Trout Unlimited/ODFW High Lakes Survey 2006

TU Chapter 678 members spent a lot of time in the Cascades high lakes last month. The chapter volunteered to help ODFW with trout survey work. The state stocks the remote high lakes with trout each year with a helicopter, but the biologists rely on anglers to keep them posted on how the planted fish are doing.

ODFW had appealed to the fishing community at large to step in, but was getting poor returns. So the chapter stepped in to help ODFW knock some unknown lakes off of its wish-list by hiking in and fishing for trout -- which is my kind of volunteering.

From MattStansberry

Labor Day weekend 2006: The first trip embarked from the Skookum Creek Campground off of the Aufderheide Scenic Byway (FS Road 19). Our crew (Todd and Lauri Mullen, Al Avey, Bill Laroux, and myself) hiked back to the campsite at Lower Erma Bell Lake with packs, rods, waders and float-tubes. After setting up camp, the team descended on Mud Lake, the upper, middle and lower Erma Bells and Otter Lake. All of the lakes had decent fish, aside from the aptly named Mud Lake. Members measured water temperature and clarity -- as well as several feisty trout.

The second trip took place over the last weekend of September. On Friday September 29, the crew of Al Avey, Bill Laroux and myself piled into Bill's truck to get a few more lakes. We picked up Register-Guard outdoors columnist John Rezell on the way.

Rezell wrote a great account of the trip in the Tuesday Oct 10th edition of the paper.

On the first night we hiked back to Helen Lake, a 1/3 mile trip from the Taylor Burn campground, north of the Waldo Lake wilderness. We found many nice trout in Helen Lake, but couldn’t convince any to bite. A giant fish was porpoising right near the bank as we walked back to camp dejected.

The next day we hiked from the campground to Moolack Lake, a 2.2 mile trek down a switch-backed mountain, across the headwaters of the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette and up another ridge to the Moolack Lake Spur trail.

From MattStansberry

When we first laid eyes on Moolack, it looked pretty dead -- still and a little filmy. But we made the trek, so we launched the float tubes into the lake. After a few minutes on the water, Al saw a rise near me and I cast at it. Less then a minute later I’d landed a giant cutthroat trout pushing 17 inches. We proceeded to catch Moolack’s down and deep cutthroats on weighted wooly buggers for the rest of the afternoon, including Bill’s monster 17.5” fish at the end of the day.

The trip back wasn’t as pleasant as the trip in, but we made it, knocking seven lakes off of ODFW’s list for the year. We will be including information on the lakes we’ve surveyed and the lakes that still need to be accounted for on the TU Chapter 678 Web site.

-Matt Stansberry

High Lakes Trip Photos

Labor Day weekend 2006: TU Chapter 678 headed out to the Erma Bell lakes region in the Willamette National Forest. Members hiked in to base camp at Lower Erma Bell Lake and proceeded to fish and take notes on other remote lakes in the area, including Upper Erma Bell, Middle Erma Bell, Lower Erma Bell and Otter Lakes. The Chapter will report information including water temperature, vegetation, fish confirmations and other info to ODFW in order to help the state determine how to better manage high lakes stocking efforts. Photos below:


Packing in with float tubes


Al Avey fighting a rainbow in Middle Erma Bell


A high lakes rainbow, around 11 inches long


Base camp at Lower Erma Bell


Lots of vegetation, and big smart trout at Otter Lake

Erma Bell Trip Details

Hello Chapter 678 TU Members,

Well we are going to try the Erma Bell high lakes fishing trip again. Last time we were snowed out so we alternatively checked out the Swift Creek restoration site instead. This trip will be a hike-in trip led by Todd Mullen and we plan to meet at the Skookum Creek campground at 10:00 am on Saturday September 2nd. There are several lakes we plan to fish, the furthest being about 4 miles from the trail head. Float tubes will increase your odds of catching fish although many fish can be caught by fishing from shore or wading. Waders are recommended along with 3-6 wt rods. The best flies for the lakes are: Wooly Buggers and Doc Spratleys in green, black, and brown size #6-10 and rainbow trout calf tail streamers. For dry flies elk hair caddis, tom thumb's, and comparadun's in brown, green, and tan. Mayfly spinners and pheasant tails work particularly well in the late evening.

For those who decide to stay over night there are several options for camping.

1. You can camp in one of the 9 tent sites at the Skookum Creek Campground trail head. The campground has vault toilets, fire rings, hand pump well water and garbage service. The campground is located adjacent to the common parking area for easy access to cars, ice chests, etc.

2. There are also several remote designated campgrounds located around the various small lakes for the more adventuresome. Wildlife is abundant in many of the remote lakes and sightings of river otters, deer, elk, and pica are common.

The directions to Skookum Creek Campground are as follows:

From Westfir proceed north on Aufderheide Scenic Byway (FS Road 19) for 35 miles to FS Road 1957. Follow FS Road 1957 for 4 miles to Skookum Creek Campground.

If you decide to go you will need to purchase a northwest forest pass [Price: $30 annually] if you don't already have one. They are available at most Forest Service Ranger Stations.

Hope to see you there.