Yellowstone Lake

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Around 30 years ago, I convinced a friend with a boat to take me down to the south arm of the lake from Bridge Bay with a couple rods and a handful of Jakes gold and red dot money clips. We reeled in probably a hundred cutthroats. The ospreys were putting on a fishing demonstration. We waited a little too long in the afternoon and the waves started to pound out of the west thumb. The ride back across the middle of that lake was enough to make me care less about south arm cutts, ever again. Fast forward to this weekend, took a couple kayaks from the west side, hugged the shoreline and went that way for a few days of camping and took fishing gear. As stunning as the place still is - zero fish were caught this time. I've heard the lake trout have been killing them - but they were recently making a come back. I haven't been following it, but wow what a difference. It's a lot like hunting elk south of my hometown.

 

[Irrelevant]

Still looks like a scenic trip. Thought maybe you'd fallen off a cliff or something, not a lot of GH commentary lately.



or for more reading: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/natu...throat trout population,per 100 meters of net.

 

[Bambistew]

Great pics. I remember fishing that lake about the same time with similar results. Looks like a fun adventure.

 

[Hem]

Gone are the days...although there is promise the cutthroats are reviving some, with the war on lakers. Not certain if they will totally eradicate the predatory trout. Might be ongoing to give cutthroats a chance.
Nice pics. Looks like you hit some calm water.

 

[BirdManMike]

It can still be OK. Seems to be getting better. Its not 100 fish good and may never be again, but catching enough that 2 hands are needed to count them is doable (havent gotten enough to get into using my toes for the counting) with some really nice ones mixed in. Definitely a shame, but looks like a nice outing even without the catching.

 

[406dn]

Beautiful country.

Over forty years ago now, when my wife was pregnant with our son, I was a first year fly fisherman. We had just moved west and went to Yellowstone just after Labor Day. I fished the Yellowstone River a couple miles below the lake. At first , I caught one or two fish in maybe ninety minutes. I climbed the river bank and told my wife that I'd fish another half hour and we'd go get dinner.

Well, the hatch came on, and everyone fishing was getting a hook up with every cast, me included. The half hour came and went, the fish kept feeding. I stayed until the light from the dusky sky did not provide enough light to thread the tippet thru the eye of a hook. It remains the single most memorable day of fishing I have ever enjoyed.

The only restaurant open in the park was at Old Faithful. I had to average 60mph in the growing darkness to make it there before they closed. It was one of the early episodes that taught my wife that when it came to hunting or fishing, I might be late getting home. Cell phones now provide a heads up.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

I've officially become one of the crusty old pricks that complains about everything being better back in the day. Except for phones/cameras. Those are way better.

I'll see if I can dig out some pics from the trip I took in the early 90s. They are not as scenic, but have bright red throated fish.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

 

[mtmuley]

I've officially become one of the crusty old pricks that complains about everything being better back in the day.

Lots of us becoming crusty. mtmuley

 

[Dan O]

I think some were crusty now they're just crustier

 

[Dinkshooter]

I'm not sure it's becoming crusty, sometimes it just feels like "Vox Clamantis in Deserto"

National Parks, state agencies, they always seem to discount the local voice, even with photographic evidence.

Feels like they just feel, "just a bunch of uneducated" retrads when it comes to any type of game or fish population trends.

Montana elk, and Colorado Deer trends included.

and what appears to be a Yellowstone cutt problem.

 

[Dinkshooter]

There is little doubt, my outdoor opportunities have decreased every year since I've been able to flip a fishing lure, let alone shoot a gun in 40 years in Colorado.

 

[Brad]

I've officially become one of the crusty old pricks that complains about everything being better back in the day. Except for phones/cameras. Those are way better.

Kurt, great photos all, and your lady friend Amy looks like she knows her way around a kayak!

For perspective on the good old days, below is my Dad, summer 1949. His first trip as a "Gear Jammer" in the Park. The passengers look like cast members from a Hitchcock film. He'll be 94 yo in a few months, and the truth is things probably were a lot better in Montana in the 40's and 50's!

 

[Irrelevant]

View attachment 235555

Wtf you sumabitch. Where's this elixir of youth? You don't look a damn day older in 30? Years!

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

Kurt, great photos all, and your lady friend Amy looks like she knows her way around a kayak!

For perspective on the good old days, below is my Dad, summer 1949. His first trip as a "Gear Jammer" in the Park. The passengers look like cast members from a Hitchcock film. He'll be 94 yo in a few months, and the truth is things probably were a lot better in Montana in the 40's and 50's!

View attachment 235562

There is a resemblance there! Thanks for sharing.

 

[westbranch]

Wtf you sumabitch. Where's this elixir of youth? You don't look a damn day older in 30? Years!

I was thinking the same thing. Must be those green cans.

 

[atlas]

Cool old photos.

I've wondered for a long time how successful the eradication program would be on Yellowstone lake.
Last year I worked in Glacier doing a lot of lake trout suppression at Quartz Lake. Same idea, just a much smaller lake. Basically spent all of June and October dropping gill nets and fishing as much as possible in between net sets. The data showed that we were knocking them back quite a bit and we were starting to see more big bull trout. Our hook and lining showed that we caught more bull trout than lake trout. The lake has a lot of mountain white fish and suckers, which might be why the cutthroat were never knocked back that bad. Maybe it just didn't get that bad before lake trout suppression efforts started.

I only worked in Glacier doing this for one year so in the grand scheme of things, I don't know anything. But I also kicked this idea around with my boss Why YY Males? Using Hatchery Brook Trout to Eliminate an Invasive Species. It seems like you could never truly eliminate them with netting efforts but this technique is being pioneered with brook trout. You heavily suppress the population and then stock YY males, which are developed through a hatchery technique. When YY males breed with a female the offspring are only male. You continue this effort of suppressing the population and stocking yy males until, in theory, the population shifts to entirely male and fails. I think they do stuff like this with mosquitos.

Daughterless Carp Project

 

[Straight Arrow]

YNP has been working at mitigating the huge lake trout problem for many, many years, employing various techniques and fishing policies / regulations.
It is very difficult to undo the massive damage inflicted on that natural fisheries habitat by the asshat "bucket biologists" who evidently "introduced" the lake trout to this previously pristine lake.

 

[Irrelevant]

Cool old photos.

I've wondered for a long time how successful the eradication program would be on Yellowstone lake.
Last year I worked in Glacier doing a lot of lake trout suppression at Quartz Lake. Same idea, just a much smaller lake. Basically spent all of June and October dropping gill nets and fishing as much as possible in between net sets. The data showed that we were knocking them back quite a bit and we were starting to see more big bull trout. Our hook and lining showed that we caught more bull trout than lake trout. The lake has a lot of mountain white fish and suckers, which might be why the cutthroat were never knocked back that bad. Maybe it just didn't get that bad before lake trout suppression efforts started.

I only worked in Glacier doing this for one year so in the grand scheme of things, I don't know anything. But I also kicked this idea around with my boss Why YY Males? Using Hatchery Brook Trout to Eliminate an Invasive Species. It seems like you could never truly eliminate them with netting efforts but this technique is being pioneered with brook trout. You heavily suppress the population and then stock YY males, which are developed through a hatchery technique. When YY males breed with a female the offspring are only male. You continue this effort of suppressing the population and stocking yy males until, in theory, the population shifts to entirely male and fails. I think they do stuff like this with mosquitos.

Daughterless Carp Project

I definitely think that is a very cool idea, but I fear the old Jurassic park quote, "Life finds a way"