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Marylou – Click on the Biography link, go to Con Mattson. You will be able to read two BRIEF recaps of two routes on Lime Ridge. – Mossback
Come to August meeting. Will be the peak month for stocking trips; you should be able to get some information about who is going where, when. – Mossback
college degrees out of the way
The club has several PhD members. You won’t feel or be out of place. – mossback.
There is a lake I’ve been meaning to visit…
You’re sounding like a Trail Blazer Brownster!
– Mossback AH, Ragged Ridge. Early on, I traveled a particular route that took me across Excelsior River just above the end of the clearcut. The first thing I discovered was a collapsed trapper’s cabin. The second thing I discovered was a large rock face with several “holes” at ground level between cracks and large boulders. On one trip, I had my 16-year-old son with me. We stopped just after crossing the creek, near the trapper’s old cabin. Was dusk (10:30-45), and could near a few birds and other “typical” forest noises. Suddenly, the space between us the the cliffs went quiet; not a sound. Shortly thereafter, the space to the west went quiet; shortly thereafter, the space between us and the river went quiet (I could hear the river, but nothing else); ditto for the area to the east. Son didn’t pick up all the quiet, and I didn’t tell him. But, believe me, I didn’t sleep very much that night.
Next morning, we climbed up through cracks in a cliff (using huckleberry pitons). I can’t remember whether we saw any bear droppings on that trip, but on subsequent trips I found bear scat here and there over a lot of ground. I give myself a 99.44% probability no grizzlies were in the area, but I give myself 99.44% probability that bears were in the area. – MossbackBrian Curtis probably will reply with more and better information than I can provide, but I’ll offer a couple bits. I’d recommend you visit Hi-Lakers club meetings, and Trail Blazer club meetings. You can find the Hi-Lakers website with the following URL: http://www.hilakers.org
You can find the meeting place, day, and time by following a link or two. I can’t find the meeting place link on this Trail Blazers web site, so you’ll have to wait until Brian replies (he’s the webmaster).
I am assuming you want to hike to mountain lakes, most of which will be off trail (less crowded, more enjoyable trips, usually better fishing). By attending meetings, you can meet members, learn about anticipated trips (and who went where when and level of fishing success), and ask to go on planned trips. Some trips are over night, but most are one-dayers.
I won’t add any more details here. You will learn a lot by attending meetings. – 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
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
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 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
Brian says it like it is. Goldens are VERY fickle. You can fish for them for 2 days and swear no Goldens are in the lake. Next morning they let you know they are there, and friendly. Brian told you the name of the lure (I seldom fished mountain lakes with flies) I’ve used: Jakes Spin-a-Lure. I, too, have found gold is best. I haven’t fished Grieder since the 1960’s (before Goldens). Brian has given good advice, for about ANY lake in which trout reside. – Mossback
“At the moment, I have found titles to 4 slides about cabins: 1981 – cabin remains, 1984 – cabin site remains before cleanup, 1984 – cabin site remains after cleanup, 1985 – old miner's cabin near turnoff to lake (he built it on old logging road). Unfortunately, the slides are in hands of person who will be scanning them–sometime. I haven't examined all my indexes; may have another photo or two. Anyway, that's it for now. – mossback”
If you have heard of Pack and Paddle, and Louise Marshall, and why she decided to omit information in her publication about fishing, you will understand why most lakes–especially small, off trail lakes–are NOT publicized. She reported good fishing in a lake, decided to go to the lake a couple months later, and found it overrun with people. One of the “100, 101, etc. Hikes” books included trip details about how to get to a peak along the North Fork of the Snoqualmie; a photo showing a nice looking lake was included. That lake had produced trout to 13 inches for years. the “Hikes” book came out in May or June. By October, the lake was fished out. In the 1960’s the then Washington Department of Game asked for fishers to send in cards with fishing information; if you sent in at least 10 cards, you received a summary of all the reports submitted. I “researched” lakes for years; learned of two lakes east of Chinook Pass that had been planted 3 years before. Couldn’t find them on 1st trip; finally found them. Fishing was good; I did NOT submit report on those lakes. Unfortunately, several people did. A couple years later I decided to go back. Getting to the lakes that used to be a bushwhack now had a fishers’ trail to it, and no fish was more than 8 inches. WDG quit sending summaries a few years later because of negative impact on too many mountain lakes. Those are a few examples of why you have to “earn” your way to lakes with good fishing. The picture you posted is a lake that could NOT stand much traffic, even if it had no fish. The lake is in an area too beautiful to tolerate trails, campsites, etc.
