Pyramid Lake with Katie

 Pyramid Lake March 2022

After a successful guys trip, Katie was eager to try her hand at the Ol' Salt Pond. I had no doubt Katie would do well; Katie is an accomplished fly fisher and utilyzing strike indicators is right up her alley. 

We made the long drive south, staying in an Air B&B in Sparks, Nevada. We awoke at 5 am the following morning, deciding to try stripping flies at a popular beach. It didn't take much instruction and Katie was into her first Lahonton Cutthroat.

I also tied into a couple.

By mid-morning the fishing had slowed. We decided to move locations; trying Bone Rock.

I placed Katie on a promising looking rock and before I could even get my line in the water, she was into a fish. 

And shortly later, another.

The lake was starting to glass up and we went quite a while before encountering another fish. I walked over to the actual "bone rock". The water was a few feet lower than previous trips and a clear ledge was visible only 10 feet out. I made a quick roll cast and set my rod down on a rock to take a much needed pee. I hadn't even gotten my waders down when I looked toward my indicator. It was a foot under the water and it's descent deepened by the second. I fumbled to grab the rod and set the hook. The fish was still there! And I could tell it was a big one! Katie scrambled over with the net and helped me with the 31 inch fish. 

We released the fish and continued the mid-day bobber stare. The lake was now mostly glass and the sun high and bright. After a long, slow spell we decided to continue on to another spot. 

"So... is there anything else to do here besides fish?" Katie asked on our way to the next spot.

"Not really." I laughed.

"Hmm, okay. I guess we just fish." She said, chuckling. Katie gets antsy to hike and explore after being cooped up all winter.

Luck was on our side, for there was no one occupying the next spot. Katie began fishing and once again she wasted no time in connecting with a fish.

We finished the day at this location tying into several more medium-sized fish. 

The following morning we awoke to clouds and a slight drizzle. Today we would surely do well! We rolled into our desired spot and despite the crowds, no one was fishing the area I wanted to fish. We got on our ladders and began fishing. 

Katie was into the first fish; a smallish beauty with bright colors.

As the morning progressed, Katie continued to pick up fish here and there. Others around were also catching fish from time to time but Katie was doing better than most. 

Katie had landed 5 fish before I saw my first. Being in "guide" mode, most of my trips had made me less concerned with my own success and more about the others I'm with, so I was satisfied.

By noon, she had landed 6 and I had landed 2; still better numbers than most around us. I asked Katie if she wanted to take a nap in the truck, given that we had been up at 5 the last 2 mornings.

"No... I have FOMO!"(fear of missing out) She replied with a sad frown.

I laughed, responding, "I would too. That's why I just keep fishing."

By afternoon, the clouds faded to sunshine and the lake began to glass up. Schools of cutthroats could be seen cruising at the foot of my ladder; a neat sight. Some of the fish were quite large but none were interested in our offerings. 

I began catching a few more fish and catching up to Katie's numbers. She also caught a couple more. All the fish were of similar size and none were terribly noteworthy. All great fish, but Pyramid is known for giants and these were far from giant.

We hoped the evening bite would bring hot fishing, but it never really happened. We each finished the day with 8 fish a piece.

The next morning we tried to get back into the same spot as the day before, only this time there were many more people and some already camped out in our spot. 

"People must have thought we did pretty well yesterday. They all told their buddies!" Katie said, jokingly.

"I guess between the 2 of us we probably caught more fish than most of the people around us, huh?" I replied.

We drove to Bone Rock, assuming no one would be rushing there. It looked unoccupied, but as we walked down to the water, we discovered a few anglers. None of them were in the 2 spots we had caught our fish the previous time, so I put Katie on the actual Bone Rock. I hadn't even gotten my stuff in the water before she was hooked up. From the looks of it, it was a really big fish. 

After a good battle I scooped the fish into the net. Luckily I had brought the scale down, for this fish needed to be weighed! 14 pounds! Katie had gotten her big fish. 

After releasing the fish, I noticed that the other guys fishing were still not trying the other good rocks where Katie had fished last time, so I clambered over there and began fishing.

As soon as I got into position, I looked down to see Katie hooked up again. One thing I love about Katie is how cool and nonchalant she is about catching fish, especially around other people. Not a peep or big commotion, just catching fish like she's done it a million times. I ran back down to net her fish. This one was not quite as nice as the last, but still a really nice fish. 

I went back up to the rocks I wanted to fish and casted out to some "fishy" water. Soon after, my indicator dove and I set the hook on a really nice fish. I looked down toward Katie only to see her also hooked up again. This time, one of the guys who was in-between us rushed over to lend her a hand, likely wanting to see how deep she was fishing and what she was using; a sneaky tactic I have often done. From the looks of it, her fish was average, so I didn't feel rushed to get over there for a picture. My fish however was quite nice. One of the other gentlemen near me came to the rescue and helped me land my fish.  

We also weighed this one; 12.5 pounds. I sent the fish back to the depths. Shortly later, Katie hooked and landed a 4th fish. Our morning was progressing nicely! So far, none of the other 6 people surrounding us had touched a fish.

I went back to my rock and resumed fishing. We had great waves this morning, creating foam lines from the traveling waves. Although the adage was likely derived from rivers, "Foam is Home" also applies to lakes. I intently focused on drifting my flies below the foam line and was rewarded with another fish.

The same gentlemen helped me net the nice fish and this time began asking a lot more questions. It turns out the 6 guys around us were part of the same group. I showed the guy exactly what I was using and at what depth and invited him to fish by me. I walked down to Katie again to see how things were going. 

"Don't you think you're kinda spot-hogging, honey?" She asked, after I told her the guys were all together in the same group. 

"No...They're getting friendly now. Let me just fish it a little longer and then I'll let them have it. I'm learning a lot about the water up there."

"Okay..."

Upon returning to my spot, I quickly tied into another fish. 

And then another.

I had found a small area where the fish seemed to be traveling through. I left my spot in the capable hands of the guy who had helped me net all my fish. I walked down to Katie and we fished together for over an hour. The group of 6 guys packed up and left, never touching a fish. I walked back up to my rock and immediately hooked into a fish. I began to wonder about all the different factors that could possibly influence one's success at this strange lake. Despite fishing nearly the same flies at the same depth, there were likely small differences in our set-ups. Did things like fluorocarbon, swivels, tungsten beads and loop knots all play a big roll in my success or was it just total luck? While I pondered, my fish shook free. Perhaps a sign it was time to leave.

There were a couple spots I wanted to try on our way out. The lake was now glass and the sun was high and bright. We explored some new water without any luck and by mid-afternoon we were on the road home.  

I was more than thrilled that Katie had not only had decent success, but she had tied into some really nice fish as well. She battled the wind and the cold and stuck it out cast after cast. She was now chilled to her bones but had an un-erasable smile that only big fish can bring.

Pyramid Lake 2022

 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.