Finding Treasure in the form of big Lahontan Cutthroat Trout at Pyramid Lake,
Nevada
Date:
5/24/09
Location:
Pyramid
Lake, Nevada
Event Date:
April 25th,
2009
Reviewer:
Zander
Introduction: After a successful trout
trip to Tahoe our appetite for catching big trout only became more voracious,
and we decided to venture into Nevada to visit Pyramid Lake where we hoped to
hook into some of the lake’s stunning Lahontan Cutthroat trout.
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I have wanted to visit and
fish Pyramid Lake for years, but have never managed to make the trek over the
mountains into Nevada from the Bay Area, and instead have focused on Crowley for
the majority of my trout fishing. Mark Knoch offered to show us some of his
spots as well as his proven techniques and we jumped at the opportunity to learn
more about this renowned fishery. Pyramid Lake is well known for the Lahontan
Cutthroat Trout that inhabit the lake, and the record size cutthroat trout was
caught at Pyramid Lake and weighed a whopping 41 pounds (18.6 kg).
Pyramid lake is 33 miles northeast
of Sparks, and is named after this tufa pyramid on the lake's east shore
About Pyramid Lake:
Pyramid Lake is quite unlike any body of water that I have ever fished, and is a
considerable contrast to Lake Tahoe which is a mountain lake lined with a
combination of trees and resorts. When you drive into the Paiute Indian
Reservation where the entire lake resides within you notice how dry the
surrounding desert is, in fact it looks straight out of an old western until you
get a glimpse of Pyramid. This bright blue jewel of a lake pops out of the
desert and in stark contrast to the brown and grey surrounding deserts and
mountains the lake sparkles brightly with the shallow water looking turquoise,
and the deeper portions of the lake appearing more indigo in color.
Pyramid Lake is five hours by car
from TT headquarters in California
There
are no buildings that can be seen on the edges of the lake until you drive
further in to Sutcliffe, and for the most part the lake looks almost out of
place nestled under the mountains. The further you drive into the reservation
the better view you get of the entire lake, and only then do you come to
appreciate just how massive a body of water Pyramid really is (188 sq. miles of
surface area).
Pelican Point is a popular spot
among fly fishermen
Pyramid Lake is the largest remnant of ancient Lake
Lahontan which once covered much of northwestern Nevada at the end of the last
ice age. The lake as we know it today was once the deepest point in Lake
Lahontan. The modern name of the lake comes from the notable tufa rock
formations that grace the lake. The largest such formation, Anaho Island, is
sacred land and also home to a large colony of American White Pelicans, and is
highly restricted for both spiritual and ecological reasons.
