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Feature
Article
CALIFORNIA’S TRUCKEE RIVER
...A Lesson in Patience
By
Frank Pisciotta
Thy
Rod & Staff Guide Service
www.cyberfly.com
(Ed. Note: TTFF Club member and
cracker-jack fly fishing guide,
Frank Pisciotta graciously gave
us permission to reprint this article that originally appeared in 2002 in
Northwest Flyfishing Magazine.)
If you are looking for easy fly fishing,
don’t come here!
California’s Truckee
River is not a good
choice for the casual dilettante. This
fishery befuddles competent fly fishers. Also, self-proclaimed
hotshots with initial, high expectations gleaned from constant success on
other swift flowing waters…I was there during my first decade of fly
fishing…will be disheartened. If one is patient and attentive,
this eastern Sierra freestone stream will begrudgingly expose its secrets.
This is not a “quick-action” freestone stream; 15-25 trout days
are few, if at all. But, if you are intrigued by a serious test
of your talent, this venue will hone your stream-craft. Being
consistently successful here bodes well for your other excursions on moving
waters.
One of the fascinating aspects of California’s Truckee River
is its knack of slowly affecting your fly angling psyche. I’ve often
mused of a corollary: During my
serious downhill skiing days of the 70’s in the Tahoe area; I’d
always return to Squaw Valley (lately dubbed
“Squawllywood”), when my over-inflated
ego needed an adjustment. The Truckee can
serve the same purpose. Progressively, as you learn its idiosyncrasies,
the river’s allure becomes addictive and exhilarating…just like Squaw Valley.
Envision fly angling for 10-25 pound trout at
a 40’-100’ wide High Sierra stream. Historically it did
occur…until the ‘30’s. The Truckee
nurtured a spawning run of the largest cutthroat in the world, the Lahontan breed. The last recorded run being
1938. They occupied Nevada’s
Pyramid Lake, the river and Lake
Tahoe. Dams and the commercial supply of their flesh
(100,000 –200,000 pounds for the table!) were contributing factors for
the demise of this unique, inland fishery. For years now, federal
funding has aided Pyramid
Lake’s Paiute Indian reservation who maintains a viable, trophy
Cutthroat fishery there.
In 1995 the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service embarked on a recovery plan for the Lahontan
Cutthroats (Oncorhynchus Clarki
Henshawi) in the Truckee, Carson
and Walker basins in both California
and Nevada.
The intent is to “delist” the trout
which currently is a “threatened” species under the 1973
Endangered Species Act. As of this writing, “stakeholders” are
awaiting a
new, 5-year implementation plan. The plan is controversial since it
must address the issue of “non-native” species, in this case wild rainbows and browns that inhabit the
drainages.
Intellectually, few anglers oppose re-introduction of a native trout to its
original range. A major question is: Can it be done without
eliminating the existing natural fishery? The California of Fish and Game is on record
saying that there will be “…no net loss in
fishing opportunities.” The
plan easily ranks as one of the most ambitious non-anadromous
fishery revival projects ever. Stay tuned.
PRESENT
AND FUTURE FISH
Today’s Truckee,
west of the California/Nevada border, is legally fished from the last
Saturday of April to the 15th of November. Decent trout are
16”-20” rainbows and 18”-22” browns, occasionally
larger fish are encountered, with a 23”-28” fish burning the
local grapevine. The medium sized natural trout a fly-angler should expect is
in the 9”-12”class. An October, 1993, survey annotated a
recovering fishery from the severe ’87-’94 drought; up to 3600+
per mile, with a 55% brown to 45% rainbow ratio…although from an
unscientific angling perspective you can’t tell from the current catch,
seems like 4-1 in favor of ‘bows (see below UPDATE) . To my
knowledge there is not an updated study.
UPDATE: 2002 Electro-shocking data results;
4149 trout/mile with a 68/31 ratio of rainbows/browns. Since '93 data
was at end of a drought, the water was warmer & browns tolerate higher
temps...which, I believe, explains the reverse ratio of 55/45 browns/rainbows.
Data from 2003 has not been received.
Characteristically, the rainbow’s prime
feeding holds are in the fast, current seams, depressions in cobbled riffles
or whitewater broken by boulders. The browns occupy creases in smooth,
slower flows, at the vortex of “slicks”, squirrelly eddies and
will station themselves in front and/or back of up-dwellings created by
sub-surface obstructions.
Uncharacteristically, they are leapers. Heftier trout, when
hooked will rocket downstream; it behooves you to give chase or possess an
extremely smooth reel drag, otherwise you get uncorked. The native
Mountain Whitefish is part of the existing mix. The official state record was
extracted in 1999 by local fly fishing guide (and TTFF member) John Roberts via a #10 bead head
Prince; 2 pounds and 7 ounces…very undo-able.
