What makes a good Alpine lake?

[mcmahon2005]

What characteristics make a good alpine lake?

[Brian Curtis]

That’s a fairly loaded question. My number one criteria would be fantastic scenery. But if you are strictly talking about fishing that changes and the answer isn’t perfectly simple. The general rule of thumb is that the more food in the lake the larger the fish. That rule is complicated by stocking cycles (how old are the fish?) and fishing pressure (are they all caught out before they get big?) and mortality rates (how long do they live?).

The primary food sources for fish live in water less than 10 feet deep. Productivity is highest in the zone where light penetrates. Light supports plant life and plant life supports animal life. So shallow lakes are more productive then deep lakes. But what animals live in the lake can have a profound effect and that is sometimes determined by water chemistry. The lakes that grow the largest fish generally have fresh water shrimp, aka scuds, aka gammarus. In general, Rocky Mtn high lakes are much more likely to have shrimp then our lakes, but if you can find a shrimp lake you will find big fish if the lake isn’t full of stunted fish. Shrimp and insects like plants so submerged vegetation is a good sign of a productive lake.

So lets put this together. The best odds of finding your dream lake will be a shallow (productive) lake, that isn’t fished heavily (off trail, far back, not often visited), that you happen to visit at just the right year so the lake has big fish. Of course there are exceptions. A large deep, clear (unproductive) lake might have big fish if they’ve been there long enough.

I like to just go explore places I haven’t been. If I find fantastic fishing I figure that’s a bonus. If the fishing is lousy I’ve still had a great trip in the mountains. So I don’t think there is really such a thing as a lousy high lake.

[mcmahon2005]

Is there a way to get a list of fry stockings?

[Author]

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