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Looking at doing a trip into the Bighorn Crags in a few weeks. Nobody on the trip has been before, and I am having trouble finding any info on what to use when fishing.
Is there a certain type of lures (spoon, spinner, crank, etc) and/or colors (brass, silver, yellow, etc) that work best.
Also flies behind a bubble, what size, type or color.
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I have never been into the crags myself, but have fished high mountain lakes in the general vicinity quite a bit.
I have had success with spin-a-lures on cutthroat in silver and gold, also mepps in its variety of styles has worked.
For flies, black ant patterns have worked for me. I would bring a variety of different patterns and see what kind of bugs may be up in those elevations.
Good luck
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I can't really help you as I have never fished there but I wanted to say that you'll love it I've been to the crags a few times and it's a beautiful place.
Good luck.
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I haven't been in that area, but most fish in high mt lakes aren't too picky. Take a few terrestrial patterns such as ants, beetles, and grasshoppers. Then dark colored caddis in small to medium sized, and a few dark buggers and some scuds.
We'd love to see some of your pictures etc when you come back.
Good luck!
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The big horn crags are beautiful and a blast to fish. If you push into the lakes that are a bit further out you will find easier fishing. The closer lakes like Harbor have less fish and more pressure. The fly selections cpierce mentioned are spot on. For lures I would take smaller gold, blue, or silver spinners or spoons. Ship Island is full of fish and a beautiful view, but a bit more hiking. There they will eat big foam hoppers all day long, along with leach patterns. Stimulators are a great go-to dry fly pattern. Don't forget the deet!
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Trip was a success, lots of fish, and great weather. Except for one night of a fierce Thunderstorm, but looking back at it, it was a tremendous experience. Fished the Gentian, Big Clear, and Ship Island basins. Here are a couple of the fish.
Caught them on Flies, as previously mentioned, spinners of most colors, spoons, Jakes.
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I got back from there last Friday. We camped at Gentian and fished the same basins then Cathedral lake on the way out. Airplane was the most consistent , Ship island was good then dropped off to almost nothing after 90 min. That was quite a lightning storm Tuesday night. At Wilson and harbor it would have been even better.. Looking at going to the southern lakes next year. Gold spinner was the best most of the time.
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The golden trout is a fish i have been after for the last couple of years i have had two on but screwed them from my excitement. congrats. I heard once when i was a kid that 1/10 of one percent of fisherman have caught the golden. Also judging by that first pic that is either a monster or a twig of a tree
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90 % of the fish were in the 8-11 inch range, in all lakes, and types of fish.
Steams held smaller mostly smaller fish. Hoping for some thing bigger, but 13-14 inches was the largest of all fish in the group.
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