Truckee River

I've Moved!

2011-05-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

As of today, I have a new blog. If you're a follower of this blog, I hope you'll come over to the new site. It will be the same old stuff, me hearing myself talk, but hopefully you can get something out of it pertaining to the Truckee River. Please just copy and paste this new address.

http://gilligansguideservice.com/blog/

Wait Five Minutes

2011-05-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

You know the saying about the weather in the mountains, wait five minutes. It can snow every month of the year in the Tahoe area and after six months of snow, this time of year, it's a bummer when it does. Though it messes up the singletrack around town, the fish don't mind. If you have some Skipper Stones and fish the right kind of water they're there, and they are willing. The water's high, that ain't changing, but the clarity's good, and if you can hit the spots like Gordon did today you should catch fish. Gordon did well and ended up with some nice browns and rainbows. If you don't want to fish, come up and ride some pow, I'm sure they're getting a foot up top again.

High Water Rigging

2011-05-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Truckee River has been and will be high for sometime. There are still fish to be caught if you adjust your tactics. Go get yourself some Rio indicator leaders in 2, or 3x. The Rio indo leaders are all level fluorocarbon tippet and sink to where the fish are. You can make your own, leaders that is, but this is much easier. Then go into Mountain Hardware in Truckee and get my Skipper Stone Golden, tie it on about 9 feet down, or wherever you want it to sink in the water column. Go about 14 inches and tie on a wire worm if the water's dirty, or something like a prince nymph if the water's clear. Remember, you sould go down a tippet size on your dropper fly. Put a few BB shot about 8 inches above your top fly. Loop some trapped air technology about a foot from your fly line. Fish inside slots and softer winter type water. My guide tip of the week, use Dinsmore tin shot, they won't slide up and down your leader, and you won't have to tie a knot to hold it in place. Sometimes, I'll bust out the old Water Gremlin lead shot and stack them behind the tin for the real deep slots. Dry dropper rigs will be next.

Not To Shabby

2011-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

The fishing ain't to shabby now on the Truckee River, that is if you stay above Boca. Water clarity's pretty good, and though the water's high, the fish are there. On the plus side, there's pretty much nobody out fishing except for a few locals. I fished the dry dropper set-up today as it forces you to fish the inside, inside, if you no what I'm saying. I did quite well. The water down here in the Hirsch is right about 1700 cubes, still to high, but it will come down once they stop pouring so much water out of the reservoirs. There's still a lot of river to fish above Boca though, and if you don't like crowds, now would be a good time to get your fishing on. I'll post some high water rigs and flies to use this week. A nice hardy "esqe" sound came from the reel of my Red Truck Diesel today. The 5wt has enough backbone to toss a large chunk of change around. These are from today on the middle stretch of river.

Over The Crest?

2011-05-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

I think we've got past the heavy crest of water and we won't see the Truckee over 2800 cubes anymore, which it was most of last week. Of course that's barring any uncontrollable circumstances such as rain, or an extended heat wave. We've had a nice slow melt, hell, the Truckee's been blown since mid-March. Though the river's high, the "Dean" and I are guessing three weeks out for good fishing on both the LT and the main stem of the Truckee above Boca. It could be another month for any real fishing to happen down here in the Hirsch, and even then the water will be high. Get your boxes full of stones, green drakes, and all your favorite attractors. Big and ugly dries should be in there also, PMX's, etc. Remember, most of these fish haven't seen a fly in months, and they are going to be willing. Right now, the fishing's not the best, that is unless you got an inside scoop on some runs to fish in high water. The bottom photo is from up along 89 the other evening, and the top rainbow came from above my house the other day. Both came on my Skipper Stone Golden which has been crushing it around here lately.

3-4X

2011-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Managed a few hours with a neighbor and some friends yesterday on the LT. I say managed only because it felt like Antarctica again up here yesterday. I really don't like posting reports on the LT as the place gets pretty hammered and me posting about it doesn't help. The fishing was decent if you put enough weight on and got your flies down and dirty. Lots of blue wings, but no fish on top, not even in the 610. Flows are back in the 600 range, still very high for out there, but I think we've seen the height of the crest coming out of Stampede this last week. Go 3-4x on your nymphing rig, anything less than that is pointless. We got fish on rubberlegs, worms, and baetis nymphs. This brown ate my baetis nymph in a sz #16.

It Takes Me Back

2011-05-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

I put the boat in up along the 89 stretch the other day with some old friends. Dudes I've known for a long time, but lost touch with over the years. We had some PBR's, and talked about old times while they pounded streamers on the banks. Things are different now, marriage, families, careers, but the more things change the more they stay the same. The fishing part wasn't the best, water came up a bunch, but who cares, that's really not what it's about. Life's a full circle, it's weird how people and things come back in your life. I did manage to get this pretty little brown with his mouth stuffed full of my Skipper Stone where the wife and I got married a few years ago.

Run-Off

2011-05-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yep, we're in the midst of it, run-off. The LT is up over 600 cubes and the Truckee is up over 2000 near my house. Funny thing though, it does have pretty descent clarity and there are places to fish above the inflow of the Little Truckee (Boca), but the best bet on the Truckee is anywhere above Trout Creek all the way up towards Tahoe City. You could get creative and get off the grid, Stampede, Prosser, and Boca all fish well this time of year in certain arms of those lakes. I think we will have sustained high flows for awhile. For me this is a good time of year to cut wood, get the chores done, and fish a run or two in the afternoon before the real guiding season begins. Once the water comes down it will go off on every river and stream in the Tahoe area. Got this guy today, of course, after getting the garage cleaned up first.

Finally..

2011-05-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

Finally, some spring weather here in Truckee. Seems like once you make it through winter nature slaps you in the face and the wind then pummels you all spring. Today a slight breeze and highs in the 60's, a good day to run the boat through the miracle mile. Though the rivers pumping over 1600 cubes through the Hirsch it has good clarity. I've actually been hooking fish in the high flows and today was no exception. Don't get me wrong it ain't for everyone, but if you can find a good spot where fish can get out of the current there's usually a fish there. My rig of choice lately is my Professor Stone Golden #4 followed by a big red wire worm. I have been getting some good whacks on streamers, but not much love in that department. Use a lot of lead and get your flies down and dirty. Not every fish has been big, there's a lot of youngsters, browns in about the 13-16 inch range that I've been catching lately. A sign of a healthy river is having fish in all age classes. The fish are eating and getting big and it's going to be a great summer. These are some photo's from the last few days.

2011-04-27T17:46:00.001-07:00

The Truckee would actually be pretty good, flows wise, if all the creeks weren't pumping. I should say the Truckee is good up along Glenshire, a bit high, but not bad. The rest of the river is pumping due to the two major inflows. You have Prosser Creek coming in at nearly 400 cubes, and the inflow from the Little Truckee below Boca which is nearly another 400 cubes. The clarity is good though even down towards the stateline. I have been out a bit here and there and have been hooking some big fish, but it's been hard turning 'em in the heavy current, most of them have popped off. Careful though along the river, one bad move and that's all she wrote. If you fall in at these flows you ain't getting out. I think the big run-off will happen about the third week of May, there's still a lot of snow up top, but all of the low lying snow is gone and melted. The whole river will open up this weekend, as it's the traditional opener of trout season in CA. That will open up some more water to fish around the Truckee area and also open the rest of the Truckee River up top. The top photo is the inflow of Prosser, a bit of a mud line, but not bad. The bottom photo is the river at Hirschdale.

Blue Diamond Phillips

2011-04-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

I might as well do the fly of the week again as the Truckee's still pumping and there ain't a lot of fishing around here except for the LT. I guess I could get creative, but I'd rather go shred some dirt on my niner. This fly has wrecked 'em the last few years, looks like a beatis to trout, but hell, I'm not a trout so..I even tie these guys up to a size #6 and fish them deep in the big holes up from my house, works well. I gave it a nice 70's look in the photo. Put a little hard as nails or epoxy over the sili-skin, so them toothy critters don't chew it all up.

