Fishing the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada Watersheds are teaming with life. Backcountry fisherman can follow streams up numerous canyons to find glacial lakes, crystal clear cascades of water teaming with fish.

Recent regulations have started to clean fish out of some backcountry locations to restore lake sto natureal order for species such as the Yellow Legged Frog.  there is still plenty of fishing in the backcountry, but knowing before you go if a lake or water shed has been purged of fish is recommended.

General Information: The Sierra Nevada mountain range stretches 360 miles along the
eastern side of California. The Eastern Sierra is easily accessed from U.S. Highway 395 throughout its entire length. Generally, the boundaries of the high mountain lakes covered in this guide are State Highway 108 (Sonora Pass Road) to the North and the streams draining Horseshoe Meadow on the Northeastern edge of the Golden Trout Wilderness to the South. The Eastern extent of the guide is generally the Inyo and Toiyabe National Forest Wilderness Boundary while the Western Boundary generally follows the crest of the Sierra, with the West-slope headwater basins of French Canyon, Humphreys Basin, Mono Creek, Fish Creek and Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River also included.
The lakes and streams described lie in the upper montane, subalpine and alpine life zones, between 6,000 and 13,000 feet elevations.
Most of the lakes lie within Forest Service lands managed as Wilderness and thus usually require backcountry permits for overnight use. Camping and/or fire restrictions vary with elevation and season and can be site specific. This information is provided by the Forest Service when permits are issued. Areas of high, moderate and low use exist within the wilderness and permits are issued based on quotas.
This means some advance planning may be required to acquire a permit for a specific area (see references to Forest Service permit offices below). As always a Leave No Trace wilderness ethic is encouraged.