Dave's Sierra Fishing

Fishing Yosemite


Fishing Yosemite National Park


Photo of Yosemite Valley

Fishing Yosemite National Park is unlike fishing anywhere else in the Sierra.

As soon as you pass through the entrance station and wend your way to the valley floor you know you have arrived somewhere exceptional. Whether you stay in the valley or make your way to the surrounding high country, the Yosemite experience will become a part of you forever.


Perhaps more than anywhere else in the Sierra, Fishing Yosemite is as much, if not more, about where you are than how well the fish are biting. For Fishing Yosemite I tried to select fishing destinations with that in mind. Most of the trips listed here will take you to places where you could just as easily spend the day taking photographs, standing in front of an artist's easel, or resting on your back watching the clouds pass overhead.

Finding Your Way Around Yosemite National Park

  • Yosemite Trout Fishing Guide, Steve Beck. Complete information about fishing all parts of Yosemite from the lower Merced River to the Lyell Fork. Suggestions for which flies to use, when the hatches usually occur, and stories about early fishing in Yosemite.
  • The Concise Visitor's Guide to Yosemite National Park, Matt Bolton. If you are not familiar with Yosemite, Bolton's 2009 book will give you the latest information on lodging, camping, trails, stores, and everything else you need to know.
  • Day Hikes in Yosemite National Park, Robert Stone. 80 day hikes from half a mile long to 7 miles, including all the classic hikes and many you may not be familiar with.


When and Where to Fish in Yosemite


Fishing Yosemite can be done year-round in lakes and reservoirs, but most anglers prefer to wait for fishing season to open on the last Saturday in April and allow them access to the streams. Often by then the valley floor is free of snow, but the Merced River will soon be running high because of the snow melt. (Note the special regulations listed in the Fishing Yosemite Guidelines below and left for information about fishing the Merced River.)

By early May some of the lower side-streams have opened up and offer good fishing. Depending on the snowfall each season, the high country begins to be accessible for fishing in June. Often it is July before the higher lakes and streams are clear enough of snow for you to enjoy fishing Yosemite's back country.

Fishing Yosemite Valley

Parts of the Merced River in Yosemite Valley are heavily fished by campers and day tourists during the peak of the camping season. Casual anglers are found most often along the convenient stretches of the river adjacent to roads, parking areas, and campgrounds--mainly the upper 4 miles of the river. The heaviest fishing occurs between Happy Isles and Sentinel Creek Picnic Ground. You won't avoid other people altogether while fishing Yosemite's Merced River, but you will find far fewer people along the lower half of the river in the valley.

Photo of a pool above Yosemite Falls

As long as the water is running well you can try your luck up Tenaya Creek. Remember that Mirror Lake is considered part of the creek and may only be fished during the regular season.

Fishing Tuolumne Meadows

Tuolumne Meadows, elevation 8600 feet, is about a 1.5 hour drive from the valley floor, but for fishing Yosemite, it is well worth the trip. From your base at Tuolumne Meadows you can strike out in several directions, up the Lyell Fork or the Dana Fork, down the Tuolumne river toward Glen Aulin and then cross-country up Conness Creek, along the John Muir trail to Cathedral Lakes, or take the short hike up to Budd Lake, nestled among spectacular peaks.

Fishing Yosemite's High Country

Fishing Yosemite's high country could keep you busy for a lifetime. There are countless lakes, rivers, and streams scattered about Yosemite's 1,124 square miles. The main trailheads for the back country inside the park are at Hetch Hetchy, Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, and Glacier Point. Wilderness Permits are required for any overnight stay. While permits for the John Muir Trail are in high demand, permits for the less popular trails can usually be picked up the day of your departure.

Photo of the Clark Range in Yosemite

From Hetch Hetchy my favorite destination for fishing Yosemite is up the trail to Jack Main Canyon. From a base camp there you can strike out in five different directions and find good fishing on all of them. Out of Tuolumne Meadows I enjoy the trip up Cold Canyon and then sometimes crossing over to Virginia or Matterhorn canyons. If you are in Yosemite Valley, give the Yosemite Falls trail a try. Sure it's a long way up, but the views the whole way are spectacular. Once you are on top you can work your way along the rim of the canyon, fishing all the little creeks your cross. From Glacier Point I like to drop into the Illilouette Creek drainage and fish my way up Clark Creek or hike over to beautiful Lower Ottoway Lake pushed up against the foot of the dramatic Clark Range. When you're fishing Yosemite, it's hard to find a place that isn't wonderful.