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How about fly/lures?
As a tier, I heavily weigh the shank in the upper half with lead. I use marabou tail which, similar to a kite, serves to keep the fly riding correctly (as explained below).
I originally got the idea from the acid rain studies I was involved with in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming (we were sampling lakes in the Popo Agie and Fitzpatrick Wilderness Areas). We would drop Van Doren (sp?) bottles over the side of rafts (flown in by US Forest Service helicopters) to take samples from deep in the alpine lakes. We were originally getting baseliine data because of oil sweetening plants and oil rigs which were planned for east of Pinedale with westerly winds potentially carrying the acid rain into the winds. Note, this was back in the 80’s. We used small plankton nets too dropping them over the side and drifting across the lakes. In most cases, at least in the large deep lakes, we would find both daphnia, cyclops (both considered zooplankton) and some very large fresh water shrimp. In one lake with large golden trout, we were bringing up fresh water shrimp that were an inch long. I kid you not. One need not wonder anymore why the trout get so big in the wind rivers.
As an aside, the real question is not in the shrimp but in the precipitation (IMHO). With much lower rainfalls, the fertility of the waters in the rockies is more concentrated. I know some have said it is the mineralogy, but zoo plankton needs biomass not minerals to grow and serve as food to the shrimp. So there has to be a carbon based fertility in those waters different from our own lakes which are heavily flushed from high precep. Note, I have also seen goldens swimming around clouds of zooplankton with their mouths open much like whales in the ocean. The zooplankton balled up into light clouds but I do not know if the fish did that or some other phenomena at work here in the high lakes.
In any event, I watched the behavior of the shrimp in the Van Doren bottle. If you have taken the time to observe them, they are quite acrobatic in the way they change direction and can drop quickly head down or come back up. This is why you weigh the fly heavily in the front, you drag the fly a short distance then let the weight dive the fly. Your goal is a rather smooth yet erratic changes in direction. There should be enough drag in the tail that it goes heads down when you go slack. Similar when you lift the fly, it should rise heads up. There is a balance there between the size/drag of the tail and amount of lead you use. And so we have a fly/lure. The larger flies can be cast with a bait pole using 2 lb test line.
I got a few more secrets after working as a ranger in the US Forest Service (including six years here on the Wenatchee in the Alpine Lakes, Glacier Peak and Henry M Jackson WAs). The biggest hint is that the harder it is to get to the lake, the better the fishing. And that includes busting your butt to get to the backside of popular lakes and leave the shoreline along the camping areas for the city slickers. If anyone has walked the backside of Colchuck Lake, you know what I am talking about (rock slides and willow thickets all the way to waters edge). I actually got in the water and UNDER the willows because the rock slides were too steep in some places – chest deep at times – the shade from the willows allowing me to watch the fish come up and grab the fly dragging 3 feet from my face (the pole underwater and pointed out into the lake but the fly dragging behind my hand. Sure, it is hard work, but I will tell you what, there are some big rainbows in Colchuck Lake. I am not afraid to tell folks as it is under limited use permit camping (being part of the Enchantments permit area). Cook those fish well though as they do have worm/parasites in their abdominal cavities.
Wildlander
Ken BoettgerBigfoot?
I’M RIGHT HERE!!!
My nickname in college was Sasquatch.
🙂
The strangest thing that I have ever heard was up in the basin past Lake Cuitin on French Ridge. There is a very small creek there which actually has small trout in it (before the Turquoise Lake basin). Anyway, camped on that tiny creek one night and listened to some kind of mechanical humming sound all night long. A long lonely ways from any highway and not sure where that sound was coming. Real spooky. UFO? Underground bunkers in the wilderness? hehehe. I don’t know, but it sure had me up most of the night. Probably just some atmospheric thang.
-Ken
“Looks like the same this year. After an unseasonably warm winter, we have snow on the ground in Ellensburg again today. Getting very soggy over here. Last year, March was a pretty cold and soggy month too. Seems to be a pattern now. Warm winter followed by a cold wet spring.”
“Damn it was cold out there!^^^^Craig, I read the article. Cool. You might contact the US Forest Service. They have very good high definition areal photos of the forests. You could cover a lot of territory that way.”
