Pyramid Lake, NV

January 15-17, 2021

     Trying to plan the perfect fly fishing trip to Pyramid Lake in Nevada has its challenges; timing is everything!  Recent reports are positive; it’s the winter season when the action is all about the quality over the quantity for trophy trout and you are hoping for at least that one shot of hooking the monsta cutthroat trout!  Me and my buddy did the quick road trip to fish three days and hopefully pull off the trophy cutthroat feat over MLK Day weekend.  The first day put us on the board with seven fish between us but no double-digit, weight trout.  Although, we witnessed several big trout that were caught near us on the shoreline.  I’ve been fly fishing Pyramid Lake since 1986 and have yet to catch a double-digit, trophy Lahontan cutthroat trout.  But I keep coming back hoping for that glorious day of hitting it big.  Long time Pyramid angler and good friend, Doug Oulette, says to me, “it’s like dropping coins into the slot machine, you keep putting em in hoping for that one big win.  You just never know when it’s going to happen!”.

     Fly casting from sun up till sun down can take its toll on you.  As a result, we don’t quite make it out of bed for the dawn attack at the lake on day two.  Unfortunately, we totally miss the bite, which according to the lucky guys, ended at 8:30 am.  Yes, "the early bird gets the worm"!  We beat the water for the rest of the day to no avail.  Oh, did I mention it was a sunny day with the lake like glass?  Should have brought the BBQ-er!  Wish I had brought my boat!

A day like this is only good for a nap or a BBQ. Bring your boat for just in case!

A nice Summit strain Lahontan cutthroat trout.

      Last day; up and at 'em at 04:30 am to race to the beach!  We arrived at Blockhouse and were pleased to see we were the first ones there!  Soon as legal fishing time came, we hit the water in full casting force.  Wasn’t too long when my buddy stuck the first trout.  By 8:30 am, he hooked two and I got three, but the heavy fish eluded us still.  And then the weather was a repeat of the day before and the bite pretty much died.  Waltzing in for the late morning bite at 10:30, Doug Oulette, managed to catch two cutthroats during the middle of the day while there is a small wind chop.  His second fish was a 7-lber caught on his reliable, Popcorn Beetle.  The big trout seem to love it!  Doug's a good baker too cause he likes serving his humble pie!
     You never know what kind of hand you’re dealt when fly fishing at Pyramid Lake.  Earlier in the week before we arrived, nice double digit fish were being caught.  It’s like the old saying, “shoulda been here yesterday”.  As far as the catching was concerned, both stripping and bobber fishing proved successful.  It was simply a matter of having your fly in front of a Lahontan’s face at the right moment!  If I could have done anything different, I would have had a vessel to fish offshore as the fish were too far out to reach, at least with a fly rod.  A return trip is already in the works for the near future and maybe, just maybe, I’ll hit the jackpot!
Tight lines on your fly fish pursuit!
Joe

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