Truckee River - September Update

Flows on the NV side have been steady at around 450 cfs and water temps are staying at 63-66 depending on the time of day so the river is really in great shape this year.  This is the time of year to be dead drifting crays, I like Tim's Dead Drift, it's got bead chain eyes which give is just enough weight - plus the Reno Fly Shop carries them. You don't want your flies to be too weighted, they need to blow around in the current naturally, put your weight (and lots of it) up higher on the leader - fish are hugging the bottom in fast water right now.

Mid Day on a Cray!

There are a lot of green sedges on river bottom right now, two were impaled by my dropper.

Truckee River Entomology

This last week I've been working with my my eldest son on his 1st grade science project and what better topic to choose than Entomology...its a great basis for fly fishing. Not only is it educational, its something he really enjoyed (unlike when I take him fly fishing, he's bored if he doesn't have a fish in 5 minutes). This month is a great bug month, especially with the Truckee River flows being so constant...the one good thing about a lousy water year. This may be a bit basic for some of you avid river bums (after all, it was for a 1st grader), but I thought these seine net samples did a good job at showing a typical cross section of the abundant Truckee River invertebrate biomass.

As you'll see, I quote and link to many great sites from which I pulled much of our information. Lets start with the insects which undergo a complete metamorphosis (meaning their life cycle has 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult):

Midges (includes animals in several families of Nematoceran Diptera; we looked at component family Chironomidae, aka non-biting midges)

To me, these two-winged flies are the most under-appreciated insect in the Truckee and especially in the Little Truckee. Its an important staple for trout in this area and carries fish over the lean winter periods because of its prolific numbers and year round hatches. When nothing seems to be hatching, I go midge'n. "In North America there are over two thousand species; in Britain there are at least 430; while there are over 600 species in mainland Europe; over 200 in Australia; and even more the world over. Where they are found, the midges form at least 50% of the aquatic insect population. In rivers midge can outnumber the 'mayflies' by as many as four times. Since the early part of 20th Century entomologists have gained a detailed understanding of these insects; knowledge which anglers have not ignored. The midge's lifecycle includes a full metamorphosis. Starting as eggs they hatch out as larvae and then have later phases as pupae and then adult." Above is a picture of an adult and a larva; they number in the thousands on any section of water on any given day.

Caddis (Order Trichoptera, we looked larvae of "free-living" Rhyacophila family including sedges and also found "saddle-cased" or Glossosoma family)

"Commonly known as caddisflies or sedge flies, number well over 7,000 worldwide. There are 1,200 in North America, 900 in Europe, and 640 in Australia. They represent a vast group occupying niches in both still and running water. Their greatest diversity is found in and around running water. Distinguishing the species of adult or larva is very difficult and usually impractical when waterside. This situation is not lost on an angler who will find several species present in significant numbers on any given body of water. Fortunately it is relatively easy to identify a caddisfly as belonging to one of five groups: Net-Spinners, Free-Living Caddis, Tube-Case Caddis, Saddle-Case Caddis, and Purse-Case Caddis. By briefly studying these groups we can later apply fishing strategies to match them." Above are images of a sedge adult and a green sedge larva. Caddis larva are tough to seine net, they hold firm to their homes and are easiest captured by flipping rocks.

Lets not forget those insects that go through an Incomplete Metamorphosis (meaning their life cycle has only 3 stages: egg, nymph and adult (dun [subimago] and spinner [imago]) - they don't create a Chrysalis in which to Pupate)

Mayfly (Insects of the order Ephemeroptera are commonly known as Upwinged Flies or Mayflies. We primarily found Blue Winged Olives, a type of Baetis and March Browns or Rhithrogena Morrisoni)

"After hatching, the nymphs feed on algae, plant debris, and other small food particles carried in the current. They grow through several instars before reaching maturity. This takes from a few months to a couple of years, once again depending on species and prevailing conditions, and also time of year when the eggs were laid." Above is a an adult BWO Dun, a mature BWO nymph with developed wing pads indicating its ready to hatch, a BWO husk (it hatched soon after we captured it in its nymph form) and finally a March Brown Nymph.

