2016 Sierra Adventure: Tuolumne River

July 22, 2016 - July 23, 2016

Tuolumne River is difficult to pronounce, but a great place to catch wild trout in the 6 to 10-inch class. Located within the highly trafficked Yosemite National Park, parts of this river are very heavily fished, yet still provide abundant numbers of trout to the crafty angler. 

The river is about 40 miles from Yosemite's West entrance (one hour), and situated at a breath-taking (literally) 9,000 feet. Food is scarce at this high altitude, leading to smaller trout. 

If you've ever driven through Yosemite High Country, you have most likely passed Tuolumne Meadows. A campsite, small grille and wilderness permit station parallels Tioga Road, and the Tuolumne River runs through it all, complete with a large concrete bridge that allows interested onlookers to peer down at the numerous trout below. 

Unfortunately, this part of the river is heavily fished, and it can be extremely difficult to catch fish here, especially during the middle of the day. 

However, by using a combination of dry flies (Parchute Adams) and streamers (Crystal Flash Woolly Bugger), my dad and I were able to catch nine trout below the bridge. 

The Lyell Fork in the morning

But if you really want the best shot at catching trout, I recommend visiting the river in the evening. The mosquitoes are especially vicious at this time, but so are the trout. Fishing small dry files such as a Parachute Adams or Mosquito will almost certainly produce fish. 

I took my car and drove about two miles upstream from the Tuolumne campgrounds to the Dana Fork (There are two forks: the Dana Fork and Lyell Fork that converge at the bridge). Here, the river is more narrow, about 10 feet wide, and pours from pool to pool at great speeds. You might be tempted to use sub-surface nymphs or salmon eggs. If you come here in the evening, just stick to the dry flies. 

Six of my fish came on dry flies in 30 minutes while I only caught one trout with the Woolly Bugger in an hour-and-a-half. After driving back I caught another trout at the bridge. 

In the morning I hiked 1.25 miles from the campgrounds to the Lyell Fork, where the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail converge. The river was about 25 feet wide, and slowly flowed across a sand bottom. The trout were concentrated underneath the banks, and the Parachute Adams was largely ineffective. I caught two trout using the fly like a nymph, and pulling it through the few deep pools.

All in all, the Dana Fork provides fast, dry fly action, the Lyell Fork caters to nymphs and streamers pulled near the banks and the Bridge provides easy access and fair-good dry fly fishing. 

Equipment and Catch Summary

• 3-weight Reddington Classic Trout fly rod
• 6x leader
• Kai: 7 trout at Bridge; afternoon (#20 Parachute Adams)
• 7 trout at Dana Fork; evening (#8-10 Woolly Bugger and Parachute Adams) + 1 trout at Bridge (Parachute Adams)
• 2 trout at Lyell Fork; early morning (Parachute Adams)

• Dad: 2 trout at Bridge; afternoon (#20 Parachute Adams, Woolly Bugger)
• 4 trout at Bridge; evening (#22 Mosquito, Parachute Adams)

Location Total: 23 trout
Trip Total: 23 trout

A small rainbow out of the Dana Fork