Fern Lake Fishing

June Lake Loop - Mono County

Sierra Fishing Destinations

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Fern Lake Fishing

June Lake Loop - Mono County

Fern Lake is a destination for hearty hikers. Located on the June Lake Loop, the Fern Lake trail starts out steep and then gets steeper. Hikers are rewarded along the way with scenic views of Silver Lake far below. The trail climbs 1500 feet in about 2 miles to a beautiful mountain lake tucked just inside the Ansel Adams Wilderness. Fishing is good for brook trout, both for fly fishermen and spin casting anglers. A varied shoreline provides plenty of rewarding places from which to cast your line.

Sidetrips

For ambitious hikers, Yost Lake is another 1.4 miles from the Fern Lake trail junction at Fern Creek. A small pond in a meadow slightly off the trail along the way also might be worth investigating.

Fern Lake

Other Featured Trips in Mono County

Conness Lakes - a series of high lakes near Saddlebag Lake
Fremont Lake - hike into Fremont Lake and fish for big trout.
Green Lake - near Bridgeport, just 2½ miles from the trailhead to a wonderful lake.
Hilton Lakes - Fish several varied lakes after a 2-hour hike from the Rock Creek area.
Mammoth Lakes - a dozen great fishing lakes
Parker Lake - Hike 2 miles near the June Lake Loop to this beautiful mountain lake.

In My Creel

#16 gnat
#16 Blue Olive
#14 Adams Parachute
#16 Red Quill
#16 Adams
Panther Martin lures
Super Duper
Mepps lures

I carried both my fly fishing rod and a spinning outfit with me. Both produced fish, but the fly line armed with a blue olive seemed to be just the thing the fish were after.

Recommended Books, Maps, Lures, and Flies for Fishing Fern Lake

High Sierra Fly Fishing: Basics to Advanced Tactics A great book for fishing Sierra lakes and streams. Covers everything from beginning to advanced tactics.
Panther Martin Best of the Best Trout Lures Kit. Three of their most popular colors in two of our most popular sizes. Razor sharp treble red hooks mimic wounded fish.
Fly Fishing Eastern Sierra Streams, Where to Go, What to Use, and How to Get There, Mike Brown. Great book detailing the best streams in the Eastern Sierra. Color Photographs.
FISHINGSIR Fly Fishing Flies Kit - 64/100/110/120pcs Handmade Fly Fishing Lures - Dry/Wet Flies,Streamer, Nymph, Emerger with Waterproof Fly Box - Large selection of flies includes trusted patterns (such as Adams, Woolly Bugger, Elk Hair Caddis, Griffith's Gnat, Stimulator, Egg Fly, etc.) used by anglers around the world.

Silver Lake from Fern Lake trail

Fern Lake

Fishing Supplies

If you are in need of fishing supplies, try one of these places:

Ernie's Fishing Tackle in June Lake
June Lake Marina
Gull Lake Marina
Beaver's Sporting Goods, Lee Vining
The Trout Fly and Troutfitter, ShellMart Center, Hwy. 203, Mammoth Lakes
Performance Anglers, 26 Old Mammoth Rd., #L2, Mammoth Lakes
Kittredge Sports, 3218 Main Street, Mammoth Lakes

Sierra Fishing Destinations

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Making Your Way to Fern Lake

The trailhead to Fern Lake is located on the June Lake Loop (Highway 158) in Mono County, about 2.5 miles west of the community of June Lake. Parking is on the shoulder of the road. Water is available in a couple of places along the route, but you'll want to start out with a good supply. The trail begins in the forest and soon begins to climb. Along the way you will gain spectacular views of Silver Lake and 10,800-foot Carson Peak. The trail switchbacks up the slope.

After a mile (which may seem more like two at this elevation), you will arrive at a junction, one direction going to Yost Lake, the other to Fern. By taking a short side-trip on the Yost Lake trail you gain access to drinking water (filter before drinking, of course) at Fern Creek. Then you can double back to the Fern Lake Trail.

Once you start up the Fern Creek trail beyond the sign, the trail becomes even steeper. It climbs steadily for a half mile before the gradient eases. A second somewhat level portion farther up the trail hints that you are nearing the lake, but one final uphill push awaits you.

Wind blowing at me from across the lake right away sent me circling to the far side where I soon had the wind behind me. I found two coves there which proved to be the best spots on the lake.

Fishing started a little slow, but as the afternoon waned and feeding picked up, I did much better. None of the brook trout that I caught were much more than pan size, but the beautiful scenery made up for it. Although I had passed lots of people on the lower part of the trail, I had the lake to myself.

Lodging and Camping

There is plenty of lodging available around the June Lake Loop. Since it is such as popular fishing destination, finding a vacancy can sometimes be difficult. Another lodging option is to drive south a short distance to Mammoth Lakes where you have a wide choice of accommodations. There, winter is the high season, so rates in summer are reasonable. For more information about lodging in Mono County, see Mono County - California's Eastern Sierra.

Fair backpacking sites are available near where the trail arrives at the lake. Since it is in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, permits are required for overnight stays. No fires are allowed at the lake. Campgrounds are located all around the June Lake Loop. Some take reservations, others are first come, first served. If you have an RV, nearby Deadman Creek Campground might be a good choice.

California's Best Camping

For complete information about campgrounds around the June Lake Loop and beyond, see