Right now the river is at 700 cubes or so at Hirschdale, and about 800 in Nevada, good, for this time of year, as run-off could make it much higher on a normal water year. Releases from Boca have just begun. I imagine the river will stay up at least over the 500 range for a while. I have been spending most of my time fishing the Cali side, and fishing is very good. March browns are winding down and hatches are sparse. I thought the carpenter ants would go off, but it really hasn’t happened. Next up are caddis, green drakes, and pmds. I think we should see caddis in about 10 days if it stays warm, green drakes just after that, and pmds shortly. This will all happen a bit sooner in Nevada. All hatches should be a few weeks ahead of normal given the lower than average water levels, and unlike last year we will be able to fish them. Water temps are at about 55 degrees in Cali give or take a few. The river is fishing very well with fish of all age classes being caught, and catch rates are good at least for the Truckee. I’m waiting for the caddis to drop, and I’ll have a box full of G-6′s ready. Some photos from this week.

 Make sure the doors are locked and the 870 is loaded, because when Ryan from The Fly Syndicate is in the boat, no telling what can happen. Ryan and Dad Larry came out for a float yesterday on the Eastside. Ryan did well, but Dad was asleep at the wheel most of the day. Streamers and nymphs getting the job done. It’s pretty much came on through out the entire Truckee River, both states. Check out Ryan’s blog when you get a chance.

They’re here, our big winged carpenter ants of spring. Fun stuff. All of our finned friends in rivers around Truckee-Tahoe-Western Nevada, lakes, and tribs, will have ants on their minds for the next couple weeks. You can do some prospecting with a single ant pattern, or get one a little bigger like a chernobyl, and hang some droppers off the back. Besides the chernobyl, my Jesus Was a Carpenter Ant is a good one, it’s available only at Mountain Hardware in Truckee, and it floats well enough to hang some droppers off the back. Also another good fly from Solitude is the RPS ant, a true killer. Some photos from the last few on the Truckee River.

Fishing is good in both states on the Truckee River. Trout have spread out and are just about everywhere in the river. It’s good to fish the soft spots and or secondary holding lies with the dry dropper rig, and nymph up on the deeper stuff. You’d be surprissed to see how many fish are in about 2-3 feet of water. B-dubs and march browns are on the lunch menu. Attractor patterns are still working really well for me too, copper johns, princes, etc. You can go a little bigger with your flies in the spring. Green drakes are getting ready to bust loose, as well as golden stones, and pmds. If the weather stays warm we’ll see early hatches of the said patterns along with our annual caddis blitz. The waters perfect, about 600 cfs, give or take a bit, from the Hirsch on down through Nevada.

It’s always great to take a few old timers out fishing. Maybe, I should say old schoolers, sorry Ed, and Dwayne. They have usually seen a lot of water, and always have good stories from a lifelong of fishing trips to tell. Sometimes they bring cool rods, like an old Fisher, or Sage LL, with old Hardy’s, or Cimmaron’s attached. They’re patient and courteous, and I always appreciate that, but when they start fishing it’s all business. I did a few days on the Eastside of the Truckee River, it was high and muddy. We threw streamers, dead drifted streamers, and threw all the gnarly shit in my box I never use, they ate it all. I had to change my game a bit, and adjust to the high flows, and we ended up finding fish. The spring fishing is great this year, and should continue right on through.

Just finished up two days of clinics on the Truckee River. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that. I had a great time, and met some great people. We learned my rigs, knots, flies, and did some streamering, on switches and single handed rods, and how I fish them. Got a text today from Shane who was in Saturdays clinic. He went out today with the techniques he learned yesterday and stuck some nice fish, stoked!  On the river front, she’s in good shape after last weeks Donner Creek rise of biblical proportions. The Truckee is in purrfect shape, and it should be a great week of fishing, hell, month of fishing. For all those that attended the clinic, thanks so much for your interest and patience for letting me teach you the things I have learned over the years. Look out for a Winter tactics clinic coming late Fall.

The Truckee is a bit big and a bit swollen. If you know how to fish in high flows, then you’ll do good, if not wait a few weeks. We ain’t gonna have to much run-off this year. It’s about 900 in the Hirsh, give or take a bit, off color, but not to bad. Personally, how I like it.  The usual suspects that muddy up the river, Juniper, Grays and Bronco creeks, are but a third of what they are on a normal water year. Remember, fish can still see your flies even if the water is of color.  Attractors should be in your box, copper johns, princes, hares ear, etc. Pull streamers up the banks, throw big dries around. I have seen march browns along with a few of our big winged carpenter ants, have those when the water clears.  This is dream catcher Charles from yesterday, crushing it on the Truckee River. He claims he’s Native American because every big fish he holds flops out if his hands, you know he doesn’t want his spirit taken from a photograph. Third times a charm I guess.

Clients had a weekend of firsts. First fish on a fly rod, first brown trout caught on a fly rod, first rainbow caught on the Truckee, and first monster brown of the season lost on the Cali side. Good times had by all. The river has come up, but is actually clearing as fast as it got muddy. Big fish get hooked in this type of water, we’ll see what happens this week.

You just have to keep your flies in the water. Flies that are in the water more, catch more fish. If their tangled, dirty, or in a snag, it’s hard to do that, catch fish that is.  After a while that becomes easier to do. At first it’s tough, especially on the Truckee River, but if you stick with it enlightenment will occur, and you’ll be on your way to full ninja status. Robert’s fished with me a few times, and now can mend like a mad man, cast like an animal, and play and land big fish like Steven Seagal. A few trouts from yesterday.

After being shut out most of last week due to wind and snow, finally, I got back on the water with folks for the last three days. It went from poor, good, to great. I stayed on the East side of the Truckee River. The streamer bite was bad, nymphing good, and the dry dropper rig reined supreme, at least yesterday. Fish have definitely spread out, and are back hanging in their favorite spring dive bars. Things should start crack’n here around Hirschdale, on the California side, like about this week. High’s are suppose to be in the 70′s, t-shirt weather, stoked. We should see some march browns pop’n, along with b-dubs and skwalas. Snow pack is about 65% in the Truckee River basin, should this week start some run-off?  I’m sure we’ll see some, but I’m betting it won’t be huge. We’ll be able to fish through it, I’m sure. It will be nothing like the last two years. Off color fishing is fun, tie up some big and nasties and bring it on.