Photo of fisherman on the Stanislaus River, Tuolumne County, CA

Tuolumne County Fishing

Dave's Sierra Fishing


Tuolumne County Fishing

Tuolumne County offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities, from vast foothill reservoirs such as New Melones and Don Pedro to mountain gems like Pinecrest, Beardsley, and Lyons Lake. Forks of the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers flow through Tuolumne County, providing miles of exciting fishing.

Destinations such as the Pinecrest Lake, the Clark Fork, and Kennedy Meadows draw anglers from around the state to their sparkling lakes and streams. Higher in the mountains the vast Emigrant Wilderness offers boundless fishing. Destinations such as Emigrant Lake, Buck Lakes, and Huckleberry Lake are often used as high country fishing base camps. Packers will bring your gear in on mules, and you can walk or ride to your camp.

The main arteries through Tuolumne County's best fishing country are Highway 108 over Sonora Pass and Highway 120, which swings south into Yosemite National Park and crosses the Sierra crest at Tioga Pass. Although a large portion of Yosemite falls within Tuolumne County, fishing destinations within the park are listed separately in this guide under Yosemite.

Photo of Pinecrest Lake, Tuolumne County, California

Pinecrest Lake

Photo of Beardsley Afterbay

Beardsley Reservoir Afterbay

  • Immediately downstream from Beardsley Reservoir
  • Special fishing regulations
Photo of Buck Lakes

Buck Lakes

  • Emigrant Wilderness backpack destination
  • Fabulous fishing along the shores of several lakes
Photo of Camp Lake

Camp Lake

  • Great early season trip in the Emigrant Wilderness
  • Easy trail makes excellent place for children on an overnight adventure
Photo of the Clark Fork

Clark Fork

  • Miles of lively stream fishing with convenient access
  • Camp along the river at nearby campgrounds
Photo of Herring Creek Reservoir

Herring Creek Reservoir

  • Small reservoir easy to fish, great for children
  • Fish Herring Creek for wily brook trout
Photo of Stanislaus River at Kennedy Meadows

Kennedy Meadows

  • Base camp at Kennedy Meadows, fish up and down the Stanislaus River
  • find less-well-known fishing holes on our custom map
Photo of Relief reservoir

Relief Creek and Relief Reservoir

  • Day-hike or backpack to Relief Reservoir
  • Great fishing along the river from Kennedy Meadows to up beyond the reservoir
Photo of Sharon Lake

Sharon Lake

  • A challenging hike from Kennedy Meadows to a remote beauty
  • Include Sharon Lake as part of trip to Kennedy Lake
Photo of Stanislaus River

Stanislaus River - Strawberry to Fraser Flat

  • Great river fishing with easy access
  • Camp at Fraser Flat and fish your way up to Strawberry
Photo of Stanislaus River

Stanislaus River - Pinecrest to Strawberry

  • Fish this lively little stream above Strawberry
  • Challenging pools and riffles, brook and rainbow trout

Kennedy Lake, Tuolumne County, California

Kennedy Lake


Recommended Books, Lures, and Flies for Fishing Tuolumne County




Fishing Near Pinecrest

Pinecrest Lake makes a great base for launching a variety of day fishing outings. The South Fork of the Stanislaus River and the North Fork of the Tuolumne River converge there, providing enjoyable fishing.

Farther out in the surrounding country is Herring Creek to the northeast and Bell Meadow and the Birth Rock country to the southeast. Nearby Strawberry draws a good number of anglers who enjoy testing their luck there in the South Fork of the Stanislaus River. Trailheads at Gianelli Cabin and Crabtree, along Crabtree Road, lead to numerous small lakes with excellent early season fishing. We feature Camp Lake, but there are many others to be explored.

Check current California Department of Fish and Wildlife for any updates to fishing regulations in these waters.

Fishing Pack Trips into the Emigrant Wilderness

Two pack stations near Highway 108 offer pack trips to some of the best fishing locations in the Emigrant Wilderness.

Kennedy Meadows Pack Station

Kennedy Meadows Pack Station is off Highway 108 29 miles east of Pinecrest. The Pack Station offers loop trips past great wilderness lakes such as Emigrant Lake, Huckleberry Lake, Snow Lake and others. An alternative is to be packed into a base camp at one of the best fishing lakes such as Kennedy Lake, Emigrant Lake, or Horse Meadow Base Camp near Bigelow Lake and others. You can choose to hike in yourself or ride. Read all the details at Kennedy Meadows Resort and Packstation.

Aspen Meadow Pack Station

Aspen Meadow Pack Station is near Dodge Ridge Ski Area and Pinecrest Lake. As with other pack stations, Aspen Meadow offers trips where you are dropped off at a designated location or where you keep the packer with you and move from place to place. Among their overnight destinations are Big lake, Cow Meadow Lake, Huckleberry Lake, and Buck Lakes (one of our featured fishing spots). Read all about their pack trips at Aspen Meadow Pack Station.

High Sierra Trails

Rae Lakes, Kings Canyon National Park, California

Rae Lakes, Kings Canyon National Park

High Sierra Trails website logo


Tuolumne County Campground Highlights

Campgrounds are available along the Highway 108 corridor from near Cold Springs all the way up to the popular campgrounds near Kennedy Meadows and out the Clark Fork. While some campgrounds, such as Pinecrest, accept reservations most are first-come, first-served.

California's Best Camping

For complete information about campgrounds in Tuolumne County, see

California's Best Camping website logo

Fishing Supplies

You can pick up fishing supplies on the way up Highway 108 in Sonora or at Mountain Liquors at 18711 Tiffeni Dr. in Twain Harte. At Pinecrest you can get fishing gear at the Pinecrest Sport Shop. On the east side of Sierra stop at Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport.

  • Bass Pro Shop, Manteca.
  • Oakdale Bait and Tackle, Oakdale, on Highway 108/120.
  • Mother Lode Fly Shop, Sonora
  • Big 5 Sporting Goods, Sonora
  • Pinecrest Sports Shop, Pinecrest
  • Dardanelles Resort
  • Kennedy Meadows Resort
  • Ken's Sporting Goods, Bridgeport