Chasing Golden Trout high in the Cascades

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

By Troutnut on September 3rd, 2017

I just posted a report on my Labor Day weekend fishing adventure, trying to add a Golden Trout to my life list. Physically, this was the hardest thing I've ever done by far, and it was the only adventure that's ever left me committed to never doing anything remotely like it ever again. But I did encounter some interesting fish -- read the Golden Trout trip report to see how that went.

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut from Upper Lake in Washington

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Callibaetis spinner on an alpine lake in Washington's Cascades, the one referred to by the alias of Upper Lake in my Golden Trout trip report.

StateWashington

LocationUpper Lake

Date TakenSep 3, 2017

Date AddedSep 5, 2017

AuthorTroutnut

CameraNIKON 1 AW1

«Older: A surprise partial skunking on a little mountain stream Newer: Finally got an October Caddis»

Most recent comments on this post (latest on top)

Partsman	September 8th, 2017, 2:15 pm
bancroft michigan Posts: 420	Thanks Jason, that is a wonderful story with great pictures to show us the difficulty of you endured. Makes me wish I was about 30 years younger, I would have loved an adventure like that. I admire your fortitude, its the things that test us that make us better. Mike.

Jmd123	September 7th, 2017, 6:24 pm
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2611	Jason, spectacular photos from a spectacular adventure! Risky? Sure, all such ultimate adventures are. You just have to keep your head about you. I once found myself in 5-foot waves on Lake Superior in my little yellow kayak - all of 11'6" long. On top of that, while trying to troll with a heavy spinning rod and diving Rapala, I hooked something - either the bottom or a big lake trout, but whatever it was, it wouldn't move! So here I am in my tiny yellow boat bobbing about stuck to something getting smacked in the face by ice-cold waves...I cut the line and paddled like a mother! Little did I know that I was dragging my landing net behind me like an anchor too...as you did, I lived to tell the tale. And as with you, I'M NOT DOING THAT EVER AGAIN! The difficulties make it all worth it, though, especially with scenery like that, and ya even got a few fish, including your target species! So, after you're done beating yourself up over it, give yourself a pat on the back for being tougher than you think you are. I sure did after that Isle Royale trip, actually both of them. That's what those crazy adventures are for! Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...

Martinlf	September 6th, 2017, 12:22 pm
Moderator Palmyra PA Posts: 3233	Thanks for sharing your quest for goldens, Jason. Echoing your comments, I'm glad you made it out with minimal injury. That's a lot of yellowjacket stings, though. I've done some pretty nutty things in relation to trout quests, and understand the mentality. At 65, I'm getting more and more careful--though some of my thirty to forty year-old fishing buddies wouldn't join me in a few fast riffles this spring, and called me crazy later. No swims this season, though. Years as a whitewater guide usually show what is doable and when to back off. And a staff helps. With your well balanced prose, you took me step by step to a lake I'm sure I'll never see in person and the photography for your narrative is, as always, breathtaking. I look forward to your next adventure, and only hope it will be a little less infused with risk. Tight lines.
	"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell

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Chasing Golden Trout high in the Cascades

On-stream insect photos by Troutnut from Upper Lake in Washington

Most recent comments on this post (latest on top)

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