The Truckee River was originally home to Lahontan cutthroat trout and cui-ui sucker. During normal years, adult trout ascended from Pyramid Lake and descended from Lake Tahoe to the Truckee River and its tributaries to spawn. Thousands of young fish returned as natural recruitment to these large lakes. It was probable that some young and adult cutthroat trout also occurred in the river throughout the year. With the influx of white settlers in the mid- to late-1800’s, water was diverted for agriculture and municipal use, stream habitats were degraded, the river was over-fished, and other fish species were introduced. Extinction of the Pyramid Lake cutthroat trout had occurred by the 1930’s. While cutthroat trout numbers were dwindling, many different sport fish species were introduced and today, rainbow and brown trout have become the most successful.
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- Region
- Western
- County
- Washoe
- Type of water
- River
Fishing Report
Flows are starting to come down from about 1000 cfs to more realistic summer flows. The Truckee in town is currently flowing at about 600 cfs and should continue to fall a little as we move further into summer. Water temperatures have been warming up in the afternoons making the early morning bite the best bet. Fish are scattered through the entire system but will concentrate around water with higher oxygen content as water temps continue to warm. Trout can be found in any water from ten inches to ten feet deep right now. The insect life has been strong with several years of good snowpack. There’s been a few little yellow stones and Baetis mayflies around but that will taper off as we move into more of the summer bugs. We should see Caddis, PMD mayflies, and golden stones hatching in fair numbers through the next month. Fly fishermen are doing well with small streamers dead drifted near the bottom. Hoppers are out in force and the occasional fish will come up to eat one. Spin fishing with small spoons, kastmasters, and spinners has been productive around many of the parks. USFW has been periodically stocking Lahontan Cutthroat around the major parks.
Truckee River Angler Guide Information
07-09-2025Stocking Updates
| Stocked | Species | Inches | Date Stocked | Year to Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5129 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-29-2025 | 55629 |
| 5104 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.1 | 05-22-2025 | 50500 |
| 5141 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.1 | 05-20-2025 | 45396 |
| 5006 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.5 | 05-07-2025 | 40255 |
| 5017 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.3 | 05-06-2025 | 35249 |
| 5018 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.1 | 05-01-2025 | 30232 |
| 5002 | Cutthroat Trout | 9.0 | 04-30-2025 | 25214 |
| 5029 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.2 | 04-29-2025 | 20212 |
| 5147 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.1 | 04-22-2025 | 15183 |
| 4988 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.6 | 04-17-2025 | 10036 |
| 5048 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.4 | 04-15-2025 | 5048 |
| 5505 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.4 | 05-30-2024 | 55792 |
| 5165 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.4 | 05-28-2024 | 50287 |
| 5011 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-23-2024 | 45122 |
| 5012 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-21-2024 | 40111 |
| 5016 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-16-2024 | 35099 |
| 5010 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-07-2024 | 30083 |
| 5015 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 05-02-2024 | 25073 |
| 5046 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 04-30-2024 | 20058 |
| 5000 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 04-23-2024 | 15012 |
| 5000 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.0 | 04-18-2024 | 10012 |
| 5012 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.2 | 04-16-2024 | 5012 |
| 3181 | Cutthroat Trout | 10.8 | 09-13-2023 | 30337 |
| 728 | Cutthroat Trout | 10.5 | 09-13-2023 | 27156 |
| 3990 | Cutthroat Trout | 10.1 | 09-07-2023 | 26428 |
| 850 | Cutthroat Trout | 11.5 | 09-07-2023 | 22438 |
| 3431 | Cutthroat Trout | 11.6 | 09-06-2023 | 21588 |
| 1821 | Cutthroat Trout | 8.2 | 05-16-2023 | 18157 |
| 5636 | Cutthroat Trout | 8 | 05-11-2023 | 16336 |
| 5502 | Cutthroat Trout | 8 | 04-11-2023 | 10700 |
| 5198 | Cutthroat Trout | 8 | 04-05-2023 | 5198 |
Pertinent Information
The Truckee River originates at the outlet of Lake Tahoe and flows approximately 110 miles to Pyramid Lake. NDOW manages approximately 40 miles of fisheries between the California State line and Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation. This river is one of the most heavily fished waters in the state, supporting between 60,000 and 100,000 angler days per year. Anglers can fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, and largemouth bass (in lower sections). High runoff from March to June makes fishing difficult, but once flows return to normal in summer, the river becomes easier to fish. Some of the best fishing occurs in late spring and early summer and again in fall. Nightcrawlers and Power Bait fished in large pools work great, and fly-fishing and using small spinners are very popular.
