Still Waters, July 22nd, 2023

Aldous Lake

There is not much for fishing success on our irrigation reservoirs during these dog days. There are, however, a few places you can have better fly fishing success and tranquility if you are willing to leave the beaten path. One of these is Aldous Lake above Kilgore. That fact alone offers that it will not be populated, except for a few locals. The Continental Divide is just above the lake. From Kilgore go west, take the first turn to the right and proceed to the Ching Creek Road. It ends at a parking lot/trail head. The walk to the lake, which is no more than a tarn, is a bit more than a mile with about the last half going uphill. Aldous features submerged springs making the water level and quality good enough to offer hold-over conditions for resident trout. Submerged vegetation hosts scuds and leeches galore.

It is best to pack a flotation device to get onto the lake because the timbered shoreline offers little room for back casting excepting a tiny area on the west shoreline. If speckled duns and damsel flies are active, you will have little problem attracting resident cutthroat trout featuring individuals exceeding twenty inches. No surface action? Try small leech or scud patterns or even fly rod jigs and use about a five-weight system to present these.