fortress lake hike in ?

[spazzy]

Has anybody here aver hiked in to fortress lake , have it planned for early june 3 or 4 days . just curious witch flies worked well any tips , advice or experiences would be appreciated .

[ÜberFly]

Fortress Lake BC or AB?

[biggyJ]

With all the snow and cold we have had this year, there still might be ice on both this year that early in June.

Better take ice fishing gear to be safe :-)

[spazzy]

B.C weather and conditions pending would like to hit the chironomid hatch

[JReed]

Regardless if its BC or AB Fortress lake, worrying about what flies are working would be the least of my concern due to the timing. For one, the river you have to cross is probably too high due to run off, and the lake probably still has ice on it.

[Bigtoad]

Green Doc Spratley. Deep and slow. The more the hackle gets ripped off by another fish, the better : ) Any Streamer would work as well. Chironomids weren't great when we hit it which was just days after ice off.

Cheers.

[spazzy]

the river i have to cross will be fine in june im not worried about that but apparently early june to mid july is the best time to hit this lake as its just after ice off, chironomid feeding frenzy near the shore so if theres still ice ill just wait a week or two.

[spazzy]

thanx big toad green doc on the list

[Moefoe]

Tungsten cone brown wooly buggers fished deepish...threw it on 8 years ago never took it off for the rest of the trip! We went at the end of June, weather was great the river crossing was dodgy at best!

[greylynx]

A little thunder creek.

Orange and black wolly buggers that have the colour of dead spruce needles.

Same colour Doc Spratley.

[spazzy]

thanks guys I appreciate all the tip's

[thumper]

Check out Sport Fishing On The Fly (SFOTF)'s website for tying up their 'Bulldog' - essentially a bugger with a burnt orange tail and orange & grizzly hackle.

[ADIDAFish]

Anything that imitates small brook trout. There aren't
any other fish in there, no baitfish or anything. Also, a large purple woollybugger worked well for me.

[Flieguy]

never been there.... But a mickey finn is my go to for brookies of a decent size. I tie mine with DNA holo fusion instead of bucktail

[adkbrooktrout]

My buddy and I are planning a trip for late august into early september for a few weeks to hike around, fish and explore. We plan to hike in with inflatable ultra light kayaks but I understand the suspension bridge at the Athabasca crossing is out. I was wondering, from some of you who may know, how hard would it be to kayak across the Athabasca? Would it be feasable to hike upstream and bit and paddle diagonally down to the crossing? The big brookies are our main objective but we also want to spend one week searching for bulltrout as well and I understand the creeks feeding into the Athabasca hold a decent number. Could anyone elaborate on that for me? Thanks

[Big Bull]

Yes, the suspension bridge is currently out at Athabasca Crossing, and I'm not sure if it will be fixed before your trip. In a normal or low water year, you should be able to find a safe place to wade across the Athabasca or use your kayaks. There are bulls, rainbows, and brookies in that section of the Athabasca, averaging around 1.5 - 2 lbs, but I have caught brookies and bulls in there up to 5 lbs!

[adkbrooktrout]

Thanks for the reply. Would you recommend late August for a trip, I just want to sight fish big kyped out male brookies in their spawning colors and I read the water clarity is good around this time. Whats the weather like in late August? I don't really know what to expect, I live in the Adirondack mountains in northern ny, the adks are ant hills compared to the rockies. Right around early to mid september the temp ranges from 4-10 Celsius at night where I'm from, I'm guessing it's fairly similar? I figure the fish will probably be well in to their spawning colors around this time? Bull trout and grayling have been on my mind for a long time, can't wait to swing a fly at them. Do the bulls and specks hybridize? Sorry for all the questions but all the info I'm looking for is hard to find and there is no substitute for experience. Thanks.

[chriscosta]

How long of a hike is it to get there

[Big Bull]

The later you go, the easier the river crossings should be. I prefer September for wildlife, weather, and the brookies and bulls will be in spawning mode, which means their colours will be spectacular. Make sure that you check the BC Sportfishing Regs, as it's been a while since I fished there. Expect freezing temps during the nights. Snow storms can strike any month of the year in this area, so be prepared. The spawners will be schooled up where the Wood River drains out of the lake at the far west end, and there are some big ones! I am not aware of brookies and bulls hybridizing.

Chriscosta, it is a 25 km hike to the east end of the lake from Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park.

[goldscud]

Brookies and Bulls do hybridize...not sure in this area, but in other spots it is a concern due to the genetic pollution from Brook trout to native species

[Mossyoak]

A person can also bike in...Excellent area for everything under the sun

[Big Bull]

... and to my knowledge, Brook Trout are the only species in Fortress.

[Big Bull]

Originally Posted by Mossyoak

A person can also bike in...Excellent area for everything under the sun

The first 15 km is pretty good biking. It sounds like the suspension bridge may never be replaced.

[Northern Yaker]

Just a heads up I posted this the last time with a link search I'm sure you can find it but the bridge crossing the athabasca river is out and river crossing is not recommended.

[MTB_FlyFisher]

Originally Posted by Northern Yaker

Just a heads up I posted this the last time with a link search I'm sure you can find it but the bridge crossing the athabasca river is out and river crossing is not recommended.

link HERE

"As of October 1, 2014 – The suspension bridge which crosses the Athabasca River within Jasper National Park, along the land access route to Hamber Park, has failed. Fording the Athabasca River is not recommended. There is no estimated time for repair or replacement at this time"

[McLeod]

There is hope that the bridge gets replace in august ..at least some sort of rope system may be established.....

Fortress.All Brookies from Nipigon orginally stocked in the 30's