Hook: Scud, Heavy sz#16-18 (for baetis)
Bead: Tung, Silver
Thread: Uni 8/0, Black
Body: Blue Mylar
Rib: Blue Ultra Wire, Small
Tail-Wing: Hen, Brown
Wingcase: Metz, Sili-Skin, Opal
Thorax: Simi Seal Dub, Purple

Meanwhile

2011-04-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile over on the Little Truckee, being that you can usually find me on the Truckee. The Little Truckee is a great place and could be one of the finest tailwaters in the state. Problem is everyone else feels the same. Seems like you can't even find a spot to park in the upper lot anymore. Big hatches of Honda Prii on the weekends up there. Since I made a vow to never fish the upper lot below Stampede anymore, I have a renewed interest in the lower stretches again. I have had a lot of great days out there and I've honed a lot of flies on the LT over the years, like my cripple series, and green drakes. I guess the reason so many people fish it is the size of the fish, which on average are pretty big. You'll find me over there a little more the next few months as the Truckee's pumping and time will tell when it will become fishable. These are some photos of today and Keith's best impression of running down the man. Keith lost some really hard charging fish, but did land his first brown on a fly rod.

Leland Expo

2011-04-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hung out with the FFO crew down in Sonoma this past weekend for the inaugural Leland Expo at their Sonoma Valley Ranch. After awile, you don't get too stoked on these kind of things, but this was different. There seemed to be a younger crowd, people that actually fly fish, not a bunch of crusty old dudes cruising around looking for the bathroom. When Leland does things, they go big and this was no different. If you've never been to the FFO ranch, it's pretty awesome. The weather was nice and the beer was cold. I gave a few casting tips to Tim Rajeff, told George Revel that distance casting is a thing of the past and drank some Trout Slayer Ale on tap, I mean if the shoe fits. I got to hang and watch Val Atkinson's slide show, the dude is an amazing photographer and even nicer fellow. If I can get Keith Westra out of parking patrol, Val's going to come up and shoot some photos with us on the Truckee this summer, stoked. Jim and Rachel Andras, guides from Oregon, are real nice and it was great to get to know them. The film tour was fun to watch, though after a few films they seem to get a little redundant. Elliot drank a lot of spilt beer too and got herself some leftover chukar which didn't settle so well. I'm already looking forward to next year which I'm sure will be even a bigger blow out than this years. Also stay tuned for some new Red Truck gear that is in the works.

Like Advertised

2011-04-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

I like to give an honest assessment. When folks call, I tell it like it is. You might, or might not hook fish this time of year when the Truckee's running high and cold, but when you do they will be big. If your a novice fly angler and you've never landed a big fish usually the death grip ensues and you lose them. I see it happen time and time again. You can be like Matt today who just kept yanking on his trophy rainbow and ripped the fly right out of his mouth, we got a good laugh out of it. Let the fish run a bit then chase him down and regain your line. We've been hooking big fish each time out, just not landing. It can be tough bringing them back through all the heavy current. If you're wondering about fishing the Truckee, I know this river pretty well and we can find spots even in the heavy water below Boca. Is it as good as summer, no, but it beats sitting on the couch all day. Matt hung in there today and did end up with a nice wild bow for the camera, good job brother. These are some shots from the last few days.

New Logo

2011-04-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

New Logo on some new tee's that you can pick up at Leland's Expo in Sonoma this weekend. I'll have them available for sale off my blog shortly.

Despite The Conditions

2011-04-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Despite the conditions, we're still putting fish in the net. Like I say, if you want to fish the Truckee you're just going to have to deal with the high water. It's not always easy finding a good spot to fish in the high flows, but if you do you can usually find a few willing fish. I like to go big to small, hell, I always do. Big stones, or wire worms, or copper johns, to something a bit smaller on the bottom. The flows have ceased a bit with this recent cold blast, but they will return. The good news is shortly the river will be open up along 89 and that will open a lot more fishable water. A few years back I got one of the biggest browns for that year along that section. Had a few younger guys out yesterday and the Truckee ended up giving us some nice fish. The brown ate my baetis nymph #16. Always amazes me that those fish can see such small flies in off colored water.

Old Man Winter

2011-04-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

We have another shot of winter coming through the Truckee area again. This sucks, and it always does this time of year. You know, when it goes from the 60's, back into the 30's. We ain't out of the woods yet, I've seen it snow well into June. Last year was a good example. Nothings changed on the Truckee, it's still charging, and for most folks the river below Glenshire is damn near unfishable. The Shire is a good bet if you do come up and fish the Truckee, there is always some fishable water even when it's this high. The Shire is really not my cup of tea though. I will fish it, but you usually can find me down river somewhere even in high water. It's a gamble below Boca this time of year and sometimes my schemes pan out and sometimes they don't. After a morning down a long game trail that didn't pan out, Charlie got this nice gal all colored up in some high water in what had to be my coldest guide day of the year. The bottom photo is of Matt the other day nymphing a nice slot along the shire.

You're Gonna Have To Get Used To It

2011-04-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we got some water this year, and with these warm days, the Truckee's pumping. It does have some clarity though, and if you stay above the major creeks, Juniper, Grey's and Bronco, it's fishable. You're going to have to get used to these high flows, they will be here all spring and well into early summer. The trick is to fish places where you think fish can get out of the current. Your normal spots might not be fishable, explore some different water. The fish will get used to it, the high flows that is, and settle in. The good news is when you do hook fish they will be big. The fish are big and healthy this spring and they are getting bigger. High flows means a lot of food is getting pushed through the system. Work the edges and don't give up. Got this nice male brown today on the last cast off a dry dropper rig, right tight to the bank.

Dry Droppers

2011-04-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

I love fishing the dry dropper rigs. Actually, I'll fish two droppers off a big dry such as my skwalacator dry, which floats like a cork and has a big poly yarn post you can see. The big fish that I catch are usually all caught in five feet or less of water. Big fish like to hang in shallow water, riffles, banks, etc. That old story about Walter living at the bottom of some big hole just ain't true, big fish are always on the move. Of course big fish winter in holes, but that's another topic. I fish my dry dropper rigs upstream along banks and things, long hard casts with a 6 weight rod. You're able to cover water with a dry dropper rig that you would have otherwise thrashed around if you were using a conventional nymph rig. Learn how to cast far in the wind, big fish require stealth, like bow hunting. Don't go using a 9 foot 5x leader, cut a 7.5 4x leader down to about 6ft so you can throw some junk around in the wind. You have to be able to turn over a big dry and nymphs especially if they're heavy ones. I'll be down at the Leland Expo in Sonoma on the weekend of the 16th and 17th of April doing a presentation on dry dropper rigs and how to fish them. This brown, one of my neighbors, ate my sz #18 baetis nymph in about two feet of water today.

Going Back To Cali

2011-03-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

Year after year, fishing the same runs, the same river, it never gets old. It's different year to year and when you walk up on a run you haven't fished in six months, but have fished hundreds of times, it's a feeling you can't explain. We had a long hard winter here in Truckee, biggest in twenty five years, shack nasties type of winter, but today with temps in the 60's it was a day only someone that's been through a hard winter can appreciate. Winter ain't easy in the mountains. I got friends in the city that complain because they can't find a place to park, please. When you do get a taste of spring it's worth all the shoveling and power outages and frankly I wouldn't trade it for nothing. It's all about Cali now on the Truckee River. Sure, it's gonna blow out at some point, but for now, it's good. This brown welcomed me back home today somewhere on the Cali section of the river.

The Flows Are Good Folks

2011-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

The flows are good in Cali. We will have to wait and see what happens this week in Nevada. It was near 70 today in Reno and I wish I'd worn my summer straw hat. Today might just have been the last fishable day in Nevada for awhile. Lot's of snow melting. If it gets above 600 cubes in Reno then it gets hard to fish. If it stays below 600, it's on, I'll keep you posted. On the California side things are good though, a bit off color, but good. The river in Cali looks like what the steelheaders like, a bit green and real fishy. Bugs everywhere though down on the NV side and fish rising despite some high flows. Couldn't keep the skwalas from crawling down my neck, kinda good. They'll be marching their way up the river towards California with this warm weather. This is Dave from today.

