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During these western trips, it's surprising how few anglers also make time for another classic western experience, fishing the high country. To me fly fishing is not just about catching fish on a famous river. But rather it's about the overall experience that includes camaraderie with friends, breath taking scenery, the sound of wind and waves, as well as the pursuit of lovely trout. Few places are more beautiful, or pleasurable to fish than America's western high country. Why fish the high country? From New Mexico to Montana, the Rocky Mountains are filled with tens of thousands of high country lakes. So are the mountains of California, Oregon and Washington. These are filled with trout of all species, waiting to test the skill of the enthusiastic fly fisher. There are several common misconceptions about high country trout fishing. One is that alpine lakes are difficult to access and require a backpack, tent and an abundance of time. While most back country areas are best accessed through overnight trips, many high country lakes lie right next to the road or within easy walking distance. Another misconception is that such easy accessed lakes would have poor quality fishing and only for small fish. Again not necessarily correct. While fishing pressure can change trout behavior, I have had fantastic fishing at roadside lakes. One of my best high country fish, a trout of some 22 inches, was caught at nearly 9000 feet, within sight of a paved highway. In fact, lakes with trout populations that exceed the water's ability to produce food, actually benefit from angler harvest by keeping fish numbers in balance with the lakes ability to provide forage. Such harvest reduces competition between fish and allows them to grow to a larger size. Anglers seeking an element of solitude, mixed with adventure and unbelievable beauty should not pass up the opportunity to fish in the mountains of the west. While the experience is quite different than that found on famous "brand name" western rivers, high country lakes will give visitors a sense wonder, awe and serenity. Catching fish in such surroundings is a bonus. How to find high country lakes : While there are many ways to find information about alpine lakes, the three best sources of information are probably local fly shops, state game and fish departments and up-to-date guide books and publications. Of these sources, I have found guide books to be of the most value. One such example is the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, which publishes a series of booklets called "Lakes of the High Uinta's". These booklets talk about all 650 plus lakes in the Uinta Mountains that contain fish, what species to expect and their location by drainage. I have fished the High Uinta's using these booklets and found them to be invaluable in deciding which lakes to fish. Other states have similar publications, as do many private publishing companies. A quick internet search turned up over a dozen published books on fishing the High Sierra Mountains of California and Nevada. Another dozen plus on the Colorado high country. I have seen and read other books on Wyoming, Idaho and Montana alpine lakes. As a general rule, the information in these have been helpful and for the most part accurate. Of course, the more recent the publication date, the more reliable the information. This is one area where a little bit of research can pay big dividends. On foot, it would take 10 lifetimes to visit every lake in the Uinta Mountains alone. Now you can "visit" them all in just a few hours at your kitchen table with the guide books, and quickly decide which are of most interest to you, due to their location, available fish species or other considerations. Decide which mountain range or state perks your interest and then locate guide books for that area. By doing so, you'll already have a good feel for what to expect before you even arrive.
