Lower Clarke Lake
In the old days, we used to
hike into Mclean Clan Lake from Lower Clarke Lake. Lower Clarke Lake is one of
those lakes which have a drastic draw-down in the fall. Take the first road to
the left once you have passed where the Allendale Lake road crosses the
Weyerhaeuser 201 road. It’s fairly easy to spot, just take it easy. You can
drive right on to the dam or if you prefer, park well back and walk in so you
know the condition of the road.
This lake is stocked quite
regularly and when I checked it out, action was reasonably fast. The fish were
between 5 and 9 inches, but when you land about 25 in an hour and a half on a
light leader and tiny fly with a peacock feather body, as well as getting many
more strikes, it is lots of fun . A blue heron gliding down to the shore was a
real bonus.
In the fall the shoreline is
a mixture of slippery mud, rocks and fallen trees. I used the canoe, but a
person could just as well use a belly boat or fish from shore. Shore fishing
does limit the coverage of the lake, but with a reasonably heavy float and a
light line you should be able to get out where the fish are rising. More
adventuresome fishermen might try edging out on some of the trees down at the
shore, but be extra careful trying this.
I still have a four-inch scar on my thigh from when some bark peeled off
under my foot and I fell, gashing myself on a sharp branch. So much for that
fishing expedition. I hobbled back to
the car with my kids in tow while keeping direct pressure on with my free hand
.
Little beaver dams can
hold a surprising stock of fish both in number and size. Once behind Nickel
Plate Lake my cousin and I pulled about 200 fish out of a hole about half the
size of a bath tub. Even then the waters still boiled when we set our fly in
and we hardly made a dent in the swarm of fish in that little hole. These fish
were very thin-bodied and obviously starving. Not all beaver dams produce small
fish, as I have landed trout up to about 14 inches in length.
We usually tend to fish near
the tangle of trees or weeds along the shore and wish the fish we see rising
there would come out in the open water. One way to fish these tangles of trees
or weedy bays, is a method call dapping. Dapping is best done with a fairly
long stiff rod and a reasonably heavy line. (Note, hard core dappers use poles
from 12 to 15 feet in length with short lines attached.) This is because you
need to quickly get a fish under control before they wrap around a weed or
branch. Keep the line short and use a small weight so that the fly or plug
hangs straight down from the tip. Dip the fly down dapping it just into the
water and often just holding it above the water between the logs or lily pads.
You will undoubtedly lose a
fair amount of tackle, but sitting there quietly and patiently just might land
you some bragging size trout. Try dragging a small imitation frog from pad to
pad, or try to match the insect life with your flies. Never be afraid to try
something new or to try even the smallest bit of open water. I’ve seen trout
near 50 centimetres in length in a tiny creek less than a half metre wide.
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