Freestone · Mixed · Northern California, US

Truckee River

View across the Truckee River during a snowstorm at Truckee River Regional Park, Truckee, California.

Big-shouldered freestone that drops out of Lake Tahoe and heads toward Reno, with the dam up top and irrigation demand pulling on the summer flows — so what you get downstream depends on who needs the water.

Tomorrow · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Tomorrow
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.21 m
Water temp9.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindN 8 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 52%
Also:Black Midge35%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW season; some reaches open all year — verify the CA/NV-line rules.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Martis Lake
6.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Little Truckee River
12 km
87
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Milton Reservoir
40 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Rubicon River
49 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Upper Truckee River
55 km
82
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. View across the Truckee River during a snowstorm at Truckee River Regional Park, Truckee, California.
    Truckee River in snow
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Big-shouldered freestone that drops out of Lake Tahoe and heads toward Reno, with the dam up top and irrigation demand pulling on the summer flows — so what you get downstream depends on who needs the water. Strong wild browns and rainbows live in the pocket water and the deeper runs. It's mostly heavy nymphing and streamers, and the browns earn their keep. Autumn and winter are the prime time; in summer get your licks in early before it warms.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Truckee River' (CAR6351001019980805112246), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment, Nutrients. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR6351001019980805112246

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts