# Kings Peak Fishing Advice



## N8ON

Looking for some advice on what lakes to fish. Checking off a bucket list item and am going to hike Kings Peak. I am planning an extra day to do the Henry Fork Loop, and have been investigating the lakes in the area. We are planning on camping around Henrys Fork Lake. I went through the stocking report history and found that in the following years these lakes were stocked:
2012:
Castle Lake- 605 Tiger Trout 10 ft. depth
2011:
Cliff Lake- 4306 Tiger Trout 69 ft. depth
Island 3864 Tiger Trout 5 ft. depth

I like the quantity of fish stocked in 2011. Island is a closer lake, but I worry about the winter kill with only a 5 ft max depth in the lake, and am thinking about the longer hike to Cliff Lake. 

Does anybody have any experience in this area that could give me some advice on these lakes? We are going for the hike, but I love to catch fish. Thanks in advance for any advice.


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## 30-06-hunter

Haven't been myself, but my experience has been that typically if there is a hike involved there will be less pressure and bigger fish.


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## wyogoob

I'm not a big fan of tigers but they should do OK in Cliff and Castle, both of which are winterkill prone.

I don't remember Grass Lake having fish in it, but there are a lot of lakes and ponds in the basin. I think Henry's Fork Lake is the best and Blanchard second.

Usually there's a lot of sheep around Cliff and Castle in August.

Are you going down the Chute?

Blanchard:


Boy, I'd like to have a nickle for every time I've been up the Henry's.


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## N8ON

"Are you going down the Chute?"
No. After all of the reports I think we will just go down Gunsight pass. My dad is coming with and I think slow and steady is the way to go.
Thanks for the advice on Henry and Blanchard. I would have thought Henry would have had enough pressure that without stocking, it would be slim pickings. I love exploring new lakes and wish I could hit them all.


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## wyogoob

N8ON said:


> "Are you going down the Chute?"
> No. After all of the reports I think we will just go down Gunsight pass. My dad is coming with and I think slow and steady is the way to go.
> Thanks for the advice on Henry and Blanchard. I would have thought Henry would have had enough pressure that without stocking, it would be slim pickings. I love exploring new lakes and wish I could hit them all.


Yeah, the Chute is a little hairy on the top section. At my age I won't go down it anymore. I use to go up Gunsite, climb Kings and then go down the Chute to G-98 or G99, can't remember, then over to Cliff, then to Castle then down the lakes on the west side of the basin.

Henry's has plenty of pressure so the Brook trout are nice size, not tremendous numbers, but nice size.

.


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## N8ON

wyogoob said:


> Henry's has plenty of pressure so the Brook trout are nice size, not tremendous numbers, but nice size.
> 
> .


If we can just catch a couple to eat I would be happy, so we will for sure fish while we are camping near Henry's. We are trying to pack light and are planning enough food without fish, but a little extra fish would taste mighty great. I am really excited to try the area. Thanks for the info Wyogoob, you are a great contributor.


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## cbassonafly

I second lake Blanchard, I went up with a group in 2011 and we had a lot of good success there. We tried for Cliff lake but a thunderstorm turned us around before we made it down to the lake. Loved the area and each lake we fished produced fish.


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## wyogoob

Henry's Fork Lake and Grassy thru the rocks from somewhere up around King's Peak:


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## wyogoob

Here's a 2006 pic from a saddle below Gilbert Peak. Directly over my head is Blanchard. Dollar Lake is to my left. If you know where to look you can see G-98, Cliff, Castle, Blanchard, Henry's, Grassy, Ireland, and I think Bear (far right):


I have tried to climb Gilbert on 3 occasions and failed all 3 times. Lightning stopped me the first 2 times, this time it was the wind....I lost my neato King's Camo hat taking this picture. :-?

I also have pics of the Henry's Fork basin from Mt Powell, Kings Pk, The Chute, and Gunsight Pass. This is the best view of them all.

.


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## N8ON

I hope the shotgun is for birds and not bears


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## wyogoob

N8ON said:


> I hope the shotgun is for birds and not bears


Shotgun? Oh yeah....I'm hunting Sprague's Pipits. ;-)

There are no bears in the High Uintas Wilderness; too many sheep dogs.

.


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## LOAH

Dollar Lake is where I caught my first trout. It was a rainbow.

The chute is awesome. Kinda hairy but it's nice to be able to say I did it. Sheep herders yelled at me (I was 14) and the rest of the scouts for doing it.


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