Truckee River - October Is Here

With the cool down in the weather, hatches are becoming more prevalent once again, caddis and a few different mays.  Crays are still sticking fish is fast water but you're starting to see fish moving into slower slots as well.  Browns are getting their fall colors and are gearing up for the spawn.  I spotted a big brown (27-28") from a high vantage point the other day, there are some real toads in our river. The Nevada side is definitely on right now, get out there.

 Fast water on a PT, they're getting nice golden hue right now.

I've notices 3 Osprey in and around town, that must be good sign for river/fish health.  This guy had a 10" fish in his talons.

This bow grabbed a cray in fast water, one thing I've learned, if you fish crays, fish them fast water (even white water), fish don't take them any other way.  Another thing I learned, Tim's Dead Drift Crayfish can't be beat, just enough weight to get down but not too much that you can't get a natural undulation in your drift.  I like to hang a dropper off the eye of the hook rather than the bend, it just looks more natural that way.  For you fly tiers out there: Tim Haddon's Dead Drift Crayfish Part I and Tim Haddon's Dead Drift Crayfish Part II

Truckee River - Seine Ole Situation

Did some seining and fishing over the past week, way for me to get more hall passess...take the kids with me.

They seemed to love it, at least for the first hour.

One set of child waders, 3 boys, bad ratio

I learn as much as the kids when we do this and I'm always amazed at how many insects are floating by in any given stretch or water.

The seine sample was from about a week ago.  As usually, BWO's were the dominant mayfly, but I've noticed the hatch has waned since then, could be just about done.

 Letting the kids battle one or two fish always buys some more time before they get bored, and at their age, they always get bored.

 Still seeing a few Skwalas out and about, but this too seems to be waning around Reno.

Truckee River - Steamers East of Town

Its been a while since I hit the water as evidenced by a lack of posts, life with 4 kids under the age of 8 is catching up to me.  Finally got out on the BT yesterday and spent a half day bushwhacking and exploring some new spots east of town.

Check out this historic marker, a remnant of the California Trail.  This particular marker indicates that the path of an obscure settler who came through the Truckee River corridor from Virginia en route to California in 1849, his name was Edward J. Willis.

This looks like an old road but its actually a stone ditch that skirts around the edge of a rock cliff.  It looks really old and must have survived many a flood. Today it still carries water for agriculture.

A good number of callibaetis came off towards the evening with a few October Caddis mixed in, though I didin't get much action nymphing.  Streamers, however, did get me some shakes.

Thought I'd throw together a lil sampler....

Winter's Bone

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