Pyramid Lake.... any suggestions?

[CutThroat Leaders]

I am heading to Pyramid Lake end of March for the first time. I have read many of the past posts about Pyramid. Just wondering if any of you have specific suggestions that you think would be helpful.
Line type, weight of rods, flies.... Any tips on casting from those ladders....?

Thank you in advance.

 

[mcnerney]

Mike: I haven't fished at Pyramid, but I know that Chris (troutdoorsman) fishes there, send him a PM. Maybe some of the other members that have been out there will chime in.

 

[webrx]

I dont fish pyramind very often, only a few times in 6 years, but, I have friends that do and I am being told that pyramid beetle patterns are hot right now.

dave

 

[oarfish]

This info comes from my FF club, I've taken out club members names and phone #. Myself I have not fished that lake, I have fish from a ladder once on Eagle lake and did not care for it.

Equipment: 6-8 weight rods with hi-speed, hi-D shooting heads or fast sink integrated lines to fish the bottom in 6 to 9 feet of water, and a floating line for indicator fishing. Five weight rods will work also. You should bring a stripping basket and a ladder that will accommodate it. A ladder helps to get you up out of the cold water and enable you to cast out to where the fish are. You can still catch fish without one but not with near as much consistency.
Flies: Woolly buggers in black, white, purple, olive, midge, caddis and mayfly nymphs to name a few. Plan to attend the Confab to see how some of the best Pyramid patterns are made. Bring a vise and tie some yourself. . There is a general store with provisions as well as tackle and an assortment of flies. A ladder helps to get up and out of the cold water and enable you to cast to the fish, you can still catch fish without one but not with near as much consistency.
Crosby's Lodge (775 476-0400)

I'll know more about flys for Pyramid after the 16th of this month.

Rick

 

[troutdoorsman]

Are you coming for the Everything Stillwater event? A 6-7 wt is ideal for nymphing I use an 8 wt for buggers and beetles. With the sizes of trout coming out this year I wouldn't use a 5 wt. A sink line is needed to get your buggers on the bottom. Most colors work for buggers and beetles. Black, white, purple and olive are working the best so far this year. Choronmids work best when nymphing. Red, black and white work well. Maholo midges and my buddy's Patriot midge work awesome. A 5 to 6 ft step ladder is ideal. Some beaches the drop offs are close so you might not need a ladder in all spots. I think the event will be by the North Nets which has been amazing this year. If you have any other questions give me a holler.

 

[altos]

Consider a float tube. Flesh flies (white bunny hair) works there as well as other posters suggestions. The reason I suggest a float tube is that casting from a ladder or milk crate is just... dare I say it.... lame. Oh well, I will be in the minority on that one. My apologies. Regardless, I haven't been there for a couple years as its out in the middle of nowhere. Regardless, there are some nice fish in residence...

 

[troutdoorsman]

Float tubes can work especially at Warrior Pt but if the slightest wind starts picking up and you don't head in in time its a LONG walk from the other side of the lake.

 

[mattneeds]

When fishing pyramid there are three main flies you need, ice cream cone midge, beatles, and for streamers, woolly buggers are fine. If you tie, all of those are pretty simple. Depending on the day any one of those might be working better than the other. Don't be afraid to add some split shot when using the nymphs though. .

As for the ladder just take any small 3-6 foot ladder, having one that sticks out of the water is nice because you can rest equipment on the top and also lean against it when the fishing gets slow and you start getting tired from being up there so long. Metal is better because I have had a wooden one float away from me before. When you're out there fishing you'll know where to put your ladder because there is a very noticeable difference in water color with depth.

Any weight rod between 5-8 will be fine, but 6 and above would be better so you could also strip those bigger flies with sink tips with more comfort, not to mention fight those monster fish that you could very easily hook into out there. Also, bring a stripping basket if you plan on throwing beetles and buggers, very frustrating to loose a fish because your line gets wrapped up on the ladder.

Although you can usually count on picking up a fish or two no matter the weather, it can really get hot when the wind starts blowing, especially from the north. When the wind picks up the fish feel much more comfortable coming closer to the shore and you might even look down and see a few cruising the flats. One more tip, if you see someone down the line hook up make sure your line is in the water, the fish often move in waves up and down the beaches resulting in sometimes spotty but good fishing.

The Orvis Store in Reno is a great shop and there's some good guys working there who can probably help you out with some more recent advice when you get there. Hope my post helps, good luck and I hope you catch some cutties.

Matt

 

[fyshstykr]

Only fished Pyramid once and that was many moons ago, would love to make it there again sometime.
The only bit of advice I can offer when fishing from a ladder is to not get so far up the ladder that you lose your balance when hooking a fish and go forwards over the top of the ladder, yea I watched a fella do that. Quite funny seeing the arms a flailing and over he went, but even funnier was that not a person in the whole row let out a loud burst of laughter, although there was some hardy snickering & giggling going on under many of our breaths. He missed the hookset.

There were a couple of guys that really had it figured out, they carried out some scaffolding to just about the top of their waders, some lawn chairs, a cooler, long handled dip net, and a little hibachi to grill burgers. I don't think it was their first time playing that game.

 

[CutThroat Leaders]

To all of you that offered some input, I thank you very much. This forum is a great fishing resource. Many seasoned / knowledgeable fly fisherman. Thanks again.

 

[troutdoorsman]

Mike will you be in town the weekend of the 22nd? I am hosting a tying night on that Fri and a fishing torunament that Sat if you are in town and interested in hanging out with a few of the local trout bums. I'm posting info in the regional page for anyone interested.

 

[CutThroat Leaders]

I wanted to say a quick thank you to all that responded to my question about fishing Pyramid Lake. I met a group of guys out there last week. From what I was told, the fishing was slow, but we did indeed get into fish. We actually had multiple quads (four bent rods at the same time). Made for some interesting landing of fish without crossing lines etc. My buddy’s first fish was actually two small ones at the same time. That explained his difficulty in trying to net the fish. I first thought he simply forgot how to net a decent size trout, but I soon realized he had two fish on… made for lots of laughs.
I did manage to land some great sized fish, but my most exciting fish was not the largest one. Midday when the fishing got slow, I decided to walk the lake edge. The sun was high and clouds were intermittent. This allowed me to watch huge trout swimming the shoreline from a 20’ high vantage point. I know that not many of these fish are caught top-water, but being a dry fly guy at heart, I had to try. The fish were cruising in the shallows, (not spawning).
I tied on a Dry Fly Leader, I then added floatant to one of the large white streamer patterns I had success with. I then sat and waited for a cruiser to come by. After what seemed like an eternity, two fish came swimming by. One decent and one HUGE. I begin to cast and realized that my fly line was tangled in brush along the shoreline. Missed that one. I gathered myself, organized my line and waited.
Again I wait, approx. 7 minutes; here comes two regular size fish and a third monster. This time I am better prepared. (Line is organized and not tangled). I make a cast about 8 feet in front of the three fish. I wait, once the fish get close, I begin stripping line in. This puts the fly directly in front of the pod. Happening In slow motion, I see the largest of the three fish open its mouth and take the dry fly and then he makes a run for deeper water. The adrenalin is now pumping, as I get the fish onto the reel, I remember I did not adjust my drag for the lighter tippet used for the dry fly fishing….. SNAP. Even though I lost the fish, just seeing a huge mouth open up in slow motion, to take a dry fly while sight casting, was enough for me.

I caught many more fish after loosing that Big one, but I am guessing that one fish on a dry will be what motivates me to get out there again. Thank you.
The image of me on the shore is where I was sight casting from.