Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sam6140 on October 18, 2011, 09:06:40 PM
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Last night, I thought I'd take the day off today and go fishing in Squamish at the local lakes for Trout. I haven't fished there since I was a teen. I've been itching for a good trout fishing excursion, as close as possible. Took an hour to get to Squamish from my house...leaving at 5:45am. I planned on going to Browning Lake, then Alice Lake & Stump Lake. Got to Browning @ 6:45 am...still too dark, and it was Soooo windy! Weird. Wasn't windy just before that park or further north (in Squamish). Decided to go into Squamish, grab some coffee and head to Alice Lake. And then hit up Browning Lake in the afternoon, on my way back
Anyways, I got to Alice lake @ 7:30ish am. Went to the beach at the day use picnic area, and casted right next to the where the outflow creek is. There were some risers all over the lake, especially there. So here's where it gets good. I set up a simple, productive rig to test the waters. Water Bobber, couple split shots, and a worm (about a 4 ft leader). I cast out between the swimming platform and the creek. Bam! The bobber went immediately under water, not even 5 seconds after it hit the water. I thought I had too much water in the bobber. Wrong! I saw a few wakes all around the float too. There was more than 1 fish around. There was a huge fish on the other end! My reel was literally screaming for about 30 seconds, and this fish took a fast run. It almost yanked the rod out of my hand. At this point, I was a little worried, because I didn't know what I had on the end of the line? Was it even a fish? I couldn't even bring it in. It really felt like I had a decent Salmon hooked. It bee-lined for the creek mouth, and then it was gone. :( I thought it unhooked itself. Wrong! It snapped my 8 lb line completely. This fish must have weighed 15 lbs at least, it literally felt about 15-20 times the weight & pull of a typical rainbow. I never got to see it. :( It was definitely the biggest fish I ever hooked, and the most intense fight.
Question: What the heck kind of fish was it? What is in that lake? I thought just rainbow, cutthroat, & dollies. Was that a Brood Trout (are there any in that lake)? Anyone else had this kind of experience at Alice Lake?
After that the fishing died down in that spot. lol. That huge one bolting like that probably spooked everything nearby. But I managed to hook 2 regular sized rainbows shortly after. There was tons of rising fish everywhere. The Squamish lakes are hot right now for trout people. I had Alice Lake completely to myself this morning until I left around 10am. Stump Lake was good too - caught 3 cutties, and then left because they were all on the smaller side. No one else fishing. At Browning, there was so many trout leaping out of the water, you would think you were at a Hatchery Pool/tank. There was only 3 people fishing, and no one was really catching anything. Those fish are weird, they don't bite. I was there for 3 hours, was about to give up, as it was getting dark, and then I finally caught a rainbow on my foolproof Black Wooly Bugger. Worms didn't get a single nibble.
Another question: Why is the water at Alice Lake & Browning Lake muddy and murky? They used to be clear?! It hasn't rained in days either. Stump Lake was crystal clear.
Sorry about the long post. I tried to keep it detailed and also treat it as a fishing report, to give anyone an idea who might want to try these places. Just sharing my experiences basically.
PS: I stopped by the Mamquam River, and looked down from a bridge, saw several salmon swimming around. Not a soul fishing. Water was crystal clear.
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If your doing brownies before you fish then ya a half pound trout will be a factor of times 30. Also those lakes you mention were always dark. But if your doing brownies then they they can appear from crystal to coco.
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I'd guess that an otter grabbed the trout on your line... but we'll never know. ;D
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It's funny you say that about the Otter, because I forgot to mention, that at first, it felt like I had regular rainbow on, and then a few seconds later the pull was insane! Felt like a larger fish grabbed the rainbow? I don't think there's otters in Alice Lake.
And btw I was completely sober. I was driving. I don't do weed. And those lakes had pretty clear water, from what I remember. Petgill lake had clear water everytime I went there years ago. The water today wasn't dark, it was literally muddy or silty, just as if the lake was turning over or whatever (which I don't understand what that is, or how it happens). Very low visibility.
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Another thing off topic about Browning Lake/Petgill Lake. There are a lot of fry or minnows swimming about everywhere. What are they? There was this one tiny injured fish, about 2 inches long, it was swimming along the surface slowly. I grabbed it to take a look at it. The thing was bent weirdly, like it was crooked somewhat. I think some fish ate it, and then spat it up.
Here's the kicker. It was small, so hard to tell the lines and colours, but the thing had markings like a bass or a perch. It had a orange tail, from what I remember, and faint vertical stripes. Now remember I said that there are all these little fish swimming around everywhere, and wondering have they always been there?
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Browning Lake and Petgill Lake are 2 different lakes.
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Oh right...I been saying they're the same lake this whole time because of this sign I saw off the highway. Petgill is a hike-in lake. Thanks. I'll fix my post. I was only talking about Browning Lake.