Hopper Droppers

2011-03-29T18:26:00.001-07:00

A few years back, my friend Colin and I took a trip to the East Walker in his old Winnebago. While on the trip, Colin came up with a drink he called the Hopper Dropper. Freeze some ice in a glass, fill with your favorite whiskey, and eventually the ice rises and the whiskey drops, hence the Hopper Dropper. If Colin's not waxing his Mercedes, or on Facebook, we do manage to get a little fishing time in when he comes down from Portlandia. I watched in awe today reminiscent of the old days as Colin handed it to some Truckee River fish. Though I'm sure he'd much rather been watching a Gwyneth Paltrow movie, we had fun, the sun was out, first time in weeks, and the Truckee River is in great shape. The flows are actually perfect right now, both states, and they look to stay good for awhile. Skwalas and blue wings are on the menu. I'll be out a lot this week and I'll let you know how it goes.

The Kids Are Alright

2011-03-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Finally we had a break in the weather and I managed to sneak a guide day in today. If it hasn't been the river being blown out, it's been driving snow and winds for the last two weeks. The Truckee is in great shape though, flows wise, in both states except East of Reno. With continued snow in the forecast it should stay good for awhile. If you fish the CA side there is very limited to no parking and snow shoes are a good idea. We have three more days of strong pacific storms coming, but after that fishing will be good. They say it's the biggest winter in the sierra in twenty five years. The top photo is of Frank with his first fish on a fly rod, not bad. The next is of his dad with a nice Truckee River Rainbow. It's great to see the kids fly fishing and not on those damn video games. Fishing was pretty good and fish were where they were supposed to be, eating my dubbed out prince.

They're Here

2011-03-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

My signature flies arrived at Mountain Hardware in Truckee, not all of my patterns, but some. Flies that I've cut my teeth with over the years on the Truckee River. Blue Collar flies so to speak. Everything from March Browns, to October Caddis, to PMD nymphs. Over the years, I've only used my own flies when I fish and guide. It made me a very proficient fly tyer, but it also gave me the ability to test and tweak my patterns. All my nymphs are tied on heavy wire scud hooks with tungsten beads, so they drop in the big deep buckets of the Truckee. Drys, well, I still like deer and elk hair on my drys. If you're a wade fisherman we all know that the all-foam-flies really don't work, they sink, and if you can't see your fly, then you can't set the hook. Nothing beats the natural hollowness and buoyancy of deer, or elk hair on your dry flies. All the patterns have been refined over the years, streamlined so to speak and now they're ready for you to fish. Of course every fly is just a copy of someone else's. I didn't invent the wheel, but I tried to reinvent it a bit. They will also be available at California Fly Shop in the Bay Area and Fly Fishing Specialties in Citrus Heights shortly.

Could Be a Tough Run

2011-03-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah, could be a tough run of it this spring on the Truckee, flows wise that is. With all this snow melting and continued storms in the forecast you're going to have to choose your days wisely. Always check the flows before you come up and fish. Snow is good, rain is bad. Along Glenshire the river is best under 300cfs, Hirschdale below 600, and in Reno below 500. We're looking at 1,200 cubes here in Hirschdale, but it looks like we got past the hump and it is lowering. It doesn't get bad until you see Noah floating down in his Ark, which I've seen a few times here. Of course you can fish the river when it's high, not this high though. We'll get some clarity back in a few days, but it will probably take five to seven days to come down to fishable levels. The river will start slowly coming down when it freezes hard for a few nights. A lot of big fish do get caught in high off colored water. Leave the sz #20 zebra midges at home along with the 5wt and throw the big and uglys at them, fish streamers, stones, and big copper johns. The fishing will be good when you can time it right, I think a lot of big fish are going to be caught this spring. They're putting on their feed bags now on all the food getting flushed through the system. The wife took a photo of this guy cruising through the yard the other evening. Apparently he likes taking naps under our Ponderosa out back.

Larry, Again

2011-03-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

Oh, it's Larry again, you know the dude that makes a mean sandwich. He came up and fished today with me down on the Nevada side. The river rose over a hundred cubes overnight and had muddied up a bit. Needless to say we had a tough morning. After a break and an LOG sandwich we managed to find a few fish despite the conditions, mainly the wind. I did manage to bum an original Cal Bird fly off him. Cal Bird was from Verdi Nevada and is the man that came up with the Birds Nest. He fished the Truckee long before me and it just happens that Larry was friends with him. You don't know how stoked I am to have that fly. That fly will be in a shadow box hanging in the living room looking over the river that Cal used to fish. These videos are from today of a nice male rainbow in full spawning regalia. The fly is a Truckee River Coachman from the man himself.

Fish Are Look'n Up

2011-03-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

Fish are looking up, not all, but if you play your cards right you can have a pretty good day of dry fly fishing down on the Nevada side of the Truckee. We are getting a pretty good bwo hatch mid-day with an occasional skwala stonefly drifting by. If the water warms a little more, which it will shortly, the skwala hatch will intensify. I also like to work the edges with a dry dropper rig because you never know who will pop there nose up for a big dry this time of year. Tie up some sparkle duns, or better yet some of my baetis emergers and go do a little head hunting. This guy ate my baetis emerger in a sz #16 today.

Images, Not Too Many Words

2011-03-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

It's about to get really good on the Nevada side of the Truckee River. These are some client photos from the last couple days. All we need is some warm weather and consistent flows, which looks like will happen this next week. Skwalas and BWOs are on the menu.

People Ask Me All The Time..

2011-03-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

People ask me all the time which fly is your favorite, you know, if you had one fly which one would you use on the Truckee? Well, all the flies I have in my boxes will work at certain times. If fish are munching on caddis pupae like they do all summer then I'll fish a caddis pupa, and so on and so forth. Usually though, my dropper fly is almost always my black baetis in sz #18 or #16. Fish feed on baetis nymphs daily. There are baetis hatches mid-day just about all year long. That fly catches 70% of my fish, hands down. Big ones, little ones, it doesn't matter. My baetis nymph will be available at finer Nor Cal fly shops this spring. It's dark with a tungsten bead and shiny wing case, just like the naturals. This rainbow today liked it in a sz #16.

Good To Be Back In The Mountains

2011-02-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

After tying flys at the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show and staying in San Francisco where by the way everyone has a horn on their car and knows how to use it, yes, it's good to be back home on the Truckee River. The Pleasanton Show was a great opportunity to network and meet lots of great people. Not to mention getting reacquainted with lots of old ones as well. Thanks for coming by to say hi, I hope the koozie was worth it.

I'm excited about this spring and if you've never fished the Truckee before we are coming into some good trout fishing months. The Truckee River on the Nevada side is fishing good now and will continue fishing good all spring. The California side should start fishing in a few weeks as the days get longer. Here's a few shots from today over on the Nevada side. This brown ate my Conehead Living Dead Streamer in tan, which will be available at finer fly shops this spring.

Pleasanton Show This Weekend

2011-02-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

I'll be heading to the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show this weekend. If you've never been it's actually a pretty cool show to go check out. It's an all fly fishing show unlike the ISE show in Sacramento and other sportsmen type shows. This year it looks like most all of the major fly fishing vendors will be back. You'll be able to book a trip to some far away destination, attend a seminar from top fly fishing personalities, or come by and watch me tie flies and get a free beer koozie. It will be nice to get off the mountain for a awhile. It's cold up here in Truckee and another big storm is on the way. This is a few shots from today.

One Month Till Spring

2011-02-20T15:21:00.000-08:00

One Month until Spring and thank god for that. It seems like when it snows around here anymore it comes down in feet. It's hard to keep up with all the snow sometimes, shoveling etc, but we need it, and the Truckee River basin snowpack is now way above avergage again. Sugar Bowl Ski Resort is reporting 107" inches from this last week and it didn't start snowing until late Tuesday night. All this snow means one thing, the fishing will be epic this summer. This photo is of Billy from Chicago who braved the elements the last few days and ended up with a few nice fish over on the Nevada side of the Truckee River.

