Lake Margaret

One thing I failed to mention on yesterdays post is fishing in streams and rivers. I was going to take a stab at the American River this week, but with the rain we’ve had over the weekend and today, the river is running high and fast. So I’ll get to that one later. I’m still waiting for my chainsaw to get repaired so I can drive out to Angels Camp and hit Angels Creek. Maybe by the end of the week. Looks like it's going to be another couple of weeks. A part had to be ordered.

OK, This post is about Lake Margaret. Lake Margaret is one of those back in the mountain, hidden lakes that produce Brookies to those who want to take the hike. Back on January 27th I mentioned Lily Pad Lake (what we called it). Lake Margaret looks to be just like that lake. Don’t get all excited, it’ll be a while before anyone can get in there. The lake is at 7536’ elevation and is about 2 ½ mile off Highway 88. The trailhead is 2/10 of a mile West of the spillway at Caples Lake. One website I looked on said it was 2/10 of a mile West of the dam, but I checked it out Monday when I was up there.

People occasionally confuse the spillway and the dam at Caples. When going East up Highway 88, the spillway is the first one you go by and the dam is the one you drive over.

So here are some statistics on Lake Margaret.
1. Five mile round trip hike.
2. About 2 ½ hours to make the hike. That’s just in and out. Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the lake and fish.
3. The hike is listed as moderate to difficult.
4. Best time is Summer into Fall. July and August seem to be the favored months.
5. The trail is not well defined, so make sure you have extra time in case you get off the trail and have to back track.
6. Don’t forget your fishing rod, tackle, lures, and nightcrawlers. Nightcrawlers seem to work good in high mountain lakes for Brookies.
7. DON’T FORGET BUG SPRAY. Like most high mountain lakes, the mosquito’s will eat you alive.

If you want to take a look at a couple of pictures of the lake, here is a link I thought had some nice views.

http://kevingong.com/Hiking/200209LakeMargaret.html

Well, this one is for the young (younger than me) and strong and those that don’t mind hiking to a back country lake. Too far for Shoreman for health reasons, but if I could, I would. If anyone makes this trip, let me know how you liked it, via the blog, so we can pass it on to others.

Till next time, remember: “A bad day fishing is better than any day at work”.

Shoreman