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Fishing Waterton’s Back Country The line whispers as it tunnels through rod guides. The conversation between line and rod ends abruptly with a crash as the small lure submerges into the lake, throwing the reflected mountainscape into convulsions. The mountain scenery is soon sent crumbling again as the water’s reflective surface churns in chaos as a cutthroat trout flips into the air, with a lure seen flashing for a moment in its jaws, before returning to the cold mountain water. The next sound to be heard with the same intensity is a sizzling cooking skillet where the trout now swims in a steaming pool of butter. Sounds are more acute when camping and fishing in a hanging valley in the backcountry. This particular hanging valley, in Waterton National Park, contains the small lake called Goat Lake. The lake is encircled by evergreens with a mountain meadow a short walk to the north all encircled by walls of crumbling red argillite. The lake’s west shore meets a scree slope with the other shores meeting thick banks of sphagnum moss all offering perfect casting positions for the lively mountain trout that call it home. Backcountry lakes in southern Alberta’s Rocky Mountains in Waterton National Park offer some of the best trout fishing in western Canada. Much of Waterton’s best spin cast fishing is at its backcountry lakes. Because the backcountry lakes are not easily reached they offer the fisherman more peace, more quiet, more nature and of course, more fish. The park lakes and streams that are easily accessible by car are often crowded and over fished. You must be prepared for up to three hours of strenuous hiking to get to some of the lakes but once there, the fishing is well worth it. Fishing memories of a life time are easily had in these small mountain lakes. The lakes are often left unstocked since the fishermen can’t keep up with the lakes’ thriving fish populations. Although most lakes are located close enough to the main town site and highways, the hiking required to reach the lakes is enough to keep most trout fishermen away. Overnight camping at many of the lakes combined with the mountain scenery and excellent fishing makes a great outdoor experience an easy reality. Permits must be obtained from the park wardens for both fishing and camping in the park. The permit system is established primarily so that park staff can locate and reach backcountry users in case of accidents. Just about every lake in the park is easy enough to hike to, fish, and return from with daylight to spare. As with all fishing lakes, some lakes are better than others. Top backcountry fishing choices on my list are Crandell, Rowe Lake and the Carthew Lakes. In backpacking, weight and size are of major importance. You want to carry enough equipment and food to make for a good trip while not being overloaded and making the trip a chore. The lakes are small enough that a good lightweight breakdown rod puts a fisherman with relatively good casting skill within reach of the fish in just about all of the mountain lakes. A selection of small spoons and spinners does the trick for tackle. I like to travel light, so I carry a breakdown rod with a small closed face reel and my tackle selection for very lightweight trips fits into a fly box. On trips when I’m not feeling so confident I carry my tackle in a small box about the size of a thick paper back book. For lures, I use small Mepps spinners and an occasional yellow and black spoon to get the best all around results. I also like to use a very light line, 2 kilogram (five pound) maximum. The light line adds to casting distance and also keeps rod action more sensitive to the bite of the small mountain trout. When the fish seem to be going for flies, I keep a bobber and a tapered length of floating fly line in the tackle box. I secure the fly line and monofilament together with a surgeon’s knot then attach the bobber about 1 1/2 metres (five feet) from the fly, cast out and wait for the action. Although I pride myself on catching fish with light weight equipment I’ve been surprised by the efficiency of other techniques. On one trip to Upper Rowe Lake I was taking a quiet morning break and enjoying the mountainscape when a trio of backpackers came down the pass. From the combined contents of their packs they assembled a small boat and oars. It went against my idea of backcountry fishing, do with as little as possible, but these guys were quite successful with their teamwork; taking turns in the one-person boat while the others fished along shore waiting their turn in the tiny craft. One of the most satisfying things about mountain fishing is the serenity and beauty of the surroundings. On days when the fish aren’t biting you can pride yourself on the day’s mountain adventure. To find a mountain lake to oneself for exploring and fishing can be done most easily during the week. One way, even for weekend trips, is to choose the more difficult trails. One such hike that isn’t too difficult (yet its effort does keep many others away) is Goat Lake. The hike to Goat Lake is easy at first but the final climb can bring sweat to the most fit. This final ascent is what keeps the lake private. The first two thirds of the hike is easy but the final third takes the hiker up to more than 500 metres above the trail head. Once at the lake you can rest and enjoy the scenery while you catch your breath to prepare yourself for some great fishing. One time when I visited this lake the fish would bite anything. They were so hungry I lured the curious to inspect pine needles tossed gently on the surface. These trout are not big, but they are easily caught and most delicious. Goat Lake is open for overnight camping although the name Goat Haunt may be more appropriate, Goat Haunt is the Ranger Station for the US Ranger service at the south end of Waterton Lake. On an overnight excursion with three partners we were all awakened in the dead of night by the haunting of Goat Haunt that must have been visiting Goat Lake. A terrifying screech, inhuman and un-animal, woke me instantly. I was frozen with fear, too scared to yell out. My heart was pounding in my chest as if I had just finished a good two hours worth of jogging. The sound of scattering hooves echoing through the thick sphagnum moss bed that makes up most of the valley floor told of the effect the screech had on the valley’s deer population. The next morning the only sign we found was that the two metre cover for our packs and fishing gear was jaggedly torn down the middle. Convincing ourselves it was a cougar and not a monster or spooky ghost we moved our gear into the trees for the final two days of our stay. Food was not a problem for the trip as we had a good supply of fresh trout as well as the food we had packed in. Trout rolled in Cream of Wheat cereal we’d brought in case our luck wasn’t so good was our favorite delicacy of the trip. Needless to say, we ran out of Cream of Wheat before we ran out of fish. With the combination of fresh air, hot coffee, fresh trout and even a scary night visitor, there wasn’t much else to be asked for in a fishing adventure. |
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