Mountain time…..

We have had a few days of classic Summer thunder bumpers. Mornings are best for fishing now. Color is best then as well. Afternoons are a possible time to strike, but you might get rained on or have a shockingly bad time. I had a close call last year, when the rods laying in the boat right next to me started buzzing…….then a couple hundred yards away a tree blew up from a strike. Mountain folks know you can get struck up to 10 miles away from the storm edge. My attitude is the tried and true, run away to play another day. Flows are still big…up in the grass….but a proficient fisher is still going to find some fish love. 1480cfs below Martis creek, I’d probably fish up-river for ease of operation. Not a lot of dry fly action right now, might be a few more weeks before flows relent. Between now and then….throw your box at them and let them decide. High flows stir up all kinds of foods and the fish are open to opportunity. All the extra standing water has encouraged Mosquitos to launch. The LT will be bad this year especially. Bring your bug dope. Have fun while you can…..winters coming.

Almost Summer……

It’s been a week of warm days, and big flows. No wading right now. Fishing has been good, but some work to figure where the fish are. Soft water is the trick. Look for glassy stretches below large obstruction. Just off the bank is another approach. Almost any nymph will do, but it seems Baetis is a favorite. A worm is a reasonable pick as well…a cray might do it too. Have fun out there!

Feels like summer!

Seriously blue today, and 70deg. I have a downed log that I visit this time of year, and for many previous years… it has a colony of Carpenter Ants that I use for predicting when they will emerge. They seem pretty active today so I’m giving you my “tie or buy alert”. It could be another week or so, but they will do their mating flight. The question arises….are you ready?

Told ya……..

Flows with teeth……not freezing at night, and 70deg+ during the day makes the snow pack diminish quickly. For a while it’s gonna go big. The question arises….do you have game? Or does it have to be “just right” to go fish? After many years of feeling that way myself, the river has led me to want year-round game. Go when it’s not perfect and you will get better. Let me know if this appeals to you….I’d like to help,

Warmer days and nights…..

Daytime temps are what most people are interested in. I watch nighttime temps more closely. As long as we have freezing temps at night we will be doing a slow melt. This week we are starting the second part of Spring. You can see by the graph that a few days of clouds and cooler temperatures do to our flows. The next week will have both warm conditions during the day, but above freezing at night as well. Expect sharks teeth appearing on the gauge everyday as our snow pack goes away. Those without big-water game should come see me. We will have pushy flows for a while…… You could wait for lower/slower water, or learn how we fish right on through Spring flows. The river is green colored, with good visibility to 4-5 feet. Bugs kick-in mid-morning…..as I always say…..the fish can’t quit eating , or leave the water…..we have the advantage! See you out there! 

Monday report

It’s all in the drift!

I’ve said before, I could report everyday and still get it wrong. The weather changes often this time of year, and we never know how the day will go…..We have sun at times and then a short flurry of flakes. Bring warm clothes. The huge snow piles that foretold the ice age return have disappeared. Maybe next year.. We are officially into the shoulder season up here!…Few fishers on the water, and we have parking again. For those that don’t have big-water game, the flows are slowly coming down to a more fish-able level. In town, flows are nice. Bugs are starting to pop….Micro may, Caddis, Midges are a mainstay. This maybe my favorite time of year to get out there. Of course I always say that………

Water time….

I’ve been getting out on the water a lot. Both teaching and fishing. Water time is my main teacher. Feeling the changes to the river on a daily basis is the key to getting good at this sport. I spend time “resting the water” before fishing. I watch how “the other guy” fishes. I do 20-30 minutes of seining the water for bugs. Spotting a fish, figuring the drift, and knowing what’s on the menu, sets me up for a “one drift fish”. Contrary to popular opinion…..this fly thing is not about luck! Don’t think two hundred drifts, think one good one instead. Right now the flows are coming down to a fishy level compared to the last couple weeks. Color is green and the flows near town are really pretty, but still up to the grass edges. You will need to bring some weight because locals have been buying a bunch. Raining lightly today so Baetis will be served….

Going big….

Flows are at 1600-plus cfs below Martis creek. That is pumping! It’s 4000cfs down below Farad. Above the Martis confluence is fish-able, but still big. I spotted a riser yesterday…..but only one. He was hiding under a foamy patch in an eddy. Mostly, bobbers are the bet. A streamer will work, but strip slowly.The water is too cold for fast chases. Tease them! Midges and Baetis are the bug most seen out there. Mid-morning they go off. Seeing an occasional big Caddis. Prime fishing hours have moved up towards morning, but not early yet. The fish are no longer “pooled up”, but have spread out to more parts of the river. River color is green, going tan around noon. Had a trip the other day, fishing slower glassy sections with one AB split shot. It got quiet for a while….As the flows came up and went tan. We added a second AB and hooked up the next drift. Don’t just fish…..adjust and fish….The river is above the grass edges and in these flows, the fish are close by. Don’t fish the middle…..fish the edge. It has been breezy in the pm. Euro style is a tough technique in the wind…just watching a guy flail/fail is enough to convince me, if I didn’t know it already. We have weather coming the next few days. I embrace the weather change because the fish like it. Nuclear blue skies have not been helping us. Go get them!

Perfect ..almost.

T-shirt weather is here! Green grass and blue skies! The river is a bit big for wading though…..The river above town is smaller and doable. Water color is good in the morning and goes tan in the PM. Skwalla are still around, but are not as numerous. March Browns are around and BWOs as well. All techniques are worth a try, but dry fly will be a challenge. Look for pockets or eddies under a bush. Fish edgy drop offs where the color changes to dark. Bring some bigger split shot…..Nymphing, is the best shot with swinging a streamer a close second. The water has been getting more people on it, but not too bad yet. Enjoy the Springtime!

Dripping ……

The Truckee is looking good! Color is green/clear. Flows are bank to bank, and dropping slowly. About 500cfs in town. Saw Skwalla on the water the day before yesterday….yesterday it was blowing snow sideways part of the day, and today blue skies have returned. We like winter up here, but can deal with some warmth for a while….say, for the next six months….Love hearing the sound of water dripping on our way towards summer. Swallows are back this week, Robins are out in force near the water. Osprey are hunting… Plenty of parking available…..Go fish!