Fishing in yosemite?

Question

i dont think i need a license because im under 18 but i need tips on fishing. ill be camping in yosemite and will possibly go stream/river fishing. i have an ugly stick fishing pole and some random tackle but i need something that will guarantee a catch. that is open (i forgot what its called but the strings are not covered). i only have experience in fishing for mackerel in saltwater.

im going next week (july) and really need tips on baits to buy etc... i dont care what fish i catch as long as i can catch something (i cant spend all day fishing) thank you!

Answer 1

Dry flies with little or no weight.

It will be trout

Answer 2

If you are 16 or older you need a license in California.

Fishing near drive-in campgrounds in Yosemite can be tough -- they don't stock inside the park. If you're coming in from the east side, the lakes just outside the entrance are stocked, and I've never had trouble catching some fish there. Or if you're hiking into the back country, some of the lakes a few miles in have pretty good fishing.

Get an open-face spinning outfit -- you can get a combo (rod and reel) for under $30 in most sporting goods stores. You'll want one between 6 and 7 feet long, made for 4 pound line. Trout are not strong fish (compared with saltwater fish like mackerel) so you don't need a strong rod. An open-face reel will cast the small lures or baits much farther than a closed-face reel.

I fish almost exclusively lures for trout (trout are the only fish you're likely to get in Yosemite) -- in lakes you'll want something you can cast a long way, like a Kastmaster (1/4 ounce or so), in streams I prefer spinners, Mepps 0 or 1, or a Panther Martin or Roostertail. Cast upstream and retrieve just faster than the current (enough to get it spinning) -- trout face into the current and their food comes from upstream, so you'll do better casting upstream than downstream. In lakes, experiment with different depth and retrieve rates until you see what works.

Check locally for the bait to use -- worms, salmon eggs, power bait, or whatever. Again, in streams, let the current move it downstream. Use just enough weight to cast - a small splitshot should do. If you have too much weight, it'll snag the bottom.

Answer 3

first off, if you are 16 years old or older you MUST have a fishing license in California. If you fish in Yosemite Park you can not use bait of any kind, only barbless artificial lures. The only fish you can keep are German Brown Trout. California Golden and Rainbow Trout are Catch and Release only.

I fly fish and if I use a spinning rod I go with my ultra light eagle claw with 4 pound test mono filament. I use small rainbow colored cast masters, and roster tails. meps lures in the smaller sizes with gold and red end works well also retreived SLOWLY.

Since I mostly fly fish I use 22 size mosquitos, 18 damsels and several different beaded nymphs in the 14 to 24 size.

Touleme meadows is better to fish than the valley.