After our first day in the White Mountains did not live up to our expectations, Antonio and I did a bit of exploring on another stretch of water also in the Whites. The day turned out to be better than expected and we both were able to pull in some beautiful brown trout from one of the more remote creeks in the state.
Hopper fishing is definitely in full effect, and although on occasion I will strip a streamer through a deep pool, it seems that most fish are willing to come to the surface for a grasshopper pattern. Fly fishing in Arizona can often times be very frustrating, but then there are days where everything comes together that make it all worth while. This was one of those days. If you have a chance, head north for a bit of White Mountain fly fishing.
Adipose FinBrown TroutWhite Mountain Brown TroutArizona Brown Trout
Made it up to the mountains a while back and was able to fish a beautiful stretch of water. The effects of the Wallow Fire could be seen along the stream. Although the water looked prime and there was plenty of bug life, the fishing was slow and subpar. We pulled a handful of rainbows and hybrids, but the bigger fish did not come out to play. After exploring several miles of the creek, we called it a day in order to explore another section of the White Mountains.
Bear TracksRainbow-Apache Hybrid?White Mountain CreekPost-FireLife after the fire
2013 is turning out to be quite a year for me personally.
I am turning 30
I am changing careers
My wife and I are expecting our first child
I live a very full and blessed life, and up to this point it has afforded me the opportunity to hunt and fish at every waking moment. My beautiful and understanding wife know me well enough that when I start getting cantankerous in the valley, she kicks me out of the house and into the mountains for some fishing.
When we found out a couple of months ago that we have a little one on the way, all the fear and reservations that I had been feeling about starting a family simply melted away into unbridled bliss. It is an unbelievable thing to think about bringing a little person into this world, but my heart could not be more full of joy.
This last year was also my last year of teaching. Although my passion and love for working with kids will never go away, the thought of raising a family on a teacher’s salary and dealing with the deteriorating Arizona educational system was more than I could bear. At the end of July, I will be moving into my new job that will hopefully provide some new opportunities and a change of scenery.
I am excited to life is going to bring next. Here’s to passing my fly fishing addiction on to the next generation.
In all honesty, it only takes one fish to make your day. We have all used the line – “it’s not about catching fish, but more about the experience.” And while I guess there is a small amount of truth to that, no one wants to hike all day and get skunked.
Jake and I had fished a popular stream on the Rim after a killer hike/fish the day before. Our expectations were not high, but they sunk to new lows when we ran across 5 other fisherman working the same creek. Jake had caught one fish and I was looking at a big old zero. I was pretty sure that was all she wrote. With a couple of other fishermen having worked the water, we started to head back towards the truck.
We were going to pass a good pool and I decided to stop and throw a couple of casts, just to see if I could move anything. A solitary rise had me tying on a hopper as quick as I could. Cast to the middle of the pool and I see a hulking shadow cruising towards my bushy fly. It was one of those slow gulps, like you see on a movie, and when I lifted the rod, the tip pulsed as the big brown ran for the reeds.
I don’t know if I have hiked through more rugged terrain than we did on Saturday. Jake and I explored some new country, and even though the water was a bit high, we were able to pull a couple of fish.The creek and canyon definitely beat us up and by the time we were able to hike out, we had easily put 6 or 7 miles under our feet. For the amount of creek that we saw and fished, I would have expected a higher fish count, but I think we may have been a tad bit early. While Jake pulled several fish on dries, most of the others came on streamers, including the very healthy brown pictured below.
Tis the season when bugs start filling the banks here in Arizona and throughout the rest of the country. The past few weekends that I have made it into the mountains, the fish are already starting to look up. I typically like to set up with either a 5 or 6 foot uni-thread furled leader with another 5 or 6 feet of tippet to the mini hopper. Often I’ll tie a ice-dubbed pheasant tail or another beadhead about a foot off of the mini hopper. When all else fails, this always seems to get the fish to move. If you need to restock your box with mini hoppers or you need a furled leader or two, you can pick them up online in the Arizona Wanderings Shop.
I also can fill special orders, so if you see any particular flies on AZW that you like the look of, feel free to shoot me an email at Ben@AZWanderings. In additional promotional articles, take a look at costa mesa drug rehab center.
Best of luck on the water.
A healthy brown from a recent trip falls to bushy hopper
Early in 2013, I started to ask questions, research, and prepare for a fly fishing trip to Pyramid Lake. I am by all accounts a small stream fisherman and have limited experience fishing lakes. Having said that, a shot at a 10 or 15 pound fish had me willing to try out Pyramid. I had a 1000 questions though – What fly rod to take? What flies to tie? What’s the ladder for? As I started researching these questions, many of them could be found on various forums, but nothing concise enough for me to read through and have a whole understanding of everything that goes into fly fishing Pyramid Lake. So here are my novice thoughts on preparing for Pyramid Lake.
