Alta lake was a great time

[chud]

If any one is or is going to be in the Whistler area this spring,they should try Alta! My first time fishing there today was a great experience.
Luke and I arrived at 11:30 and fished till 5:00. I was using a muddler minnow.In the first 15 minutes on the water I hooked and landed an 18" and a 16" cutthroat and Luke landed a 15"cuttie. I knew we had picked a good piece of water.We had dozens of hook ups.Mostly in the shallows on both muddlers and black and red leeches.The rainbows are usually 10"-15" and Luke caught a 20"+ cuttie on a leech. We were told by a local the Rainbows are making a come back.After people had diverted/altered the inflow and outflow streams and introduction of sticklebacks.They stocked the lake 6 yrs ago with sterile cutthroat. The cutties have gotten fat on sticklebacks and have given the rainbows a fighting chance! I'm not sure of the regulations but we went barbless and C&R.
There was choronimids in there too but we didn't feel like sitting still.We wanted to explore.Apparently,there is good dry fly action starting in mid/late may with the flying ant hatch.Followed by other varities lin june /july.
Does any one have experience or knowledge of Showh,Loggers,Jane,Ivey,Brohm or other Whistler area lakes?

Keep those lines tight and wet!!
Chud.

[Troutman]

I haven't covered the whistler area for at least 8 years, but I used to fish there a lot. Back when the River of Golden Dreams was pretty decent for the dry fly.

Alta/Alpha/Nina were always decent for bows, dollies and kokanee. Alta was nice on the northwest shore, by the old cabins there in the shallows. Then on the east bank by th eold hotel, near the canoe rental shop. Can't cay I ever caught a cuttie there though, but its been many years, as I said. Definitely never saw anything above 17-18 inches though.

I have fished Logger Lake and the few others up under the shadow of the tusk. I can't recall all the names of the lakes I used to fish offhand - I'd have to did into my journal - but most we ok. Not as prolific as the interior mind you. Ivey was good, then I found it died off - reports were that the locals were really abusing the lake, but thats just what i heard from a few shops and the locals there.

[chud]

Thanks for the info Troutman.
I'm going back up to whistler on May20-21. I might try some of those lakes below Black Tusk. I'm determined to try Showh lakes this year too.
You have a good point about the interior lake fishing. Tunkwa,Dee,Bob and Haethume lakes have been good to me. However, my schedule is tight these days. Also,with the gas prices and me driving a 1987 GMC getaway camper van from Vancouver.... You get my point.
I haven't tried River of Golden Dreams. I have had a great day at the mouth of the Birkenhead river in late April for decent size 'bows and big dollies.I was laughing my ass off at a guy who hooked an early Chinook salmon on light spinning tackle as well!

I'll try and give a good report after my next Whistler trip.

[orerockon]

Alta has been good the past few years for big cutts. I fish the north end at the outlet of the R Of GD almost exclusively for the big cutts. I fish a large stickleback which seems to keep the bows off (not always, but I catch cutts 10:1 to bows). My best is 22" caught right at dark off Rainbow park while trolling like mad to get out before it got totally dark. From what i have seen the R of Golden Dreams is so scummy now I don't think it is worth a damn.

Loggers is hit pretty hard AFAIK it has few big fish. Ditto for Lost & Mosquito. Probably others too, I usually avoid "put & take" lakes. Showh (actually Cougar, Showh is behind Cougar & smaller) can be good early (mid June is early here) & late but is hit or miss. Ditto with Ivey, it & Mosquito suck in the summer. I hit a dragonfly hatch on Ivey 3 days ago on a tip from Brad at Spud Valley hardware in pemberton. Was a sight to behold as the big bows slammed nymphs in couple feet of water, often coming right out a foot or two chasing them up. Patterns here matter, these fish have a PhD in entomology. I hooked 4 and lost 4, I think they were short striking my damsels & buggers. Went back & was skunked, the hatch was on when it was still & sunny & off all other times.

Alta was good when the sun was out this week, but cutts & a few bows on the north end. Heard Alpha was good too. Never been to Birk L but the river was off, no sockeye = no eggs = no fish really feeding. Blackwater L out of Pember is supposed to be popular with the locals, don't know squat about it. The Cheakamus R is always worth a shot when it isn't muddied up in hot weather by the glaciers. Smaller bows but some decent dollies. The outlet of Green L turns on when the sockeye fry leave in summer, I have got some dollies to 18" here at dusk on a streamer or black matuka.

Wish I was here more than 2 weeks a year (one in the winter for skiing and 1 in late summer) and wish I could get a week in late spring!