Where to go on the west side?

[spartafish]

Growing up in the LA area I have come to know the Eastern Sierra, especially for the opener. But now that I'm in San Jose, I'm not so sure where to head.

I've found two rivers that seem very intriguing. Theyre not stocked but offer wild trout fishing. The Clavey River west of Yosemite and the Rubicon River west of Lake Tahoe are the two I've come up with.

I do plan on doing some dispersed camping/backpacking for my opening trip, so I guess that's either limiting or expanding depending on what you guys know.

If anyone has info on these locals, or any other places west of the divide (I'm trying to stay north of Yosemite and south of Tahoe), I'd greatly appreciate some insite.

[diamondbear]

Jared , Try Abalone diving as April 29,30 its LOW Tide at sunrise . The other dates are may 14-16 in the AM . Memorial weekend is good also , I'll PM you if I can make it up there this year . // db

[WaterBound]

I would suggest the Kings River. If you want natives stay east of Pine Flat Reservoir. If you want some of the bigger DFG broodstock then west of Pine Flat Reservoir. If you do decide to stay on the west side, bring some protection. That can be a "dirty" spot at times.

P.S. North of Yosemite I prefer the Delta for some stripers. The Salmon have been just DEVASTATED! My friend moved to NorCal 3 years ago. He bought a nice parcel of land that literally had 40lb Salmon in his backyard. Now there is NOTHING.

[SierraPeaks]

Dinkey Creek puts out some nice natives. It's a little bit of a hike to get away from the drive up crowd, but well worth it. Edison and Courtwright are beautiful lakes that offer up big browns. Then of course further north there's the Yuba River. It doesn't get much prettier than that.

Top to bottom :
1) Yuba River
2) Yuba River
3) Dinkey Creek
4) Edison Lake & Mono Creek
5) Edison Lake (small arm, east side)
6) Courtright Reservoir

http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/YubaRiverSouthForkDayTrip050.jpg
http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/yuba.jpg
http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/Dinkey_Creek.jpg
http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/edisonlake.jpg
http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/smallarmofedisonlake.jpg
http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz290/SierraPeaks/western%20sierras/courtright.jpg

[fishincrave]

Now that's heaven man how i would love to get lost for a month there:Wink:.

Thanks for the pix Brother.

Sean

[SierraPeaks]

You're welcome Crave. Courtright is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and the Sierras best kept secret.

[DockRat]

Dinkey Creek puts out some nice natives. It's a little bit of a hike to get away from the drive up crowd, but well worth it. Edison and Courtwright are beautiful lakes that offer up big browns. Then of course further north there's the Yuba River. It doesn't get much prettier than that.

Top to bottom :
1) Yuba River
2) Yuba River
3) Dinkey Creek
4) Edison Lake & Mono Creek
5) Edison Lake (small arm, east side)
6) Courtright Reservoir


My brother lives in Sierra City above Downieville. Seen guys fishing around there.

Pretty nice on the Yuba. All those gold miners are POed since last summer they got shut down. No dredging in ALL Ca rivers.
They say it stirs up the mercury in the river. His buddy dredged one popular fishing hole and filled a 5 gallon bucket of fisherman lead weights :Shocked:

DR

[SierraPeaks]

My brother lives in Sierra City above Downieville. Seen guys fishing around there.

Pretty nice on the Yuba. All those gold miners are POed since last summer they got shut down. No dredging in ALL Ca rivers.
They say it stirs up the mercury in the river. His buddy dredged one popular fishing hole and filled a 5 gallon bucket of fisherman lead weights :Shocked:

DR

That's not good. But not surprising either.