Kids fishing at high alpine lakes

  A small child sits eagerly by a lake waiting for something, anything to happen. Their patience starts to dwindle and just as they start to focus their attention else where the fishing rod jerks. The fishing rod is jerking uncontrollable as the small childs excitement peaks. You pull back on the fishing rod and set the hook. The child starts reeling frantically as fast as they can. Within moments a fish is on shore flipping and flopping and a child is jumping up and down with joy.

  There is no better joy in fishing then watching your child reel in a fish. Taking children fishing can be a lot of fun but can also backfire and be no fun at all. One of the hardest things to do when fishing with small children is keeping their interest. Taking a child fishing where the fishing is either not very good or the fish just happen not to be biting can and will lead to a child being disappointed.

  Knowing where to take a child fishing where the chances of catching fish are good is key in making sure that your child enjoys fishing. There are a lot of lakes in the Beartooths that are perfect for taking a child fishing. Some of these lakes are easy to get to and offer lots of chances at catching fish. Two lakes near Red lodge that are perfect getaways to take a child fishing are Wild Bill Lake and Greenough Lake.

  Both Wild Bill and Greenough are easy to get to and are stocked with fish several times a year. These stocked fish seem to always be hungry and will bite on just about anything you through at them. I have spent many enjoyable hours with my kids at these lakes watching them pull in one fish after another. The fish at these lakes are pretty small and average only 6-9 inches in length but that does not seem to bother the kids at all.

  As my kids grew so did their ambition to catch bigger fish that would put up a little more of a fight then those in the easy to get to lakes. The high alpine lakes in the Beartooth mountains have lakes where the fish are much bigger but the question was if my kids could handle the hiking to get to these lakes. In the summer of 2006 my three kids aged 4, 7, and 8 gave it a try and started to hike to some of the lakes in the Beartooths. Our first attempt to better fishing was to hike to Glacier lake on the Montana-Wyoming border. We got to the trail head at 6:30 a.m. and grabbed our fishing gear, lunch, and started on the trail. We picked Glacier lake because it looked to be an easy 2.5 mile hike. As we started hiking we soon found that the trail is made up of switchbacks that went up a steep hill. This was the first time my kids went on such a hike and it was really showing. Their faces started to droop and just as they started to whine about the climb we found ourselves on top looking down at Glacier lake. We were so excited that we all dashed down to the lake to start fishing.

  I started setting up the fishing rods for each kid and before I could get the third and final rod set up I could hear one of my other two kids screaming that they had a fish on. I could see the excitement on my daughters face for the fish that she had hooked onto was unlike any of the fish that she had caught before. This fish was huge compared to the fish in the easy to get to lakes. After several minutes of fighting the fish we finally got it onto shore and it was a real dandy at 15 inches in length and about 2 pounds in weight. I hurried to get the other kids fishing rods geared up and casted their lines into the water. That day we caught our limit in some fantastic fish that surpassed any fish we have caught before.

  After that first trip to Glacier lake we have went to at least a dozen different alpine lakes and have done just as well. Some of the lakes that we have been to so far are Glacier lake, lower Basin lake, Lost lake, Keyser Brown lake, Sioux Charlie lake, Triangle lake, Rimrock lake, and a few others. We have learned a lot about hiking in the Beartooths and have learned that some of these tips work well with kids.

1.)    Plan ahead and let the kids help plan it.

2.)    Be prepared for the hike to the lake to take longer then expected. Its better that everyone enjoys the trip rather then force marching them up the trail.

3.)    Over night trips are almost a must with my family. Its easier for us to hike to some of these great fishing spots and spend the night. It gives the kids a chance to re-energize and will enjoy the trip more.

4.)    Start out with smaller hikes and work your way up to longer trips.

5.)    Be prepared for anything including bad weather, broken bones, bug bites, and other unforeseen events.

6.)    Let the slower child hike in the lead. This way everyone can hike at a comfortable pace an no one lags behind.

7.)  Have fun!

Just as a caution please be careful when hiking in the mountains. The mountains can be dangerous and can result in injury from broken bones, falls, getting lost, wild animal attacks, such as bears, moose, and other wild animals. When ever in the outdoors please be safe and treat the outdoors with respect.