Opens to Trout Fishing October 1st. This is going to be an interesting and hopefully another great year at Pyramid. We now have two sustainable strains of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Lake. The Summit Lake strain which has been the main strain in the lake for the last 20 years or more and the Pilot Peak Strain which was introduced back into the lake in 2006-2007. Both strains of fish play an important role in the fishing at Pyramid Lake. We are still learning a lot about the Pilot Peak strain and some of what we think we know is based on only a few years of experience catching these fish. There is much more recent history with the Summit Lake strain.
In years past most of the Summit Lake Cutthroats are still in deeper water on opening day. It has a lot to do with water temperatures. The boaters usually do very well in October catching these fish in 20-40 feet of water or more. Trolling is a great way to fish this time of year. Shore fishermen usually try to fish near fast drop-offs where deeper water can be accessed. Looking for Tui Chubs and Perch Fry are also important to finding fish. As the fall wears on and water temperatures drop more and more fish can be caught from shore in more like 8-15 feet of water. The fish can be really spread out and moving around is important to finding fish. This should be very close to how the fishing goes for the Summit Lake strain of Lahontan Cutthroats again this fall.
The Pilot Peak Strain do not act like the Summit Lake strain. They are more aggressive, tend to grow faster and may even live longer. They also seem to hang out in different water. These fish seem to spend a lot more time chasing Tui Chubs and smaller Trout and will move in and out with the schools of bait. There are usually more Tui Chubs near shore in the fall so there may be some really big fish close enough for shore fishermen to catch as early as Opening day. We still have a lot to learn about these fish and what the future holds for the largest Cutthroats on the Planet. Your best bet is to look for beaches that offer access to deeper water and also look for schools of bait. Minnow Patterns fished with a fast sinking shooting head should be the way to get started this season. Look for a detailed report after opening day.
