Spring season and the spawn rolls on into April. There have been 3 successful spawns at the hatchery on the lake so far. Even with all of the water and the lake coming up everything seems to be right on time. Water temperatures are approaching 50 degrees and the weather has been pretty normal as of late. Each week seems to have some warm days and some minor weather and a windy day or two. The Truckee River is coming into the lake at an average of around 4000 CFS over the past few weeks and this has helped the lake to come up over three feet this season. It seems to be coming up inches a day right now. Don’t be surprised to see the lake come up another few feet before the season is over.

There are still plenty of beaches closed due to the floods in January and it seems as though we may not see to many more openings this fishing season. The road to Monument has a 10 foot deep and 25 foot wide crevice down the middle of it just north of the Ranch properties and plenty of water still coming out of the mountains through it into the lake. We don’t have much to report on Dago and Howards but with the Truckee running so hard they are probably muddy anyway. The South Nets is a mystery. We were told that the Tribe has the O.K. to allow access even though there is damage to the beach there as well. It is going to be tight and crowded for the next month so if you come to the lake accept the crowds and the lack of access right now.

As far as the fishing goes, it has been a mixed bag. As the water continues to rise in the lake look for conditions to change frequently. Stripping the normal patterns like Midnight Cowboy Wooly Buggers and Martini Olives in tandem with a Bright colored Beetle or Tadpole like chartreuse and white or all white is hard to beat. For Indicator rigs the Albino Wino and the Copper Wino have been the top producing fly for us for the umpteenth year in a row with over thirty 10 pound plus fish caught on these flies in March alone. http://pyramidlakeflyfishing.com/product-category/flies/ Fish these flies on the bottom with a Red or Black Maholo Nymph on the top. Early mornings and late evenings are the best time of day, especially during light winds and clear skies. As the water warms up in the mornings it seems to help with a mid-day bite as well. Keep checking your depth on Indicator set ups even on your favorite beaches. You will be surprised how fast the water is changing and rising in the lake. It is going to be tougher to find big fish in the coming month as more and smaller fish show up in the shallows as the spawn continues.

Our April 22^nd clinic will be awesome and teach anglers how we catch so many fish at the lake. Space is limited and we only have 4 spots available. http://renoflyfishingoutfitters.com/education/

Truckee River

As stated above the Truckee is running hard and fast, especially on the Nevada side of the river. The best fishing is up stream in the upper stretches of California down to about Boca Bridge. After that it is hard to get in the water and can be dangerous. Fishing the edges or in any slower water is the way to go. Fish are hiding from the heavy currents right now. Nymph Rigs should have plenty of split shot and streamers can be fished with a sink tip. There is not much in the way of dries. The flows will probably stay really high for the next month and even more depending on the pace of the run off. Flows are: Town of Truckee 1160 CFS, Boca Bridge 3030 CFS, Farad 3560 CFS, Reno 3500 and Vista 3580.

Little Truckee River

Flows are 774 CFS. Humming! The river is out of the banks and running hard. Not to mention the road access is still limited due to snow on the road. Your guess is as good as ours because we have plenty of other places to fish when it is this high. On the same note the flows could stay high like this for a while. Plenty of run off and a dam project on the way at Stampede Reservoir could keep the flows over 500 CFS for a month or more.

East Walker River

Ditto! 856 CFS. Look for the flows to stay really high for most of the spring.

Davis and Frenchman’s

The water is coming over the spillway and the lakes are full. Should be a good spring once the weather warms up. It has been many years since either of these two fisheries have had this much water. Plenty of coves and places to fish this year. Both have limited access still and are mostly iced over.

South Fork Reservoir

South Fork is fishing great from both shore and from boats and float tubes. The water is still really cold but fish are getting active. There has been a really good midge hatch late mornings and the fish are hungry. Albino Wino’s fished under an indicator is hard to beat right now for Rainbows, Cutthroats, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass. South Fork has become one of our spring go to spots and we are currently running guide trips and outings in the month of May. South Fork is located near Elko Nevada and is probably the best public trout fishery in Nevada. See our Education page for more info.

