First Casts….First Fish

First high country trout 2012…a lovely rainbow

As much as I enjoy fishing for trout in running water, I look forward to the day when I can get back into the mountains and fish the high country lakes.  The timing varies from year to year.  Some years, the lowest elevation mountain lakes will be ice free by mid to late May.  In southwest Montana, that's around 7500 feet.  But, after a particularly cold and snowy winter and spring, access to these same lakes can be delayed by up to three weeks or more.

Put camera on tripod, set timer, make a run for it, grab rod, jump on rock, haul, cast, in 12 seconds…all without performance enhancing drugs!

When I was younger, I pretty much ran into the high country.  A twenty mile day was nothing.  Now, I know better.  What I once took for granted, I now value.  Alpine fishing is a special experience earned through sweat and toil and time on the trail.  The clock is running, the window closing, if ever so slightly.  The siren song of the high country beckons. I can hear it. I'm not one to hasten the passage of time, but May can't come quick enough.

Same lake, June 2, 2010….when will it thaw this year?