Like most freestones, 20% of the water
contains 80% of the fish. One must be proficient at reading water; locating
these fertile areas will result in more tight lines. Because of the Lahontan re-introduction, as of 1999, there are no
hatchery fish in the system in California…every
trout is wild. The only exception is artificials in
a 1-1/2 mile stretch of private water belonging to an exclusive, fly angling
lodge, four miles east of the town of Truckee.
UPDATE: Starting in
2002 USFWS planted Lahontan Cutthroat at
selected locations along highway 89. They have provided quick action,
if you've located them. In 2003, thirty thousand 6"-10" were planted;
most have been harvested.
It will be interesting in 2004 to see how
many are "holdovers".
THE
WATER
Sixty three streams flow into world renowned Lake Tahoe; there is only one
outflow, the Truckee, at Tahoe
City (6229’), on
the lake’s northwest shore. At the “Y”, created by the
junction of state highways #28 and #89, one can view a metal sculpture of
three 6-foot long trout doing a skyward pirouette.
Here, the river flows under the Fanny Bridge,
aptly named for the abundant derrieres attached to those viewing and feeding
the 2-8 pound rainbows and browns in the placid outlet pool. The dam
has 12, federally regulated gates. Resist the temptation, the trout are
“off-limits”; there is no angling within 1000 yards of this
headwater area. The river heads out northerly, sidling state route
#89. The stream slowly descends through a narrow volcanic-ridged
valley, bordered by thick,
evergreen forests, on the way bypassing Squaw Valley,
the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. At the end the corridor, the road
bisects Interstate 80, the river heads east past the now-trendy (…some
say “Aspenized”), restored, frontier
town of Truckee
(6051’). The next twenty road miles, the Truckee
parallels the interstate and intercontinental railroad tracks, and crosses
into Nevada.
The river ends its 88-mile lake-to-lake journey, flowing into Pyramid Lake via its adjacent, arid
landscape. If the trout elude you, test your luck at the gaming tables
of “biggest little city in the
world”, Reno; locally known as
“Drano” because of its unbridled, sprawling development during
the decade of the ‘90’s and its insatiable demand for California water.
In California, the Truckee
river can be divided into three sections. Of interest to the fly-rodder is the MIDDLE portion. This is a special,
twelve-mile state mandated “Wild Trout” sanctuary. Here
there are convoluted C &R regulations. The intent is to sustain a
healthy, self-perpetuating, natural trout population. As of 2000, there
is a new fish lawman in town; he is amiable, dedicated, fair, and to the
delight of the local fly anglers, he enforces the regs.
The UPPER and LOWER sectors currently have no
gear restrictions and five trout limits. These regulations may well change
with the reintroduction of the Lahanton Cutthroat,
most especially the UPPER section which has been identified as prime water
for the cutts. This reach’s 14 miles along
highway
89 is dedicated to WW II’s 10th
Infantry’s Mountain Division; it receives the river’s greatest
angling pressure. Throughout this long, scenic valley, river access is
available via roadside access; please respect the private property.
The MIDDLE section starts a short distance
below town at Trout Creek’s inflow. This upper portion of the
Wild Trout sector, along Glenshire Drive, is easily
accessed and a pleasing place to both wade and wet a
line. Here are long glides, with overhanging, bank-side willows, gentle
riffles and short stretches of pocket water. The chaparral terrain is open
and level with sporadic stands of evergreens; providing silhouetted vistas of
layered, forests and sierra peaks in the far western sky.
Along this stretch, local fly anglers delight
in a twisted sort of irreverence for the town’s newfound sense of
sophistication, in using names for favorite fishy spots that remind them of
the lumbering and railroad town’s bawdy past ….Cat House
Hole, the Toilet Bowl and euphemistically, Fornicating Rock Run.
To access the special reg water below the private San Francisco Fly Fishing and
Casting Club, you have two options. Continue east on Glenshire Road,
cross the Glenshire
Bridge (…which
forms the upstream boundary of the private water) or head west back to town
and get on 80 east. You drive over the Union Mills
Bridge (the downstream
boundary of the club) past both Prosser creek and the Little Truckee river
impoundment inflows. Exit at the Boca/Stampede Recreational area
off-ramp. Here you veer left, under the interstate and follow the river
upstream to the trestled Boca Bridge, or, go
downstream towards the enclave of Hirschdale. The historic Boca Bridge marks two things:
the downstream boundary of the barbless artificials and/or flies, limit two, 15 minimum statute
and the upstream border for the no gear restrictions or minimum size, two
kill water. It is 4+ miles to Gray Creek,
the bottom marker where the restrictive rules cease.
