I don’t remember ever catching a spawner in a mountain lake. I have seen redds in lake itself, but most spawners I have seen in mountain lakes have been in inlets. In British Columbia (all lake fishing, even with inlets, no river fishing), I’ve caught a lot of spawners. However, the rate probably is 10-15% spawners and 85-90% non-spawners. This was in June, in nonmountain lakes (but “lowland” lakes can be 3,000 ft, remember). My experience is that if you ever eat a spawner, you won’t eat another one. They may taste different, however, in mountain lakes. – mossback