Wednesday, March 25, 2020

REP YOUR WATER - Escape to Pyramid Lake

If we ever need an escape, it's right now.  Garrison Doctor of Rep Your Water is kicking off a weekly feature on T.F.M. for the foreseeable future highlighting the many places that he and his wife have traveled to with a write up and a mix of images for you to enjoy. 

The first "Escape" dispatch is focused on their recent trip to Pyramid Lake in Nevada.  Check it out...


Garrison wrote...  "We recently made the pilgrimage to Pyramid Lake in Nevada to soak in the desert landscape, hang with some friends and experience the pull of some big Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. 

For those not familiar, Pyramid Lake is a huge "terminal" lake in Nevada, in other words the Truckee River flows into the lake but there is no outflow.  Evaporation off of the lake is enough to "terminate" the river.  Because of this, Pyramid Lake has a high to relatively high nutrient content and even tastes salty if you get a little in your mouth - this has given rise to many nicknames, including "The Big Salt".  It also has given rise to some of the largest cutthroat trout in the world.  Historically fish in the 40 pound class were not uncommon.  These days, through many ups and downs, the lake has come back into form as a world class fishery with fish over 20 pounds landed most years.  

Having never been, but heard many stories, we were not sure what to expect and we knew that you usually have to put in some pretty solid time on the water to find a larger specimen.  With just a few days to get it done, we were excited to just get one of any size in the net!  Luckily for us, the weather was good, we got some great tips from friends and we managed to find more than a couple over 10 pounds...

It is a strange scene and surreal fishery, not just due to the size of this terminal lake and its fish in the desert, but also the scene of fisherman who flock from all over the country to try their hand.  But where else do you have a decent shot on any given day of landing a cutthroat in the 15-20 pound class? 

Since writing these original words, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe has passed a motion to close the lake to all activities Monday March 23rd, with no scheduled reopen date due to coronavirus precautions.  Strange and unprecedented times.  The good news is that the giant cutthroat trout will be healthier and less pressured than ever when "The Big Salt" opens back up.

Be sure to hit up our friends to Pyramid Fly Co. to arrange a trip for when it is back open."
















Check out the Rep Your Water website and take a look at the Spring 2020 Collection.   There are some real winners in the mix. 

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