The waters in the Foothills and the Valley said otherwise as they are still very high and promise to be so for a bit longer.
So, without other places to fish, we headed over to try to get some big Lahontan Cutthroat Trout from Pyramid Lake.
Early morning Saturday found us on the Int 80 pass, with icy conditions limiting speed.
We got to Crosby Lodge about 8:30 and the ladders were lined up a mile down the Nets already. Not wanting to start under these conditions, we headed North to Pelican Bay, I have a rule about Pyramid; if you are in one spot over 1-1/2 hours without fish, move!
We hit this mark fast.
The day was getting warm, in the mid-60s by 10AM, and there was not a breath of wind. This usually is welcomed after a hard winter, but not at Pyramid, where the worse the weather, the better the fishing!
A few more miles up (at the end of the paved road) lies Warrior Point. We immediately hit a couple of fish. Only a few fishernmen were here, so we decided to stay for a few hours. The result after lunch - 2 fish. The Doldrums had caught us and the water was a mirror. The fish could see as well as we could and we watched as they skirted our ladder positions wide.
The year is getting late to spawn but there were very few fish paired up cruising the flats. We saw a few at Warrior; none elsewhere. With water temps still around 48 degrees I think that the spawn is still ahead of us.
Hoping for a late evening flurry, we set out for Sutcliffe, to the South End.
Although a heavy Western wind came up at dusk, only a few fish were caught as far as the eye could see. My partner, Rod, caught a single fish here. I remained skunked for the day. Hoo boy!
Our return to Sutcliffe for the morning at 5:30 saw a short flurry that was really over about 7. We left having caught a couple of fish again. All the fish we caught were pre-spawn and between 20 and 24".
We switched to Warrior again and had some success until the wind came from the North about 9 and we found ourselves looking South, landing at Popcorn Beach.
The water was cloudy and had feed in it. As we started fishing Rod hooked and landed a beautiful buck about 24" - almost 5 pounds! We worked our way down the beach and we caught 7 or 8 addidtional fish in about a quarter of a mile.
It seemed that the fish were not cruising, but laid up. We would catch 1 or 2 fish in a spot and then have to move 50 - 100 yards to find another willing fish. We saw no active cruisers.
About 2:30 I looked down the beach and saw Rod hunched over, tying on a new fly, or so it seemed. The wind had died, the day was getting warm, and Rod was fast asleep! His rodtip was in the water, and he was sawing offf logs.
We headed home when I woke him up, thinking if we were falling asleep then the fish were as well. Next week promises some rain, so I'll be back at Pyramid, without the sunscreen this time.
Pyramid rigs:
- 9-10 ft 7-8 weight rods
- 20-30 sink tip lines - T14 or equivalent to sink fast and stay down. I use my Striper lines - 350Grain 25 ft. tips and flosting back section.
- A good reel with a smooth drag.
- At least 100yds of backing. Most fish won't get into your backing, but the big guys will and it's nice to have some excess line!
- 6-8 ft 2-3x leader, 2-3 ft of tippet to point fly. Tie a loop at the end of your leader and tie on a 6" piece of 3X for your dropper fly. The dropper can float above the bottom this way.
- Wooly Buggers - Black, Chartreuse, Olive, White, or your favorite combination of the above. Size 2-8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYIK5_f2b5Y
- Tadpole or Beetle Flies, Black/Purple body, White/Chartreuse body. Sizes 6-10. http://www.fresnoflyfishers.org/jerrys_fly_page/fly%20patterns/15%20pyramid_lake_tadpole.pdf
- A stripping basket is useful but not mandatory.
Let your line a sink to the bottom and use an erratic set of strips, stops and pulls to bring the line back. Strip the leader just short of your guides and be quiet in the water; these fish many times will follow until the flies start coming up in the water column before hitting.
Try a momentary pause and a lift. Start your cast again if you didn't hook up.
Tight Lines !
Grant Fraser
