Smokey and hot rules the day. Started early at Dog Lake Trailhead with the plan to head to Pipe Lake first and then chase trout back to the trailhead. Hit Pipe, Dumbbell, Otter, Cramer... plenty of nice trout in all lakes, Pipe was the best - caught and released 3 Cutts 20+" - Otter is a great swim spot, smaller fish.
Trails are in great shape with a couple of blowdowns, some cut, some not. The trail from Cramer to Otter is a bit overgrown in spots and certainly does not get the action the other trails do. The mosquitos with the Deet are not bad, but the flys.. WTF? Some wildflowers still hanging around, lots of Huckleberries at lakes.
Side note, there were 100's of little brown toads on the trails by meadows. Fun work dodging those little buggers.
Be safe out there people
Comments
tmclean on Dumbbell Lake
Can you share what you caught the Cutts on? I also struggles a couple years ago to find the best route to Otter. I believe I could see the lake going on the trail that connects from the Cramer L trail to the Shellrock T., but couldn't find the way to get to Otter.
Posted by:
tmclean on Aug 13, 2021 06:32 AM
IntheShadowofMuir on Dumbbell Lake
Otter Lake is off the Cramer Lake trail #1106 which is what you start on from Dog Lake trail head, pass Cramer and at the far end of the meadow continue on to Otter or take a left to dumbbell. There is a connector for #1106 off the Shellrock trail as well. Couple of small camp sites, so not as used. Various colored wooly buggers worked at different speeds and depths was the ticket. Otter they would chase it to your feet, but not hit it. There was not a ton of surface action at any of the Lakes, I finally put on a small Bullet Head Hopper, that looks more like a stonefly and they seem to hit that okay, didn't really want to but they did. Hope that helps some.
Posted by:
IntheShadowofMuir on Aug 13, 2021 09:29 AM
Dumbbell Lake
Thx for the info, but to be clearer two years ago I was on the trail connecting to the Shellrock Trail. I used to think that connecting trail touched Otter Lake, but I couldn't see the lake on that trip. Is there an obvious trail that cuts off to go directly to Otter? Hope this straightens things out. Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by:
tmclean on Aug 14, 2021 06:46 AM
IntheShadowofMuir on Dumbbell Lake
I think you can see a small portion of the lake from the trail, its almost 2 lakes, so maybe you mistook it for one of the tarns? I get it's really confusing up there with all the water everywhere you turn and all the "lakes" start to look the same. Next time I want to hit Jess, Pilar and Dancing Lady, that will be another long day... those are going to require some cross-country. Been to any of those?
Posted by:
IntheShadowofMuir on Aug 14, 2021 09:37 AM
tmclean on Dumbbell Lake
Not sure if I have been to Jess, if so, many yrs ago. I went to DL Lake once also many eons ago. Didn't see any fish there. Seems to me that it was very close to the connecting trail we have referenced, but I didn't see it 2 yrs ago. The trees, etc, may now obscure it. I do recall Pillar Lake. There is a trail, though unofficial to it. If you can get to Long John (some big ones in there) then you go around the (if I have my bearings correct) west end you should find a path that winds up to it. I think it goes past a small pond then upwards. Not a bad hike. Lake was deep as I recall. Probably fishing deep would be best. Supposedly from there you can go to a lake called Hill Lake cross country that has some big ones, at least early in the season I have heard.
Posted by:
tmclean on Aug 14, 2021 10:41 AM
IntheShadowofMuir on Dumbbell Lake
Thanks for that info! I may try and find Hill Lake next week, sounds like a good time. Hope I find it without getting lost or hurt... always adventuring alone and this area being flat and so many lakes. I find if you research the lakes via satellite images, you sort of have an idea of the rocks, islands, points, etc so you can "recognize" the particular lake when you get there. I knew Otter had a distinct shape, so that's how I knew I was at Otter.
Posted by:
IntheShadowofMuir on Aug 15, 2021 11:57 AM