Since moving to Nevada, I have discovered a fisherman’s dream as well as his nightmare – the famed Pyramid Lake.
The lake contains some of the largest cutthroat trout in the world, and is also home to the prehistorically dated cui-ui sucker fish.
Pyramid Lake can produce extremely large and unique trophy fish, however an angler must practice an immense amount of patience as well as somewhat unusual methods in order to catch one of these sought after Lohantan Cutthroat trout.
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To catch one of these beautiful fish on a fly is a type of satisfaction that cannot be found on many other lakes. However the tips can also be applied to many other fishing holes.
Balanched Leach & Midges
You will not have to question too many locals in order to find the perfect fly for Pyramid Lake. Most anglers will tell you that the balanced leach is your best bet on most any day. A very common set up with the balanced leach is to rig it as a dropper beneath a midge. Many anglers will also commonly use two midges, or even a beetle on sinking line.
Keep Your Fly In the Water
A fly fisherman’s cast is a beautiful thing, and a technique that takes an angler a very long time to perfect. The cast is also a very enjoyable part of fly fishing that many find attractive. Unfortunately, Pyramid Lake should not be the first destination a fly fisherman goes if he or she wants to show off their perfect cast for hours on end.
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The most successful anglers often will leave their flies in the water for as long as possible, thus casting as few times as possible. The lake can tend to be extremely windy at times which makes it more difficult to cast the heavy setups at the end of your line. The wind may also work against you by constantly pushing your flies into the shallow ledges of the lake. Though it may be necessary to recast at times, remember that you will not get a bite if your fly is not in the water.
Nymph With an Indicator
Nymphing the shores of Pyramid Lake is one of the most popular methods of angling. It is also among the most successful. When nymphing, it is best to use an indicator on your line. This will make for a very efficient method of angling. Using an indicator will also allow an angler to nymph at long ranges. Though it may be less exciting than constantly casting and stripping, nymphing with an indicator has proven to be extremely effective for anglers of any experience level.
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Use a Heavy Rod
Though it is possible to catch many fish out of the lake with a 5 weight or even 3 weight rod, it is much more effective to use a fly rod that is a 6, 7, or even 8 weight rod. Heavier rods are necessary for a few different reasons. A heavier rod aids in fighting the potentially massive fish that you may very well have to fight. A heavy rod also is necessary when casting the heavy set ups that you may have to cast, including 2 flies, an indicator, as well as a fairly long leader.
Go Deep
Whether you have a sinking line or floating line, you need to get your flies deep. Though a sinking line has proven to be very successful, an angler can still manage to get some serious depth with a long leader. Keeping your flies around the depth of 9 feet will commonly prove successful. Sinking lines are also great, if they are in your tackle box, because you can get even the most buoyant flies down to where the fish are.
© Larry Gevert | Dreamstime.com – Tufa rock at Pyramid lake
