I had originally planned to cruise down to Oregon to visit my folks and fish some spring spots with my pops, but unfortunately they came down with Covid right before my visit so a sudden change in plans had me heading out east to camp and fish a few spots that I'd had on my list for a while.
My first stop was a lake that was known to hold Browns. After driving four hours I arrived to some gnarly wind. It was so bad I didn't even want to set up camp and try to wait it out. Knowing there was an upper lake (not known for having as quality fishing as its lower counterpart), I decided to check it out to see if it provided any shelter from the wind. Sure enough, I found a great camp spot overlooking the lake and the wind was significantly less strong, making an outing in the tube more manageable. As I was setting up I happened to look across the lake and see this guy grazing.
I've come across moose in several states to the east but never Washington State.
I made my way down to the lake and put in, fishing mostly in a cove that provided shelter from the still present wind. After no takes on a black balanced leech I switched up to a green woolly bugger and immediately got a hit. It wasn't long before I was catching fish on almost every cast.
It was crappie city. It was fun at first, but almost became a nuisance, like pulling foliage off your line after every cast. After fishing for about 45 minutes I noticed the wind had died down significantly. Having a few hours of daylight left, I decided to head back to the lower lake to see if the wind was any better. Sure enough, it looked manageable and I decided to settle for a less scenic camp spot in hopes of catching a few Browns with the remaining light. After attempting to get in the lake near the boat launch and sinking knee-deep in mud, I finally made it out on the lake with about an hour of light left. It didn't take long to get a fish on the line, although it still didn't feel like a trout.
And it wasn't. Fortunately it didn't take too much longer to finally get into some Browns.
The remainder of the evening provided some consistent action with good sized Browns. As I was walking back to my truck to start making dinner I noticed a camp spot on a small rock outcropping above the lake. Eager to leave the spot I was at (trash everywhere, a giant fire pit full of things that shouldn't be burned, and plenty of broken glass) I decided I'd check it out. It ended up being one of the best primitive camp spots I've found in a while.
The next morning I got up early to hit the lake once more before heading to my next destination. The morning yielded more Crappie than Browns but I still managed to net a handful during a pleasant morning on the water.
From here I went about two hours north in search of a lake that was rumored to hold Tiger Trout. Having never caught a Tiger Trout before I didn't have much hope but I was eager to explore a new area.
With no time frame and a tentative destination, the drive up was full of stops to take in the beautiful scenery of Eastern Washington.
I got to the lake around noon and was met by more wind. It was going to be a tough outing in the tube on the exposed lake but I came all that way so I had to give it a shot. After chatting with a few hikers that were leaving the lake I got in the water. It didn't take long before I found myself hooking into some one of the hardest fighting lake trout I've come across.
The stoke was real. These are truly beautiful fish.
And healthy too! Any time I gave them a little room to run for fear of being broken off I'd lose 'em. I think I lost eight or nine on the line but managed to land just as many. I fished a little less than two hours, as the wind kept me from staying out longer. Since there was no opportunity to camp at this lake I decided to check out another lake nearby and find a suitable spot for the night.
Found a nice spot next to this long and seemingly shallow lake. I was honestly too tired to fish at this point but with nothing else to do I decided I'd get out on the water and at least throw a fly, sit in the tube, and drink a beer. I made it to the other side of the lake, mostly pushed by the wind and didn't get a hit or see a fish rise. It was at that point that the rain came. It took me about 30 minutes to kick back to shore and with the rain picking up I decided to pack up and head out of the mountains and into the valley in search of better weather for the night. I had an area in mind along a river and found some reprieve from the rain at a camp spot along the banks.
I was met by rain the next morning, fortunately I had packed everything away the night before so I just had to throw my tube in and hit the road in search of breakfast. I found myself at El Valle Restaurant and enjoyed a great Mexican breakfast. This will be a mandatory breakfast stop on future trips.
It was a rambling drive home through the North Cascades, stopping to take in the sights and see if any of the streams were fishable. I ended up pulling off at a small lake. There was a hatch coming off and the Cutthroat were surfacing with regularity.
I put on a parachute adams and managed to land a few before hitting the road again. First dry fly action of the year, it was a pleasant way to end the trip.
My first stop was a lake that was known to hold Browns. After driving four hours I arrived to some gnarly wind. It was so bad I didn't even want to set up camp and try to wait it out. Knowing there was an upper lake (not known for having as quality fishing as its lower counterpart), I decided to check it out to see if it provided any shelter from the wind. Sure enough, I found a great camp spot overlooking the lake and the wind was significantly less strong, making an outing in the tube more manageable. As I was setting up I happened to look across the lake and see this guy grazing.
I've come across moose in several states to the east but never Washington State.
I made my way down to the lake and put in, fishing mostly in a cove that provided shelter from the still present wind. After no takes on a black balanced leech I switched up to a green woolly bugger and immediately got a hit. It wasn't long before I was catching fish on almost every cast.
It was crappie city. It was fun at first, but almost became a nuisance, like pulling foliage off your line after every cast. After fishing for about 45 minutes I noticed the wind had died down significantly. Having a few hours of daylight left, I decided to head back to the lower lake to see if the wind was any better. Sure enough, it looked manageable and I decided to settle for a less scenic camp spot in hopes of catching a few Browns with the remaining light. After attempting to get in the lake near the boat launch and sinking knee-deep in mud, I finally made it out on the lake with about an hour of light left. It didn't take long to get a fish on the line, although it still didn't feel like a trout.
And it wasn't. Fortunately it didn't take too much longer to finally get into some Browns.
The remainder of the evening provided some consistent action with good sized Browns. As I was walking back to my truck to start making dinner I noticed a camp spot on a small rock outcropping above the lake. Eager to leave the spot I was at (trash everywhere, a giant fire pit full of things that shouldn't be burned, and plenty of broken glass) I decided I'd check it out. It ended up being one of the best primitive camp spots I've found in a while.
The next morning I got up early to hit the lake once more before heading to my next destination. The morning yielded more Crappie than Browns but I still managed to net a handful during a pleasant morning on the water.
From here I went about two hours north in search of a lake that was rumored to hold Tiger Trout. Having never caught a Tiger Trout before I didn't have much hope but I was eager to explore a new area.
With no time frame and a tentative destination, the drive up was full of stops to take in the beautiful scenery of Eastern Washington.
I got to the lake around noon and was met by more wind. It was going to be a tough outing in the tube on the exposed lake but I came all that way so I had to give it a shot. After chatting with a few hikers that were leaving the lake I got in the water. It didn't take long before I found myself hooking into some one of the hardest fighting lake trout I've come across.
The stoke was real. These are truly beautiful fish.
And healthy too! Any time I gave them a little room to run for fear of being broken off I'd lose 'em. I think I lost eight or nine on the line but managed to land just as many. I fished a little less than two hours, as the wind kept me from staying out longer. Since there was no opportunity to camp at this lake I decided to check out another lake nearby and find a suitable spot for the night.
Found a nice spot next to this long and seemingly shallow lake. I was honestly too tired to fish at this point but with nothing else to do I decided I'd get out on the water and at least throw a fly, sit in the tube, and drink a beer. I made it to the other side of the lake, mostly pushed by the wind and didn't get a hit or see a fish rise. It was at that point that the rain came. It took me about 30 minutes to kick back to shore and with the rain picking up I decided to pack up and head out of the mountains and into the valley in search of better weather for the night. I had an area in mind along a river and found some reprieve from the rain at a camp spot along the banks.
I was met by rain the next morning, fortunately I had packed everything away the night before so I just had to throw my tube in and hit the road in search of breakfast. I found myself at El Valle Restaurant and enjoyed a great Mexican breakfast. This will be a mandatory breakfast stop on future trips.
It was a rambling drive home through the North Cascades, stopping to take in the sights and see if any of the streams were fishable. I ended up pulling off at a small lake. There was a hatch coming off and the Cutthroat were surfacing with regularity.
I put on a parachute adams and managed to land a few before hitting the road again. First dry fly action of the year, it was a pleasant way to end the trip.
