More info on fishing the high lakes

Published 3:46 pm Monday, May 16, 2011

High Lakes Fishing
(above 2,500 feet in western Washington, 3,500 in eastern)

Timing: Mid-June through September.

Gear: 3- to 5-weight rods; floating, clear intermediate and full sink lines; lightweight raft or float tube with air bladders; lightweight waders; fins. Leaders with 5X tippets are light enough.

Accessories:
Bug spray, moleskin, polarized sunglasses, backpacking and camping gear, hiking boots, water filter, baseball cap or wide-brimmed hat, floatant, rope and bag to tie food in a tree, two water bottles, first-aid kit, raingear.

The fish:
Most are planted rainbow, cutthroat or brook trout. A few lakes have lake trout and bull trout. Some even have goldens (Big Hidden) and grayling (Granite Lake).

Techniques:
Start off by looking for rising fish.
If there are no risers, look for areas like inlet and outlet streams, logs, boulders, rocky points, rock slides and dropoffs.

Fly patterns:
Dries
Black gnat 16 to 20, mosquito 14 to 18, parachute adams 14 to 20, black ant 14 to 18, deer-hair caddis 12 to 18.
Wets
Bring leeches and woolly buggers, sizes 6 to 10, tan or olive scuds size 16 to 14, black chironomids size 14 and hare’s ears 12 to 18, carey specials and gray hackle peacocks.

Mikes favorite
Hook: TMC 200R, Size 10 or 8.
Thread: black.
Weight: black bead or A half dozen wraps of .015 wire, located near eye.
Tail: Black marabou.
Body: peacock herl or synthetic equivalent.

Some locations
Leech Lake, White Pass (can drive there)
Tiffany Lake Okanagan County (can drive there)
Black Lake Okanagan County (five mile walk)
Slide Lake Skagit County (two mile walk)

For more information, Click here to check out an offering from the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife.