Fly Fishing from Snoqualmie

Three Point and Shoot Cameras

2009-12-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

500 different visitors were reading this blog each month during this summer. It's definitely not me they were here to look at, so I figure it had to be all the pictures of the beautiful alpine lakes I visted this year. That gives some meaning to the choice of camera I've been using.

I use point and shoot cameras for a simple reason; weight. My friend Vlad Karpinsky, the uber-alpine-lake-ninja, will lug around ten pounds of camera equipment when hiking for hours to alpine lakes, but I won't. Also, I am incredibly hard on electronic equipment since I tend to fall into rivers and lakes quite often, so that's another reason to avoid the $600 digital SLR cameras.

This year I used three different point and shoot cameras with varying results.

5 Megapixel Nikon Coolpix L10 ($150 in 2007)

10 Megapixel Fujifilm FinePix J20 ($120)

10 Megapixel Canon Powershot SD1200 IS ($180)

Taken with Nikon L10 - A good camera at a good price.

The Nikon is actually several years old and it has been a trooper. Its maximum resolution is 5M. Without getting too technical, I found the colors to be deep and pleasing. I've always been satisfied with the pictures that it takes. It has survived at least two complete submergings but it is starting to feel its age, and its 5-second delay between pictures seems like AGES. I would buy the Nikon L10 again. A good camera at a good price.

Fujifilm FinePix J20: Terrible Pictures!

The Fujifilm Finepix J20 had a pleasing set of chassis and the price was certainly right -- $120 for a 10 Megapixel camera. The camera seemed to be half the size the Nikon, was more responsive and had a faster in-between-picture metric. I liked everything about this camera... except I hated the pictures. They always looked washed out and the colors were muddy. I tried and tried messing with the settings but honestly 9 out of 10 pictures looked awful.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS - Good little camera, I'd buy again!

I returned the FujiFilm and, after reading many online reviews, bought the Canon Powershot SD1200 IS. I was a little concerned about getting a camera with a built-in battery, but I ultimately couldn't resist the camera's compact size. I loved the Canon -- it took great pictures and was easy to work with. Sadly, perhaps because it was so small, I lost it a few months after the purchase. I'm hoping its still around the house somewhere, perhaps in the pocket of a jacket I haven't worn since summer.

iPhone 3Gs Image -- Eh, Its Okay

So until I find the Canon again, I use the Nikon or in a pinch, my iPhone 3Gs. The iPhone has no focus feature, has poor colors and is slow. But on the other hand, I always have it.

But when summer comes around again, I think those 500 visitors are going to want to see pictures taken from the Canon, so here's to hoping I find it!

The 2009 Snoqualmie Pink Run

2009-11-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

This year, like just about every other running body of water in the Northwest, the Snoqualmie had a fantastic run of Pink Salmon (also called Humpies). No one knows why the Pinks are doing so well when all the other colors are in decline, but we'll take it. By Indian Treaty, the Pinks are allowed to vote in Federal elections so they return every odd-numbered year to cast their house ballots.

In 2007, there were pinks in the Snoqualmie, but not so many that you could legally target them. In fact, prior to this year, to my knowledge, the Snoqualmie was closed to all Salmon fishing.

But all that has changed, baby. Here are the regs for salmon as of 11/16/2009.

SALMON Sept. 1-Dec. 31 Min. size 12". Daily limit 2. Release CHINOOK and PINK.

I interpret that to mean you can fish for any Salmon, but you must release Chinook (King) and Pink (Humpy). Thus, if you fished with a single barbless hook (as fly fishers usually do) and caught a fish over 12" you could keep it if it were a Silver (Coho), Chum (Dog, Green) or Sockeye (Red). If you can't tell them apart, I suggest you put them back anyway, because if you can't tell them apart, you can't tell when they are good to eat and when they are "overripe."

I myself have not been fishing since September. But Amy has been out on the river alot by herself. It is interesting in this day and age the reactions she gets: you would think, from people's expressions, that they were seeing a Giraffe standing in the river and not a woman. Amy says its quite annoying. People literally stopping, getting out of their cars and pointing at her.

On the other hand, several of the ladies from Church, upon finding out that Amy fishes by herself, have asked her to take them. Perhaps Amy could build a bridge between women and water in Snoqualmie.

Defeated at Cottonwood Lake

2009-09-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

I passed by Cottonwood lake about a month ago and saw, in the water, that someone had gutted a fish and left its head in the water. The head looked like it would match a trout of 14-16" so I was interested to return.

Last Friday, I talked poor Amy into giving the Float Tube another try and joining me to re-visit Cottonwood Lake. She had only been on one other float-tubing adventure before and it had been a long slog and she didn't like it. I promised her that this would be an easy trip that was a sure-fire easy hike where nothing could go wrong.

I had no way of knowing it would end with sobbing. And vomit.

Sunny at Cottonwood Lake

Everything was going great. Easy drive to Lost Lake. Used the F-150 to get up that last little bit to get to the upper trailhead for Mirror Lake. 10 minute walk with tube and trailboat to Cottonwood. Got us inflated and in the water. No noise except birds every now and then.

Great weather -- probably 70 degrees out. Sunny. The lake was full of water though -- not down at all, and that should have been a clue for me. Small fish were rising, but we couldn't entice them. The lake was MUCH larger than I thought it was from shore. There's some kind of optical illusion going on there.

After about 2 hours, Amy announced she wasn't feeling well and she paddled herself to shore. When she got there she said she felt so sick. She had the worst headache of her life she thought she was going to throw up. I told her that she was probably just too cold from the water (she had been wearing thin, breathable summer waders) and that she should try to get warm.

She curled up in a ball, clutching her head and weeping (I have that effect on many women so I was not too surprised). I hurriedly packed our stuff and we started stumbling down the trail. We got about halfway down when she announced that she wanted to sit down but I wouldn't let her.

She then vomitted on my sandaled feet.

After that she slowly got better. Later, at home, she was back to normal, and decided against ever float-tubing again.

Here's what I think happened. The warm, sunny weather kept the top half of her nice and toasty and giving her the impression that she wasn't slowly freezing. But because she was wearing uninsulated waders in cold water (is Cottonwood spring-fed?) her core temperature slowly dropped until her body started taking drastic measures to keep her warm, including giving her the worst brain-freeze ever and removing all the blood from her stomach, causing her to get nauseous...

It goes without saying that I was skunked once again. These alpine lake fish are too smart for me. I was even tring 6x tippet. Maybe I need to go flourocarbon or something.

