A Lake, Natural Producing Cutties, PTO & Sun

Boss and I's deal made weeks prior of "the next sunny day I am taking off for mental health" was met with a little hesitance last Friday. In expectation the weathermen were correct this Tuesday, I added I'll even take it as PTO in our Monday meeting (our company changed sick days to allow mental health but people abuse it). With my work covered, an abundance of days saved, today I spent a half day and couldn't of been happier.

I chose a quiet lake here on the west-side a little ways out of town I have been ITCHING to fish again. Not planted by WDFW, I know others that have encountered cutties 20+ inches here in the past. Arriving to the short .25mi trailhead downhill to the lake had me surprised by 4 other cars already parked no room for my truck. I've changed the way I look at these situations getting older. As much as you want to be bummed, greed-fully hoping you'd been the only angler, it's just more opportunities to learn where the fish are. Possibly what they are (or in this case not) eating, and maybe meet good folk in the process.





This lake doesn't have much info written on it or any bug references. A couple of the other lakes in the drainage nearby share an inhabitant with my heart, the erpobdella leech so it was a no brainer what to start with. With the other anglers still onlooking at the new guy, I slipped the first 50ft of sink 5 line and shot it out for my first cast. Before I could grab the line to strip, my Orvis 1915 reel sang a surprise buzz. This would thankfully foreshadow the days fishing.





The first I would say is average for this lake: 12in, thick and healthy. A few more would follow in similar size, and then a dead-weight feeling tug. Snag or Fish? The dead-old question an angler asks himself when skimming the bottom, but the answer was given when a rocket ship disguised as a cutthroat launched from the lakes max depth of 10 ft. Thugging me to stay on the bottom after porpoising, it would be the first of three 18 inchers of the day.





A callibateis hatch took off and had me wondering if I was still in Western Washington. Swarms took grip on the lake's surface, the fish were everywhere.







Damsels sprinkled into the hatch, joining the party, though this poor bachelor was left watching.




Covered by the time it was over, probably ate a few with my badly timed lunch.




Okay back to the fish. I coaxed a few up during the hatch but I'll admit the tug from one of these fish was too good to resist the full sink setup I had going. Plus my dry fly felt a little shy with all the competition around, hard to get them to eat the one with hundreds hitting.





Lots of this going on during the release, I was wet and happy.





Even with the clear-cuts the scenery was great from the water.




Just wonderful.

I only got a chance to meet one of you others fishing. If you guys are on here shoot me a message, would love to talk more about the lakes with you sometime.

 

[Divad]

The leeches that did all the work. Tail-less and beaten after 13 cutthroat.



And one of the other 18s.



I'd also love to know who keeps supplying the boats to inevitably be broken...sad deal two on the lake today. I saw someone recovered the sunk boat from last year and got it to the edge, but I would like to help get it home. I have saws to disassemble the one, could walk the other out with 4 lads. If you know you know.

 

[Skol_Engh]

I miss that lake. You can have an all-time day there. And the cutthroat are so spotted up and incredibly feisty. Special place.

 

[roger stephens]

I have fished that lake since the early 1990's. It is a very special lake. One day I landed several brook trout(14 in.) plus numerous nice sized cutthroat and rainbow trout. I only landed brook trout one other trip. They were located towards the shoreline near the small island near the outlet stream. Many times I saw bait fishermen at this location and often found worm containers on the island. Often boats were hidden in the shoreline brush with worm containers present.

I had the best fishing in May/June on sunny days with no wind around the lily pads at the west side of the lake. About mid-day adult damsel flies became very active and I was able hook many fish using a bluish floating adult damsel fly until late afternoon when the air temperature cooled down and adult may flies became active. Then an adams (#14) fly pattern was effective.

The lake has a large population of adult and nymph dragon flies. In September on sunny days with no wind at noon until late afternoon adult dragon flies will be dipping onto the lake surface to lay their eggs. The large fish in the lake would go crazy gobbling up the dragon flies in mid-air or on the water surface. I had excellent success hooking them on a floating reddish/brown float dragon patterns. A black wooly bugger(#8) was effective before and after the adult dragon flies were active.

The lake was formed by a massive landside in the mid-1800's that occurred south of the lake. It is the reason that there are all those tree stumps in the lake. It is interesting to note the abundance of salamanders in the lake but the fish will not eat them. I fished the lake by carrying a canoe down from the road for about 200 yards to the lake.


Roger

 

[nwbobber]

Take some duct tape and heavy plastic and I bet you could paddle that boat out of there. Might even be repairable.

 

[mcswny]

Great report, thanks for sharing.

 

[Ceviche]

Yeah, awesome report! You got game!

 

[Ceviche]

Take some duct tape and heavy plastic and I bet you could paddle that boat out of there. Might even be repairable.

Gorilla tape! That stuff is gnarly!

 

[Divad]

I have fished that lake since the early 1990's. It is a very special lake. One day I landed several brook trout(14 in.) plus numerous nice sized cutthroat and rainbow trout. I only landed brook trout one other trip. They were located towards the shoreline near the small island near the outlet stream. Many times I saw bait fishermen at this location and often found worm containers on the island. Often boats were hidden in the shoreline brush with worm containers present.

I had the best fishing in May/June on sunny days with no wind around the lily pads at the west side of the lake. About mid-day adult damsel flies became very active and I was able hook many fish using a bluish floating adult damsel fly until late afternoon when the air temperature cooled down and adult may flies became active. Then an adams (#14) fly pattern was effective.

The lake has a large population of adult and nymph dragon flies. In September on sunny days with no wind at noon until late afternoon adult dragon flies will be dipping onto the lake surface to lay their eggs. The large fish in the lake would go crazy gobbling up the dragon flies in mid-air or on the water surface. I had excellent success hooking them on a floating reddish/brown float dragon patterns. A black wooly bugger(#8) was effective before and after the adult dragon flies were active.

The lake was formed by a massive landside in the mid-1800's that occurred south of the lake. It is the reason that there are all those tree stumps in the lake. It is interesting to note the abundance of salamanders in the lake but the fish will not eat them. I fished the lake by carrying a canoe down from the road for about 200 yards to the lake.


Roger

Roger thank you very, very much for the response. It is incredible to hear the consistency through both various people and a large historical timespan. Heck even your locations are still to point, with the species becoming a little more homogeneous.

I was gifted a little history from one of those fisherman that day and it’s been remarkable uncovering some of it, reading papers from the 30s. Now have this weird strong connection to a fishing trip I’ve never had before.

A landslide! Go figure, now I have a new lens to look through at the hillsides, thinking of what once was.

Outlet had small shiners or chubs of some sort I didn’t get a long enough grip. All taking the baetis hatch with cutties. Hope that isn’t a bad health sign

Unfortunately the more I think about it those boats are not 60s leftovers from the resort. Too new, they fit the description that people likely brought them in later and probably date to the some of those you saw. So far last two years I’ve seen zero signs of bait and sure as heck won’t be quiet if I do.

The first time finding the lake I entered it near the outlet bushwhacking from a ravine. Come to think, that ravine was very overgrown and has me wondering if it was a slope to an otherwise further down hillside.

Thank you again Roger.