Pyramid Lake Explodes with double digit trout
BY BOB SEMERAU
Western Outdoor News Staff Writer
Sutcliffe, Nevada—My first time fishing Pyramid Lake from a boat, rather than ladders along the shoreline, convinced me I’d found the Holy Grail for lahontan trout at this huge Northern Nevada tribal waterway.
I jumped at the chance to join Dr. “A” and his wife Vicky for a couple days fishing with Lacey’s guide service, finding excellent conditions when we arrived at the boat ramp the second week after the October 1st opening.
Dr. Ron Atanay, aka Dr. “A” and Vicky Atanay run the West Coast Outdoors and Sportfishing Expo (coming again May 1-3, 2026, to the Ventura Fairgrounds) and have been fishing Pyramid Lake, Nevada for the last five years.
“These two days, fishing deep alongside the wall and down at the south end, have been incredible,” beamed Dr. A while showing his 15.6-pound Pilot Peak strain lahontan trout for the camera before release. “In fact, in all my years fishing Pyramid Lake no days come close to matching these for both quantity and quality,” concluded the good doctor. Counts of 50-fish in a day and fish averaging over 10-pounds, is enough to make the trip a “best-ever” in anyone’s book.
On our boat alone the stats show how uncredible it was: the best personal fish, for all three anglers, best count totals for all three, double fish on a drop for all of us, with Vicky pulling two fish total for a single drop of 24-pounds.
Getting across Pyramid to the wall, about 11-miles east of the launch ramp, took only 16-minutes in Hans Grotewold’s 25-foot Skeeter because the morning calm and glass smooth conditions let the guide service owner run full throttle. Clear, blue skies,74-degree temperatures with no wind throughout the day, made this the perfect trip of the year.
Once along the eastern shore each of us set up to drop deep our uniquely rigged fly rods. Each 10-weight reel was loaded, not with fly-line, but 14-pound fluorocarbon instead. Hanging at the business end of each was a pair of balanced leach flies in a variety of colors. Below the two was a ¾-ounce weight to help speed the drop down to the 75-to-100 foot bottom below.
Bouncing bottom, fish instantly began to show that this was the day.
Vicky picked up the first fish, a beautifully colored Summit strain of about 9-pounds which was netted by Lacey’s guide, after a quick photo. Then Dr A pulled on and boated a 12-pound Pilot while I connected with an 11-pound fish, then Vicky responded with a 12-pounder of her own. All this done within 10-minutes of arrival at the wall.
Other boats reported having success as well with Sespe Fly Fisher’s club member Eric Kramer’s hollering heard from further down the shoreline because he had just landed an 18.5-pound Pilot.
That first afternoon, while fishing with Lacey’s guide, Denton Dominiac, we finished up with nearly 50-fish and lost a dozen others. Dr A’s 15.6-pound afternoon Pilot was top for our boat, but my personal best of 15.3-pounds had me grinning ear to ear. Vicky earned the title “Vick the Stick” by nailing first fish and most fish for the day.
Day two at Pyramid copied the first with quality fish filling the numbers and more great stories to share.
Contacts: Lacey’s Guide Service 909-844-7803 www.flyfishingpyramidlake.com