Okanogan Fishing Report

2009-09-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ready to Go

Amy and I both love the Okanogan region; its that upper-right-hand quadrant of the state right up near Canada but not quite into Idaho. We've been looking forward to this trip all summer (we knew Casey would be in Disneyland with his Grandparents). I bought a new camera and Amy got all pretty (see above), though as she points out, by the end of the trip you can't tell the two of us apart.

Calligan

Before leaving, we fished a local favorite in the tree farm, Calligan lake, just to warm up. Fishing was slow but we did manage to get a few cutthroat on dry flies. The fall sun looks golden on Amy's skin as she casts to some fish rising in a pocket.

Snake Eating a Fish

The next day we drove as far as the Methow river before we had to stop and release the fishing pressure. The river was crawling with other fly-fishermen and the water was very low. In a strange coincidence, Amy found a snake eating a fish in the river. I think this is a bull snake and a sculpin. And, unlike earlier this summer the snake looked like he could complete the deal.

Steer on the road

The Okanogan countryside reminds us of Colorado where we both grew up. But the region is definitely remote -- a town of 1000 is a metropolis. Often on these trips we'd stay in sketchy 2-star roadside motels with bad beds and funny smells. This time we decided to try to stay in cabins and resorts. Some friends recommended Eden Valley Ranch as accomodations.

Staying in a cabin

Our cabin was cute and cozy -- a great wood burning stove kept the interior toasty against the cold air coming down from Canada. We watched movies on our laptops and surfed the net on the Ranch's wireless network -- all the comforts of home, really!

2 Laptops, 1 iPhone, 2 coffees, 3 Netflix = Party Time

If you are in the area, I HIGHLY recommend that you stay there -- Robin will take care of you and tell her that David Holmes sent you.

Panorama from our door at Eden Valley Ranch

The Ranch is fairly close to the quirky little "town" of Chesaw, where our friends from church, Gordon and Kelly Kyle, have a cabin. They were nice enough to invite us up to their property (only one mile south of the Canadian border) and feed us lunch. It was so nice to see them.

Blue Lake

If you are a fisherman, by now you are thinking ENOUGH ALREADY, how was the fishing? The lowlights were Sidley Lake, Big Twin, Blue Lake and Beth Lake, where we skunked. The weather at Sidley and Big Twin was cold and very windy so we were unable to fish them long. We pounded Blue Lake for 7 hours, searching for those big Lahontan trout, but, aside from Amy landing one small 12" juvenile, we left disappointed. We also stopped by several lakes which were WAY lower than they usually are even in October, rendering them unfishable. For example, both Conconully Lakes were ridiculously dry, though the other Blue Lake in the gorgeous Sinlahekin valley looked good.

Morning on Spectacle Lake

The only bright spot as far as fishing the Okanogan region was Spectacle Lake. Terri, who runs the Spectacle Lake Resort told us that it was slow at her side of the lake but good at the other side. We had good success, finding fish all over the west side the 300-acre lake. The Cuda 242 fish finder came in very, very handy, as the fish were definitely schooling at specific depths. Amy caught 13 fish there, and she lost a big one before we could get a good look at it.

Spectacle

Speaking of Spectacle Lake Resort, we did indeed stay there for a night. We literally almost blew ourselves up working the natural gas appliances to heat pork and beans that night for dinner. This is when Amy told me that maybe this trip had gotten a little too rustic for her. The resort also appeared to have wireless, but I forgot to ask for the WEP key.

Video of Amy catching a one-eyed-jack

Even though we fished identical equipment, Amy caught the last nine fish in row on Spectacle Lake. Literally the last three hours she caught fish after fish while I had nothing. Just goes to show you, a woman can outfish a man sometimes.

The Ford

On our way back home, Amy steered us to one of her favorite fishing spots, Rocky Ford. There, she continued putting on a clinic, catching four respectable trout on dries, including a monster fish that she swears was over two feet long. I was in the truck at the time having a soda and I didn't hear her yelling for the camera. So there is no picture of the fish of the trip and for that I am to blame.

Columbia River

The most exciting part of our trip was when we stopped at the Columbia river just south of I-90 to look out over the smooth, lake-like water. It was so enticing that we launched our little 12' craft and headed north toward the freeway, paralleling the shore. There was feeling of intense anticipation because there are all kinds of crazy beasts in that water, from 3' Chinook Salmon to 8' Sturgeon. Who knew what we'd catch????

Columbia River Northern Pike Minnow

I caught three fish: all were Northern Pike Minnows. The water was alive with Salmon smolt and these ugly predators were probably gorging themselves on the poor little guys who were just trying to get 500 miles downstream to the ocean.

Look closely for the Demon Eye

As we neared a large island in the river, we spooked a couple of big fish were were hanging out at the surface. Amy thought they must be salmon. We continued North and saw a few more. We cast to them and they spooked again. But this time when they swirled about 50 other swirls happened all around us! We were frantic to figure out what the fish were. Finally we got a good look at them -- they were carp and some of them looked to be 15-20lbs. We fished to them for hours but they were very shy, fleeing at our every approach. Though we didn't catch one, pursuing them was exhilirating.

Placid Columbia

It was a five day trip which is one of our longer trips. The extremes were freezing our buns off in Sidley Lake to getting sunburned in the Columbia River. For the most part, the weather was good -- too good. You see, we usually do this trip in October, but I was getting tired of the short days and cold weather during our trips. But now I realize that you have to have those short days and cold weather in order to get the excellent fishing. If you go too early, like we did, you get the nice weather, but often the trout will still be in summer mode. We'll see we what happens next year.

Lower Twin Lake, Pacific Crest Trail

2009-09-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

Redemption. That's what this hike was about. Countless times I have promised Amy that a hike would be easy or short or flat only to have the hike turn out to be long, steep or brutal. When I asked her to go with Casey and I on Sunday on a hike to a lake she refused. I promised that this one would be easy and she still refused. I told her that I had changed and this one would be easy! She reluctantly agreed to try again.

The trail to the Twin Lakes (the ones south of the Pass) satisfies all these requirements. It's close: 30 minutes from our house. It's easy: 1 mile to the lower lake with only about 200 feet elevation gain. Its pretty. The Lake has fish.

After the short, easy hike, Amy brought out some apples, cheese and sandwiches for a picnic. I prepared the fishing gear. In this picture, Casey is hunting down frog egg sacks (which were abundant) and Amy is fishing in the background.

Speaking of egg sacks, check out this one that Casey found. I told him not to play with them but he said he couldn't help it.

