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Boulder Advice? - bowhunter3 - 03-20-2015
I know this is a long shot, but I have helped a decent amount of people on here, and figured maybe can get a favor returned. I know the area is very secretive.
I love brookies, and have been wanting to hit the Boulders for years. I think I am going to do it this year, and would appreciate any suggestions on a starting point. I fish the Uintas a lot, have a truck capable of getting to many off-road places, and access to an ATV. Never been to the area at all, and would love for some first-hand insight on some places to get into some good fish.
Pm's always welcome, or feel free to post.
Thanks, a ton.
P.S. was considering this for a trip around my birthday in early May, but was wondering if that is too early. Info on Best time of year down there would be appreciated as well.
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Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-20-2015
Early May may be OK for some of the lower lakes (below 9,400') but with the ample snowfall in the area, lakes above that will be early June I feel.
Stocking reports (you may have to look at archives for Boulder Mtn.) are a great resource. There are also a few folks on here that have fished there a bit that could steer you in a decent direction. The only real thing that keeps the Boulder in any sort of smokescreen is the distance it is from major population centers. It's secretiveness gets less and less every year. Hopefully with new management and less trash fish (tiger trout) and more focus on the trophy potential of sterile and controlled brook trout the Boulder will become once again the legend it once was.
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Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - spencerD - 03-20-2015
While I don't share Brookiguy1's distaste for tiger trout (I gotta give ya a hard time man!) his advice about looking at stocking reports is money. Find some lakes that have had brookies planted for the past few years, and you'll probably find some good fish hanging around.
As for time of year, I always head out in July, but that's due to the massive mayfly hatch you run into that time of year. Makes the cutthroat go crazy!
May is too early. There's still good snow down there, I'd wait until mid-June ish.
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Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - wormandbobber - 03-20-2015
IF you are looking for big brook trout, Mcgath Lake is widely considered one of the best bets for a trophy. It is also the furthest from the Salt Lake area and is in the vicinity of some other pretty good lakes....I would also consider fishing the Barker Lakes area. In the immediate vicinity of the Barkers, brook trout are found in Upper Barker, Flat Lake, Yellow Lake, Blue Lake, and Joe Lay Reservoir. You may also find a stray trophy in Dougherty Basin, but these fish are not too common and Dougherty is closed until July because of cutthroat spawning and it being a brood lake.
Although Mcgath is a lot of people's favorite for big brookies, I would personally recommend you hit the Barkers area just for more options.
Here is some more information:
http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/brwaterbody.php?id=82
http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detailed.php?id=1165258286
If you want more information, just let me know!
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Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - americanforkdude - 03-20-2015
PM Hockey, he is the man on Boulder. He owns a cabin in Boulder and spends a lot of time on the mountain.
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Re: [wormandbobber] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-21-2015
[quote wormandbobber]IF you are looking for big brook trout, Mcgath Lake is widely considered one of the best bets for a trophy. It is also the furthest from the Salt Lake area and is in the vicinity of some other pretty good lakes....I would also consider fishing the Barker Lakes area. In the immediate vicinity of the Barkers, brook trout are found in Upper Barker, Flat Lake, Yellow Lake, Blue Lake, and Joe Lay Reservoir. You may also find a stray trophy in Dougherty Basin, but these fish are not too common and Dougherty is closed until July because of cutthroat spawning and it being a brood lake.
Although Mcgath is a lot of people's favorite for big brookies, I would personally recommend you hit the Barkers area just for more options.
Here is some more information:
[url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/brwaterbody.php?id=82"]http://wildlife.utah.gov/...rwaterbody.php?id=82[/url]
[url "http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/detailed.php?id=1165258286"]http://wildlife.utah.gov/...ed.php?id=1165258286[/url]
If you want more information, just let me know![/quote]Why don't you just kick me in the twins and set me on fire? Are you purposely pushing my buttons? I know it's public info and all you Heps think pressure on Boulder is no issue but is nothing sacred anymore? How about letting folks get their info the 'ole' fashioned way. By earning it! Sorry I'm so damned passionate but throwing this info out is just plain wrong. The locales are in plain sight on the stocking reports and maps. Leave a tiny bit of effort due on the part of the angler. Hopefully only me and about 6 other people pay attention to this post about brook trout.
I doubt it though.
Guess I'm going to Wyoming.
