Lake Cushman is a true anglers lake. The lake supports healthy populations of all types of trout. The problem is catching them. Apparently, there is an abundance of natural forage for the fish, and they are very picky eaters. We were told by the rangers, who stopped to check our licenses, That we would find rainbows at the causeway. Find them we did, the lake is very clear, and we could see them swimming about 20 feet down. One or two strikes with lures, and they were on to us. I switched to baits, and watched as they tasted it, and quickly spit it back out. I actually hit several of them on the nose with different baits in an attempt to evoke a response. Nothing. switched to fly rod, tried all the local nymphs. Nothing. We boated into several coves, and saw everything from kokanee fry to large schools of 12 inch bows, to solitary swimming monsters. We hooked 3 or 4, but, failed to land anything other than a 8 inch rainbow.
The clear water was a treat, but there is something to be said for not being able to see what you can't catch.
I guess you have to be a better fisherman than me to do well in a healthy lake like this. Any advice?
Special thanks to the folks at Lake Cushman Resort, who were very friendly during our stay.

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