The photoperiod kicked the lunkers Lahontin Cuttroats into a spawn mode causing them to band up and seek natal spawning waters which no longer exist after the daming the Truckee river for Fallon sweet alfalfa famouds for it high protein content world wide. I spwent over twenty years slowly hearding the varios fishery manger into a breeding project to restore the huge Pyramid trout. This had to be done with ego and staying well below the radar. What the tribe has done is create an artifical raceway where the mature spawner are enticed to congreate near and run up the spillway where milt and eggs are collected for the next years progeny.
I slowly change their system of collecting eggs and milt from a massive mass selection program to a more refineed selection. Government biologist fought me every step of the way but in the end the huge fish are slowly returning trying to convert their mass selection product into a crossing breeding system to maximize growth rates and size without affecting health. It has been a very slow process mainly challenged by disruptive biologist's who will not move past the fact that Pyramid Lake is not a natural environment and only artificial selection maintains enough genentic diversity from which to select. They rally do not understand selection from the tail end. The elders of the tribe are beginning to understand the need to bred back the "big red" cutthroats but it takes time as the arguments among the Fed, tribe, State are wasteful
I camp along the shore catching fish getting prepared mentally for the journey to the Baja kayaks the sea coast camping and living off the sea's bounty . We intend to replicate John Steinbeck and Doc Ricketts Sea of Cortes adventure. Right now the Cutthroats are close in shore and readily take a floating nymph. The camping is superb as is the fishing.
