“I Was There” Fishing Report

Check out  www.calvadaflyfishing.com  for up to date pictures and comments.

May 13, 2013
Truckee River- Flows; Calif @ Farad cfs 867, Nv.@ Reno cfs 707
The River has been getting muddy this past week due to snow run off because of the very warm weather. The fishing has been tough, however last Friday & Saturday we had back to back great guide trips. Check out www.calvadaflyfishing.com  for a picture of an exceptional rainbow stuck by client George Butcher. George and three of his friends fished hard and all got fish under hard conditions. Stonedaddys and Sweet Peas were the ticket.
5 DOT Reservoir ( Private)
The famous private stillwater was off the hook this week. This is an outstanding fishery. For more info go to www.fivedotflyfishing.com. Calvada Fly Fishing is the only guide service / booking agent for 5 DOT.
Frenchman Reservoir

Frenchman Res. has been fishing very well for a month now. The fish have been in 8 ft. of water grabbing unweighted #12 Staynor Ducktails on type 3 and 5 sinking lines. The “Floater no Cator” technique with a 20ft. leader and two red chironomids was very effective last week. This is a very underrated fishery.    Book a trip for some busy stillwater action!

 

April 25 , 2013
Truckee River - Flows: Calif @ Farad cfs 671, Nv. @ Reno cfs 579
Well, today it happened! Mudweiser ! The river in Nevada looked like chocolate milk! With the very warm temps today the run off hit hard. The river will probably continue to be muddy for at least a week or more due to the warm forecast.
I’ll keep you posted.
Doug O.
April 22, 2013
Truckee River - Flows : Calif @ Farad cfs 602, Nevada @ Reno cfs 579
Monday was a great day on the Truckee in Nevada. A very good March Brown hatch started art 11:30am. and continued to 2:00pm.  On a guide trip today, client  Nancy Y. from Sacramento stuck some big fish on a #12″Sweet Pea”.  We netted a 22in. female rainbow and lost a BIG male brown after a tremendous battle. She did an excellent job angling and wading in some semi tough water. See my blog site www.calvadaflyfishing.com for some pictures.  Some very warm weather is on the horizon which could muddy up the river.
Doug O.
April 18, 2013
Frenchman Reservoir
This was my first trip of the year at Frenchman. It proved to be very productive. I found fish in the north bays in 7 feet of water.  They became very aggressive in the afternoon, grabbing unweighted Staynor Ducktails with a type 3 sinking line and a 12ft.leader.
If anyone is interested, Dave Stanley the real owner of the “Truckee River Outfitters” and myself offer stillwater guide trips at Frenchman and Lake Davis. We are the only licensed to guides in Reno to guide in Plumas County, which includes Frenchman Res. and Lake Davis.
For a great stillwater experience call us direct at (775) 853-7368  or                (775) 722-2267.

April 5, 2013

Truckee River – Flows : Calif @ Farad cfs 636, Nevada @ Reno 592 /Tracy 738
Due to some recent rain storms in the area the river has bumped up about 100cfs and has become a bit off color. This situation brings a great fishing scenario, as the water rises the fish move and as it drops the fish slide back into the prime lies.  This usually triggers a good grab!  A great time for a Vladi Worm!  Baetis nymphs are still hatching in the afternoon. Short line nymphing with a #14 baetis is an excellent technique to fool fish. Rainbows, whitefish, and browns are feeding aggressively from 11:00am to 4:00pm.  Look for prime lies in deeper water well below the riffles. The mayflies will hatch from the riffles and drift into the deeper lies.
Remember STAY AWAY FROM THE SPAWNERS!
Doug O. 

March 27, 2013

Truckee River - Flows ; California @ Farad cfs 498  Nevada @ Reno cfs 446

Baetis continue hatching with force. Cloudy days have been great for dry flies and nymphs on sunny days. Skwalas are doing their thing so keep your eyes open!

Please be careful NOT to walk over the rainbow’s redds. Avoid the shallow riffle areas and only fish the deeper water. Leave the fish to themselves and let them spawn. The lower river below Lockwood is the safest place to fish to avoid spawners.

Thank you

March 14, 2013

Truckee River -  Flows ; California @ Farad cfs 451    Nevada @ Reno cfs 431

With the warm days and nights the Truckee Rv. has received a small bit of snow runoff. The runoff has cooled the water a bit along with discoloring it just a little and slightly raising the water levels. With these conditions it brings on the start of the Skwala Stonefly activity. The stoneflies are starting to crawl to the shore with some adults being seen. Although they are sporadic at best it is time to start looking for big browns feeding on them.  Baetis are hatching heavily, especially east of Sparks.  It has been a “Baetis Bonanza”. See my blog site www.calvadaflyfishing.com  for some current awesome pictures of clients, fish, and friends.

March 8, 2013

River Flows;  California @ Farad cfs 442   Nevada @ Reno cfs 442

The Truckee River continues to fish very well since the last “I Was There” report. Baetis hatches in Nevada have been excellent. Dry fly action has been very good in the early afternoons especially on cloudy days. Today I had a great day guiding Jon M. from Ireland. It was his first time fishing the Truckee. Today he caught the his first ever trout in the USA !  He released a beautiful brown over 20 in. and some nice rainbows up to 18in. He absolutely loved our river. This is a great time to be on the river.

