Fishing over the past week on the Truckee River has been good with the warmer weather we’ve had. Highs in the 60’s feels a bit unusual for this time of year but fish have certainly responded well. The Blue Winged Olive hatch is going strong now, with some days better than others. Cloud cover is crucial for good dry fly fishing in the winter on the Truckee River. If conditions line up, this hatch can be special. Sunny days or any wind can put the hatch down and kill any surface activity so being out during the feeding periods will be your best bet. Keep an eye on tailouts and slow pools as these are good spots to hunt down a rising fish. The Purple Haze and Baetis Cripple are two staples this time of year. The BWO’s range in size from 14-18 but are typically on the larger side on the Truckee River.

Nymphing has been the most effective technique lately since we've had lots of sun. Each day has been a bit different in terms of when fish start to feed, but generally speaking getting out around 9-10am has been a good bet. Trout are glued to the bottom most mornings so we recommend presenting the flies as close to the bottom as you can. The fish have moved around a bit throughout the day. Generally speaking, you'll find fish in slow/deep water in the morning. By midday, they are wandering into riffles and areas with slightly faster current.

You'll want to play around with fly selection quite a bit with the lower water temperatures. Often times by cycling through flies you can dial in a bite much quicker. Fish don't want to move a whole lot when the water is cold but some fly patterns will get them to move more than others. It seems like each day the hot nymph has been different. Eggs have worked great as an attractor as well as flies like the Copper John, Duracell, and Prince Nymph in size 14-16. For BWO nymphs, the Jig TNT has been good as well as the Perdibomb in size 18.