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[Sam6140]

Last night, I thought I'd take the day off today and go fishing in Squamish at the local lakes for Trout.   I haven't fished there since I was a teen. I've been itching for a good trout fishing excursion, as close as possible.  Took an hour to get to Squamish from my house...leaving at 5:45am.  I planned on going to Browning Lake, then Alice Lake & Stump Lake.  Got to Browning @ 6:45 am...still too dark, and it was Soooo windy!  Weird.  Wasn't windy just before that park or further north (in Squamish).  Decided to go into Squamish, grab some coffee and head to Alice Lake.  And then hit up Browning Lake in the afternoon, on my way back

Anyways, I got to Alice lake @ 7:30ish am.  Went to the beach at the day use picnic area, and casted right next to the where the outflow creek is.   There were some risers all over the lake, especially there.   So here's where it gets good.  I set up a simple, productive rig to test the waters.  Water Bobber, couple split shots, and a worm (about a 4 ft leader).  I cast out between the swimming platform and the creek.  Bam! The bobber went immediately under water, not even 5 seconds after it hit the water.   I thought I had too much water in the bobber.  Wrong!  I saw a few wakes all around the float too.  There was more than 1 fish around.  There was a huge fish on the other end!  My reel was literally screaming for about 30 seconds, and this fish took a fast run.  It almost yanked the rod out of my hand.  At this point, I was a little worried, because I didn't know what I had on the end of the line? Was it even a fish?  I couldn't even bring it in.  It really felt like I had a decent Salmon hooked.  It bee-lined for the creek mouth, and then it was gone.   I thought it unhooked itself.  Wrong! It snapped my 8 lb line completely.   This fish must have weighed 15 lbs at least, it literally felt about 15-20 times the weight & pull of a typical rainbow.  I never got to see it.  It was definitely the biggest fish I ever hooked, and the most intense fight.  

Question:  What the heck kind of fish was it?  What is in that lake?  I thought just rainbow, cutthroat, & dollies.  Was that a Brood Trout (are there any in that lake)?   Anyone else had this kind of experience at Alice Lake?

After that the fishing died down in that spot. lol.   That huge one bolting like that probably spooked everything nearby.  But I managed to hook 2 regular sized rainbows shortly after. There was tons of rising fish everywhere.  The Squamish lakes are hot right now for trout people.  I had Alice Lake completely to myself this morning until I left around 10am.  Stump Lake was good too - caught 3 cutties, and then left because they were all on the smaller side.  No one else fishing.  At Browning, there was so many trout leaping out of the water, you would think you were at a Hatchery Pool/tank.  There was only 3 people fishing, and no one was really catching anything.  Those fish are weird, they don't bite.  I was there for 3 hours, was about to give up, as it was getting dark, and then I finally caught a rainbow on my foolproof Black Wooly Bugger.   Worms didn't get a single nibble.  

Another question:  Why is the water at Alice Lake & Browning Lake muddy and murky?  They used to be clear?!  It hasn't rained in days either.  Stump Lake was crystal clear.

Sorry about the long post.  I tried to keep it detailed and also treat it as a fishing report, to give anyone an idea who might want to try these places.  Just sharing my experiences basically.  

PS:  I stopped by the Mamquam River, and looked down from a bridge, saw several salmon swimming around.  Not a soul fishing.  Water was crystal clear.

[troutbreath]

If your doing brownies before you fish then ya a half pound trout will be a factor of times 30. Also those lakes you mention were always dark. But if your doing brownies then they they can appear from crystal to coco.

[gman]

I'd guess that an otter grabbed the trout on your line... but we'll never know. 

[Sam6140]

It's funny you say that about the Otter, because I forgot to mention, that at first, it felt like I had regular rainbow on, and then a few seconds later the pull was insane!  Felt like a larger fish grabbed the rainbow? I don't think there's otters in Alice Lake.  

And btw I was completely sober.  I was driving.  I don't do weed.   And those lakes had pretty clear water, from what I remember.  Petgill lake had clear water everytime I went there years ago.  The water today wasn't dark, it was literally muddy or silty, just as if the lake was turning over or whatever (which I don't understand what that is, or how it happens).  Very low visibility.  

[Sam6140]

Another thing off topic about Browning Lake/Petgill Lake.  There are a lot of fry or minnows swimming about everywhere.  What are they?   There was this one tiny injured fish, about 2 inches long, it was swimming along the surface slowly.  I grabbed it to take a look at it.  The thing was bent weirdly, like it was crooked somewhat.  I think some fish ate it, and then spat it up. 

Here's the kicker.   It was small, so hard to tell the lines and colours, but the thing had markings like a bass or a perch.  It had a orange tail, from what I remember, and faint vertical stripes.   Now remember I said that there are all these little fish swimming around everywhere, and wondering have they always been there?

[cutthroat22]

Browning Lake and Petgill Lake are 2 different lakes.

[Sam6140]

Oh right...I been saying they're the same lake this whole time because of this sign I saw off the highway.  Petgill is a hike-in lake.  Thanks. I'll fix my post.  I was only talking about Browning Lake.

[samw]

Another thing off topic about Browning Lake/Petgill Lake.  There are a lot of fry or minnows swimming about everywhere.  What are they?   There was this one tiny injured fish, about 2 inches long, it was swimming along the surface slowly.  I grabbed it to take a look at it.  The thing was bent weirdly, like it was crooked somewhat.  I think some fish ate it, and then spat it up. 

Sticklebacks?

[Sam6140]

Nope, I thought they were sticklebacks too, but there was no stickles! lol  Definitely had colorings of a perch, from looking at the pictures on this website and online.  Green, with vertical black stripes, and orange tail.

[ynot]

 cutties in browning. alice might be a mink grabbing your trout.

[TyCrane]

I've seen otters up in edith lake so it wouldnt surprise me if it was an otter

[troutbreath]

When I was a reckless teenager we use to call it brownie lake. Had some pretty serious scraps with racoons there. Maybe one of them had a go at your fish.

[Kype]

Could also have been a big old Pike feeding up on all those small stockie rainbows!  Pike, being predatory, are active at dawn and dusk not just daytime ambushers!!

[Sandman]

Any loons hanging around the lake?

[troutbreath]

It's so true that stocked lakes attract the worst predators. But if those unknown weird fish are being introduced from somewhere that's concerning.