North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine December 2016 | Page 38

of the nature of these types of basin systems, the
buildup of high concentrations of high pH minerals
and salts is prevalent. As water evaporates, it leaves
behind portions of these minerals.
This type of ecosystem is not for the faint of heart.
The inhabitants of these bodies of water must
be well acclimated and suited for this type of
environment to last, grow, and become abundant.
The Lahontan Cutthroat trout is just such a species.
From the depths of Pyramid Lake in Nevada came
the original brood stock of this fish to Omak Lake,
since they are, in comparison, sister lakes. I won’t
bore you with the lore and life history of these fish,
but I can tell you one thing, like the noted behemoth
trout of Pyramid, these fish are true leviathans.
The Lahontan trout of Omak can reach epic
proportions and it is not unheard of to see
specimens of over 32 inches. In fact, for five
consecutive years, I have seen fish brought to

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hand which knock on this 32” mark. When these
monsters from the deep make an appearance, it is
an epic experience for the angler and the onlooker
alike. I have had many people try to explain to me
the feeling of such an experience and mostly it
begins the same way. “I couldn’t believe the size of
that thing when it attacked my fly!” They speak as
if they were talking about catching Dorado in the
Sea of Cortez.
Lahontan fishing is often described similarly to
many types of saltwater fly angling (minus the
chumming.) At times, chasing fish in Omak Lake is
like beach fishing on Puget Sound and others. It is
like chasing the mammoths of the salt from a panga
in Baja. The nice thing is that all of these approaches
to angling work equally effectively at times. Fishing
at Omak Lake is what the angler wants to make of it.
Casting streamers from the beach can out produce
boat fishing, while the harder to reach coves and
bays, the opposite can be true.