The Field Journal

Access & Places

Wooden Shoe Lake (Trailhead)

Key points

Access: short 0.7 km hike in .
Fish: often full of cutthroat .
Why: alpine lakes stay productive through the Kootenay's hot, dry summers .
Nearby alpine option: Boundary Lake (west up Kootenay Pass) — cutthroat, Dolly Varden, brook trout, with a rec-site campground .

Open questions

Exact trailhead coordinates and road access.

Related

Westslope Cutthroat Trout — the catch.
Small-Stream Dry-Fly for Cutthroat — applies to inlet/outlet too.

Where next

Keep moving

Home water Beaver Creek A creek in the Lower Arrow Lake watershed, a tributary of Columbia River, holding Westslope Cutthroat, Bull Trout and Rainbow in provincial fish-inventory recor Also working this water Blacktail Ridge Fishing & Eco Retreat Charter operation just outside Creston offering half- and full-day trips on kootenay-lake. Guides target Gerrard, bull and rainbow trout — the realistic way to

In the field Small Lake Stillwater Tactics A comprehensive guide to fly-fishing small lakes, alpine tarns, and small reservoirs in the Kootenays. Unlike big lakes, small stillwaters demand stealth, non-m Browse The Waters Hub 1,385 named waterways across ten watershed groups — start from the map.