Fishing in Yellowstone

I have a new found passion in life: fishing. I love everything about it! In the past week, I've gone fishing 3 times and caught a total of 8 fish. Here are the stories:

Fishing Tale #1:

Darrin, Mike, and I went to Lake Yellowstone - the largest lake in the park (17 miles long). We went to an area that we called "the peninsula". It's basically a sand bank that runs through the lake. On one side there is the huge wavy part of the lake and on the other side is the smaller calmer part of the lake. We fished on the calm part. 

I caught 2 fish - both Cutthroat Trout (about 6 - 8 inches)!  Darrin and Mike caught none (boooo ya!). I don't have a picture of the fish (but I will) because it was taken on Mike's camera.

This is Darrin:

About Darrin: He is from California and loves to fish. I feel the need to tell you about him because he's been on all three fishing trips and is teaching me how to fish. Also, I use all his fishing equipment. 

Fishing Tale #2:

Darrin, Lucija, and I went back to Lake Yellowstone. We didn't go back to the peninsula because Darrin didn't catch anything there. This time, we went to a place called "Gull Point". It's also a sand bar like the peninsula but I liked this area a lot more because the view is amazing. 

This is quite possible the best picture of me ever: 

Cool picture of Darrin fishing:

The tale of the big fish:

Darrin said that pretty much anywhere would be a good place to cast except the murky water. So, I wondered around and casted in different spots with no luck. Then I got a strange idea to cast right next to the murky water. So, I started casting and aimed for a little pool of blue water that was almost completely engulfed by murky brown water. I don't really know much about fishing but I really like to aim for those types of areas - blue calm water surrounded by rough or murky water. And sure enough, I caught a big one! I was quite surprised and I had to scream for Darrin who was about 100 yards away. He came running and snapped some photos: 

It was another Cutthroat Trout (about 18 - 20 inches). I was pretty excited - this is definitely the biggest fish I have ever caught in my life. 

*Note: In the park, you can't keep Cutthroat Trout because they are a native species. 

*Note #2: If you catch a Lake Trout, you HAVE to kill it - it's illegal to throw it back alive (because it's an invasive species). 

We fished for a few more hours but sadly didn't catch anything (despite my awesome jedi mind tricks). 

As we were leaving, I got a picture with Lucija. She didn't fish - instead, she laid out in the sun and enjoyed the beautiful day. She's a cool gal. 

*Sorry for all the midriff.

Fishing Tale #3:

Darrin is the only friend that I know that has Saturdays off. I was yearning to go on a long hike but he wanted to go fishing. He suggested that we hike out to Grebe Lake and fish. Grebe Lake trail is about an 8 mile hike (3 miles to the lake and then another 1 mile going around) and it has awesome fishing - it was a win-win solution. 

The hike was mostly flat and consisted of a lot of dead trees (until we got to the lake, then it was swampy and muddy):

Darrin has fished here before so he knows where the fish hang out. We went to an area where a stream was entering the lake. Darrin said fish like to hang out in those spots because the stream brings in food. 

So, I started casting and once again, I caught something! O yeah, I should've mentioned earlier that Grebe Lake is known for Arctic Grayling. This is a very rare species of fish. They are known for their huge fin on the top of their bodies. They also don't get very big. 

And obviously (since I just told you all about them), I caught an Arctic Grayling: 

Grebe Lake is a pretty cool spot to fish. I caught 5 fish (3 Arctic Graylings and 2 Rainbow Trout) and Darrin caught 4 (booo yaaa!). Here's a picture of where we fished for the day - you can see where the current from the stream is:

Hmm, I wrote a lot more than usual... What can I say? I love to fish! Even if I don't catch anything, I still have a great time. A lot of people around here are jealous of me because I've been so successful. I'm not sure if it's beginner's luck or talent but there is something that just feels right when I'm fishing - the world seems to be at peace and I like it.

P.S. Nicholas and Bob are going to be here in 6 days! I am so excited!

P.S.S. Dear Strangers, Nicholas is my boyfriend and Bob is one of my best friends.