Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park: Spring Backpacking

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We'd be less than forthright if we didn't tell you fishing in Yosemite tends to be so-so. The park has no stocking program. Out 268 lakes in the park, 165 are barren of fish. The highlight is probably trout stream fishing. Yosemite has 58 permanent streams with a combined length of 770 miles. The Merced offers enjoyable fishing all summer and into the winter. Anglers hook excellent rainbow and brown trout on the Tuolomne River, especially on the stretch above Hetch Hetchy. Fishing tends to be better at lower elevations.

But there is good fishing nearby. The Tuolumne ranger told us the catch was better outside the park, in Inyo National Forest, where the Forest Service stocks trout.

Stream and river fishing season begins on the last Saturday in April and continues through November 15 of the same year. The only exception is Frog Creek near Lake Eleanor, where fishing season opens June 15 in order to protect spawning rainbow trout. All lakes and reservoirs are open to fishing year-round. A valid California sport fishing license must be displayed by all persons 16 years of age and older who are fishing in Yosemite National Park. For information about licenses and fishing, inquire at visitor centers.

Special fishing regulations apply on the Merced River in Yosemite Valley from the Happy Isles Footbridge downstream to Pohono Bridge. In this stretch of the river, it is catch-and-release only for native rainbow trout. Only artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks may be used, and bait fishing is prohibited.