Amy tried out the trail boat and did quite well at it. The lady can throw a line, even sitting down only an inch above the water. Casey and I spotted some fish and Amy paddled over and cast a brown hare's ear to the vicinity. She was talking to us about something and she "oh! oh!" and she had the fish on. It was surprisingly big cutthroat for such a small, shallow lake.

While Amy kept fishing, Casey and I explored the forest around the lake. There are three nice campsites at the lake, though it probably gets pretty busy during the peak season, being on the Pacific Crest Trail and all. We came across this little log cabin nearby. A sign says private property.

We crossed creeks on fallen logs and practiced bushwacking some more, coming back to the lake by a different route. In the picture above, check out the WALL OF GRAVEL that this winter's floods had pushed a quarter mile down to the lake.

When we got home we all felt like we'd been on a much longer, harder adventure. Nice way to spend a fall afternoon.

Backpacking to Mirror Lake

2009-08-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Cool Kid at Mirror Lake

Mirror Lake is a gem. It's an easy mile from the trailhead on a beautiful trail. As a result, it can get very, very busy, and as a rule you don't want to be there on a summer weekend. So I took another day-cation last week and Casey and I set out for the promised end-of-summer backpacking overnighter that I'd promised him.

Ready to go!

We took the truck so that we could drive the last half-mile, which is definitely for 4WD, high-clearance vehicles. Casey's pack was 10 pounds and mine, 32.

Cottonwood Lake, on the way

Cottonwood Lake is halfway to Mirror Lake. It has good fishing and a great campsite so of course it was difficult to explain to Casey that we were going to put those heavy back packs on and keep going. Casey spotted the head of what looks like a 14" trout in the water.

Arriving at Mirror Lake, we talked with this young man who had the unwashed, spacey look of the long-time-out backpacker. When asked where he had come from, he replied "Lake Tahoe." He was walking the amazing Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Canada to Mexico. His final destination? Snoqualmie pass. "Do you realize you are only 5 miles away!? You'll be there tonight! There's a pizza place right there!" I told him. It was inspiring to bump into this guy right at the tail end of his trip.

The shore of our campsite

Casey and I chose a nice corner campsite, tucked right up against the mountain. You can see the new $25 Wenzel Starlite solo tent (3 lbs) that my friend Vlad had recommended.

Our Campsite

Dinner was Satarain's Red Beans and Rice. It took a long time to make, and but when it was done, we both wolfed it down. "This is best soup ever!" Casey said. He fell asleep quickly in the tent -- we didn't even have time to play cards -- and I lay awake for a long time, happy at how things had turned out so far.

View down the adjacent valley

The following morning, we dressed and started a morning adventure: bushwack around the lake. It took an hour, but it was a manly way to get the heart pumping. After breakfast I inflated the trail boat and let Casey try to paddle it around. He's too small still, so I got in with him and we fished together for a while (unsuccessfully).

Frog

I let Casey swim ashore (in his lifejacket) to pursue a frog, while I kept fishing. An errant cast across my body caused my flyline to hook my sunglasses behind my ear and flip them into the water. I watched my prescription aviators sinking slowly in the crystal clear water and decided I was going to go get them. I could still see them in what looked to be five feet of water. I pulled off my hat, sandals and lanyard and slipped over the side of the boat. The water was FREEZING. I opened my eyes underwater and the true lake looked nothing like it did above! First, it wasn't five feet deep, it was ten. I looked forward and saw a whole underwater cathedral stretching out in front of me. I swam down, retrieved the glasses and shot back to the surface.

On our way out, a group of forty Russian teenagers was coming in. They were quite lively and friendly. To their credit, the teens had hiked the long way in (5 miles) with giant packs. They were a church group (Salvation something) and I hope they had a good time, but I'm so glad that we had chosen the previous, quiet night for our backpacking trip. Casey and I stopped in at the general store in Easton and ate cheeseburgers, while a visitor came in with a giant gerbil that was licking a lollipop.

I don't know if Casey will remember our first backpacking trip, but I think I always will. It was good trip and went off without a hitch.

Lower Loch Katrine, Alpine Lakes Wilderness

2009-09-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Lower Loch Katrine Panorama

There's something about lakes named after women. See the August report for Lake Laura. Well this month its Loch Katrine. If she's anything like her namesake, Katrine is dark and deep and um, full of fish! If you know who either lake was named for, please share.

Self Portrait at Trailhead

Loch Katrine has been on "my list" for a long time. Took a day-cation yesterday to cross it off. The Sevylor trail boat actually fit into one of the paniers on the bike so I was able to take the small day pack. Rode the first (flat) mile, then spent the next three hours pushing the bike up the logging road. Had to park it 1/2 mile from the lake where the road becomes a boot trail.

The Island in the Lake

Arrived at the lake at 1:30pm and took some pictures over lunch. Put my feet into the water. Napped on a log in the sun for a bit -- that was a long walk! A rainbow cruised under my log as I was inflating the boat. Good sign.

Fish Cliffs

The wind gently pushed the little trail boat across the lake, allowing me to hook fish wherever there was structure. The best fish were at the far end of the lake, hanging around these cliffs, for example.

Rainbow

The fish were definitely hungry. Constant action on flies cast toward shore and slowly retrieved. Over the course of 3 hours, caught 11 rainbows mostly 10-11". Lost another dozen or more. Many seemed thin.

Fireweed on a log in the lake

Remember how the walk up took 3 hours? After I got back to my bike it took only 15 MINUTES to get back to the car. Sort of a surreal end to a nice day.

The Upper Canyon of the Yakima River

2009-08-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Excited to get fishing

The gift that keeps on giving: we used the third of four "nephew-sitting-weekend" coupons that my lovely sister Patti gave me for Christmas. Casey got to spend the weekend in her busy house with all kinds of young people while Amy and I had a guided float down the Yakima River (from South Cle Elum to the Thorp Bridge).

Scott Wilson, guide

Scott Wilson guided us in his driftboat. We only seem to get really good guides and Scott was no exception. Affable, knowledgable, knew every rock in the river, I swear. Summer time is "Hopper Time" on the Yakima. The only real bugs in the water are stoneflies and grasshoppers who are unluckly enough to fall into the water. As Scott drifted us down the river, we'd cast our foamy flies toward the banks where the trout sit waiting.

Summer of the Pink Flyrod

Amy raised fish after fish but for some reason they just didn't "stick" on her line. She probably had 30 trout rise to her fly and then either refuse or miss it. She's a trooper though and didn't complain.

