At an altitude of over 7.500 feet above sea level, Lake Yellowstone sits on top of the center of the Yellowstone caldera. It is almost 400 feet deep in some spots and is home to native cutthroat trout and invasive lake trout. Fishing is permitted as long as you keep any lake trout you catch but throw back the cutthroat trout.
Its a big thrill to reel one in on Lake Yellowstone
There are a number of boat and fly fishing outfitters approved by the national park service. We opted to book a half day boat trip to fish on Lake Yellowstone though the front desk of our lodge. We went with the park’s Xanterra fishing guide service located at the Bridge Bay Marina. They provided all the fishing tackle, bait, life jackets and knowledge of how to find the fish! As an added benefit, if you (or your teens and tweens) are too squeamish to handle the fish or the bait they take care of that too. Most of the boats they use seat up to 6 people although we saw larger boats at the marina.
Our Lake Yellowstone fishing boat charter came fully equipped with a great, teen and tween friendly guide
Knowledgeable Guide Made for a Great Day
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and pleasant, taking us for a sightseeing tour along the edge of the lake on our way to an area where the fish were biting. Since it was late summer and the water was warm we had to drop our line deep into the lake but 3 out of 4 of us caught at least one fish. Our son was unlucky in the fishing department but she made up for it by letting him help drive the boat on the way back to the marina. If you want, the guide will clean the fish for you too! If not, the dining room at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel is open to the public and offers a wonderful view for lunch or dinner to wrap up your trip to the lake.
This is another in our series of Top 10 Activities for families travelling to Yellowstone National Park with teens and tweens. Click the link to see the rest.
