Tuolumne river sat 10/18

Took a trip to the Tuloumne river , right outside of Modesto with Flyaker. We caught lots of small mouths  large mouths and perch. My fish were caught on a grub and a 4 inch worm. Lawrences fish were all caught on a fly rod with home tied flies. He has a sweet fly that he tied that targets perch, that worked great! Lots and lots of fish, but nothing huge.We also saw a guy duck hunting from a yak, which surprised me. Great launch area with free parking, beautiful river!!! This is a great area to take someone that is new to kayaking, and have a great chance at some fun fish!!!!

We did  launch at fox grove. I try to avoid this place in summer due to the crowds, but this time of year this place rocks!!

I was on the Tuolumne that same day...but WAY further upstream...
 
Spent three days hiking around Yosemite with a buddy on a photography outing.  Saturday, we hiked along the Tuolumne River where it cuts through Tuolumne Meadow (did I mention WAY further upstream than you?) 
 
Since I only had a camera with me, and not one of my fly rods, all I could do was take pics of what I saw.  These were in a very shallow pool not far from the meadow:


 

I have another shot of them that shows about two dozen of the little buggers all hanging out in a pool only a few inches deep!
 
I saw bigger ones in deeper parts of the river and in the Merced River (along the valley floor).
 
I like the part you were fishing.  Thanks for the report and the launch info.

hey, Dave-
It was great fun fishing with you.   I had a terrific day.   It took us a while to figure out the fishing, since the water temp was a cool 59 degrees.   Too bad we had to leave right when I think we had it all figured out.   I am sure we would have caught lots more had we stayed.  It was just getting hot. 

Thwack -   no kidding -   you were WAAAAY up stream.     Tuolomne River  in the meadow and beyond is one of my favorite places in the world.    That used to be one of my favorite backpacking spots.    Great photos - brookies, I presume.   Given how skittish those fish can be, I am surprised how close you got to them.    I guess the fish know the difference between a camera and a fly rod.    I am not sure if i could handle being there without a fly rod.

Thwack -   no kidding -   you were WAAAAY up stream.     Tuolomne River  in the meadow and beyond is one of my favorite places in the world.    That used to be one of my favorite backpacking spots.    Great photos - brookies, I presume.   Given how skittish those fish can be, I am surprised how close you got to them.    I guess the fish know the difference between a camera and a fly rod.    I am not sure if i could handle being there without a fly rod.

Any chance you have a pic of that custom perch fly?   
 
As for the pic...I had a big lens on (70-300 with vibration reduction...zoomed to the max) and was able to get reasonably close (but had to stand there for a while to get them to calm down enough to get the pics).
 
They were small enough that I was coping OK without a fly rod.  But, the next evening, we were shooting Half Dome reflecting off the Merced from Sentinal Bridge on the valley floor and there was an feeding frenzy happening at our feet.  Lots of trout feeding very actively for a solid 45 minutes.
 
I caught a glimpse of one of them...nice size (10-12 inches...big enough to invite to dinner if not a rainbow).  Man, that was tough to see without having a rod with me!
 
I'd love to see the fly you guys were using...especially if you were catching smallies!  Those are on my list of much-catch-on-a-fly-rod fish....

Great report, I've been fishing the Tuolumne South of Modesto, and doing very good with the bass. no yaking yet. But as soon as we get settled in the new place, were going to break out the kayaks.


Craigh

we hiked along the Tuolumne River where it cuts through Tuolumne Meadow (did I mention WAY further upstream than you?) 

I have always done well in the Glen Aulin-Waterwheel Falls section there are some pools just above WW where the fishing is insane.

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Any chance you have a pic of that custom perch fly?   
 
As for the pic...I had a big lens on (70-300 with vibration reduction...zoomed to the max) and was able to get reasonably close (but had to stand there for a while to get them to calm down enough to get the pics).
 
They were small enough that I was coping OK without a fly rod.  But, the next evening, we were shooting Half Dome reflecting off the Merced from Sentinal Bridge on the valley floor and there was an feeding frenzy happening at our feet.  Lots of trout feeding very actively for a solid 45 minutes.
 
