Anybody fish for Golden Trout?

[LuckyMike]

Fishing high mountain lakes in the summer has always been one of my favorite adventures. Lakes with Golden Trout make it even more exciting. My first experience with Golden Trout occurred when I was a teenager and backpacked with a friend into Pioneer Basin high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. We successfully caught a few 8 to 10-inch Goldens at close to 12,000-ft above sea level.

Since those days I’ve learned of a few lakes in the Rockies where Golden Trout have been introduced. I’ve been fortunate to fish for them in Wyoming’s Wind River Range and Montana’s Madison, Gallatin and the Absaroka/Beartooth Ranges. I’ve usually found Goldens to be excellent fighters but difficult to catch. The exception to that is in lakes that are over-populated where they are skinny and very hungry.

These first pictures are from the Madison Range where a very few lakes may still have a remnant population of Golden Trout. The trout hanging in the tree is a 14-incher I kept to mount.






Taking the family along on high mountain lake backpacks was always an adventure to remember. The picture with all five of us must have been taken fairly early in that trip into the Beartooth Mountains because one or two of us is still smiling.



A wild Golden Trout from an un-named little lake in the Hilgard drainage of the Madison Range.

 

[JCS]

I've caught several Goldens in the Beartooths. Like you said, hard to catch but good fighters. The Golden trout lakes are few and far between. I have some pictures somewhere. I will see what I can find.

 

[JCS]

Here are a couple. The lake and a fish.

 

[smarandr]

JCS,

I don't have a picture, but I caught a few in Idaho's Golden Trout Lake on that exact same Panther Martin.

 

[LuckyMike]

Here are a few pictures of Golden Trout I’ve caught in the Absaroka/ Beartooth Mountains of Montana. These pictures include some of the largest I’ve ever caught and the beautiful high country where they live which is usually above 9000-ft elevation. I hope others of you will share your experiences pursuing these fish along with pictures of them and surrounding scenery.






How about a 19-incher on a dry fly!





I've taken a few lunkers between 20 and 22-inches.





Landing a colorful one.


My friend with a heavy 18-incher to be mounted.


A couple of my mounts. The upper one is 22-inches and weighed 3lbs-4oz. The lower one is 20-inches and weighed 3lb-10oz.

 

[theat]

Here are some pics from a sheep hunt in the Beartooths in sept 2011. We did not spend a lot of time fishing but a couple of days we had some bad weather roll through keeping us from glassing. Right before and after it rained the fishing for goldens in the little lake we were camped by was great.

LuckyMike - It looks like we took a picture of this lake from almost the same spot. We did not make it down to the lake but I think I will make a trip back there this coming summer to camp on that peninsula and catch some of those monster goldens. You didn't happen to see any sheep around there?
http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34272&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34276&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34273&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34274&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34275&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34278&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34279&stc=1&d=1357757959

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=34277&stc=1&d=1357757959

 

[hardwoods]

Great photos

I wish I had a few handy to post. Every golden picture ive seen is in spectacular scenery. I've fished for them in the Big Horns several times. What makes them special is they are located in hard to get to high country lakes.

 

[dustinf]

Great pictures from everyone.

 

[LuckyMike]

theat, Haven't been there in a while but remember seeing about a dozen ewes and lambs in the basin shown on the upper left side of your first picture. Saw a lone billy, on a different trip, in the vacinity of the large patch of snow in the same picture.

 

[2rocky]

I'm curious which lakes you found them in in the Wind River Range.
I'm headed back this summer.

 

[LuckyMike]

I'm curious which lakes you found them in in the Wind River Range.
I'm headed back this summer.

Its been quite a few years ago (30) that we went in to the Dinwoody area from Dubois side. We did real good in Golden Lake up under Goat Flat. Where I really wanted to get to was a couple of unnamed lakes in the head of Dry Fork to the south of Dinwoody. Didn't make it. I used to mount fish. Did up a couple of goldens for a guy from Colorado that were both in the 20-inch range. He told me about the lakes in Dry Creek.

Good Luck, Mike

 

[MHMT]

Saw a lone billy, on a different trip, in the vacinity of the large patch of snow in the same picture.

Like this patch of snow?

That place is pretty cool. Will have to go back someday.

I'm not sure if either of you would like to enlighten me with a better route in there, but ours consisted of deadfall or boulderfields the whole way.

 

[sluggo6850]

wow that is some beautiful country, and mighty fine fish also.

 

[LuckyMike]

"I'm not sure if either of you would like to enlighten me with a better route in there, but ours consisted of deadfall or boulderfields the whole way".



I go an additional two miles up the trail and then start my climb. I still have to deal with deadfall down low but never rock slides. The downside of my route is that I end up on the plateau 400-ft above the lake and then drop down to it. I've run into people who have gone up your route (the creek bottom, I think ) and my way. They usually like my way better.

For what it's worth, Mike

 

[JCS]

Here is another lake in the Beartooths and a picture of the only golden I've ever kept. I had to see what they tasted like. Just okay.

 

[MHMT]

I go an additional two miles up the trail and then start my climb. I still have to deal with deadfall down low but never rock slides. The downside of my route is that I end up on the plateau 400-ft above the lake and then drop down to it. I've run into people who have gone up your route (the creek bottom, I think ) and my way. They usually like my way better.

For what it's worth, Mike

Thanks, might have to give that a try next time.

 

[Wyodeerhunter]

Thanks for sharing, really cool pictures and stories in this thread!

 

[exponentialpi]

My dad took my brother and I out in the early 90's fishing. This was one of many about the same size. I don't thinks its too bad for being about 7.

 

[theat]

MHMT- We went about 1/2 a mile past the creek then headed up to the ridge above the creek that runs up to the south west. There is somewhat of a trail on the ridge up to where it starts to flatten out. I don't think there is an easy route into this lake. I found a pack in the thick downfall on the first part of the accent. It was full of lots of nice camping gear including two expensive rods and reels.

 

[MHMT]

MHMT- We went about 1/2 a mile past the creek then headed up to the ridge above the creek that runs up to the south west. There is somewhat of a trail on the ridge up to where it starts to flatten out. I don't think there is an easy route into this lake. I found a pack in the thick downfall on the first part of the accent. It was full of lots of nice camping gear including two expensive rods and reels.

That is crazy... I lost a pack with two rods in it, mind if I get them back?

Ya, we had a pretty tough time with the two routes we took, straight up the creek and then down another creek from a neighboring lake.

A lot of it looked like this.

We also tasted a few, I think they tasted better due to the difficulty of our hike.