Winter Trout Fishing In Truckee Area

The following appears in the January issue of California Sportsman:

The Little Truckee hosts the most rainbows and browns of the year in winter, as well as the most trophy-caliber trout. (CAL KELLOGG)

By Cal Kellogg

It was a little too warm to snow and the low overcast was spitting chunky rain. Anglers and gear alike were dripping wet. The ever-present wind made for chilly conditions, but we were dressed for the occasion and reasonably comfortable.

“There’s a pair of trout right there,” master guide Matt Heron said while pointing into the stream’s dark water.

A handful of minutes later, Scott’s indicator jerked down; instinctively, Scott snapped the rod tip upward and the first trout of the day exploded into a frantic series of runs and jumps.

When the trout lost strength, Scott slid it into Matt’s waiting net. The rainbow was beautiful, with a dark green back and an impressive pink-orange stripe running the length of its body. The fish was about 17 inches long, and after holding the rainbow up for a photo, Matt slid it back into the Little Truckee River unharmed.

Over the years I’ve done a good deal of fly fishing in the Truckee region during summer and fall, but this was the first time I’d done so in winter.


This amazing Little Truckee brown nipped at a San Juan Worm and ended up in the net. (CAL KELLOGG)

In my mind – and I suspect in the minds of many of the trout anglers reading this article – the words “fly fishing,” “winter” and “Truckee” are totally incongruent, as the region is often the coldest spot in California this time of year. But I’m here to tell you that wintertime fly fishing in the Truckee area is absolutely incredible.

I was shooting video of a group of three anglers, Scott, Fabiano and Abdul, during a two-day December fly fishing adventure. The first day we visited the Little Truckee River, and on day two the guys fished the mainstem of the Truckee.


I estimate that over the two days the guys hooked around 60 trout and probably landed 70 to 80 percent of them. Most of the trout were rainbows, but we saw a handful of browns too. Many of the fish were 12 to 16 inches, but several rainbows and one brown broke the 20-inch mark.

EMBRACE THE WINTER WONDERLAND

If you’re a Central or Northern California fly angler who hangs up your gear when fall gives way to winter, you might want to reconsider that strategy because you’re missing out on some top-notch action on the Little Truckee River, the mainstem Truckee River and Prosser Reservoir.

Hooking up on the Little Truckee River in winter makes the colder weather worth the trip. (CAL KELLOGG)

LITTLE TRUCKEE RIVER

The Little Truckee is an amazing fishery with big numbers of rainbows and browns. It’s a tributary of the Truckee proper, but dams were built on the stream, forming Stampede and Boca Reservoirs.

When fly anglers talk about fishing the Little Truckee, they are talking about the 4.5-mile stretch between where the stream flows out of Stampede and where it enters Boca. Being a tailwater, streamflows are gentle most of the time, ranging from 50 cubic feet per second late in the summer and early fall to 250 cfs in the spring.

While the Little Truckee is officially called a “river,” it’s more of a stream made up of riffles, pockets, flats and small pools. Most of the time wading is easy. When I visited the stream this winter it was flowing at about 180 cfs, and I had zero problem wading while wearing hip boots.

The Little Truckee is insect-rich; this in large part is a function of the bottom composition. Like many Eastern Sierra streams, the Little Truckee flows through volcanic rock. These porous rocks hold and release critical nutrients into the water, leading to a prolific aquatic insect population.

The Little Truckee is less than an hour from Reno and only minutes from Truckee, so it receives a good deal of fishing pressure during the warm months. As a result, the trout are very educated and can be difficult to hook.

Fall and early winter are red-letter days on the Little Truckee because, in addition to resident fish that reside in the stream all year long, an influx of both browns and rainbows move up the stream from Boca Reservoir.

Snow is a distinct possibility in winter at this high elevation. (CAL KELLOGG)

Boca hosts kokanee salmon, which typically spawn during October, and this draws the rainbows and browns upstream to feed on wayward eggs. Next, in late November, the brown trout spawn takes place. Rainbows stack up behind the browns to gobble their eggs.

The bottom line is that during the fall and early winter, the Little Truckee plays host to the highest total number of trout during the entire year, as well as the largest number of trophy-caliber trout. Better still, most of these fish are in the stream for the purpose of feeding.

Early in the fall, large streamer flies can pay dividends in the form of reaction strikes from big browns following kokanee upriver. Egg patterns are a good bet from the time the kokanee move in until late December when the last spawning browns wrap things up.

If streamers and egg patterns aren’t drawing strikes, small nymphs like Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears in sizes 16 to 20 almost always produce fish. A sleeper fly the locals often rely on is a San Juan Worm tied in the traditional red color and other color variations.

Nymph, worm and egg patterns are almost always fished on multiple fly leaders teamed with indicators. This type of fishing is all about working with a short line. Traditional fly casts aren’t employed. Instead, it’s more of a flop-and-drift approach.