Pyramid Lake has been heating up. Wednesday some friends and I stuck some nice fish. We used the “Floater no Cator” technique. They went back today while I was guiding the river and had another big day.  #8  49ers (red & gold) and red copper johns were the hot flies.   Some BIG fish have been caught this year so far, Dave Hamel has got two over 20lbs.!  Jay Clark just released a 17 lber. today!   It’s Pyramid time !

 

Feb. 17, 2013

River Flows: California at Farad cfs 429   Nevada at Reno cfs 450

This was a good week of angling on the Truckee Rv.  I had the chance to fish with my friend Matt “Gilligan” Koles.  Gilligan knows the river as well or better than anyone I know. He is an excellent angler and guide, he owns and operates “Gilligan’s Guide Service”. This year we plan to do some clinics together and share some trips & info. We both have a tremendous passion for fishing and teaching, it should be an exciting year!

Last Saturday while on a guide trip my clients released some very nice fish, all rainbows from 12 to 18 in. They were taken on a variety of different patterns. The baetis were hatching pretty good, producing some dry fly action. Before and after the hatch the nymphs were very productive. Again, look for the slower type of water broken by boulders.

The conditions have been consistent lately but a winter storm is on the horizon. Tuesday & Wednesday may produce some snow or rain.

Flies:

Baetis patterns in #18 , Small crayfish, stoneflies, (Stonedaddys), and Stanley Streamers. Small black Bird’s Nests, BH Prince nymphs, and #18 &16 Black or Zebra Copper Johns are all good choices. When in doubt go small & dark.

February 11, 2013

River Flows: Calif at Farad cfs 442    Nevada at Reno cfs 442

The Truckee River has produced some very nice fish this week in both California and Nevada. Even though the numbers of fish are low, the size and quality has been very good with many fish measuring from 18in. to over 2 feet! The fish are holding in the same type of water in all stretches of the river. Look for the slower smoother water that is broken by boulders . Bridges are always a great location this time of year. Be selective in your drifts and try to maintain line control. Short line nymphing (highsticking) is my technique of choice however, the use of a float (indicator) has also produced some very fine fish. It is important to be confident in your style of angling. Fish how you like and have fun! Dress warm as the water temps are low. Be safe.

Flies:

Baetis patterns in #18 , Small crayfish, stoneflies, (Stonedaddys), and Stanley Streamers. Small black Bird’s Nests, BH Prince nymphs, and #18 &16 Black or Zebra Copper Johns are all good choices. When in doubt go small & dark.

January 30, 2013

Truckee River Nevada: Stream flows are at 395cfs.

The river is in great shape. The ice has melted and the water has warmed a bit. The fish are actively feeding on nymphs. Again look for slower water that is broken up by boulders. Be patient and cover the water thoroughly. This week on guided trips we stuck and released some very nice rainbows from 17in. to 22in. and some whitefish up to 18in. They all were taken on “Stonedaddys” and baetis (sweet peas). The best time of day is from 11:00am. to 3:30pm.

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Flies:   Again, it has been #18 & #16 baeits mayflies nymphs ( sweet peas ),  small crayfish  ( #6 stonedaddys ), and streamers.  Small black Bird’s Nests, BH prince nymphs, and #18 black Copper John’s, are also very good choices.  When in doubt go small & dark.

 January 8, 2013

Truckee River Nevada flow cfs 378

Although the river is icy and very cold, some nice fish have been caught. Fish are holding in the slower water just downstream from the runs.  Look for smooth water with big rocks and boulders that are breaking up the current. Be patient and work the water thoroughly, it may take several good drifts to get them to grab. The best time of day has been from 11:00am to 2:00pm. when things warm up a bit. Last week we released rainbows, and browns, up to 22 inches and some nice whitefish.  I prefer to “highstick” nymph for best results, however the use of a “DCA” or “strike indicator” will also produce. Different techniques will work so fish the way you want and enjoy your time on the water.

Flies:   Again, it has been #18 baeits mayflies ( sweet peas ), small crayfish ( stonedaddys ), and streamers.  Small black Bird’s Nests, BH prince nymphs, and #18 black Copper John’s, are also very good choices.  When in doubt go small & dark.

 Nov.14, 2012

River Nevada cfs 376

The Truckee River is fishing well even as the temperatures drop due to cold air temps and on coming storms. The river is now cold and clear. The rainbows are starting to move into slower water holding in the deeper runs. During the warmer times of the day they will slide into the riffle water to feed on baetis nymphs. They are starting to turn into their winter colors. The browns are still in their spawning mode with the females heavy on the redds. The males are moving in and out from the redds to holding water. Please stay away from these areas. Watch you step, do not walk through these shallow gravel areas. Adolescent fish can be caught in the deeper runs below these areas.

Flies:
Baetis mayflies, small crayfish, and streamer patterns have all been productive.