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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

High times in the mountains

Rich Landers Outdoors editor

Next time somebody tells you to take a hike, bring your fishing rod with you.

Some of the best action, and certainly some of the most scenic fishing in the region occurs at high-mountain lakes throughout the Inland Northwest. Many of the lakes are accessible only by trail, and often not until at least mid-June when the routes are clear of snow.

•Okanogan County has more than 200 high-elevation lakes. About 25-30 are stocked with trout on a rotation of three-to-eight years. Another 100-150 have naturally reproducing populations, state fisheries biologists say.

•Idaho’s Clearwater Region has more than 1,000 high lakes scattered across portions of the Bitterroot, Clearwater and Nez Perce national forests. While 75-80 of those lakes are being stocked by horse or aircraft, another 120-130 have self-sustaining fisheries.

•The Idaho Panhandle, ranging from the Mallard-Larkins area in the St. Joe country north to the Canada border, has 124 lakes with a surface area of at least 1.5 acres and an elevation of at least 3,300 feet. Of these, the Idaho Fish and Game Department is stocking 49 on a regular basis while 75 are not stocked or have not been stocked for many years.

•Montana’s Cabinet Mountains are known for heavy precipitation that waters about 85 lakes, and many of them hold trout.

•Bitterroot Mountains stretching along I-90 from Coeur d’Alene to Missoula and down the Bitterroot Valley hold hundreds of good high-lake trout fisheries.

Resources

National Forest maps, which cost $6 apiece, are the best place to start research for access to mountain lakes. Hiking guides also are handy.

100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest,” (The Mountaineers-Books, $16.95) by Rich Landers, details routes to nearly 100 backcountry fishing destinations in this region.