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Are there big trout in them thee hills?

2K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  chadk 
#1 ·
#4 ·
There is no big fish in the highland lakes. Unless all you want is small fish stay away. }(
The photos are really all from low land lakes they are just trying to get you out for a long walk to lose some weight. Keep fishing the low land lakes}( that where the big fish are.
 
#7 ·
The man speaks the truth. Those pics were taken from Rocky Ford. All you'll find in the alpine lakes are either sterile water or over populated and stunted brookies. No quality water worth looking for. Don't bother looking for lakes with healthy fresh water shrimp and other good sources of food. They just don't exist. Really!;-) :p
 
#10 ·
I'm sorry I may be wrong on two fronts here......but many years ago I traveled along trails close to the supposedly Pacific Crest Trail in Cascades and I fished two lakes.......skunked on one but the other had beautiful rainbows in the 16" and above category (16-20)...smallest was 16" and this was about two hours of fishing landed a few and released but lost many more......all of them appeared to be of large size.
 
#12 ·
>Nice pix, nice trout. Too bad they're all dead. :-(

With a very, very few exceptions, none of which are represented in that thread, ALL high lake trout are hatchery fish. There is absolutely no biological reason not to keep fish from high lakes. In cases where the introduced fish are naturally reproducing they almost always overpopulate the high lake and you are doing the lake a favor by keeping as many as possible. The only reason to limit your keep in high lakes is to leave fish for the next angler. While that is a very compelling reason to practice C&R, keeping the occassional fish for dinner at a high lake is not a problem. Plus, there is no fish that tastes better then a freshly caught high lake fish eaten in some of the most beautiful places on earth.

I actually carried some of the fish in those pics into the lake as fry. I am absolutely delighted to see how beautiful they became after they grew up and the joy they brought that is so obvious in the photos.
 
#13 ·
>>Nice pix, nice trout. Too bad they're all dead.
>:-(
>
>With a very, very few exceptions, none of which are
>represented in that thread, ALL high lake trout are
>hatchery fish. There is absolutely no biological reason
>not to keep fish from high lakes.

>The only reason to limit your keep in high lakes is to leave fish for the next angler. While that is a very
>compelling reason to practice C&R...

Trailblazer, thanks for your awesome efforts, and thanks for including that 2nd sentence - I appreciate anyone who releases those gorgeous fish, that I might have a shot at them as well. Or, that those of us who release smaller or medium sized fish, might allow them to grow to those epic proportions.

It's also worthy to note that while keeping a fish or two to eat at camp is perfectly justifiable, taking a few "home for the freezer" really isnt', as you're going to wind up with something dead and useless by trail's end.

:professor Teeg.
 
#14 ·
> taking a
>few "home for the freezer" really isnt', as you're
>going to wind up with something dead and useless by
>trail's end.

I'm really glad you mentioned that it is a very good point (as is the rest of your post). I've stocked lakes with as few as 25 fish and it only takes one fish hog to wipe out a lake like that (I've seen it happen). Limit your keep, don't keep your limit. In my original post I should have placed a lot more emphasis only keeping an OCCASSIONAL fish for dinner and releasing all the rest.
 
#15 ·
Trail Blazer,

I'm a Hi-Laker and remember being horrified when I saw my first slide show of a bunch of dead alpine lake fish. But you're exactly right about the high lakes all being planted. Part of the dilemma is that many (if not most) of those lakes have a relatively small amount of available food to support large fish. Since large fish need more calories than smaller ones, they become piscavorious when there aren't enough bugs.

I know several fishers who justify bonking the occasional big fish to 'take home to the larder'. But in a high lake setting it just doesn't make sense unless you plan on consuming it in camp that night. Then, it's a real feast. Plus it's that much less weight you've gotta bring in on your back.
 
#16 ·
No, they're in the "betweeners" A lake that sits too high in Washington will have a short season/ lesser food source. Some can and do put out some big fish....many years after a plant. The biggest fish I've seen caught in a "high" lake were from 5,500 to 4,200 feet. and one of them is a cake walk my buddy took his 7 & 9 year old kids to 45 min's from the car. Used to think in terms of further guarantees better & it's usually true but I know now that there are many variables, including a little lake that puts out 10 to 28 inch Bows, naturally spawning, great backcasting room for the fly types, & the biggest, best huckleberries ever. You won't want to visit it though, my wife was picked up and flown off by a pack of hungry "skeeters after a newt bit her"
 
#17 ·
Nothing beats fresh alpine lake trout cooked over an open fire. A little lemon juice and salt and pepper makes it mouth watering good. (pick up the little packets at your local fast food place...)

