Redemption……return to “Heart Attack Lake”

[Islander]

As some of you know I had an “interesting medical experience” while camping, hiking and fishing the Beartooth/Yellowstone area around this time last year. My one year check up was Tuesday and the doctors gave me a clean bill of health, so I figured what better way to celebrate than to go back and recreate the trip with hopefully better consequences. I didn’t camp this trip but made a day trip up to the Park to hike the trail and fish the lake where everything got crazy. The trail up to the lake is a little less than a mile, but is very steep with little switchback. With my 5wt in hand I easily ascended steep section and proceeded around the lake to one of my favorite spots. There were a few hikers doing the loop, but as far as fishing I had the lake to myself. Casting from shore and a little wet wading in a couple spots I was able to hook up eleven and get nine to the net. All strong fighters and some with amazing coloring. After about three hours the wind pick up and I hiked back down to the truck. Had some lunch on the tailgate and enjoyed the scenery before heading home.

Heading up the trail.




A beautiful little high mountain lake.


One of my favorite spots.


Some of the willing participants.


A short stop in Cooke City for a well deserved treat.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Very nice! Glad you didn’t have any incidents this trip!

 

[Josh]

Hell yes! I love this.

One of my fav reports so far this year. A comeback story, beautiful spot, nice fish, and ice cream. Hard to top that.

 

[Brian in OR.]

I could fish that lake all day... Did you get any on top?

 

[DimeBrite]

Did they remove the Kamloops rainbows from that lake?

 

[Islander]

I could fish that lake all day... Did you get any on top?

Once in a while I would see a surface splash, but it wasn’t very often so I didn’t try any dries. The grasshoppers were starting to get active on the trail and some areas on the shore. I might go back in a week or two and try some hopper action.

 

[Islander]

Did they remove the Kamloops rainbows from that lake?

Yes, about ten years ago they culled all the rainbows out. I haven’t seen one in my five years of fishing it, but the Park’s regs still state that if you catch a rainbow out of there, you need to kill it and report it. It is a fertile little lake and was at one time used as a hatchery which is why there were bows in there in addition to the native cutties. Now it’s just native Yellowstone Cutthroat.

 

[Tim L]

You triathletes are nutjobs. You'll be back there on your 80th if not before.

 

[DimeBrite]

Yes, about ten years ago they culled all the rainbows out. I haven’t seen one in my five years of fishing it, but the Park’s regs still state that if you catch a rainbow out of there, you need to kill it and report it. It is a fertile little lake and was at one time used as a hatchery which is why there were bows in there in addition to the native cutties. Now it’s just native Yellowstone Cutthroat.

That is a shame! All the Kamloops rainbows I hooked in that lake (years ago) fought like fresh steelhead. Big too.

 

[Islander]

That is a shame! All the Kamloops rainbows I hooked in that lake (years ago) fought like fresh steelhead. Big too.

The cutties are pretty decent fighters also, but I’m sure the Kamloop trout were amazing. It’s all part of the Park’s mission to keep everything, or restore it back to, “letting nature do its thing”. They really screwed up some fisheries with rampant stocking of non-native fish in the early 1900’s. To their credit, they also created some amazing ones as well. The Shoshone/Lewis Lake system was fishless originally and now is an amazing fishery.