- The river and stream fishing season opens on the last Saturday in April and runs through Nov. 15. Check with the Park Service before arriving to ensure changes haven't been made to that year's schedule. The one exception to the rule is Frog Creek, which doesn't open until June 15. According to the National Park Service website for Yosemite, "The late opening includes the first half mile of Frog Creek up to the first waterfall, including the pool below this waterfall. The late opening also extends 200 feet from the mouth of Frog Creek out onto the surface of Lake Eleanor and along its shore for a distance of 200 feet from the creek's mouth."
Mirror Lake is only open during stream fishing season because it is considered a stream. Yosemite's lakes and reservoirs are open all year long to anglers, according to the national park's website. - You must have a valid fishing license to catch fish in any of Yosemite's waters.yosemite image by Linda Henn from Fotolia.com
A sport fishing license from the state is required for anyone older than age 16. Licenses can be purchased at shops around the park where fishing gear is also sold. If you aren't a resident of California, an annual fishing license will cost you $111.85, as of June 2010. You can purchase a short-term license for one day for $13.40, $20.75 for two days or $41.50 for 10 days if you are a nonresident. Rates are reduced for veterans, American Indians and people with disabilities. Report card fees are required for anglers wishing to use two rods, and for those fishing for sturgeon, north coast salmon and steelhead. All licenses must be filled out, and they cannot be transferred, altered, mutilated or defaced. They must be presented to an officer when asked. - Regulations limit the number of fish you catch in certain areas of the park. Rainbow trout caught in the Merced River between Happy Isles and the Foresta Bridge must be released. Fishermen are limited to five brown trout per day and can only have 10 in their possession at one time. Trout limit is two a day or in your possession when fishing on the Tuolumne River between the Early Intake Diversion Dam and the O'Shaugnessy Dam upstream. Fish cannot be smaller than 12 inches when caught in this area.
- Bait fish cannot be used in the park. The park service forbids live or dead minnows, amphibians or fish eggs used as bait. Lures or flies must be barbless and artificial, and only three hooks or lures are allowed per fishing line. You cannot fish from docks or bridges in the park.
- Taking a fish by snagging or impaling is illegal under California Fish and Wildlife rules. The Fish and Wildlife Department also has specific regulations about allowable hook gaps. Lights can be used while fishing at night. Computer assisted remote fishing is illegal in California. You are not allowed to sell fish caught under a sport fishing license. You cannot use explosives to fish in state waters and you cannot fish with nets in park waters.
- The following species of fish can be found in Yosemite National Park's waterways:
brook trout, Dolly Varden trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, golden trout, rainbow trout,
Arctic grayling, California roach, hardhead, riffle sculpin, Sacramento pike minnow and Sacramento sucker. - Fish are not native to Yosemite rivers and lakes except the Merced River and Tuolumne River. Glaciers killed off fish in the park's high country and waterfalls and steep grades prevent fish migration in many rivers and streams. The U.S. Park Service began stocking fish for sport fishing in many lakes and rivers in the park. Nearly 550 miles of streams in the park can sustain fish. Fish stocking ceased in 1991 because of the adverse affects the introduced species were having on the park's aquatic life including amphibians.
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