Fishing the JMT with an ultra-light

[HYOH]

I'm hitting the JMT for a North to South thru in late June. I'd like to spend a few days fishing and would appreciate any suggestions for effective flies and lures that I can use on my ultralight spinning rig. Also any suggestions on links, locations, and good trout recipes would be great. My only utensils will be aluminum foil, a spork, and a short aluminum skewer. I'm not planning on supporting my hike by fishing, just adding an occasional treat. HYOH !

[wornoutboots]

Great Question!! I'll be out there in August & I look forward to seeing your responses!

[tuswm]

there was fish EVERYWHERE! I have some great video of the fish. I am sure there are books about the lours but the water is so clear its not hard to see where the fish are. they were everywhere. every stream, every lake, every puddle, you cant walk an hour with out seeing fish. not catching them, good luck.

[tuswm]

what is youre gear list? what are you doing for water purification?

[fiddlehead]

It's been a while so, I don't know if they are still as hungry.
But, last time I fished there, they would bite on just about everything.
Finding helgramites and crawlies under rocks worked best as that's what they are used to I guess.
But they were biting on some small lures too.
The fish are not very big, so, use small lures.

The place suffers a bit from overuse in the late summer/fall, but if you are there early, those fish are hungry as can be.
Have fun.

[Jim Adams]

they will hit on almost any type of small lures, joe flies. roostertails. mepps spinners. etc. look at your maps and hike up the high valleys looking for the lakes away from the trail. the close lakes have alot of trout but small. the lakes further crom the trail are loaded with trout and the are much bigger fish. i was told about this one lake by a trail crew and they let me use their fishing gear. i caught 11trout in 1hour. smallest one was 16". i kept 4 of them and they cooked3 of them and made sushi from the fourth fish. the meat is bright pink like salmon and they were the best trout that i've ever tasted!geek

[HYOH]

Thanks for the replies. I fell asleep last night counting trout jumping into my creel. Jim you have my mouth watering. I live near Lake Taneycomo in Mo. where I tolerate the harsh taste of hatchery trout. It'll be nice to eat a few "wild" ones. Tuswn I got sick on the AT in 09 from bad water so I've put up with using a Miox since. If it's used properly there is no aftertaste but unfortunately I tended to overdose the MIOX solution when I first started using it as I've been told most folks do. If your water taste like a swimming pool, you're using to much. It's a lot lighter than a conventional filter or purifier and it gives you almost 100% protection if used according to it's directions. The water's turbidity is not a concern as it is with a Steri Pen and my batteries last me for around 50 liters. I cold weather hike a lot and that's hard even on the lithiums. I've had no water consumption reactions since I started using it. It's also a little encouraging that the armed forces use it as their purifier choice.

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

go here - this is where the locals discuss fishing in the Sierra:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/commu...wforum.php?f=6

[HYOH]

Many thanks Fishmonger. That's a great community for all my Sierra questions. Spent most the night cruising the site and haven't even begun to check it all out. I was surprised to see how many "fish less" lakes there were and even more surprised to see that they were intentionally made that way by gill netting and stocking cessation. Most of the members seem to be level headed Sierra veterans so I really appreciate you referring the site.

Savor Happy

[BFI]

For wet flies, I dont think you can go wrong if you take, Black Wooly Buggers, Royal Coachman/Royal Wuff, Yellow Grasshopper, or Grizzly King, or Blue Zulu's. Just check with any local tackle shops before you go. A Royal Coachman has always worked for me and after the first keeper have look at what they are eating when you clean them.

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

Many thanks Fishmonger. That's a great community for all my Sierra questions. Spent most the night cruising the site and haven't even begun to check it all out. I was surprised to see how many "fish less" lakes there were and even more surprised to see that they were intentionally made that way by gill netting and stocking cessation. Most of the members seem to be level headed Sierra veterans so I really appreciate you referring the site.

Savor Happy

the intentionally fish-less lakes are put back into natural state. The only way for many species to survive, given that the trout is not a native species...

personally, I don't care. I don't fish up there, so if there are frogs or fish in the lake it's all the same to me. Moving too fast usually to take the time to fish. My kids are different and did bring a rod a few times. Never caught anything, but certainly had a good time - what 11-year-old has fished Evolution Lake?

