Fly Fishing Trout Lake Yellowstone National Park
Trout Lake resides in the northeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park, situated above the Lamar Valley and surrounded by an alpine meadow. Around 12 acres in size, you might call it a pond but has a tiny inlet creek. On a typical summer morning, Trout Lake creates mirror-like reflections of the surrounding mountains. Besides the landscape photography potential, this lake draws visitors to the National Park for another potential - to catch a native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout.
Trout Lake is known to produce large Yellowstone cutthroat trout. It's important to note that roughly from June through early July, the adult cutthroat trout spawn in the inlet stream. To protect the spawning cutthroat, fishing is strictly prohibited in the inlet stream and surrounding area. The Park Service installed signs around the cove to protect spawning fish, so comply with park regulations when fishing Trout Lake.
After spawning, the Yellowstone cutthroat return to the lake to feed and quickly build up reserves for the coming winter. With a large and healthy population of aquatic insects and nearby terrrestrials, adult cutthroat in Trout Lake have potential to grow big. For that reason, I would not fish any leader smaller than 4X.
When possible I prefer sight-fishing. Given the small size of Trout Lake and the aquatic plants near shore, these Yellowstone cutthroat can be stalked from the shore. Place you cast near, but not on top of cruising trout. Subsurface flies, such as damselfly nymphs, scuds, and small generic nymphs (#18 or smaller) with a small heavy lead fly to help sink the leader are most effective here. Precision is essential, as Trout Lake’s fish become highly selective given the lake's fertility and the amount of fishing pressure.
Trail Access
Hiking the Trout Lake Trail is one of the easier backcountry experiences in Yellowstone National Park. The well-marked trailhead is located just north of Lamar Valley with a parking pullout. The trail is a 1.2-mile (1.9km) loop with a moderately steep, climb through forest before opening up to panoramic views of the lake and distant peaks. The trail loop encircles the lake's edge, allowing walk up access for fishing from the shore. Given the fragile aquatic plants and the muddy lake shore, I would recommend not wading into the lake.