Come to papa

I switched to fishing a big streamer (a long weighted fly that looks like a fish) under a floating indicator and had better luck that way. First cast, missed a fish. Second cast, got this nice rainbow. Caught a few more like that one, though we didn't stop for pictures of those.

Northern Pike Minnow

The streamer also caught two northern pike minnows, which are rough fish unworthy of a true angler's attention. Scott threw them back but not before one of them puked up a giant leech onto our cooler. Gee Thanks! BTW, last year I caught one that was about three times the size of the one in the picture on a fly smaller than dime.

Puked Leech

Scott was patient and put up with my steady stream of questions. Here are some things I learned from him:

A good mayfly imitation is the Purple Haze.
You can use Deer Hair for a mayfly tail (much easier than the Fibbets I use)
How to fish a streamer under an indicator (this never worked for me until now)
That there is such a thing as the Banana Superstition

The River

Eighteen miles is a long day on the river. About halfway through we were all hot, tired and kinda grumpy. But we got a second wind and the day ended well. The Yakima is such a beautiful river. If you're looking for a trip, I think you can book Scott through the Yakima River Flyshop in Cle Elum.

Mason Lake, Alpine Lake Wilderness

2009-08-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

This is it. This is what I've been waiting for all year. A day when I can get away and push myself beyond my comfort zone. This is the day that I'll think about all winter long.

Mason Lake is about 30-acres: its round, its pretty and has good fish. The hike is ambitious: 2000 vertical feet of gain over three miles with a 20 pound pack.

Trailhead, almost empty

On a weekend this parking lot will be jam packed. But on a Tuesday morning, you might be the only person on the trail for hours. The first mile follows an old logging road that is dwindling to a trail.

Trail Damage

Check out the damage to the trail. Everywhere I go this year I see the destruction from last winter. The little dog is Dudley (or something) that Casey gave me to take with me on the hike. An 80 year old man in an NOAA hat passed me on a steep section of the trail. I tried to catch up to him but the wily octogenarian had TWO trekking poles and I only had one.

Looking down to views of Snoqualmie

As you gain in elevation, the views of the south fork of the Snoqualmie get better and better. That pointy thing is McLelland Butte, which I hope to climb with Casey someday. As you near the ridge you can start to see over the mountains opposite to views of mount Rainier.

With Dudley the Dog and GPS in pocket

I arrived at the lake at 2:00pm. A young couple, gosh they couldn't have been more than 22, had set up camp there. Nice kids. Good-lookin' too. They said the octogenarian had been by an hour earlier. Sheesh! :)

Mason Lake

I inflated my boat, changed my boots for sandals, and lazily floated around the lake. Aside from the occasional airliner, the only sounds were birds chirping, fish rising and that college girl laughing in the distance. There was no breeze and the sun was hot. A couple of fish took pity on me and hooked themselves on my fly. Nothing special: 11" rainbows. Here's one with a gold-ribbed hare's ear in its mouth.

Rainbow

Though I fished hard I was never able to hook up again. No matter, this trip wasn't really about the fish. Changing sandals back to boots (fresh socks, that's thinking ahead), I loaded all the gear back into the pack.

Local Wildlife

As I put my boots on and munched some trail mix one of those birds (camp robber? gray jay?) came and looked me right in the eye. On a hunch I grabbed my video camera and took this little video.

Little Mason Lake

Little Mason Lake is just a 1/3 of a mile away on an unsigned trail. I made the quick trip to take a look. The small fish jumping there will be pan-sized in 2011 :) On my way back past Mason I said goodnight to the young couple who were then kicking back in a hammock with their heads close and their legs all tangled together.

Mount Raininer the Distance

The descent back to the car from Little Mason is 4 miles. Took just about 2 hours -- plenty of time to reflect on what a great idea it was to move right next to the beautiful Alpine Lake Wilderness. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Denny Creek Waterslide

2009-08-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

I-90 from the Denny Creek Trail

Looking for a treat for the kids? May I recommend the Denny Creek Waterslide. Casey and I had time for a short hike on Sunday so we chose this destination -- he claims it is now his favorite hike EVER (of course, thats from a sample of 4 hikes in his whole life).

Its about a 20 minute walk through the woods to get to the "waterslide", which is a section of Denny Creek that runs over portions of bare rock (granite?). The water has grooved channels in the stone, some of which you can ride down if you are so inclined. Its a fascinating area, one that will be sure to intrigue children for hours.

"There's a lil Jackpot at the end!"

In the video above you can see Casey sliding through a child-size channel in the rock. I dropped the digital camera seconds after taking that video and it bounced into the creek and took the same little ride that Casey did. Found the camera and were able to save the pictures but the camera is dead. We were both soaking wet and cold, but quite happy when we left. Delightful way to spend an afternoon.

Me and Casey

If you go, drive to Exit 47 and turn Left (N) over the freeway. Turn Right at the T toward the Denny Creek Campground then immediately Left onto road #5800. Drive about two miles and then turn Left again on road #5830 (well marked). Park anywhere and then walk to the end of the road to begin the trail at the portable toilets. Walk about a mile or so you'll come to the waterslide area.

Its a great little introduction to hiking and wonderful place for kids.

Lake Laura

2009-08-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Looking back toward the trailhead

If you look on a map, it appears that you can drive very, very close to Lake Laura. And, in fact, with a 4 wheel drive vehicle and some chutzpah, you can! Amy, Casey and I spilled out of the truck at the trailhead into the same frustrating fogbank that has been shrouding the ALW for the last week. I'm still not very good at the "Ultralight" thing -- my daypack weighed 23 pounds.

The Best Hiking Partner I've ever had

The GPS showed a mere half-mile to the lake, but what I failed to realize was that there was 700' vertical gain to be negotiated in there. I have never seen a hike as steep as this one. For long, long sections it was more of a dangerous climb than a hike. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the slope was greater than 45 degrees for several brutal stretches.

Atop the island in the middle of the lake

The lake itself, if you can reach it without injury, is small and pretty. It sits in a little bowl, surrounded by hundred-foot cliffs on three sides. Casey and I bush-whacked our way around it stopping to cast the flyrod to rising fish. He asked to try and I let him and you know what? For the first time ever, he liked it. I tried not to get too excited about this development but praised his natural back cast and hope that a seed got planted in his mind somewhere.

Pink Flyrod Sighting

Amy fished from shore for a while, then tried to start a fire but everything up there was just WET WET WET, including Casey and I after our circum-navigation. I fished from my boat, never catching anything but I did see a 13" fish cruising the shoreline. These alpine lake fish are harder to catch than I thought they would be. Challenging!

