Back on Wednesday we posted a video calling for a voluntary hoot owl closure on the Truckee given low flows (low or basically non-existent snowpack year) and a warm summer so far. The short was put together by Don Zimmerman of Catch, Snap, & Release and several others, including guide Matt “Gilligan” Koles of Gilligan’s Guide Service.
The three of us chatted back and forth a bit over the next couple of days and thought it would be interesting to take a deeper look at the issue through the eyes of long time area fisher and guide Matt.
The Truckee (and some of the other waters of the eastern Sierra region) are damned impressive fisheries and deserve optimal management, which pending your perspective probably hasn’t happened this year.
Here’s part one of Matt’s interview…
You have a long history with the Truckee and Eastern Sierra; tell us a bit about your roots and history there.
I started fly fishing on the Truckee and East Carson Rivers when I was 12. I looked up to my dad and brother who both fly fished, so I just took to it. I bait fished before that, but once I realized trout were swallowing the hook, I reached for a fly rod. It’s an evolution I guess. I moved to the town of Truckee when I was 18 and I’ve pretty much been here since. I’ve been guiding 11 years.
Like all fishers who live in the Western part of the country, over the years you’ve seen some lean water years and some great years; when was the last outstanding water year you remember?
2011 was one of the biggest on record for the Lake Tahoe and Truckee area. If we had a few more inches of snow that year it would have broken all records for Squaw Valley. 2005 and 2006 were pretty good as well. That said, we’ve had below average precipitation almost every year. In recent years we’ve seen more rain than snow. Without decent snow, we lack the snowpack to feed the rivers and lakes in the summers.
Historically, people were scared to move to Truckee because of how cold it was and the heavy snow. These days you can pretty much fish and golf all year round. My snowblower hasn’t seen much action recently.
The last few years have been much tougher in terms of water. How has that impacted your guide business in terms of rivers you fish and the approach you take?
It’s counterintuitive, but with below average snowfall the Truckee River has been running higher than average in some sections. This is because the water for the Truckee River is regulated manually as it comes out of five different lakes and reservoirs. What’s difficult to swallow is that “those in charge” knew the epic drought was coming, and chose not to save water for the lean months we are heading into.
Truckee flows were pumping at over 600 cfs from April through June this last spring which in context is very high. That just doesn’t make sense. Now, when we need the water most, we don’t have any. If the data said we’d have a rough year, why didn’t they taper the flows slowly?
Like any effective guide, I take into consideration the conditions and get my clients into water that make sense for the current flows and temperatures.
What do you like the very most about the fishing in ‘your neighborhood’?
The Truckee is inarguably tough. You have to learn to read the water and fish specific slots. A couple of fish means you had a good day. When you do hook into a trout…the fish here are unbelievable. Big, wild, strong fish. Fish many travel the globe for.
More tomorrow and all images are Matt’s by the way…
