Pyramid Spring 2012

I have just returned from a long sojourn to the emerald waters of Pyramid Lake Nv. This year is unlike any that I have experienced out there. Tough fishing conditions were the name of the game with some days yielding a handful of grabs and others providing consistent action. Stories abound as to why the fishing is as tough as it is but I have no real answers. All I know is it is not what we have grown accustomed to. The nice thing is crowds are light and most beaches are ghost towns.

Onto the good news...I got this 8.5 # buck on my last night at the rocks at Pelican.

Usually I don't spend a whole lot of time on the rocks, but this year I found it to be a good place to fish and warm up in the afternoons. I caught fish there midging but it was never red hot action for me.


Even though the fishing was not very good, the friendships forged in the wind and waves of the big lake will be carried with me a life time. I am itching to get back to the stark beauty and fiesty cutthroat.

Feeling Like Fall

A quick update...

Fall semester is in full swing and my fishing/guiding time has taken a back seat for now. I am booking trips on the weekends in October and have a few available dates at this time. Lake Davis looks to be fishing well as water temperatures come down and the fish put on their feed bags. Simi seal leeches, small buggers, Sheeps Creeks, Rickard's Stillwater nymphs and snails are all top producers this time of year. The MF Feather is starting to pick back up.Caddis, October Caddis and Isonychia Mayflies will be on the menu.

The Truckee continues to fish well for wild browns and rainbows. Dry/droppers are working well with a Stimi or tarantula and a caddis or small baetis dropper.

Steelhead are starting to show in the Trinity and Klamath rivers and fall half-pounder fishing is in full swing in the American.

Lots of options available and don't forget that Pyramid opens on Oct 1st!

Get out and fish!

My Pyramid Fly Boxes

A look at my Pyramid gear...




Buggers and Beetles




Chewed up Popcorn Beetles




Midges





My go to midge: the Trojan midge!


This mess becomes...

this and fits...

in here!

More Pyramid Madness

Fishing has been very good this April at Pyramid.Here are a few pictures from last week.


Ernie Walsh and his 14.4# monster! caught on a popcorn beetle.



Incredible lenticular cloud formations lit up by the dazzling sunrise.

My 9.5 lber caught on a size 10 Trojan Midge.


Ed Domer and his 9 lber!



Is that a shark?




Amazing sunrise!


This spring season has been incredible to say the least!

Pyramid Report

After a crazy, record breaking series of March snowstorms,


I have finished shoveling (with a lot of help from mother nature) and have returned to the big lake, Pyramid. The fishing has been hit or miss with a few 30 fish days here and there, but mostly 5- 10 fish days are common. Both stripping and midging has been productive and a few fish over 10 lbs have been landed.



Now for the good news...the Tribal Council voted on April 1st( no joke) to reopen the Nets effective immediately. This decision has been a long time coming and will help spread out the spring crowds.



The Middle Fork Feather river opened on April 2nd from the Railroad Bridge above the A-23 bridge in Beckworth to the Mohawk Bridge.


The river is very high and unfishable at this point.


It may be a while before it comes down to fishable levels, but when it does we should see some excellent dry fly fishing opportunities all summer long!

Spring is on its way

With the time change last night it feels as if this winter may be finally on the run. February brought over 3 feet of snow to the Sierra Valley in two storms.




This was much needed precipitation and made for excellent backcountry skiing!



While the skiing was great I was not fishing, so when the storms stopped I picked up where I left off; fishing Pyramid. The fishing in early March has been very good to great depending on the day.

The Nets have been very crowded this year as usual, requiring one to get up way to early to get a good spot. Midging has been very productive with the usual suspects (rootbeer and Trojans) hanging under my bobber. While I have not personally caught anything big this season I have had the pleasure of netting a couple of nice fish and have seen a few very large fish caught around me.
The Nets will be closed on March 15th for the spring closure.On April 1st the Tribal Council will be making a decision on a regulation change to reopen the Nets.Let's hope they reopen them!It will surely spread the crowds out a bit.



Finally, I had the pleasure of fishing with Scott, a first time Pyramid angler yesterday.I met Scott through Kiene's Fly Shop message boards.


We had a fun time and he caught a few fish.It was fun fishing with you Scott!

