Pilot Peak strain confirmed as original Pyramid L. Cutt

[EricW]

RGJ: DNA confirms Pyramid Lake trout's origin

This has probably been up somewhere more scientific but first I'd heard it for sure.

[Ned Morris]

But were the old Heenan Lahontan X Rainbow Hybrids ever culled out of Pyramid 10 years ago before they started introducing the Pilot Peak Strain? Seems to me genetic purity was compromised from the get go.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Ned
All Pilot fish are tagged and fin clipped and there is absolutely no natural spawn taking place. Therefor it is highly unlikely that there will be any "genetic impurities". The only other cutthroat that are being planted are the Summit Lake strain. Its nice to see the growth of the Pilot fish and the future at Pyramid is very bright!

Jay

[Rossflyguy]

Are they putting them in Truckee?

[Ned Morris]

Ha Ha! Good one Rossflyguy.
Whoop de doo & Hallelujah! They have brought back the original Tahoe/Truckee/Pyramid Lahontan Cutthroat that swims up a concrete channel just as it did centuries ago. What a boon for the Fly Fishing Guides of Pyramid Lake and a great marketing tool. Future is bright for you indeed Jay but as for the ecology or the Truckee Drainage and the native Lahontan Cutthroat that used to inhabit it's waters??? Sorry I don't share your optimism but we certainly have two different agendas. Summit Lake strain should stay where it is, just as other native strains of LCT. There are great success stories for the LCT rstoration such as Upper Truckee River and Slinkard Creek which I applaud. Those projects in particular truly restored native populations that are now self sustaining albeit precarious. I don't share your feeling here on the Pilot Peak Strain being put in to Pyramid as the intent is just for marketing a sport fishery nothing more. To each his own, this subject doesn't effect my salary one bit.

[catch&release]

Ha Ha! Good one Rossflyguy.
Whoop de doo & Hallelujah! They have brought back the original Tahoe/Truckee/Pyramid Lahontan Cutthroat that swims up a concrete channel just as it did centuries ago. What a boon for the Fly Fishing Guides of Pyramid Lake and a great marketing tool. Future is bright for you indeed Jay but as for the ecology or the Truckee Drainage and the native Lahontan Cutthroat that used to inhabit it's waters??? Sorry I don't share your optimism but we certainly have two different agendas. Summit Lake strain should stay where it is, just as other native strains of LCT. There are great success stories for the LCT rstoration such as Upper Truckee River and Slinkard Creek which I applaud. Those projects in particular truly restored native populations that are now self sustaining albeit precarious. I don't share your feeling here on the Pilot Peak Strain being put in to Pyramid as the intent is just for marketing a sport fishery nothing more. To each his own, this subject doesn't effect my salary one bit.

Why do you think this is a bad thing. First time in a while we can say that a fishery is getting better and on its way back with its original fish. We are all too often saying, "Remember the good old days" well the good old days are almost here and getting better for Pyramid. ITS A GREAT START

I am a guide but don't guide at Pyramid, don't feel it is necessary to need a guide there however I love the chance on any given cast to hook a fish in the 20 pound class or bigger. It sure beats paying $7,000 or more to go to a place like Jurasic Lake or somewhere else where it cost an arm and a leg to fish.

I for one am looking forward to see just how big these fish will get.

[Chris Evison]

For Ned's info, the fish from Pilot Peak strain are raised at the national hatchery just south of Garnerville, Nv. The brood stock has never seen Pyramid Lake, came straight from Pilot Peak to the Hatchery. One hit on Google search states that some 13,000+ were planted in lake around 2007. This strain lives up to 15 years and grows an average of 1/2 inch a month. Once past 20 inches the strain starts keying in on other fish for food and this probably explains growth rate, there a plenty of chubs and Cutts to feast on.

Once spoke to a boat fisherman that said he and his buddies caught a 36 inch fish on east shore of Pyramid and kept it. It was tagged and was a Pilot Peak strain. When they cleaned the fish they found a twenty inch Cutty in its belly!