Mountain lakes differ greatly from lowland impoundments in several different ways. Recognizing these differences can enhance the quality of your alpine experience. It's important to have reasonable expectations before visiting a mountain lake. Realize that alpine trout are not dumb, just hungry. Tales about fish biting bare hooks are just that………..tales. At 9,000 feet of elevation, lakes are cold, growing seasons short, food production limited and trout a little on the smaller size. Many high mountain lakes that would easily support fish in lower elevations don't support fish life at all. It's just too tough, at nearly two miles up unless things are just right. Lakes are usually ice covered until mid June. In some cases, it's as late as mid-July. Ice on comes around October 1st most years, even sooner in early winters. Trout must make use of the short season if they are to survive. Even so, I have known the trout there to be amazingly selective at times. So don't go to the high country expecting lots of fish to be fighting over your fly. It may not happen. High lakes generally fall into two categories, lakes with an overpopulation of small, stunted trout. Or lakes with a population of trout in balance with the available forage. These latter lakes frequently contain either Cutthroat, Rainbow, Lake or sometimes Golden Trout. These are species less likely to overpopulate and stunt. One of the key ingredients here is whether a lake has good natural reproduction or not. It may be surprising, but good natural reproduction is not always an advantage in mountain lakes. If an alpine lake has spawning areas that are just too productive, trout, especially Brook Trout will overpopulate, outstripping the available forage and never reach a desirable size. Some of the best high elevation fishing is actually found in lakes with little or no natural reproduction. Such lakes permit fish biologists to regulate through stocking the overall numbers of fish, thereby allowing these lakes to maintain a healthy balance between fish numbers and available forage, nearly always resulting in larger trout. Sometimes, it's very large trout. I've heard stories of lakes above 9000 feet growing fish to over 10 pounds. That's remarkable for those elevations. Of course, these lakes always have angler success rates that are much lower than waters full of stunted trout. Such is the trade off in fishing. Lots of small fish or fewer good ones. Both situations are fun. Most Game and Fish agencies stock alpine lakes on a pre-determined cycle -- generally every 2 to 8 years. It goes without saying that the fastest fishing is in year 2 or 3 after the stocking date, and the biggest fish will be found at years 4 to 8 after stocking. Less and older fish mean more food, and greater size for the survivors. Game departments frequently vary the stocking rates of some mountain lakes to create variety in angling opportunities. For instance, say you have four lakes in a chain. One may be managed for more, but smaller fish, while another for fewer "trophy" size trout. Perhaps the other two will be stocked at fish densities that fall somewhere in between, and maybe even with some exotic type species. It's also common to stock lakes near each other on different yearly cycles. So when one lake is slower fishing, the other one next door will be hot fishing, albeit for smaller fish, having been more recently stocked. I've caught many mountain trout with large heads and skinny bodies, a sure sign of an older but malnourished trout population, while a nearby lake will have trout with small heads and larger bodies, a sure sign of better nutrition for the lakes inhabitants. Stocking information and cycle schedules are available from most state wildlife departments, sometimes right over the internet. So in deciding which lakes to visit, look for lakes that have the type of experience your looking for. In the mountains, variety is in abundance. Things to consider are distance from the road, type of fish species you'd like to catch, and are you going to be happy with catching lots of small fish, or fewer but larger ones.
Let's talk a little about mountain lake tackle. For the most part, alpine trout are rarely large, so you can equip accordingly. Nine-foot rods of 3 to 5 weight are adequate and 4 to 6 piece pack style rods are an advantage when hiking or riding back in as longer 2 piece varieties can hang up in branches on narrow trails. Waters are typically very clear so opt for leaders of at least 9 feet in length with tippets commonly as light as 5 or 6X. Some lakes will be colored with glacial silt. If this is the case you can go shorter and a bit heavier with your leader if you want. However, unless I know that some very big fish occupy a lake, there is seldom a need to go heavier than 4X on your leader tippet. Mountain lakes have certain key areas that concentrate food, and therefore fish. These include inlets, outlets and key shoreline areas. During a hatch, if you take the time to observe the rise forms you will note the vast majority are within casting distance of the shore. Shallow shoreline (littoral) zones are the food production areas on most alpine lakes, so these trout are shoreline cruisers. With limited forage they are constantly on the hunt for their next meal. While long casts towards the middle of the lake may look nice, somewhat shorter casts parallel to the shoreline are probably more effective. One fun and very effective tactic is to carefully walk the shore