September 6-8, 2008

The water is clear, clean, and relatively deep. The water temperature was measured at 56 degrees. My son Michael caught the first fish on the 7th (we didn’t have much time to fish on the 6th) with a bubble and olive Seal Bugger with burnt orange hackle and marabou tail, size #10 (4XL) with probably three to four feet of tippet. The fishing was relatively slow. I caught four on the 7th and another four on the morning of the 8th. Most fish were caught on #8 Carey Special, body made of peacock herl (there are many different body materials for the Carey Special), although fish were caught also on the Denny Rickard’s Stillwater Nymph (size #12 (2XL) and a black or olive Seal Bugger. I lost probably a dozen flies to the boulders either in the water or within my back cast. Most fish were in the 10-12” range with a couple in the 13-14” range.

We noticed in the outlet, which comes from the bottom of the lake and therefore comes out some distance below the lake, some fingerlings. I imagine the trout are self reproducing and find a way to survive. We met an experienced fishermen who said he knew of float tubers who had managed to find and catch the deep lake trout.

We also fished in Little Eightmile Lake, 1.1 kilometers below Eightmile, which contains a numerous population of brook trout. The 10-inch fish I caught was quite mature and seemed to have been around for quite a few years. This lake is surrounded by trees and brush and is difficult to fish with a fly rod, except for the west end and the inlet, so spin casting would be preferred. While at this lake we met a couple from Pennsylvania who had made the strenuous hike to Lake Caroline, where a few 14-inch cutthroat trout had been caught.

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