“Ahem…^^^^There is some good fishing in this country. ^^^^Square, swallow, up, in, around, there abouts… ^^^^Soooommmewheeeere, over the rainbow, way up high…^^^^-ken”
“Brain,^^^^If you want more suckers, try Tomahawk Lake (lowest one) in the Popo Agie Wilderness in the wind rivers in wyoming. I believe that was the Silas lakes. Lots of big ones in there too!^^^^-Ken “
“As far as fishing here in washington (the list would change if I were in Alaska or elsewhere).^^^^1) Goldens – caught record sized ones in the wind rivers when I was a ranger there. The big ones seem to lose the gold color so I am fond of both the big and small ones that are almost florescent yellow (south fork of the little wind river). the big ones were extremely red meated… even the natural oil when cooking was red. Too oily actually. I only ate 2 or 3 and have always turned them loss since.^^^^2) West Slope Cutthroat. So damn pretty. I would almost say they are tied with the golden in color and asthetic appeal for me. And they make a nice meal. Some of the slabs I have caught are almost purple with red bellies… fantastic color.^^^^3) Brookies. In the Fitz of Wyoming we used to get big ones but I like the small brookies too. Very beautiful. The only trout or char with blue, red, orange, yellow, bright white, black, olive, etc. They are like living jewels. and one of the best eating fish around in my opinion. I will fish all day for 8 brookies as long as they are not too skinney.^^^^4) Yellowstone Cutthroat… again, in Wyoming 14-22″” that came out of the water to take flies off the surface. Fantastic fun!^^^^5) Grayling. Best time fishing for these was in a small drainage in Wyoming outside of lander. The were some lakes but it was sitting on a boulder in the sun watching them play in the pool of a meandering meadow stream that was just so magical. Very beautiful fish. I would rate them higher but I don’t care for their flavor much. Browns would go here too. They are always white meat and I don’t care for their flavor much. There are different subspecies here I think. In Wyoming, they are bright yellow with brilliant red spots. Very pretty fish. The few I have caught in washington seem to have rather dull colors and few if any red spots (or very, very dull red).^^^^5) rainbows – been catching them all my life though a really brightly chromed slab is still pretty appealing. I catch alot of these in the desert lakes so I guess I get desensitized to the species before heading into the high country. Silvers would go here too.^^^^6) Dollies (C&R where one can), lake trout, and other indigenous trout (including kams).^^^^7) Other none native. I am not particular fond of atlantic salmon. with all the commercial value with them and the environmental issues of the farms… I would just as soon see them disappear from this side of the country. “””
“You all know I can’ stay out of this…^^^^I was with the USFS (lead backcountry ranger) the year we implemented the fee permit in the Enchantments – although the USFS has since denied my involvment because of my rebell like nature. I left them because of it. A few years later they tried localized permit systems elsewhere in the Alpine Lakes (foss lakes and necklace valley) but there was alot of opposition. Eventually the USFS came up with the regional Trail Park Passes.^^^^It really has very little to do with the USFS and they really can’t be blamed.^^^^Congress intentionally cut funding to wilderness and recreation gradually over the last 20 years to force a new revenue stream into the USFS – freeing more funds for congress (that no longer had to be allocated back to the public). Up until the 70’s, we got something back for our federal income taxes but then congress decided that maybe that was not a good idea. ^^^^I am all against the passes and permits until congress bring us back to the level of funding we had in the 60’s and 70’s. If the forests recieved say 0.1% (whatever it was) of the general funds, then that is what we should have restored today. If we still have problems, then I might agree with permits and such. But I think it is rotten for congress to just fill there pockets with our taxes and shut off the ‘water’ and give us nothing in return.^^^^If you want more information go to:^^^^http://www.wildwilderness.org.^^^^Scott Silver has done a fair job there getting all the facts straight (with supporting documents). ^^^^BTW, the USFS is getting real nasty in some areas about the trail park passes. Some forests will force you through the magistrate and folks are losing. It has been give and take. The website above will cover some of the legal battles that have ensued.^^^^^^-Ken”
