The Truckee River has been seeing some fair fishing this week. The cooler weather this week has seemed to reduce the number of fish willing to play but has upped the average size with some really nice fish hitting the net this week. The fish have mostly transitioned into slower water at this point and the majority of your focus should be in the seams where fast and slow water meet. Focus your efforts on bubble lines, tail outs, just about anything walking speed or a bit faster. 

This doesn’t only mean the water that appears slow at the surface. Where you often find the biggest fish is the water that looks quite turbulent at the surface, but there is a slow and well oxygenated pocket below it for the fish to sit in. Think of that bubbly white water behind a boulder. In this water the fish get the best of both worlds. An abundant food source and the ideal water speed where they don’t have to work too hard. Using indicators will be recommended for these water types.

We have been doing well on typical winter flies such as brown Pat’s rubber legs in sizes 10-12, globugs in peach or orange, worms in most colors, juju baetis in 16-18, micro mays in 18, rainbow warriors in 18-20, and zebra midges in 18-20. The lower river east of Sparks is also fishing well as a whole this week, with good nymphing, streamer fishing and even the opportunity to fish dry flies and swing soft hackles right now. We expect the streamer bite to really pick up this week as we get this warm storm pushing through for a few days. Olive or black are always great colors to start with for this presentation during low light conditions such as overcast days or during low light hours.