McLean Lake is a special place nestled within pristine wilderness only minutes from town.
It’s the kind of place that needs to be cherished and protected so that generations can continue to fish Rainbow Trout.
The fish themselves are also special as they naturally reproduce and find the nourishment they need to thrive.
With this in mind, I fished McLean Lake this past week with a friend. As we arrived at the glassy lake, the dimples in the water gave the fish away. It was a hot day after a good rain, making it buggy and great for fly-fishing.
McLean Lake is catch and release only, so we crimped out barbs and headed toward the centre of the action.
I pulled out my fly box and paid special attention to the fish rising around me. With the exception of a few enthusiastic jumpers, I felt that the fish were sipping bugs just under the surface.
The dimples were soft and slightly recessed, rather than ripples caused by an explosive burst through the surface. This made me think it was a small bug trapped in the surface film. While a very vulnerable time for the insect it is a great feed for the trout.
I pulled out an emerging chironomid pattern and fished it very slowly on the surface. While I made cast after cast I could see dimple after dimple. Fish were rising everywhere, feeding actively on something that I did not have at the end of my line. Time to mix it up and try a different approach.
I threw on a large woolly bugger and trolled the lake looking for lunkers.
I hooked into a few little Rainbows but still felt unsatisfied for not solving the mystery hatch.
I paddled into the middle of the chaos and tried fishing a bead head nymph. Again, only a couple of little ones.
Then a water boatman with the same result. You may be wondering why I would not be pleased when catching fish. I was having a great time, but I was sure that I had not figured out what these fish were really feeding on.
Between my friend and I, we had fished a dozen varieties of flies in various ways, each one resulting the same way. We were catching only incidental little fish not wise enough to turn away my offering while the real feed was on.
We left that evening no further in unlocking the McLean Lake mystery.
A little tip for those that use spinning tackle, rather than fly-fishing: while Rainbow Trout go for traditional spin-casting set-ups like Powerbait and little spinning lures, they are often partial to flies.
Spin-casters can also utilize this technique by placing a bobber approximately four feet (or at the appropriate depth you wish to fish) from a fly.
Add a little split-shot about a foot from the fly to make it easier for casting. Retrieve it in slowly or let it sit depending on the insect you are trying to imitate.
