This is a very popular fly around Reno, fished in surface film. This fly was invented by Mid Lipera from Sparks NV. Made popular by Millard Fox also of Sparks, NV.
If anyone has a recipe they could post or a picture or could let me know the materials used to tye the Truckee River Special with, I’d appreciate it.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I searched a bunch of sites and Google, and came up with nothing! :?
George,
I searched a lot of sites and my conclusion is the Truckee Special must be a very local fly, because even the Nevada sites didn’t talk about it or show it.
Sorry!
Doug
I called my Dad who lives in Truckee, Ca, he said he has not heard of it. Sorry John
Thanks folks, well this fly goes back a ways and may have fallen through the cracks by now. I’ll keep watching this thread for anything new.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Well, "Twarn’t easy, but I did find “The Truckee Special”, but don’t know if that’s the same as “The Truckee River Special” you’re looking for!? I found the description and recipe for it, in a pretty old copy of patterns put out by the now defunct “Sacramento Fly Club”. No, picture, sorry, just the recipe.
You looking for the “Truckee River Special”, reminds me of running into; “The St.Joe Special”, a very popular fly in North Idaho and Western Montana. It’s supposed to be “THE” killer fly when fishing for West Slope Cutts on the St.Joe River in north Idaho.
The only problem, with this “St.Joe Special”, is every fly shop and “minute mart/tackle store” up and down the river you go into and in 3 fly shops over the border in Missoula… all carry a dry fly called “The St.Joe Special” and every one of them is completely different!?
Paul
Well thank you flybinder ! I would imagine the “Truckee Special” and the “Truckee River Special” could be one and the same but I won’t really know untill I have a look at the recipe if you’d like to post it herein. Oh and the materials list would be really helpful also if you found that along with the recipe. Thanks in advance !
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
I have no idea, if this is the same fly!?!?
I’m only going by what was listed in the old literature that I have, that I mentioned earlier.(Sacramento Fly Club).
What’s “odd” is, I also found this SAME, exact, pattern in another old tying book of mine: “Pacific Northwest Fly Patterns”, from “Patrick’s Fly Shop”, (also, now defunct-Spokane Wash.), while looking for the Truckee Special…called: “The Drunken Duck”!?
So, any one’s guess!
Anyhoooo… here goes! (quoted exactly, from the Sacramento book):
“Truckee Special”
Hook=#10-#12- 3X fine
Body= Yellow tying silk- thin.
After tying in silk, add- B.D. gray hackle, palmered, trim top and bottom after on body.
Wing=Grey squirrel tail hair, 2 times length of body.
(w/hackles trimmed as described, will float nicely, flat on water’s surface).
Trimming the hackle so it sits in the surface film? Looking forward to a photo.
Doug
Well it’s certainly a place to start flybinder, thank you very much.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Well, Doug, 'ol man!
Since the old book I found this in is a black and white book and has been hand typed at that…
“A picture” is something they obviously didn’t include in days of yore, with their patterns!
So, perhaps… “We that are now hooked on this mysterious fly”, should just tie up a fly, according to the recipe I’ve posted above, post the pictures when done and see what everybody comes up with!?!
Too wet to fish, now, anyway!?!
What say?
All the crying (by me) isn’t going to make Fall come back. This is the first week it has been cold. I hope it rains so the air temp is higher. Very calm day today. The shoppers around here have gone crazy buying Christmas stuff. I will not be going to the Town Center shopping center until after Christmas.
That’s disappointing news about NO Photo!!! I think I’ll have another Cookie!
Doug 
May be you can contact the Truckee River Outfitters and they might be able to help you. Contact info can be found at http://www.renoflyshop.com/ see bottom of page for contact info.
The quest continues! :lol:
I was just down at my neighbor’s house, looking at some hackles he’s playing around with, (still on the live bird) and afterwards, talking flies of course, I mentioned “The Truckee River Special” and “Had he, ever, heard of it?”
“Yes! I even have a recipe for it, on my files!” he tells me!?
So, this is taken directly from the book by Richard Parks and Bob Wilson…who wrote the book;
“Tying & Fishing The West’s Dry Flies”. (published 1978)
“The Truckee River Special”
Hook: Mustad #94840 Size-#10-#14
Thread: Black 3/0 Mono-Cord
Tail: None
Body: Gray Floss (tied light)
Wing: Rolled Turkey Wing Quill- (trimmed to Caddis silhouette)
Hackle: Brown Neck Hackle-(tied full-dry style).
Well, whether or not, this one matches what is currently being looked for, or, what you’ve been fishing with I don’t know, but it’s the second fly I’ve been able to find that claims to be “The Truckee River Special”???
With, that, I’m outta here!! 
Paul
Paul,
Thanks for telling me what is in MY book!! :lol:
Tying and Fishing the West’s Best Dry Flies By Bob Wilson & Richard Parks was published in 1978.
Price- $9.95
There is no photo of the Truckee River Special, just the Recipe.
There are Two other Flies in this book worth noting.
Bucktail Caddis, which used to be a standard Caddis pattern.
Colorado King by George Bodmer. This fly looks like a Caddis pattern, but has splayed moose fiber tail.
He said he tied it to be an attractor.
I caught a 7 lb Steelhead on a Bucktail Caddis and fished the Colorado King on the Firehole River.
The Colorado King didn’t take hold in the West Yellowstone Fly Shops (Blue Ribbon Flies)
Doug
Tyronefly, flybinder…wow, thanks, now I have even more to work with. The saga continues…!
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Oh, THAAAANKS a HEAP Dshock!!
I’m go’in nuts, (okay, okay, NUTTIER), piling through my 97 pattern books, FINALLY I have to resort to going down to Henry Hoffman’s, my neighbor and a great fishing buddy, where I’m FORCED, FORCED I’M TELLING YOU!! To go through his chicken coups and look at some new birds he’s working on currently, and then have to be given a #1 Hoffman Super Grizzly Neck, because I also helped him with feeding the birds, today ALL so I could fin out the recipe to something YOU already had all along??
GEESH!
Paul,
I think only Henry and I own that book! :lol: I am soooooo! sorry! you were forced to take that # 1 neck for free!! 
I promise I didn’t know the Truckee Special was in my book! I haven’t looked in that book for maybe 20 yrs!
I hope you have a less stressful Sunday! Don’t hurt your head!
Thanks,
Doug 
Well, Doug…since you 'Pologized so nicely, I’ll forego spreading the rumor about you owning a 4Wt. Pocket Popiel Fishernan!
WHAT? I thought they only made those in one weight fits all???
Did Ron Popeil update his line of rods??
Thanks,
Doug 