NMAC BTWN A CESSNA 182 IN A SLOW CLB TO A VFR CRUISE ALT AND AN SMA SEL CESSNA TRAVELING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT; OR NEAR AN IFR ALT IN COM WITH ATC.

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I WAS FLYING WESTWARD FROM TRUCKEE TOWARDS SACRAMENTO AT 10500 FT AND DECIDED TO CLB TO 12500 FT IN ORDER TO GET ABOVE THE HAZE LAYER (PROBABLY DUE TO THE FOREST FIRES). WHILE CLBING AT 300 FPM TO 12500 FT AND AT AROUND 12250 FT; I SAW THE OTHER ACFT PASSING BELOW ME; TO THE R OF THE ACFT (HAVING BEEN ALERTED BY A PAX). MY LNDG LIGHT HAD BEEN ON SINCE I WAS FLYING OVER TRUCKEE AIRSPACE WHICH I ASSUMED COULD BE BUSY. VISIBILITY WAS POOR BUT ABOVE MINIMUMS. I ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ZOA FOR FLT FOLLOWING WHILE I WAS APCHING TRUCKEE FROM THE N. HAVING NO SUCCESS; I TRIED 126.85; CONTACTED ZOA AND WAS ASKED TO STAND BY. WHILE MONITORING THIS FREQ; I HEARD THE OTHER ACFT ANNOUNCE MY PRESENCE TO CTR AND IT WAS CLOSE TO THAT TIME THAT I SAW THIS ACFT PASSING UNDER ME IN AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION. SHORTLY AFTER THIS; I WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN FLT FOLLOWING AND MENTIONED THE TFC TO THE CTLR. LESSONS: 1) OBTAIN FLT FOLLOWING AS EARLY IN A FLT AS POSSIBLE AND IF NO RESPONSE ON ONE FREQ; TRY ANOTHER ONE SHORTLY THEREAFTER. 2) IT WOULD BE GOOD IF CTR FREQS WERE PUBLISHED ON THE SECTIONAL CHARTS TO SIMPLIFY THE TASK OF SELECTING THE BEST FREQ GIVEN THE LCL TERRAIN. I AM SLIGHTLY SURPRISED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WHICH EITHER HAD FLT FOLLOWING OR WAS ON AN INST FLT PLAN RECEIVED NO CONFLICT ALERTS FROM CTR. EITHER THE RETURNS FROM MY ACFT WERE TOO WEAK OR THE CTLR WAS TOO BUSY. I KNOW THAT THE CTLRS ALWAYS DO A SUPERB JOB ON CALLING TFC WHENEVER THEY ARE ABLE. FINAL LESSON: FILE VFR IN POOR VISIBILITY CONDITIONS TO GET MAX PROTECTION FROM OUR EXCELLENT ATC SYS! ALSO; I NEED TO THINK MORE ABOUT OCCASIONAL LOWERING OF THE NOSE TO TRY TO SPOT OTHER ACFT WHILE CLBING; HOWEVER; GIVEN THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS BELOW ME; IT WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE HELPED HERE.