Monster Pyramid lake Nevada cutt landed

[B-RUN STEELIE]

24 pounds 12 oz.. If one of you picture poster guys could help I would e-mail you a photo of it so it can be posted. Caught by a fly fisherman.. this fish is a pig !!!!

[clacksteel]

That is one MONSTER of a fish. I would love to see a pic if someone could put it up.

[D$_KFalls]

Send it to my e-mail and I'll post it for you.

Check your PM for my e-mail address. Can't wait to see it!

[D$_KFalls]

Holy Crap! This is one fat pig of a fish!

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/5788tim_bayles.jpg

[B-RUN STEELIE]

You are looking at the new IGFA record holder in a whole bunch of different catagorys.. Not to mention the fact that this dude will pick up a big wad of cash at the end of the season if it holds up as the biggest fish.... Kinda funny... there are a ton of guys who fish that lake with down riggers and huge J-plugs and stuff and this guy gets this fish in 6 ft of water with a wooly bugger... fly fisherman do indeed " rule"....

[PittsburghD]

Amen to that! I have been trolling the shorelines of Odell in the mornings after long days of jigging and downriggering with friends to out do them on my toon during Mem. Day.

Thanks,

D

[tangled]

holy toledo!

[FallRiverGuy]

Cow-a-bunga! :bigshock:

[Abalone]

Holy Mackerel...... :bigshock: :bigshock: :dance:

Look at the head on that one !

Last time I say a face like that it had a hook in it..

:tongue:No repspect I tell ya :tongue:

[MattyFlavor]

Yeah but he is wearing a Steelers hat. Those guys are losers! He'll probably hold the record until like Thanksgiving then he'll give it up...(-jk- of course)


:laugh:

[B-RUN STEELIE]

The whole story... he released it after it was weighed.. Not to worry- those fish can be out of the water for a long time with no problems.. I have let some big ones go down there but I think I would have kept this one. As the scales are official and registered at Crosbys.. The record should stand for fly tackel and also line weight records..

On February 27, 2005, Tim Bayles was fishing with his oldest son Tim, and Tim's brother Bill at the North Nets.It was a cloudy day with the winds at 15 to 20 mph. Tim had been fishing since 2:00 p.m. , catching and releasing 3 smaller fish. But things got exciting when he hooked the BIG ONE 15 feet from his ladder. The fish immediately burned off 200 feet of line on his 8 weight Reddington Fly Rod. He fought this fish for approximately 15 to 20 minutes while his son Tim Jr. moved the ladders out of the way. Brother Bill netted the cutthroat in the end.

Right away Tim took his prize up to Crosby Lodge to be weighed and measured. This beauty weighed in at 24 pounds 12 ounces and was 33 1/2 inches long. He caught it using one of his own personally tied black wooley buggers. It was the last fish that he caught and it definitely was a terrific way to end the day.

Tim's biggest concern was not just getting his picture taken, but making sure this trophy fish was returned as soon as possible to the lake to continue it's existence. He zoomed down to the Marina docks to release it. At first the fish didn't respond. So Tim got into the water to help urge it on, pushing it so the water would get fully into the gills. He was almost frantic because he wanted so much to see this fine specimen live. Then like an electric shock, the fish took off like its fins were on fire.

The mark of a true sport fisherman was that Tim wanted to see this great fish live. Oh sure, he could have kept it, had it mounted for all to see, yet he made that extra effort to let the fish go forth and prosper. All he has for his efforts is a Polaroid. But allow me to wax poetic. Diehard fishermen, be they at it for 40 years or 4 years, all dream of that ultimate fish that will (1) make them famous or even more important (2) the biggest one they ever caught. But I think what Tim did in that selfless act, was to make sure that the superior DNA that his 24 plus pounder had will go forth and procreate more wonderful fish for everyone else to enjoy. So to you Tim Bayles, many accolades in catching AND releasing this Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. The Grin on your face says it all.

[mandinga]

I talked to my best friend from reno this morning and he told me he was about 2 ladders down from the guy.

He said he thought it was going to snap his rod...


This does not surprise me at all, I have seen guys hook fish that were probably close to this big, but there was no chance at all of landing...

