Like the enigmatic final words of Orson Welles in Citizen Kane so our very own Rosebud Lake can be as cryptic, difficult to fish one day, and unable to keep trout off your line the next.
I decided to head to Rosebud yesterday before ice over. Mid-November can be good fishing on lakes as trout generally feed heavily in anticipation of winter and the hardwater. It was a surprisingly nice day, the water calm, with the white peak of a distant mountain reflecting off the surface.
Almost immediatley I hooked and released a smallish rainbow trout, a promising beginning. I had the whole lake to myself and I tried various techniques from dragging streamers, to drift casting, and chironomid fishing. A few hours and a couple hits later, I packed up, only one fish to the boat but still a pleasant day.
Of course the spring is the best time to fish Rosebud. Chironomid fishing and casting nymphs or attractor patterns can be productive. Until then I'll spend time tying flies and making a few forays down to the Columbia. Once winter flies and the winter liberates the lake from her icy grasp, I shall return, for in the spring I intend to solve the riddle of Rosebud.
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