Kinglette Lake is on the edge of Kootenay Plains on our eastern slopes. Kinglette Lake is a small tarn and its a catch and release fishery. Kinglette Lake has a small population of Westslope Cutthroat trout that are a challenge to catch! The biggest obstacle is just getting there. It is a 6 plus km hike BUT you have 800 plus metres of climbing, a lot of it on loose scree slopes. Walking poles help a lot! The climbing is a grind but while you are catching your breath, there is the tremendous view of the North Saskatchewan River Valley well below your feet. Once at the lake, you quickly realize that there are few spots to cast from shore with a fly rod. You can camp at Kinglette. There is a pit toilet and bear lockers at the lake.
The cutts are well educated. They refuse so many flies. We ended up catching the cutts on tiny chironomids. Yes, we were down to size 18-20 chironomids. We did observe cased caddis along the shore. You definitely can use tiny dry flies to get a take. A size 18 griffiths gnat will get the attention of the cutts. Long leaders and thin tippet is the order of the day!
Karen and I loved the walk out. The views were amazing.
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