Fishing In Yosemite

Fishing in Yosemite can be relaxing and fun. The park 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.

Stream and river fishing season (in most park areas) begins on the last Saturday in April and continues through November 15. Lakes like Tenya or the Hetchy Hetchy reservoir are open to fishing year-round.

There are some special regulations that apply within the park:

• No live or dead minnows or other bait fish, amphibians, non-preserved fish eggs, or roe may be used or possessed.
• Fishing from bridges and docks is prohibited. In Yosemite Valley and El Portal (east of Foresta Bridge):
• Rainbow trout are catch-and-release only.
• Brown trout limit is five per day or ten in possession.
• Only artificial lures or flies with barb-less hooks may be used; bait fishing is prohibited.

For all the details on Yosemite National Park go to our destination guide.