Fly Fishing Pyramid Lake
Where to stay at Pyramid Lake:
There are a couple of different options for lodging while fishing Pyramid Lake. We were lucky enough to get a trailer at Crosby’s Lodge which is right on the lake and a 5 minute drive to start fishing. We were concerned because Crosby’s filled up quickly and we were on a waiting list. You can camp there on most of the lake beaches, but wind and low temperatures in the spring become huge issues. You must have a permit which is available at one of the stores there, or they are also available online. Also I have heard several stories of people’s camping gear getting stolen or destroyed by others, but I guess you run that risk everywhere. The other half-way decent option for lodging is Reno, where you can get a hotel room for relatively cheap. The only downside is that it’s a 45 minute drive from Reno to Pyramid Lake. My favorite place to stay at are the Portrush Hotels.
Crosby’s Lodge
Fly Rods, Reels, and Line for Pyramid Lake:
Rods – Most everyone that I talked to recommended a 6-8 weight rod for fly fishing Pyramid Lake. It was explained to me that the heavier weight rod is not necessarily for the big fish (although that does help), but it’s more for punching through the heavy winds that plague the fly fishermen there. Many bring their 5 weights and do just fine, but the heavier weight fly rods are considered the better tool for the job.
Pyramid Lake Fly Rods
For me I took my 9′ 6wt TFO BVK and a 9′ 8wt Scierra. I paired my 6 weight with a Lamson Konic reel spooled with a floating line, which I planned to use with my indicator rig. On the indicator, I used one of my flourocarbon furled leaders and tied 12 pound flourocarbon to the tippet ring. The way the bottom of the lake is made up, many of the fish cruise right along the shelf looking for food. Hanging big, bright nymphs under an indicator can be very productive, especially when the wind picks up and the waves start rolling in. When the waves roll, the nymphs bob up and down and often trigger strikes from big fish.
I made an investment for my 8 weight and picked up a Galvin Rush reel with an extra spool. I lined it with a Cortland Precision 30′ “QD”Quick Decent fly linewith a 200gr shooting head. This line is nice because the heavy shooting head and intermediate running line sinks together as opposed to having a huge hinge in the center. While I was there at Pyramid Lake, we originally tried drifting indicators and nymphs, but quickly found that stripping wooly buggers and beetles back along the bottom to be more productive
1. Ladder – The main reason for using a ladder at Pyramid Lake is to get up and out of the water. I think it originally started with milk crates and graduated to ladders. Float tubes are an option, but the wind blows you around pretty good. Nowadays, fisherman will wade out about chest deep in the water and set up their ladder so that they are right along the big drop off. This allows them to stand several rungs up, get mostly out of the water, and be able to make a cast. In some cases, you can actually see cruising fish as they move along the ledge looking for food.
Kyle’s Pyramid Ladder (I was jealous)
Here are my thoughts on ladders: The economical choice is to fish what you have. My buddy let me borrow is three step ladder which I used the first day. It sucked, because I was calf deep in extremely cold water and I chilled very quickly. I switched to my 6 foot A-frame ladder and was then able to climb higher on my ladder and be out of the water, but the A-Frame’s steps are very thin and after 10 hours standing on a ladder, I was fatigued and experiencing serious ladder envy. My buddy, Kyle, who runs the website Sleep When You’re Dead, had done a bit more research and rigged up a very comfortable ladder with a couple of easy modifications for Pyramid Lake. I came home and invested in a similar setup for my future trips to Pyramid, and the ladder will work as an all purpose ladder around the house.
I added a couple of velcro cup holders for water and a coffee cup, as well as some padding for shins and knees. Leaning into a ladder for three days does a number on your knees and legs. Do not underestimate the value of a comfortable ladder.
2. Stripping Basket – Standing on a ladder while stripping line back to yourself can make a mess real quick. Having a stripping basket to strip line into, can clear up a lot of the hassle. Never having used a stripping basket before, I was able to get my hands on a Linkurv stripping basket. I greatly underestimated the need for a stripping basket and was extremely glad that I had it with me on the trip.
Linekurv Stripping Basket
3. Waders and Layers – The worse the weather and wind at Pyramid Lake, the better the fishing. Having said that, standing on a ladder all day in the howling wind can get old real quick. The water itself is extremely cold and fly fishermen should be prepared with proper layering. I layered up with a merino wool base layer, fleece wading pants, and breathable chest waders. On my top, I wore a merino wool base layer, my lucky Filson shirt, REI Primaloft jacket, and my Cabelas softshell. I stayed pretty toasty all day.
Tactics for Pyramid Lake:
There are two distinct ways to fly fish Pyramid Lake: Indicator fishing and stripping flies. Both can be very effective and it is the main reason why many Pyramid Lake fly fishermen show up with two fly rods.
Pyramid Lake – Indicator Fishing (image credit to Nick Smith)
When getting ready to head up to Pyramid, everyone I talked to explained how indicator fishing was the most productive. Typically, fly fishermen attach around 7-9 feet of 12lb. fluorocarbon strait to their fly line and tie their first nymph to the other end. Then, add another 2 feet of fluoro and attach your second nymph. The goal is to be hanging the nymphs right off of the bottom of the drop off where the big cutthroats are cruising. The indicators do not spook the fish, so bigger is better.
