3-4X

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

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

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..

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.

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

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

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.