Truckee River

[Gr8bawana]

Just got back from the Reno/Tahoe area and was shocked at how the Truckee river is almost gone. We were there last July and there was still enough water to fish. On the drive up I 80 between Verdi and Truckee the river is just a trickle.
I certainly hope this drought doesn't last much longer.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Ya it's way down. When Lake Tahoe drops below it's natural rim the river drops dramatically.

 

[Kevin Root]

I'll gather the upper Truckee where they reintroduced the Lahontan cutthroat trout above Lake Tahoe that starts just off of Highway 88 is even more of a trickle. It's a trickle without the drought. Agreed this drought is getting old real fast.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Any of you guys ever fish Tahoe from the shore. I know they troll a lot for some really big trout but I don't have access to a boat when we go there.

 

[Kevin Root]

I've done the charter boat thing and caught lake trout out of lake Tahoe from a boat, but I tend to get up into some of the smaller lakes and backpack in. There is some good fishing from the bank in those lakes just outside Tahoe from the trailheads. And it's also fun fishing the streams for the smaller ones. No shortage for brook trout in those either in pretty much any of the streams. But I'll gather the water is down in most of the streams this year. I'm headed up this weekend up there to try out a new hunting backpack. I have a new Kifaru backpack I want to put some time on before hunting archery season starts in August. I caught this Brown trout up there on the bank where I'm headed. I see the big trout cruising in close in the early mornings and late evening searching for the minnows in the backcountry lakes up that way.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Wow! That's a great fish, thanks.
Are you archery hunting in Nevada?
Good luck on your hunt where ever it is.

 

[Kevin Root]

Wow! That's a great fish, thanks.
Are you archery hunting in Nevada?
Good luck on your hunt where ever it is.

There are a lot of big fish in those smaller lakes than folks think. I see them caught all the time from the bank. Rainbows and Browns and some pretty nice sized Brook trout.

In August I'm deer hunting where they had that big burn outside Yosemite in CA a while back. And after that trying Colorado archery for a couple weeks late August until early September. After that I have a break and then Montana in November with friends hunting deer in the rut. One of these days I hope to deer hunt Nevada. You folks in Nevada have some awesome mule deer hunting.

 

[JScams]

Yeah its a sad site... Lived in the area since 94' and never seen it like this before. Here's a question, Would you call for a Fishing Ban on the Truckee because of the conditions or do you keep fishing because they most likely won't survive anyway as low as it is and no in coming weather to help?

 

[Gr8bawana]

I believe they already had a major fish die-off this summer because of low water and warm water temperatures. On normal years it gets stocked regularly so it's not like they need to protect native fish. The water level probably won't get any better for the next couple of months so I don't think many trout will survive anyway.

 

[NVFlyGirl]

I live in the area, my other half is a fly fishing guide in Navada. It's been brutal on his business these last couple of seasons. The local fly fishing community gives the Truckee a lot of respect during these kind of conditions, calling for Hoot-Owl closures when the temps warm up. A lot of our streams are being affected throughout the Eastern Sierra corridor. Last year we helped NDOW with a fish salvage from some of the local diversion ditches along the Truckee, but this year there's nothing we can do to help the fish in the main river system. With fish below Mogul living in mud snail positive water, they can't be relocated because the fish could be carrying them...not to mention the additional stress it puts on the fish to electroshock them and collect them. It's truly heartbreaking. I also believe there's a greater political agenda relating to the Cutthroat initiative, but I won't get into that here.