Blue Wings

2011-02-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

They're here, Blue Wing Olives that is, on the Lower Truckee River. They are a true size #16 and you'll see an armada of them floating down the river daily, mid-day. The trick is to look for the bigger snouts poking there heads up through the film. Weed out the smaller fish to get to the bigger ones. The hatch will just get better in the next few months, especially on those nasty stormy days. The hatch can be pretty intense when it's cloudy. Some of the best dry fly fishing in the West? could be. Nymphing is good too now. I'll start with my black baetis nymph sz #18 in the mornings and as the hatch progresses work my way up in size to a #16 nymph. I'll eventually throw on my baetis emerger (my homey) #16, and nymph with it or throw it off the back of a dry. These are some client fish caught in the last few days on the Nevada side of the Truckee River.

You Should Get Cut

2011-02-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Gilligans Guide Service on Vimeo.

You should never show up late for fishing. I don't like to wait on people, and I sure don't like to wait on people unless they arrive with lunch and a nice IPA or two. This guy ate my flex floss midge #18 somewhere along the Truckee River today with just Elliot watching.

Building Yourself A Database

2011-02-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Every day you spend on the river, though you may not know it, you learn something. I know I do, learn something that is, and I spend most every day on the river. If you're new to fly fishing, regardless of whether or not you catch fish in a given day, you start building a database so to speak. You can scout new areas to fish, try some different flies, or try to figure out the bugs that are hatching. I can't tell you how many folks don't know the difference between a stonefly and a caddisfly. For myself, if I encounter a fish that is difficult to catch, selective, whether I'm out fishing or guiding, I have a huge knowledge base to access. I'll know how to catch that fish because I've been in that situation before. Maybe I'll use a trick I used five years ago, or ten, or twenty. There are no Michael Jordans in fly fishing. You are not born with some god given fly fishing talent. It just takes a lot of practice and time on the water. Try to go out and fish as much as you can, that's the only way you get better. If you don't have the time, get some money together and hire a knowledgeable local guide. A good guide will help increase your learning curve. This is a clent photo from the other day on the Nevada side of the Truckee River, a run I have fished hundreds of times over the years.

It's A Midge Game

2011-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

That title is an inside joke, but February on the Truckee River is midge time. When you see a blanket hatch of midges and no fish on the surface you can bet for certain they're eating the pupa below. Nothing beats a zebra midge, period. I like my flex-floss zebra midge in black. I fish mine a little bigger than some in size #16-18. They have to be able to see your fly amongst the hundreds of real pupa floating by. When the midges get all balled up and clustered that's when the fun begins. That might happen by next week if we're lucky. I got this pretty male just a short walk from my house today. In another month he'll be all colored up and like most males he will have one thing on his mind.

We've Made It Through

2011-01-29T16:50:00.001-08:00

We've made it through the cold dark months of winter. February is here, and this is when things start looking up fishing wise. The bugs will start coming out first on the Nevada side of the river. We will have Skwalas, and BWOs make an appearance down there this month. If it is a mild February, which it looks to be, the California side should start fishing as well. The water temps are still cold, but at least the days are getting longer and spring will be here shortly. This is James from the other day down on the Nevada side of the Truckee River.

Uncle Larry

2011-01-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

Uncle Larry is a poet, angler, hunter, cyclist; an all around Renaissance man so to speak. It's been awhile since I fished with him. When I first met him on the river he was wearing an old pair of Vans as wading boots. Needless to say he doesn't take himself to seriously when he fishes. That's why we like to fish together. Some days he spends most of the time holding the net. Larry is into writing and just finished a book of poetry. He is in touch with nature and all that surrounds him. He also is a stack mending fool as in the photo above. As Larry would say, today the sun shined on my back as I lay down a cast, the doves flew by, trout swam in the currents below me as my san juan worm dead drifted hopelessly awaiting the feel of the silver ghost. Larry's blog is bikes fish and freedom, check it out.

http://bikesandfish.blogspot.com/

LOG (Sandwich)

2011-01-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

Took out my buddy Larry today. Larry always brings a mean sandwich. In fact they're so big we call them the LOG sandwich, or Land of the Giant, sandwich. Today he added some jalapeno peppers for a little kick. It really was the highlight of my week. Larry is a bad ass fisherman and fly tier, but his name is Larry and therein lies the problem. There was of course some very big fish lost. The fishing talk and the fishing was pretty good on the Nevada side of the Truckee River. I'll be at the Sage, Reddington, Rio booth this weekend at the ISE show in Sacramento. Come by and say hello.

Urban Fishing

2011-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

I went and scouted out a few runs this morning pretty close to downtown Reno. When I go fish on my own I like to fish a lot of nooks and crannys, or water that gets past up by most folks. I'll just drive from spot to spot. It's pretty amazing the quality of a trout fishery so close to such an urban setting. I guess it's like a smaller version of the Bow River that flows through downtown Calgary with it's own great trout fishing. Got these guys today on a #16 Dubbed Out Prince Nymph. These Rainbows are the size of Steelhead, pretty crazy. The fish in the video had broke off a bait dunker at some time, an old rusted eagle claw hook was in his kipe. I took it out for him and let him on his way.

60s In January

2011-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

The weather the past few days has been unbelievable up here. I think we have set records for Truckee and Reno. Needless to say the fishing has been pretty good. Though the water has come up and got off color (on the Nevada side) with the snow melt the fish are still there and eating. I like to give them something they can see in the off-colored water such as my Blue Diamond Phillips Nymph which caught some nice fish for us today on the Truckee. Who knows how long the weather will last but for now, enjoy it while you can. This is a photo of William from today on the Nevada side of the Truckee River.

Battle Born Bows

2011-01-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

We've been putting some nice fish in the net the last few days up here. Mild weather has made for some great fishing in the battle born state of Nevada. Air temps are in the 50s, and water temps have moved up to the mid 40s on the Nevada side of the Truckee River. These are some client photos from the last few days.

Warm Fronts in Winter

2011-01-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

Now is the time you want to try to get out. Anytime we have a warm front move through the region this time of year, it warms the water up and makes for some good fishing. Cloud cover keeps the nights mild and out of the single digits. We get a lot of these days in California being so close to the Pacific and all. A note on barometric pressure; I really don't like a falling barometer in the winter. If I had a choice, I'd fish after a front has moved through and the barometer was stable. I also think a rising barometer, or beginning of high pressure in winter, makes for good fishing. I could be full of it, but this is just an observation having spent many winters on the water. Today we had a mild weather system move through the region. I started fishing around 10 o'clock and didn't hook a fish until about one. Maybe the barometer stabilised, but since I don't have one of those fancy watches, I'll never know. I did hook some nice fish in the afternoon and lost a real bruiser of a brown. The video is of an average winter size bow on the Nevada side of the Truckee River. The fishing should remain good all weekend and through the next week with the mild weather.

Two States, One Day

2011-01-10T07:42:00.001-08:00

I've been doing the two-states-one-day-game-plan a lot lately. I'll start fishing on the Nevada side of the Truckee River and then I hit up the California side on the way home. Fishing is good in both states, but a little more consistent on the Nevada side. My best fly has been my black baetis nymph #18 which will be available to the public coming this Spring (more on that later) The fishing should get even better by the end of this week as overnight lows will not be as cold as they have been. You too can get in on the action. The "Double Whammy Special" two states, one day for $225.00. Come get yourself some big wintertime fish on the Truckee River system. The top video is in California, and the bottom photo is in Nevada.

Sometimes You Just Have To Get Off The Mountain

2011-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

We've had a rough month up here in Truckee. With a snow pack 220% of normal, we didn't see the sunshine too much. Yesterday, I headed down and hit up the Lower Yuba with my friend Keith and his buddy Tom. Anytime you get a chance to fish a river after it has come down, go. The Yuba was at 20,000 cubes during the storms, yesterday it was at 4,000 cubes. The clarity was just a few feet, but the fishing was good. It felt like Hawaii down there, it was super fun and sunny. Since Elliot couldn't go yesterday, I took her out today on the Truckee River over on the Nevada side. Though it's still a bit cold, the anchor ice is gone and the fishing is good. Though it ain't no Truckee (river) the Lower Yuba is bad ass, and a great river that could be compared against any western state river. Go fish it, the more friends a river has the more it will be protected. The top photo from the Yuba, and the bottom video from the Truckee.

Happy New Year.

