Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3803 Jan 17- Feb 1 2019 | Page 22

20 FRESHWATER Jan 17 - Feb 1, 2019 WHAT’S HOT VOL.38 • ISS. 3 Continued from page 1 the bottom before shutting my eyes. I had fish. anglers. nodded off when I felt something gently Usually There are some other great advantages to start pulling on the fly rod in my right stripping fishing Pyramid Lake. For one thing, you are the fly close enough to Reno, Sparks and Fernley that hand. Apparently a motionless wooly unforeseen problems involving boats, trailers, bugger sitting on the lake’s bottom can back in at still catch fish. a moderate automobiles, tents, campers and the like can The point of that yarn is that many pace with be easily remedied with a 45 minute drive different retrieves will catch these fish. 10-12” into town. How many times have you ran out Generally speaking, a motionless wooly strips of the “hot lure” on a fishing trip? bugger is a really poor idea for catching will draw Well, head to one of many sporting goods strikes. stores in Boaters Reno. There’s should something to have a be said about It’s fish like Jeff Morris’s monster cutthroat that have anglers traveling from selection having the all points of the world to chase trout at Pyramid Lake. Photo by MIKE MCNIELLY, Fish Sniffer Staff. of 4” convenience Lyman of a major Lures in metropolitan various colors, U-20 Flatfish and 4-5” excluded. It’s probably the day in day out area nearby. Apex Lures. All of these lures work great least productive way to fish Pyramid, but There’s also off of a downrigger. It’s also possible to tossing spoons like ¾ oz. Kastmasters off Crosby’s work all of these lures with a three way of beaches like Spider and Blockhouse Lodge in rig with a two foot dropper for the 4-6 oz. produces fish. Let the spoon fall to the Sutcliffe that sinker and a 5-6’ leader of 20 pound test bottom before reeling in with a stop and offers some to the lure. Working the bottom method- go retrieve. basic supplies. ically is almost always the best way to Pyramid has something for everyone. Once you find feeding cutthroats. If you fish there regularly, you know leave the Author Mike McNielly knows the waters of Pyramid Lake and has pulled Lastly, if you don’t have a boat and what I’m talking about. If you don’t fish greater Reno/ many big trout out of the lake, including this 15.9 lb cutthroat. Photo by MIKE MCNIELLY, Fish Sniffer Staff. you don’t want to fly fish, you are not be Pyramid, you must see it for yourself. Sparks area, you are out in the wide open desert of the Great Basin. Common critter sightings around the lake 73rd Annual are coyotes, chukar, various waterfowl, and occasionally even bighorn sheep in the Hell’s Long Beach Convention Center Kern County Fairgrounds Kitchen area of the lake. For all of the virtues of the lake, the biggest KIDS factor that keeps people coming back is the size of the fish. The average Pyramid Lake nger Presented by 15 and you Cutthroat is going to run about 18-22” and Del Mar Fairgrounds weigh between 2-4 pounds. I can’t think of Details at fredhall.com any other lake around that can boast such an average. These “average” fish tend to become old hat after a while. It’s funny to watch fishermen horse these fish in during a hot bite, so they can quickly resume fishing for a much larger fish. It’s also very telling who the Pyramid newbies are when the camera comes out for a photo session of a 5 pound trout. These fish don’t even get a second look from the locals. As previously mentioned, one of Pyramid’s charms is that it can be fished with many different methods. One of the biggest factors to Pyramid’s fame is how well it can fish with a fly rod. In most places, fly fishing for giant meat eating trout is really a handicap. At Pyramid, there are definitely times that the fly rod will out fish all other methods. During the late winter and early spring, you will definitely be at a disadvantage fishing lures in a boat. When the fish come into the shallows with spawning on their minds, they most definitely bite feathers and fur much better than plastic and wood. You don’t need to be an expert fly fisherman to have success at Pyramid Lake. You don’t even really need to cast very far. The easiest way to get into fly fishing at Pyramid is to hang nymphs under a “strike indicator” which is a fancy elitist way of saying “bobber.” It’s that simple. Make a 30-50’ cast with a floating line and a 6 weight fly rod, hang a pair of midge larvae patterns about 5-8’ below the bobber, and wait for something to come along and bite. There are a lot of fly fishermen who would like you to believe that it is more complicated than that, but that’s all you need to know. It catches fish. A Full Day of Family Fun! The much more engaging and slightly more • Daiwa Saltwater Tank Seminars • Costa Sporting Chef Café skillful method is to chuck wooly buggers • Accurate Main Seminar Stage • Mammoth Lakes Seminar Stage • Hobie Kayak Fishing Seminar Room • Ram Truck Ultimate Air Dogs on heavily weighted “shooting heads.” Once • DFW Kids Casting Contest • Great American Duck Races again, this isn’t like fishing a spring creek for • Mammoth Lakes and Shakespeare Kids Fish Free Trout Pond Details at highly pressured trout. Make as long of a cast • Leading Marine Electronics brands & Johnson-Hicks Marine fredhall.com as possible, let the fly line sink to the bottom • Casting on the Lagoon • Hobie Kayak test rides on the Hyatt Lagoon • Convict Lake Food Court • Note: Not all attractions are at all shows. and begin retrieving it. As you retrieve the fly you will feel the fly and fly line dragging through the sandy bottom. A bite is usually signaled by the line stopping or becoming heavy. It’s not exactly a vicious strike. In moments of boredom, I’ve been known to fall asleep on my casting platform. One time I made my cast and let the fly settle to Long Beach March 6-10 FREE! Bakersfield March 15-17 San Diego March 28-31 ! er st n o M ! ic n a it T ! ed z si er Sup HUNTINGFISHING BOATINGTRAVEL