If you cross the Pend Oreille River, eastbound at Usk Washington, you will need to turn north and drive about 30 miles. Keep an eye out for an old abandoned building marked Chapel Hill General Store & Resort. Go 1.3 more miles and turn right up a sandy road. In about 50 or 60 feet is a hard to see Forest Service Road marker. If the numbers read 1900 across the top of the sign, and 096 down the sign then you’re on the right road. The sign is kind of hard to see so you will need to look sharp. That’s where you will want to turn your hubs in and go 4X4 from there on. Drive in 1.7 miles to the T and turn left. Go .1 more miles and you are there. It’s only 1.8 miles, but you will be tired of the road by then. Fish were rising all over the place. I put my kickboat in and started with a 5 weight floating line on an 8 ½ foot Pleuger with a 7 ½ foot 6X 3lb tapered leader and a size 12 tan Elk Hair Caddis. On my second cast I got a hit, but was unable to hook up. I was looking at other fish jumping instead of the one after my fly. I kept fishing another ½ hour or so without success, and switched to a #8 Black Wooly Bugger w/copper wire rib on a sinking 6-weight line. I was stripping in 3-4 inch retrieves about 2 per second, and got hits on almost every cast for some time. I hooked up with less than ½ the hits because they were short striking and getting hooked on the outside of the mouth. All fish were around 12” and healthy cutthroats. All the fish that decided to come out and play, will come out and play another time. They all went back. There is something about releasing a fish right in front of you, that is habit forming. I find myself wanting to do it over and over. I suggest you not try to make the drive in without a 4X4. The Launch is steep, but it is a perfect lake for a float tube or pontoon boat. This time of year, the Tamaracks are turning gold, the foliage on the broadleaves is turning color, and the turkeys aren’t afraid of anything. I will
be going back.

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