Happy New Year! and a Pyramid report

Happy 2011 to all! The new year has started out well!
After another stellar semester at FRC and a busy holiday season I have finally caught my breath and have been able to get in a little fishing.The best available option locally has been Pyramid Lake. Over the past 2 weeks I have had a great run, landing 33 of 35 hooked over three outings.Yesterday I went 15 for 16 with 2 fish in the 26" range.Most fish were caught on a rootbeer midge and a Trojan midge.

All in all, Pyramid is fishing very well for this time of year.There are fish in good numbers at the Nets right now.I am concentrating my efforts there until things change.Water temps have dropped to 44* but the fish are still very active.Once temps get below 41* expect the fishing to slow down a bit.Fish to 12lbs have been landed over the past few weeks from shore and a boater recently landed an 18lber!


I haven't had the chance to fish the Truckee lately, so I have no first hand knowledge how fishing is over there.Check out Gilligan's blog at http://gilligansguideservice.blogspot.com/ for up to date Truckee River reports.

I am giving a talk to the Delta Fly Fishers on the 12th, the Granite Bay Fly Fishers on March 11th and also to the Santa Cruz Club in May. If anyone else is interested in having me speak about fly fishing opportunities in the Northern Sierra's please let me know!

I wish everyone a prosperous 2011!

Winter fishing options

Winter arrived in full force the week before Thanksgiving with lots of snow and some brutally cold temperatures for November. The temperatures have finally moderated, but local fishing options have become very limited. Access to the Truckee and Little Truckee is limited and I have not made it over that way lately so I have no first hand information. For stillwater enthusiasts the only game in town at this point is Pyramid Lake.



Needing to fill the void of not being on the water lately, I headed out to the big water to fish with my good friend Ernie. We met at the North Nets around 9 am and were fishing shortly after. Stripping beetles and buggers was the way to go and I had a decent day landing all 5 fish that I hooked.Ernie only had one fish and his friend Ed landed 3 of 6 that he hooked.Popcorn beetles were by far the best fly but a few fish came ate the old standby,a black wooly bugger. The fishing was pretty good by early winter standards and it was very nice to be out of the now for a few hours.



I have one more week of classes then the fall semester will be in the books! It has been a long,difficult semester and I am ready for a break. I am planning on a couple of steelhead trips during the break and will be fishing Pyramid a bit as well.

Get out there and fish!!

Winter is almost here...

The weather has taken a decidedly cold turn towards winter.Nighttime temps are running in the teens and ice is starting to form in the margins.With this change, my focus on fishing venues changes.Pyramid Lake is fishing well right now with fish to 13lbs being landed. Reports are starting to roll in from the Trinity with a mixture of wild and hatchery steelhead being caught. Swinging flies is my preferred method to catch steel, but whatever method you choose to fish is cool and as long as it is legal I say go for it!!
Lake Davis has been fishing well for the past few weeks with fish putting on the feed bags.Water temps have been in the upper 40's but that is quickly changing. If you plan on fishing Davis in the next week or so,dress warm and have a great time! One recent report said to use a 20' leader with a floating line.This is absolutely not necessary to be successful right now.I have been having great days there with only a 9-12' leader to 4x.Theses fish are NOT leader shy! Sheep Creek's, cinnamon wiggle tails, and buggers have produced lately.
November 15 brings the end to the general trout season on the Middle Fork Feather River and tributaries.It has been a great season this year!
Thanks for all of the support this season! I look forward to fishing with you all again next season!!

Back in the Saddle

Time flies when I am having fun!Hard to believe that today is the first day of class for the fall semester.Should be fun!

So ends my most succssful summer as a guide and begins my fall season.Lake Davis will get most of my attention but I will also be spending time swinging flies for steelhead on the Trinity River.My availability to guide is mostly limited to weekends(Thursday-Sunday), I will have some midweek trips available.So school becomes my main focus for now.

I am also judging interest in Pyramid Lake for the upcoming season.If anyone is interested in fishing for trophy Lahontan Cutthroat Trout let me know and I'll get my guiding permit for the lake.Pyramid's season opens Oct 1 and prime fall fishing is through November.

Thanks to those of you who have helped me have such a great summer guide season and I look forward to fishing with you again!