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Re: [brookieguy1] Boulder Advice? - brookie - 03-21-2015
All you need now is a coffee can full of worms. Too bad there is not greater use of the PM.
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Re: [brookie] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-21-2015
Thanks brookie. You, your brother and a few select others are who I am speaking for, if I may. Some of our DWR folks just feel they can dish out whatever gift info they wish with no regard whatsoever to the people before them that worked for what they've found. They feel that they know exactly what it takes to create an alpine fishery. Well, they do know how to destroy a trophy brook trout fishery, and that is with those cheap, worthless tiger trout and so called "native" CO. cutts. I could care less about those fish, and the places they are putting the CO cutts are not doing ANY good to keep us off the endangered species Fed list. Anglers want the big brook trout back on Boulder and that means ZERO efforts placed on CO cutts and other trash species like tiger trout and grayling.
Boulder Mountain is meant for brook trout and that is what anglers have requested. I would truly rather barren lakes on Boulder than lakes polluted with other species than the revered brook trout. STERILE BROOK TROUT PLEASE!!!
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Re: [brookieguy1] Boulder Advice? - Highmth - 03-21-2015
[quote brookieguy1]Thanks brookie. You, your brother and a few select others are who I am speaking for, if I may. Some of our DWR folks just feel they can dish out whatever gift info they wish with no regard whatsoever to the people before them that worked for what they've found. They feel that they know exactly what it takes to create an alpine fishery. Well, they do know how to destroy a trophy brook trout fishery, and that is with those cheap, worthless tiger trout and so called "native" CO. cutts. I could care less about those fish, and the places they are putting the CO cutts are not doing ANY good to keep us off the endangered species Fed list. Anglers want the big brook trout back on Boulder and that means ZERO efforts placed on CO cutts and other trash species like tiger trout and grayling.
Boulder Mountain is meant for brook trout and that is what anglers have requested. I would truly rather barren lakes on Boulder than lakes polluted with other species than the revered brook trout. STERILE BROOK TROUT PLEASE!!![/quote]
I will have to agree that the lakes on the Boulder have been grossly mismanaged for years now. What was the best brook trout fishing in the U.S. 20 or 30 years ago has now turned into an area that has only slightly better fish than the Uintas and much fewer options. The Boulder mountain is now over fished and under appreciated. The days of solitude coupled with the excitment of hooking into a trophy Brookie are gone! And if I find another soiled diaper floating in one of my favorite lakes up there, I am mailing it to you "wormandbobber"
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Re: [wormandbobber] Boulder Advice? - tl23life - 03-21-2015
Can someone delete this post already over 1000 people have looked at it!!!
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Re: [tl23life] Boulder Advice? - Catcherman. - 03-21-2015
+1
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Re: [wormandbobber] Boulder Advice? - LakeDrifter - 03-22-2015
Mcgath lake WAS considered the best bet for a trophy!! not anymore!!! To much pressure and guides bringing in a ton of people! Yeah you can catch a 2lb brookie if your lucky, but the days of the 5 and 6 lbers are gone! Thankfully I was able to enjoy these fish back in the early 80s! [
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Re: [brookieguy1] Boulder Advice? - ddaley - 03-22-2015
How are sterile brook trout any different than a tiger trout? Either you put true brookies in the lake and let them go through the boom and bust cycle that brookies do in those lakes or you look for the most effective way to manage lakes which might include introducing other species.
I pose the question, when a sterile brook gets caught that breaks the state record, are you going to accept that or cry foul because it's a sterile fish? Personally catching a state record brook trout that is sterile is about the equivalent of catching a Boulder mountain tiger.
If you want the mountain to be "pure" pick a side, "STERILE BROOK TROUT PLEASE" is the same argument as putting tiger trout and grayling...
That's my thoughts at least....
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Re: [ddaley] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-22-2015
No, I would not cry foul. The genetic strain of brook trout once found on Boulder are gone. If they cannot provide the long-lived, slower growing strain of yesteryear, then the next best answer is sterile brookies. Sterile brook trout are not a frankenfish like tiger trout. At least they are reminiscent of what once was and not just the easy way out. Sterile brook trout are used alot in lakes like Henrys and others where overpopulation can become a problem. Tiger trout could live in much harsher conditions than sterile (or non-sterile) brook trout. Tiger trout can live very long and grow to who knows12-25 pounds? Sterile brook trout have a life expectancy the same as non-sterile (5-7 years) and grow a bit more because they don't go through spawning stress.