2011-01-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

I just started off the new year guiding the Truckee River in the beautiful state of Nevada. Though the water was at 35 degrees with plenty of anchor ice along the rivers edges it still handed us a few nice fish. It was a great way to spend the new year. Fish still have to eat, and they like my #18 beatis nymph this time of year. With all the snow we have it looks as if we are in for a great summer of fishing. Give me a call this winter and come experience winter fly fishing on either the Nevada, or California side of the Truckee River.

What Happened to La Nina?

2010-12-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

If you live anywhere in California then you know how crazy the weather has been this last week. The weather people say La Nina is suppose to leave the Southwest dry and bring the moisture above Ca and into the Pacific Northwest. I guess they where wrong. Since last week we have been getting pounded by very strong Pacific storms, bringing up to 10 feet of snow on the summit. The Truckee River rose to about 1,400 cubes near Hirschdale during the storms. The river has dropped and cleared some since last week, though high for this time of year, it is fishable. Today, I thought I'd hit up some runs down from my house (mostly to get away from the wife baking cookies). The river actually fished well, not what I expected at all. Since most of the storms where warm, most of the lower river is easily accessible. I fished two runs and hooked several nice browns, all on my beatis nymph #18. This brown acted more like a summertime fish, making a few long hard runs. Not bad for December.

The Silver State.

2010-12-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

I spent a little time down on the Nevada side of the Truckee River today. I really haven't been focusing on fishing lately, more on fly tying, locking myself to the fly tying table for hours on end. It's hard not to want to go fish though with the recent mild weather we've been experiencing. The river was pretty high last week with the rain, I didn't miss out on anything. This time of year the river always fishes better on the Nevada side. Water temps can be 5-10 degrees warmer than the river on the California side. Good nymphs are worms, small baetis patterns, zebra midges, and winter stones. I often fish big golden stones, and dead drift streamers in winter as well. Sometimes the fish like a big meal floating by. There is a winter storm warning out this week and it looks as if we are in for some nasty weather again, but that's what the fish need, lot's of snow.

Nevada 2011.

2010-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's official, I just received my Nevada Master Guides License in the mail today. It has always been a goal of mine to be able to guide the Nevada side of the Truckee River. I've spent a lot of time down there probing the waters and have showed a lot of friends that there are big fish in the desert, but the cost of the license and paperwork has always been a deterrent for me. The Nevada side is what some rivers in Montana where like twenty years ago before the crowds. Down in the desert it is still relatively undiscovered and a good angler has a chance at a legit twenty fish day on the Truckee River. Don't get me wrong, the stretch from my house in Hirschdale down to the state line is in my soul, my favorite water anywhere in the country, but it can be tough and can harden a fisherman. The Nevada side is a great spring, winter, fall fishery and often times in winter temps are mild and fish are active, much different than the California side. I'm offering my winter rates of $225.00 to fish the Nevada side starting Jan 1st. If you're game come join me.

Slow and Low that is the Tempo.

2010-12-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yeah, winter fishing, you either love it, or do it because you have cabin fever. To be honest, after all the winters I've spent on the water winter nymphing really doesn't do that much for me anymore. I stare at indicators all summer, so methodically staring at one in the winter just doesn't turn me on. Sometimes it's fun when big midge clusters are floating down the river and fish are munching on them, but that's about 6 weeks out from now. This time of year I do like to go out to test new lines, rods and flies. Swinging flies is an alternative to nymphing and usually is what I choose to do. I just got the new Sage TCX switch rod today and took it on a test drive, wow, what a cannon. I really think it will open up some previously untouched water. It casts a Skagit Short line a hundred feet easily. My bunny leech went to some far away places today. Remember those fish ain't gonna run down your streamer, a slow strip on the bottom is what it takes this time of year.

Fly Shops.

2010-11-29T12:45:00.001-08:00

We just recently had an area fly shop saying they were closing down by the first of the year making me think what it takes to make it as a fly shop these days. The big box stores don't help the little guys, Cabelas, Scheels, Bass Pros. Not to mention when you walk in those types of places they usually don't know what the hell their talking about. I've heard some Walmarts have fly shops in them. The two things you need from a good fly shop is great customer service and local knowledge. When I walk into a fly shop I expect a hello, where are you from, and maybe some general advice. For example on my recent trip up to the Missouri River in Craig Montana there are three fly shops in a row. The first shop we went into I got a hello, and a go screw yourself type of attitude. We then walked down the street and ended up at the Headhunters Fly Shop. What we got there was a map of a good float, some tips on what streamers to use, and great customer service. By the way, all of which you can get in Mountain Hardware and Sports in Truckee. Since it is 22 degrees at my house this afternoon with anchor ice blocking my good holes, I'll leave you with some grip and grins from the mighty Mo.

Sometimes it Just Ain't Trout Fishing Weather.

2010-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

We just received several feet of snow in Hirschdale, elevation 5,500 feet. I'm sure they got 4-5 feet by now at lake level. I can't remember this much snow so early in the year. When I worked at Boreal during the 94-95 season (yeah, I'm old)I remember it dumped before Thanksgiving and never did stop that year. We need this snow. The fish love it. This last Summer was epic with all the high water. Go enjoy the pow right now until some spots get plowed out where you can actually park and get to the river. Bring some snowshoes because you will need them. I like to drink beer, run the snow blower, and tie flies on days like these. Sometimes it just ain't trout fishing weather.

Nature Boy Designs.

2010-11-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

My boy keith over at Lelands in S.F. has started his own fly fishing gear company. With the holidays coming up you can now tell your friends and significant other how big that fish really is. I'm sure we'll see some more cool stuff from NBD in the near future. Here's the link, www.natureboydesigns.com

Nocturnal Stones.

2010-11-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder why when your fishing the Truckee River in the Summer months and you see big stonefly schucks all over the rocks and no adults flying around? The answer to that question is they hatch at night, a nocturnal stone. Trust me, it took a while for me to figure this out. The class of stones is called Claassenia sabulosa, but who cares, they have short little wings and don't fly well. Most of the hatching and egg laying activity occurs after dark. July and August are prime time. This year because of the high water it was in the middle of August and everyone was wondering why their dumb ass Pat's rubber leggs where working so good in August. So next Summer when your tossing your hopper around in the mornings in July fish are probably taking it for a nocturnal stone.

A Strange Coincidence?

2010-11-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

I was out tinkering with the new Rio Switch line today (which by the way is the best line I've found yet for nymphing with a Switch Rod) when across a far seam the ole indo went down. When I landed this nice male Rainbow we had an incredible kipe on his lower jaw just like a fish I caught two years ago near the same run. It had to be the same fish. It was good to see him again nice and fat and a few inches longer. I might have hooked some more nice fish, but as I was trying to land that fish I fell in and then realised Elliot had rolled around in a dead dear carcass. About the fishing...I've had a few people call lately and what I tell them is that yes, you could catch some big fish on warmer days, like today for instance. You want to fish at the warmest times of the day. You might do well and you might not. You might just catch Whitefish all day. Is it as good as it is in Spring, Summer, Fall, no, but it's still fun to be out there. Winter fishing is much different than other times of the year and you need to adjust you tactics accordingly.

Transition Time.

2010-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

With the last recent cold front it is that time of year again when fish transition from their late Summer, Fall holding lies, into their Winter holding lies. The water temp was at 51 degrees before the last storm and now a chilly 46 degrees. While 46 degrees doesn't seem bad, that is at the warmest time of the day. I'm sure it is much colder in the early morning hours. Right now it seems as if the fish don't know what to do. In the last week the water has risen, then lowered, and got cold. This time of year fish like the soft inside seams of runs and pools. You might have to lighten up the tippet a little and fish a little more methodically. Fish will still eat your flies though. Here's a few photo's from the last few days.

November Always seems to be a Little Melancholy.

2010-11-05T15:06:00.001-07:00

November for Trout fishers is a little melancholy if you live in the Mountains. The Cottonwoods are deeply golden and are devoid of most leaves. The rivers get low and the crowds are gone. You know Winter is looming. Though most of us fish in the Winter it's still not the same as fishing big drys or nymphs, compared to tiny little Midges. November is still a good month to fish depending on how long the weather holds out. In November, I usually go out and fish the spots that I couldn't because I was guiding all Summer, or afraid that I would stick the fish that one of my clients could catch. Now, at least for me, is the time to go out and just enjoy being on the river along with my dog Elliot before the first big Winter storms. Oh, and by the way, the fishing is still pretty good.