Hirschdale sits at head of the “Grand Canyon of the Truckee.
The area is known, by consensus, for harboring
the system’s largest trout and big water…more so in the early
season. My personal benchmark for comfortable wading is 350 cfs; beyond that it is “combat
wading”.
Currently the canyon is burnt-out, scared
by a 14,500 acre, man-induced firestorm which swept through its forest and
scrubs in July of 2001. It remains to be seen how the ash from the de-nuded watershed will affect the fishery relative to sooth choking the spawning gravels. Access in this gorge
is limited; anglers park their vehicles and walk long distances along the
railroad tracks, then slide down and rock-climb back up, steep,
loose-graveled, ankle-busting slopes. The area is best fished in fall when
there is less turbulent water because of milder dam releases upriver.
This zone has the least angling presence because snooty fly anglers want to
avoid interacting with bait dunkers. Conversely, the latter stay away because
two kill apparently is not enough. Hence the adventurous and
non-pretentious fly fisher has a good chance of tangling with trophy browns
in the five plus pound range. It does occur.
The LOWER section of the Truckee River, below Gray Creek,
which is the bottom boundary of the Wild Trout water, follows interstate 80
to the town of Farad
(4000’). Downriver 3 miles, the flows enter the arid flatlands of
Nevada.
THE
SEASONS:
“Normal” season, May into early
June, generally is an “iffy” proposition; wholly dependent on the
winter we experience.
The best strategy at this time is to explore
the small, local streams or still waters. If you really insist on
feeding your Truckee Jones, probe with streamers or big and small nymphs
(…in tandem) in the deep runs, troughs and pools and in the
lower-water column of eddies in boulder-strewn pocketwater.
You will observe sparse surface emergences;
some March Browns (Ameletus) at mid-day. Don’t hold your breath
anticipating them getting eaten on top, nor the spring brood BWO flitting
around on sunny days. Your
success, throughout the season, and it cannot be overstated, is based on flow
volume and water temperatures resulting from the snows received
November thru mid-April.
A thorough understanding of the interacting
variables is what separates consistently gleeful fly anglers from others.
Consider the following: 1) Percent of water content in the
snow is more critical than the amount of precipitation or snow pack.
2) Run-off is weather related; it
can be steady and gradual or unpredictable and erratic. Sometimes, we experience
“early” springs, other times “late”, hence you must adjust your overall angling strategy relative
to ideal times and places.
3) Finally, there are
human induced water releases from Lake Tahoe and other downstream bodies of water that at
times seem at the whim of the powers that be; dramatic ramp-ups and downs
severely play havoc with the stream biomass…not to mention our fun. Mid-June is your first real chance of
inducing a trout to the surface.
Waning spring is an unbeknown and
locally loved “Big Bugs Of June” annual happening; Western Green
Drakes, Golden Stones and huge, winged, Black Carpenter
Ants provide an interesting menu. The stream occupants are aware and on
the lookout for the opportunity to ambush such high caloric morsels. Out-sized trout, in the
18”-23” class, lose abandon of their cannibalistic habits and vacate the depths to
bust the surface for the chance at these bugs. During this period, you
can experience explosive top water takes along with your personal adrenalin
rush.
For the dry fly purist, the best months are
July, August and into September.
The reason being Truckee’s
three major hatches; Little Yellow Stones and two caseless
caddis, the Green Rock Worm (Grey Sedge)
and the Spotted Sedge. Larval, nymph, emerger
and adult patterns ALL work, if used at the appropriate times. Prime-time for
dry fly addicts is the evening. It is the period when this entire watershed
earns its well-earned reputation as a “night stream”.
During the same moments, PMD’s PED’s will also be available, along with thick,
evening, mating swarms/spinner falls
of Sulfurs. Terrestrials,
very specifically grasshoppers, will be most active and abundant during the
heated days of August and early September. For you tiers, the
bigger, dark-bodied one displays teal-hued wings. August mornings, Tricos provide the season’s first challenge of
presenting smallish flies to selectively eating trout.
If fortunate, late September to early November
affords the Autumn angler the opportunity to experience a glorious Indian
summer, with an occasional short-lived thundershower.
Crowds are gone, nights become brisk, aspens
and alders turn golden. The flows are low and clear. Stealth becomes a
prime tactic. The last brood of the Baetis are available to sighted, surface slurpers at mid-day. The final huge bug, the
October Caddis, flits around and affords an opportunistic, calorific, intake
for trout preparing for the snows of the coming High Sierra winter. Hopefully
the snows do not arrive too early, felt-bottoms make for cumbersome
“snow clump” wading/walking.
(Continued next month: Frank
talks about flies and gear)
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