Pyramid Lake is really the only local fishery worth talking about this week. Other area lakes are still frozen and the rivers are all blown out due to high water, rain and flooding. We have a huge snowpack in the Sierra’s and stormy weather just keeps coming. All of our area lakes are reservoirs are either full or going to be soon. This means that the rivers could remain too high to fish for a month or two.

Pyramid re-opened on February 18^th after over a month of being closed due to rain, mudslides and road damage to both paved and beach access roads. The lake is only open between Shot Dog Beach and the North Nets. This means that popular beaches to the North including Monument and Warrior Point remain closed as well as the entire lake from and including the South Nets all the way to Dago Bay.

Pyramid Lake has come up around 2 feet since the fall and it looks like it could rise another 5-7 feet by the end of run off season. There are not too many years most of us can remember when the lake came up this much. 1997 and 2005 are the only other two in recent history. This is going to change the spring fishing season a lot. It has already made an impact on most of the sandy beaches that are open. It is either difficult or impossible to wade out to be able to fish to the shelves. This is a common occurrence on big water years and it will take a big wind event from the East to sort of re-set the ledges and redefine the drop offs. On windy days the fish will move in on top of the deeper ledges but on calm days it is going to be tough. It can change any day with the amount of storms and windy days we are having.

The fishing was fantastic all weekend and many anglers caught fish over 10 pounds. Long casts with Indicator rigs and Maholo Nymphs and Balanced Leeches were as good as anything. Stripping Midnight Cowboys and Martini Olive’s also caught a ton of fish with a fast sinking shooting head.

The post March 30th Fishing Report appeared first on Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing.

It is starting to feel like fall! 30 days to go before Pyramid Lake opens again to fishing. There have already been some cool nights in the area and the water will start to cool a bit. We are all looking forward to getting some time on the water. If this year is anything like the last two years we are in for another great fall season.

In early October the water will probably still be really warm. Bait balls of Tui Chubs can be seen from many different beaches all over the lake. The bait can handle a little warmer water than the trout so the bait will be there and the fish will move in and out chasing them around but spending more time in 10-30 feet of water where it is a little cooler. Float Tubes and Pontoon Boats are a good way to go for a few weeks until the water cools more. Maholo Nymphs, Balanced Minnows and Balanced Leeches are all good bets fished under an indicator in deeper water. 10-20 feet down. Try using a deep water indicator leader. Shooting Heads fished near the bottom in deeper water with Deep Water Wooly buggers and Balanced Minnows is the #1 way to go this time of year for sure.

To view these flies or to purchase go to: http://pyramidlakeflyfishing.com/plfstore/

As the water cools in late October the Tui chubs will start to head back into the depths of the lake. Fish tend to spread out and some will follow the bait and some will move in a little closer to shore. There are not so many fish but the chance to catch a big fish is there. By Mid-November there should be plenty of stories going around about big fish that have been caught. Finding fish and keeping out of the summer weed growth on the bottom will be important until the grass dies back. Beetles and Tadpoles like the White Ghost are a good way to try to avoid the weeds. Mid November through early December is a great time to be on the water at Pyramid and is a great time to try to catch a big fish. There is usually a great evening bite at this time. By Mid-December the weather could bring water temperatures down and the fish will head out to deeper water and the fish count will start to drop as winter sets in.

Early Season Guided Fly Fishing Trips

Our fall guide schedule is filling up fast. Our two clinic/outings are already sold out. We do have some open dates in early October for some deep water float tube fishing. The fish fight as hard this time of year as any other and we have developed some techniques to take advantage of this time of year. We catch a lot of big fish in early October! We are back to ladder fishing in Mid-November and this is a great time of year to catch a 10 plus pound fish. Contact us at info@pyramidlakeflyfishing.com or 775.742.1754 for more info.

Put February 17th on the Calendar for our 3rd Annual Pyramid Lake Celebration

For more information go to: http://pyramidlakeflyfishing.com/education/pyramid-lake-celebration/

We have been working hard over the summer creating new ways to share our knowledge with our friends and clients. We are working on useful updates to our website, some really new exciting products on our online store. We are really excited for the upcoming season. Please let us know how we can make your next day on the water one to not forget.

The post Pyramid Lake 2016 Fall Fishing Forecast appeared first on Pyramid Lake Fly Fishing.