The river is continuing to drop, but it should stabilize soon. It is currently at 280 cfs at the Reno gauge. While this might feel low compared to the flows this summer it is actually slightly higher than the median daily flow as can be seen in the graph below. The triangles are showing the median daily for each day. 

An upside to the lower flow is that it allows easy wading to often difficult spots. It is a good time to explore areas of the river that you might not have fished yet or maybe only looked because of limited access. Water temps have been on the warm side with the summer heat but nothing close to a critical level. We have been watching a forecasted cool down starting this weekend. Refreshingly it looks to be more of a seasonal trend rather than a random weather system. 

This time of year there are not a lot of bugs around, and the ones that are available are on the smaller side. We have been using smaller nymphs (#16s and #18s) paired with a larger fly on point (or anchor). This is the time of year when we often are using crayfish patterns. The Cray Z Emma and the Mini Cray are good patterns to have ready. Without one of these great patterns in your box you can substitute a brushier (or leggier) stonefly pattern (T.J. Hooker and the Nemec Stone).

Brown trout have been very active lately. This may be a pre-pre-spawn behavior or it may be because of our good water conditions all summer. Soft hackles such as the Duracell and Assassin as it will imitate an emerging insect. 

 Flies we Suggest: Cray Z Emma, Mini Crayfish, TJ Hooker, Nemec Stone, Quill Jig, Duracell, Assassin, Spanish Bullet