I am going to call the fly shop and get some more details.

[mandinga]

Tim's biggest concern was not just getting his picture taken, but making sure this trophy fish was returned as soon as possible to the lake to continue it's existence. He zoomed down to the Marina docks to release it. At first the fish didn't respond. So Tim got into the water to help urge it on, pushing it so the water would get fully into the gills. He was almost frantic because he wanted so much to see this fine specimen live. Then like an electric shock, the fish took off like its fins were on fire.






I can tell you first hand that I have released about 20 big cutts this same way...weigh it at crosbys, keep it in a bucket of water...jam to the marina which is about .2 miles away and release the fish...it works everytime. These fish are very good survivors.

[mandinga]

IM SO STOKED THAT A FLY GUY GOT THIS FISH!!!!!


there is an ongoing debate about fly guys versus gear tossers at pyramid....well...naa naa naaa naaa naaaa!!!!!!!

ONE UP FOR THE FLIES!!!!YAHOOOOOEEEEE

[Big Ben]

Screw the fly and rod; what kinda LADDER was that guy using? :bigshock:

[MacFish]

Great story, beautiful fish. That'll have me in front of the vice for a while tonight.

[mandinga]

Screw the fly and rod; what kinda LADDER was that guy using? :bigshock:





:whazzup:
not sure...but probably a regular 6-footer. Alot of guys have custom platforms welded onto the ladders to increase stability...along with other modifications.

[B-RUN STEELIE]

Most use a step ladder that has two steps, a large flat step and a high bar ( so you can stand on the top step and lean into the bar. Or, sometimes you can turn it around, sit on the bar and put your feet on the flat step. )

[fishyjames]

truely awesome fish, And how nea is it to hear it is still swimmimg.

[Cliff]

Dumb question...

what do you guys mean by ladder?

Like an actual ladder? What do you need it for?

Thanks

Cliff

[Ryan Pultz]

This guy is not standing on top of the water they use it so they can get out deeper and yet still be able to get a good cast and spot and cast to fish.rp
http://www.rogueflyfishers.org/Events/P02/PL08.jpg http://www.rogueflyfishers.org/Events/P02/PL02.jpg

[Tugjunkie]

:bigshock:Ok that gets my blood runnin..... booked at crosbys Mar17-20th, anyone else headed that way...ladderup and roll....
keepem tight
TJ

[mandinga]

ryan, you almost hit the nail on the head...yes, we use the ladders to get higher and cast farther...but the most important part of a ladder is that it keeps you high and dry. It is very cold at pyramid...standing in that water all day will kill you.

For those of you going to pyramid, make sure you bring your THICK NEOPRENES, leave your breathables at home.

[5-Cents]

Thats BS... you can put a beautiful fish like that in a bucket of water take it a quater of a mile to get it weighed and have a picture of it taken indoors then take it a quarter of a mile back to the lake to release it and we cant even take a springer out of the water for a pic :shrug:

What a trophy but the guy should have retained the fish or let it go on the lake after a pic :hoboy: I've caught 3 trout in my life over 12 pounds flyfishing, two rainbows on Klamath Lake and on Cut on the Yellowstone river and I would never consider treating those fish this way. :hoboy:

[mandinga]

Thats BS... you can put a beautiful fish like that in a bucket of water take it a quater of a mile to get it weighed and have a picture of it taken indoors then take it a quarter of a mile back to the lake to release it and we cant even take a springer out of the water for a pic :shrug:

What a trophy but the guy should have retained the fish or let it go on the lake after a pic :hoboy: I've caught 3 trout in my life over 12 pounds flyfishing, two rainbows on Klamath Lake and on Cut on the Yellowstone river and I would never consider treating those fish this way. :hoboy:




I was waiting for this...I knew someone would take offense to this practice.
Im confused...you would liked to see him kill the fish, not even try to release it...yet you are blasting him?

Comparing a wild oregon springer and a pyramid lake cutt are apples and oranges. The reason you can't take them out of the water is because ITS AGAINST THE LAW. period. You can keep two cutts per day at pyramid as long as it is over 22". Thats the law. period.