I caught a glimpse of one of them...nice size (10-12 inches...big enough to invite to dinner if not a rainbow).  Man, that was tough to see without having a rod with me!
 
I'd love to see the fly you guys were using...especially if you were catching smallies!  Those are on my list of much-catch-on-a-fly-rod fish....
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Sounds like an incredibly awesome time you had in Yosemite.   IT truly is one of the greatest places on earth.

Smallies are great on a fly rod.   In fact, i learned fly fishing thanks to the kind cooperation of my bronze backed friends.  I have taken smallies on leeches, wooly worms,  clousers, Montana stoneflies, bitch creek nymphs, princes, and that special perch fly Badog mentioned.  They are just eager fish. 

The fish did not seem terribly selective as to pattern that day.    I caught them on rubber legged prince nymphs and my personal version (very ugly) of the gill getter (size 8 hook, moosehair tail and back, over chartreuse chenille, and white rubber legs, with or without bead head.)  I'll be happy to send you one if you want to PM your address, but be forewarned, they are not tied very beautifully.   I dont like the way they look, but that day, the fish were kind to me.

Kayak is a great platform for duck hunting.
Back-paddle the rear of your boat under some over-hanging brush.
Camo your fore-deck by just throwing a tarp forward.
I use just three pin-tail deeks....more than enough.
Lots of little details but.......
Kayak is a great platform for duck hunting.

Judd

we hiked along the Tuolumne River where it cuts through Tuolumne Meadow (did I mention WAY further upstream than you?) 

I have always done well in the Glen Aulin-Waterwheel Falls section there are some pools just above WW where the fishing is insane.

Thanks for the tip.  I know the general area and will add it to my list of must-try places.  Any time of year that's insaner than the rest?  Season closes soon so I may not get a chance until Spring...

Flyaker,
 
PM sent....thanks for the info and offer.  I'm hoping to get considerably more fishing time next year and smallies will have to be one of my targets...

I'll get that fly out to you.   

The trail through Tuolumne Meadows going towards Glen Aulin and Water wheel is one of my favorite backpacking trips.  ITs a good trip with fantastic views, but also different in that its downhill going in, and uphill coming back, when your load is lighter from consumed provisions.    Lots of little brookies back there mixed in wiht the bows.   It fishes well all summer and into fall.   Now would even be good. 

I'll get that fly out to you.   

The trail through Tuolumne Meadows going towards Glen Aulin and Water wheel is one of my favorite backpacking trips.  ITs a good trip with fantastic views, but also different in that its downhill going in, and uphill coming back, when your load is lighter from consumed provisions.    Lots of little brookies back there mixed in wiht the bows.   It fishes well all summer and into fall.   Now would even be good. 

Thanks for the extra details.  I mistook "WW" for the "White Wolf" area (a couple trails go through there and follow the middle fork of the Tuolumne).  I would been fishing the wrong place wondering what I was doing wrong...   
 
If luck holds, I might get a chance Saturday to try it out (it's a long shot though).
 
Thanks!

Enjoy!   Its been too long since i have been there.   A little 2-3 weight is perfect there.   Make sure you are bear safe out there, as they will take any food that you dont store properly.

Enjoy!   Its been too long since i have been there.   A little 2-3 weight is perfect there.   Make sure you are bear safe out there, as they will take any food that you dont store properly.

I looked up water wheel on a hiking site...looks like quite a walk. 
 
Bear safe is super critical!  So far, I've only seen one bear out that way...it was sprinting across Cherry Lake Road earlier this summer.  Dang, those things are FAST (and it didn't look like it was trying either...).
 
A buddy I fished with on the South Fork of the Tuolumne on that trip used to backpack in Yosemite...he had lots of bear stories.
 
So far, I've stuck with trips that don't involve overnight (and I make sure my vehicle is food/scent-free).  Water wheel sounds like it likely needs an overnight to do it right...