Anyone been fishin lately?

I’ve made a number of trips to the lakes on the Tumac Plateau and the Crow Creek drainage. It’s all good…I’ve been fighting a head cold for about 4 days or I’d be gone for a couple of days. Mosquitoes have been amazingly non-pesky on the Tumac, too.

Guest – Which Lakes have you been fishing in Crow Creek basin? Crow Creek Lake? Janet? Rae? Sheepherder? Can you drive past the look out to end of road? I fished all the lakes except Sheepherder originally in 1966. The then-WDG had overplanted both Janet and Rae. Son got hooked on fishing because he could catch an 8-inch trout on every cast in Janet. Rae was a little better, but no more than 10-ll inches. Went back in 1967, and things were a little better. Had to find the way–no trail of any kind to the lakes. Didn’t get back again until 1970. Fishers’ trail to lakes, the nice campsite at Rae was full of trash, etc. Word had gotten out by then because of Clar Pratt’s survey reports. Anyway, I enjoyed the area, until dirt bikers put a jumble of bike trails all around the sides of the hills, and used their dirt bikes to travel the trail to Crow Creek shelter. BTW, is the shelter still there? Do horsepeople still go from Hwy 410 past Sheepherder to the shelter and tie their horses to trees near the shelter? Used to give a nice scent to the air around there. – Mossback

Sorry Mossback-I didn’t see your reply until today-I’ve been to all of those lakes within the past year. Janet and Rae are what I call Upper and Lower Crescent-I can’t remember which one is called Janet or Rae. The lower lake has a population of spawning CT that causes that lake to be over populated but the Upper Crescent puts out some nice fish. Lots of freshwater shrimp. The old Crow Creek shelter is still there but is pretty well dilapidated. There’s some controversy because horsemen want the NFS to fix it, but the NFS would tear it down if it had the $ to do so, but is just going to let it fall. Would not surprise me if some of the local horsemen rebuilt or fixed it on their own. I’m guessing since you’ve been there the road into the Cougar Valley TH from Raven’s Roost has been closed. There are no vehicles in that area now-plus it’s in the Norse Peak WA. Still plenty of horsemen coming in from Sheepherder-nice little lake and some good fishing still.

Thanks for the info. Janet is the lower one; Rae is upper one. Yes, I went past lookout to end of road, except when snow blocked getting past lookout. The then WDG air planted over 500 CT p/acre in 1962; we (Trail Blazers) plant about 20-30 per acre. How have you done in Crow Creek Lake? What species have you caught? – Mossback

I blew it, Guest. Janet is the upper one. And, I was way off on number per acre. WDG planted 15,000 CT in 1950!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s about 3,600 per acre. I’m amazed any shrimp survived. They planted 5,000 every other year starting in 1959, 61, 63, 65; that’s only about 2,000 per acre; I’m surprised any fish grew to more than 3 inches! Rae was even worse. WDG planted about 3,000 every other from 1959-thru 1965. That’s why my son caught an 8-incher on every other cast in 1965 (maybe 1966). Anyway, the WDG finally got educated and started planting fewer per acre. – Mossback

Hi again Mossback-

That’s an unbelievable # of fish! Crow Lake was spectacular when I was there on June 22nd-I caught a cuttthroat that went 18 3/4 and another one that was close enough to 21 inches to call 21 inches-it was huge. They were just stuffed with shrimp-they smell so strongly of shrimp my wife noticed it when I was washing them in the kitchen sink. All those lakes, Sheepherder, Janet, Rae and Crow are being planted w Cutthroat although I doubt Rae is being planted. There’s another little lake being called Three Sombreros that’s in the drainage about a mile above Crow that’s being planted, too. There were a lot of fish in the 9-12 range when I was there. Not many people are fishing any of those lakes.

I hiked into Sundown Lake last week (up the South Fork of the Skok) and caught quite a few rainbow, the largest was 18″.

Been out a few times, this is the biggest I have caught so far. Have to go to nwhikers to see the fish, sorry. My ISP is migrating over personal webpages and haven’t finished yet. It’s been a couple weeks too… arrgh. 👿

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=138559#138559

I’ve been consumed by summer steelhead fishing lately. I don’t know why, as the catching has been rather dismal, but, though I lack a good excuse, I haven’t yet ventured into the high country this year.

I think I will in the next week or two. There is a lake I’ve been meaning to visit…

Nice fish, there, sooperfly.

Andrew

There is a lake I’ve been meaning to visit…

You’re sounding like a Trail Blazer Brownster! – Mossback

I’ve given myself away…

To be honest, I’ve even turned steelheading into an activity that’s heavy on hiking. In fact, if alpine basins hosted larger fish, I don’t believe civilization would see my face from late May to October.

I’ve got full intentions of becoming a Trail Blazer after I get a couple more college degrees out of the way, so why not start sounding like one now? 😀

Andrew

college degrees out of the way

The club has several PhD members. You won’t feel or be out of place. – mossback.

where is the crow creek drainage.

The Crow Creek drainage is in the north end of Yakima County. It is north of Bumping Lake and south of Naches Pass.

I’ve fished four lakes on 6 days this year, and only had one fish on the line, and the bugger got away. I’m very inexperienced at angling, but did a lot better last year. 🙄

Just got back from a great fishing trip in Idaho. My ISP still hasn’t fixed our user webpages so I won’t be able to post pics yet. 😡

We got into some very nice sized cutties.

Where in Idaho?!

Brian,

The Frank Church. I’ll zap you a pic or two after I get through these.. had a new underwater camera that took some cool pics/vids.

Sight fishing from shore was unbelievable… Fishing from the raft was great too, good thing I had a waterproof camera, as I wasn’t going to lift these guys out of the water sitting in the raft to take a pic. Might have swamped me. 😀 Only partially kidding.

Hey the Frank Church is a HUGE area I need more clues. ❓ ❓ I’ve spent several weeks hiking in the Frank Church over the years…

I’m looking forward to your pics.

Well, my ISP still hasn’t fixed our user webpages, so we bought a domain.

I’ll put up a gallery when I get it done, but for now here is a cutty pic. This was just about an average fish in this lake. Other lakes had smaller fish.

http://www.rivercolor.com/images/average.jpg

I see you eat the small ones raw 😉

@smckean wrote:

I see you eat the small ones raw 😉

Sorry, my dense brain doesn’t get it? ❓

I think he means it looks like you’re holding a small one in your mouth in that pic.

I’m headed to the Frank Church myself again this year, on or around the 3rd-11th of Sep. Went in last year and got pushed out by a nasty storm in mid September camping at Harbor Lake, beautiful area, caught a few Cutts in Wilson. If the weather holds I hope to vist more of the area this year.

Should be nice that time of year! Hopefully less bugs! Couple of the places we went to were thick with flies and skeeters.

A video frame grab from my Curtis Raft. 😀

This is from a hike last weekend.

Jackchinook with a nice 19 inch ‘bow.

http://www.rivercolor.com/images/bow1.jpg

“Nice” is an understatement. That’s a beautiful, fat, Butterball.