This isn't for crater lake but a lake near it that isn't on this site. I do not want to name it due to it being a hidden gem but if you look on a map you can figure it out if you want. Hint:: backside of mt si. Let me first say that this is a brutal 6 mile hike up to the top of a ridge than you have to drop down a half mile to excess the lake and its straight bushwhacking. Took me 45 min to go 1/4 mile and I am in great shape and do this type of thing all the time. To give you a perspective I hiked grieder lakes in an hour and twenty minutes and mason lake just under an hour. For those of you that love to hike and bushwhack up to untouched alpine lakes for big trout this is your dream.

Anyways, once on top of the ridge (you can figure out which one starts with a T) you can barely see the lake. There is a very old tore up road if you can call it that, that brings you to about a 1/4 of the lake and from there straight bushwhacking from there straight down through snow. There is no trail so don't bother looking for one. It is steep and very dangerous but once you get to the lake you can work the boulder field and fish. Caught my biggest fish in an alpine lake ever measuring 18 inches and thick. Weird thing is it turned out to be a brown trout I think. Let me know your thoughts. Same spots and coloring but no white tips on fins so was a little puzzled. I fished this lake 10 years ago with my dad and it was all rainbows so no idea how this guy ended up here. WDFW stocked it with rainbow in 2003 according to there website so maybe the hi lakers or trail blazers stocked it. Not sure why they would stock brown trout in a lake that is very high up and freezes over but who knows. Anyways hooked into another large trout maybe 16 inches but came off before I could get it to shore and had two others on but popped off. After that it went dead after trying every spinner and spoon I had. Each one had the same yellow tint to it and at first I though they might be golden but with those brown trout type spots there was no way. Be advised there are a lot of cats down around and above the lake. With snow still there due to the north facing slope it was obvious mountain lions and bobcats were frequent visitors. There were A LOT of tracks and sign. Didn't see any but I'm sure with the surrounding cliffs and brush I was being watched.

I posted a brown trout I caught in Montana this past summer to compare to the monster I caught today and its white tipped fins are obvious so I am puzzled. So if you got any idea please comment. If you do decide to try and research this and pursue it make sure you are experienced and in incredible shape or you will be hurting or worse.


What the hell. Rachor Lake enjoy and be safe.

BeaverPondKing

7/20/2015 7:18:00 AM

May I comment on tframe's report on Rachor Lake. I am both a Hi-Laker and a Trail Blazer and have been a member for many years so I am very familiar with their activities. I can tell you that no current member of either club had anything to do with the illegally stocked Browns that you caught in Rachor Lake. All legal stocking of public lakes in Washington is carefully controlled and managed by WDFW. If and when we stock a lake, it is always under WDFW direction and control. The Trail Blazers do stock Rainbow trout in Rachor and we are just as concerned about the Browns or any other illegally stocked fish. In fact, both the Hi-Lakers and the Trail Blazer are presently working with WDFW doing DNA sampling of illegally stocked fish in several mountain lakes to determine their source. May I point out that it is not only a serious infraction of the law to illegally stock fish it also is a threat to the ecological balance of the lake.

Leave a Comment:

Login

Flag

×

Why is this comment inappropriate?

Close Submit

Delete this comment? Provide reason.

No Yes

Edit

×

Cancel Save