Big indicators are also important as the wind creates some pretty good chop and bigger indicators are easier to keep track as they roll over the waves. I have also heard that the more wind and waves, the better, as it causes the hanging nymphs to have more movement under the water. Also, because there is so much wind and movement, the lake seems to have an actual current, so having a dead drift is important on Pyramid. When the action gets slow though, give the indicator a twitch or two, as sometimes this can draw a strike.
Pyramid Lake – Stripping flies (image credit to Nick Smith)
On my trip to Pyramid, I found that stripping flies was the most productive method for my time on the water. I got bored real quick while looking at an indicator so I moved over to stripping flies. We rigged a piece of 12 pound fluoro straight from the end of a heavy sinking line to the first fly. The lead fly does not need to be weighted as the sinking line does most of the work in that regard. We often chose a black wooly worm and tied another foot and half to two feet of fluoro to the second fly which was usually a “popcorn beetle” (white foam/chartreuse body) or a midnight beetle (northern lights foam/purple body). Since the second fly was made of foam and buoyant it often had really good action and illicit many takes as it literally bounced along the bottom of the lake.
The other method that is often used at Pyramid is called “Floater No Cator” which is really just what it sounds like: floating line, two nymph setup, with no indicator. Simply cast your flies out as far as possible and allow them to sink to the bottom. Once they are on the bottom, slow strip them back. This method allows you to feel the take as opposed to seeing an indicator go under. Many Pyramid Lake fly fishermen swear by this technique and say that it often results in bigger fish.
Pyramid Nymphs
Fly Patterns for Pyramid Lake:
This is by no means an exhaustive list but here are some of the patterns that I tied and fished on the lake. If you have other suggestions, please leave a comment below and I’ll add them to the list.
In all honesty, I had my doubts about Pyramid Lake when I first went up, but after 3 solid days of fishing on the water, I was hooked. I’m headed back next spring and will be looking for my first 10# fish. If this article has been helpful or I can add something to it, feel free to leave me a comment below. Take care and good luck at Pyramid Lake
Rambling Review – Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards
Western Vision Lanyards
Why:
Outdoorsmen, and specifically fly fishermen, are always looking for new ways to carry their gear and essentials. Although the concept of fly fishing is relatively easy, there are so many gadgets and gismos to take onto the water that organization often can be a real problem. A great way to keep all of fly fishing essentials close to hand is by using a lanyard. Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards is a family company based out of California that creates beautiful customized fly fishing lanyards, and I was honored to have a chance to check out their handiwork.
Western Vision Lanyards
First impressions:
Beadwork – When I first started talking to Gary and Lacey over at Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards, I was a bit overwhelmed with the choices in colors and options that they could do on the different lanyards. They have every size, shape, and color of high quality spacer beads that adds quite a bit of character and personality to each lanyard.
Quality components – All of the Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards are built with high quality components.
The swivels are premium ball bearing swivels with 75lb. breaking strength and these are linked to the 1″ stainless steel Duo-lock Snaps where you attach your different tools and accessories.
In the center of the lanyard, the 4” aluminum tippet post keeps all your tippet right where you need it.
On the very bottom of the lanyard is a black oxide shirt/wader clip. By clipping this to either your shirt or waders, your lanyard stays close to your body instead of swinging out in front of you every time you bend over.
Western Vision Lanyards
Field Use:
In truth, I never had tried a lanyard before the Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyard. Most of my gear is thrown in a pocket or a bag, so having all of my essentials right in front of me was really nice. Although it can be easy to load up the lanyard with tippet, tools and accessories, the foam neck pad keeps it very comfortable even on a full day of fishing. After the first hour, I almost forgot that I was wearing it, as it rode very comfortable on my neck. Each lanyard has a bead located at the neck piece which allows the lanyard to be fit to the desired size.
Although I don’t find myself on too many raging rivers, I do hike into some pretty brushy areas. Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards are made from micro paracord that has somewhere around 100lb breaking strength. In a worst-case scenario, a lanyard with a 100lb breaking strength can become a noose, real quick. These lanyards have a built in safety breakaway connector that will pop open in one of those “help-my-lanyard-is-strangling-me” moments.
One feature that Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards puts on their lanyards is a net swivel. The net swivel is located in the middle of the foam neckpiece and works perfect with a simple net release.
The last features that I had personally appreciated were the circular foam patches located on either side of the lanyard. Anyone who has fished with me, knows that I like to stick flies in the brim of my hat to dry. The result is a mangled hat brim. The foam fly patches are a great feature when I need to dry flies.
Western Vision Lanyards
Pros:
Custom beadwork
High Quality Components
Well thought out design
Built in net holder
Comfortable
Durable
Safety breakaway connector for emergency situations
Foam fly patches
Cons:
I think the one con about lanyard use in general, is the tendency of fly fishermen to put too much gear and accessories on lanyards. As with all lanyards, choose what you put on your lanyard carefully. Sometimes less is more.
Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards
Prognosis:If you are looking to make the switch to a fly fishing lanyard, you owe it to yourself to talk to Gary and Lacey over at Western Visions Fly Fishing Lanyards. These are custom high quality fly fishing lanyards made right here in the U.S.A.
* Disclaimer:
The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.
