Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Tough question. It depends on what you’re looking for, really. The most scenic is probably Barclay. Baring towers over head and it is truly impressive. But even though you won’t find solitude at any of these lakes Barclay is the one most likely to be a zoo. Boardman is nice, but I’d be inclined to go there when you can keep going past to the lakes above. I think I’d take Beaver Plant because if there are people around then you can go on to the Ashlands or Twin Falls.
In celebration of getting the pics reattached to this thread, here’s another big fish pic. I caught this one this last September in a Montana high lake.
Thanks for passing on the sad news, Tom.
Here’s a picture of Mabel and Don. Photo courtesy Mike Swayne.
It has taken me way too long so I just went through and resurrected the photos in this thread. It’ll be a while before I get to the other threads, but I’ll slowly bring them back on line.
Thanks for the reminder.
I bought some 6 lb Spiderwire a few years ago but I’ve been afraid to try it. I get paranoid in the super clear water of high lakes. That being said, I was fishing with a guy a few years ago who used a larger test Spiderwire and said he didn’t have any trouble with it.
I’d love to have you be the guinea pig and let me know how it goes 😀
Maybe I’m going to have to give in and just try it this year.
Sorry, when I migrated the board software a while I didn’t get the photos moved over. I still have to get that done.
I depends on when the ice comes off and how quickly the lake warms up. In higher lakes I’ve seen trout on their redds in mid to late July. But Barclay opens up sooner, I’m just guessing here, but I’d say they’ll be in the stream to spawn in late May or early June.
That’s a tough question. Goldens can be extremely fickle. I haven’t fished Big Greider since they started putting goldens in there so I can’t speak from direct experience on that lake. In other lakes I’ve found that you often have to search for them and it is hard to predict where they’ll be. I’ve seen lakes where they are all very deep, but did start to rise in the evening. I’ve seen other lakes where they are cruising the shallows in schools. I’ve seen them hiding under talus along the shore. Inlets are always good places to try. Greider is a very large lake with a lot of brush so a boat is extremely helpful in there.
If nothing is rising I’d try a brass Krocodile or Jakes Spin-a-lure fished deep or something like a wooly bugger fished on a sinking line at varying depths. If they are rising then, of course, try to match the hatch. They can turn off and on like somebody flipped a switch so they can be very frustrating at times!
I just got one of those to try next year, but I got the waterproof model instead.
That’s a good question. I’ve never been there and can’t offer a definitive answer. The only person I know who has been there told me that vehicular access was not permitted and they either walked or bicycled to the lake (I’m not sure which).
Hopefully someone with a better answer will chime in.
Blanca is stocked with RB. The lake is cold and not productive so the fish don’t get terribly large, but the setting is world class.
In the issues area of the site we just posted a summary of the history of fish stocking in North Cascades National Park and the historical case for fish stocking in the park. It is a good read and an important one for anyone interested in the issue.
The direct link is here. (184K pdf)
Welcome to the site and I’m glad you discovered the joys of high lake fishing.
There is no single book that has everything you want. To learn about hiking there are lots of books out there that will steer you in the right direction. This book has gotten excellent reviews at Amazon, but I haven’t read it myself.
Hiking guides are also numerous. The 100 Hikes series are the classic trail guides, but there are are several others available. None of the trail guides address fishing at all.
The best how-to guide to fishing high lakes is the WDFW primer.
The general state fishing guides don’t have much high lakes coverage. There is a series of high lake fishing guide books that list species for some of the state’s lakes, but the routes and fish species are not always reliable so I don’t really recommend them.
The really important thing to remember is that you really can’t go wrong with any high lake you visit. Fishing will be better in some places then others, but you can reliable assume there will be fish available and don’t have to worry about hiking to barren lakes. One of my favorite aspects of high lake fishing is not knowing what a lake holds. I consider it a fun challenge to discover the secrets of each lake I visit.
The fish you were catching in the Greenwater Lakes were probably brookies. No native fish up that far and the brookies have been in there for decades.
Welcome to the site and I’m glad you discovered the joys of high lake fishing.
There is no single book that has everything you want. To learn about hiking there are lots of books out there that will steer you in the right direction. This book has gotten excellent reviews at Amazon, but I haven’t read it myself.
Hiking guides are also numerous. The 100 Hikes series are the classic trail guides, but there are are several others available. None of the trail guides address fishing at all.
The best how-to guide to fishing high lakes is the WDFW primer.
The general state fishing guides don’t have much high lakes coverage. There is a series of high lake fishing guide books that list species for some of the state’s lakes, but the routes and fish species are not always reliable so I don’t really recommend them.
The really important thing to remember is that you really can’t go wrong with any high lake you visit. Fishing will be better in some places then others, but you can reliable assume there will be fish available and don’t have to worry about hiking to barren lakes. One of my favorite aspects of high lake fishing is not knowing what a lake holds. I consider it a fun challenge to discover the secrets of each lake I visit.
The fish you were catching in the Greenwater Lakes were probably brookies. No native fish up that far and the brookies have been in there for decades.
