Anniversary Hike Fishing Report

Phil K

AKA Philonius
Forum Supporter
My wife and I try to celebrate our anniversary with a hike somewhere featuring larch trees in golden fall colors. This can be absolutely glorious, but also runs the risk of being hit with an early season storm. We've had some great days but experienced nasty, cold, snowy conditions too. This year it was smoke, and our Plan A destination had a forecast for unhealthy air quality. We switched to an alternate North Cascades location which just happened to feature a few high elevation lakes. The approach is about half trail and half boulder field. I used to love boulder hopping and would gambol along like a baby goat. Now, I pick my way across and wouldn't consider going without my trusty trekking poles.

DSC00520 copy.jpg

I'd been by this lake several times 20+ years ago hauling climbing gear and really didn't give it much thought. I was honestly not expecting the fishing to amount to much, but brought my high lake Tenkara kit just in case. Go ahead and groan, but it's actually a nifty hack. My entire kit weighs 8.5 oz, and with a 12'6" rod and 26' of line I can reach most of the fish most of the time. Sure, there will be the ones you can't reach, but that is always going to be the case.

DSC00543 copy.jpg

It's such a kick to pull into distant view of the lake and see that first rise form. I was expecting some entertaining 6-8" trout, and figured that would do just fine; I really wasn't here just to fish, right? We set up camp on a nearly knoll and wandered down to the water to see what the fish were up to. Whoa, that is NO dink! It was getting cold and dark, and we still hadn't had dinner, so they'd need to wait until morning; Anniversary Day.
 

Phil K

AKA Philonius
Forum Supporter
DSC00585 copy.jpg

I'm a morning person, and my wife is definitely not, so I was up, breakfasted, and off to the lake while she was still drinking her morning tea. Eventually she joined me, and we decided that rather than push on to the second lake, another 1100' above, we'd lounge and enjoy the scenery. Phil would indulge in some trouting, and we could hike up to the higher lake the next day. A climber guy passing through reported seeing fish up there, so I was eager to check out the upper lake too. Meanwhile, the fishing was unexpectedly good, with Cutthroat up to maybe 14". It was also beautiful; one of the reasons fall is my favorite season.

DSC00622 copy.jpg

DSC00629 copy.jpg

DSC00636 copy.jpg

DSC00643 copy.jpg

DSC00583 copy.jpg

Unfortunately, the smoke, which had been fairly minimal, rolled in overnight. Change of plans; my wife does not deal well with smoke and considers it unwise to exert ones' self unnecessarily under these conditions (she's right of course), so the upper lake was put on hold for this trip. It could be worse; it's not often I actually just kick back and spend the day not fussing over the next adventure. And I got to fish.

By now I didn't even want to bother with the smaller guys, and was just standing, scanning the water, making the occasional searching cast but pulling my fly away if an average fish approached. I was about done for the day, actually wrapping up then spotted.... something. There- lurking near an inlet draining off a glacier 800' above. All the other fish were busily cruising about nabbing this or that, but this barely moved. Still, enough to confirm what I was seeing. There was an occasional fall sedge about, and I carefully re-rigged an EHC top fly with GRHE dropper, making darn sure my knots were good. One cast; fish looked, moved 3-4' feet away.

Second cast; success! OK, playing a big fish on a Tenkara rod with 6x tippett is definitely different. They can't really go anywhere, and keeping them from dragging into that rock ledge, is it even possible? Sometimes, yes, and if they don't break off or spit the hook will eventually tire out. I measured this fish against my rod, and it's an honest 19"+. I watched it swim off, packed my rod, and was done. Break camp, hike out, long drive home, soft bed. All good!

DSC00645 copy.jpg
 

chrome/22

Low profile operator
Forum Supporter
Congrats! That's one heck of an alpine trout, beautiful paint job too.


c/22
 

mcswny

Legend
Forum Supporter
Man, I don't think I've caught a fish bigger than 10" in our high lakes down here in Oregon (I'm talking hike in lakes, NOT CP, Hosmer, East etc).

38cdcade-fa8e-4c13-8446-2dd16bff749e_text.gif
 
Top