Rainbows to the Left of Me, Brookies to the Right: Fly Fishing the High Country

When the Fourth of July comes to town in the form of thousands of visitors, you have to decide between embracing the mob, or running for the mountains for a little fly fishing. Guess what?

This lake’s a hike away. This fish is a Brookie. (L&T Nancy photo)

The L&T Nancy, Wally the Wonderdog, and the humble Trout Underground headed for hills, and hiked for 90 minutes to a pair of lakes I love to fish, mostly because they’re filled with Brookies.

Strangely, I found more than I bargained for; at one point, I’d cast to the left and catch a small rainbow trout from a pod of them (who stocked the rainbows?). Cast to the right and I’d get bit by a Brookie.

Little wonder Brook Trout are the Official Char of the Trout Underground.

The rainbows were new, and I can’t help but think they were recently stocked in this tiny alpine lake. Damn. Advocating for one species of fish over another nowadays can bring charges of finny ethnic cleansing from the more righteous among the fly fishing world, so all I’m going to say is that I like Brookies, native or not.

Of course, no backcountry adventure is just about the fishing. The trail runs along the top of the ridgeline, so you alternate between stunning views to the east and then the west.

Once you arrive, you’re greeted with vistas like this:

If you don’t like this, then check for a pulse; you may be dead.

In fact, I fished two small lakes, though one proved far more productive. The L&T Nancy and the Wonderdog swam in the upper lake, giving me a chance to fish without Wally’s attempts to retrieve the trout once I hooked them.

Later, Wally found his own way down to my spot and took up sentinel duty, watching for rising fish. Twice he spotted one, helpfully swimming out to the riseform, apparently unclear on the concept of cruising fish.

Wally the Wonderdog waits… (L&T Nancy photo)

Hiking & Fishing the Backcountry

It was a hot day and even at the 6000′+ altitudes, our hiking trio suffered the heat. In fact, the Wonderdog — whose dark coat soaks up every erg of light energy — stopped often for water breaks on the trail, and today, his usual morning bounciness is gone, replaced by… sleep.

I know how he feels; I’m moving a little slowly myself. Still, the hike isn’t necessarily the poor part of the journey, and in the interest of providing even a teensy bit of “how-to” information, I’m including the rare Underground Gear Photograph:

I know that fly fishers obsess about fly rods, but in the backcountry, your boots are what carry you to the fish, so make sure the damned things fit — and well. Lots of people are wearing trail shoes (the Montrail trail shoes seem to be popular choices among the lightweight backpacking set), though I prefer the ankle support of lightweight hiking boots. (Bay Area fishers who like to hike should check out the newly remodeled Two-Heel Drive blog for information.)

As for fly rods, you need something capable of protecting midges on 6x tippet, yet suited to a little wind. An overlooked characteristic is the need for a roll cast; these alpine lakes are usually ringed by trees and offer few wading opportunities, so you either hump in a float tube or work on that roll cast.

I know that fly fishers want to fish their 3wts in alpine lakes because the fish are typically small, but the winds are big and you’re often making some long casts. I like to fish an 8.5′ 5wt Steffen Brothers fiberglass rod, though I could easily go with a 6wt.

In the interest of being a weight weenie, I’ll point out that wet wading is typically lovely in the summer, and that a pair of flip flops weigh little and do an OK job, though they don’t offer much protection.

Water Everywhere. Or Die.

When it’s hot, water is your best friend, and we twice ran into well-meaning but underequipped groups on the trail who lacked enough water. That’s bad.

Both the L&T Nancy and I went through the contents of our hydration packs, and even though the hike was only in the 1.5-2 hour range, we stopped frequently to make sure Wally the Wonderdog got enough water to keep the canine swamp cooler running.

Until next time, see you in the backcountry, Tom Chandler.

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