Since it is believed that the transfer from Pyramid Lake to Pilot Peak stream happened sometime between 1890 to 1910 I would think there is no genetic intrusion from the rainbow trout. Just my humble opinion there as I'm no biologist. One factor I'm not considering when rainbows were originally planted in the Truckee system.

I am with Jay, Ernie and all us Pyramid guys on this one! Anything that brings hope of the original strain at Pyramid is a good thing. Anyone that has an attitude about a good thing should stay away from Pyramid and leave the big fish for those of us that love the place and its fish.

[Ned Morris]

For Ned's info, the fish from Pilot Peak strain are raised at the national hatchery just south of Garnerville, Nv. The brood stock has never seen Pyramid Lake, came straight from Pilot Peak to the Hatchery. One hit on Google search states that some 13,000+ were planted in lake around 2007. This strain lives up to 15 years and grows an average of 1/2 inch a month. Once past 20 inches the strain starts keying in on other fish for food and this probably explains growth rate, there a plenty of chubs and Cutts to feast on.

Once spoke to a boat fisherman that said he and his buddies caught a 36 inch fish on east shore of Pyramid and kept it. It was tagged and was a Pilot Peak strain. When they cleaned the fish they found a twenty inch Cutty in its belly!

Since it is believed that the transfer from Pyramid Lake to Pilot Peak stream happened sometime between 1890 to 1910 I would think there is no genetic intrusion from the rainbow trout. Just my humble opinion there as I'm no biologist. One factor I'm not considering when rainbows were originally planted in the Truckee system.

I am with Jay, Ernie and all us Pyramid guys on this one! Anything that brings hope of the original strain at Pyramid is a good thing. Anyone that has an attitude about a good thing should stay away from Pyramid and leave the big fish for those of us that love the place and its fish.

I'm well aware of the history of the Pilot Peak fish Chris and Native Trout Fisheries of the West. This is a good thing for you apparently as it just comes from an Angling perspective. I however choose to look this re-introduction more holistically. Rhetoric can very dangerous from a restoration standpoint when perception of a re-introduction of a Native Salmonid is deemed a success when in fact nothing couldn't be further from the truth (gosh just look at what happened to Steelhead and Salmon in CA). Momentum towards gaining additional funds, grants, political awareness, etc. can quickly be compromised. True this is great thing for Angling, Guides, local economy of the area. I'm glad you enjoy it and I will to one day! My personal best for a pure strain LCT may be only 13" (9 lb. Hybrid I caught does not count however). I do feel there is a false sense of success here given these fish come from a hatchery that no doubt also raises Rainbows and other Trout. Natural reproduction is a key indicator of successful re-introduction which sad to say will most likely never happen in our lifetime in the Truckee drainage if at all given the damage over past 130 years. Funny I do enjoy catching a nice Brown on the Truckee now and again too. Just sad I will never catch a 40 lb LCT at Verdi but I can only imagine.

[Chris Evison]

Hatchery only raises the Pilot Peak strain at this point. They got rid of all others for fear of genetic intrusion. Hatchery even got rid of all other cutts in hatchery for fear of crossover. They may still raise a small number of brookies but, I'm not sure. I agree with you on the point that we will probably never see them spawn successfully in the wild. It is a shame and people are still working towards this goal but it is good to see the return of giant trout in Pyramid Lake.

For stripping flies I will now use a striper set-up, striper flies tied as Tui Chub and 15lb fluoro. Should be interesting!

Ned, check your pm box.

[Morgan]

I too look forward to catching a 10+ this season...fingers crossed. And if the pilot strain keeps pushing forward we can start hoping for fish in the 20lb range. Im sure we all wish our water were'nt raped back in the early days. So many times I have wished i could just push my skate down the street w/ my ladder and fish the sand bar on the south shore for big cutts instead of that 2hr drive to pyramid. I wish I had a time machine.