Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Fish Sniffer ISE Guide | Page 23
SACRAMENTO ISE
VOL. 37 • ISS. 03
JAN 18 - FEB 2, 2018
Pyramid Lake Is The Place For Monster Cutthroat Trout!
draws the strike.”
“A standard retrieve for me would be as
follows: Hop, hop, fall, hop, fall all the
way to the bottom, hop… repeat. The bite
will always be on the fall, but you will
rarely feel it. This is where high visibility
braided lines come into play,” McNeilly
relates.
“If you see the line twitch, a fish has
grabbed the jig…set the hook! Most
P
yramid Lake covers 125,000 acres,
making it one of the largest natural
lakes in the state of Nevada. Pyramid Lake
is also the biggest remnant of ancient Lake
Lahontan, the colossal inland sea that once
covered most of Nevada.
Pyramid Lake’s significant role in the
history of the Paiute Indian tribe also adds
to its mystique and many myths and tales
surrounding it.
Visitors can get a sense of the Pyramid
Lake’s importance to the tribe with a trip
to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum
and Visitors Center. The multi-purpose
museum features several exhibits and
displays about the tribe’s culture and his-
tory, the natural history of Pyramid Lake
and why the Paiute people hold it in such
esteem.
In addition to excellent fishing at Pyra-
mid Lake, other outdoor activities include
kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, moun-
tain biking, and hiking.
Widely acclaimed as North America’s
most beautiful desert lake, it’s actually the
world class fishery that has brought Pyra-
mid Lake worldwide fame. Pyramid Lake is
the only habitat in the world for the Cui-ui
fish that has been around for over 2 million
years.
The Pyramid Lake fishery includes the
famous Lahontan cutthroat trout that have
grown to record sizes and have lured fisher-
man from around the world over for several
decades. Celebrities, foreign royalty, and
even a US President have fished the lake
in hopes of catching trophy fish at Pyramid
Lake.
Spinning Gear & Jigs For Pyramid Trout
“Pyramid Lake is a unique fishery and
you need to gear your spinning rod appro-
priately,” says Fish Sniffer Field Editor
Mike McNeilly. “The key to fishing the jig
is to get a good ‘hop.’ To accomplish this,
you need to “pop” the rod in a rapid rising
motion. This will cause the jig to lift off the
bottom, and the subsequent fall of the jig
FISHING WITH
ROOSTER TAIL
SPINNERS IS EASY
AND PRODUCTIVE
®
CAST AND RETRIEVE
Without a doubt, the most popular way
to fish a Rooster Tail is to employ the
cast-and-retrieve method. It’s so easy,
just tie a Rooster Tail on the end of your
line, cast into a lake or stream and reel/
retrieve your spinner back to you.
In lakes, most anglers searching for fish, cast-and-retrieve spinners
while working their way along the shoreline or from a drifting boat.
The most common method used in rivers is to cast your Rooster Tail
out, across and slightly upstream; allow it to sink near bottom while
reeling up any slack line, then pulling back on your rod tip slightly,
causing the blade to start its spin before beginning a slow retrieve.
The current will sweep your spinner downstream as you reel it back.
Once your spinner swings in near shore, it’s time