It’s critical to maintain a drag-free drift and pay close attention to the indicator. If the indicator does anything out of the ordinary, set the hook, because the trout will spit the fly with lightning speed when they determine they’ve been duped!

Note that at some point in December, access becomes an issue on the Little Truckee due to snow. The road isn’t cleared beyond Boca Dam. At this point, the hardest of hardcore anglers continue to fish the stream by utilizing snowshoes and snowmachines for access.

The mainstem Truckee River is big water characterized by large boulders, deep pools and big flows. (CAL KELLOGG)

MAINSTEM TRUCKEE RIVER

“The Truckee River is one of California’s classic freestone streams,” says Matt Heron of Matt Heron Fly Fishing (mattheronflyfishing.com).

The stretch of river from the town of Truckee to the Nevada state line is where most serious fly anglers work. This is big water: deep pools, huge rocks, runs, riffles and flats.

The rocks in many areas are large, round and slippery. Combine the lack of solid footing with big flows and you’ve got a recipe for dangerous wading. Caution is the order of the day when wading the Truckee during the winter. If in doubt, a wading staff is a nice piece of equipment to have.

If you surf the internet, you’ll find an endless array of truly huge trout being displayed by lucky Truckee River anglers. Big rainbows and browns in excess of 10 pounds that call the river home have been caught.

However, not only are these trout highly educated in the ways of anglers, but they also have a wide array of forage available to them in the form of crawfish, sculpins, smaller trout and a full menu of aquatic insects.


As a result, the bite windows for hooking a big trout on the Truckee are often small because the fish are constantly surrounded by forage. And the trout will scrutinize your fly and presentation for any deficiency. In short, if your goal is a Truckee River trophy trout, you’ll need to put in the work and combine it with a side order of luck!

A gorgeous winter rainbow caught out of the Little Truckee. Local guide Matt Heron calls the mainstem of the larger Truckee River “one of California’s classic freestone streams.” A trip here this time of year can make for a great trout fishing adventure. (CAL KELLOGG)

Day in and day out, medium to small nymphs combined with indicators are the most effective way to hook trout of all sizes on the Truckee, but streamers can work well too. Most of the time, it’s quality over quantity here, and this is especially true as late fall gives way to winter.

If you are really focused on big fish, streamers may well be the way to go. You won’t get as many strikes as you will on nymphs, but the strikes you do get will be from big predatory fish.

Streamer fishing on the Truckee is akin to a black bass angler committing to throwing big swimbaits in an attempt to draw strikes from the largest class of bass residing in the lake.

Most days small nymphs like these are the best offering for winter fly anglers working both the Little Truckee and Truckee proper. (CAL KELLOGG)

PROSSER RESERVOIR

Outside Truckee there are three reservoirs close at hand: Stampede, Boca and Prosser. If you enjoy still- water fly fishing, Prosser Reservoir is a great place that is often overlooked by the fly fishing fraternity.

I’ve seen very few fly anglers fishing Prosser, which is unfortunate since the lake is relatively small and packed with both rainbows and Lahontan cutthroats. I’ve scored at Prosser while working flies from the shoreline, but for the best results, a float tube or kayak is a must.

Since the speed limit for motorized boats is only 10 miles per hour at Prosser, kayaking and float tubing feel safer here than at other reservoirs without speed restrictions.

At times when you see trout breaking on the surface, a pair of small nymphs such as Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails or Zug Bugs suspended under an indicator will draw strikes, but I find sitting still and watching an indicator floating on the surface of a lake tedious.

I prefer a more aggressive streamer fishing approach. When working with Woolly Buggers and Jay Fair streamers, I sometimes cast and retrieve flies using a floating line, but more often I employ a sinking line and slow troll the flies from 5 to 10 feet deep with plenty of added twitches and pauses.

The upper end of Prosser features shallow flats and submerged creek channels. This is the area where I’d concentrate if I wanted to fish with nymphs. The deep water out in front of the dam generally holds big numbers of fish. This is where I like to concentrate on streamer fishing.

Fall – from October through early December – is the best time of the year to fish Prosser. As with the Little Truckee, accumulating snow typically cuts off access to Prosser at some point in December.

The formation of ice is also a factor at Prosser. Some winters you won’t see significant surface ice until the end of January. Other years, snowmobile- equipped anglers are ice fishing Prosser as early as New Year’s Day.

D.I.Y. OR GUIDED TRIPS?

If you are new to fishing the Truckee area, hiring a professional guide is money well spent, since a guide will help you avoid mistakes and cut the learning curve significantly.

As I mentioned early on, Matt Heron acted as our group’s guide when we hit the Little Truckee and Truckee in December. Matt is very personable and a skilled instructor. I highly recommend his services if you are visiting the Truckee region and interested in fly fishing.

Matt grew up in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and has degrees in aquatic science and outdoor recreation and management. He relocated to California by way of Montana and has fly fished all over the world. Matt’s knowledge and experience are second to none.

A day spent with him on the water will set you up for success in the Truckee area, and the experience will make you both a more knowledgeable and effective fly angler! CS