SPRING TRUCKEE RIVER FISHING

by Brett Coffman

This spring has been rough for fisherman. Only a handful have been fortunate enough to get on the river during optimal flows, but the few that have-have been rewarded with excellent fishing. I’ve been torn between fresh powder days or Skwala days on my few days off from work. I did finally get my NV fishing license and my wife and I got out for a few hours the other week. What we found was stoneflies, blue wing olives, and midges in abundance - typical of this time of year. Fish were all over the stones, except the rainbow that made my day by eating a dry BWO. Watching a 20” wild bow slurp your fly is something that compares only to sex - at least here in the lower 48. Well, I’m sure there are places in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming that compare. The Truckee is what we should say - dry, (no pun intended) in the top water action at least. Good luck if you can catch the flows just right for fishing. California side is probably the best bet for now. Flows on NV rose to over 1000cfs as of this writing. Yikes!

THE NETS HAVE REOPENED!

by Brett Coffman

Pyramid Lake got a new fisheries manager and decided the nets shouldn’t be closed as long as they were. This is extremely good news for fly fisherman, or any fisherman for that matter. My dad and I got there on Mon. 4/4 and it was - as usual - awesome! We caught lots of fish. They tend to hit very lightly so keep your attention on your retrieve. This is good news for all, because in my biological opinion Pyramid lake didn’t need any new “management”. The lake and the fisherman (especially at the nets during spawning time) really never kept fish or abused the fishery. In fact, before they closed the nets and turned to barbless hooks catch rates were the highest I’ve ever experienced in my 20 some years of fishing the lake. This led me to not buy an annual license for the following years; and I’m sure others followed, resulting in a loss of overall revenue and angler dissatisfaction. Get out there while you can. Enjoy the pictures. Good luck.