Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sterling C on September 02, 2008, 05:36:05 PM
-
I'm heading out to Fortress lake this weekend and was wondering if anyone here has any first hand experience with it.
We will be backpacking in so we won't have access to a boat. The tentative plan is to bring our waders with us so we can get a little closer to the fish. I really want to bring my fly gear but I'm afraid the spinning rod might be coming along instead due to the extra casting distance.
Am I on the right track with this? Also, will there be fish staging at fortress creek right now or is it still too early?
-
Fortress Lake near Banff ???
Lucky duck. Get ready for some nice sized fish. NEVER leave the fly gear at home ;D
Not too many people get to fish that lake.
Good Luck !!
http://eric-coulthard.com/TripPhotos.cgi?year=2006&day=September+1-4&type=Backpacking&trip=Fortress+Lake&index=-1&up=
-
http://eric-coulthard.com/TripPhotos.cgi?year=2006&day=September+1-4&type=Backpacking&trip=Fortress+Lake&index=-1&up=
I love the little marten in that slide show. something most people never get to see... let alone in the daylight.
-
Fortress Lake near Banff ???
Lucky duck. Get ready for some nice sized fish. NEVER leave the fly gear at home ;D
Not too many people get to fish that lake.
Good Luck !!
http://eric-coulthard.com/TripPhotos.cgi?year=2006&day=September+1-4&type=Backpacking&trip=Fortress+Lake&index=-1&up=
Thats the place. Are those your pictures?
Like I said, I don't want to leave the fly gearr at home, but from eveything I've heard, you need to have a boat to fish successfully so I'm just trying to maximize my odds.
-
Wow those are amazing pictures!! So can you only get there hiking? And how long is the hike?
-
Fortress has been on my life to do list for years. Never made it. It used to require fording a river that required horses. Is there a hiking trail now?
My father-in-law was there several times years ago. He has tales of schools of large brookies.
Please post a report when you return.
-
Fortress Lake near Banff ???
Lucky duck. Get ready for some nice sized fish. NEVER leave the fly gear at home ;D
Not too many people get to fish that lake.
Good Luck !!
http://eric-coulthard.com/TripPhotos.cgi?year=2006&day=September+1-4&type=Backpacking&trip=Fortress+Lake&index=-1&up=
Thats the place. Are those your pictures?
Like I said, I don't want to leave the fly gearr at home, but from eveything I've heard, you need to have a boat to fish successfully so I'm just trying to maximize my odds.
Sorry not my pics. :(
as vagabond says , its on my list for the near future too. I read about it last year and have vowed to get in there on that hiking trail. I have been digging for info on it. Both ends start really shallow and taper out to some really deep stuff. From what Ive read, the brookies like to cruise the shallows and thats where alot of the guys/gals flyfish and do quite well average fish about 2 - 3 lbs with 5 - 7 lbs not uncommon.
There is a lodge on the lake but its a unique situation as no other lodges are permitted as its in an eco reserve. Other than than that trail you will walk there is no other way in aside from flying in. There has got to be a way for u to bring a float tube. Just grab a Dragonfly round boat or a lightweight U-boat. It will be worth every sweaty step once you are up there. As well, once you eat all your food and lighten the load , the way back will not be so bad. Waders for sure , got gortex ??
If I were you , I would not go to Fortress without a float tube or even worse without my flyrod.
Have a rippin' time and please post pics and reports as soon as you can !!
Oh yeah, its an easy grade with no real steep parts............
Envious,
M
-
Maybe a crazy idea here, but you could consider one of those small inflatable rafts (probably weight 10 pounds), a small paddle, and (this is important) fishing vest/life preserver. Bring some rope so that you can paddle 100' from shore and throw down an anchor. This would weight no more than your waders and may be better.
It looks like an awesome place, and worth going even without any fish....
