06
Sep
Its believed by fisheries managers that the ciscoes were planted intentionally and illegally by lake trout supporters. In 2010 Lewis Lake fishers could keep only one fish of any kind longer than 20 inches in length.
Cast your line as close to where you want to catch lake trout and let out about 50 yards of slack before starting your retrieve.
Yellowstone lake trout fishing tips. While we can do little about natural hazards we can minimize the effects of lead on these species. Yellowstone National Park bans most lead tackle. Terminal tackle must be lead-free.
Large downrigger weights used to fish for deep-dwelling lake trout are permissible because they are too large to. Good news for anglers fishing in Yellowstone Lake. The bounty of Lake Trout is limitless.
If youre fishing in Yellowstone Lake an easy rule of thumb is to catch and release all native fish and keep all non-native fish. See your regulations booklet for details on how to identify the various fish species in Yellowstone. Remember that if you plan to use a boat or a float tube in the park youll also need to obtain a boating permit.
Yellowstones cutthroat trout are considered a keystone species. Meaning that all life in the park depends on them for their own survival. So while the park service has declared that all cutthroat trout be released after hooking and all lake trout be killed any encounter with these incredible fish should be cherished and handled appropriately.
Yellowstone cutthroat trout numbers plummeted as the voracious lake trout feasted on this population that did not coevolve with predaceous fish. The annual spring spawning runs of Yellowstone cutthroat trout into streams feeding the lake crashed leaving grizzly bears otters bald eagles and osprey without their essential food supply. Fishing for lake trout in Yellowstone Lake is an interesting endeavor at best especially when one is targeting the larger trout residing in the depths of the lake.
Yellowstone Lake is the biggest lake above 7000 feet elevation in the US. I spent a few hours catching lake trout on this pristine body of water with Mark Kundzins a congenial and knowledgable guide and learned much about the ecology of the lake and why the National Park Service wants to get rid of the lake trout. And it was a blast.
Lake trout anglers typically target deep water so it is important to note that most fishermen dont fish more than 20 ft from the edge of the shoreline at a time. Cast your line as close to where you want to catch lake trout and let out about 50 yards of slack before starting your retrieve. This will help keep your lure near the bottom while still allowing enough room for action on top.
Anglers must comply with all current fishing regulations in Yellowstone. In 2010 Lewis Lake fishers could keep only one fish of any kind longer than 20 inches in length. Five fish total in.
Because the permit requirements and rules of fishing in Yellowstone are many and complicated it is best to experience fishing in Yellowstone Lake on a guided fishing trip. Got to do a little trout fishing while visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in Wyoming this summer. If youre ever in that area a small size one.
Its believed by fisheries managers that the ciscoes were planted intentionally and illegally by lake trout supporters. Ciscoes are a favorite food of lake trout which are invasive in Yellowstone Lake and threatened to completely eliminate Yellowstone cutthroat trout from the lake in the early 2000s. The lake opens for fishing on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend but is not always free of ice.
Usually the ice comes off this lake either just before Memorial Day weekend or shortly thereafter. Right after the ice comes off the lake fishing with a Kiwi or Wooly Bugger is generally productive. By implanting Judas fish with transmitters that ping when the fish swim past telemetry sites the Park Service has been able to determine migration patterns of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake.
Perhaps more importantly telemetry has helped biologists determine where lake trout are spawning in the fall. When to fish in Yellowstone. The parks general fishing season begins in late May though some park waters dont open until June 15 or July 15.
Each month of Yellowstones fly fishing season offers its own style of best fishing. Anglers are often fishing in a blanket of steam rising from gurgling hot springs. Dubbed the strangest trout stream on Earth the Firehole River is one of the Parks fly fish only streams.
This permit is required for anyone 16 years of age and older. All lake trout in Yellowstone Lake must be killed. Fly-fishing with an assortment of WollyBuggers.
Wait for the afternoon wind to die down before hitting the water. You are in bear country and will smell like fish travel in a group. But now significant and drastic efforts are being made to eradicate the lake trout with strict enforcement to public fishing forcing the catch to their death.
Every lake trout caught mush be killed and every cutthroat released. Brutal but necessary to hopefully restore cutthroat to their original numbers.