Does time of day matter at Pyrmaid

[Digger38]

Sorry about all the Pyramid questions. Other than the Truckee it's the only place anywhere close to where I live in Fallon Nv. that I know to fish. I was curious if the time of day matters when fishing Pyramid. I know when you fish the Delta mostly the tide matters and when fishing smaller lakes early morning and early evening seem to be best. I was curious if time of day matters at Pyramid or if fishing stays consistant throughout the day.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

People fish there around November through April.

Seems like it is higher numbers of medium size fish in March/April.

"Blue Bird" weather is not real good. When it is very still with clear skies it is better early and late in low light levels.

In low light you can use bigger flies.

In bright period of high visibility you can use longer leaders and small flies.

You might catch bigger fish during a storm with large tippets and bigger flies.

Stay away from the full moon.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Time of day doesn't matter.I've had success at all times from dark to dark.Some days though the only bite happens during the first hour before the sun hits the water.You just never know when the fish will show up.The best days are those with big winds/waves,but I have had great days when the lake was flat calm.Also look for days when low pressure starts moving in after a long period of high pressure.

Jay

[Digger38]

Thank you..... I might get a chance to fish it next week in the middle of the day just curious what to expect. Thanks again guys.

[bigfly]

I'm a big fan of camping out so I can attack before dawn, as well as fishing till the buzzer. Guess it's getting harder to get up and drive in the dark. High noon can sometimes be a good time to snack and nap, or tie flies!

[EricW]

That first hour can be pretty damn good along with the last bit of the day as the sun drops. But like others have said you can pick up fish all day. I think you'll come to find the bite comes in waves. Same spot/same tactics turning on and off hour to hour. I sort of think there's a lull between 10-1pm but that could just be my stomach talking. This is also about the time I start exploring if my first spot isn't working out. If you can, bring a little stove for lunch to get some hot food. Makes a world of difference to keep you going on the cold days.

[troutnut@pacbell.net]

I went to college at UNR and used to fish Pyramid a lot, sometimes 3-4 days a week. Worked graveyard shift at Albertsons to pay bills. We used to bug out of work and head out to Warrior Point after working all night, we never got off work before 7am, about an hour driving & getting rigged up to fish, 2 to 6 guys can take longer to get ready to fish than girls getting ready for a date, point is, we really never , never got there before 8am, usually 9 am, and did really good during the day, as long as it wasn't bluebird conditions. The more clouds, the better the fishing stayed all day. If a storm was blowing in and we could catch the sweet spot just right, it was great. There is a window of time before a storm blows in where it is overcast, slightly blustery but not really nasty yet, those were the best days. I liked windy days, under 20 mph. 5-10 mph is perfect, it makes the fish feel safe on the flats, stirs the water and moves the leeches, scuds, damsels, and midges around, which attract the Tui-chubs, which attracts the trout. The Solunar Tables in Field and Stream are pretty accurate for fishing at Pyramid, believe it or not. I never believed in that voodoo, but worked out there. Many, many beer were consumed arguing Solunar Tables. I think if you stick the fly in front of a fish's nose and make it look and act like food, he will eat it. Would Homer Simpson pass up a Jelly donut? The tides just create water movement which makes it easier for predatory fish to feed.

Most of the time, we baled out about 2 pm to 4 pm, so we could get home to sleep and go back to work. I don't think I've ever fished at sunset, and could probably count on one hand sunrise trips, out of more than 200 trips. Only time we didn't go was summertime, too hot. We would fish Davis Lake or the Truckee / Little Truckee then. Pyramid started about Labor day, ended usually around trout opener for CA. I remember a lot of arguments at breaktime whether to go skiing or fishing, so don't give up on winter on Pyramid, but if it is really nasty stormy or bluebird, go skiing or ice fishing.

30 years ago, my nightcrew manager was the guy responsible for the milk crates/ladders deal out there. He was 5'1" tall, all of us other guys were 6' or better. We could wade out father than him, he got ticked off, and since we used milkcrates to stock the upper shelves in the store (he used them for everything, including reaching the timeclock, drinking fountain,... hehehe) , he brought one to fish off at Lake Pyramid. Seeing how effective it was and how nice it was to get that extra foot of your body out of the water, all of us copied him and brought milkcrates. Pretty soon everyone was bringing them, we teased him, told him he needed a ladder, so the next week he brought one . Back then all you could get was Seal-Dri rubber waders or Red Ball bootfoot rubberized canvas waders, coldest things I've ever worn.

All we used for flies back then were black wooly worms with beadchain eyes, black or olive leeches, scuds and a green and yellow Comet. There are a lot better fly choices now.