Gold in the Hills

Dave Westburg

Dave Westburg

Fish the classics
Forum Supporter
You have to want it. 100 switchbacks climb above 6,000 feet on an exposed hillside where a fall would be dangerous, summer temperatures soar and there's no water.

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At trails end is a small Washington high lake with an abundant, naturally-reproducing, golden trout population. The tributary stream runs ice cold from a snowbank.

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There's a shoal at one end of the lake where my son and I caught many golden trout with blood red gill plates, golden-yellow sides and orange stomachs on size 14-16 hares ear, greenwells glory and black ant wet flies and floating and intermediate lines. I fished my trusty 8'6" phillipson 5 weight bamboo fly rod.

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We kept a couple golden trout for dinner, dipped in flour, salt and cayenne pepper and grilled in olive oil over a jetboil stove.

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The weather turned nasty overnight with 20 mph wind gusts, low clouds, rain and a 40 degree temperature drop. After oatmeal, coffee and a couple more goldens to hand it was time to climb into the snow and mist to find the trail home.

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I'm sore three days later but can't think of a better way to spend a summer weekend than visiting the high country with my son.

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How cool is that? Goldens are on my bucket list someday. I always think that the way to do it legit would be to go to the High Sierras in CA. But I'd also find a lot of satisfaction in a WA trip like this I think.
 
As usual, wonderful photographs, a dream trip! Thank you for sharing!
 
Dave, good for both of you. Did you both pack in tubes and waders? Looks like you fished from the shore some also.
 
I have a golden stash nearish where i work. I’ce caught them but never eaten them.
Do they taste different? Pink or red on the inside?
 
These fish were white fleshed but delicious. Terrestrials and small chironomids in stomach. No shrimp. Both fish were males with developing milt sacs. Not sure what to make of that because i thought goldens spawn in late spring or early summer.
 
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Dave Westburg said:
These fish were white fleshed but delicious Terrestrials and small chironomids in stomach. No shrimp. Both fish were males with developing milt sacs. Not sure what to make of that because i thought goldens spawn in late spring or early summer.
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Fish don’t always read the right books or keep track of the calendar very well. If they spawn soon, it’ll be a tough winter for any emerging fry. Maybe they’d just stay in the gravel.
 
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