Have you ever seen fish and game scooping up steelhead and transporting them downstream? They do the same thing at pyramid lake when the cutts are spawning. I have seen the indian wardens miss the transport truck, fish flopping around in the dirt...warden grabs fish and chucks it back into the tank.

Because he took the fish to weigh it he will probably have the IGFA record. If you want to knock a guy for releasing an IGFA fish, then by all means. But I think you may want to redirect your comments to the thousands of gear fisherman who regularly keep 10-14lb cutts. :shrug:


BTW, we always take a HUGE cooler out with us along with a battery operated aerator to ensure that the fish will be fine. Like I said before, I have released MANY fish this way and never, not once have I ever seen a fish not blast off when released.

[Abalone]

I commend both of you gentlemen for your ethical nature.
In all the excitement of catching a life time fish like that what would I have done ?

That's hard to say but I sure would like to document that and then to get credit for a record fish. While I release 99% if all trout I catch without removing them from the water I doubt if I would be considering this in all that excitement, especially if the standard practice in that area were to put the fish in the bucket and release it.
Knowing the fish would be OK.

Chinooks as strong as they are, are delicate fish to handle. They don't transport well like Steelhead and Coho's.

No doubt handling any fish in any way is stressful but fatal ???? I don't know, I think that trout will be just fine.

Personally I would have mounted it. In six month it will be bigger and if someone else catches it again ??

There goes my fame.

Chill dudes..... You are both right... :bearhug:

[5-Cents]

What if that fish swims off and dies... that would be a waste. :shrug:

I would hate to disagree with ya but I think a salmon is a lot hardier than any trout. I havent seen to many trout with seal/shark sized gashes that have lived. :rolleyes: If he took that fish all the way to the store with its head in a bucket he probably should have kept it rather than relasing the thing to die on the bottom of that lake... now thats a waste. :hoboy: :hoboy: :hoboy:

[Two Fister]

I'm with 5 Cents on this one. I've worked in hatcheries, on salmon farms, and doing shock surveys for the USFS. Fish that are stressed in such a way will often respond by darting off into deep water on pure adrenaline. After the stresses involved they often settle onto the bottom where they die. I saw this over and over again. Catfish can handle this type of stress. Trout can't.

You may not see the fish die, but it takes very careful control of temperature and aeration equipment to ensure the survival of cold water species. When we transported fish from the hatchery someone always rode on the back of the truck to monitor a couple of oxygen sensors in the tanks and to adjust the amount of oxygen as needed. How much oxygen do you think there would be in a bucket? Not much.

Fish picked for spawning usually just need to survive long enough to get to a hatchery. They are usually stripped of eggs with a small gutting hook so their survival is not in question. There are techniques for live removal of eggs from ripe hens, but there is a very high mortality rate and it is very time consuming. As such it is also very expensive.

Chrome Mandingas approach of a cooler with an aeration stone would certainly work better, but I guess I just don't understand why somebody would go to so much trouble. Keep the fish (if it's legal) or take a picture and release it. Seems pretty simple to me.

Personally, I would have taken a picture and released it promptly. I'll never keep a fish that I'm not going to eat regardless of what book I'd get my name in.

My 2 cents anyway.
TF

[Stew]

My belief is that no fish should be removed from the water just for an ego picture.I have done this in the past myself but will do it no more. I feel it's better to err on the side of the survival of the wild fish than to just get your "glory shot"
As for that trout he could have gotten a measurement and a picture without endangering the fish. It's easy enough to get a picture without ever having to remove the fish from the water.

[Rimshot]

I dunno, I see both sides but I think what this guy did was a good thing. I'm mean it was potentially several records so it needed to be weighed. I think anyone would have done that. I know I would have. So really the question was to bonk it before taking it to be weighed or trying to save it. Now I agree that there is only a slim chance that fish survived - but there is a chance - which makes what he did commendable in my book. And what if that fish sank to the bottom and died? Well, that's less of a "waste" than going in someones belly if you ask me.

[mandinga]

What if that fish swims off and dies... that would be a waste. :shrug:





I hope I didnt sound mad or something, because im not. Truthfully I expected someone to say something about this sort of catch and release method and I commend you for being the one to do so.