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Another thing off topic about Browning Lake/Petgill Lake. There are a lot of fry or minnows swimming about everywhere. What are they? There was this one tiny injured fish, about 2 inches long, it was swimming along the surface slowly. I grabbed it to take a look at it. The thing was bent weirdly, like it was crooked somewhat. I think some fish ate it, and then spat it up.
Sticklebacks?
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Nope, I thought they were sticklebacks too, but there was no stickles! lol Definitely had colorings of a perch, from looking at the pictures on this website and online. Green, with vertical black stripes, and orange tail.
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cutties in browning. alice might be a mink grabbing your trout.
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I've seen otters up in edith lake so it wouldnt surprise me if it was an otter
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When I was a reckless teenager we use to call it brownie lake. Had some pretty serious scraps with racoons there. Maybe one of them had a go at your fish.
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Could also have been a big old Pike feeding up on all those small stockie rainbows! Pike, being predatory, are active at dawn and dusk not just daytime ambushers!!
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Any loons hanging around the lake?
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It's so true that stocked lakes attract the worst predators. But if those unknown weird fish are being introduced from somewhere that's concerning.
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Could also have been a big old Pike feeding up on all those small stockie rainbows! Pike, being predatory, are active at dawn and dusk not just daytime ambushers!!
Are u serious? Because we don't have pike anywhere around here at all.
Nope, no loons. Strangely not a single water fowl at Alice. I did have a curious blue jay standing just over me watching the whole time I was fishing. This happened at both lakes. Never left my side for hours. lol And then at Browning, I had this crane sitting in the tree next to me, watching, and then he came right over the second he saw that I hooked a fish. lol But never actually went for the fish or anything. I guess he must get handouts from people.
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I'm glad to hear there are some fish to be found in the lakes up in the Squamish area. I remember fishing off the dock at Alice Lake in early spring or fall and catching lots of rainbows with my minicast kit. Fun and relaxing, and not nearly as busy as the rivers!
I'd like to take my daughter fishing, and I'd prefer one of these lakes to a local city pond like Lafarge. She's going to be 4 in a week, and she's told me she wants to catch a rainbow trout! I even picked up a replacement spincasting reel for my minicast kit, since I'll have to put down the fly rods and float tube if I'm bringing the princess along. She's even got her own "Dora the Explorer" fishing rod!
Anyway, thanks for the report. Btw - I'm thinking it was a muskrat or small animal that took your trout - not another fish. I had a similar experience at Furry Creek. I hooked a nice pink salmon on the fly and all of a sudden, it turned into a big chinook! The chinook then turned into a seal which said "bye bye" with my fish... :D
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dont rule out a very large catfish never fished the lakes metioned i know that catfish can get pretty large in lakes especially a stocked lake
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Similar thing happened to me once it turned out to be a otter.
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My money would be on an otter as well.
They are in the area so it is probable.
As well most fish when hooked will try and run for deeper portions of the lake rather then trying to run for the creek mouth.
An otter however would likely grab his catch and bee-line to the creek to eat.
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I did have a curious blue jay standing just over me watching the whole time I was fishing. This happened at both lakes. Never left my side for hours. lol
That would be a Steller's Jay (named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, the first to record them in 1741) , often confused with a Blue Jay (which are not found this neck of the woods) as they look quite similar.
They are extremely intelligent and social, from Corividae family which includes our friends, the Crows, Magpies, Whiskey Jacks etc. They often display the curious typebehaviour you witnessed, hanging out with you looking for scraps and general adventure and stimulus.
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maybe it just was a very big cuttie or rainbow. I have seen some very big trout come from small lakes before. :)
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i hve seen alot of small water animals in alice lake and have seen on sevral ocasions where fish are taken off lines from a musrts and otters
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I'm heading out there tomorrow. If I catch your mysterious beast I'll let you know.
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I'm heading out there tomorrow. If I catch your mysterious beast I'll let you know.
lol please do! My advice: Try and go really early. The fishing was real good at 7:30am-8:30am. The fishing dies off after 10am. I highly recommend the edge of the beach, right by the parking lot for the day users. Try and fish off the beach and cast towards the creek (between the creek and the 1st swim platform). It's deep there too.
Does anyone know if the lake has been stocked with Brood Trout or not? No one mentioned it. And I know what you guys mean about the chance that it could have been an otter. It's just that I have been watching the lake, and never saw any sign of any animals. Otters come up for air all the time, or swim along with their head out of the water. There was no movement. But again, there was a couple large wakes around my bait at that time. Maybe Brood Trout, maybe large carp or catfish? The way the thing took off towards the creek was weird, but there was also cover there. Some submerged logs, and weeds I believe.