Alpine Lake Fishing Tips

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1 September 2013 Cascade Alpine Lakes... The end of summer is drawing near but this is the perfect time to hit the trail and hike to an alpine lake for some great trout fishing! Hundreds of lakes, many of them stocked with trout long ago, dot the mountainous landscape of the Cascades, Rockies and Sierra Nevada s. While many of them are frequently visited by hikers, most of them receive very little fishing pressure. That pressure drops off even more in September as families wrap up their summer vacations, leaving you the chance to soak in the spectacular scenery these places offer all to yourself! Trout is the name of the game at these lakes, and depending on where you go you may find rainbows, cutthroat, brook, or even rare golden trout. Some mountain lakes also hold arctic grayling. Alpine Lake Fishing Tips By John Kruse, Host of Northwestern Outdoors Radio A beautiful Rainbow Trout caught on a Mack s Lure Promise Keeper. If you go fish an alpine lake bring plenty of water, rain gear, bug spray for those end of season mosquitoes, sunscreen, and of course the ten essentials of survival, all of which should fit nicely into a fanny pack. Fishing gear can be a lightweight fly rod or a 5 to 6 foot spinning rod with a spinning reel and 4 to 6 pound line. This latter choice is what I prefer because I can fish flies with the use of a float and also fish spinners and spoons. When it comes to fishing alpine lakes, you ll find one common challenge is to get your offering out there away from shallows prevalent in many of these waters. This is where a lure that casts a long ways comes in handy. One of my favorite offerings is the Mack s Lure Promise Keeper Spinner, a weighted version of the original Wedding Ring spinner. It s shape is very aerodynamic and I can cast it much further than similar size spinners. The Mylar Smile Blade is also conducive to the reel and pause retrieve, I prefer in these waters, with many strikes coming as I pause my retrieve while the lure falls and the Smile Blade spins oh-so-slowly. Other lures that work well are both dry flies, such as a Smile Blade Fly, and wet flies either of which can be fished behind a clear casting bobber which you can partially fill up with water for weight (so to cast the fly farther). As for where you should fish, I generally avoid the first place the trail hits the water, if only because everyone wants to fish this spot. Instead, I ll look for inlet streams and the lake s outlet, where moving water brings food to the fish and where they in turn congregate. If you can find structure like fallen trees, rocks and/or drop offs, fish these as well. In alpine lakes, remember fishing can be good all day long, though the fish seem to be as temperamental as is the changing weather often found in the mountains. Finally, avoid using bait. These fish generally bite readily and it s not necessary. Plus, bait often equals garbage or unsightly stains that take away from the pristine beauty these places offer. A bait caught fish is often a dead fish as well, so if you want to keep a few for dinner, feel free, but let the rest go for the next hiking angler to enjoy. Page one

2 -end- Stan s Space Stan s Corner By Hall-of-Fame Angler Stan Fagerstrom Part 1 of 2 There are fishermen who say next best thing to fishing is having a chance to talk about it. I m willing to go along with that but I d add a couple of additional thoughts. One is that talking about fishing really becomes meaningful when the guy you re talking to shares something that helps you put more fish in the boat. And what can be every bit as satisfying and maybe even more meaningful is when your own angling experience enables you to provide information that you know darn well is going to help somebody else. I want you to meet a friend of mine. He s Richard Merkel, of Ahwatukee, Arizona. Richard and his wife Jan, live down there in the Arizona desert over the fall and winter months but in the late spring and summer when that part of Arizona turns into the Devil s own bake oven temperature - wise, they head for the high country. Richard Merkel, of Ahwatukee, Arizona, does his summer trout fishing in the Arizona high country. He s been using Wedding Rings ever since he tried his first one a year ago. My wife and I do the same thing. Several years ago we purchased a small condo in the Arizona high country at Pinetop. Pinetop, you see, is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet. When it s 110 degrees down there around Phoenix, the temperature in the Ponderosa Pine country around Pinetop usually runs in the mid 80 s. But let s get back to that business of talking about fishing. Early one morning last year, I saw Dick loading his fishing gear into the small boat he had hooked up to a trailer at his across the street residence. Dick and I hadn t really visited much before that morning. Good morning, neighbor, I said, looks like you re going fishing. What are you going after? I m going out to do a little trout trolling, he said. I haven t been catching much lately but I keep trying. Well, good luck, I said, and turned away to continue the walk my wife and I take every morning when I m not going out fishing myself. I happened to see Dick when he came back from his trip later in the day. Did you do any good? I asked. Nope, he replied. I got skunked this time around. Well, I said. That happens to all of us now and then. You got time to visit with me for a minute? I ve got a couple of suggestions I d like to share about trolling for trout. They ll help you keep that skunk out of the boat. Mr. Merkel was quick to accept my invite. What makes me feel good is that today, he s happy he did. If you know Dick and if you re a long time Phoenix area resident you just might. I say that because Merkel has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a practicing attorney in Tempe, spent several years on the faculty of the College of Business at Arizona State University and also later as a vice president and trust officer at the First Interstate Bank of Arizona--- now Wells Fargo. If you ve followed my Stan s Corner columns over the years here at this Mack s Lure website, and you re into trout trolling yourself, you can probably guess one of the first questions I asked my new found friend. Dick, I said, have you ever tried a Mack s Lure Wedding Ring for your trout trolling? Countlesss numbers of trout have been caught on original Mack s Lure Wedding Rings like the one pictured here. Dick replied that he hadn t. I told him some of the things I d learned about these glittering little chunks of fish-catching dynamite. Few spinner type lures have wound up putting more trout in the boat since they first hit the market decades ago. I wasn t blowing smoke. No fishing lures, including the Wedding Rings, comes with a guarantee. That may be, but by golly you won t have any problem at all in finding anglers who will tell you they come about as close as it gets. Richard Merkel displays a handfull of the trouble he s been using to boat Arizona high country trout. Continued on Page 3 Page two

