Escape the Heat at a Mountain Lake

Our visitors from Houston last week didn't think the 100-plus degree days in northern Idaho were all that uncomfortable. Their contention is that 85 degrees with 90 percent humidity is worse. They may be right, but if you want to escape the record setting heat of 2015, a hike to a high mountain lake may be a good way to be outdoors and comfortable at the same time. The window of opportunity to visit high elevation lakes is relatively small. Some years, northern Idaho alpine lakes are frozen into July. The trails to them can be deep in snow by mid-October. A mild winter and early spring have most high elevation lakes in northern Idaho open and available for fishing. The fishing and the scenery are well worth the effort needed to get there. There are over 3,000 mountain lakes in Idaho. Some are too small and shallow to hold fish. More than half of mountain lakes in Idaho are left fishless to maintain natural conditions for native amphibians. More than 1,300 Idaho alpine lakes contain stocked fish or naturally reproducing populations of fish. Mountain lake fish stocking on a significant scale first started in the early 1900's and was done by horseback. Aerial stocking saved time and money and started in the 1950's. Milk jugs full of water and fish were used for transporting fish into the backcountry lakes. People still occasionally find a jug in shallow water that was accidently dropped or fell out of a pannier. In early fish and wildlife management, the importance of maintaining pure native strains was not widely recognized. Although most of the species historically stocked were native to Idaho, they were not always native to the drainage they were stocked in. Non-native brook trout were stocked into many lakes in the 1920's to 1950's and they established naturally reproducing populations. Rainbow trout that were planted in Idaho mountain lakes were of non-native stocks. Current practices use native strains and species. Stocking is now done on a once every two or three-year rotational schedule and is coordinated with the US Forest Service, as most Idaho alpine lakes are located in national forests. Tiny fish produced in hatcheries are placed into plastic bags filled with water. Oxygen is then pumped into the bags and the bags are sealed. Weighing 15 to 20 pounds each, the bags are carried to mountain lakes in backpacks by biologists and volunteers. The bags are placed in shallow water until the water temperature in the bag matches the lake temperature. A corner of the bag is cut open and the fish are able to swim out into their new surroundings. Some of the planted fish survive to sizes that provide fun fishing. There are several hiking guides that have useful information about the locations of Idaho alpine lakes and detailed information about the hike it takes to get to them. As one might imagine, some are easy hikes but others are grueling adventures on steep rocky trails. Information is also available from US Forest Service or USGS topo maps, and on the fish planner page of the Idaho Fish and Game website. Alpine ecosystems are fragile, so it is very important that visitors take care to minimize their impact. Due to the short growing seasons at high elevations, shoreline vegetation takes a long time to recover from any damage. Use care to avoid trampling or damaging plants in alpine zones. Use of backpack cook stoves avoids the impacts and risks that result from building a fire for cooking. You can even relax in front of a cook stove just as you can by a campfire. Fire restrictions are in place in some areas so be certain to check before heading up the trail. Fish entrails can be punctured and thrown into the lake well away from shore to return nutrients to the system. Solid human waste should be covered with dirt at least 200 feet from the water and away from trails. Many of the people hiking into mountain lakes do not bring fishing rods. While hiking for the sake of hiking is great fun, there is no more beautiful or pleasurable place to fish than the Idaho high country. Catching a colorful trout from an Idaho mountain lake is a joy to remember! Fly fishing is popular at alpine lakes but fly rods can be cumbersome to pack in. Another option is spin fishing using a rod that breaks down into sections, and a clear bobber followed by a leader and a fly. Any small fly pattern that is mostly black with a little red seems to work best. With most alpine lakes surrounded by trees, a spinning outfit is easier to use than a fly rod. If you decide to make a trip to a mountain lake, be sure to take insect repellent. These lakes are high enough in elevation that the mosquitos can be plentiful and aggressive.