My Web Dude.

2010-10-31T16:20:00.001-07:00

I'm often asked who did my website. Well, it's one of Truckee's own, Paul Hamil. He's taken care of me on many occasions when I need things tweaked on the web site so a little float was in order today. We didn't get any real big fish, but it was still a fun day on the water. I did get a little brown on the new fly, it's not a nymph or a streamer, but looks great in the water. I'll be fishing them this Winter, we'll see how they do. Paul's design company is www.antitodedesign.com, check it out.

Montana.

2010-10-30T09:19:00.001-07:00

Eleven different Mountain Ranges, broad plains, Griz, and endless rivers, that's Montana. I just got back from five days of fishing with my buddy Chris on some of the West's best Trout waters. The weather was nasty and everyone was out Elk hunting. We had the rivers all to ourselves. The Madison was great between the lakes and of course at Reynolds Pass. We took the boat up to the Mo, and if you've never been to the Missouri you need to go. Hard, and I mean hard fighting fish. Stop in at Craig and go to the Headhunters Fly Shop (More on them later). No BWOs on the Mo, but lots of strong fish. Chris got about a 7lb brown near dark and the next morning I had at least a 10lber on that I watched sail away with all my shit attached to him. We saw no one else fly fishing on our two days there! It was great to hang out with an old friend, drink good beer, eat shitty food, and of course catch fish.

End of the Season Through the Miracle Mile.

2010-10-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Had a great day today through the Miracle Mile as my friend Joe likes to call it. Lot's of hook ups and lost big fish for my clients. The Hirschdale area gets pretty hammered all Summer, but now crowds are gone and hardly anyone is on the river. The fishing is much better. This will be my last post for a week or so as I'll be in Montana visiting my buddy Chris. Even though I guide in the Winter my main guiding season is coming to a close as Winter is looming upon us. I want to say thanks for everyone who has came out to fish with me this Summer. The Truckee is tough, but hopefully everyone had a good time and learned something. It has been my busiest season to date. November looks like it could be cold, but the fishing should be good for the first few weeks as the browns are spawning late this year. See you guys when I get back.

My Homey

2010-10-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

First cast this morning I had a huge shadow chase down my big caddis dry about 10 yards, but since it had drag the fish didn't eat. Second cast, bam, the fight was on. This brown took the soft hackle baetis, or better known by my friend Keith as the homey. I was lucky to land this thing on an old ass leader and old 5x tippet, but I got lucky. It's called the homey because it doesn't come by and drink your beer and look through your refrigerator, it's your friend, your homey. The homey likes to kick it and catch fish.

October Caddis.

2010-10-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is my fly of the week and it has caught a lot of nice fish in late Fall over the years for me on the Truckee River. We really don't get a big October Caddis hatch, for example like the Upper Sac or McCloud, but fish really like munching on the Pupa in late Fall. I think a lot of the patterns you see at the fly shop are to bulky. I like a muskrat and rabbit blend and a thinner profile. This is also a good fly to use behind a streamer.

Hook: Tiemco 2499, or 2457 Sz#6
Body: Any buggy nymph type dubbing, orange or cream.
Shell: Wapsi Thin Skin, brown
Ribbing: UTC Wire, copper brown
Collar: Hen hackle, brown
Eyes: Black bead chain eyes

Baetis Weather.

2010-10-17T16:37:00.001-07:00

Overcast skies the last few days have made for some good dry fly action. The Little Truckee has some phenomenal Baetis hatches when it's overcast. If you know where to go around the Truckee area there all also some spots where you can find great dry fly fishing. I like my Baetis emerger #16 followed by my soft hackle #16, about 10 inches behind. Mid-day on the Truckee River is when I switch to my soft hackle Baetis and fish it deep, it seems to usually do the trick this time of year. We are starting to hook some big fish again on the Truckee.

Old Guys Rule.

2010-10-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

I've been taking out a lot old guys lately. I like the old guys. They usually have good soft rods, rods that used to be made in America. They have cool hats that they bought back in West Yellowstone in the 80's, you know the ones with the flaps on the back. The old guys can usually fish to, some just need a little tune up like my old Toyota. What I like about the old guys is they are just happy to be out on the water enjoying life in their retirement. They all have good stories and if you listen you can actually learn a bit form them. This is a photo of Dwayne from Walnut Creek with fish on.

On Fire.

2010-10-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

The fishing that is...When you hook multiple fish in just about every spot you fish you know the fishing is good. That's what happened for Loren from San Jose today, lots of smaller fish, but at the end, a couple big boys that shook off. I was happy for him as it had been a tough year on him and this was his trip for himself. All I can say is cancer is fucked, but fly fishing is good therapy for that shit. Cheers to you Loren.

Head Hunt'n.

2010-10-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

A good head hunter must be quiet and stealthy, observe and watch for rise forms. A good dry fly fisherman can distinguish rise forms and know if a fish is eating the adult dun, an emerger, or a nymph caught in the film. You also should try getting into the best position possible to get the best drift. If a fish is rising rhythmically he will not pay much attention to you. You would be surprised how close you can get to the fish. If there are a ton of bugs on the water it might take a while for the fish to eat your fly even though it has drifted over the fish a dozen times. Most fish go back and forth between eating the dun and the emerger, with most fish eating the emergers instead. This fly is my no#1, and is the fly of the week. If fish are eating emergers tie it on, duns, tie it on, it don't matter, they will eat it. This fly is like crack for my buddy Joe Cerniglia and he is always hounding me for some. This fly is tied comparadun style and is just a Sparkle Dun rip off. The best dry fly on earth. I tie the body first and the wing last. One thing to remember when you fish emergers ONLY PUT FLOATANT ON THE WING. The bottom half rides below the surface. BWOs are out in full force, tie some of these up and get in on the action.

Hook: Tiemco 2487, Sz#16
Body: Uni 8/0, Olive Dun
Ribbing: UTC Wire, Sz Small, Olive
Shuck: Z-Lon, Grey
Wing: Ca Coastal Deer Hair
Thorax: Muskrat, Olive

Finally Some Fall Weather.

2010-10-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

With record heat up here last week it finally looks like some Fall weather will stick around for a while. The rest of the week looks like it will be cloudy and cool. B.W.O.s should start pop'n any day now and I would be looking for heads mid-day on the Truckee River. The streamer fishing is also picking up a bit. Got this descent size Bow on a sculpin pattern today.

Fly of the Week, Baetis Nymph.

2010-09-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

This time of year this fly is usually on the end of my rig. Whether it be on a dry dropper rig, or a nymph rig, this fly works. A lot of the Baeits nymphs on the Truckee River are dark colored. I think the trigger for this fly is the black wing case made of Thin Skin, a product by Wapsi. I use Thin Skin on a lot of my flies it holds up and is shiny just like the real bugs. I usually fish a Sz#18 before the hatch and switch to a larger nymph, Sz#16 during the hatch. I've caught fish all over the West on this fly. Tie up some of these guys this Fall and give them a try.

Hook: Tiemco 2457 Size #16-18
Bead: Tungsten Gold 2.0 mm
Body: Uni 8/0 Black
Ribbing: UTC Ultra Wire, Size Small, Olive
Tail: Hen Hackle, Black
Thorox: Blue Ribbon Flies Zelon Dubbing, Longhorn Green
Wings: Hen Hackle, Black
Wing Case: Thin Skin, Black

Bankers Hours.

2010-09-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

A.m.'s are cold on the Truckee River and I would advise you folks coming up here to sleep in and start a little later in the morning. It might be nice at your house, but at mine things are cold. This time of year we usually have a thick fog blanket looming over the entire river in the mornings. Fishing is best in the mid-morning hours. The fishing is very good on the entire river. We are starting to see some nice Baetis hatches, and a few October Caddis. These are a few photos from the last few days with Tom from Los Gatos with a nice Rainbow on a micro may.

This Could be You.