[HYOH]

they will hit on almost any type of small lures, joe flies. roostertails. mepps spinners. etc. look at your maps and hike up the high valleys looking for the lakes away from the trail. the close lakes have alot of trout but small. the lakes further crom the trail are loaded with trout and the are much bigger fish. i was told about this one lake by a trail crew and they let me use their fishing gear. i caught 11trout in 1hour. smallest one was 16". i kept 4 of them and they cooked3 of them and made sushi from the fourth fish. the meat is bright pink like salmon and they were the best trout that i've ever tasted!geek

Thanks I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to use Halfmile's maps so the hidden ones should be easier to navigate to. I've got a bunch of smal Mepps and Martins so it sounds like I'm in good shape. I'm packin a couple of lemon juice packets just for the sushi idea. Mouth is waterin as I type.

[HYOH]

For wet flies, I dont think you can go wrong if you take, Black Wooly Buggers, Royal Coachman/Royal Wuff, Yellow Grasshopper, or Grizzly King, or Blue Zulu's. Just check with any local tackle shops before you go. A Royal Coachman has always worked for me and after the first keeper have look at what they are eating when you clean them.

Thanks BFI. I'm curious what the BFI means but I won't ask. I've got all the flies you suggested in 12 through 16 so I should be good. I've never fished a Grizzly King. what's it mimick?

[HYOH]

...... My kids are different and did bring a rod a few times. Never caught anything, but certainly had a good time - what 11-year-old has fished Evolution Lake?

An 11 year old whose Dad has the right priorities and the energy to instill them in his kids.

[Kookork]

As a life long trout angler here in Canada and back home if I have to chose one and only one lure(fly) for the rest of my life it definitely would be Muddler Minnow,period. It has always been my secret weapon even when trout is not about to attack anything else.

http://www.anglersdream.net/flyitem.asp?sku=10708

Spinner(Mepps for instance ) is my second choice. These days I just fish when I am about to eat them right beside the river. I don't carry a rod or anything else. Any long thin and green straight branch of tree( willow is the best) works for me. I will definitely be fishing in sierra in my PCT hike. It has been a dream of mine from childhood.


Good luck and keep some trout left in rivers and lakes for me .

[HYOH]

As a life long trout angler here in Canada and back home if I have to chose one and only one lure(fly) for the rest of my life it definitely would be Muddler Minnow,period. It has always been my secret weapon even when trout is not about to attack anything else.

http://www.anglersdream.net/flyitem.asp?sku=10708

Spinner(Mepps for instance ) is my second choice. These days I just fish when I am about to eat them right beside the river. I don't carry a rod or anything else. Any long thin and green straight branch of tree( willow is the best) works for me. I will definitely be fishing in sierra in my PCT hike. It has been a dream of mine from childhood.


Good luck and keep some trout left in rivers and lakes for me .

Thanks. Ordered a half doz of the Muddlers in 14 and 16. I'll leave you a bunch of fish. I'm more concerned about cathing memories than supper. I appreciate the tip and hope to cross paths with you on the PCT.

[Goonch]

You don't even really need a pole.
at purple lake the fish were so abundant that there was this little stream that the fish had to swim up to get into the lake... literally just grabbed one with my hands in shallow water. if i had a fishin permit and it wasnt on my way out of camp i would have eaten that sucker in a minute. mmmmmmm

[Rambler]

http://thru-hiker.com/articles/thru-fishing.php

[jacob_springsteen]

I'm hitting the JMT for a North to South thru in late June. I'd like to spend a few days fishing and would appreciate any suggestions for effective flies and lures that I can use on my ultralight spinning rig. Also any suggestions on links, locations, and good trout recipes would be great. My only utensils will be aluminum foil, a spork, and a short aluminum skewer. I'm not planning on supporting my hike by fishing, just adding an occasional treat. HYOH !

Set aside two days for the Rae Lakes portion of the JMT. You'll want to camp and fish there! Also, don't forget the bug dope. The mosquitoes were up at 5 AM when I hiked it in July a few years back. It was a wetter year and I wished I went in August instead.

[Rambler]

If you plan to hike out of Vermilion (VVR) hike up the Bear Creek Trail rather than the Bear Ridge trail. If you were a trout, you would live in Bear Creek. The trail parallels the creek for a long way. I passed locals who were fishing there.