3 Continued from Page 2 Merkel, as I ve indicated, has way more than his share of smarts in absorbing knowledge in whatever field of endeavor in which he gets involved. Later in the day, I first told him about the Mack s Lure Wedding Rings, he took off for a nearby Wal-Mart supermarket and picked up a half dozen to try on his next trip. As I ve mentioned, Dick and Jan live just across the street from us at Pine Lake Meadows in Pinetop. There was a knock on our door the afternoon Dick came home from his first fishing trip using his newly acquired Wedding Rings. It was Dick and he was eager to tell me about his fishing trip. I was dang near as pleased as he was when he told me he d had a good day and that his new lures had done for him the same thing they ve been doing for years for countless others. Wedding Ring Promise Keeper We don t have to tell experienced anglers how well trolling our original Wedding Ring spinners work at catching trout, kokanee, and other species. Now there is one weighted and ready to cast. Order the Promise Keeper from our website between now and September 10 th, using promo code PROMISE on our website, and receive a 30% discount on available stock. Dealers can MacksLure@MacksLure.com by the 10 th for a special buy offer on the Wedding Ring. Cookin Your Catch Maple Salmon Ingredients: 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pound salmon Once he learned what a Wedding Ring could do for him, Richard Merkel, turned to a Mack s Lure catalog to obtain other Mack s Lure products. Watch for the next Stan s Corner to find out just what some of those items he s found are. But that s not the end of the story. I also learned, you see, a good bit about the other gear Dick Merkel had been using for his trout trolling. Once I did, I shared some additional ideas with him I thought he might like. I ll tell you what he thinks of those other ideas I shared, and how they ve worked out for him. You ll find the details in this regard right here next month. If you re into trolling for trout you just might find those details of keen interest yourself. Get Yours Today At: Directions: 1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper. 2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. 3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). 4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Let s Eat!!! Page three

4 Mack s Lure Inc hires Lance Merz Mack s Lure, is pleased to announce the hiring of Lance Merz as their Washington State sales representative. Bobby Loomis states the hiring of Lance is a positive step for us to be able to continue providing excellent service, and face to face contact with customers, and regional fishing organizations, in our home state. A company known for producing world famous fishing lures since 1969, Mack s Lure continues to grow within the fishing industry. Best known for their Wedding Ring spinner and patented Smile Blade, the company continues to add to their arsenal of innovative fish catching tackle. Lance is a retired U.S. Army combat veteran, who served his country with honor, loyalty and diligence for over 20 years. The most rewarding part of serving he explained was taking care of his soldiers and ensuring that their needs were met before his own. He plans to continue with those same principles in addressing the needs of Mack s Lure dealer accounts. An avid fisherman, hunter, camper, and Harley Davidson enthusiast, Lance s love of the outdoors is irrefutable. He will be an integral member of the Mack s Lure team by further enhancing customer relations with the various dealers in his territory. Page four

5 Questions of the Month Have a question? We d love to answer it! Contact us at mackslure@ mackslure.com if you have a question you would like to see featured! Q: What speed do you troll to make the Smile Blade work the best? Thanks A: Thank you for your question. Your trolling speed should be determined by what is inducing strikes; target speed often changes from day to day or from the body of water you are fishing. Generally the colder the water temperatures, the less aggressive the fish are, so slower speeds at those times are far more effective. Varying speeds not only help trigger bites, but it helps find a more optimal speed. If you are fishing in freshwater, start trolling at around 1.5 MPH. The species being targeted effects trolling speed as well; a good example being how incredibly fast you troll for tuna. In regards to walleye and, seasonally, kokanee, you tend to have more success trolling at slower speeds than for rainbow trout or salmon. Another good thing to note is when you start to make a turn, your rods on the inside of the turn slow down and the outside rods speed up. Therefore, if you are picking up bites on the turns, that should help you determine whether to try speeding up or slowing down. The Smile Blade is effective at any reasonable trolling speed. One of the things that make it unique however, is how slow you can go compared to any other spinner blade that exists on the market. Trolling as slow as a ¼ MPH in order to stay over strike zones longer can induce lethargic fish to bite with great results. If you are trolling at Photo of the Month higher speeds with the Smile Blade or in swift current, it is essential to use a very good swivel such as our Bead Chain Swivel. Other trolling products that are beneficial to use in conjunction with a Smile Blade lure are the Flash Lite and Hot Wings attractors. The blades counter rotate and reflect light in a 360 degree pattern around the troll and provide full rotation even at ¼ MPH. Please feel free to follow up with other questions, or let us know what you have experienced out on the water. Knowledge of how to find the right trolling speed is just one factor that will help you have more fish catching success. The Mack Attack is a free service provided to anyone who is interested by Mack s Lure, Inc. We need your input! If you know of anyone who would like to be on the mailing list to receive the Mack Attack, please forward their address to al@mackslure.com. Photos, stories, and comments are welcomed and encouraged. Please forward all content materials to bob@mackslure.com. THANK YOU! Preteens vs Walleye! Katelynn Ross and Karlie Munter of Moses lake caught them at Potholes during spring break with a 0.8 silver Smile Blade and a nightcrawler. Page five