Discovery Lake Trek
~ & Klone Lakes (3) ~

Discovery Lake © Ken James McLeod

We (Martin Jensen and I) had heard that there might be some good fishing in a couple of high lakes in the mountains up above the town Montesano, Washington. So, with that it got our blood boiling and we headed out for yet another adventure...

In the early morn we found ourselves parked on a high logging road above Wynoochee Lake where we ascended a ridge up through the brush and found Discovery Lake, still had snow around it. The fishing was lousy! In fact, the lake seemed barren as we never had bite, and the both of us were pretty excellent fly fishermen for mountain trout. Perhaps the lake was just too cold, I don't know, so we mustered up the ridge and climbed to the top point of Discovery Peak for some broad views of Mt. Hoquiam and the surrounding hills. About that time, Martin stated, "let's go back into town and have dinner in a resturant and then find a spot for overnight and camp on the logging road." I agreed cause the fishing at the lake sucked! Looking at the map, we thought we might make a trip into Connie Lake some day, which lay in a cirque aside Mt. Hoquiam.

Dinner was nothing special, but it filled our guts, we even drank a few beers. And later we did find a spot to spend the night with a small camp fire to boot. Dawn came early and we drove another logging road above Wynoochee Lake, where we found a scant way trail leading through the ugly log-off country into the Klone Lakes, visited three small lakes. The fishing was not great, managed to catch a few rainbow trout, but nothing to brag about, though again we had heard it was supposed to be good fishing? Evidence of over use (heavy camping site) however dispelled that notion we concluded. And since the weather wasn't too good, cloudy and wet brush, rather dismal to say the least, we ended the trip.

We did find the lake named Discovery, so it wasn't all for not, even though it was lousy fishing. Just goes to show ya, you can't always trust some fishing infomation that somebody said was supposed to be good, even with a mysterious name liken to Discovery...

KJM

July 9-10, 1983

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