West Side Story...a fishing report
by Les Landau

I had the chance to explore and fish the Sierra National Forest with local guide Jimmie Morales owner of Sierra Flyfisher Tours and his head guide, Norm Lamoreaux. These guys know the rivers, streams and lakes on the Western slope of the Sierra Mountains better than anyone. Their territory covers the waters of Yosemite Park, the Merced, the Kings, and the San Joaquin Rivers, dozens of small creeks and tributaries, and Lakes Edison and Florence, among others. Having only fished the “east side” of this vast mountain range in the past, I was surprised to find the quality...and quantity...of fly fishing opportunities available.

My base for this trip was the Oakhurst/Bass Lake area, located 2 hours north of Fresno. There are plenty of lodging accommodations and some very good restaurants in this area. Let me start by saying the fishing was terrific. Air temperature was perfect, and wet wading was the ticket. Water levels are ideal at the moment. No matter where we went there were plenty of fish and hardly any other fishermen. Really. The most impressive part of the trip was the evening hatch that came off like clockwork on the Merced River each night. Caddis and PMD’s brought some of the biggest fish---17” to 21+”-- to the surface each night. Challenging, but great fun.

The Merced is easily accessed and is a fairly good size river that weaves it’s way beside Highway 140.

Wading is not difficult, although I did use a folding staff which kept me surefooted and upright. It’s always nice to have that extra point of contact for some added balance and support. The rock bottom was not too slippery, but I was glad to be wearing my studded AquaStealth boots, as I waded my way upstream fishing pocket water like this:

and perfect temperature

Although a 5 or 6 weight rod is suggested, I chose my go to weapon in the arsenal, a Scott S3 9’ 4 piece 4 wt. To this, I attached a Galvan Torque T-4 loaded with a Rio Grand WF 4. A 7 1/2’ 3x Rio mono leader with 18” of Rio 4x fluoroflex tippet completed this outfit. There were plenty fish to be had, and a properly presented dry fly or nymph produced these:

And as I said, the evening hatch produced some nice fish as well

All of the fish were healthy, strong, wild rainbows, that put up a nice fight. Many jumped, wiggled, and shook off my fly.

My next adventure took me to a watershed in a completely different area. This part of the Western Slope is known for the big brown trout that move out of the lakes in the fall, and move upstream. I will let you know more about that after I spend a few days at Jimmie’s Trout Fish Camp which runs from mid September to mid October. This day, however, was an exploration of some of the many smaller tributaries and creeks in the area such as these:

After a few stops to survey these incredible spots, and with thoughts of the trout that lie within, it was time to wet a line. Norm left the unpaved boulder strewn road we had been traveling, and headed down an even bumpier track that rocked us all the way to it’s end, revealing this gem of a stream that awaited us:

A short hike, and we were on it:

I rigged up my Sage LL 8’9” 3 piece 3 wt. with a Lamson Litespeed 1.5 lined with a Rio Selective Trout DT. A 9’ Rio leader, any choice of dry fly, and the game was on.

We didn’t have to wait long to see the colors on the browns and bows hiding within:

There are dozens of backcountry, high elevation lakes in the Sierra National Forest, and my final outing took us up, and into, one of these stunning settings. After less than an hour’s drive from Bass Lake, and a major gain in elevation, we arrived at our destination...or so I thought. We were at over 9000’ and still had a few miles, and more elevation, to do before reaching the lake. And this part of the trip had to be done on foot. We downed a few more bottles of water, loaded up our packs, and marched onward and upward:

The smell in the air, the red fir and white bark trees, and the unbelievable scenery, made my heart race...or maybe that was the altitude. Onward, and downward:

Most folks fish this lake, but we had more ground to cover, and although I was tempted to stop here, we hiked on...and on.

A short while later, and after passing by 2 more lakes, we reached our goal:

I was tempted to bring a 00 or 2 weight, but was warned that the wind in the backcountry could blow hard at times. So instead, I packed in with my 4 wt. Winston LT 8’9” 5 piece , which besides being a terrific rod, easily attaches to my pack. The Galvan T-4 reel, and a 9’ 4x leader completed the rig, and I was ready.
Fishing these high country lakes takes more technique than I thought. While some fish would be taken on a dry fly, nymphing, without and indicator, to cruising trout would prove to be more productive. Stealth was critical, as these fish were easily spooked. A quick lesson from Jimmie showed me the proper method in how to strip a nymph. The key here was to strip fast, and continuously. Once the trout saw the splash, and the moving imitation, chances were he would charge and take it. And take it they did...some of the prettiest Brook trout I’ve seen:

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My trip to the West slope of the Sierras proved to be one of the most enjoyable and productive road trips in a long time. It’s always nice to visit new places, meet fishing folk who know their stuff, find incredible scenery, and discover new water and fine trout.

Now is the time to get up there.

If you want more information, or have any questions, give me a call or send an e-mail.
Les@fsflyfishing.com
818-785-7306