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The earlier a lake opens up the longer the growing season. I don’t know of any studies that have evaluated how much difference early or late seasons make in fish growth. Other then that I don’t know of any effect an early season would have. Early years certainly allow for more fishing opportunities 😀 Two years ago the snow pack was like this at this time of year but the spring was so cold and wet that the snowmelt wasn’t all that early.
“Oops, hit reply too soon.^^^^For answers on specific lakes you can contact the district biologist for that lake’s area. Feel free to email me off list and I’ll steer you in the right direction.”
High lake stocking lists aren’t posted on the web. Stocking information is treated differently from low lake information because of the fragile nature of high lake fisheries and lake shores.
There are no secrets here. The best secret spot around is Lockjaw Lake. Any Trail Blazer will be happy to tell you that.:D
“I guess when I gained an hour with daylight savings time I lost a week. The TB meeting isn’t this Thursday like I said, but next Thursday, November 7.”
The two clubs are quite different and complimentary. The Hi-Lakers are more of a social club. There are guest speakers during most of the year. The club emphasizes collecting high lake angling surveys which are collected and given to the WDFW. There are no membership requirements beyond the yearly dues which don’t quite cover the cost of the meeting space and a bimonthly newsletter. Meetings are the third Wednesday of every month from 7:30 to 10:00 PM at the Community Center at Mercerview on Mercer Island. Driving directions here.^^^^Trail Blazers’ meetings are much more business oriented. They do not feature guest speakers. To be considered for membership prospective members are expected to attend meetings regularly and go along on several stocking trips. Meetings are the first Thursday of the month (that’s coming up this next Thursday) at 7:30 at the community center in Lake City. I don’t have a ready link to driving directions at hand. E-mail me at trailblazer@mac.com and I’ll dig some up.
“Yes, this applies to brookies, too. I’ve caught EBs in lakes with shrimp and they have pink flesh. Most of the time when you do find EBs here in WA they have overpopulated the lake. When that happens they depress the available food supply and I’m guessing their diet will have a greater percentage of terrestrial insects that produce white flesh. This last bit is speculation.”
“Some people do refer to westslope cuts as Montana black spots, most notably Robert Smith in Native Trout of North America.”” ^^^^Locally, though, the term refers to Yellowstone CT. They used to get them directly from the Yellowstone Lake hatchery. The first record we have of “”MBS”” being introduced in a high lake here in WA is 1914 and their consistent use continued through the mid-fifties when the hatchery on Yellowstone Lake shut down.^^^^Welcome back to the northwest!”””
“Trout’s skin color will change to match their environment. The most extreme case that I’ve seen was in a silty river where the fish had almost no color. ^^^^I’m interested in your comments that red flesh is better in CT but not in RB. It has been many years, but I’ve done a couple red vs white fish from the same lake cooked in the same pan blind taste tests. Each time the white flesh fish won. I don’t remember the species. I’m going to have to repeat the tests now and pay attention to species! ^^^^White kings have always been highly sought after (in Alaska, at least. Only more recently down here). I’ve never done a side by side comparison, but I have always wondered if it was novelty or if they really do taste better. Like trout, salmon flesh is white and is colored by diet. In salmon farms they have to use coloring agents in the food to produce red fleshed fish. Like trout, salmon flesh is white and is colored by diet. In salmon farms they have to use coloring agents in the food to produce red fleshed fish. However, McPilchuck is correct that the flesh color in white kings is not due to a difference in diet. They have an extra enzyme that breaks down the carotene in their diet and their flesh remains white.^^^^”
“As Salish noted, it is diet that determines the color of trout flesh in high lakes. In our high lakes the primary sources for red flesh are fresh water shrimp and red copepods. You will often see the tiny red copepods floating in high lakes in great numbers and if you don’t filter you’ve probably seen them swimming around in your water bottle on occasion. Rainbow are better able to utilize this tiny food source then are cutthroat. If the fish are only eating insects they will have white flesh. ^^^^Montana Black Spot CT are better known as Yellowstone CT. They are spotted with fairly large spots concentrated on and near the tail and they will often have a yellow or gold overall hue. I have some pictures of several varieties of CT posted here where they can be compared.^^^^http://homepage.mac.com/trailblazer/FishPics/PhotoAlbum2.html”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been up to the Mildreds since the eighties and I haven’t been up that road since the slide. From what I’ve heard I don’t think you’ll have trouble crossing it. Two things I am sure of are that you will find fish and great scenery.^^^^Here’s the report from the Olympic NF web site:^^^^^^MILDRED LAKES Trail #822^^^^4.5 miles 1,800-3,900’ Extremely steep, difficult way trail. Trail provides access to Mt. Skokomish Wilderness. Campfires above 3,500’ are prohibited.^^^^Conditions:^^^^No recent report Avalanche/slide on trail 1 mi. from trailhead is flagged on each end of debris pile.^^^^Remarks:^^^^Hamma Hamma Road is open to 14 miles to the Mildred Lakes Trailhead.^^^^http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/recreation/reports/report_hood.htm^^”
“I just found out that the cabin is now property of the Forest Service. They are considering putting it up for historic status and it should be unlocked. The original owners had the site on a permit basis and that reverted to the FS when they died (or something similar, that story is second hand).”
