Islander
Life of the Party
Now I’ll be the first to admit, I spend a lot of time after the thaw out and late fall targeting big fish. However, once the summer temps (finally) kick in, I head to elevation seeking cooler temps and smaller active fish. I came across this small 12 acre lake the first year we moved to Cody. It’s on the way to the Beartooths and about an hours drive from the house. It is loaded with Brook Trout but doesn’t show any stocking history with Game & Fish, so I’m not sure if it is self sustaining or what. I was afraid it might have winter killed with the long hard winter we just had, but wanted to check it out. When I got to the launch area there were lots of minnows scattering about and I took that as a good sign. My fears were calmed as I kicked out towards the deeper water and immediately hooked up with a nice brookie. For the next three hours it was pretty consistent fishing. All but a couple were in the 10-12 inch range, with the other two barely being 6”. This makes me think that they are reproducing and seem to be fairly healthy. The lake is about 18-20 feet deep so I’m thinking these fish survived the winter as I doubt G&F would stock minnows, 6” fish and catchable size fish all at the same time. The Echo 10’ 3wt. did a fabulous job and made these little guys seem like monsters.
The put in area.
First fish of the day.
Many more after that.
This bank with cattails went to 10-12 feet quickly, it was super productive.
Beautiful scenery all around.
Driving into the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River canyon.
The put in area.
First fish of the day.
Many more after that.
This bank with cattails went to 10-12 feet quickly, it was super productive.
Beautiful scenery all around.
Driving into the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River canyon.