If the fish swims off and dies then by all means it was a waste.

Whats more of a waste, keeping the fish and eating it or trying to release it and the fish dying...of course if you are a fisherman that fishes to feed his family then you are wasting 15 or so lbs of good trout meat, but if you are a fly fisherman who enjoys catching fish then you would rather take the chance that the fish will die...hoping that it wont. That way someone will have a chance to catch that hog again, or it will pass on some of it's genes to offspring.

I think we all know why most fly fisherman fish, we fish for the pleasure of fishing, not for the meat.

[clacksteel]

My suggestion is that if you are going for a record, get a scale certified. It's only $15 to IGFA plus the cost of the scale (many resonable priced scales on Ebay). Scales are great even if you aren't looking for a record, and can be bought for about $5.

[mandinga]

I havent seen to many trout with seal/shark sized gashes that have lived. :rolleyes:



I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but steelhead are trout and I have seen a few with large gashes living. And seeing as though no lahontan cutthroat could ever encounter a seal your point is null and void. Sea runs are not the same as what is in pyramid, and to my knowledge there are no seals in pyramid...although I have heard stories of large monsters living deep...???


Trout are delicate, all fish are delicate.

[mandinga]

Chrome Mandingas approach of a cooler with an aeration stone would certainly work better, but I guess I just don't understand why somebody would go to so much trouble. Keep the fish (if it's legal) or take a picture and release it.




The reason I started doing this method was because we have 3-4 derbys a year at pyramid...and the only acceptable entry is a WEIGHED FISH. This method was at first only for the derbys, but as time went on we got good at it and decided that if the fish was BIG this is what we would do instead of keeping the fish and surely killing it.

Of course we don't do this with every big fish...usually it is when it is someones first bigun at pyramid, or when it is a really really big fish.

[LunkerFish]

:lurk:

[B-RUN STEELIE]

Another point to concider.. these fish are a lot tougher than your avg rainbow. Its a common practice to put fish on a stringer thats attached to a ski pole stuck in the sand in about a foot of water behind your ladder. These fish will swim all day with no ill affects at all with a stringer through their mouths... sorta like the cat fish of trout in a lot of ways. I have not kept a fish from that lake in years.. after I got my first 10 lber pin from Crosbys I figured its all Gravey after that. However.. I would have kept that one. My hats off to the guy for doing what he felt was right.. But if you know much about that lake you will realize that he let an easy 10,000 bucks swim away. Several casinos in Reno offer cash for biggest fish of the year. Anyway.. It was an awsume feat and I am glad it was a fly fisherman who pulled it off... One last note- Its not the all tackel record... Thats 41 lbs but that was in the 1930's. It will be the line class record and several other records as well

[Gizmo Man]

I see the Monday morning quarterbacks are at it.

The reality is, the guy caught the fish and got a pic of it and returned it to the water (from what was written) We can now look at it. What we would do if we caught a trophy sized fish is speculation.

Lets not beat this to death and cause me to have to mod...ok...


Giz...

[Fish Eater]

Looks like a big hatchery spent fish to me! Maybe not, but I would kill it....you can't expect to put that much strain on that old and big fish and release it and expect it to live. In any event, congradualations, for catching a huge rainbow on a fly!................L

PS: It won't taste that good, but at least it went to good use in your stomach and others, or maybe better off in the drink to the crawdads swimming on the bottom of the lake!

[Cliff]

Thats awesome with the ladders!! Where is this lake at? Thanks for the pics


CLiff

[Stew]

I see the Monday morning quarterbacks are at it

:applause:

[mandinga]

I see the Monday morning quarterbacks are at it.

The reality is, the guy caught the fish and got a pic of it and returned it to the water (from what was written) We can now look at it. What we would do if we caught a trophy sized fish is speculation.

Lets not beat this to death and cause me to have to mod...ok...


Giz...



thanks giz... :cheers:

[Abalone]

Does the ladder have a beer holder attached to it ?

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Why not just use a boat ??

[mandinga]

boats are all over the place on pyramid...I think its better fishing from the shore...


There are big dropoffs that the fish sit under...only accesible from beach.