GUIDED TRUCKEE RIVER FLY FISHING. WELCOME TO GILLIGAN’S GUIDE SERVICE.

Guided Fly Fishing the Truckee River, Little Truckee River, Pyramid Lake Nevada, Truckee-Tahoe-Reno

A guided trip for beginners and experienced anglers includes instruction that builds a basic foundation necessary not only to catch fish but to understand the patterns in which fish feed and what they feed on particularly in the Truckee River throughout the changing seasons. A day with Gilligan’s Guide Service also includes honing the proper casting technique and fly presentation in order for an angler to have success on some of the most beautiful and difficult waters around Truckee, Tahoe, and Reno.

If you are new to fly fishing and do not have equipment, Gill will provide gear including waders, boots, and rods at no additional cost. Gilligan’s Guide service runs trips year round along the Truckee River, including float trips along the Nevada side, Little Truckee River, and Pyramid Lake Nevada.

TRUCKEE RIVER FLY FISHING – LATEST BLOG POSTS

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 27 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 27 2023

Winter fly fishing on the Truckee River. Cold kinda all up and down the river. At least this week. Waiting for El Niño to kick in. Big warm storms and a big river, love the stuff. Right now she's cold. Look for slow walking pace water, 2-5 feet deep. You'll always get a feeding window sometime during the day, no matter how cold it is. No ice or anything like that, and in fact in will get almost into the 40's in the afternoon, just cold in the mornings. Flows are at 440, cfs here in Hirschdale. Those are big flows for this time of year. 550 out East on the lower Truckee River in Nevada. Benefits of a banger snow year. It was about 140 cfs this time last year. Good flies are small stuff. Anything small and dark. Eggs, worms, and stuff like that work great too. Streamers can work well through the frog water. Post spawn brown trout like a good protein source right now.

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 14 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 14 2023

Pretty balmy mid-November weather in Truckee. When's Winter gonna start? Hard to say. Have to admit it's kinda nice right now. We'll get the snow, it's coming. Ain't the best streamer weather. I love pounding them around this time of year. That streamer bite happens when the weather is nasty, not mid-60's and sunny. I'd focus my time on nymphing right now, Euro, or bobber. Look at fishing the frog water early. Bobber rigs are great for that, then, fish the rifles after the water warms up. Euro rigs are the best for that. Trout move, Summer and Winter. I did some bobber fishing the other day and crushed them. Forget how well it can work in the slow frog water than your flies need to be suspended. I guess you'll see me bobber fishing again some more, lol. Looks like most browns are in the process of spawning out East on the lower river, and are just about done up here on the CA side. I think the best streamer fishing happens post spawn, and again in the Spring on the Truckee River.  

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 7 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report November 7 2023

Little taste of Winter on the Truckee River. Finally done with the warm daytime temps. Good and bad right. It's nice to have the t-shirt on in November, but those big fish like the nasty weather. I expect this week to be pretty good. When you get the water temps to crash, the bigger fish like to eat. It's like they know Winter is coming. Should be a good streamer week. Most trouts will move into the slower water. If and when it warms up during the day, they can move into some faster water to feed. Midges, blue wings, etc. There's some fish that are still spread out, but that should change here this week. Flows are great from Boca on down through Nevada.      

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 30 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 30 2023

Welp, Indian summer is done. Cold here in the mountains on the the Truckee River. Good news though, this week will be warm and cloudy. That will be good for just about everything, anywhere on the river. It'll get us out of this stagnant, cold sunny pattern that we slipped in too. Have a dry fly rod, streamer rod, and nymph rod, because they will all be good this week. Flows are still right around 400 cubes here in the Hirsch, and around 500 out East on the Nevada side of the Truckee River. Kinda waiting on El Niño. If we do have a wet warm Winter, that's really good news for our fishing. The Truckee's good when she's pumping.    

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 23 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 23 2023

Little swing in the weather on the Truckee River. Pretty warm and sunny last week, but this week looks like old fashioned Truckee Fall weather. The change will usually get them trouts feeding. Look for the streamer fishing to improve this week, the dry fly fishing and everything else. Flows are pretty good, about 400 cubes here in the Hirsch, and not much difference all the way down river. Flows are pretty good out on the Little Truckee River. That will be a great place to do some dry fly fishing until the snow flys and you can't drive there. Fun overall time to fish before Winter sets in.

