Trout Lake, formerly known as Fish Lake and Soda Butte Lake, is a popular backcountry lake for hikers and anglers in
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
. The lake is located approximately north of the Northeast Entrance Road near the confluence of Pebble Creek and
Soda Butte Creek. The lake sits in a depression on a high bench above the Soda Butte Creek Canyon. A steep trail through a
Douglas fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...
forest leads to the lake. The trailhead is located at: .
Trout Lake is a popular area for viewing
North American river otter.
Angling
Trout Lake is popular with anglers for its large (14-20")
Yellowstone cutthroat trout
The Yellowstone cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri'') is a subspecies of the cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii''). It is a freshwater fish in the salmon family (family Salmonidae). Native only to a few U.S. states, their ...
and very large (20-30")
rainbow trout
The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...
and
rainbow/cutthroat hybrids. The lake can be easily fished from the shoreline, but many anglers carry in
float tube
A float tube, also known as a belly boat or kick boat, is a small, lightweight inflatable fishing craft which anglers use to fish from. They were originally doughnut-shaped boats with an underwater seat in the "hole." Modern designs include a V- ...
s to access the deeper parts of the lake. Using a float tube on Yellowstone lakes requires a park service boating permit. The lake opens for fishing on Memorial Day weekend. The inlet stream to the lake is permanently closed to protect spawning cutthroat trout.
All cutthroat trout and hybrids caught in Trout Lake must be released.
See also
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Angling in Yellowstone National Park
Angling in Yellowstone National Park is a major reason many visitors come to the park each year and since it was created in 1872, the park has drawn anglers from around the world to fish its waters. In 2006, over 50,000 park fishing permits were ...
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Fishes of Yellowstone National Park
The fish of Yellowstone National Park, in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (U.S.), include 13 native fish species and six introduced or non-native species. Angling for trout has been a pastime in the park since its creation and trout species dominate ...
Notes
Lakes of Yellowstone National Park
Lakes of Wyoming
Bodies of water of Park County, Wyoming
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