Pyramid Lake - Guys Trip, February 2022
My group of angling buddies and I fished Pyramid Lake in 2020. The lake tested our patience, but also offered up a little love. Eager for redemption, I knew we had to return. Camron, Kevin, Derek, Richard and myself began planning in the fall.
Planning is half the fun of taking a big trip; purchasing new equipment, tying flies and imagining what the trip might bring. I must have tied another 50 chironomid patterns (chids), in preparation for the trip.
For whatever reason, Kevin did not have much success fishing with the indicators last time.
"I'm bringing my bobber game this year!" Kevin piped up one day on the group text message.
" 'Atta kid! Try not to go cross-eyed!" Camron chimed back.
"Got that bobber eye prepped and ready!" Kevin replied.
Our last trip was defined by sunny and calm weather, forcing us to fish deep rocks with indicators. Staring at a bobber all day on the water made all of us go a little crazy. For weeks after the trip, I would close my eyes and just see a small bobber sitting on glassy waters. Hours and hours of staring at the same thing can do that to a person. We hoped this year we'd get a little weather to mix things up a bit.
Just before the trip, a storm came through and the reports really began to get good. Derek and I looked at the weather and realized our "best" nasty, windy day was the first day of the trip. Not wanting to miss out on any action, we decided to pull an all-nighter and drive through the night, getting to the lake at sun-up. The other guys coming from Utah would arrive mid-day.
Our anticipation was high, making the drive a breeze. By 4:45 am, we were rigging up and getting ready for a day on the Ol' Salt Pond. Derek and my crazy plan to drive all night had been a good one because we immediately began catching fish.
The fish also started getting bigger.
By 11:00 am, Derek and I had each landed about 10 fish, and had also broken our personal records from previous trips.
"You guys are really missing out... fishing is really good!" I sent to the group after we released a 33 inch Lahonton cutthroat.
All I received back was an update on their location. Derek and I continued to catch fish until the other guys arrived.
We squeezed Camron, Kevin and Richard into the already crowded area and immediately they began catching fish. The afternoon faded into evening and Camron tied into a really nice fish. A fellow angler nearby helped him net the fish and based on the excitement level I was hearing, I knew I had to go check it out. I walked up just as they were lifting the fish in the net to weigh it.
"Twenty-three pounds, subtract the 2 pound net. That's a 21 pound fish. Welcome to the 20 pound club!" The gentlemen said with enthusiasm.
"Holy cow, that thing is huge!" Camron exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.
We didn't get a length measurement before sending it on its way, but that fish was clearly in a class of its own with a massive head and thick body. Darkness quickly descended, closing out an epic day for most of us. Derek and I each landed close to 20 fish, Camron 5 and Richard 3.
The following morning, we decided to try a spot we call "Hippie Chick Rocks". We awoke early, and about 30 minutes before sunrise we were standing in position, waiting for it to get light enough to fish. Derek and I started in the cove, stripping flies from ladders, while the others stood off the rocks fishing chids under indicators. Derek and I weren't having much success with the stripping, so we started fishing indicators. Based on the weather, this day could be slow; sunny with not much wind. After fishing awhile without success, I headed over to the other guys on the rocks to see how they had done. Richard had caught a cui-ui, as well as a 33 inch cutthroat.
The 4 of us fished the "Hippie Chick Rocks", while Derek persisted from the ladder on the beach. Every once in a while, I would see Derek hook up down there and then someone would hook up from the rocks, mostly Camron. Camron seemed to have the touch.
By noon, all 5 of us were fishing from the rocks. Derek had hooked a fair amount of fish from the ladder but only landed a few. It wasn't until the evening that fishing began to pick up.
Kevin's bobber finally took a dive!
We finished the day with decent numbers for the tough conditions we were given.
The third morning found us at the same location as the first day. This time we had wind, and plenty of it. Richard wasted no time in getting the first fish.
Then Derek tangled into a dandy.
Despite the strong wind and good rollers, fishing wasn't as good as we had hoped. The first half of the day was tough, with only a few fish landed by noon. After lunch, however, the wind started to die a little and fishing improved.
We finished the day strong with everyone landing several fish.
On our last day we decided to mix things up a bit. We would try fishing a beach with the ladders and strip flies; a technique some excel at. Kevin wasted no time in tangling with the first fish.
Then Richard and Camron started putting on a clinic.
Then the doubles and triples began!
The morning was shaping up to be a good one. The wind was blowing really hard, making casting and retrieving our flies difficult. Despite the challenges, everyone caught fish.
Fishing eventually slowed and we decided to try a new spot. Derek took us to a location he had fished the previous year. This spot had a lot of deep rocks where we would fish chids.
The wind was pushing hard into our face, but the fish were still there. Derek and I each caught fish in the first 30 minutes. The rest of the afternoon slowed as we battled the wind. Someone would hook up every once in a while, however. Near dark, I asked Kevin if he'd like to join me in stripping flies on the nearby beach. He was more than willing to stop looking at a strike indicator. Kevin and I casted on the beach, and just before dark, he started catching fish. We were 10 feet apart, but Kevin apparently had the magic touch; hooking and landing 3 fish before I got my first bite.
I eventually landed a fish just before it was pitch black dark, closing out an amazing trip.
Compared to the last trip, we had seen much larger fish and in higher quantity. Over the course of 4 days, the 5 of us had landed around 100 fish; one over 20 pounds, several in the teens, several near 8-10 pounds and the smallest fish was near 20 inches. Maybe we were figuring some stuff out? Or maybe Pyramid Lake had taken pity on us and shown us a little love? Either way, it would be hard to top this trip.
