The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

The fishing was better than its been in 25 years and all because the tribe finally started listening to our Reno friend and geneticist. 17 members of our club, Flycasters, Inc., San Jose, had a great fishout with great food and friends.

Pelican had a very hot early and late bite all weekend but it was an absolute zoo of people. A number of Santa Cruz Clubbers, also up that weekend, including Dougald Scott (NCCFFF Steelhead Committee Chairman) float tubed the very south the of the lake, past the ramp and did very well including some ten pounders.

Thursday afternoon when we arrived, Separator was dead, bright sun, clear water and no wind. Friday was overcast and windy and Windless Bay was fantastic. My fishing buddy got over 20; I got 9, and indicator pro Greg Sano of Dinuba kept taking fish on his $300 ladder-seat every 5 minutes all weekend. I’ve never fished that way before but went the indicator route most of the weekend.
Even got to meet Bluegrass Bill and his friend.

Greg’s floating line set up: 24” 4X leader butt; 5/8” dia. corkie; 12 Inches 4X; Split Shot; 24” 4X; inline blood midge about #12 ; 24” 5X tippet to #13 rootbeer midge.

Saturday was very bright sun, clear water and no wind so Windless Bay really slowed down. Naturally Greg Sano with his excellent casting and ability to slowing strip the line to find where the fish were took more fish. I found that using Rich’s suggestion of a slight twitch helped a lot. About 10:00 am Pete Agee, another good caster from Salinas, two ladders down from me took a 31”, 10 pounder. I took about 4 fish all day. In the afternoon, I tried a shooting head and got a fish on my first cast using a white-top chartreuse body beetle on the dropper with a black and green body wooly worm at the point of a Reno Fly Shop kind of leader. I used to put a white or brown wooly worm on the dropper.

Sunday was another sunny day with some wind and I took two fish before it was time to leave. We fished right front of the marina building north of the point where the closure starts.

Skitt fiske!

Marty, can I shoot you some questions on the nymphing setup described? I've only fished Pyramid a couple of times, and always went with streamer stripping.

Why 4x between the line and the corky/indicator? Does it need to be light for some reason?

With a split shot just a foot down from the indicator, are you meaning to present the midges in the top foot or two under the surface? I picture the flies floating off sideways from the shot at a foot or so down.

Of course, if it works, the whys and wherefores don't matter so much! I'm in a bit of pickle, having sent my Ross reel off for repairs with my usual running line left right on the spool. So if I get to Pyramid this week, I'll either be using my striper rig sinktip (probably too deep/fast) or an indicator rig.

Pit Boss

The standard Reno Fly Shop Leader 8'(tied by Bud Johnson) with a (12# 29" up) dropper uses a 8# tippet and goes up from there. These fish are not leader shy. I'm only guessing that the 4X and then a 5X tippet allows more fly motion.

I would just guess (it's Greg's System) and say the medium size split shop keeps the rig lower in the water column. You do however seem to need either motion by wind and wave, a slow pull, or a slight twitch that often gets them to finally hit. Then again if there's no wind or riffle the fish may not come that close to shore and you have to cast further. At other times the fish can even be behind the ladder line or hit just a few feet in front of you.

There are often a lot of fish milling around as they migrate in pods around the lake but unless you get the fly with some motion right in front of their noses they often ignore you.

I used one of Sage's new bass taper floating lines on an 8 wt, because I had it set up for my last Florida Bass trip. Many friends used 6wts. Many people used sink tips, fast sink, lead core, and T-14 heads I saw everything you could imagine. You can use anything you can cast and everything from the traditional wooly worms to beetles.

One friend uses a single fly on a medium/fast sink line. He takes a lot of fish using a white wooly worm in the am and a black or purple one in the pm.


Skitt fiske!

Hi Pitt Boss

At Pyramid my setup starting at my bottom fly size #12, 18"s to 24"s tied to the bend of the top fly with Puglisi 4X which is 6.9 lb. test, Dia. .007. The top fly is size #12-#8,next section of leader is 12"s to 24"s of 6 lb. fluorocarbon line, Dia. .009, tied to 8 lb. fluorocarbon line with a small split shot above the knot, so it won't slip down. The 8 lb. leader is to length depending on the area I'm fishing, this is the section I will move my indicatior up and down, depending, on depth fish are moving in, of coarse distance changes depth, wave action, and wind movement, all can change depth or placement of your indicator. Hope this helps good luck.
Greg Sano

Hey Greg,

It was great to see you and get to fish with you up there at Pyramid a couple weeks back. That was my first trip there and sure won't forget it .

Best Wishes!

Bill