[Dslayer]

I went up to Lilly Lake today-this one is up above Bumping Resevoir-kind of an odd little lake at 3900 feet. It's a good early season lower elevation lake that's about 1/4 mile walk from the road. I try to hit it early in the year before the water warms up too much-this is my second trip as I wait for the some of the mountain lakes in the area to open up. The fish,l when they're biting are pretty nice, 12-14 inches, nice fat cutthroats. Sometimes, though, when I fish this place you wouldn't know there was a fish in it-no bites, no fish turning, just nothing--but if they're biting it's a lot of fun. The fishing highlight was a nice 17 incher. I saw my first 'baby' today, a fawn-not too old-with it's mother. Lilly Lake is up the Bumping Lake Road past the Lake, then left on Road 1800-about four miles up the road past the Fish Lake Way trailhead is the trail to Lilly Lake-it's surprising how little this place is fished though I saw a couple of old fellas in there today. The road is pretty rough, but you could do it in two wheel drive with a little clearance. Another interesting trip to take would to take the 1809 road off the the 1800 up to Granite Lake-there's a fair number of brookies in there but the road is very rough, about the worst I've ever seen. That road gets you up to Miner's Ridge, off which there is a trail down to a Root Lake-which I've only fished once-not too likely that any of that is reachable yet. So-anyone else catching a few fish anywhere?

[salish]

DSlayer - got skunked at Trout Lake (Foss Lakes) last weekend. My report is in the trip reports section. Good going! Cliff

[Dave Weyrick]

Caught a 7 inch cutthroat in Stuart Lake above Icicle Creek on a day hike with my kids on Monday while floating in my new Curtis raft. Rained off and on at this 5000 foot lake and the small cutts were rising to mayflies between showers. On the way out I walked away from rising fish in the creek where it widens out into beaver? ponds about a quarter mile above the Colchuck turnoff. Yes, I walked away from those rising fish, much bigger ones than in Stuart, since my daughter had to get back to her car so she could get home in time to go to work Tuesday. Its still killing me that I have no idea what kind of fish, or size, or even if I could catch them. If anyone goes up that way and has any luck there, lemeno. Caught fish to 18 inches Tuesday in Lenice, but lowlake fish just don't do it like hilake fish for me anymore. Can't quite figure out why. Maybe because I can fish for lowlake fish when I'm too wornout to get up high anymore.

[salish]

Thanks for the tip, Dave. I've never been up there but I would have thought Stuart would still be under some ice this time of year. Some buddies and I are planning on heading up to the Enchantments in mid-September - if we can get a lottery permit - so maybe we'll try this area you are talking about. Thanks.