By Bruce Ajari ·
Leslie Ajari with a small wild rainbow on the Truckee River on a recent evening. ·
Recently, we were pleased to receive a short visit from my daughter, Leslie Ajari, returning from a trip to Colorado and Utah. While there on business, she got to fish some great water on her time off.
While most streams in Colorado were blown out due to runoff, she did get to fish Frying Pan and South Platte. She fished nymphs and streamers on the Frying Pan and was able to fish dries on the South Platte.
In Utah, she fished the Green River and the Weber with her boyfriend, Josh Mezher. Both of those waters also fished well for them. On Green, they rented a pontoon boat at the Trout Creek Fly Shop and fished the first section down from the dam, Section A. At the end of the float, their shuttle picked them up and returned them to their car for an additional shuttle charge. All in all, it cost them $130 for the day. It was about an 8.5-mile float, which took the good part of a day because they would pull over and fish.
According to my daughter, the Green River was an amazing fishery. A trip to the Green River has been on my bucket list for quite sometime. I guess that it is about time for us to plan a trip, and my daughter offered to guide me.
She requested fishing the Truckee on the day that they arrived. The fishing was good for dry fly-fishing since the flows were now at a much more manageable level than we had fished a few weeks ago.
Caddis, PMD mayflies and Little Yellow Stones were on the menu. We managed to hook some small fish and both my daughter and I each hooked a large one, but neither was landed. A great evening not only for the fishing, but sitting streamside with my daughter and hearing about her own adventures.
My daughter seems to be having way too much fun fly-fishing. For those of you who would like to follow her, she has a blog at galgonefishing.wordpress.com.
Whenever my daughter comes home for a visit, fishing trips down to a stream or lake are a must. While she works online during the day, as evening rolls around, we pile into the car and head down to the river for an evening of fishing.
These are special times for me since each time we go, I can see her personal growth in the sport that I have loved for so many years. She has a passion for it as I did at an early age. Her next step will be to attend guide school to become a fly-fishing guide.
Being a fly-fishing guide is not for everyone, but she is going to give it a try. She certainly will have a solid background and her enthusiasm should be contagious to her clients.
It appears to me that with more women wanting to enter the sport; female guides can be successful. We hope that this is the case and that she can carve out a niche in a competitive world. She will try it for a couple of years and see where it leads her. Obviously, we wish her the best of luck in any endeavor that she undertakes.
FISHING REPORT (See Sightseeing for water levels.)
Boca | Inflow is at 65 cfs and the outflow is 163 cfs. Try powerbait or nightcrawlers. Throwing lures from shore has been working. Fly-fishers have been catching some fish near the inlet, mostly nymphing and with streamers.
Donner | Fishing has been good. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the bait of choice. Mackinaw and Kokanee fishing has been fair. Fly-fishermen are catching some fish with streamers.
Lake Tahoe | The Lake within 300 feet of a tributary is closed. Tributaries are 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 now at a 65 cfs. Fishing has been fair to good. Keep an eye on the flows here. Try a dry dropper rig here. PMD’s have been the top producer of late.
Martis Lake | Zero kill. Catch and Release only with barbless artificial lures or flies. Some small cutthroats and an occasional large brown or rainbow may still be caught here. Smallmouth bass have been introduced in this water. It is probably too warm for fishing now. Wait until fall to give this spot a try.
Prosser | The lake is fishing fair to good. Powerbait and nightcrawlers are the best bait. Lure and fly-fishermen are taking some fish from shore and near the inlets. Smallmouth Bass fishing is fair to good.
Stampede | Stampede continues to drop. Fishing has been fair to good from shore. Kokanee fishing has been good. Mackinaw fishing has been good. Smallmouth bass fishing is fair to good.
Truckee River | Flowing out of the lake at 260 cfs. The flow through Truckee is at 231 cfs as July 6. Fishing seems to be fluctuating like the flows in the river. It can be good or fair. It is all a matter of location. Fish have been caught on nymphs, emergers, dries and streamers. The water flows seem to be stabilizing. Caddisflies and Little Yellow Stones are the main attractions now. Your best bet is to nymph or streamer fish at these flows, unless you see an active surface feeding fish.
Other Waters | Davis and Frenchman have been fair to good. The damsel hatch is slowing down. Fish are being caught on blood midge patterns and Callibaetis imitations. Streamers fished deep also can be productive.
Bruce is a long-time area fly fisherman and past president of Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers.
