Yellowstone Lake
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 Yellowstone
Lake is a beautiful, crystal clear lying in the Southeast section of
Yellowstone National Park. The lake itself receives very little fishing
pressure - even though various highways more or less follow the lakeshore
for more than 29 miles. The reason is simple. Most people visit Yellowstone
National Park either to fish its high quality rivers or to take in the
sights. Fishing such a large lake just doesn't seem to be a popular activity.
Which is just as well. Yellowstone Lake has an excellent population
of native cutthroat trout. Strict fishing regulations have steadily improved
the size and numbers of these feisty trout, although the recent discovery
of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake is like to pose some long-term management
problems. Currently, an angler is required to kill any lake trout that
are caught - as these fish are predatory and do pose a major threat to
the native cutthroat trout.
Most of the use on Yellowstone Lake is for pleasure boating. It's a
beautiful lake and for the few who either drag their boat from distances
afar or who dock their boat for the summer at Lake Village, it provides
a stunning lake for recreation.
 Despite
the huge size of Yellowstone Lake - it is over 87,000 acres with more
than 110 miles of shoreline - quality fly fishing for cutthroat trout
can be obtained fishing from the shoreline. Cutthroat trout, often of
very good size, can be located right along the shoreline. The reason
the cutthroat trout are generally found along the shoreline is because
the bulk of all aquatic insect activity occurs in the warmer, shallower
and protected waters found on the shore. Yellowstone Lake is too big
and too cold to support solid aquatic activity over its entire surface.
In addition to fishing from shore, a boat or float tube does come in
handy to chase down the trout that are found too far from shore to catch.
A boat is also indispensable to easily reach areas that are found away
from the roads - although hiking trails follow the lakeshore for most
of its length. Just be wary of the winds - they can be very strong on
this large lake.
Parts of the forests surrounding Yellowstone Lake were heavily burned
in the fires. The most heavily burned areas are found on the west side
of the lake, around West Thumb.
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