Right from our stormy start up until now, we are methodically picking off excellent trout on the jig. Without going too into detail on exactly how we do it, just know we go big and ugly and it pays off. We have spent many years refining this early season technique to reach the LCT’s in the early season, and it’s one of those things you just have to come out and see for yourself if you haven’t done so already.

Sure, you can strip buggers on heavy sink lines and all that, but sometimes you have to cutbait from whatever tradition says and improvise methods that catch fish, and that is exactly what we have done at Pyramid Fly Co.

Now, these aren’t your run of the mill trout that you find in any lake, stream, or river. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in Pyramid Lake are anadromous species that behave as their brethren salmon would in the ocean. What does that mean? Voracious appetites, endless bait charging, and lighting fast takes on the jig…when they hit your bait at speed you better be ready. So far the fish have lived up to this reputation during the opening weeks. Sure, they can mess around and have a finicky bite at times, but all in all, they have been bringing the thunder.

Our advice would be to run deep, right now they are hanging out around 50 foot and beyond. Not as deep as last year, and that is a good thing as that significantly reduces the amount of fish that you may have to fizz (deflate swim bladder). As a matter of fact, haven’t really come across any with deep water bloat thus far.

They are chasing bait as usual, but baitballs are far more scattered thanks to the cold weather patterns. This means the trout are rather scattered as well and not hanging out in the giant pods we are accustomed to this time of year. That is ok though, that means your chances of finding trout all over the lake are pretty excellent and in turn that means far less boat crowding on specific hot zones.

We have a little bit more time to go before we hit the shore, so if you want to experience the early season from a Watermaster with us, well, now is the time! Reach out to us at 877.732.3597 and let’s make it happen!