It's that time of the year that we eat too many goodies and visit relatives that we don't get to see too often. It's also that time of the year that we find it a bit colder outside and spend maybe a bit more time at the vise tying flies. Ho ho ho. And for me this week, I have an important decision regarding some arthritis in the thumb that has been causing me problems. I am considering some alternative herbal remedies, so stay tuned. All I know is that I will be fishing TOMORROW.
My days of fishing the high country and some of my favorite lakes will have to wait now til Spring.
The late fall fishing was pretty pleasant with the global warming.
Now we welcome winter. The ski resorts need it desperately. The reservoirs and rivers will need the runoff. So, out come the fleece hats and the warm woolen mittens.
Hoping that all of my friends and family have a wonderful Christmas season. Happy Holidays!
There's a fishery that I have wanted to visit for the last couple of years. I finally got my chance last weekend. A group of friends that live in Nevada and California, met up at Pyramid Lake, NV. It was a post Thanksgiving event. I left Friday after Thanksgiving and stayed until Monday morning. There were several friends that knew the ropes and that could tutor me about this magical place. I will be honest. It wasn't the easiest place to fish. And I got skunked. But, I still had a great time with my fishing buddies and I am grateful for the time that they shared with me on the water to find that one fish.
This adventure was different than most. I had a horrible motel experience, which has never happened. To say that I was happy to leave that motel and go home and get a good night sleep is an understatement! My car had a slight problem with the headlight going out the morning that I left. Haha. And I had to borrow waders to make the trip happen. How does a girl end up with three pairs of leaky waders at the same time? Yeah, procrastination to send them off for repair. Oh well. Should be in good shape for next year. =) And I will definitely choose a better motel to hang those waders to dry... (You get what you pay for, I've been told)
Pyramid Lake is an unusual animal. The fish don't appear to be leader shy, but flourocarbon probably improves hookups. I fished with an 8 wt rod and an indicator between 5 and 9 feet above the first fly, which was usually a wooley bugger or leech. Then trailed that with a chronomid or snowcone midge about 18 in from the first fly. I believe that I had the right flies. It was just my casting in the wind that broke the camels back. If your double haul game isn't strong, you better have a darn good single haul! Because that wind can be brutal. We managed to get it out there, but no fish in the net this time. Here's Jose, who fished alongside me the two days that I was there. He opted for a ladder at this spot... That is the other fascinating part of fishing here. People on ladders 20 ft apart. Haha. Some of the drop offs can be 200 feet from shore.
When you do it right, you get this...
If the wind is blowing the right direction, the right speed... etc. etc. etc. And if the temps are this or that... Yeah. You know that the prize is there, so you deal with the "conditions". The weather plays a huge role day to day here. High pressure sunny no wind days are tough. That is what we had the first day. Cloudy windy days are the best. But, if you get tooooo much wind, like we had the second day, you end up taking a long lunch break! Ha!
There are two different strains of Lahontan Cutthroats. Pilot Peak and Summit. They are both beautiful in their own right. These cutthroat can get up to 20 lbs. I just wanted a 5 pounder! I'm not picky. =)
So, there's a few "tippets" about fishing Pyramid Lake... Now enjoy a vid that sums up a pretty darn good trip, despite not catching anything! All you need is friends to share a turkey dinner with and have a taco night that is "out of this world" delicious! My 40 lbs lost is holding steady. Now to get through the holidays. Enjoy the video. It was fun to put together.
