I may need a bigger bucket

Pyramid Lake, Nevada

I’ve had the Lahontan cutthroat trout of Pyramid Lake, Nevada on my bucket list for a while, and I know I’m not alone among fly anglers in this regard.

They’re a fish that literally meets every requirement that anglers seek: They’re wild, they’re native, they’re beautiful, and, most importantly, they’re absolutely massive fish.

There’s also a somewhat romantic angle to their story that makes them so compelling. After becoming functionally extinct in their native habitat, they’re making a comeback, marking them as a rare success story in the otherwise tragic plight of native cutthroat trout throughout the western United States.

After years of dreaming about catching one of these incredible fish, I finally decided to make an early March trip from Oregon to western Nevada to try my luck.

I was immediately successful in the “trying my luck” department, as it would end up being a rare record snow year in California, and the roads were treacherous from the start.

I-5 near Mount Shasta was packed snow.

Normally, a drive from my home in Oregon to Reno would take about 9 hours, but from the moment I passed Roseburg, I was navigating packed snow and icy mountain passes. I decided to break up the drive into two more manageable days and spent a relaxing night in Ashland so I would be fresh for the remainder of my drive. I departed early the next morning, well aware that I would be traversing some seriously sketchy mountain roads. Other than for a near collision with tractor trailer in a remote part of northern California, my drive was uneventful, if somewhat slow. Regardless, I was only too glad to arrive at my hotel in Reno that evening.

A close call in the mountains. Pretty sure the truck isn’t supposed to be facing that way.

I’m typically the kind of person who enjoys figuring things out on my own and learning by trial and error when it comes to fly angling, but I’m not too proud to admit that I was out of my depth when it came to Pyramid Lake, so I hired guide Mike Anderson from the Reno Fly Shop for my first day. My only goal for the day was to simply learn the basics of location, presentation, and fly selection for the time of year.

Mike and I met up early in the morning, and I followed his truck into the desert. Cresting a rise, I had my first glimpse of Pyramid lake. It’s an achingly beautiful, desolate place. The lake itself seems out of place amid the arid, treeless landscape; a blue mirage against the rise of barren, brown, snow-capped peaks. On more than one occasion, I had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the road.

I had been informed that Mike was a great teacher, and I was certainly not disappointed. The guy is pretty easygoing and patient; his critiques of my casting deficiencies were constructive and spot-on. He had me feeling confident and comfortable almost immediately, which was quite the accomplishment considering my personal insecurities and the fact that the air temperature at the start of the day was 19 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind was howling, and I was questioning if I really wanted to be there.

Weather aside, the angling was exceptional. Within an hour of our arrival, I was hooked into a large female Lahontan cutthroat. I averaged a strike roughly every hour through the end of the day, and every one of the fish we brought to the net would qualify as a trophy nearly anywhere else, with the largest fish to hand being a respectable 13lb. trout.

The author with a 13lb lahontan cutthroat trout.

The next day, I struck out on my own, confident in the knowledge that Mike had imparted with me, and, if I may be permitted a small humble brag, I performed nearly as good, with similar results.

My guide, Mike, with one of the lahontan cutthroat we caught.

It was a great time, and I gained a lot from it. I learned to respect that the cold and relentless wind were my friends, as the fish would accompany their arrival and would disappear with them. I learned that while you don’t want to take your eyes off your fly line and indicator for long, that it’s important to take in the spectacular, scenic places where trout often live, because places like Pyramid Lake demand it. I learned that I was wise to invest in a four wheel drive vehicle, and I learned that the hotel casino had a great little cafe with killer chicken parm. Wins all around.

Anglers on ladders lined up on the beach. The lake’s namesake pyramid is in the background.

…and that’s really all there is to the story. I won’t bore you with more information about numbers or size of fish. My point isn’t to brag about my angling prowess or skill with the fly rod (well, not too much, anyway); it’s to share the experience and express appreciation for the opportunity and a memory that I’ll forever cherish.

Killer chicken parm.

Many years ago I had made it a bucket list goal to catch one of every species/subspecies of trout native to the US, which seems a little trite to me in retrospect…but, it’s a goal that has taken me to so many incredible places, and opened my mind to so many more possibilities and adventures. I’m going to be back here some day, and I’m going to need a bigger bucket.