Looking back across the lake

When we got home we were all so exhausted from the climbs and the cold that we napped and ate and napped and ate and then went to sleep. If you go: be careful -- take the established trail, not the back way like we did. I could very easily see someone falling and getting hurt on this dangerous climb.

Olallie Lake, Alpine Lake Wilderness

2009-08-11T22:52:00.001-07:00

Talapus Lake Trail

Everything is coming together this year in my quest to be an alpine lake ninja. I acquired three critical pieces of equipment (GPS, a Trail Boat and 7pc packable flyrod). I trained all winter long so I'm in better shape than I usually am (which isn't saying much).

Talapus Lake, on the way to Olallie

Sunday was a milestone: my first ever solo backpacking / fishing trip. First ever? It's true; Amy and I have been together 17 years (basically all my adult life) so the few camping trips I've done have been with her. Or with Casey.

Here's a picture of me with my 45lb pack. 45 pounds??? Yes more on that in a minute. After a lot of thinking, I chose Olallie Lake as a destination; its close, relatively easy and I've never been there before.

Olallie

The hike itself isn't too bad. However, with a 45 pound pack the 3.5 miles and 1,100 feet of vertical gain felt like a LOT more. I was glad to get to Olallie and set that pack down. Being a summer weekend, the best camping spots at the lake were taken, but I found a pretty good one.

Claiming my campsite

After setting up camp, I inflated my trail boat and puttered around the lake. I caught fish after fish but they were all less than 6" long; resident wild rainbows.

A solitary dead tree in a field of flowers

I got wet getting out of my boat -- I'm much more careful not to pop it after last time. Cloud after cloud rolled in and my wet pants never dried. In fact, soon everything in my camp was wet with the moisture of the passing fog banks. I shivered all night in my tent.

I learned several important things on my exploratory trip. Mainly that 45lbs is too much to carry comfortably. The 3 person tent is not just too heavy (6 lbs), its also too big; it felt cavernous and cold. The two person sleeping bag is also too heavy (4 lbs) and too big.

I got home and immediately started cataloging my gear and researching lighter replacements. It appears that one can spend as much money on going lighter as they want to, but I've decided to compromise; I've spent $100 on a new tent and a new sleeping bag and that will save 5lbs on my next trip. See, I could have spent $500 to save 7lbs.

Stay tuned for more, better reports.

Grand Mesa, Silver Jack, Colorado

2009-07-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

My kid brother had a beautiful wedding in Colorado. My father and I arranged to have the prior week off of work together so we could hang out and fish. Also, my nephew John Foster IV came along. Its HOT in late July in South Western Colorado -- mid-nineties every day, so we fished the high country in my 12' jon boat.

I took my dad up to the Grand Mesa which is the biggest, highest mesa in the world, and it just so happens to be littered with beautiful high meadow lakes and kah-jillions of trout. Dad and I had a FANTASTIC time fishing Eggleston Lake.

We found ourselves at the end of the long, skinny lake; all the fish were crowded down there and so were a bunch of heifers. Dad made lo'ing sounds at them and they not only responded they crowded around the shore as if he were some kind of Cow Messiah, calling them to the water.

Seems like Dad caught a fish every five minutes, fishing Berkeley Power Nuggets under a bobber. He and I agree that bobber fishing is just downright fun. The trout were very cooperative and we eventually left Eggleston with a nice stringer. We moved up the road to Vela Reservoir, where we were stymied -- it seemed as if there were no fish there at all. We kept on fishing since it was too late in the day to move to another place. As the sun went down the lake came alive; soon it was literally boiling with fish. We had to laugh at our earlier assumption that there were no fish at all.

Fishing like that with my Dad is something I haven't done in probably 30 years. It was so fun. We should have been doing that this whole time, but you know how it is. We agreed that we should fish together every chance we get now, and I hope we get a lot more chances!

My Nephew John and I fished the Silver Jack Reservoir, which I think is closer to Telluride rather than Montrose. Also a beautiful coliseum of fishing. The whole reservoir was deserted when we arrived -- we had it all to ourselves. I think this might have been one of the first times that John and I had hung out alone together. It was nice getting to know each other better. And we brought home a nice stringer for my mom.

After leaving the Silver Jack Res, John and I decided to drive down a rough side rode looking for "Rowdy Lake". As we approached the lake a herd of cows started running straight toward us. Not knowing anything about cows I decided to get us out of there so I turned us around and we started flying back up the road, trying to stay ahead of the herd. The cows were FAST and the road was hella bumpy. In a near-hallucinatory scene that I hope I never forget: the truck stereo was blasting 50-cent, a herd of cows was running right next to the us, seemingly in time with the rhythm, the sun blazed on the yellow grass and the sky was so blue at 10,000 feet, things were flying all around the cab, and I looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see the cooler, which was in the boat, bounce open and ejaculate dead fish and bloody but shiny blue ice up into the air. I stopped the truck as the herd curved away ahead of us. I was able to scoop up 5 of the 6 fish and put them back in the cooler -- the 6th fish is still on that dirt road somewhere.

Several times we got a line caught in the motor and I'd have to take it off to untangle it. Of course this is also the time when my rod would catch a fish! This is the only fishing picture of me on the trip.

Fishing the Grand Mesa. With my father. Fishing the Silver Jack. With my nephew. Precious times.

Secret Lake with Rex Takasugi

2009-07-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

Me, wet, at the Secret Lake, photo by Rex Takasugi

Took Thursday off to guide my friend, Rex Takasugi, to the Secret Lake that I had such a good time at last summer. We met up at the North Bend Bar and Grill for a yummy, heavy breakfast before driving up near a mountain pass to hike to the lake. Rex hiked in his waders with his 15lb Fish Cat 4 strapped to his back, looking for all the world like a giant, 8' tall beetle. To his credit, we made great time on the hike; from the cars to the lake in only 75 minutes. My new GPS says the elevation gain is 1000 feet, which is more than I thought it was.

Photo by Rex Takasugi

As for the fishing; Rex's amazingly detailed fishing report describes it better than I will, but let me summarize for you. We fished for six hours, but really only caught fish in a 30 minute window when suddenly all the fish in the lake went wild. Rex netted three fish, though he had hooked many more. All his rainbows in the 13-16" range. Above is a beautiful picture of one of them.

I caught two fish, about 17" each, on a mayfly imitation that I tie with just peacock herl and grizzly hackle (when I got home I tied 6 more of them!). Each fish was dark with spawning colors. This was my second trip with my Sevylor Trail Boat and I accidentally "popped it" by beaching it on some sharp rocks. My friend Vlad will show me how to repair it I hope!

Rex Takasugi

To me, the Secret Lake was nice, but the day was really about Fishing with Rex. The day is coming when his name will jump to your mind when you think "modern PNW fly-fishing masters." I am lucky to have fished with him a few times. He is a graceful, delightful gentleman.

July 4th Middlefork Adventures

2009-07-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

As a fisherman in the Snoqualmie Valley, I am fortunate enough to go to church with local entreprenuer and outdoorsman Bryan Finney, who has been scouting out the three river forks for twenty years or more. Last weekend he called me up and invited me to visit an absolutely incredible slough in the Middlefork valley. I said "sure!" and before too long we were stomping down a fisherman's trail to the slough.

Bryan Finney with a slough cutthroat

The Slough doesn't show up on maps which is crazy because its absolutely gigantic; it just goes on and on and on. We fished the long S-shape for three hours and still didn't cover it all. We caught a mix of largemouth bass and trout. Here's a picture of me after I lost the largest cutt of the day, which was perhaps 13".

The One the Got Away

At some point, Bryan mentioned that the river has a neat little run behind the slough.

So the next day, Casey and went back there. We walked past the slough and tried to find the river. We wandered around the hot, bug-infested jungle for 45 minutes. We even bumped into another dad and his girls who were looking for the same river access! Finally, Casey and I followed an old creekbed and found the run that Bryan was talking about.

As I was setting up to fish, Casey yelled "Ewwww! Dad, there's a snake here with a dead fish!" I came around the rock, took the following video. Note, the sculpin isn't dead: if you look closely you can see it gulping air.

Normally snakes swallow things head first -- that way fins and limbs can fold back and be swallowed whole. This juvenile snake hasn't learned that lesson yet I guess. He eventually had to spit out the fish (now dead).

Photo by Casey

In the end, the snake was a better fisherman than I; I caught nothing. Good looking water though.

Thorp Lake

2009-07-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have been dreaming of going to Thorp Lake for years since I first saw it on a map. Once I even drove around trying to find the trailhead. Many times over two winters I have searched the internet for trip reports and tried to imagine what it was like to be there. On Sunday, the 5th of July, I finally made it. But before we get to my report, remember how I skipped church on Father's Day to go fishing with my buddy Vlad?

Thorp Lake

I did go the following Sunday because I was an usher. At the end of the service our lay leader, Denise, had an announcement, she said "Normally we do this on Father's day, but this person wasn't here on Father's day." THAT got my attention. Then she said some very kind words about volunteering, joy, energy, passion and youth. I was sweating and my heart pounding. She announced that this year's Father of the Year was David Holmes. Ernie Jenner, our old lay leader, was at my side in an instant and he literally dragged me to the front of the congregation, who were all on their feet, beaming. I was overcome and could barely speak. I croaked about how much I loved them all and accepted the following certificate.

I don’t think I can adequately express how meaningful this is to me. It’s not the certificate or the award, but the love and appreciation of the people that I care so deeply about. Its true that I've put in a few hours volunteering this year but I am happy to help. I feel the grace of God giving me peace when I do good works. And that's all I'm going to say about that!

Back to the report: to get to Thorp Mountain you have to go past it, through Roslyn and then approach from the East -- this makes for about a 90 minute drive. Maybe longer if you stop for a burger like I did. I accidently, but conveniently, dripped ketchup all over myself so that if I were eaten by a bear or cougar on the trail I would be pre-condimented.

The trailhead is not marked so you kind of have to know where to go. A new Garmin Colorado 300 GPS helped get me started. The trail follows the creek along the valley floor. Then it goes straight up, gaining 1000' in less than a mile. I took it very slowly and arrived at the lake at 4:00pm. Two hours to hike 2.5 miles. I'm SO SLOW.

As you can see from the pictures, the trail is just plain GREEN. Green everywhere! And when you get to the lake, well its green, too! A deep forest green. It was beautiful. I don't think my pictures do it justice. I skirted around the lake to a rocky point and started assembling my new Sevylor trail boat. Fish were rising and splashing, including a big splash by the rockfall. A happy young couple were walking around the lake -- I could see their tent pitched right at the perfect spot on a wedge of land sticking into the middle of the U-shaped lake.

The water was surprisingly warm! Swimmable for sure, which is surprising given that Thorp Lake resides at 4600 feet. I think I hooked all four fish in the lake but they all got off due to my inexperience with the new trail boat and the requirement of fishing while not holding the rod. I'm sure I hooked the fish who made the large splash -- he had some good heft and I'm guessing he was 14 or 15". But in the end, after three exciting hours of alpine lake fishing, I was technically skunked! I beached my craft at 7:45pm and started the long hike back to the truck.

Just as with the hike up, I didn't see another soul on the hike down. The steep trail down makes for shaky knees. Arrived at the truck at 9:00 and then finally, home at 11:00pm. Thorp Lake was more beautiful than I had figured. I intend to return next year! Maybe with some friends.

Middlefork Campground

2009-07-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't been camping in over ten years. As part of my master plan to become an alpine lake ninja I have to get back into it. So Thursday night Casey and I started the long holiday weekend by driving 45 minutes to beautiful the new Middlefork campground on the Middle fork of the Snoqualmie River.

To Casey's delight, the camp host, Pete, let us drive the camp's golf cart around the camp. Then Casey and I went to explore parts of the nearby Taylor River, which had, this winter, washed out the bridge. In case you were wondering if it was still possible to get around the washout, well, look at the picture.

Then we walked around the camp to find the old-timey water pump. We filled a bucket for camp use. There's something very quaint about pumping your own water.

Weinies and Cup'Noodles make for good Bachelor food for camping. I'm not a cook by any stretch but I thoroughly enjoyed getting us fed that night. Especially using the new $50 camp pot set that Vlad recommended (GSI Dualist).

We slept very well, even though our neighbors had told us that last year everyone had been chased out there by a hungry, aggressive bear. Casey slept in his underwear. In the morning I got up and made myself coffee. Casey wouldn't eat the oatmeal I bought so he had the last weinie for breakfast. In the picture you can see the AMAZINGLY TINY camp stove, which is in the process of boiling the water when this picture was taken.

The campground was exactly what we needed for our maiden camping voyage. We had a great time and I, for one, can't wait to go camping again! Next time will probably be Mirror Lake or some other hike-to-camp option.

