The Little Truckee has been fishing very well this week with some very large lake fish in the river right now. However, we are still seeing quite a few browns on redds out here. So please remain very aware of where you’re wading, and avoid crossing around, fishing to, or being near these vulnerable fish. There is a good chance that the spawn was delayed here due to the low flows, and we could see fish spawning through the rest of the month. Please give these fish their space during this time! 

During days with no wind, we are seeing a good hatch of mostly baetis. But there are also midges, mahogany duns, and a small olive stonefly. The baetis (Think Jujubaetis and RS-2’s) are around a size 18-20, the midges are 20-22, the mahogany duns (Pheasant tails are a great imitation) are a 14-16, and the little olive stones are also a 14-16. With baetis being the most consistent, the best chance of getting a fish on top would be using small mayfly imitations. Especially when fishing the emerger stage. 

The use of long leaders and 6x tippet will be vital for success when attempting to dupe these selective trout on small flies. When hatches aren’t present, using nymphs will be best. We are catching fish on the usual suspects, such as worms, eggs, BWO nymphs and midge patterns using 5x-6x fluorocarbon tippet. Both euro nymphing and indicator fishing have been working well out here because of the smaller size of this river. Even still, we have been leaning towards the indicator so we can fish small, unweighted flies with greater ease. Be sure to use small indicators in white or clear and one small piece of split shot in a size 4 or 1 when indicator fishing out here, these small details can make a big difference. 

As we got a few good dustings of snow, take caution while driving the road out here, as it does not get plowed. We recommend 4wd or AWD vehicles with good tires out here right now.