Ross Lake?

Curious if anyone has kayak fished Ross Lake (the big lake above the Skagit dam).  I'd be interested to know details about access/launch, areas of the lake to fish, what to target, and what to use.  Basically, anything!

Thanks!
Rory

Paddled there a several times.  Haven't fished as I was more focused on seeing what deer hunting prospects were like.  That said, plenty of folks do fish up there, and the trout are plentiful.  It's a deep lake, so a wide variety of techniques probably should be planned for.  A fly rod for surface action, a good caster when they're down but not too far, and a trolling set up for however deep you want to go would all be good to bring.

Access is the bitch of going there.  Only 3 ways to get any boat on the lake.  You can drive to a boat launch on the Canadian end but that involves 40ish miles on a dirt road from what I understand.  Plus the hassle of the boarder crossing.  From the American side you can either launch a paddle craft on Diablo Lake at Colonial Creek Campground, then paddle to Ross Dam and portage (by foot/cart or pay $20-30 for a truck ride) up to Ross Lake, or portage from a trailhead on Hwy 20 to Ross Lake.  The trail from Hwy 20 is not really suitable for a kayak cart due to the narrowness and roughness of the terrain, so you'd probably have to carry your boat down that trail.

Every time I've gone I paddle up Diablo Lake and portage by foot using my kayak cart.  It sucks, but it's doable.  It's about a mile and a half with about 600' elevation gain, then a 100' drop back to lake level.  I'm too cheap, and too stubborn to pay for the truck ride.

But, another issue is camping.  You can't reserve a campground more than 1 day before you go out there, and you can only get the permit in person at the Ranger station in Marblemount.  The campsites are super popular during the summer and can be tough to get, especially on weekends. 

I'll PM you my number if you don't still have it and we can discuss this more if you want.

I hear the border crossing is very relaxed, but haven't done it myself. Gone down to the lake from the Canadian side though. And fly fishing on the Skagit river is obviously a major draw.

Thanks for the info y'all!