Pyramid Lake has fished very well to begin the new year. The storms over the holiday encouraged fish into the shallows—resulting in a lot of feeding fish. Both the strip bite and indicator bite have been good at Pyramid Lake on any given day. Depending on the type of beach you are fishing, you will want to adjust your approach.

On cloudy days, the shallow and sandy beaches are a good bet with a sinking line. Flies that incorporate foam such as the Mopcorn Beetle or Tadpole can be paired with a traditional Midnight Cowboy or Martini Olive Pyramid Lake Bugger. You want to slow down the retrieve a bit now that lake temperatures have dropped compared to fall. Slight pauses between strips give the trout an opportunity to grab your fly. Try varying your retrieve cadence throughout the day and find what works best.

The indicator bite has remained good and is a preferred method of many anglers in the winter months. Fish are eating both Balanced Leech patterns as well as Holo Midges. If the lake is wavy, try fishing a Balanced Leech on the bottom of your setup as it will be moving a lot. Size 6 Balanced Leeches are a good bet on the wavy days. The best performing color has varied from day to day, but the Midnight Cowboy and Peacock variations are always a reliable bet.

The Midge bite is going strong and should only improve as we move towards February and March. Just like the Balanced Leech, the Midge is fishing in a variety of sizes depending on the day. On wavy days, sizes 8-10 are a good choice since the fish can find them easily in the turbid water. On calm days, Micro Holo Midges in a size 12 have fished well. This is the time of year to experiment with different presentations. On flat calm days, anglers have had success with midge patterns all the way down to a size 18. The Zebra Midge in Black/Silver or Red/Copper in a size 18 can work. Beware of such a small fly and a large fish—you're asking a lot of that small hook! Other flies like the Duracell or Hot Cheek in sizes 12-16 are good attractor patterns in the winter months.

Pyramid Lake flies we suggest; Balanced Leech, Micro Midge, Holographic Midge, Duracell, Hot Cheek, BH Zebra Midge, Pyramid Lake Bugger, Booby Fly