Mid South Crater Lake #3

Backcountry skied to icefish Crater Lakes (what I call skicefishing). Great spring conditions. Dry roads all the way to the parking lot, then good snow coverage from there. Boulder creek trail was well traveled. From the trail up to Lower Crater Lakes was interesting, because everyone who skied or snowshoed it lately made their own routes, leaving a maze of poorly navigated rabbit trails through the forested hillside. From Lower Crater to Upper Crater was just me picking my way through steep terrain. Thankfully I didn’t encounter facets today, and the upper layer was stiff enough to hold me. As conditions deteriorate, that’ll be a sketchy section. The ice on Upper Crater was 5.5 feet thick beneath the snow. My auger extension allowed me to drill 5 feet. Hoping I was close to breaking through, I then drilled several partial holes to enlarge the top of the hole so I could put my drill down into the ice, submerging my hand in the slushy water until it broke through. Then I did it again, spending an hour making the two holes so I could fish two lines. The next few hours were among the most pristine conditions I’ve experienced on a lake at 11,000 feet. The wind died down to nothing, and the sun blazed from a cloudless sky. Surrounded by steep snow-covered and thus reflective slopes, my spot in the middle of the lake became the focal point of a parabolic solar cooker. With so much light hitting me from every angle, I took care to use sunscreen and cover up, knowing that any square inch of exposed skin would be torched. (Later that night, I discovered a thin strip of painfully burned skin along my back waistline, and red stripes where my sleeves didn’t quite meet my gloves.) Two lines in the water for three hours, using all the skills I could conjure, and zero bites. I was over 50 feet of water in the middle, which usually works for me on alpine lakes as I can work the entire water column and find the fish. With no such luck, I attempted to drill a new hole closer to shore near the outlet to see if the fish were concentrated there. However, the snow on the edges of the lake was even deeper, and the ice below it was even thicker. At close to 6 feet, I reached the absolute max of what my gear could do (with my multi-hole reach down method) and I didn’t break through. This might support my theory that the center of this lake gets the most heat from the sun, resulting in thinner snow and ice. Sorely disappointed, as this lake is known to hold large cutthroat trout, I left with just enough time to make a quick effort on one of the lower lakes. The ice on mid-south Crater Lake was only 4.5 feet thick, allowing my extended auger to get the job done, but was still a multi-step process as the ice had so many slushy layers that it kept binding up, requiring me to clear the hole several times through the drilling process. The lower lakes are known for small and hungry brook trout, so I was confident that I could yet be saved from the dreaded skunk. Sure enough, about 15 minutes after dropping my line it was found by a scrappy little brookie. Over the next 15 minutes, I caught and released two more. They were so stunted and skinny, a couple of them nearly had the dimensions of an eel. Still, I was grateful to pull some fish through the alpine ice. The ski down was lovely, and on the drive homeward I reflected on the tension of holding both disappointment and thankfulness at the same time. Unlike a typical day of unfruitful fishing, the disappointment of being skunked at Upper Crater ran deep. The effort of getting there was so much more than a day-trip to my local lake, and it’s not an opportunity I’ll repeat many times. Simultaneously, I was thankful for the incredible experience of being up there, for the sublime weather, for a safe trip, and for the success of catching some little trout. The 35th and 36th alpine lakes I’ve skicefished. On the drive down, I noticed what looked like fish rising along the edge of a reservoir at sunset. So I parked and hiked down with a rod. I’ll post about that catch later! I finished listening to the excellent audio book, Empire of Ice and Snow. Perhaps an appropriate title for today, and the story of the Karluk puts my fishing adventures into perspective as mere child’s play in the scale of exploration. Highly recommended!

On this episode of Fishing with Lance I take another friend up to the pristine alpine lakes of Colorado for his first ice fishing trip. We hike 3.5 miles and over 1,600 feet in elevation to get to our fishing spot and what a day we had catching nearly 30 beautiful wild Brook Trout! Full video link in the comments.

What a slay day yesterday! Hiked up to a remote lake with my buddy whose never been ice fishing before. Sent home home with a big old bag of fresh meat! The limit in Colorado for Brook trout is 4 each over 8”. The top row are each over 8”. Then you can keep 10 each under 8”. That’s the bottom row. If you’re looking to stack meat please do keep Brook trout. They need to be culled!

Probably the toughest weekend I’ve had this summer at the alpine. Hit four lakes. Only takers were some little Brookies. I suppose that’s to be expected after the banger that was last weekend 🤣