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 16 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 16 2023

Great Fall fishing on the Truckee River. Bummer, Niners lost, but at least the Eagles lost also.  Pretty good flows, nice warm weather. Little too warm for the streamer and dry fly fishing, but nymphing is off the hook, no pun intended. Looking like Indian Summer this week, so probably more of the same. Week after next looks like we will get in the 40's. Enjoy this sunshine while it lasts. So much of the same... Nymphing will be the way to go. Dry dropper rigs. Anything with a little beatis nymph near the bottom. Still a lot of baby crayfish out, them will work too. So I wouldn't expect any good dry or streamer fishing to happen until the weather changes. Wouldn't say you can't try, but you're gonna work real hard for them, especially the streamers. Until we can get some good consistent cloud cover don't expect much. Same with on the dry fly front. Then you get this very short window when the weather changes on the Ca side, and that window will last all Winter on the Nevada side.  

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 8 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 8 2023

Great solid fishing on the Truckee River. October's a great month. Little warm this weekend for the clinics, but now looks like we'll be getting some old fashioned October mountain weather. That means you have a solid month of really good fishing on the Ca side, and all winter on the Nevada side. We get our days here in Ca in the Winter, but Nevada is where it's at in the Winter. If we do have an El Niño Winter, then expect big warm storms. It won't be as cold and the Ca side will fish good too.  Right now, well, just waiting for next week when I can get more serious on the streamer fishing. I'll have some trips coming up where we just throw the meat and that's super fun. You're just out hunting trout, looking for that big buck. Thanks for all that attended the clinics. I'll have an intro to the Nevada side through the Nature Conservancy clinic in November.

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 1st 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report October 1st 2023

This is it, the month most trout anglers wait for, October. October on the Truckee River is about as sweet as it can be. You get the cooler weather, the colors, and of course, trouts fattening up for Winter. Probably have a dusting of snow on the high peaks to look at too after this weekend. We'll have some blue wing olive days, streamers days, and just good old fashioned Fall fishing. Both sides of the Truckee River are fishing great. Anywhere you go really. Out East, through Reno, and around here in Ca. I have 2 spots for the clinic on October 8th.   

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 24 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 24 2023

Great early Fall fishing on the Truckee River. Little cooler weather now and it's definitely Fall in the mountains. Truckee River trout are pretty active. Remember though, Truckee River trout are still, well, Truckee River trout, and that means you still have to work for them. We have great flows for this time of year. Nice and big below the inflow of the Little Truckee River at Boca. Starting to see some more bugs like blue wing olives. Yep, that's Fall. Nymphing is good, and the streamer fishing is pocking up. It's just about brown trout time. I have some spots open for the clinic on Sunday October 8th.

read more
Streamer Hybrid Euro Clinic October 8th 2023

Streamer Hybrid Euro Clinic October 8th 2023

Streamers and Euro combined on Sunday October 8th Sorry, I know it's football day, but the weather should be nice and a great time to learn some new stuff. I'll combine, streamers and euro nymphing with the same rig. A hybrid approach. A great way to fish the Truckee River. For more info and to get in on the action, give a call. 775.351.6665. We'll meet off the Hirschdale exit #194, at 9:00. We'll go for 5-6hrs, and it'll be in Hirschdale. Cost will be $300.

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 17 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 17 2023

Very good late Summer early Fall fishing on the Truckee River. Weather and the fishing is near perfect. Just gonna get better as we get closer to Fall. 500 cfs here in Hirschdale, and about the same all the way down river. Great late Summer flows. We had a great Euro Nymphing Clinic. if you have not been introduced to the tight line game, it's the best way to shake a trouts hand around here. Young and old came, and 5 out of 6 guys caught fish. Pretty good. Crayfish and stones and smaller mayflies all getting it done nymphing right now. Like I say, just gonna be getting better. Daytime highs are gonna mellow out into the 60's this week. Oh yeah, gets me excited. I have 3 spots left for October 7th's, Hybrid, Euro/ Streamer Clinic.   

read more
Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 10 2023

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report September 10 2023

Warming trend on the Truckee River. Pretty perfect days. Sunny and warm during the day, cold at night. Damn near perfect weather, and the niners looking good. The Truckee River is fishing great everywhere you go. From Truckee down in through Reno and even out East on the lower river. Numbers wise, this is a good time. You can rack up the dinks and maybe get a big boy, or gal, here and there. Trouts are eating crayfish, yes, still...This is the time of year you see tons of baby dads all over. Also, smaller mayflies, and golden stones- big nocturnal stones. Big and small would be my rig. Look for the streamer fishing to get going soon. Bright sun is not the best for streamer fishing. Evening fishing should be get going too. Look for some decent dry fly fishing, now until early Winter. I have 2 spots open  for next Saturdays clinic.   

read more