Bull Trout and rocks

On October 19 I went lake trout fishing in Lindbergh Lake.  I didn’t land any lake trout, but got a lot of bites, and landed two bull trout.  Because bull trout are endangered, I released them back into the lake.

While I was downrigger trolling a few feet above a rock outcropping which has many ridges and gullies, and which attracts a lot of fish, my line popped out of my release.  I grabbed my pole and set the hook.  After a couple of strong surges, the tension on my line changed to dead weight.  Huh?  I figured I had hooked a big branch, but when I winched what I had caught to the surface, I discovered that my lure was caught in a crack in a rock about the size of two fists.  The initial surges I felt were the rock bouncing up and down at the end of my line.  The rock had many oddly shaped mineral layers sticking out of it, almost like barnacles, and my hook got caught in them.  I had never caught a rock before, but after inspecting it, although they aren't endangered, I released it back into the lake. 

Later in the day, while heading back towards the launch site, I took another run past the rock outcropping, and to my surprise I caught my hook in another rock, slightly smaller but with similar mineral layers.  After releasing this rock back into the lake, I realized that I should have taken pictures of the rocks with the hooks snagged in them, as proof that it really happened.  I’ll probably never catch another rock.

It was 32 degrees when I launched, and it was overcast all day, but the western larch were changing color, and it was a pretty day.

You sir, are the Charlie Brown of Lake trout fishing......great pictures.

Nice pics, looks like a great place!  Should have took pics of the rockfish.  You can keep the males.

Great report, but can you take better pictures next time!?

  Goodness you fish some incredible scenery. I couldn't trade being that far inland for the view, but still that's just amazing.