Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go for Grayling Fishing in Washington or Oregon? I've been to Granite Lakes (a helluva hike), but it's been 10 years and I did alot better on trout than Grayling.

Also, any suggestions on tackle or techniques? I'm thinking of trying for them again this summer.

JK

As far as I know if you've been to Granite you've been to the meca of Grayling fishing in Washington. Also it was said to be the only place with a resident population. Stocking has been discontinued,so that's it. I think that Oregon has none. Try BC. North of Prince George. Lots of opportunity there but you'll need 4WD.

I think that this subject was covered before here. There was a lake in Snohomish Co. That was planted a few years ago. I think it was called Big Greider Lake. East of Spada Lake. Also I think that Stacie Kelsey she works for Dept of F&W. had some input. Thats all I have but if you have a Washington State Fishing Guide. That usually has a lot of info in it. Jim S.

Thanks for the info guys! Have a happy holiday season!

John Kruse

Wow, that brings back some great memories. I too fished Granite lake about 10 years ago. What a beautiful spot. That hike was a killer. What a neat thing to catch Grayling in WA!

Don't you guys just run a motorcycle up the road to theculvert by the wilderness boundry and then hike to the lake edge???

As I recall you can only get so far up the road before you have to hike. I don't remember if it was the downed trees (a few) or signs prohibiting motorcycles, but I don't remember seeing anyone but hikers either time I went there.

Merry Christmas!

JK

Just learned that Hardscrabble lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area has been at one time planted with Graylings. Does anyone know if they still exist in this lake? If they do they are probably spawning in there as the plant was some time ago.

Ron,

A friend of mine and I poured over Hardscrabble data years ago and it looks like the plant never took.

I think Wildcat was another lake that had a plant years ago.

Also the road to Granite was washed out years ago and it's probably the washouts causing problems

[ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Zen Leecher aka Bill W ]

It's really puzzling why those Graylings don't seem to take even in those Washington high lakes that seem to have very good water quality and temperature for them. I wonder if it's just that the Washington high lake food chains (which are scant) just don't have enough of the right stuff??
Canadian and Alaskan water where they thrive seems to be a bit richer than our high lakes.

Any of you old backpacker's ever make it into Whale Lk. in Skagit Co.? Was planted with golden trout in the late 50's. We did the Slide Lk. to Enjar to Arrowhead to Whale trip back in 1980, whew that was a hike! No goldens, but we got some really nice cutt's on spinners. Also took a huge montana blackspot cutt. out of Slide that trip, it must have been 4-5 lbs. (released). Anyone know of a forum to talk about high lake fishing, or is this it?!

washingtonflyfishing.com

Sounds like a great trip for Cutts.......any size to them? As for a forum for talking about alpine lakes fishing.......if you start a new post I'd imagine you will get some responses!

John, please remember this trip was 22 years ago! But those lakes are still up thier, and probably as remote as ever. The only question has to do with the fish,to my knowledge very few of our alpine lakes have self-propagating populations. Are they still being stocked yearly or semi-yearly, and or how long will an unmolested cutt or rainbow live? As I recall most of the fish were good size, smaller ones 10-13" for the skillet, bigger ones running close to 20" released with pix. for the scrap book.

A good source of information for trout in the high lakes is to join the Washington Hi-Lakers club. They and their sister club, the Trailblazers, help the WDFW in stocking high lakes and doing lake surveys.

Chrome, are you sure your trout was a MBS and not a large Twin Lakes cutthroat? Slide is loaded with TL cutts.

How can you tell them apart? At the time of my trip information stated they were M.B.S. cutts.

Were you using the old "Lakes of Western Washington" by Ernie Wolcott? I'm not sure on the last name, but remember it was Ernie W---.

He did report a lot of MBS stockings from his 50's and 60's data.

Not sure what the difference is, but do know that the TW (Twin Lakes) cutts have lots of red on their sides. First time I saw pictures of one I thought it was a golden.

Joe Lake had TW cutts stocked in it by the late 70s'. I would think that Slide and others would too.

It is a two book set "Lakes Of Washington" one volume for western Wa. one for the eastside. They are hardback books with a washed-out green cover, bought them in the mid 70's.

Yep... those are the books. Ernie was a game warden in the old days.

I got a set of his books too. My original one of Western WA was one of his first versions. I hesitate to call it a "first edition" as even though that's what it is, it's not the same as other books.

The eastern WA book I bought down at REI in the 70's or 80's. The western book is from the 60's.

It also tells about graying egg stockings in other lakes. I believe it mentions Hardscrabble or Wildcat. Also talks about a 32 inch trout showing up in a net sample in A*** lake.


NOTE: For you curious types without the book, "A****" stands for Angeline. Don't want to create the image there are many secret lakes out there.

There is another book out there. I believe it is called Washington State Fishing by Stan Jones. I had one a long time ago. But I think that I used it to death. It's still out there. They keep up dating it every couple of years. Just my little contribution. I think that my spelling is starting to suck. Jim S.