Up and Away
I reach the trailhead in the early morning. The sun has not peaked over the ridge to the East, and the air is still crisp and cool. My small backpack is packed tightly, containing everything that I need for this short morning adventure into the backcountry.
I had been planning to make it up to this lake for the whole summer now, but with work and the fishing being spectacular elsewhere in Montana, I have not yet. With crowds on all of the major rivers that are fishing well right now, I decided that this weekend was as good of time as any to pack my car and head into the backcountry.
I have always liked hiking up to alpine lakes to find fish. The notion behind working harder for a couple of fish, solitude, and nature is appealing to me. This trip consisted of a short hike in search of native Cutthroat trout in a beautiful basin area.
Four years ago I hiked up to this same lake with my family, and caught one Cutthroat no longer than 6 inches, so I was expecting the same smaller fish when I arrived. Turns out, the lake has changed quite a bit, and the fishing was very different.
A small box of dry flies and a couple of Wooly Buggers, a reel, nippers, and dry fly floatant fill the brain of the pack. A 3 weight fiberglass rod is tight to the left side of the pack, and a 1 liter of water in the right pocket. Inside the pack is a first aid kit, an insulating layer, light raincoat, snacks, a camera body and two lenses, and a notebook. On my right hip belt is the bear spray. Hopefully that doesn’t have to be used.
Everything that I have chosen to bring has purpose. The amount of flies I bring, what I packed in my first aid kit, and the weight of layers I choose to bring is all taken in to account. With my extensive experience in the field, I find that it can be fun experimenting with your pack to get the weight where you want it.
I lock the car and make my way to the trailhead. The sun is starting to peak over the ridge, and I begin the moderate 4 mile hike to the lake. The trail takes you through a thick forest, switchbacks in a steep meadow, and then opens up into a large basin
At the trailhead I consider putting in my headphones and playing some of my favorites, but decide to leave them in the car and be a part of the solitude that comes along with this adventure. I find it healthy for my mental space to escape the noise for a couple of hours. Some of my best thoughts have come from times like these.
My toes are numb in my Chacos as I begin the hike. The dew on the plants mixed with the cool air chill my toes and ankles, but my lungs ache for oxygen at this altitude. I push myself through the first two miles at a quick pace, knowing that the trail increases in difficulty later on.
I complete the rest of the hike to the lake in stride, and begin rigging up for a couple of hours of fishing. The gnats are thick up here, and I pull out my buff I remembered packing the night before. Observing the lake, I see a few rises and a couple of bugs, but it is shaping up to be tricky fishing.
The water is clear enough to see these fish cruising around. These fish are chasing bugs around on the surface and launching themselves completely out of the water to eat. Truly an incredible show, I reel my line back in and observe their behavior.
They are feeding on bugs that are skittering on the surface, and are quite aggressive towards them. One of the first things I notice about the fish as they rise is their size. These fish all look to be over 12 inches, with a few looking much larger.
After a little time spent watching the lake, I flip the switch and begin looking for fish. I rigged up a long leader and a small Stimulator pattern. My tactic begins with finding the feeding fish and presenting to them. This works early on, so I continue to make laps around the lake, hooking and landing a couple of fish in the process.
On my third lap around the lake I find a couple of large fish cruising in no more than a foot of water. A couple of them spook at my cast, so I target a lone fish 20 feet to the right of them. I kneel down and place a cast a couple of feet away in an effort to draw his attention but not spook him. He sees the fly and makes a dash to it. Slowly rising to the fly, inhaling it, and begins to submerge. I set the hook.
Today I am fishing with my 3 weight rod and a little reel. This fish is strong, and takes me in to my backing quickly. I am on my feet in an instant, following the fish on the bank in hopes of keeping him on. He makes three hard runs, and I strip retrieve him in after 10 minutes.
I land this fish and am in pure awe of it's size, beauty, and wild attributes. I play back the last couple of minutes in my mind. Seeing this fish slowly eat the dry fly, charge to the other bank, and now rest in my hands is so neat. This is the biggest Cutthroat I have caught, and seeing this specimen is exhilarating.
Truly privileged to shake his hand and take a photo, I let him go to swim amongst the other wild fish in this lake at 10,000ft. Stunned by this fish and the atmosphere, I call it a day and pack up my bag to begin the hike back down to the car.
The hike back down to the car is relaxing. With some music playing in my right pocket, I greet people heading up to the lake and keep to myself. People ask how the fishing went, and I humbly respond with "there are a couple of fish up there."