The difference in a brook trout record being sterile or non-sterile is the same as the rainbow record being from a sterile or non-sterile strain. It would be as impressive either way.
If the decision is tiger trout or sterile brook trout on Boulder the decision has been made by the anglers. Look up the questionaire put out a couple of years ago. Over 90% of the anglers surveyed want Boulder Mountain to be a trophy brook trout destination. Not tiger trout. Not cutthroats. Not grayling.
BROOK TROUT!
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Re: [LakeDrifter] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-22-2015
[quote LakeDrifter]Mcgath lake WAS considered the best bet for a trophy!! not anymore!!! To much pressure and guides bringing in a ton of people! Yeah you can catch a 2lb brookie if your lucky, but the days of the 5 and 6 lbers are gone! Thankfully I was able to enjoy these fish back in the early 80s! [
][/quote] Not gone.... hopefully.[signature]
Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - hogg_65 - 03-23-2015
Big Lake, Hay Lakes, Hare Lake, if uou want good Boulder fishing i suggest you seek those waters.
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Re: [brookieguy1] Boulder Advice? - wormandbobber - 03-23-2015
You complain about the information I put out there.....and then you post multiple responses to it and other posts bumping this back to the top so more people see it, find it, and read it....oh, the irony!
Back to the original question: what are some good brook trout lakes on Boulder. I would also suggest trying Oak Creek Reservoir--although I believe it is in a down cycle right now, on up cycles, it can pump out some real pigs. Although the information on this link is old--1977--it still has a lot of valuable information on it:
http://www.redrockadventure.com/fishing/boulder_mountain/lakes-of-the-aquarius-plateau.pdf
And...just FWIW, the strain of Boulder Mountain brookies has not changed and 5-6 pound brookies are caught on the mountain virtually every year!
Also, the questionnaire mentioned above is linked below....not sure where it says that 90% of anglers want it to be a trophy brook trout mountain, though. I did see that 72% of those surveyed were looking for trophy fish and 42% said that when choosing a lake fish size is most important. I also noticed that McGath was one of the most popular lakes on the mountain and that over 70% of fishermen surveyed said that management was good or excellent. I also noticed that 65% of Boulder Mountain lakes are managed for brook trout while only 17% are managed for tiger trout and only 12% are managed for cutthroat....anyway, vent on!
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Re: [bowhunter3] Boulder Advice? - PBH - 03-23-2015
I always like the likes up around the Row Lakes. Purple is still one of my favorites. It produces very nice brook trout. Not far from Purple is Blue, which has some of the best grayling fishing in the state! I would recommend that area to anyone wanting to learn the mountain.
From there, you also have access to the Boulder Top (Rim, Spectacle, etc.). But, even June may be too early to get up there.
brookie -- really? you're really sitting here trying to tell people NOT to give out info? You are really saying "go figure it out yourself!"? wow. That surprises me. It
dens me as well. Oh well. what good are these forums, if information isn't shared?? Who get's to decide what information is open to the public, and what's to be kept secret? I guess if we were members of the secret club, we could discuss this stuff without retribution from those who don't want information shared? Silly. Silly, silly, silly.
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Re: [PBH] Boulder Advice? - Liprippa - 03-24-2015
Three things ruined the Boulders:
1) The DWR
2) ATV's
3) Notoriety (internet)
Yes. the strain of Brook trout being planted has changed over the years.
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Re: [PBH] Boulder Advice? - brookieguy1 - 03-24-2015
Sorry PBH and wormandbobber. Sometimes my love for the Mountain overrides my senses, and my mouth takes off from there. I am, I admit, a tad selfish at times when it comes to the Boulder. I did get my info the hard way, but that's the only way it could really be found by someone from SLC like myself 30 years ago. My strong love of brook trout runs long and deep, and will never change.
With all this being said, I do know the DWR is doing everything in their power to get the Boulder back to it's former glory. I fully understand that I am not the only one that you need to satisfy. Also there are several things out of your control right now, number one being the low water years.
I would like to personally thank the DWR for lowering stocking numbers and increasing the use of sterile brook trout instead of tiger trout.
Again, I apologize for the overreaction.
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