explorebigsky.com <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> Weekly Peace of Mind 2 Years Complimentary Maintenance: • Oil & Filter Change • Tire Rotation • 19-point Inspection 24/7 Roadside Assistance: • Tire Change • Lockout Protection • Towing ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25k miles, whichever comes first. The new Toyota vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet or a livery or taxi vehicle. O<strong>the</strong>r restrictions may apply. See local participating Toyota dealer for coverage and details. 36 June 29, 2012 explorebigsky.com Toyota of Bozeman 877-221-8432 INSERT DEALER INFO HERE
outdoors <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> hikers' summer 2012 schedule Mountain lakes offer a special, highquality angling experience to those not put off by what it takes to get to <strong>the</strong>se prized waters—a long hike through rugged country. That hike becomes more than worth <strong>the</strong> effort when Montana's blue ribbon rivers are warm and crowded. Anglers find <strong>the</strong> cool high mountain breezes and often solitary fishing for eager fish a welcome change. Many of Montana's high mountain lakes were fishless prior to <strong>the</strong> 1900s. Natural fish barriers in streams prevented fish from colonizing <strong>the</strong>se lakes. When fish stocking began in earnest in <strong>the</strong> early 1900s, high-mountain lakes were among <strong>the</strong> favorite places to stock fish because within only a few years <strong>the</strong>y produced quality fisheries. Local sportsmen’s groups who received fish from federal and state hatcheries did much of <strong>the</strong> early stocking. Many of today’s high mountain lakes that support self-sustaining fisheries (i.e., do not require stocking because fish can successfully reproduce on <strong>the</strong>ir own) exist because of our grandfa<strong>the</strong>rs and <strong>the</strong>ir friends who strapped on packs who led pack strings of horses and mules packed with milk jugs full of fry up steep mountain trails to <strong>the</strong>se secluded spots. Today, of course, things are done a little differently. Most of <strong>the</strong> stocking is done by a helicopter fitted with special tanks that release fish directly into lakes with <strong>the</strong> flip of a switch as <strong>the</strong> pilot hovers just a few feet above <strong>the</strong> water. While <strong>the</strong> techniques have changed through time, <strong>the</strong> goal of creating highquality fisheries in mountain lakes still remains. High-altitude lakes in Montana offer a diversity of fishing opportunities that generally cannot be found in o<strong>the</strong>r waters such as trophy cutthroat fisheries, Arctic grayling and for golden trout. Also, o<strong>the</strong>r than fishing a high mountain lake, <strong>the</strong>re are few places where you can catch a trophy brook trout. Because of <strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong>se fisheries, mountain lakes management is an integral part of FWP's fisheries management. FWP categorizes <strong>the</strong> lakes this way: • Fishless lakes that are not managed because <strong>the</strong>y do not support fish. • Self-sustaining lakes with <strong>the</strong> spawning habitat to maintain a population through natural reproduction. • Stocked lakes that lack spawning habitat and require periodic stocking. Since 2008, FWP has collected data from 10-20 lakes each summer to determine how fish are doing and how best to manage individual lakes. Biologists set a gillnet to catch and examine <strong>the</strong> fish, quantify how much spawning habitat is available, do an amphibian survey and measure <strong>the</strong> amount of recreation in <strong>the</strong> area. Ovis Lake in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Big</strong> Hole region was stocked with cutthroat trout in <strong>the</strong> mid 1980s. In an example of this new effort, FWP surveyed <strong>the</strong> lake in 2009 and found it was fishless with little potential habitat to support spawning. So, <strong>the</strong> lake was placed on <strong>the</strong> stocking schedule and was stocked with westslope cutthroat trout in 2010, it should be producing 12-inch long cutthroat trout this summer. The lake will be stocked every six years, so it can continue to provide angling opportunities. In ano<strong>the</strong>r example, Timberline Lake is stocked with cutthroat trout. In 2009, surveys indicated that <strong>the</strong> cutthroat in <strong>the</strong> lake were not as healthy as <strong>the</strong>y should be due to a high-density population. The stocking frequency was changed from every four years to every six years, and <strong>the</strong> stocking density was also reduced. This should alleviate <strong>the</strong> overcrowding in <strong>the</strong> lake and lead to a higher-quality fishery down <strong>the</strong> road. explorebigsky.com <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> Weekly date rating-hike trailhead length Climb leaders Comment July 5 a alp lake taylor Fork-lightning Creek 12 miles 2,000 ft. lud long (995-3931) b windy Pass to sentinel Portal Creek-windy Pass 7.4 miles 1,905 ft. Jack mcguire (995-7422) rough road to trailhead C hidden lakes Portal Creek-windy Pass 6 miles 800 ft. sarah Peterson (993-9487) rough road to trailhead July 10 Potluck Picnic Community Park n/a n/a Priscilla young (995-2629) July 12 a lava lake overlook lava lake 9 miles 2,000 ft. rebecca shopay (995-2767) b kirkwood kirkwood 7.6 miles 2,050 ft. Jim schaeffer (995-3238) trailhead at hebgen lake C deadhorse Creek taylor Fork-Cache Creek 5 miles 620 ft. karen strickler (995-4768) July 19 a Pika Point taylor Fork-wapiti Creek 12 miles 2,400 ft. rich Piercy (993-2303) b deer lake deer Creek 9.4 miles 2,720 ft. Jeff and karen strickler (995-4768 C gallatin riverside trail 35 mPh bridge 4 miles 500 ft. gina macdonald (995-7172) long pants suggested - nettles on trail July 26 a monument Peak Private Property 12 miles 3,000 ft. leslie Piercy (993-2303) b lava lake lava lake 6 miles 1,600 ft. hilda and keener hudson (995-7442) C windy Pass Portal Creek-windy Pass 4.6 miles 1,260 ft. henrietta and doug gale (995-7951) rough road to trailhead Look for continued schedule in upcoming issues of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> Weekly. fishing high mountain lakes by Jim olsen fiSh, wildlife and parkS This is how <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong> gets into hot water. As more lakes are surveyed, FWP will be better able to manage <strong>the</strong>se fisheries—and inform anglers of <strong>the</strong>ir status so <strong>the</strong>y can confidently plan for some high-altitude angling. Jim Olsen is a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Biologist in Butte. Nordic Hot Tub We service what we sell! Spa sales to fit your budget Pool and spa care after <strong>the</strong> sale Custom maintenance plans Spa covers and custom lifts Lots of accessories for your spa Special orders available www.<strong>Big</strong><strong>Sky</strong>HotTubs.com (406) 995-4892 • NordicHotTub@aol.com 47520 Gallatin Rd. • <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Sky</strong>, MT 59716
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