This outing is exclusively intended for currently registered Level 1 students in the GGACC's "Learn to Fly Fish" (LTFF) program. There will be two sessions of 10 openings for a total of 20 fishing spots.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLEND DUE TO HIGH WATER AND CAMPGROUND AVAILABILITY
Cost: $200 / person
Overview
This trip offers fly fishing for several trout species in two pristine high alpine settings. Each day includes up to 2-4 miles of day-hiking at 9,000 - 10,000 feet. Please only sign up for this event if you are in shape to hike up to 4 miles a day at high elevation.
This year we have a guide, Steve Slater from Lost Coast Outfitters, to lead both the mentors and students on to certain stretches of the following small alpine streams or possibly other streams in the area that he knows well. Unlike the LTFF fishouts you've been on recently, this event re-introduces club mentors to allow us to break into smaller groups and spread out on the water each day. We have a great group of LTFF alumni and club members with experience on this watershed to help you and show you strategies and skills for this water. Between the the club mentors and Steve there will be a wealth of Yosemite knowledge at your disposal.
Itinerary
- Wednesday: Drive to the Lee Vining area, camping at the Aspen campground
- Thursday: Group 1 will fish the Lyell fork
- Friday: Group 1 will fish the Dana fork
- Saturday: Group 2 will fish the Lyell fork
- Sunday: Group 2 will fish the Dana fork. If leaving Sunday (ill advised), leave by 2pm.
- Monday: Return home.
Those fishing in group 1 are encouraged to stay in a neighboring campground for the weekend, but are asked to not fish the same locations that the group 2 students will fish. In the pre-fishout meeting, we will suggest alternative local fishing spots.
A daily meeting point and time will be set before the fish-out to meet-up with the guide and mentors.
Tuolumne's Lyell Fork
At 9,000 feet, this stream starts at Lyell Glacier and only drops 500 feet in 10 miles. This provides a gentle stream that meanders through meadows and granite pools for a truly unique experience.
To get there from Tuolumne Meadows, we'll hike along the Dana Fork for about 1.5 miles until we arrive at the Lyell Fork. Here the meadow stream is waist deep and wide, offering dry fly fishing along the banks to Brown Trout. Traveling farther upstream, you move into Brookie and Rainbow territory, arriving at several large and shallow granite pools the size of small ponds. It's a great place to spot fish in clear water and practice gentle overhead casting. Traveling slightly further upstream, you pass through endless granite channels and pools mixed in with more meadows, with each section both memorable and unique.
Most of these wild trout are in the 6-9 inch range, but a handful of fish are caught each year in the 18 inch range. Larger fish require more stealth and finesse, while the less spooky smaller trout will attack dry flies readily, often with acrobatic displays.
Students will use overhead casts in meadow sections and practice roll casts in areas with trees. We'll use mostly small dry fly patterns with thin mono tippet (5x - 6x), but you may want to nymph the deeper holes. Come prepared for both dry fly fishing and indicator nymphing.
Tuolumne's Dana Fork
Similar to the Lyell Fork, the Dana Fork is a small mountain stream that meanders through meadows at 9,500 ft. elevation. This stream follows along Hwy 120, meaning slightly less hiking and easier access. There are many fish to be caught on a fly along this 2-mile long stream since each hole seems to have an endless supply of wild trout.
Students will primarily use overhead and roll casts. Again, we'll mostly use attractor dry fly patterns with thin tippet (5x-6x), but we may resort to indicator nymph fishing if the dries aren't working.
Registration fee includes:
Other Student costs:
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Yosemite National Park entrance fee of $30, good for 7 days. Annual pass is $80. Carpooling helps save on this cost.
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Guide gratuity
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Possible additional campground fees, depending on whether we are successful in finding an open campsite in any of the nearby campgrounds. (NOTE: In general, campsites in the Tuolumne Meadows / Yosemite area CANNOT be reserved in advance.)
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Lodging costs for motels, condos, or other vacation rentals available in the area. Students are encouraged to look into the many rental options in the Mammoth Lakes / Mammoth Mountain Ski Area about 1 hour south of Tuolumne Meadows.
Accommodations:
We will be camping at a campground to be determined, most likely the Aspen campground. There are a number of campgrounds near Lee Vining that are not reservable, so we will have an advance party head up a day earlier to secure the campground and send out a note for the location.
There are hotels and RV parks, but they are reserved very early.
Carpooling
There is limited parking available at the campground. Students (and mentors) will need to carpool to ensure we are not over our limit. Please plan accordingly
Gear Needed: (not a complete packing list):
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Don't forget your CA 2023 fishing license
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Bring (or plan to buy) your own breakfast, dinner, coffee, and snacks for each day.
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Camping equipment (e.g., tent, sleeping bag and pad, cooking equipment, etc) if you plan to look for an available campsite in any of the nearby campgrounds
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Headlamp and extra batteries, especially useful at night in camp
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Small backpack, large sling pack, or vest with a large back pocket to carry lunch, water, packable rain jacket, etc.
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Water bottle(s) or water bladder large enough to carry a full day of water (1.5 - 3 liters); or a filter system to replenish a smaller water bottle.
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Fly fishing gear (3-5 wt rod, a couple 4X or 5X mono leaders, 5X - 6X mono tippet, nippers, forceps, fly box with additional flies, net optional). No split shot or indicators will be needed.
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Dry fly floatants - flies need to be floating high on the water surface all day. It's virtually imperative to have BOTH the liquid (gel) silicone and desiccant "dry shake" versions.
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Sun protection (hat, sunscreen, neck buff)
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Wet wading shoes like Chacos or Tevas. Or wading boots with neoprene guard socks. Unless you just prefer to, there's very likely no need for wearing waders on this trip, which will be a little more difficult to hike in.
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Mandatory items: wading staff (or hiking sticks), polarized sunglasses.
Eating
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We strongly encourage a group dinners Thursday and Saturday nights. Getting to know your fellow students and everyone on the trip is part of the experience. We will discuss this over email and in the pre-outing zoom call. Options could include making a taco salad at camp or a group visit to Lee Vining to eat there.
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In Lee Vining options are available at Woah Nellie Deli (in the Mobil Gas Mart), right at the junction of Hwys.120 and 395, should you end up camping in the area and would rather not cook your own dinners. For a gas station mart, this is remarkably good food. The deli is open 7am - 9pm.
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Other dining options are available in the Mono Lake area (Lee Vining) and further south in the Mammoth Lakes area; however they're sure to be more expensive.
Registration fee of $200.00 is non-refundable. It does not cover your travel costs, motels (if you decide not to camp), food (except lunch), or other sundries. Online payment of registration fee must be made within 15 minutes of starting the registration steps and your registration is not completed until notice shows of email confirmation sent.
Cancellation Policy: There are no refunds. In the event that a student is, for any reason, unable to attend, he/she may resell his slot (rod) to another LTFF member (by first pulling from the waitlist if one exists). It is the sole responsibility of the student to manage this transaction.
For further information, contact: Fish-out Leader: Charles Marsh (senor.charles@gmail.com).