I'm hoping that when the time is right that alot of us fly people can get together at the secret lake. I still wont give the nameor location though. We can have a good time and bbq afterwards. I plan to go in feb, I know Zen wont be there as it s to cold for him. Plus he will be doing his home projects. Micro Brew will go, That guy is hard core. F.F hopefully will be there.
The fly shop I stopped at yesterday knew of the lake. it's amazing how news travels. I heard about it from a duck hunter. Told me about it in november , said go there I saw alot of guys fly fishing the lake . So that is how I found out about it. Fished it twice in november. Once saw micro Brew there. Good times to be had there.

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: Trout Master ]

Phishphreak,
I have heard of **** but have never been there!I havent done **** since I was in scouts myself.I have promised myself that I was going into ******* this year though.The fishing up there is almost as breath taking as the serenity!I have never seen anybody else up there!
****** is another good one to do.They are abit more popular but if you get up right after the ice melts the fish will be spawning in the creek between the two main lks.The fish will blow your mind.
I would love some company on ****** lk trip?I do it by myself usually but would love the right co.
I am usually a zlip type of guy but just to get to these takes a certain amount of fortitude,anybody willing to do the work is going to respect the beauty.

ltlCLEO, where's Hagen Lk?

Isn't Mildred Lake on Snoqualmie Pass? Or am I thinking of Margret??? Guess I'll have to pull out my hiking books...

-Chad

Dogfish - while it makes sense that this lake may have held some salmon in it at one time (the date they show for the record - 1992, is about the time I first heard of salmon being up there). What blows me away is that some guy hiked all the way up there, and then decided to pack this fish (an extra 9lbs of slimy fish stuffed in your back pack) all they way back down the mountain (about 1.5 miles nearly straight up), back along the main trail (roughly 4 miles), about 15 miles of driving down dirt roads, and who knows how far he went to find ice to pack it in and then find a certified scale! This would definately not be considered a fresh salmon dinner in my book I'm thinking that this dude must have knew before he started this trip that he was looking for a record. If it were me, i'd have snapped a bunch of pics, let it go, and tried to catch some more...

I did find some info (possibly out-dated) on this lake that says it's planted about every 4 years or so with bows. But I've never seen anything showing when or how often it is stocked with salmon. Who knows, after nearly 10 years, there may not be any fish left in there at all.

Goat Lake is the poster child for why you should keep some lakes secret. In 1973 the regional biologist for the area published a report on the high lakes in his district. 125 (if I recall correctly) copies of his report were distributed. Remember, this was '73. This was before the instant communication we have available to us today. The next summer the lake was mobbed. Fished out, and much, much worse, a fisherman's trail and campsites had developed in the extremely fragile alpine flora around the shore. Just because a lake is a tough hike and doesn't have an official trail doesn't mean it will remain pristine. That particular biologist retired just last year and in the intervening 30 years he never uttered a peep about fish in sensitive high lakes because he realized he couldn't manage those small, sensitive waters if they were going to get trashed.

I heard a quote once - something like "if you plant it - they will come..."

National parks have stopped stocking their lakes years ago for just such a reason. Luckily there are many lakes where the trout continue to reproduce. Although they have purposely killed off fish populations in some lakes in sensitive areas to keep the fisherman away. They beleive that if the fish weren't part of the ecosystem from the begining naturally, then they shouldn't be there now.

Alpine lakes are always a hit a miss prospect. Many of them have very short windows of availabilty do to snow/ice lingering well into the summer. I've been to lakes where the fishing was so hot, you couldn't keep 'em off your hook. Then a few years later you couldn't see a fish in the entire lake. After the lake rested for a few years, the fishing was hot again (this was not a stocked lake). Andy amazingly enough, the fishing pressure almost always reflects the quality of the fishing.

I've been to many lakes that the fish are so successful at reproducing, that they are overcrowded and their growth is stunted. Catching fish for the frying pan in these lakes is encouraged.

Stocking alantic salmon in a fragile alpine lake is a pretty stupid thing to do. Word of mouth on something like that is all it would have taken- that's how I heard about it. His report just spurred it on a little faster.

Phishphreak.... how do you know your lake wasn't planted??

You might check with BrianC to make sure, you don't know what costume he wears under his shirt.

Also, stocking with Atlantic salmon isn't a "stupid thing to do". If it had worked like down at Hosmer or other lakes, then the public attitude towards it would be different. I'm not assuming your comment on "stupid thing to do" reflects the consensus of the public. I'd cancel your vote out as I think it was something worth trying. Also, back in the 70's atlantics were stocked in Chopaka.

Golden trout aren't naturally occuring in WA state. is it bad to stock them? Just a question to get you thinking.

I know my lake wasn't stocked because it is Mt Rainier Nat Park. I'm pretty sure they stopped stocking those lakes years ago.

The 'stupid' part I was referring to is in drawing a lot of attention to a very small and fragile lake. What response would you expect from the public when they find out a lake is stocked with big fish - of any kind? They are going to check it out!
I think the idea in general is great, and I'd like to see more of it. Just more thought needs to go into choosing the right lake (one that can handle fishing pressure).

Oh- and i never said I was against stocking lakes with different species or experimental species. I was just referring to some of the reasons the Nat Park waters are no longer stocking fish. I would prefer that they kept it up myself - and found a way to keep the few inconsiderate fisherman from trashing the place...

The Atlantics in Goat were planted in 1985. At the time of the report writing in '73 there were RB in the lake. In general Atlantics haven't done particularly well in high lakes. They tend to be long lived, but skinny.

Stunted populations are the biggest problem we face in high lakes. There is a lot of discussion about how to deal with them in the WDFW and there is some ongoing experimentation, but a perfect solution hasn't been found.

I haven't heard MRNP say that they have eliminated fish from high lakes to control use, though that thought is likely on their minds. They are doing it using gill nets and it is only effective in certain smaller lakes so those are the ones they chose. Their justification is because the fish are non-native. I have heard some anecdotal evidence that they have tried to net out a few lakes but were unsuccessful. That is something else could have led to the decline if fishing you were referring to. Fortunately, for now, we are still stocking a few lakes in the NCNP.

I have broke the sacred zipperlip rule and for that I am sorry.I realy do not believe that my posting on this bourd is going to jepordize the areas I violated but I am new to the internet.My motive was not to brag it was to find a partner as I am getting too old to do the hike safely by myself any more.I have kept alot secret over the years. my past time is collecting maps and flying with my dad looking for the spot you do not Know about.I apologize and will not do it again.
ANYBODY HEARD OF CADY LK.!

LtlCleo:
By the power vested in me I hereby grant you pardon for your loose lips. Just don't do it again - some of these anglers can be very dangerous.
BTW, can you give me directions to that lake and I'll be sure to post it right away. JUST KIDDING!!!

hey little cleo, I got suckered into a hike to mildred lakes 2 years ago, after that adventure I'm cool on that kind of fishing for little trout. have you ever hiked the northfork of the river we were talking about the other day. heard its well worth the hike. Ben

Little Cleo,

You can tell me too.. I can keep a secret.

Actually I'm not against talking about lakes...just about my fishing partners doing it when I'm the one who showed them the lake... or lakes.

I have one friend who owes me a favor. He wouldn't take me to any of his "secret quail spots" last year as he didn't want me to shoot them out. There isn't much chance of that. Well... he forgets I showed him two "secret lakes" last year and turned him on to others years before when he first started fishing out here... and there was also his "breakout year" of fishing in BC. Guess he forgot those.