looking for cruising trout to sight cast to - in other words, spot the fish first and then cast to just that fish. Use background vegetation to obscure your outline. Kneeling is effective at hiding your position. When you spot a cruiser, cast well ahead of it, trying not to create too much surface commotion at touch down. Be assured that the trout will have noticed the surface disturbance and will probably come closer to investigate. Small diameter, 3 to 5 weight, lines excel at this thereby helping your stealthy approach. High elevation fish are constantly looking up in their search for food, therefore, I have found dry flies generally a bit more effective than nymphs for this type of fishing. Similar tactics also work at inlets and outlets except that it's tougher to sight fish due to surface and current ripples. So look for rise forms to indicate trout location. If the day is calm, you may want to hike a lakeside cliff or ridge. From these high locations, you can see the rise patterns where the trout are feeding and cruising. If dry flies fail to produce, then going sub-surface is your next tactic, but not especially deep. A few small shot up your leader a foot or so should give you the correct depth. Just remember that deep water is not generally good forage water for alpine fish. When they're in the mood to feed they won't go looking near the bottom in 20 or 30 feet of water. You shouldn't either. As for fly patterns, I'd stock my alpine box as follows. In dry flies, take standard patterns like Adams along with Sparkle Duns and Parachutes in various colors of gray, tan, peacock and olive. Small Caddis patterns are a must. Olive and tan bodied Elk Hair Caddis in 14 and 16 would be a logical choice. Throw in a few attractor dries like a Wulff or Humpy. Size these in 14 to 18. Some midge patterns like Griffiths Gnat, and an emerger of some sort in sizes 16, 18 and 20. Include nymphs like Hare's Ears (olive and natural), Pheasant Tail, and Carey Specials in 12 to 16. Some guys fish these with bead heads, I usually don't. Scuds can work well at times in lakes that contain them. Olives and tans are good colors to go with. I've had luck on several occasions with the old Trueblood Otter Shrimp, once again in 12 to 16. Small Wooly Buggers and a few streamers like a Spruce Fly in sizes 10 or 12 2XL should round things out. So a couple of medium size fly boxes should handle all you need to carry and not take up much room. Note that high mountain waters seldom contain large forage items Select your fly patterns accordingly. Waders, booties and float tubes are generally unnecessary due to the shoreline nature of high mountain trout, and only add to your burden. Those are starting points These suggestions are good starting points but remember every rule has a multitude of exceptions, so don't lock yourself into hard and fast rules. For example, I'm aware of a few high lakes which contain large Mackinaw in excess of 10 pounds. When trying for these brutes, size 18 Midges on 5X tippet would not be a good first choice. Be flexible if you need to. There are a few rules, however, are hard and fast. NEVER go down the trail without bug spray, jacket, rain wear, matches, small flashlight and a map regardless of how nice the weather looks. At 9,000 or 10,000 feet, things change rapidly and snow falls in every month of the year. Even in July, a warm day is only 65 degrees and lows at night can easily extend below freezing. Thunderstorms, lightning, rain and hail are a daily occurrence. So expect cold weather and be prepared. Never allow yourself to become stuck on a high mountain ridge during a lightning storm as death could occur in a flash of an instant. Be aware of incoming weather and listen for distant thunder. If you see or hear a storm coming, get off the exposed ridge. Don't make yourself a lightning rod. Also, note that high elevations have have less oxygen in the air you breathe. It takes a few days for your body to adjust, so be conservative with your physical exertion. Don't hike back in by yourself either. If you're all alone, a simple twisted ankle could turn into a life threatening situation if your not on a busy backcountry byway. In many areas of the west , bear spray (pepper spray) is an excellent idea, especially in these days of increasing bear populations. Carry it on your belt where you'll have quick access to it. Most bears acting aggressively won't wait around for you to dig it out of your pack if you need it. Read the instructions and know how to use it in an emergency. On at least one occasion bear spray has saved the life of a friend. A small GPS unit is a wise addition to your back county pack or daypack. The one that I own only weighs a few ounces. A quick waypoint placed at the trailhead and important trail intersections can really help you find your way back to your vehicle -- especially after dark. Turn it off when not checking your location and carry an extra set of fresh batteries. And don't forget your camera! High country trout are some of the most brilliantly beautiful creatures in existence. Most are so bright they look like they have had their colors touched up with an air brush. And the country they live in will inspire your soul and enrich your life. On your next trip west, fish all the famous rivers for sure, but be certain to set aside some time for a few days chasing high country trout. It may well be the highlight of your entire trip. |
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