Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 1

Pyramid Lake Sunrise
Pyramid Lake Sunrise

A few months back, my good buddy Kyle, who writes over at Sleep When You’re Dead, started putting the word out about a possible fly fishing trip together for Pyramid Lake. When everything finally shook out and the final preperations were made, the trip consisted of Kyle, Landon, Jake, and myself. We loaded up my Tundra with ladders, gear, and a healthy dose of optimism and left the Valley of the Sun around 6 PM. We drove steadily through the night, talking about the places we fished and the places we hoped to fish, and arrived at Pyramid Lake just as the sun was rising over the mountains. The growing sunlight exposed the dramatic landscape, and we quickly donned waders and layers of clothing to keep out the cold. We quickly rigged our fly rods and soon casting our lines into this monstrous lake.

Lahontan Cutthroat
Lahontan Cutthroat

Unbelievably, my indicator was the first to dip and pretty soon I was holding one of the beautiful Lahontan cutthroat trout that grow in Pyramid Lake. At first, we focused on drifting big flashy nymphs under indicators, but we soon found that stripping flies on heavy sinking lines to be more productive (and less boring).

Pyramid Lake Beetle
Pyramid Lake Beetle

We fought fatigue from our all night drive and after switching beaches, we were all on the board with multiple fish brought to hand. Although the goal at Pyramid Lake is to catch a fish over 10 pounds (all the way upwards of 20), we were exctatic to be pulling fish in the 20-27″ range.

Lahontan Cutthroat
Kyle with a nice Lahontan Cutthroat
Pyramid Lake Lahontan
Pyramid Lake Lahontan
16  - Ladder Line
The Ladder Line
Hooked up
Hooked up
Lahontan Cutthroat
Jake’s Lahontan
Popcorn Beetle
Popcorn Beetle
8 - Landon Cut
Another Nice Cutthroat
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Lake

We called it a day as the sun dipped behind the mountains, and after a dinner of corndogs and french fries, we crashed for the night in preperation for an early morning on the water.

8 Responses to “Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake – Day 1”

  1. Zach

    Wow…those fish are amazing! And you were worried about not getting into them! Can’t wait to see the rest of the trip!

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      I was a bit worried, but everything worked out. Definitely worth the trip.

      Ben

      Reply
    • azwanderings

      Thanks Brian. I enjoyed looking through your pictures as well. Thanks for the insight before we went up.

      Ben

      Reply
  2. Mel

    Pretty much the same as I remember from many years ago. Cold weather, ladders and float tubes, pretty much original patterns tied specifically for Pyramid Lake, and of course, those beautiful big Cutthroats. Thanks for sharing with your readers, Ben.

    Reply
  3. Landon

    Great pics as always. Awesome to have you and Kyle there to record the memories of an epic trip. I need to find my camera and do a better job of taking pictures.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Thank you for all your Pyramid knowledge Landon. Trip wouldn’t have been the same without you. I’ll send you over some photos some time this week. Looking forward to next time.

      Ben

      Reply

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