Lahontan cut recovery - big 'uns you can go get, now

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Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Lahontan cut recovery - big 'uns you can go get, now

Post by Jimi »

http://www.rgj.com/article/20130224/NEW ... ck_check=1

Interestingly, this race of ginormous delicious fish was thought extinct for decades. Luckily some yahoo back in the 1800's put them in a Great Basin mtn range, near Wendover, where they were rediscovered in the 1970's. That population is being restored back to Pyramid Lake, where they came from. People are now catching 20-pounders. Very, very cool.

Cheers,
Jimi
Phreaker76
Posts: 1
Joined: July 29th, 2013, 2:20 pm

Re: Lahontan cut recovery - big 'uns you can go get, now

Post by Phreaker76 »

I just wanted to say thanks for this article. As a wabbabe ichthyologist I have always been very interested in the Salmonidae family. I have caught nearly every native trout to the Sierra's but this is on my bucket list still. It's nice to see that they haven't become extinct and lets hope we have learned a valuable lesson about over collecting/fishing.
VICtort
Posts: 691
Joined: July 2nd, 2010, 6:48 pm
Location: AZ.

Re: Lahontan cut recovery - big 'uns you can go get, now

Post by VICtort »

That is a fun and strong fishery that I participate in each early Spring. Not for everybody, but if you can endure the wildly variable weather, cast a heavy fly into a stiff wind and stay dry in a white capping lake, you will catch great fish. 20-30 fish days reward tenacious anglers, and they average 3 lbs., with dozens in 5-10lb. range. A rare few, but every year fish in the high teens are taken.

The Pyramid Lake Paiutes won some arduous battles over water rights, there are those alfalfa farmers who will/did pump the inflow Truckee river dry...and that led to the decline of Lahontan cutthroats and the Federally listed Cui-hui, a large endemic sucker. One could do an anthropology or sociology Masters thesis on the ensuing decades long battle.

For now, the hatchery enhanced fishery is stable and improving. We fish with flies, but the purple maribou jig guys catch plenty on spinning gear and trollers do too. Sacramento perch, one of the few (only?) Centrarchids native to the west also inhabit this amazing Lake.

I will make it a goal to post photos eventually, it is hard to put the rod down and take the camera out with near frozen fingers...

Vic
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Tim Borski
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:28 am
Location: FL Keys
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Re: Lahontan cut recovery - big 'uns you can go get, now

Post by Tim Borski »

There's a definite romance surrounding the Lahontan's story...and then there's the whole step ladder thing. I will make it a point to experience it soon. (Victort, 'you up for a long, long weekend?) :mrgreen:

I've known about these for years, but thanks for bringing it to the forefront again...sometimes I forget about important stuff.

Tim
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