2010-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Guess what happens when you cancel on your guide the night before a trip? He calls up his buddy and goes fishing. I had a chance to fish with my good friend Keith from Grass Valley yesterday who is also a guide on the Lower Yuba River. We had a fine day and lot's of big fish where hooked, but not landed by Keith. Good flies are rubber legged stones, micro mays, and small princes. I got a few fish to chase a streamer, but no big fish yet. Get up here this Fall and insert yourself in this photo.

Fly of the Week.

2010-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

I think I'll start the fly of the week and see how it goes. This is my Baetis Soft Hackle. This is my no #1 fly in the Fall on the Truckee River. I fish it deep on a nymph rig, or sometimes higher up off a tippet ring on a nymph rig. You can fish it off a back of a dry in the film, or swing it through a pod of rising fish. It just works...

Hook: Tiemco 2487 size #16
Thread: Uni 8/0 Gray (head)
Body: Uni 8/0 Iron Gray
Thorax: Wapsi Life Cycle Caddis Dubbing Gray
Colar: Whiting Farms Hen Hackle Medium Dun
Tail: Hen Hackle Fibers, Medium Dun
Ribbing: UTC Ultra Wire Size Small, Green, or Olive

A Little Fishing for Myself.

2010-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a while since I spent the day fishing for myself. I have had a busy Summer. I put my boat in today with Elliot for a little solo mission. I must say I was a bit out of practice, but it didn't take long to start hooking fish. The fishing was exceptional, the landing part wasn't so good though. I did have a two foot brown eat a PMX in some skinny water which was very cool, but he took off downstream and came unbuttoned. The weather has been perfect up here and the fishing is very good on the Truckee River.

Things are Changing for the Better.

2010-09-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Looks like we're in for another cool down up here. It doesn't take much to get the fish active. Last night was somewhat cold and today was a good day on the river. Fish are still eating crayfish and rubber legged stones. I also like small princes as dropper flies this time of year. We've had a few big fish chase down some streamers lately, but no eats, that should change with some cooler weather. I think this next week we will see some big browns getting active....These photos are of Dan from Berkely.

An Early Taste of Fall.

2010-08-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

The last few days we had our first cold front blow through leaving a dusting of snow high up on Mt Rose. Water temps on the Truckee River have lowered into the mid to high 50's. With overnight lows in the 30's, I think our Fall fishing is here. I know it's Fall when a Bear gets in my neighbors garage, which he did a few nights ago. I then heard a shotgun blast upon which the Bear got loaded with rubber shot. Get those streamers tied up and be ready, Fall ain't that far away. Got this guy yesterday just up from my house.

Pompous Ass Fly Fisherman.

2010-08-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Admit it, most of us are pompous ass fly fisherman. I myself try not to be one of them. Today I took a couple dudes out on a guided spin fishing trip, yup spin fisherman. I mean what's the difference if you hook a fish with the a Mepps, or a frigg'n san juan worm? These guys always practice catch and release and pinch their barbs just like us. They worked there rapalas and mepps through the runs and pocket water, and came out with what was Louis's biggest Brown he has ever landed. A twenty four inch, five pounder that ate a four inch shad rap. Even the little fish ate the damn thing. It was fun to watch fish come flying after these things. We have to remember that we're all sportsman and we can work together to save our rivers from greedy corporations and not fight each other over which way is the most dignified to fish.

It's 18 inches!

2010-08-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Every fish is eighteen inches when your eight years old and you just landed a fish on the Truckee River. I had the privilege to take Rich and his eight year old son Shane out this morning on the Truckee. Shane is one heck of a little fly fisherman and just a great all around kid in general. It's great to see a Dad take his son fly fishing. It reminds me of me and my dad when I was young fly fisherman and it truly is what fly fishing is all about.

What do I do!!!

2010-08-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

What do I do! is the first thing I hear people yell out when they get a big fish on. When you get a big Truckee River fish on it feels like a wild Steelhead racing against the weight of all the current. These fish fight hard and most people have never had a freight train attached to the end of their fly line. Like I've been saying for the last month turn their head and keep them out of the current and you have a chance. I taught Andrew how to fly fish a few years ago and today he got a nice Brown that got his heart going. This photo was taken with an I Phone since I blundered the camera again. Fishing is good, and the bigger stonefly pattern you got the better.

Gett'n Schooled.

2010-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Most big fish don't get landed. That's been true for the last few days. Today Stephen from Sacramento on his third cast hooked a big brown that took him in the current and schooled him. You have to be in command of the big boys. The main thing is to put enough pressure on the fish to keep them out of the main current. The top photo is one of the big rainbows Stephen did land today. I guess my camera was off for the first bow that easily went 5 lbs, sorry Stephen, no photos of that guy. The bottom photo is of Willie from Reno that got schooled by a big boy right on that rock to the right in that photo. The fishing is still good my friends.

Dog Days of August?

2010-08-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. So far August has been really good. Mild daytime temps are keeping water temps in the respectable range. When I talk about the river, I am referring to the river below Boca, above that it is bath water by now. Trout migrate, so should you. Most folks are hooking fish, while a big Truckee River fish is getting hooked just about daily. I'm talking fish in the 3-5lb range, no joke. This time of year hatches are starting to decrease and bugs are less plentiful than early Summer. Attractor nymphs and crayfish work really well this time of year. Steamers also work good, but only in low light hours. Trout need water and we have plenty of it this year. These are some photos from the last few days.

A Progression.

2010-08-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Fly fishing is a progression, there is always something new to learn about our sport. I learn more and more every year about Trout and how to catch them. Last year I taught John and Tina how to fly fish and since then they have progressed as fly fishers. Both Tina and John hooked and landed some nice fish on the Truckee River including this nice Rainbow in the photo. I'm back to wearing waders in the mornings as the water temps below Boca are great for this time of year and should remain good for the rest of the month. Fish are eating caddis pupa, crayfish, and rubber legged stones.

A Tailwater Somewhere.

2010-08-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

I used to fish this place a lot when I was in high school. It's a cold tailwater that holds wild rainbows and browns somewhere in the Sierra. When in high school I worked at Little Cesar's one Spring so I could get gas money to drive up from Roseville to fish it. I remember casting into the pools and have big rainbows blast from the bottom and inhale my fly. Times have changed, but theirs still fish in there. I wouldn't say the fishing was red hot today, but we did manage to bring a nice brown up from the bottom. I never thought when I was a kid that someday I would be guideing at this place some twenty years later. I guess sometimes you come full circle in life.

Sett'n Up.

2010-08-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Not only is getting a good drift essential, but learning when and how to strike on a fish or "setting up" is important as well. I watch people everyday not strike on a fish hard enough, or not strike at all. A good hook set is important. When your nymph rig is going in a likely spot, or through the bucket be ready. I almost know when I'm going to get a strike it's instinctive for me. I try to tell people to be ready, have your finger on the trigger (your line under your finger) and be ready for that hit. You would also stick more fish if you set downstream with the current and not upstream ripping the hook right out of the trout's mouth. There has been a lot of fish missed the last few days on poor hook sett's, some big and some small, and some we will never know for sure. The water is a nice 63 degrees even at noon. The fishing is good.

Get'n a Good Drift.

2010-07-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

A good drift is essential to catch fish on the Truckee River. If you have drag on your flies you're just not going to catch fish. Most beginners have a hard time with this. Mending line is essential. The rods and fly lines you use play into this. A good clean fly line is crucial, as well as at least a 9ft rod. Leave your East Coast stick at home. I like using Switch rods and the Sage 99 series rod for nymphing the Truckee River. The extra length helps you lift line off the water when nymphing. If you have a regular 9ft rod, up line it one size, it will help load your rod better. Your not fishing from a drift boat on the Truckee. Even if you are with a guide you are the one, not me, that has to present your flies to the fish. Sometimes that's hard on a river like the Truckee. Anthony from San Carlos talked about that with me today. How drift boat fishing and wade fishing are two separate creatures, with wade fishing being much harder. Anthony is a fine angler and we had some fine fishing today with Crayfish, and Caddis Pupa.

Catching Big Fish.

