McLeod

Some great stories , thanks guys.

A buddy of mine was at a lake deep in BNP and the fishing was so good he decided to stay the night at the lake rather than walkout the 12 km.. Fished the the next morning when a warden showed up..my buddy told him he could walk out the night before because his foot was to sore from the hike in. The warden laughed and told him to leave by 2 pm and then rode off..

So several of us where having this discussion over the weekend regarding how far we have or would hike in and out of a lake in a day. Of course the the terrain and the fitness of an individual plays a role in determining what one would challenge. We kinda came to the conclusion that about 3 to 4 hours in and 3 to 4 hours out would be the very maximum so generally about 16 km return. One guy said he is fine walking in the dark with headlights. Anyone have their own stories or thoughts.

Sorry must have missed that thread.. thabnks for the input..maybe a suggested retailer with the best prices that I could pass on.

I have been asked the following and I have no idea so I am requesting input for those in the know. What is a decent , not to expensive digital camera for taking pictures of fish and mountains. I believe the person asking me staed it has to be waterproof. Suggestions ?

My condolences. All the best to you at this time.

So someone has asked me this question and I just don't have the answer.Maybe some knows but is there a service which operates in Banff National Park that packs in and out camping gear to a requested site ? Kinda like a Sherpa guide I guess.

Why not have the meeting in Red Deer ? If not I can stick up for the Calgary folks since most of my time is spent fishing in West and South of Calgary anyway.

The date is Satruday April 18th !

Don..Can you check the date on that as April 12th is Easter Sunday so I can't see it being that date.

If anyone has any information on hiking and fishing these areas of Banff NP please please let me know. Messages would be fine if you want to keep the information private. Just trying to put together some info from those who have been in these areas and have some insight from there experiences.

There is an isolated population in one of the parks but those who know of it would die before they would tell any one.

Anyone ever hiked into this area and done a little fishing ? Never have checked out but have been meaning too.

Thjere is a really good trail to the lake..all flat ..you cxan hike to the base of th lake in 2 to 3 hrs ..you could bike there in an hour or less.. but from the base ..you need to hike up the side of a mountain..20 minutes to an hour depending on the shape your in..the lake is located in a mountain bowl and very high alitude.. Also you must ford the highwood river at the start ..

You can walk to the foot of the lake in a few hours from the main hwy..As mentioned the hike from the valley up to the the lake is very steep and you want to pack lightly. Never saw any fish over 12 inches as the lake is not that productive but there may be a few bigger ones..There are a few dams at the bottomin valley and they have lots of nice 10 inch fish that you can sight cast to. Let us know how you make out..

You won't be far from lakes just outside NP such as Wildhorse. Maligne is the best choice but if want to hike Geraldine would be worth exploring.

Excellent insight ..well though out and some great points. Are you able to hook up on June 30th ?

Brook Trout in some NP lakes are of the Coaster variety..They should be maintained as this is an important genetic source if ever needed.

Pipestoneflyguy..Would you mind if I tag along? I can bring the snacks. Wardens might hate the Brookies but Parks Canada was quite happy to use a picture of a couple of kids holding Brookies on their website. It's time we moved ahead and treat the brookies as native. As the website states without stocking most of these lakes would have been void of fish so even the Cuts are not really native. Nice write on the history of stocking.

Just have to wait a couple of weeks for the opening.. Maybe a group get together ?

It's not an Athabasca Rainbow !

MissinTheBow ? When is the last time you were at Mud ? My sources say it no longer has fish. Anyone ever tried Herbert in the general area as Mud ?

Nice to see there are others who like to HUNT for Brookies.. Some good info here..there are a few other spots to go after bigger sized fish ..it all depends if you want to hit still or moving waters. There are still a few BIG fish in OWL but that can be hit and miss and it's a long hike for a miss. By the way does anyone know where Small lake is ? Drop me a line if want more info... if you have a Brookie tourney and the date works I will head south !