The Ultimate Lake Trip
- This topic has 10 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Jun 18, 2009 at 10:37 pm by
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Packed up the dog, the wife and both Ultimate 12 kayaks early this morning and headed south to Yellowstone Lake. Target species: Lake Trout. Fly shop friends of mine aimed me at THE place to catch Lake Trout on the fly in Yellowstone Lake. I was not disappointed. Not only did I catch my first Lake Trout on a fly, but I got the wife and dog in the backup kayak for about 2 hours.
I fished at the designated spot in West Thumb and immediately hooked up with a 22” Laker (male). Shortly thereafter, a 23” fish (female) came to the net. She spun me around several times before I got her under control. These were no push-over fish on the 7wgt. They are now filleted and in the freezer. Since all Lake Trout caught in Yellowstone lake must be killed, the next few fish all got their throats cut and went overboard. That was not my kind of fishing so I stopped fishing for Lakers. Moving a bit closer to shore brought a half dozen Cutthroats in the fat 18” class to the net. Lakers fell for a gray/white clouser, while the Cutthroats attacked a #6 Black bunny leech.
Oddly, just the third day after the Yellowstone Lake opener (June 15th), there were no other anglers in the West Thumb area we were fishing. After about 2 hours of fishing, the wind became a bit too much and we moved back north to the Gibbon River. I am confident that if you could begin fishing at dawn, you could get in 4-5 hours of non-stop catching before the wind started causing problems.
Kayaks ready to unload at West Thumb
The wife and dog on their first float.
Lakers on the FlyIt was really difficult to drive past the Firehole twice in the same day and not fish it, but by the time we got back into the Geyser basins in the afternoon, the Firehole appeared a bit crowded. I opted for the lower meadows of the Gibbon River. The Gibbon doesn’t have the same density of trout as the Firehole, but there are enough trout to make it interesting. I was using my new, high-end, 25 year warranty Orvis Super Fine 7’6” 4wgt. The lower Gibbon Meadows are a lot different from the Firehole with a gravelly bottom and deep undercut, grassy banks. Nothing was hatching, but a black bugger with a soft-hackle trailer brought up sufficient fish to keep it interesting. For 3 hours I was completely alone on the river, except for the occasional bull buffalo which had to be side stepped. With those Buffalo around, I am sure glad I had that lifetime warranty on the new rod.
Typical Gibbon River runs
The only other major life forms on the river
Typical Gibbon BrownYou are Livin the Dream, Mike.
Very nice Mike.
Keep em coming, I’m very tempted to pick up an Ultimate. After my trip this past week Im going to start doing some more back country trips and Im thinking a 14 foot Ultimate might meet all my needs.Fishing yak
Wildlife photogrpahy
room for camping gear to do some back country campingWill be keeping a close eye on your reports
room for camping gear to do some back country camping
Using compression sacks and a dry bag, I can stash my tent, sleeping bag, all my cooking gear and a change of clothes in the bow of my Tegris under the splash cover.
Mike,
Out of curiosity, how long does it take you to make it down there from your place in Bozeman?
Thanks,
TimThe trip to West Thumb on the Lake is an easy 2.5-3 hour drive. To the Firehole we usual allow for about 2 hours. We usually stop in West for a quick Micky D. breakfast. We always try to leave Bozeman between 5-5:30 AM to miss traffic and construction in Gallatin Canyon. The later in the day you travel, construction in the canyon and just plain tourist traffic in the Park can add an hour to the trip.
Mike,
Great trip.
Maybe you’ve posted on this before, but can you provide some photos and instructions on how you’ve rigged your Ultimate 12s? So far, all I’ve added is a cleat and two rings for an anchor system. I’ve been thinking about a few other additions, but I’d like to learn about other ideas.
Thanks,
TimTim, that’s a good idea.
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