We made our annual pilgrimage to Pyramid Lake. Here are a few snapshots from the trip.

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From an objective view, the trip was relatively unremarkable compared to ones in the past, but 2016 goes down as one of my favorite Pyramid Lake trips. Although there were a few low points (broken rods, sand blasting from high winds ripping along the beach, etc.), my experience was much more relaxing than in years past. The long drive to the lake, the stiff cold wind as we stood on our ladders, the stink of wet old wader funk all had the warm feeling of familiarity to the point of endearment. With numb fingers and bleary eyes, we tied on new flies and stripped them through the deep blue waters, waiting and praying for the tell-tale tug of the cruising cutthroats.

I love the grind. I love having to work for a fish. This wasn’t my year for that ten pound fish. It always seems just out of reach, and ultimately that’s what keeps me coming back.

All this pictures have been very popular on Instagram, not to mention the Videos, they have been getting Instagram video views instantly!!

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For the third year in a row, we’ve made the trek north past the bright lights of Vegas, through the wasteland that engulfs route 95, all the way to the desolate banks of Pyramid Lake. Alex tied flies in the passenger seat while conversation flowed between the four of us. Stopping only for gas, gummy bears, and coffee, the 11 hour all-night drive zipped right by, and we spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday hucking sinking lines and watching bobbers.

The fish were few and far between this trip in comparison to years past. We endured flat calm days, 4′ roller days, and stories about how “you should have been here yesterday.” We ate like kings, slept like babies, and fished like addicts from dawn till dark. Here are some photos, until next year.

Check out Alex Landeen’s report, who has so accurately described what fishing Pyramid Lake is all about.

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So after this last trip to fish Pyramid Lake, I had a couple of folks contact me about ordering flies for Pyramid Lake. So while tying up these orders, I tied up a few extra and put them all together for a great all around Pyramid Lake Fly box. There are 62 flies here with plenty of variety that should be a great starting point for anyone looking to stock up on flies before heading to the lake. I’m selling the box as a complete set.

The flies included are:

Pyramid Lake Tadpoles (size 6)

Estaz Wooly Buggers (size 6)

Maholo Nymphs (size 8-10)

Tinsel Midges (size 8-10)

Ice cream cone midges (size 8-10)

Pyramid Lake fish can be a bit picky, but this assortment is what I carry, and I have found success with these flies.

Don’t forget to order your furled leaders and mini-hoppers from the Arizona Wanderings Shop. If you are looking for specific flies, shoot me an email and I’d be glad to tie you up what you need. As alway, your support is what keeps this site moving along and I truly appreciate everything.

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The sun was just starting to go down as we packed up the last of the gear in the back of the truck on Wednesday evening. We turned on to the 93 and set our sites first on Vegas and then to Reno. The conversation was entertaining to say the least, but around 1am things got quiet and passengers started drifting off to sleep. We made good time and we positioned our ladders deep in the lake sand and were ready when the sun started to come up again.

Then we spent three days fishing in the howling wind and cold water of Pyramid Lake. The fishing ebbed and flowed as it normally does. We bounced around to different beaches, and ultimately found a couple spots that gave up some nice fish. No true 15 or 20 pound monsters came to the net, but overall we were pretty happy. Most of our fish came on heavy sinking line and beetles being stripped along the barren bottom of the lake.

What stands out more to me about this trip was the atmosphere. We had good food and laughed to the point of exhaustion. Couldn’t ask for much more than that. Here are a couple of pictures from my camera.

Also check out:

Alex Landeen Photos

Sleep When You’re Dead

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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.

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.

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.

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 line with 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.

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.

The Ladder – Easy Reach Gorilla 4 step ladder 

Rod Holder – Scotty Fly Rod Holder 

Cup Holders – Rugged Ridge Velcro Cup Holders

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

– Nymphs (#10-#6)

Maholo Nymph

Higa’s SOS Nymph

Pheasant Tail Nymph

– Chronomids (#10-#6)

Snow Cone Midge

Zebra Midge

Disco Midge

– Tadpoles and Beetles (#6)

Pyramid Lake Tadpoles

Can be tied in many different color combos. Below are some of the popular ones –

White Foam/Chartreuse Estaz underbody (Popcorn Beetle)

Northern Lights Loco Foam/Purple Estaz underbody

Red Foam/Red Estaz underbody

– Buggers/Streamers

Simi-Seal Leeches/Buggers 

Wooly Buggers

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

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By our third day of fly fishing Pyramid Lake, we were settling into a rhythm. We woke early and were the first ones on our beach. With headlamps on we waded out chest deep and set our ladders in hopes of tying into one of the really big 10+ pound fish. Although we landed several nice fish along with many other regular Pyramid Lake Lahontans, the big ones proved elusive.

Around 10 we pulled our ladders in order to check out of Crosby’s, and after a quick bite to eat, we scoped out several more beaches before landing on one that had very few fishermen on it. With the day coming to a close we continued to bring fish to the net. With the daylight fading, we called it a day and broke down our fly rods. As we drove away, I realized why all the “Pyramid guys” talk the way they do. The lake is something pretty special and I cannot wait to get back up there and plop my ladder back down in the sand and start stripping flies for big cutthroats.

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Day 2 of fly fishing Pyramid Lake came very early. Based on what we had seen and experienced the first day, we headed out really early to get a spot on the beach. Ultimately, we found ourselves in the center of the action and began hooking up at first light. We found that during our time at Pyramid, stripping flies on heavy sinking lines was the ticket for consistant action. Fly fishing Pyramid Lake was unlike anything I had ever done before. I had worried on the way up that my small-stream-ADD-mentality would make the monotony of lake fishing unbearable, but hooking up on big, hard fighting Lahontan cutthroats was extremely rewarding.

We were able to hold some very respectable fish and left the water happy and satisfied.

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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.

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).

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.

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.

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We just rolled in last night from a 4 day road trip to Pyramid Lake. It was an awesome trip with tons of photos to sort through. Should have a thorough post up in the next few days.

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