Pyramid Lake Fishing Report | October 2025
The report at a glance
Depth
40 to 80 feet, most active inside bait balls (often 50 to 70 feet)
Presentation
Vertical jigging over marked fish; let the jig flutter, since most bites come on the drop
Lures and baits
1 to 3 ounce P-Line Laser Minnows (Wonderbread), Sierra spoons, and Jay's Triple Jigs on barbless hooks (not Catch America products).
Weather
Wild and windy on the final day of the trip (per guide)
Advice for this week
Keep your jig off the bottom and stay ready. Watch your electronics, pull up over the fish, and drop into the exact zone. Let the jig flutter. Barbless hooks make quick, clean releases easy.
Next week
Nate expects the October opener to keep delivering big cutthroats; the same vertical jigging style carries into late-season kokanee and king salmon.
Notable catch
105 cutthroat in a single day, more than 20 in the teens up past 20 pounds, topping near 23 pounds; Nate's best day in nearly two decades.
Pyramid Lake was on fire for the October 2025 opener. Capt. Nate Kelsch and crew put 105 Lahontan cutthroat trout in the boat, with 20-plus fish in the teens and some to 23 pounds. They vertical-jigged 1 to 3 ounce P-Line Laser Minnows and Sierra Spoons over fish stacked from 40 to 80 feet. Use the new Big Nate rod for the fight.
How is the fishing at Pyramid Lake right now?
Lights out. Nate reported 70 to 90 fish a day, and the best day hit 105 Lahontan cutthroat to the boat in five to six hours. Quality was incredible, with 20-plus fish in the teens and up to 23 pounds. Nate called it his best day in 20 years.
What depth are the fish holding at Pyramid Lake?
The cutthroat were stacked from 40 to 80 feet, with marks littering the graph from 50 down to about 80 feet inside bait balls. Pull up over the top of active fish and drop your jig into that zone to stay on them.
What lures work at Pyramid Lake?
Nate jigged 1 to 3 ounce P-Line Laser Minnows in Wonderbread and Sierra Spoons, plus triple-style jigs built for vertical presentations. These are competitor jigging spoons and minnows, not Catch America products, but they hammered the stacked cutthroat all day.
How do you jig for Pyramid Lake cutthroat?
Pull up over the top of the fish, drop the jig to the right zone, and let it flutter down. The fish usually hit on the flutter on the way down, then you lift and let it flutter again. All barbless hooks, no scent, staying right on top of the bait balls.
What rod is Nate using at Pyramid Lake?
The brand new Big Nate Catch America Kokanee and Trout Trolling Rod. Nate fought fish on it all day and showed off how deep it bends into these heavy cutthroat. It was his favorite rod of the trip.
Watch the full report
Pyramid Lake October 2025 FAQ
Stacked from 40 to 80 feet, with marks from 50 down to about 80 feet inside bait balls.
Vertical jigging. Pull up over the fish, drop the jig, and let it flutter down. The fish hit on the fall.
A Wonderbread P-Line Laser Minnow accounted for fish in this report.
Two fish per day: two from 17 to 20 inches, or one from 17 to 20 inches and one over 24 inches.
No. Nate fished barbless hooks with no scent, relying on the jigs and vertical presentation.
Nate landed 20-plus fish in the teens and up to 23 pounds on this trip, calling it his best day in 20 years.
Capt. Nate Kelsch (Big Nate) of Big Nate's Guide Service.
