After fly fishing at Icicle Creek with great success, I hiked up to Colchuck Lake with some friends. For a good part of the hike the trail follows Mountaineer Creek, which flows out of Stuart Lake. Right before the Colchuck trail departed from the creek we decided to fish it, with good results. I used a damselfly pattern and caught one 7 inch brook trout, and my friend landed two slightly larger brook trout on a yellow/white spoon that was similar to a dick nite. I guess Mountaineer Creek holds lots of brook trout! We continued the arduous hike to Colchuck Lake, and after what seemed for an eternity, we finally arrived. After resting for a little bit I began to fish the lake, using a green, bead-head wolly bugger. I managed to land a 13 inch healthy, strong rainbow trout! I heard that Colchuck is stocked seldomly with rainbows and cutthroat, but the trout seem to be spawning and hybridizing naturally, as I spotted lots of small trout fry and the occasional 5 inch parr. Also there is adaquate spawning habitat in the lake, which makes this possible. The lack of fishing pressure due to the 4.5 mile hike allows for these fish to grow to good sizes, for I saw many trout in the 12 inch range, and a friend who was swimming said he caught sight of a big fish as well. After limited success on the wolly bugger I decided to start using a terrestrial dry fly. There were plenty of flying grasshoppers around, and I just happened to have a Dave's Hopper in my box. I tied it on and casted out directly in front of me, in about 10-15 feet of clear, turquiose water. A couple of trout surfaced to take insects within 20 feet of my fly. Then....BAM!! A trout rose to the hopper, but I was late on the hook-set. I casted out again, anticipating another rise. Giving the fly small, eratic twitches, I witnessed the swirl and splash as another fish inhaled my fly on the surface with a slightly explosive power. I set the hook just in time, and after a couple of awesome 3 foot jumps and dogged runs, I was able to land the fish, even without a net. A beautiful, strong, 12 inch rainbow trout, and a good end to my time at Colchuck Lake. If the trend of low fishing pressure and wild reproduction of fish continues, this lake could produce giants. Who knows, it possibly could have already! On my way back I stopped at the creek and caught another awesome looking 7 inch brook trout on an elk-hair caddis, which I used to imitate the many moths and other similar flying insects in the area. That lake is definately worth a visit, but for those of you who do hike the trail, keep in mind to at least practice some catch-and-release. The trout population in the lake could be endangered by fishing pressure and isn't stocked regularly, so spawning is it's best bet for continuity. The fish are great whether you fly fish or use gear, and the sights make it all the better! My total for the day was two nice rainbows, and two small brook trout. Not bad for a guy who is relatively new to fly fishing! Thanks guys!

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