BY DAVE HURLEY
SUTLIFFE, Nev. – Pyramid Lake remains a bright spot for California/Nevada anglers, and a trip just over the border to the lake north of Reno has proven to be an excellent venture for many over the past few weeks.
J.D. Richey of Richey Sport Fishing continues his streak of success at the lake, and he said, “Pyramid continues to pump out solid fishing for both bank anglers and boaters with the shore anglers tossing green spoons while fly fishermen have been hanging Balanced Leeches under indicators or stripping leeches. We continue to troll with plugs such as Flatfish, MagLips or Lyman Lures at depths from 8 to 20 feet with the top colors being Bleeding Frog or black/chartreuse. Some days we have landed several of the cutthroats over 10 pounds, but at a minimum, we are seeing steady action on the cuts from 3 to 8 pounds.”
Captain Robert Hagerty of the Pyramid Fly Shop in Reno said, “With the latest high-pressure system behind us the fish have been piling in as the much-needed change in weather has the fish pushed in and on the feed bag. The larger Pilots are on the pre-spawn chew as they stage up a bit sooner than the Summit-strain. The Lahontans are still being caught all over the lake from the far north end to the end furthest to the south as they have not slid into spawn just yet. The strip bite has picked up a bit in the evening low light hours but the bobber still remains king. Midges and buggers in all the natural blacks, reds, browns and more on a varied retrieve. What worked yesterday, may not work today. With this big storm system pushing through, the fish will be pushing into the shallows as the low pressure creates cloud cover for the fishn giving them confidence to push in and feed more frequently. Confident fish generally create confident anglers, as their chances for takes are often more frequent. The water temperature remains at 46 degrees at 6 feet on the main lake.”
Reno Fly Shop reported, “The lake has been fishing really well for mid-Winter/January, and the water temperatures are at their winter lows around 42 to 43 degrees which usually means low fish totals and the occasional cruiser with plenty of days when you wonder if there are any fish in the lake at all. Pyramid will always kick out big fish no matter the season with the Pilot Peak-strain of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout taking over but expectations this time of year should be for a grab or two with the occasional 3-5 fish day and maybe a rally big fish in there somewhere. The big fish are being caught all over the lake, and it seems as though you just have to put in your time and be there when the fish find your fly. Weather and time of day play a part as on calm sunny days, the fishing is best early and late with slow action in the middle of the day. When there is some wind and chop or cloud cover, the fish can show up anytime. Deeper drop-off areas will always be best this time of year and rocky areas as well. Stripping Loco Tadpoles paired with Bloody Mary Wooly worms have been a great way to go, and for the indi- cator game a Pyramid Lake Balanced Leech in Olive, White or Black with a Maholo Midge dropper is as good as anything right now.”