Battleground Lake, Kalama River

2009-06-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Battleground Lake is a pretty little lake in the "town" of Battleground just a few miles northeast of Vancouver. Every winter for some reason, the department of fish and wildlife dumps hundreds of ten pound steelhead into it. I didn't honestly expect to find any of them still in there but I at least wanted to get a look at the place. The place was CRAZY with people. We fished for a while anyway and talked to people but after catching only some small fish we decided to pack up and head north.

The Kalama river is a favorite of many people -- its accessible, wadeable and often has good runs of kings, silvers and steelhead.

We didn't catch any fish or even see any. So I got some pictures of Amy fly fishing. She loves to fish the moving water. The lady can throw a line, that's for sure.

On the way home we saw a traffic accident two cars in front of us. Someone had hit their brakes and a minivan flipped up in the air and came down on its side. No one was hurt. I barked at Amy "Stay in the truck!" Strangely I had a had a vision about saying that earlier in the trip; such a manly thing to yell. I approached the minivan, inspecting the things strewn out the broken windows. Thank Goodness none of them were children. I asked the woman inside if she was alone and she said yes, no kids. I asked her if she was okay, she said yes. I turned around and a woman was running toward me "I'm a nurse!" she said. A man was right behind her "I'm an EMT!" he said. "Okay! I'm outta here!" I have no problem turning the situation over to professionals. When we left they had gotten the woman out of the car and she was looking back toward us. She seemed okay. That's the important thing.

Coldwater Lake

2009-06-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Typical Coldwater Lake Resident

My wonderful sister Patty had Casey for the weekend so Amy and I could enjoy a whole weekend of Marital Harmony Fishing. As my sister lives in Federal Way, I chose SW Washington as our destination.

One of my favorite spots anywhere is Coldwater Lake at the foot of the Mount St. Helens volcano. The lake is inside the park, just before the Johnston Ridge Observatory. It is an 800 acre lake created when the 1980 eruption dammed the Coldwater Creek valley. The creek filled the valley and thus Coldwater Lake was born. Cutthroat and Rainbow fry moved into the lake where their descendants live today.

The Lake is a long drive from Snoqualmie -- about 4 hours. We arrived at the park around 3pm. I had stupidly left my NW Forest Pass in the other car so we had to go to the Johnston Ridge Observatory/Gift Shop to get a new pass. The guy at the Ridge said the lake was turning over, visibility was nil and that fishing had been very slow from what he'd heard.

There were a few boats coming out of the lake. The discouraged anglers reported not even any nibbles since morning. Flush with optimism even in the face of discouraging news, we launched into a light breeze. I stuck a 15" fish within a few minutes and then we had to return to the launch so I could get my hat which I'd forgotten in the Truck. One of the skunked boaters was still packing up and he was annoyed about us getting into fish right away.

The sun beat down REALLY hot for hours. We were able to pick up a half-dozen between the two of us out in the very middle of the lake trolling or stripping streamers. The largest of these very silver fish was about 17" -- there's a picture of him with Amy in the sun.

In the evening hours we found ourselves at "the point" about halfway across the lake. There are coves on either side of the point and a little inlet there, too. There were black beetles and flying ants struggling at the surface and fish were starting to take them.

I put a small black beetle on Amy's pink rod and handed it to her. We sighted a fish coming toward us and she made a perfect cast to it. It boiled on her fly and then thrashed and thrashed. She brought it to the boat -- it was that beautiful fish you see in the picture. We didn't tape it but its probably in the 21-23" range. Biggest fish either of us had seen in a while! I don't think the picture does it justice.

Taken on a #14 Beetle Pattern

That Pink Rod sure catches big fish. I'm thinking I should start fishing with it. Just kidding.

For the next hour we chased similar fish swirling on beetles. I lost two beetle patterns in fish but wasn't able to get them to the boat. That's okay -- it was great fishing!

That night we stayed at the lovely Heathman Lodge in downtown Vancouver, WA. Imagine a giant log cabin with a four star restaurant inside. Or imagine the interior of The Great Wolf Lodge but for adults. The room was impeccable. In the morning I swam some laps in the pool and cooked myself in the hot tub. Then breakfast at the restaurant was phenomenal: Crab Cakes and Salmon Benedict. Mmmm. Stay there if you can next time you are in the area.

Hiking to Secret Lake

2009-06-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Took the family to that Secret Lake from last year to ease Amy into the hiking season. Absolutely perfect weather! The mountains were CRAWLING with people on this first-weekend-after-school-ended. People were literally camped 100 feet from I-90. But not many people know about this Secret Lake.

We hiking up the fisherman's trail, watching out for Devil's club and bears. We saw one guy hiking out with a plant in his hands. I was SO proud of both Amy and Casey for making the tough hike. Amy was a little under the weather so for a while I carried all three of our packs.

When we arrived the lake we had it all to ourselves. Over the winter I had ordered a 7-piece, packable fly rod from Cabelas. I set it up for Amy and then Casey and I went exploring.

On the far side of the lake there is a funky little fort made on the talus slope. Also, Casey saw a brown newt. Looked like the same species that I saw at Lake Father's Day last week.

It took an hour to get back to truck -- we were all tired when we got home and we ate ravenously. The adventures are coming fast this time of year. Woo-hoo!

Lake Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

For Father's day, the amazing Vlad Karpinsky from the Trail Blazers club invited me to go fishing with him. The lake we went to is not exactly a secret lake, but since it was his choice I am not going to divulge its real name. Let's call it Lake Father's Day. Enough clues will be dropped so that if you've been there you'll figure it out.

We parked our cars at a yellow gate and walked just over two miles on logging roads to the lake. The way to the lake is unmarked and I never would have found my way there alone.

Vlad stopped numerous times to load up on some of the most bountious salmonberries either of us had ever seen. He finally got me to try some and they were sweet. Save some for the bears, Vlad!

At the launch, Vlad inflated his two Sevylor Trail Boats - one for each of us. I had never tried one before -- I'd seen guys in them and they always looked uncomfortable to me. But you know what? It was VERY comfortable! In most ways it was completely superior to the whole float-tube experience. Drifting along in the trail boat in the sun with a gentle breeze, I actually fell asleep while fishing. Now that's relaxing!

As for the fishing? Well, it was slow. We each had three strikes. I converted two of them into the net. Both were brook trout: one was a gorgeous little guy of about 10" with bright spots. The second was a much larger 14" fish with muted colors. Vlad converted one of his strikes and reeled another brook trout up to his boat. We didn't see any of the 18" rainbows that Vlad had caught there earlier this year but I wasn't really surprised. This lake is low enough that its spring peak season is already over.