I roast my fish on a stick (like a hot dog). No need to pack in heavy or bulkly pans, butter, and other things that can be hassles. Of course this only works if you are in an area that allows open fires. Otherwise if you are limmited to using your little camp stove, the stick thing just won't work... Also, the stick thing only works on smaller\medium sized fish. Stunted brookies are top notch :)
 
#18 ·
>Nothing beats fresh alpine lake trout cooked over an
>open fire.

Open fire, eh? Hmmm . . . . I'll stick with lugging in my MSR stove and titanium fry pan thanks.
 
#19 ·
You didn't notice my note about 'open fires' apparently. Or are you too "PC" to use an open fire while camping in an area that allows and can safely sustain\support it?

My MSR wisperlite stove sees plenty of use, but when I get a few chances each year to hike into a few of my favorite brookie lakes that also fall well below the tree line in dense and damp forests with plenty of downed trees and brances - I savor the smokey flavor of roasted trout cooked over open flames. Nottin better :)
 
#20 ·
Chadk

I did notice the note in your original post. Not so much a question of being PC as one of being prudent. Whether an area is open for fires or not doesn't necessarily eliminate the risk of one getting out of control.

One late spring when I was about 12, my father and I and a friend were fishing on a remote stretch on the SF Trinity in northern California. We were surprised to find ourselves immediately below a borate bomber that afternoon as it came in low and loud on a run to extinguish a fire a mile or so upstream that stated from a campfire that had not been put completely out. The smoke jumpers were able to finish the job as it was a small fire and had only involved a few trees.

They asked us if it was our fire but we'd driven in that morning and never saw the campers who must've left before us. We walked right past their campsite a few hours before and never even noticed smoke.

Despit having my hair and clothes covered with pink goo, I was never so impressed in my life. Not only with the bomber and the smokejumpers, but with the speed and intensity at which the supposedly extinguised fire came back from the dead.

These days, if it's your fire that gets out of control you'll get a bill from the USFS for the firefighting. I don't care how good your toasted fishsicle is, that's one bill I'll let you pay instead.
 
#21 ·
For those who want to or need to, build a cooking fire deep in the woods and not leave a scar on the land here is a little trick. Note this really is the only type of fire that ever should be built in the woods unless fire pits are provided by the state. very rare will you ever find these. Last time I saw one of these was at Pratt Lake 15 years or so ago. I did not see it last time I was there any more. Remember many high coutry areas do not allow fires at all.

Dig a 6"-8" deep hole about 4"-5" around just like you would build for a one time use privey pit. Keep the removed dirt close by for later use. Make sure it is far from any fresh water source. The complete fire and all the wood should alway remain in this little hole. Because the hole is so small, it will only allow small peices of wood inside it. The wood you will be burning is always going to be less then 1" around and 4" long. Use small rocks or sticks to hold the pan off the ground enough to allow air into the fire and so you can add small bits of wood as needed. As long as the wood is dry there is plenty of heat to cook on. The flames should always remain no more then 1" above the hole. When done cooking put the fire out completely and fill back in the hole with the dirt you set aside earlier coving all wood ash etc at least 4" deep. By doing this properly you should be able to always leave no trace on the land.

I will say it again this is the only type of fire that should ever be used in the back country. All others leave a scar that will be there for a very long time afterwards. Also large fires burn up to much of the downed wood which is needed by the forest for future growth. This is a way for you to cook up your trout or do emergency cooking. A back packing stove should still be used for most cooking since its much faster and even less damaging to the land.

As a hiker in the back country you should always leave as little trace of your being there as possible. Each person who goes there in the future should feel that they are the first person to ever have seen that lake or stream or tree even though in their heart they know its not true.

Leave nothing but foot prints and even with them keep them from damaging more then you have to.
 
#22 ·
Prudent, paranoid - whatever...

I practice the 'leave not trace' and 'pack it in, pack it out' and 'make sure it is in as good or better shape after leave than before you arrived' type hiking\camping ethics since I was a kid taught by my dad.

Camp fires have been and will continue to be something I enjoyed and my kids will enjoy. They will be taught how to make them under various conditions (snow, rainstorms, etc) and how to properly extinguish them. They will also be taught when and where they are appropriate and when and where they should never legally or ethically be used.

"These days, if it's your fire that gets out of control you'll get a bill from the USFS for the firefighting. I don't care how good your toasted fishsicle is, that's one bill I'll let you pay instead."

If I screw up, I'll take responsiblity for my actions. I have no problem with that.
 
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