We would add an additional emphasis on skwala stoneflies in the canyon section of the Truckee where bigger pools and a rocky substrate are present. The fish are sitting in slow deep runs along the entire system. Being able to read the water and identify the deepest runs in your section of river will ensure that you are putting your flies in front of the fish. Fishing these runs very thoroughly will improve your chances of success. Remember that the large fish are always going to hold down the prime lies. So, look for deep runs that are around walking speed and focus on the side-water, just outside of the main seam. The fishiest side-water will have a small secondary seam present for the fish to sit in without working too hard. Even better would be a large rock or shelf for the fish to sit up against to conceal themselves from predators and add another cushion of soft water. This extra cushion against the current will allow fish to expend less energy, while still getting the benefits of the buggy conveyor belt effect from the seam.

Streamer fishing will also be a good bet coming into these prespawn months; especially as we see continued overcast days through the week. For the presentation needed to target these fish in the deep slow water using a streamer, we recommend a sink tip line in a type 6 with a moderately weighted streamer. Don’t be afraid to go large and flashy. Fishing this way is done to initiate an aggressive predatory strike just as much as it is done to imitate a food source. A long mono leader on a floating line with a heavy jigged streamer can also be a very effective way to fish these deep runs, but this will often require you to tie your own streamer to ensure enough weight is used, and the cast can be a bit tough for the average fly caster. The result of casting a heavy fly on a long leader is a clunky, chuck-n-duck style cast to get into the zone. But, the feel and jig style presentation is certainly effective when fish are in slow water and somewhat close to the bank.

The midge and baetis hatches have become increasingly present along most of the river, with especially strong hatches of midges along Glenshire and some explosive hatches of baetis along the lower river, anywhere from the Reno area all the way through USA Parkway. Both bugs come off strongest around mid-day, when no wind is present, and the sun is shining.