Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters

Fall is here.  The days are getting shorter and colder, the water temps are back to normal, and the fishing is fantastic.  This time of year is by far the best time to fish in our area.  We have been seeing consistent mayfly hatches along with our usual caddis hatch including some October Caddis starting to show up.  The action has been great all day on the surface as well as below.  We have had success with stimulators and hopper patterns, tricos, pmd and evening duns, flashback pt’s, and caddis poopah patterns.  Look for fish in the faster riffles, and on the seams in the head and tail outs of the runs.  Big fish have been starting to show up again.  This is a great sign because they all seemed to have been missing for most of the summer.  We have had big fish actively chasing streamers.  Try swinging them across the current with an upstream

Derek Rust  TFFO

I fished the Rosachi Ranch section with fellow guide Brendan Burnside yesterday and saw some pretty interesting things.  First of all, we witnessed at least 4 large brown trout in spawning mode on a huge redd.  It was surprising to see this activity on the section of the river we were fishing.  We were able to enjoy watching these huge fish work in their environment.  Remember, don’t try and catch these spawning fish and be careful of the redds when crossing the river.  Secondly, there was an incredible baetis hatch that started around noon and the fish were actively feeding on the adults for the rest of the afternoon.  We could never remember seeing more surface activity on this river.  We were able to catch quite a few fish on dry flies and some of these fish were big.  A size 18 to 20 BWO will do the trick.  I also like a  Cutter’s BiVisible Dun in the same sizes.  The nymph fishing was a bit frustrating due to the vegetation in the water but a dry/dropper set up fished in the shallower slower moving water should work well and require a lot less cleaning of your fly.  Go with a larger size 12 dry fly and a size 18 or 20 bead head baetis pattern as you dropper. Fish this set up as the water warms and the fish start getting active.  The streamer fishing was also very slow as we tried a variety of streamer patterns without much success. One of the great things about fall fishing is you do not have to get there at the crack of dawn.  Water temps were extremely cold in the morning up until noon.  Flows are low and will continue to be that way or become even lower but right now the fishing is really good.  Good luck out there.

Rick McGuire guide/instructor TFFO

On a follow up note to Victor’s post the other day, the fishing is insane!!!! Whether you are a first time Angler or a Pro, the fishing can’t be beat!

Brendan Burnside
Guide/TFFO

I just returned from three days in Denver where I attended the Fly Fishing Retailers Show.  This is the industry’s big yearly event.  It is an opportunity for the manufacturers to display and tell you all about their products.  It can be pretty overwhelming to see so many rods, reels, etc. but I was able to cast a lot of different rods and talk about a bunch of new and different products.  The highlights of my trip were shaking hands with Flip Pallot from Walker Cay Chronicles fame and watching the casting competition where several contestants casted ridiculous distances.  The health of the industry seems strong and it was ironic to be there on the Monday of the stock market crisis.  Lets hope that things turn around economically and the sport of fly fishing continues to grow and provide both experienced and new anglers the things they need to enjoy the sport as much as possible.

Rick McGuire guide/instructor/retail sales TFFO

Time is here for prime fall fishing! Fall is some of the best fishing of the season. North shore rivers such as the Truckee and Little Truckee both fish great this time of year. Air and water temperatures have started to drop and the fish are responding accordingly. Good dry fly and nymph fishing can be had most of the day. To the south, the East Carson and East Walker rivers are both fishing excellent right now. Get a buddy and book a fall trip with one of our knowledgable guides. Great weather,less people, more fish. Lets go fishing! 

Peter Santley guide TFFO

It’s that time of year when the cooler temperatures bring on the hatches and the fish are gorging themselves readying for the onslaught of Winter!  The East Carson may be low but the fishing is at its’ best.  A few days ago we were catching fish on Hoppers, Stones and Tricos on the surface with the occasional fish on a dropper (we really didn’t need to fish two flies since the dry action was phenominal)!  If you want to catch a ton of fish and do not care if they were stocked or not, the section of river around the Carson River Resort has been a lot of fun!  Pick your poison and head for the lower sections of the river including the Nevada side for some wonderful wild trout fishing.  The fish can be spooky this time of the year but that is part of the fun of fishing wild trout!

Victor Babbitt

Owner/Guide

Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters

Recently due to the shorter days I have been exploring some fishing options closer to South Lake Tahoe. One place I have been spending a lot of time fishing is in the Tahoe keys. I fished the keys for the first time in May and was surprised to find that it is full of above average sized crappie, as well as some nice largemouth bass. Just a few nights ago my friend Ron landed this nice crappie on a black wooly bugger. This fish was around 14 inches and I have seen a few that are even larger. The last hour before dark and a few hours after dark have been the best time to catch crappie in the keys. A 3wt rod rigged with a small wooly bugger in black and brown works great for catching these scrappy fish. The areas near the inlets to Lake Tahoe in both the marina and residential sides of the Keys have consistently produced nice crappie as well as some largemouth bass and bluegills. For targeting the larger bass I use a 5wt rod and cast poppers and foam frogs along the edges of the docks and the walls of the inlet. Try chugging the popper for a few feet and then letting it sit. Often bass will aggressively take the popper while it is still. Topwater fishing for bass is a lot of fun and the takes can be as exciting as any trout fishing I have done. I have seen bass up to around 5 pounds and have heard of even larger ones in the Tahoe Keys. A float tube or kayak are both great for exploring this area. The only access to the residential side of the keys is by paddling from the marina side into Lake Tahoe and entering through the inlet or by having a friend that will let you use their backyard. On the marina side you can access by the boat launch. Be respectful of the boats coming by and use a headlamp at night so boat traffic can see you. Fishing the keys is a great way to relax and enjoy catching some fish close to home.

Mike O’Dell

Retail sales/aspiring guide

Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters

Recently, I had the opportunity to fish the East Carson with Rick McGuire.  We had a highly productive day catching fish on dries and nymphs.  We were catching some fish nymphing dead drift crawdads, micro mays, and small pmd’s.  But the real success came on the surface with various hopper patterns.  We found consistent numbers of fish in the shallow riffles, and in the faster shallow runs in depths of 1-3 feet.  Both areas produced numerous rainbows with the occasional brown here or there.  We noticed big hatches of trico’s that filled the air.  But, despite the trico swarms, the fish were not really keying in on them yet.  

The weather is getting cooler, and fall is in the air.  This means better fishing!  With temps in the 30’s over night, it shouldn’t be too long before the fish start their feeding frenzy.  Look for the action to be consistent all day long either above or below the surface.  Fishing in the fall is my favorite time of year.  You don’t have to be on the river at first light, water temps are perfect, and there aren’t too many other anglers around.  If you are having trouble hooking fish then think about booking a trip with one of our guides.  Now is the best time of year.  There is no better way to learn than with a private fishing trip witha professional fisherman. Have fun out there and please catch and release.

Derek Rust

Retail Sales/new guide

Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters

Just the other day I was down on the lower East Carson by the Nevada State line and I was pleased to find a cloud of small mayflies lazily going up and down about five feet over the surface of the water.  That’s right the Tricos are out, and in good numbers.  For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity to fish a good Trico hatch before let me tell you are missing out.  Although the Tricos are small in size fish cant seem to get enough of these little babies, and will often make fools of themselves in an attempt to collect as many as possible in one gulp.  As the summer turns to fall look for these little bugs to make their way upstream into the upper reaches of the East Carson, but for now if you can hike the lower river it offers some excellent fishing on dry flies.

Jarrod Beer

Guide/Retail Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters