By Bruce Ajari ·
There is no flow coming out of Lake Tahoe into the Truckee River at the Tahoe City dam.
The winter of 2014-15 was the driest one that I have experienced since I moved here in the fall of 1977. Unfortunately, the impact of each of these seems to become more severe.
The first one that I went through in the 80s was weathered without too many problems. The next one in the 90s was seemingly more severe. The difference was the increased demand on water downstream. As a result, our local lakes and reservoirs were much lower sooner than the previous drought. With this current drought, our outlying lakes and reservoirs are lower than I have previously observed and Tahoe is below its rim.
This lack of water is a serious threat to our local fishery. There is already little water between Tahoe City and River Ranch on the Truckee River due to the lake being below its natural rim. In this stretch, we will see a huge loss of fish and aquatic invertebrates.
The stretch beyond River Ranch will be in serious jeopardy, as well. Feeder streams such as Bear Creek, Squaw Creek, Pole Creek, Deep Creek and some other tiny tributaries are likely to go dry. If they do, the only water coming in before the town of Truckee is Donner Creek. I am hoping that a small amount of water, say 30 to 40 cubic feet per second can be maintained here until our rainy season. If not, the river from here down will be in serious condition, as well. There is a fair amount of spring activity in the section below Glenshire Bridge, so there may be some water coming in there to maintain a minimal flow.
Fishing in our local streams is going to be tough. Personally, I am not fishing the river even now because of the lower flows.
Lakes and reservoirs are where I will probably concentrate my fishing on local waters this year. I will also be looking at alternative species such as bass and carp.
FISHING REPORT | See Sightseeing for local water levels.
Boca | Inflow is at 88 cfs and the outflow is 84 cfs. Powerbait, nightcrawlers and lures are all working. Fly-fishers have been catching some fish near the inlet with nymphs, streamers and dries.
Donner | Fishing has been fair to good. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the main bait. Mackinaw fishing has been good. Fly-fishermen are catching some fish with streamers.
Lake Tahoe | All tributaries are closed to all fishing until July 1 and then open until Sept. 30. Fishing has been fair to good for mackinaw. A guide is highly recommended if you are fishing for mackinaw for the first time. Toplining and shore fishing is fair. Most shore fishermen use inflated nightcrawlers.
Little Truckee River | The flow is at 88 cfs and is running low for this time of year. Think small flies and long leaders on this water. Midges, Baetis and March Browns are beginning to show.
Martis Lake | Zero kill. Catch and Release only with barbless artificial lures or flies. Fishing is the best early in the season and again the fall. There are still a few nice fish in this lake that has severely declined. It was once a premier fishery, but no longer has that status. Smallmouth bass are now part of the fishery here.
Prosser | Fishing has been fair to good. Anglers using bait, lures and flies have all caught fish. Fly-fishermen have done well near the inlet areas.
Stampede | Fishing has been fair to good from shore. The ramp is not usable for larger boats. Generally, only car top boats are getting on the water. Nightcrawlers, Powerbait and lures have all produced from shore. Fly-fishermen have been doing well near the inlets with nymphs and streamers. The Kokanee fishing has been fair to good for those getting out. Smallmouth bass fishing has been fair.
Truckee River | 0 cfs from Tahoe City to 199 cfs at Boca Bridge. Give the fish a break in this section and leave them alone. The flow from Boca downstream to the state line is running at 199 cfs. Best fishing will occur in the waters below where the Little Truckee enters the Truckee River below Boca Reservoir. This is special regulation, artificial-only with barbless hook water. Catch-and-release fishing is encouraged in this section, but an angler may keep two fish with a minimum size of 14” during the regular trout season from the last Saturday in April to Nov. 15. Hatches coming off include Baetis, March Browns and midges. Keep in mind everything hatching will be early this season so look for other bugs such as caddis, PMDs and others.
Other Waters | Davis and Frenchman have been fair but should kick off sooner than later. Boat, shore and fly anglers are catching a few fish. Fly anglers are catching fish from shore or from watercraft. The damselfly migration typically begins in June. This is anticipated to be early this year, too. This is a highly anticipated hatch for fly anglers.
Bruce is a long-time area fly-fisherman and past president of Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com to read more columns.
