Stillwater · Mixed · US

Pyramid Lake

Pyramid Lake — Pyramid Lake , Nevada

Pyramid Lake is a great alkaline desert sea sitting in the high country north of Reno, and it is the only place on earth you can catch the giant Lahontan cutthroat — a fish that grows to sizes the rest of the trout world stopped believing in long ago.

Marginal · Cutthroat Trout
Chubby Chernobyl · 6-10
A patient day, if you fancy it
Water temperature is the limiting factor today, not the wave. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
44% confidence
limited data
What moved it
  • WindNE 10 km/hLight breeze
Today's fly
Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl6-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Wind
Light breeze
NE 10 km/h
N
NE
from the north-east
Wave20 cm ripple
Water temp—
Air temp32°C
CloudClear
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

Some readings unavailable — check directly before fishing.

How to fish it · for Cutthroat Trout
When
Cold-season fishery, roughly October through April; the depths of winter and the early spring pre-spawn period produce the largest fish, with low light and a chop on the water fishing best.
Where
Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.
The plan
Plan A

Set up a broadside drift and cover the water systematically. Work a bushy searching pattern on the bob and drop a contrasting nymph on the point.

Plan B

If the main plan is not working, switch to a smaller, more imitative pattern fished slower and deeper. A change of drift angle can also make a difference.

Watch for

Evening tends to be the best period in summer — stay late if you can for a sedge or spinner fall.

Boat — drift

A gentle ripple is ideal for drifting — broadside drift covering the wind lanes should be productive.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Flying AntsHatch
1
1
Gray DrakeHatch
1
1
CallibaetisHatch
1
2
2
2
1

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Cutthroat Trout fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
55%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp25%

A reasonable day here, though temperature isn't quite in the sweet spot.

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Martis Lake
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North Fork Yuba River
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Bucks Lake
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Gallery · 2
  1. Pyramid Lake — Pyramid Lake , Nevada
    Pyramid Lake , Nevada
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Pyramid Lake is a great alkaline desert sea sitting in the high country north of Reno, and it is the only place on earth you can catch the giant Lahontan cutthroat — a fish that grows to sizes the rest of the trout world stopped believing in long ago. There is nothing else like it. Anglers stand on stepladders out in the shallows, casting into the wind off a beach with no shade and no soft edges, waiting for a fish that might run into double figures and occasionally well beyond. It is a winter fishery, cold and stark and strangely addictive. You can fish all day and touch nothing, and then a cutthroat the size of your leg eats the fly and reminds you why people drive across two states to stand on a ladder in the desert in January.

  • Lake
  • Mixed
Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • High temperatures may push fish deeper and reduce surface activity.
Related guides
Thermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureEuro Nymphingsubsurface methods
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