Stonefly (members of the insect order Plecoptera. We primarily found Skwalas and Winter Stoneflies.)

"The presence of stoneflies in a river or stream has always been a good indicator of a healthy aquatic environment. These members of the insect order Plecoptera are found in cool, well oxygenated flowing waters and occasionally along the wave-swept shoals of northern latitude lakes. Stoneflies have a worldwide distribution and thus are an important fish food source in both the larval (nymphal) and adult stages. Their life cycle which can include as many as 3 years in the larval stage is a significant reason why they are of such interest to fish. The larvae are benthic dwellers, crawling amongst the rock and rubble of the faster moving parts of the stream known as the riffle and run zones. Depending on the species, stonefly larvae can be herbivorous, omnivorous or carnivorous. Smaller aquatic invertebrates such as mayfly nymphs, dipteran larvae, algae and detritus are all common food sources of stonefly larvae." Above are images of stones caught in our seine net, a Skwala nymph, an adult Winter Stonefly and an adult Skwala Stonefly. Find, shallow oxygenated water to find these nymphs, they're great clingers but poor swimmers.

Some other items on the trout menu which we found include a couple of species of annelids (segmented aquatic worms) including this good sized leech which ended up eating the aquatic worm to the right.

Truckee River - Midgetastic

I'm big on midgin from Dec-Feb, though today, it became obvious that the fish are keying into the larger stone patterns as well. My second fish was taken on a brassie, but it already had a huge stone pattern embedded in its mouth from an earlier angler that may not have had the best knot (or luck).







You can learn a lot just about subsurface bug activity just by checking your flies. Check these impaled bugs, a midge and a green sedge.









I'd say the midge is a true size 24 and the sedge an 18. As a rule of thumb I try to stay at a size 18 or larger...things don't stay buttoned in the BT on little flies.














I harpoon a lot of bugs, which tells me my bottom fly is on the bottom a lot, and if you're not hanging up from time to time, you're not deep enough.










Every time I think I've got the Truckee figured out, I read a blog or meet someone that reminds me of just how much I still have to learn. Today, I finally bumped into a local legend, Doug Ouellette. He shared some fishing stories and then shared a couple pictures of what his line made contact with earlier that day...yeah, I have a ways to go. Doug is a very accomplished local guide with tons of know how and some very unique and fascinating techniques. If you don't have his site bookmarked, you should definitely check it out. Calvadaflyfishing.com.

Danny Jackpot was the camera man today and busted out a cool vid set to Larry Jon Wilson.

Truckee River - The Living Stick

The fishing was great in the lower canyon...but the catching was only fair. We tried swinging big stones and crayfish trailed by caddis pupae and mayfly nymphs...caddis took the day. We ended up digging around looking for bugs. Check out this caddis covered stick which Jackpot snagged up from the bottom of a riffle. Trying to ID these guys: they were free-living, were case-free, and were all anchored by sliken threads which they seamed to repel with downstream. My guess is some sort of Rhyacophila, a variety of sedge.Dangling by silk threads.The whole stick was moving. They didn't coat the rocks so much, just this stick.

Truckee River - Reno is Ready

Well, just about, flows are still a bit high but under 800cfs, visibility is 2-3 feet and insect activity is not as heavy as on the CA side but the fish haven't seen any flies since March.

Wild fish are mixed in with planters. Fish are healthy this year, full of piss and vinegar, I can't wait for the water to drop a bit more.Caddises were coming off in moderate numbers along with little yellow stones. Caddis pupae and mayfly nymphs were tied today with 2 fish a peice.

My guess is in 2 or 3 weeks flows in town will be perfect and water clarity will improve to the point where I can once again sight fish!