trout pond-hamilton co.

[RIVERRAT2]

STEPHENS pond-about a 2.5 mile walk,still has snow on the trail as of  4/25,has browns and brooks,is stocked, shelter at far end to the left of trail keep your eyes open can miss it,trail starts by lake durant on rt 30
NOTE about 1 mile farther up the trail[past the shelter is a stream with beaver
vlys and it has brookies, i don't think these are stocked,but they taste good
went down to 20` on the 24 so bring your coat
were,martins,mepps,roosters,and midge flys
if you see junk please bring it out i do
 
rat

[bigfish1556]

I find it hard to give up the good wilderness-esque brookie spots....but assuming the long trek in, don't spose the masses will congregate there.....Took the snowshoes into the lean-to a couple years back - was worth the sweat to hike in the beer and food (and dogs and cast iron skillet) - a serene and wholly enjoyable setting (minus the prissy ass cross country skiers interrupting our innocent solitude)- god forbid anyone with boots or snowshoes wanted to use "their" trail - they wrote a formal complaint to the ranger and we had a warning from him on the car near the trailhead on our way out)- never been in the spring/summer/fall, but am working up the gumption to roll the canoe in on the cart to do some trolling for the trout.......perhaps we'll cross paths and share some stories at the camp this season. Cheers and good luck out there!

[rainbarrel]

BigFish,
Maybe the formal complaint was a bit extreme but it's common courtesy and an unspoken rule that if you're snowshoing on a trail that has a skiied in track that you walk on the side.  I've been on both ends of that Stephens pond trail and know that especially from the campsite it's wide enough to accomodate 2 sets of tracks.  Blowing out the ski track with snow shoes or worse yet barebooting deep holes in the trail is not only an annoyance but it's also dangerous for catching edges or tips.  I do both snowshoe and ski so I can appreciate both perspectives. 

If you're going to fish, there is a john boat in there but it's water worthiness is questionable.  Bring your own oars.  I'd think twice about rolling a canoe in there, unless its a light one.  I rolled a 35 lb raft in there from the south which was fine until about 1/2 mile from the pond where the trail degenerates into large muddy quagmires. 

[missfishylicious]

thanks rainbarel you saved me a lot of typring 

[bigfish1556]

We did our best to stay to the side of the trail, but even with snowshoes the pack limited us to staying in semi-compacted areas (i.e. the well used trail). At minimum the skiers could have had the educational compassion to inform us directly of our "transgressions" from traditional "trail ethics".  It's interesting to note, however, that they spent a good bit of time with us in camp imbibing the liquors and freshly grilled food offered to them by us before heading out and promptly filing their complaint.......

On another note, the northern trail (if I recall correctly) did not cover much of the lowland territory and should be amenable to portage of a relatively light load over the distance, assuming a willing crowd of carriers......

Happy hiking and fishing.....I'll try to remember and bring a bit of JB weld the next time I'm up and give the jon-boat a once-over patching for whoever might feel the urge to go for a row....I envy those who had the gumption to haul that boat in there.....

Cheers and happy fishing!

[RIVERRAT2]

rainbarrel
why not make a list  of the rules for trail use ,both spoken and unspoken rules
this would help everone
 
rat

[rainbarrel]

Rat,
Ok, let's see...

Don't spit in the wind
Don't eat yellow snow
Don't urinate on electric fences
Don't play in traffic

Oh wait, you said trail use.   

[camo_fish]

is it easier from the south along cedar river or from the north from durrant.

[rainbarrel]

From durant it's hillier and longer.  From the south it's flatter but muddier.  All and all, I think it's a wash. 

[camo_fish]

lol, yea from the south, still looks better, due to fishing the creek going in, or just go up to the lake, where is the better action at?

[RIVERRAT2]

Rat,
Ok, let's see...

Don't spit in the wind
Don't eat yellow snow
Don't urinate on electric fences
Don't play in traffic

Oh wait, you said trail use.   

thank you, i applaud your  wisdom
 
rat

[rainbarrel]

Camo,
The stream from the south looked pretty swampy and shallow to me, beavers may have changed it though.  The outlet stream is easier to fish at the campsite upstream of the bridge.