June U Ary

 Last week I drove high into the Washington Cascades to fly fish a small lake I’d only seen in short video clips. Had I waited one week more, the weather would have been ideal. Life doesn’t work that way so I made the best of the cold wind and rain. 

My destination was primarily a ski resort area, but being very close to the Pacific Crest Trail it is equally popular with hikers and sightseers I never the warmer months. The trouble is the warmer months have been late in arriving this year. In the Northwest, we call this situation June u ary  

Despite battling cold, constant winds, I managed a few fish. All released to fight another day, one, the best one, of course, released a little quicker than I would have liked. Thus, no pictures of the beautiful markings on brook trout.  The brook trout shown here was not from this trip but looked similar in size and coloration.  By early Fall, the spawning colors will be very much in evidence and the greens will be offset with deep orange and reds.

I learned a few crucial things in this little venture. First that I can spend time alone successfully. I learned much about the geography of the area and the lake I fished from a float tube. 

I hope to go back before the summer that finally came is over. Possibly in August. If the timing is right, the sun will be out, the water calm, and hopefully, the mosquitos are mostly gone.