Current Water Conditions

Truckee River flows have dropped a good bit through Tahoe city and the Town of Truckee. Flows are measuring around 76 CFS out of Tahoe City, 65 CFS through the town of Truckee, 73 CFS near Glenshire, and 502 CFS at Farad. Most of the water coming into the Truckee River is coming out of Boca now. This is typical for this time of year as the season changes. Because of this, it is best to fish from Glenshire to the stateline where the water levels are higher. Mornings and evenings are the best times to fish with the fish biting more then, but water temperatures are okay to fish all day now. The bite does die down in the afternoon though.                            

Water Temperatures

Water temperatures are slowly transitioning to fall conditions with the colder nights and mornings finally here. Expect water temps to be in the mid to high 50s°F at first light and ending up in the low 60s°F during the afternoons. Most of the colder water is below Boca to Farad.

Hatches

Caddis, blue winged olives, and midges are the primary hatches in the morning. Expect Caddis to be more prominent at first light and blue winged olives and midges to appear mid morning. October Caddis should be starting to make their appearance soon, so be on the lookout for them. Crawdads are still out there, so fishing with some crawdad patterns can produce some bites.

Effective Tactics

Nymphing during the morning hours continues to be the most productive tactic this time of year. Focus on faster pocket water and riffles, where fish are holding in the cooler, more oxygenated water. Using enough weight to get your flies down into the deeper parts of these runs will be key to finding fish. As the day progresses, keep an eye out for rising fish and be ready to switch over to dry flies if surface activity picks up. Streamer fishing can also be good this time of year, especially in the canyon where bigger browns will be starting to feed more aggressively soon. The brown trout are in their pre-spawn stages. For anglers streamer fishing, be sure to use a lot of weight to get the fly deep.

Catch Report

The bite is best below the outflow of the Little Truckee River and from Floriston to the stateline. Mostly average size rainbows, with the occasional brown trout. As fishing conditions cool, the bigger fish should start to actively feed more during the transition from fall to winter.

Fly Box Must-Haves

• Burke’s Bottom Roller - Deep Sherbert color
• Tungsten October Caddis
• Morrish October Caddis
• Z-Wing Caddis
• Hogan’s Short Shank Caddis
• Missing Link Caddis
• E/C Caddis Tan (#14-16)
• Cutter’s E/C Caddis Tan (#16)
• Net Builder Caddis Green (#14)
• Orange Stimulator
• Hares Ear Soft Hackle
• Haddon’s Dead Drift Crayfish Brown (#8)
• T.J. Hooker
• Sculpins
• Pale Morning Duns (#16-18)
• Zebra Midge
• Biot Epoxy Stone Golden (#10-14)
• Stone Daddy Light Golden (#10-12)
• Iron Sally