I need info on what weight flyrod I'd need for fishing mtn trout....

Most fish will likly be in the 8-14" range with a very rare trip into a lake with 16-24" trout.

Also for summer/fall in these lake what are some fly patterns would reccomend??

Some dry fly action, but prolly mostly a weighted fly of some kind like maybe a wooly bugger or leach????


Thanks for the help

Dido KK and Chuck's 5 wt suggestion, with a 4wt being a second choice.
A five is super versatile and can be used for other non mountain lake fishing situations you'll encounter in the future.

Depending on how high up you are, I'd always have a few adams, gnats, ants, beetles and some stimulators to imitate moths for dry action.

5 wt is my goto rod. I have two.

Just like stonefish, I've done well with just about any wing patter fly in the high lakes.

5 wt. Parachute Adams and flying ants have always worked well for me in mountain lakes. Heavily weighted wooly buggers or rabbit leaches are my go to wet flies.

If you are planning on doing more than a little fishing in mountain lakes I would suggest getting one of these...

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___70062

Opens up a lot of opportunities. Doesn't take up much room in the pack or weigh too much.

Good luck.

I would agree that a 5-wt. is the best choice for an all-around trout rod, which is ironic, given that I don't own one. No one rod is ideal for all conditions and situations, but the 5-wt., being very much in the middle of the range, will give you options to keep you fishing just about everywhere. You will probably wish you had something lighter for fishing the mountain streams, but a 3 or 4-wt. can be useless in a stiff wind or when you need to cast large, weighted flies long distances (the lake comes to mind), so I say that sacrificing a bit of finesse in favor of a more versatile backbone would be your best bet.

Personally, my first and only rod for years (when one rod was all I could afford, and only marginally so at that) was a 6-wt. I bought a 6-wt. so that I would be able to fish trout and steelhead with the same rod. It worked for both (and more), but it was perfect for neither. These days, I use a 4-wt. for almost all my trout fishing and an 8-wt. for salmon and steelhead. The 6-wt. has its sweet spots (pinks, large trout, and greased line summer steelhead), but it rarely comes off the shelf anymore.

For what you're doing, I think the 5 will give you the best versatility.

As for flies, take plenty of terrestrials (ants, beetles, and hoppers) for the lakes, and a few hairwings (caddis, stimulators, etc.) for the streams. Weighted streamers will work in both situations.

In other words, what these other guys said.

Bentley,
Another vote for the 5 in a 9-ft. Maybe a 9-6 or 10 if you're tubing it.

Also, if you're fishing alpine lakes shortly after the ice clears off, you could almost get away with dangling a fuzzy hook 6 inches above the water and still catch fish. They's powerful hungry.... Dries are a hoot when they jump out of the water and come down on your offering but waking a Carey Special or a spider just below the surface will put a smile on your face when the water boils... repeatedly.

My experience exactly. Up in the Cascades is Spade Lake, about 5200' elevation & remote. And in July you get off the hook fly fishing & really cold swimming even if its 80 & sunny. I used an old 7' Lamiglas fly/spin rod, with a spinning reel & float to a #12 dry of some sort & it was non-stop





Spade Lake in the center, Venus Lake above it & Mt. Daniel looks over them. At about 13 miles from trailhead to lakeshore, the fishing is always good. We camped on the point jutting in on the right side, were front-seat to a dogfight courtesy of the WA ANG & NAS Whidbey, it was F-4 vs A-6.

The A-6 driver was pulling out all the stops, but I think the F-4 nailed him.



c/22

Many moons ago I was hiking in to climb Daniel and got buzzed by a couple of jets going through a small pass near Cathedral Rock. I saw them a split second before I heard them, and the sound was defeaning. It is the was the only time in my life remember having to clench up in a hurry to avoid crapping myself out of fear/surprise. I literally fell over backwards. The plane in the lead was barrel rolling as he went over the pass and I swear I could see a smile on the pilots face. Wicked.

Sorry for the tangent.

My first real fly set up was (is) a 5 wt. Great starting place and I recommend it and would do it again.
My second was an 8 wt, same comments apply.

Bentley-
The issue in fishing the high lakes and what rod one needs is more of a matter of what you can comfortably cast and cover water with than the size of the fish you are likely to catch. The isn't a trout in Washington alpine lakes that a skill angler can not handle on a 3 weight.

However assuming you will be fishing from the shore and at least some days be dealing with wind a 5 or even a 6 weight would be a much better tool. Even more important than the line weight would be the rod length and type of line. I would look for a rod at least 8 1/2 feet or 9 feet long and for a main line I would have a weight forward floating line and for a second line I would go with a full sinking weight forward line with 3 sink rate. With the potential of some spooky fish (especially later in the season) learn to complete your cast with those weight forward lines 18 inches or so above the water's surface - that will provide a better presentation.

The longer rod and weight forward lines will allow you to clear some of the brush behind you and shot a fair of amount of line on the forward cast. Even though a weight forward is not the best line for roll casting it will be will worth your time to master the ability to make 50 foot roll casts. I think that you will find that the slow sinking line is golden at lot more than you would think. Getting the line below the surface of the lake on those still days can dramatically increase your strikes and will provide the ability to get deeper if needed.

Regarding flies - hands down my most successful flies in the alpine lakes were soft hackles with a dark olive being the best color. If I had to pick one size for the soft hackles it would a #12; a size #12 dark olive solf hackle fished on that slow sinking line has produced for me from ice out to ice up. In addition to a variety of soft hackles in several colors (brown, grey, and black) a few woolly buggers, chironomids, hare's ears, and copper Johns would be a good starting point for sub surface flies. Adams, elk hair caddis, a couple ants, humpies (red and yellow) and royal coachmen in sizes from 16 to 12 will provide the basics for the dry flies.

Tight lines
Curt

Guys, Just got back from outa town work and thanks alot for the suggestion's ..

The time is getting close for my trip!! Thanks again for the help!