Idaho’s desert mountains offer a different take on alpine fishing
When I think about fishing in the Idaho mountains, I’m reminded of hikes through alpine meadows, majestic evergreen forests and the dramatic beauty of sapphire lakes filled with golden cutthroat trout. My latest mile-high trout hunt featured almost none of those things — but it was an awesome, only-in-Idaho adventure all the same.
Our story begins with a cool discovery by my buddy Jon. In his quest to fill the vacant state record for Lahontan cutthroat trout, Jon discovered that Fish and Game stocks Lahontans in three remote reservoirs buried deep in the southern Idaho desert — Bybee, Grasmere and Shoofly. After Jon and his daughter succeeded on their maiden voyage, he invited me to join him for further exploration.
Like most mountain lakes, these desert fisheries require hard work to reach. The journey starts with an hours-long drive southwest, into the mountains approaching the Nevada border. The final approaches are rock-infested dirt roads — four-wheel drive is a must and Fish and Game advises against visiting with rain in the forecast, as the roads become virtually impassable when wet.
After a long, bumpy truck ride, Jon and I arrived at our destination. We stretched our legs, taking note of four mule deer drinking on the opposite bank and hundreds of waterfowl noisily congregating in the middle of the lake. Despite the wildlife, the lake stood in stark contrast to any high-altitude lake I’d fished before. Not a single tree lined the banks of this muddy lava field oasis.
The muddy look holds the key to why these fisheries exist — the waters are high in alkalinity, making them ideal habitat for Lahontan cutthroat. It’s odd fishing for trout in chalky, zero-visibility water, but for this species, it’s normal.
Jon and I set to work in the late-afternoon wind. Taking advantage of our two-pole permits, we set up one rod with bait on a bobber while casting crankbaits and Rapalas on our other rods. Jon had learned on his first trip that a bobber was a must — any bait near the bottom is soon devoured by hoards of crayfish.
My bobber was the first to wobble. I quickly stowed my Rapala rod and waited for a firm take. Fish on! The chocolate milk-colored water obscured my quarry until I had it landed, but sure enough, it was my first Lahontan, a 15-inch specimen with a teal-green back, light pink sides and yellowish fins.
It didn’t take long for my bobber to go down again. This fish was much larger, making a huge ruckus at the surface and trying repeatedly to break free in the shoreline lava. But I prevailed, with a net assist from Jon, and we marveled at a huge rainbow trout over 20 inches long.
“Not a cutthroat, but I’ll take it!” I announced as I put the fish on a stringer for dinner. Rainbows are the only other gamefish present in these lakes. They aren’t stocked as frequently as cutthroats, but the holdovers can grow quite large — likely from feeding on stocked Lahontans.
We fished on. Jon caught the next two fish, a small cutthroat and another large rainbow. While bait was working, I was determined to catch a fish on a retrieve lure. I pulled out a Panther Martin dressed in pink, teal and yellow — the perfect imitation of a fingerling. It took 100 casts, but I finally felt the freight train hit of a trout crushing a spinner. A feisty Lahontan took to the air, pirouetting across a lake surface tinted deep pink by setting desert sun.
It wasn’t your typical alpine beauty, but it was a gorgeous Gem State moment all the same.
Tight lines!
Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com.