Just as the river is the best habitat for fly fishing, the lake habitat is better suited for a bait caster.

While fly fishing works very well in the early spring as insects are in abundance and bait fish are spawning in the shallows, bait casting using a boat is better and easier, though a boat is recommended.

Alta Lake, British Columbia

Alta Lake is located at the base of Whistler mountain in British Columbia Canada. Alta Lake is known for its great Cutthroat Trout fishing. You can try your hand at bait casting in the spring when Cutthroat Trout can be found in the shallows feasting on spawning bait fish and an abundance on insects. When fishing from a boat in the spring, anchor your boat close to the shoreline. For summer and fall, move further out into the lake where it is deeper as Cutthroat Trout are escaping the warmer water of the surface and the shallows.

Fly fishing techniques are very effective during the spring, but bait casting and trolling are much more successful for late spring, summer and early fall. If you are going to fly fish summer, go with wet flies that resemble nymphs, stone flies and caddis flies for best results. Use a 4X tippet knot.

Dark coloured plastic leeches in sizes 8 to 12 are productive patterns. Earth worms also work very well. A fly fishing rod should be in the 3 to 5 weight class for Lake Alta.

When trolling, adjust the size of your bait to better go after the large Cutthroat Trout.

Lake Lahontan Cutthroat Trout

Lake Lahontan is the home to the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and is located in Nevada mountains. The same techniques used to catch Cutthroat Trout in Alta Lake will also work here. The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout is a fierce predator and will eat when it has an opportunity especially in the months from April to November.

Working with soft plastic worms and leeches for bait casting gear is the simplest go after Lahontan Cutthroat Trout when fishing the lake in the summer. For early spring, fly fishing techniques are best using light weight rods with stone flies, caddis flies and nymphs.

Alberta Cutthroat Trout Lakes

Alberta Canada offers several lakes that are perfect destinations to fish for Cutthroat Trout. Rawson Lake is located approximately 160km South West of the city of Calgary in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Kananaskis Country.

Rawson Lake has also been stocked with Cutthroat Trout and the population is regularly topped off to ensure that there are always sufficient numbers of them. The best months for fishing Alberta lakes are in the late spring and all summer.