Truthful Pyramid Lake Report

Just got back from my annual trip to Pyramid and it was very very tough.

We fished Thursday afternoon, all day Friday, and all day Saturday. We had bright sun the entire time except for a few hours of hazy overcast on Saturday afternoon. We did have two sessions with decent in our face wind and good wave action into the beach but the fish didn't respond.

Tactics used:
1. Sinking lines and stripping the usual Pyramid stuff ( I used the RIO OBS I/5/7 which I started using last year). Used both switch rods and 9ft SHers.
2. Indicators on both 9ft SHers and Switch rods. I used the RIO Switch Chucker on my Redington Chromer. Really liked that setup.
3. Two guys used spin rods a fair bit with large spoons.

So here are the "results" - 4 guys fished pretty hard and we landed 6 fish total with the biggest being under 5#.

Let me add a little more context to this group too.
Two guys have extensive stillwater experience, in fact, almost all of our trout fishing is on stillwaters.
One guy has a decent amount of stillwater experience but doesn't fish near as often as the first two guys.
One guy doesn't fish a lot and he ended up using the spin rod most of the time.

And FWIW we saw very few fish caught by others!

Just a very tough trip and in looking over our logs we think you can break your Pyramid Trips into equal percentages as follows:
1 in 3 trips will be pretty good with numerous sessions where you are getting fish.
1 in 3 trips will be ok with at least one session where you are getting into fish.
1 in 3 trips will suck like this one.

Certainly you will never catch a fish sitting in your living room and at the P every cast has the potential to result in a double digit fish. But it is also important for guys who haven't been there to hear the truth and not just set their expectations based upon IG and FB posts. I have no problem going on a trip and when its a bust telling people so and this one as a massive bust.

 

[_WW_]

Which one of the areas did you fish?

 

[GAT]

Fishing trips with less than stellar results are just as valuable as stellar fishing trip reports. For one, it's the truth. For anyone who's been doing this for a number of decades, we know that you are not always going to catch a lot of fish. Banner days are not all that common.

Thank you for an honest report.

 

[troutpocket]

My one day at Pyramid was with a guide and resulted in 3 fish. They were pretty, but I have caught many more and larger Lahontans in WA. Still a remarkable place to visit, no regrets.

 

[RRSmith]

My neighbor who's been going to Pyramid for 10+ years and is an accomplished fly fisher still gets skunked from time to time. It's a beautiful place and a definitely unique experience. I went with a buddy and my grandson (buddy had been there before) a year ago. We fished two days and caught a handful of LCT. Standing on a ladder for 12 hours is not my thing so unless I get an invite from my grandson, I probably won't be back.

 

[ifsteve]

Which one of the areas did you fish?

We fished a beach we are quite familiar with and have done well in the past. Its one of the most popular spots. We also talked to a bunch of guys fishing other spots and the story was all the same. Slllloooowwwww.

 

[Yard Sale]

Yeah, the fishing report is fine and dandy, but what did you eat and drink? That's the important part!

 

[Scottybs]

Pyramid can be a tough nut…

 

[fatbillybob]

Don't you think the weather played a big roll in slow fishing?

 

[ifsteve]

Don't you think the weather played a big roll in slow fishing?

Oh no question about it. Too much sunshine. But that said, even the before sunrise window was non existent and usually that period is good for a couple of fish. Not this trip.

But the concerning thing I heard (rumors I know) is that the tribe was cutting back on the stocking levels by like 90% because the tui chub population was down.

 

[CanoeGuy]

Thanks for the report. I have not been but an intrigued. I tried to find info about fishing from boats and it is pretty slim. Are there regs that prohibit it?

 

[RRSmith]

Folks do fish out of boats but they need to stay 250' out from beach anglers. I think there might be certain situations where boat fishing is effective but in my very limited experience, the fish are fairly shallow during the good winter/spring fishing period. https://pyramidlake.us/fishing

 

[fatbillybob]

Thanks for the report. I have not been but an intrigued. I tried to find info about fishing from boats and it is pretty slim. Are there regs that prohibit it?

I'm not a stillwater guy nor fish pyramid, but have put many hours on stillwater from float tubes and pontoon boats. Pyramid is the only lake I know where ladders rule and you don't hear about tubes. Every place else tubes are plentiful. I wonder what is it about pyramid that tubes just don't seem to shine?

 

[John Svahn]

The weather at the ‘Mid is crazy and the wind comes up out of nowhere. And due the the fetch the swell gets big quickly, short period with steep faces.

 

[ifsteve]

When the lake opens up in the fall, most fishing is done from boats. Find schools of tui chubs and throw fast sinking lines.

 

[justahack]

I'm not a stillwater guy nor fish pyramid, but have put many hours on stillwater from float tubes and pontoon boats. Pyramid is the only lake I know where ladders rule and you don't hear about tubes. Every place else tubes are plentiful. I wonder what is it about pyramid that tubes just don't seem to shine?

Wind, its a big lake and no joke when the wind kicks up

 

[justahack]

Oh no question about it. Too much sunshine. But that said, even the before sunrise window was non existent and usually that period is good for a couple of fish. Not this trip.

But the concerning thing I heard (rumors I know) is that the tribe was cutting back on the stocking levels by like 90% because the tui chub population was down.

Bluebird days make for poor fishing there. Beautiful place no matter what, but way prettier when big fish show up

 

[fatbillybob]

Wind, its a big lake and no joke when the wind kicks up

Early in my flyfishing I fished Henry's in Id. quite a bit. We paddled hard up wind then drifted and stripped flys nailed big fish. We covered lots of water. Winds can get big at Henry's causing big waves and swamping small boats. I guess I just don't understand what happens in pyramid. If it is so windy you need to be stationed on a ladder how does one cast in that wind or cover water past 100ft circle of your ladder? Do people cast 360 off the ladder then pick it up and move and cast again to cover water?

 

[ifsteve]

Early in my flyfishing I fished Henry's in Id. quite a bit. We paddled hard up wind then drifted and stripped flys nailed big fish. We covered lots of water. Winds can get big at Henry's causing big waves and swamping small boats. I guess I just don't understand what happens in pyramid. If it is so windy you need to be stationed on a ladder how does one cast in that wind or cover water past 100ft circle of your ladder? Do people cast 360 off the ladder then pick it up and move and cast again to cover water?

The purpose of the ladder is several fold:
1. Gets you up in the air which enables a longer cast without slapping the water on your back cast.
2. More importantly it gets you out of the water. The less of your body that is in the water the warmer you'll stay. The warmer you are the less time you have to take breaks. If you are not casting you are not catching fish.

And no you don't pick your ladder and move (unless its to an entirely different beach). The game at Pyramid is to cast, cast, cast, and cast some more so that your flies are out on the drop offs when a fish or pod of fish swim by.

I fish Henry's a ton and have for ...well a few years. There is just no comparing how one fishes at Henry's vs Pyramid. Night and day different kinds of fisheries.

 

[_WW_]

The last time I fished at Henry's I had to quit one day because I was getting seasick...