Still Waters, July 26th, 2023

Horseshoe Lake

Nearly all our still waters are in the summer doldrums. Here is one with conditional exception if you have a flotation device and do not mind fishing early in the day or during evenings. That would be non-motorized Horseshoe Lake. Facilities here are totally primitive: no rest rooms, no developed camping/picnic area, no boat launch facility except the north side open shoreline. Why place this small lake on our fishing report? Because it is easily approached and is stocked each year with grayling ( and rainbow trout with holdovers being rare). The rainbow trout to grayling ratio is about 8 to 1, and a “braggin’ fish” grayling here is about 13″ long. They are active during AM spinner falls, damsel fly egg laying activity and PM speckled dun hatches. Use the lightest tackle you have and a floating line to present patterns imitating these life forms.

One gets to Horseshoe Lake by traveling the Cave Falls Road about five miles east into the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Just past the LDS church girl’s camp the turn-off to Horseshoe Lake is on the left side of the road and signed. The road is good enough for sedans and gently rises to the lake. Take a camera to capture the beauty of this rare salmonid.