Blueracer
04-21-2010, 12:17 AM
[I added it to Ponderings originally but I don't many will be reading through it once again]
SHig covered much of the detail in his report but its high time I add mine too it.
To save time reading for everyone and posting for me I will just complement SHig and not repeat points or details he has already stated.
Gear: We both used the same line, my rod was an 11' 6wt switch and I feel it performed very nicely. I started out with not a lot of seperation between my flies but I did not like them as close together as they were so I lengthened up the leader. Fish came on three different standard flies so I just stuck with them all day and didn't really bother with the specials I'd tied up. I got nothing on the white beetle and soon changed it for black. Between it and some different buggers the fish were pretty consistent.
Chris Evison's comments are right on in my opinion. I use as much water as possible to expose the fly to as many fish as possible even if most fish would hit the fly pretty close I believe they are most likely following from a ways. I did hook into three pretty far out and one of those was with the fly dropping or just sitting still and startled me like crazy when my reel just started zinging! I also hooked one after getting the leader back to me and noticing a fish to my left so I changed the direction of my strip to try to bring the presentation near it and immediately got hit. When I looked back at my fly only about 15 feet in front of me, the fish had hit just as I changed direction. So changing it up as they follow may be useful. I also found that many takes would occur as the flies were getting closer to the surface about two rod lengths out. Perhaps the fish feel the fly is attempting to escape after they have followed it.
SHig and I getting 2 doubles during the day was a highlight. I failed to capitalize in both cases unfortunately. Also failed to land the last and biggest fish I had all day. It would not make its way toward me and was just steadily swimming back and forth. I was hoping to at least see it but it was not to be. Both are things to look forward to accomplishing on other trips. Getting 13 with two being 24 and one 23, 4 LDR's and seeing at least three followers that wouldn't take made a really enjoyable first trip to Pyramid Lake.
A side: I didn't bring stripping gloves. I left with minor skin cuts on my right index finger and a sharper close to blood red quarter inch cut on the bottom of the first joint of the same finger. My left middle finger was swollen until this morning and the nuckle of my left index finger bruised all from stripping mostly from the fish being on and gripping tight with my left hand, tight enough not to loose the hook set with the fish. Clearly I need gloves on both hands in the future and maybe need to be more aware of how my fingers are pressing on one another while stripping.
- Something that helped me out: I lost three straight fish at one point and decided maybe this fly/hook isn't so sharp anymore. After changing it out I no longer had the issue. Change those hooks and it might turn things around.
Thanks to SHig for doing all the driving, he knows how to handle a car. He's a darn good fisherman too. Though he did break a jinx rule on this outing..saying out loud the thoughts we have when that fish is on. "You better not loose that fish you better land em, at least get em to the suface to see em." It's okay Scott, I forgive you. ;)
Sorry about the late addition. Here are few photos to go along.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81Wn-ctVZI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PRrfmSnrzfk/s912/Pyramid%20April%202010%20155.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81O5yGgv1I/AAAAAAAAAig/Cdd6pvQKGwo/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20190.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OseIw4UI/AAAAAAAAAh4/ob6PBBIhvLw/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20167.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OnR_avBI/AAAAAAAAAho/ilAgq_7NeJg/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20163.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OmEzdBII/AAAAAAAAAhk/XgAo7lTpcME/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20162.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81SrxX8FSI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/rzIcd3hC2ns/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20177.JPG
SHig covered much of the detail in his report but its high time I add mine too it.
To save time reading for everyone and posting for me I will just complement SHig and not repeat points or details he has already stated.
Gear: We both used the same line, my rod was an 11' 6wt switch and I feel it performed very nicely. I started out with not a lot of seperation between my flies but I did not like them as close together as they were so I lengthened up the leader. Fish came on three different standard flies so I just stuck with them all day and didn't really bother with the specials I'd tied up. I got nothing on the white beetle and soon changed it for black. Between it and some different buggers the fish were pretty consistent.
Chris Evison's comments are right on in my opinion. I use as much water as possible to expose the fly to as many fish as possible even if most fish would hit the fly pretty close I believe they are most likely following from a ways. I did hook into three pretty far out and one of those was with the fly dropping or just sitting still and startled me like crazy when my reel just started zinging! I also hooked one after getting the leader back to me and noticing a fish to my left so I changed the direction of my strip to try to bring the presentation near it and immediately got hit. When I looked back at my fly only about 15 feet in front of me, the fish had hit just as I changed direction. So changing it up as they follow may be useful. I also found that many takes would occur as the flies were getting closer to the surface about two rod lengths out. Perhaps the fish feel the fly is attempting to escape after they have followed it.
SHig and I getting 2 doubles during the day was a highlight. I failed to capitalize in both cases unfortunately. Also failed to land the last and biggest fish I had all day. It would not make its way toward me and was just steadily swimming back and forth. I was hoping to at least see it but it was not to be. Both are things to look forward to accomplishing on other trips. Getting 13 with two being 24 and one 23, 4 LDR's and seeing at least three followers that wouldn't take made a really enjoyable first trip to Pyramid Lake.
A side: I didn't bring stripping gloves. I left with minor skin cuts on my right index finger and a sharper close to blood red quarter inch cut on the bottom of the first joint of the same finger. My left middle finger was swollen until this morning and the nuckle of my left index finger bruised all from stripping mostly from the fish being on and gripping tight with my left hand, tight enough not to loose the hook set with the fish. Clearly I need gloves on both hands in the future and maybe need to be more aware of how my fingers are pressing on one another while stripping.
- Something that helped me out: I lost three straight fish at one point and decided maybe this fly/hook isn't so sharp anymore. After changing it out I no longer had the issue. Change those hooks and it might turn things around.
Thanks to SHig for doing all the driving, he knows how to handle a car. He's a darn good fisherman too. Though he did break a jinx rule on this outing..saying out loud the thoughts we have when that fish is on. "You better not loose that fish you better land em, at least get em to the suface to see em." It's okay Scott, I forgive you. ;)
Sorry about the late addition. Here are few photos to go along.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81Wn-ctVZI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PRrfmSnrzfk/s912/Pyramid%20April%202010%20155.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81O5yGgv1I/AAAAAAAAAig/Cdd6pvQKGwo/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20190.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OseIw4UI/AAAAAAAAAh4/ob6PBBIhvLw/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20167.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OnR_avBI/AAAAAAAAAho/ilAgq_7NeJg/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20163.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81OmEzdBII/AAAAAAAAAhk/XgAo7lTpcME/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20162.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xX-FJgNK6DU/S81SrxX8FSI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/rzIcd3hC2ns/s800/Pyramid%20April%202010%20177.JPG