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+--- Thread: Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs (/showthread.php?tid=1076916)
Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - fish_digger - 06-27-2019
UDOT announced a couple of days ago that the Mirror Lake Highway is open. I decided to do a quick overnight trip and see which waters were fishable. In short, here is what I found:
Trial Lake - Ice free. Large snow drift blocking fisherman access road that will take at least another week to melt. The fish survived the extreme draw down from last fall. I caught a few this morning on the fly rod.
Washington Lake - North end is still iced over. Icebergs were up to 2 feet thick. I launched my pontoon from the campground and had to drag it over several ice sheets to get to open water. I did well tossing and dragging gulp minnows. Water temp was 39 degrees. I stayed warm until the sun went behind the ridge. In short order I couldn't feel me fingers. I motored back to the North end and the wind had pushed the ice in tighter making getting off more challenging than launching...
Lost, Teapot, and Lily Lake are ice free.
Moosehorn Lake is still frozen solid.
The Crystal Lake Trailhead road above Washington Lake still had large drifts. High clearance vehicles were pushing through.
It is still winter above 10,000 feet, but melting fast. Anything above 11,000 feet probably won't be accessible for at least another 2-3 weeks.
Mosquitoes haven't hatched yet. It is very wet and muddy. Best to stay on the asphalt till things dry out.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - catchinon - 06-27-2019
Great report. How late would you say it is up there as compared to other years? I remember being at Pass Lake on July 4 a few years ago and everything was way clear then.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - SBennett - 06-28-2019
Think you could ice fish Moosehorn this weekend?
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Re: [catchinon] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - fish_digger - 06-28-2019
[quote catchinon]How late would you say it is up there as compared to other years? [/quote]
At least a month behind. In normal year They would have the road plowed the week before Memorial Day.
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Re: [SBennett] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - fish_digger - 06-28-2019
[quote SBennett]Think you could ice fish Moosehorn this weekend?[/quote]
With a pair of hip boots and a good belay...
Years ago, about the first week of June, I kicked steps over the shoulder of Hayden Peak and dropped into McPheters Lake. The whole upper basin was frozen solid. There was a single crack in the ice that was 3 feet thick. I carefully made my way out to the crack and proceeded to catch nice cutthroat.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - SBennett - 06-28-2019
Sweet!
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - catchinon - 06-28-2019
I want to be you when I grow up.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - Joe_Dizzy - 06-28-2019
Thanks for the report. Lot's of good intel here.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - Matador - 06-28-2019
At the turn-off to Crystal Lake trailhead, was the road passable going south toward Spring Canyon? Has there been any attempts by crews to plow through the snow drifts in those areas?
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - TubeDude - 06-28-2019
[#0000FF]Not many reports that could include a float tube and an ice auger.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]You're silly. But I admire your pioneering spirit.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - SkunkedAgain - 06-28-2019
Great report and I'd love to be able to try that out if I had time... Think I'd be with Shane though and have to try to catch a fish through the ice on July 4th... Be the coolest catch ever... They will have a short softwater season this year... Thanks again for a great report... J
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Re: [Matador] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - fish_digger - 06-28-2019
[quote Matador]At the turn-off to Crystal Lake trailhead, was the road passable going south toward Spring Canyon? Has there been any attempts by crews to plow through the snow drifts in those areas?[/quote]
South toward Spring Canyon was a no go. No plowing and lots of snow.
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Re: [fish_digger] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - Matador - 06-28-2019
Thank you for that information. That is what I suspected. I have been fishing in that area for years (close to 50) and often, even if you can get past Trial Lake dam, there is a big snow drift about where the pavement ends, and it is more like ice than snow.
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Re: [Matador] Mirror Lake Highway Icebergs - fish_digger - 06-28-2019
[quote Matador]Thank you for that information. That is what I suspected. I have been fishing in that area for years (close to 50) and often, even if you can get past Trial Lake dam, there is a big snow drift about where the pavement ends, and it is more like ice than snow.[/quote]
Yep. Anything shaded or North facing still has 3-4 of snow.
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