I think the occasional out-of-state brag post is OK here, for motivational purposes. So here's mine. Pyramid Lake, Nevada is a bucket list spot for cutthroat enthusiasts.
After learning about it, I made plans for our family to spend a couple nights camping there on our way out to California, which gave me one full day on the water in my belly boat.
It is located on the Paiute Tribe Reservation, and you must obtain permits online ahead of time. It is highly managed with strict regs, and fishing season is closed July 1 - Sept 30. I was there the day before the season ended.
Pyramid Lake is one of the largest lakes in the USA. Its water flows out of Lake Tahoe, through the Truckee River, and ends in Pyramid Lake which has no outlet, so it just sits there and evaporates in the desert. Its salinity is 1/6 that of the ocean, meaning only a handful of fish species thrive there.
One of those is the Lahontan cutthroat, which originally thrived in Tahoe and Pyramid (and before that... the ancient inland sea, Lake Lahontan). They were fished out of existence in Tahoe, and driven to extinction in Pyramid by water diversion.
In 1979, Dr. Robert Behnke of Colorado State University discovered fingerlings of the Pyramid Lake Lahontan cutthroat in a tiny stream on Pilot Peak. It is believed they were dumped there in the early 1900's. Those were used for brood stock, and eventually reintroduced to Pyramid Lake. They are now thriving, with trophy-sized and record-setting fish being caught.
The tufa rock formations surrounding the lake also form a white coral-like reef along its perimeter and visible in the clear waters. These features, along with a rich and storied history make you feel like you're fishing in a sacred place, linked to ancient times. In fact, that's exactly what it is.
If you go, please visit the Paiute museum, learn about the land and people, and respect the water and the fish.
There are people who go there to party on the shore and ride their wake-boats, but if you approach it with a humble attitude, you can discover the thrill of catching a prehistoric fish within an ancient and spiritual lake.
I did my homework on techniques and brought the right lures for the day. Still, I owe my good fortune to finding a couple of experienced anglers out there who knew where the fish were located this time of year (deep!). That, and the luck of perfect weather on a body of water known for extreme storms and wind.
I was blessed to catch and release 10 hard-fighting Lahontans this day, all of them being big, and a few of them being in the 30 inch and 15 pound range. By far the biggest trout of my life. Again if you go, respect the fish and I urge catch and release to enable others to experience this magic for generations to come.
