The Truckee River and the little Truckee are year round wild trout fisheries for rainbows and browns. Cal Kellogg fished them in winter, nymphing two fly rigs through the deeper buckets and flats while avoiding spawning fish on the redds. In spring and summer, indicator nymphing and Euro nymphing with small baetis, caddis, and stonefly patterns produce best, with a size 18 baetis the top single fly. Flows run about 600 to 1000 cfs. Water in the mid 50s is prime. Most fish are rainbows, and the biggest fish come in the colder months.
How do you catch winter trout on the Truckee River?
Nymph two fly rigs through the holding water. Cal Kellogg worked the depressions behind the faster buckets and the deeper flats, lobbing the rig upstream and drifting it through. It is all catch and release. Steer clear of the shallow spawning water above you and leave those fish alone.
What flies work on the Truckee River?
Match the bugs. Baetis or blue winged olive mayflies, March browns, and PMDs, plus caddis from size 14 to 20 in mostly tan, produce all season. Add stoneflies like rubber legs, yellow sallies, and golden stones, along with crayfish, San Juan worms, and eggs. If you pick one fly, make it a size 18 baetis.
What is the most effective Truckee technique?
Indicator nymphing with split shot on the bottom catches the most fish, and Euro nymphing kicks out plenty too. Streamers take fish if you commit to them, and a hopper dropper with the nymph a couple feet below the dry shines in warmer months. On cloudy days a baetis hatch can bring real dry fly action.
What are the flows and water temps on the Truckee?
Flows run roughly 600 to 1000 cfs on the main river, higher in spring runoff without blowing out. The little Truckee, a gin clear tailwater, runs lower, around 450 in early summer. Prime water temperature sits in the mid 50s. Once it climbs toward the low 60s the bite backs off.
Where do the fish hold by season on the Truckee?
In winter and spring the trout concentrate in the same slower runs. From late spring through fall they spread into fast, oxygenated pocket water as well as deep slow runs, so the whole river opens up. In summer the fish are everywhere, and you should make casts in every likely spot.
What tippet should I use on the Truckee?
Fish mostly 4X. You can drop to 5X on the low, delicate side or go up to 3X below the little Truckee through the canyon where the water is heavier. Match the tippet to the flow and the size of the flies you are drifting.
How is the little Truckee different?
The little Truckee is a short, roughly 3 mile tailwater that runs gin clear even at high flow. Keep the flies small, size 18 to 20 baetis, eggs, and worms. It gets busy, and it holds spawners at times, so watch for redds and never walk across them.
Watch the technique
Fly fishing the Truckee River for trout FAQ
Wild rainbows and browns. Rainbows outnumber browns, especially heading into summer, while the biggest fish tend to show up in the fall, winter, and spring.
A size 18 baetis. It is small even for the bigger spring flows, but the fish eat it consistently on both the main river and the little Truckee.
Both work. Indicator nymphing with split shot on the bottom has been the most consistent producer, and Euro nymphing kicks out a lot of fish too, so carry a bobber rod and a Euro rod.
Yes. Winter browns and rainbows hold in the deeper buckets and flats and eat nymphed two fly rigs. Fish the holding water, release everything, and avoid the shallow spawning stretches.
Spring runoff bumps the river up, often 700 to 1000 cfs, but it usually stays fishable rather than blown out. The color can actually run a little clearer than ideal, and the bug life is strong.
From late spring through the summer. The winter and early spring fish stack in the same slow runs, then push into fast pocket water as the season warms, which spreads out both the fish and the angler pressure.
Leave spawners alone and never walk across the redds, or you will crush the eggs. On the little Truckee, watch the upper stretches marked with signs and give any remaining spawners room.
Yes, in summer. When the river warms, carpenter ants come off in a range of sizes, size 16 and bigger, and small hoppers show up. A hopper dropper is a great summer searching rig.
