Yosemite Valley Fishing

Headed up to the Valley the 2nd week of May was taking the Kayaks but the water will be too high. Used to do OK FF in the river below El Cap and above Mirror L but I have never fished it in High water which it looks like I will get. Fly rod or ultra lite any secret lures, patterns or areas ? The Falls should be pretty awesome with all the water/snow we have had.

In similar rivers fishing shore lines, in my limited experience, I have had good luck with simple Panther Martins. Silver or gold, they seem to bite one color and ignore the other but it is unpredictable for me to understand. No takers, switch.  Other lures work (same color- same response) but they don't seem to work as well as the Panther Martins even though some I tried are obvious copies.

I actually seem to do best up there with just a small silver kastmaster.    Just big enough to cast   Also have done well with kastmasters in Lake Tenaya.   

My buddies and I did a fishing/backpacking trip starting at Tuolumne Meadows and ending down in the Valley.  We fished Cathedral Lakes for 0.  Then my buddy got a small trout along the way on a fly.  While heading down, I slayed them right above Nevada Falls.  Those fish acted like they've never seen a spoon before in their entire lives.  I was fishing a small (hammered finish) silver spoon.  They wouldn't even touch the gold one.  I was the only guy using spinning gear and did pretty well while by buddies skunked fly fishing.  Man I really need to get back.

I too have had some luck with Kastmasters. Silver or gold depending on the day and mood of the fish. They have not worked as well as Panther Martins from the shore, but they are one of my preferred lures for pulling behind the kayak. To me it seems they might work better at higher flows than a Panther Martins which work well with slower speed.

I have never done well in the valley, but!  A lot of years ago during a really high water year, a lady was slaying them.  fishing bait, worms if I remember, in the back eddies along the river.  Some hole with the current blocked by a tree, point, etc.  The fish use those to get out of the dirty current is my guess.

Since they stopped stocking rainbows it's artificials and C&R you can keep the Browns