2010-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Some fly fishers can and some just can't. It's not about making long casts on a casting pond it's knowing how to get into position and make accurate presentations on moving water. It's also knowing how to read the water so if you are blindly fishing you are indeed fishing to places that hold fish. After a while you will be able to understand where prime holding lies are on the river and begin to pick up bigger fish. Your rigging and knots are also important. If you do see a big fish feeding, peel the line you need off your reel first. If you need thirty feet of line than peel it off and cast your rod somewhere else other then over the fish. Don't false cast over the fish to build up line speed. The biggest mistake is not being ready when you do hook a large fish. Sometimes people get there fly line raped around something, say there reel for instance, and the fish runs and breaks them off.
What I also see people do is when they hook a big fish they have no exit strategy. You need a place to land the big fish you just hooked especially if your in heavy water. A lot of big fish you need to chase down river to recover the line the fish just peeled off your reel and land him in a calm area. I sight fished to these fish today and they all took my Jesus was a Carpenter Ant on the FIRST drift. You don't get many second chances with big fish so make your first drift count.

A Little Afternoon Session.

2010-07-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Keith Westra stopped by for a visit yesterday on his way to do some carp'n down in the desert. After an evening t-storm and a few to many beers Keith talked me into going fishing. We headed down in the canyon from my house and took the game trail down into the canyon. I mostly watched and drank beer while Keith worked his rod like a true artist, poetry in motion. We probably should have just stayed and drank beers on the deck, but to get to see such an artist only happens every so often. Keith thought he hooked a couple, while I hooked a buzz and watched the sunset. Afternoon t-storms are for casted for a few more days and should help the fishing.

Action Shots.

2010-07-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here's some photo's of clients putting some wood to them Truckee River fish. I wish we had some nice grip and grins, but they just didn't bring the big ones to the net. Stephen from Elk Grove was glad his battle with his brown ended when it did as he said he was exhausted. Pound for pound I don't think there is any harder fighting fish in the West than Truckee River wild trout. Fish are keyed, and I mean keyed in on Caddis. Get out of valley heat, or the San Francisco fog and enjoy the fun on the Truckee River.

Pocket water.

2010-07-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

It's time to fish that pocket water folks. The water has warmed and fish move into faster water this time of year. You need to fish areas in the river that loose elevation fast. The reason being is because their is more oxygen in these areas of the river, cooling are finned friends off. Look for seams and put enough weight on to penetrate the water column. High sticking, short line nymphing, or nymphing with no indo at all are all tactics to employ on the Truckee River this time of year. Eric from Palo Alto got some descent fish in the pocket water today

Wet Wading and Caddis.

2010-07-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Summers here and the Truckee is in perfect shape. Put those waders away and enjoy the cool water. Caddis are in full effect and lot's of different ways will catch fish now, dry droppers, drys, nymph rigs and streamers. My favorite is a big ugly dry with a few caddis droppers below it. You would be surprised at how many fish come up on a big dry fly this time of year. If you want to get out of the valley and beat the heat come on up and fish the Truckee.

Big Rainbows, and the PMX.

2010-07-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

We have got a couple real big Rainbows to the net in the last few days. In the bottom photo Amanda from Virgina nailed one of the biggest Bows of the year on a Royal PMX dry! Today Alex from Santa Cruz landed a big female beauty, but I know he will think about that Brown he lost towards the end of the day. We have unbelievable big fish this year in the Truckee River. With all the water I don't think it will slow down until Winter.

Got Caddis?

2010-07-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

The river is fishing very, very, well, as you can see with this nice trophy Brown Andy from Oaktown put in the net today. Today was Andy's first time nymphing on a river, or fishing a dry dropper rig. We got fish on both. Andy caught his first Trout on a fly rod today, as well as real gem of a Brown. Fish are eating just about everything, but this time of year they start keying in on Caddis Pupa. Don't come up here without some in your box. Think about it, the Bird's Nest came out of the late Cal Bird's vice to mimic the abundant Caddis flies we have here on the Truckee River. Swinging, and dead drifting them work equally as good.

Lot's of Water, Lots' of Fish.

2010-06-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

The fishing has been great over the last week. We have been catching plenty of nice Rainbows and putting a trophy Brown in the net just about daily. The fishing is really good. The Pat's Rubber Legg put a 5 lber in the net today for Matt from Pleasanton. He called a few weeks ago and really wanted a big brown, he got it today, nice work dude. The best thing is we're getting fish to come up and eat big dries, Montana style, gotta love it. Green Drakes, PMDs', Little Yellow Stones, and now Caddis. July will be going off up here this year.

Summertime...

2010-06-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's here, the bugs are out, and it's hot. The water is high, but the fishing is good. Fish are eating just about everything, but Green Drake nymphs are the hot fly. What about bringing some fish up on a big fat PMX?, well, we did it today. The guys I where with lost a lot of big boys the last couple days, it's just so hard to stop them in the high water. The fishing should only get better when the water starts coming down.

Drys on the Truckee?

2010-06-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yup, you bet. With the exception of one fish today all these where stuck on drys. Green Drakes to be exact, and my Sir Frances Drake nailed 'em today. The Drakes came out in pretty good numbers, actually the most I've seen in about three years. Pale Morning Duns, and Caddis are out as well. Today was just one of those days that the bugs came out and big fish where rising to good anglers that knew how to land big fish.

Some Scenes from the Week.

2010-06-22T18:09:00.002-07:00

I've been so busy it's been hard to update the blog. The Truckee is still running high, but it is clear and the fish are willing. The bugs have not come out yet in big numbers, a pmd here, and a yellow stone there. No caddis and drakes as of yet. It might be another week for the river to come alive. The good news is the little fish are active and we've been catching them. I was tripping there for a while because all Spring we just caught big fish. I was starting to think maybe we lost a couple of age classes of fish. Fish are eating drakes, and princes, and all the other good attractor nymphs.

High Water and Big Fish.

2010-06-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a chance today and fish a client in the high water. Phillip was a good stick so casting heavy nymph rigs and dry dropper rigs wasn't a problem for him. The water clarity was descent, I knew we had a chance. Sometimes gambles pay off. The two fish he did land ate a sz#16, Blue Diamond Phillips, and the other a sz#10, Green Drake Nymph. Not sure what another big brown ate as he came unbuttoned. Fish gotta eat even in the high water.

Jesus was a Carpenter Ant.

2010-06-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of rumors flying around that the carpenter ants are out. I really don't excited about them until they fly on my wife when where on the deck and she freaks out. Today the river had cleared since yesterday so I walked down with Elliot and immediately a nice Rainbow came up slowly for my ant pattern. Yes, gotta love when the Trout are eating big drys. I didn't see a huge amount of ants out, but just enough to get them looking up. I walked up a little bit and saw a rise along the bank and stuck him to. I actually missed another one, and had one refusal. Maybe I would have caught more if I drowned them, or used a termite pattern, kidding.

The Truckee is Fishable!!!

2010-06-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

The water has come down fast and is gaining clarity through out the entire system. Near town it is about perfect, clarity wise, and lower down it is still a bit off color and high. These fish are hungry and are not picky right now. I hooked multiple fish this morning, fish big and small, and could have hooked more if I didn't break my rod. Any generic nymph pattern will work, and the bigger the better. I'm really excited about this this Summer because it is going to go off up here.

Clear Enough to Fish?

2010-06-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, yes and no...The Truckee is starting to come down gradually and is somewhat fish able near town. It will certainly be good to fish near town in a few more days, DEPENDING on releases from Donner Creek. Lower down the river it should take another week, to ten days. The river will be high, but it will get some clarity back. This is what we wanted, a good flushing, it takes all the sediment and junk and flushes it out of the river. I got a few nice fish today higher up on the river. Folks, this is going to be one of the best Summers on the Truckee in about five years. If you've never come and fished the Truckee you should come this Summer.

The Video Just Dropped

2010-05-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

Scroll down to the bottom of my blog to see the big picture.

Summer is Here?

2010-05-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well it went from Winter to Summer in one day up here. The weather this weekend is absolutely insane. The Cottonwoods and Willows are getting there leaves, and everything is vibrant up and down the canyon. We are still two weeks out, I think, for the Summer Caddis blitz. Green Drakes should be about two-three weeks out, and PMD's maybe a week away, but fish are starting to munch on both of the nymphs. There are still some March Browns and small Baetis out, but that should end this week. These photos are from yesterday on the Truckee with Emmet from Alameda putting a nice Brown in the net.