spilunkr
07-25-2007, 12:04 PM
Yesterday I was back exploring the waters in Rocky Mountain National Park. The destination was The Loch an alpine lake sitting at an elevation of 10,180’ in the Glacier Creek drainage. Unfortunately, I got started a bit later than I would have liked and found the parking area at the trail head filled when I got there at 9:30. So it was back to the park and ride lot to pick up the park shuttle.
From the trailhead the hike in to The Loch is just under three miles with an elevation gain of about 2,000’. The trail in to The Loch is one of the most popular in the park, at least for the first half mile to Alberta Falls.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a4b30b400000025109AZM2bZu2ba
At the falls the trail leaves Glacier Creek for about a mile. Much of the trail at this point is high up the canyon wall from the creek which can occasionally be heard down below. A bit over two miles from the trail head the trail splits into three forks, one going to Mills Lake higher up Glacier Gorge, the trail to The Loch and a trail to Lake Haiyatha. The Loch trail from this point on pretty much follows Icy Brook the outlet for The Loch.
The Loch is about 10 acres in size and is surrounded on three sides by peaks that rise to almost 12,000’. In the picture is the Cathedral Wall and part of Hallet Peak. The snow field in upper right is Andrews Glacier which can be reached via a 2 mile trail from The Loch.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a1eb1d100000026109AZM2bZu2ba
I did most of my fishing around the shore near the lake outlet where there were still some impressive snow banks around.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a0b30f400000026109AZM2bZu2ba
The Loch holds a variety of trout although all I saw and caught were generic cutthroats. The lake did not seem to have as many fish as Fern Lake and they also seemed to be much more picky in what they would hit. I would get 3 or 4 refusals for every hit. There were some midges around (there always seem to midge activity at the alpine lakes) and there were also a few #16 yellow sally stoneflies around. So I alternated between a #20 griffiths gnat and a #16 elk hair caddis and over the course of three hours managed to catch about 10 fish, all cutthroats in the 10” to 13” range. I did have one 15" fish inspect my fly but he turned off and disappeared.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524ee0b12d00000026109AZM2bZu2ba
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524e18b1d500000026109AZM2bZu2ba
I wanted to fish some of Icy Brook so I quit fishing the lake around 3:00 and started working my way back to the trailhead. Icy Brook is extremely steep flowing through a narrow gorge. About ¼ mile down the trail I started to find some spots where getting down to the creek was at least feasible. So I would pick some likely looking spots and climb down. I found that pretty much every pocket that I would expect to hold a fish did and over the course of the next hour caught about a dozen cutts mostly 7” to 10” except the last one which went about 12”.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a26b1e900000025109AZM2bZu2ba
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524ee7301a00000026109AZM2bZu2ba
By then I had reached the foot bridge over Icy Creek on the trail going to Mills Lake. I made a bit of a circle in order to go downstream a bit and fish back upstream on Glacier Creek. As I found out, I was at a point where Icy Brook and Glacier Creek join in a swampy area where each creek breaks into several braided channels. It was a pain climbing over and through deadfalls in order to try and find the main channels, but when I did the fish acted as though they had never seen artificial flies.
I also stopped catching cutts and started catching brookies and did I catch brookies! It seemed like over the next hour I got a hit on almost every cast. If I caught 1, I caught 25 all in the 6” to 9” range with the three 9” fish sporting teeth and hooked jaws. In addition I picked up two rainbows and a cutbow; 9”, 11”, and 8” respectively with everything hitting a #14 elk hair caddis.
By then it was 5:30 and time to head back down the trail to catch the shuttle before it stopped running for the evening. This turned out to be my most prolific day of catching trout since moving here with over 50 fish landed. Granted most of them were fairly small; but never the less it was fun afternoon in the high country surrounded by stunning scenery and wildflowers like these alpine paintbrushes.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524e20b1ed00000025109AZM2bZu2ba
Guy
From the trailhead the hike in to The Loch is just under three miles with an elevation gain of about 2,000’. The trail in to The Loch is one of the most popular in the park, at least for the first half mile to Alberta Falls.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a4b30b400000025109AZM2bZu2ba
At the falls the trail leaves Glacier Creek for about a mile. Much of the trail at this point is high up the canyon wall from the creek which can occasionally be heard down below. A bit over two miles from the trail head the trail splits into three forks, one going to Mills Lake higher up Glacier Gorge, the trail to The Loch and a trail to Lake Haiyatha. The Loch trail from this point on pretty much follows Icy Brook the outlet for The Loch.
The Loch is about 10 acres in size and is surrounded on three sides by peaks that rise to almost 12,000’. In the picture is the Cathedral Wall and part of Hallet Peak. The snow field in upper right is Andrews Glacier which can be reached via a 2 mile trail from The Loch.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a1eb1d100000026109AZM2bZu2ba
I did most of my fishing around the shore near the lake outlet where there were still some impressive snow banks around.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a0b30f400000026109AZM2bZu2ba
The Loch holds a variety of trout although all I saw and caught were generic cutthroats. The lake did not seem to have as many fish as Fern Lake and they also seemed to be much more picky in what they would hit. I would get 3 or 4 refusals for every hit. There were some midges around (there always seem to midge activity at the alpine lakes) and there were also a few #16 yellow sally stoneflies around. So I alternated between a #20 griffiths gnat and a #16 elk hair caddis and over the course of three hours managed to catch about 10 fish, all cutthroats in the 10” to 13” range. I did have one 15" fish inspect my fly but he turned off and disappeared.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524ee0b12d00000026109AZM2bZu2ba
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524e18b1d500000026109AZM2bZu2ba
I wanted to fish some of Icy Brook so I quit fishing the lake around 3:00 and started working my way back to the trailhead. Icy Brook is extremely steep flowing through a narrow gorge. About ¼ mile down the trail I started to find some spots where getting down to the creek was at least feasible. So I would pick some likely looking spots and climb down. I found that pretty much every pocket that I would expect to hold a fish did and over the course of the next hour caught about a dozen cutts mostly 7” to 10” except the last one which went about 12”.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524a26b1e900000025109AZM2bZu2ba
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524ee7301a00000026109AZM2bZu2ba
By then I had reached the foot bridge over Icy Creek on the trail going to Mills Lake. I made a bit of a circle in order to go downstream a bit and fish back upstream on Glacier Creek. As I found out, I was at a point where Icy Brook and Glacier Creek join in a swampy area where each creek breaks into several braided channels. It was a pain climbing over and through deadfalls in order to try and find the main channels, but when I did the fish acted as though they had never seen artificial flies.
I also stopped catching cutts and started catching brookies and did I catch brookies! It seemed like over the next hour I got a hit on almost every cast. If I caught 1, I caught 25 all in the 6” to 9” range with the three 9” fish sporting teeth and hooked jaws. In addition I picked up two rainbows and a cutbow; 9”, 11”, and 8” respectively with everything hitting a #14 elk hair caddis.
By then it was 5:30 and time to head back down the trail to catch the shuttle before it stopped running for the evening. This turned out to be my most prolific day of catching trout since moving here with over 50 fish landed. Granted most of them were fairly small; but never the less it was fun afternoon in the high country surrounded by stunning scenery and wildflowers like these alpine paintbrushes.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d904b3127cceb8524e20b1ed00000025109AZM2bZu2ba
Guy