-
I don't know much about the lake just yet :'( (maybe next year) but from what I have heard there is one ford that can be a little bit hairy, so wading boots might be nice to have... Chabba River can go up pretty quickly on a hot day, so if you find your self stuck you could always camp on the river and try again early in the morning. not sure how far in that is though.
Have fun, and want to borrow some bear spray? :o
-
Too bad you couldn't make it with us. If this year works out well, maybe we'll go again next year.
I've heard about the Chabba and I've seen some of the pictures. I'm not really too concerned about it though as its supposed to be quite cool on the day we'll be crossing.
-
the picture look real nice, i would hike there just for the scenary, but bear would be my concern too......
-
I've been back for a while but I just got the pictures yesterday.
That being said, after all the effort that went into this trip between 4 of us, no one touched a single fish :-\ However, it was still worth it as the scenerey up there is simply stunning. 8)
A few notes from the trip:
The total length of the hike was 25km to the far east end of the lake. Unfortunatly, I'm under the impression that most of the good fishing is down on the west end of the lake. There is a trail along the north side of the lake that goes down a ways, however, I'm not sure how far it goes. A sign from 1997 said that it went half way but it could very well be further now.
We didn't even see so much as a rise the entire time. I think next time I will hike further down the lake or at the very least bring a boat of some variety to do some more exploring. I think I would also likley take a few extra days to make the trip. One day of fishing isn't nearly enough.
The hike in took us 8 hours, the hike back took 6. The difference in time is due to lighter packs and much nicer weather for the hike out.
Nest time I do this trip I think I will do the hike in two parts. Show up after work on a thursday and do the first 15km to the Athebasca crossing and then do the second half on friday, however, I would camp further down the lake either at the fortress creek site or one further west if it exists.
We saw a total of 6 people the entire trip and they were all daytrippers on the first 6km of the trail.
We didn't see any wildlife the entire trip, however, we did see several piles of bear skat on the way in.
The Chabba crossing is very very cold. The guys I was with said it was one of the worst experiences of their lives. I had my waders with me so I ddn't mind it too much. ;D There is also a large assortment of abandoned shoes at the crossing so if you are going to make the wet wade, don't worry about bringing an extra set of shoes to do it.
The site we stayed at on the west end of the lake had a picknick table, fire pit, maul and axe as well as a very nice bear hang. There was also a grill, fry pan and tarp stashed away.
At the fortress creek site we found two more sets of camping gear stowed away. There was even a rubber dingy, oars and pump. Unfortunatly, the porcupines got the at the dingy.
Apparently Fortress lake has a nasty porcupine problem. We never saw any, but we did find a bunch of quills in one pair of shoes in the morning. I have heard stories of them eating the cork off of rod handles and chewing holes through belly boats so don't leave anything lying about.
The outhouse had a spring loaded door that opens inwards. There is a latch on the outside for when its not in use. From what I can tell at least twice, people forgot to close the latch and porcupines, found their way in, only to be trapped later on by the spring loaded door.
Thats about all I can think of right now but if anybody has any questions I would be more than happy to give my best answers. It is very hard to get good info on fortress so first hand info should be prized. All in all, this was a very enjoyable trip which I plan on making again some day.
Here are some scenic pictures. Enjoy. :)
Fortress lake.
(http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album819/jasper_panoa.jpg)
(http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album819/jasper_pano1a.jpg)
Crossing the Chabba on the way up. Note the miserable weather.
(http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album819/jasper_pano2a.jpg)
The Athebasca crossing.
(http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/album819/jasper_pano3a.jpg)
-
Sorry to hear you didn't catch anything after all that effort.
Seems like a wonderfull trip though and looking at those amazing pictures it must have been stunning.
Great job!!!
-
Nice pics dude! Looks like a good trip!
You fishing this weekend? Highwood is probably going to be smoking good if the weather is warm like they predicted. Blue wing olives, and hoppers on the surface. 6 inch streamers in the pools. ;D
Jon