I was impressed by the experience of the trail boat. And more importantly, I realized that a 4lb, packable boat opens up so many more alpine lakes. The universe of accessible fish just exploded like a big bang! It is SO EXCITING! In fact, I just ordered my very own Trail Boat using a gift certificate from my in-laws. Thanks, Bill & Kathy.

And Thank YOU, Vlad, for taking me fishing. Happy Father's Day to both of us.

4/30 - Langlois, Klaus Lake

2009-04-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

Langlois

The weather was due to be outstanding and a wonderful friend (Thanks Alex) from our church agreed to pick up Casey after school (and take him to soccer practice!) so that Amy and I could get a weekday of fishing in. Yes, this means that Amy and I missed Casey's first soccer practice (we heard he scored four goals); we are not going to win any parental awards, but we knew that already.

Langlois seemed slow to me. The water was too calm and there were too many other people for a weekday -- doesn't anyone have jobs anymore? Oh wait, in this economy maybe they dont't.

We fished Langlois for a couple of hours and decamped at noon. In North Bend I bought the Hancock tree farm pass for the first time in a few years. We lunched at the Mexican place next door, filled our coffee's at Huxdotter and then we were off to the Tree Farm.

There was one other guy at Klaus but we never got close enough to talk to him. Normally Klaus fishes VERY slow. I have been skunked there more often than not -- but we got into fish right away - a double-header to start. All the fish were between 8-13" and their size varied quite a bit so I'm wondering if they are all still self-reproducing there. I dunno. Good time though.

Finally tally was 25 fish between the two of us for the day. Not bad!

John Wayne Trail: a 39 mile ride

2009-06-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

The John Wayne Trail starts near Rattlesnake Lake in North Bend and continues halfway across the state. On Sunday afternoon, I put my hyrbridized cruiser/mountain bike on the trail and rode up to Snoqualmie Pass and back. Its approximately 19 miles each way. According to Map My Ride, the ride gains 3,000 feet of elevation.

At 5 miles you start to get to the interesting stuff. Here is the beginning of the climbing walls -- lots of people milling about today! The cool trestles that supported the old Chicago-Milwaukee start here too.

If you click on this image and look closely you can see this climber hanging from a piton.

This beautiful craggy wall just begs for some climbing. Never seen anyone on it.

Here's one of the fantastic trestles that span each creek valley.

Looking down (100 feet?) from the trestle over Hall Creek, you can see a new trail that begs for some exploring. It looks like it is part of the new Change Creek Trail which is likely an adventure all on its own.

Every now and then a break in the trees rewards an angler with a view of the South Fork of the Snoqualmie. They say it has the biggest and healthiest fish of the three forks. With fishy spots like this one glimpsed above, one can see why!

Here is yet another example of exactly how rough a winter we've had. This little creek, merely a drip in the rocks now, was clearly a 15 foot-wide torrent of destruction ealier this year.

The stretch between 10 and 18 miles is difficult. It is somewhat desolate and foreboding. At 15 miles, I considered stopping and turning back, missing my goal by a mere 15%. But I kept going by taking it just one mile at a time.

At 17.2 miles, less than a mile from the end of the trail, I met with THIS problem. The last washout had not yet been repaired! I was advised by some fellow bikers on the scene to just hoof it the rest of the way but I portaged my bike through the creek instead.

And a few minutes later, I arrived at the (still closed) Snoqualmie Tunnel. When open, you can ride the 2.5 miles through to the other side, provided you have a headlamp.

There's a nice outhouse and some picnic tables WAY out here. Lunched at one of the tables and then called some family to tell them I was thinking about them. The ride back took another two hours.

On a personal note: Surprised myself by doing this ride. If you would have told me that I could ride 19 miles uphill I'd have said you were crazy. Feels good. Except for my wrist, which is killing me!

Calligan Lake, Hancock Tree Farm

2009-06-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

Misty Shoreline

Calligan Lake sits at 2200 feet where the Hancock tree farm borders the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Like most of the lakes in the ALW, Calligan has a late season start -- June 1st. The lake gets some pressure due to a crude but motor accessible boat launch but on many days, even weekends, one can be the only angler there all day.

The Green Shack has Moved

The lake has changed in the last couple of years. This funky fishing shack has migrated a quarter mile east from its original plot and has been commandeered as some kind of floating garden house. There are planter pots with little plants in them on raft that supports the shack. To what purpose??? Fascinating!

Helping the Loons

There's a new sign at the launch -- it says that there are only 15 nesting loons in the state of Washington and not to disturb the birds if you see them. None were seen today, though here is a picture of a nesting platform.

His and Hers Indicators

Calligan contains a mix of self-reproducing rainbows and cutthroats. Mostly coastal cutthroats. Old timers will tell you that you can catch these guys up to 20" or more at Calligan, but I've never seen anything larger than 14 or 15". The fish are wild, feisty, moody and hungry. There isn't a lot of food in this lake so the trout can get very agressive.

Wait a minute, this isn't a cutthroat!

On this sunny Wednesday, early in the Calligan fishing season, the two best fish caught were neither 'cutts nor 'bows, but brook trout! This one, a 15" old timer with black gums, could not resist the Steak Salad and Lobster fly. This exciting fly was recommended by Rex Takasugi, though I don't recall where he got it from.

The Pink Lady fishing

The lady and I were the only people on the lake this day. We fished for six hours and caught 15 fish (she: 8, me: 7). The brook trout and the scenery were the stars today. Props again to our friend Alex who took Casey on a hike to Twin Falls and made this day possible. Thanks Alex!

Cedar Butte

2009-06-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

Rattlesnake Lake from Cedar Butte Summit

What a day! Lucked into some tickets to the Mariner's game, so Casey and I took three kids from Youth Group. We all had a great time and afterward we took the kids home -- the last one we dropped off at Wilderness Rim. While we were there, we figured we'd get another training hike in -- this time Cedar Butte.

Cedar Butte is a great little hike -- perhaps three miles round trip with 800 feet elevation gain. Enough to get you sweating a little bit. Once again, Casey was a champ. We made the summit and took some pictures between 6:40 and 8:00pm. On the way down we had that time-honored discussion about what we would eat when we got home! We were very hungry, having hiked through our dinner time.

Cedar Butte Summit

Casey asked me the next day "Hey dad, when is the next hike?" He doesn't like fishing, but he likes hiking! That's good enough for me. I'm thinking of hitting the Thorp Lake Trail next. Stay tuned.