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The Truckee peaked at around 4,000 CFS in the canyon and down through Reno this week due to warm weather. It has since stabilized and is now appearing to drop slowly. With flows like this there are some things to consider to up your odds at finding fish. One of the best things to do right now will be fishing higher in the river system than during other times of year, so sections here in Truckee such as Glenshire Drive or up 89 South towards Tahoe will have far less water than down in the canyon. However, there are still going to be some areas below the Boca confluence that will still fish well, in particular, sections of river with long, deep straight shots where there is typically little to no current during normal flows, this is where knowing each section of river comes in handy.
Even when you think you know the river very well, it’s still easy to show up to a run that you think should still fish well only to find it too fast to hold any fish, so another thing to consider is instead searching the sections of river that are too shallow or slow during normal flows, as these runs will often turn into good holding water when the flows come up. The name of the game is finding those small pockets of slow water off of the banks that are walking speed or slower and a minimum of 3 feet deep, ideally with some sort of structure such as a cut bank or submerged boulder. These are almost certain to contain a fish or two, and taking your time when you do find these soft pockets of water is crucial, as you really need to bump them in the nose for them to take it.
When fishing high, off color water using high contrast flies or flies with a lot of flash is preferred. Fish white or black streamers, bugs with a large profile, a lot of movement from rubber legs, soft hackle or CDC, and if fishing smaller bugs try using a good amount of flash. Another consideration should be time of day, the flows on the river will be at their lowest point at around 7-8 AM so getting an early start will be beneficial more for lower flows and increased water clarity, because this is before the creeks start coming up from the melting snow. Be willing to walk the river until you find the right conditions and don’t waste your time in anything that doesn’t meet the criteria as explained above. Use heavy tippet such as 2x-3x and remain patient during this time and your reward can be one of the biggest wild trout you’ve ever caught, they’re in there and they’re feeding!
