Monthly Meeting February 10, 2025
Matt Heron, Fishing the Truckee River;
Matt is featured in the California Fly Fisher Winter 2025 magazine with an article on "Winter Solitude and Trophy Trout."
It’s been many years since the Truckee has been featured on our famous Southern California speaker circuit, and it’s a pleasure to welcome guide and business owner Matt Heron, a newcomer to the circuit. Matt will take us through the seasons, techniques and gear for this exciting river, about an 8 hour drive
from LA.
The Truckee is one of California’s classic freestones. With exceptions, most guides fish from the town of Truckee, downstream to the Nevada state line. This stretch is filled with every type of water imaginable, runs, riffles, plunge pools, boulders and everything else you can imagine in a bigger river.
Time of year generally dictates the type of fishing on the Truckee, but the common rods are 4 & 5 weights and the occasional 6 & 7 weights when throwing big streamers. Matt recommends 10′ rods when nymphing.
The most efficient way to fish the Truckee is nymphing, with a mix of indicator and Euro/Tight line techniques. During certain times of the year the hatches can be amazing, and dry fly fishing is off the charts.
Most of the time the river is known for quality over quantity. In the Summer however, that may flip where we see better numbers but less fish that the Truckee is known for.
Matt Heron
Matt grew up catching trout and bass in the historic Adirondack Mount
ains in upstate NY. Not long after was chasing migratory steelhead, browns and salmon in the Great Lakes tributaries every fall and spring. Little did Matt know that his
first rod and reel outfit from Sage in 1991 would change his life forever.
After double majoring at the University of Morrisville and University of Cortland, Matt would begin his full time career in fly fishing. He is a graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and worked for the International Federation of Fly Fishers in Livingston Montana as his first job out of college. There he also became an IFFF Certified Casting Instructor.
Currently Matt runs his Fly Fishing School and Outfitter http://mattheronflyfishing.com/ in Truckee and Lake Tahoe, CA. The school at Everline Resort is widely recognized as one of the premier fly fishing education programs in the country. His team of veteran independent guides primarily focuses on the Truckee (CA & NV) and Little Truckee rivers on the north shore of Lake Tahoe year-round. During the slow season, Matt can be found exploring the world’s finest destinations and lodges with his hosted travel program. Matt has fished extensively throughout the lower 48, Alaska, Mexico, Aruba, Bonaire, Cuba,Honduras, Bahamas, Louisiana Marsh, Chile, Hawaii, British Columbia, Christmas Island and Belize.
Matt is a yearly caster and presenter at the widely recognized International Sportsman’s Expos and Fly Fishing Show in California. He also spent six years working full time for the Fly Fishing Film Tour, the #1 entertainment event in the fishing industry.
Matt’s proud to have professional affiliations with Sage, RIO, Simms and Costa. With Sage, Matt was chosen as a lead instructor and helped organize their inaugural On the Water Trout School at Sage Lodge in Montana. He’s also co-hosted schools with Simon Gawesworth on the Missouri. Most recently, he was asked to be on the Editorial Committee for the all-new
California Fly Fisher Magazine. Lastly, Matt’s also the Regional Director for the Reno/Tahoe Cast Hope. Cast Hope is a non-profit dedicated to getting at risk and underserved youth on water by providing complimentary gear and guide trips.
http://www.casthope.org/
Matt resides in Truckee California with his beautiful wife Lulana and his two sons;
Declan and Easton.