Tenaya Creek Fishing

Yosemite National Park

Tenaya Creek is often overlooked as a fishing destination in Yosemite National Park. Its larger and easier to access neighbor, the Merced River, draws most of the attention, leaving Tenaya Creek to twist its way down the deep canyon between Half Dome and North Dome. Mirror Lake on Tenaya Creek draws many tourists, but a good majority of them never venture much beyond the lake.

Tenaya Creek begins at Tenaya Lake high in Tuolumne Meadows and cascades down a virtually impassable canyon over Pywiack Cascade into the deep valley below Mount Watkins and then begins a more leisurely flow until finally emptying into the Merced River.

The lower 2½-mile portion of the creek offers a variety of fishing from deep, gushing pools to quiet, shaded runs. Farther up, Tenaya Creek becomes a rocky mountain stream and the quality of fishing rapidly deteriorates. Like the Merced River, Tenaya Creek makes a great early season destination.

Tenaya Creek

Nearby Featured Trips around Yosemite:

Crane Creek - a good early season stream in Foresta
Lyell Fork - a fantastic fly fishing river in Tuolumne Meadows
Merced River - in Yosemite Valley with all its wonders
Upper Merced River - fish from Little Yosemite Valley up to Merced Lake, a great backpacking fishing adventure

Mirror Lake

In My Creel

#18 Blue Winged Olive
#16 Zug Bug nymph
#18 Pheasant Tail nymph
#22 gray Midge
#18 Adams
Salmon eggs
Mepps lure

For Fishing Yosemite on Tenaya Creek I took along mostly nymphs and a few small flies. Salmon eggs and a small Mepps lure were my backup.

Recommended Books, Lures, and Flies for Fishing Yosemite

Yosemite Trout Fishing Guide, Charles S. Beck. Steve shows you when, where, and how. For each section of the park covered, you'll learn of its history, hatches, weather, regulations, what fish you can expect and how best to catch them, and much more.
Panther Martin Best of the Best Kit Three of their most popular colors in two of our most popular lure sizes
Fly Fishing Trout Flies | Essential Flies for Trout | Hand-Tied Dry Flies, Nymphs, Streamers 32 of the most proven Trout flies, well-known for their timeless fish-catching effectiveness.
Mepps Plain Lure Assortment Trouter Kit Spinner blades are silver or gold plated, copper, or polished brass.

Tenaya Creek

High Sierra Trails

Lyell Fork, Yosemite

Sierra Fishing Destinations

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Making Your Way to Tenaya Creek

Park in Yosemite Valley. From any shuttle stop in the valley take the free shuttle to stop #17, which will put you within easy walking distance of the Tenaya Bridge. From there you can fish up or down the creek on either side.

Another approach is to go to Lower Pines Campground. Tenaya Creek passes through the campground before spilling into the Merced River. That lower section, however, sees a lot of activity from campers, so I would recommend working your way upstream from the Tenaya Bridge.

Mirror Lake

There are some excellent deep pools just a short distance above the bridge worthy of fishing. Only about a mile up the road from shuttle stop #17 you arrive at Mirror Lake. A lot of tourists will congregate there, making it a less than desirable place for fishing. For fishing purposes, the lake is considered part of Tenaya Creek (not a lake) and may only be fished during the fishing season. A bridge once spanned the creek a short distance downstream from Mirror Lake, but it has been removed.

From the Tenaya Bridge a loop trail passes up either side of Tenaya Creek to a bridge about 1.5 miles farther up the creek from Mirror Lake (2½ miles from the Tenaya Bridge). Most hikers are on the paved road on the north side of Tenaya Creek. Restrooms are found in two places along the road on the north side. The trail on the south side is prettier, but in spring and summer it is too dangerous to try to cross the creek to the north side expect at the bridges. You will find equal access for fishing from either side of Tenaya Creek.

Access to Tenaya Creek for fishing from the trail is obvious in some areas. Other times you may be clambering over deadfall and pushing your way through bushes. I like fishing Tenaya Creek early in the season before the higher elevation creeks have opened up and before the bushes have leafed out. The trout are small and sometimes difficult to catch, making it a place to challenge your skills.

Lodging and Camping

Lodging is available, of course, in Yosemite Valley at Yosemite Lodge, Camp Curry and the Ahwahnee Hotel. Prices at the Ahwahnee Hotel are steep. Wherever you choose to stay, you should make reservations early. Another option is the Wawona Hotel, located 4 miles from the park's southern entrance. You can save money by staying outside the park in nearby El Portal where there are several excellent, large motels or outside the park on either Highways 41 or 120.

Campgrounds abound in Yosemite, but finding an empty campsite is difficult during peak season. About half of Yosemite National Park's campgrounds are on a reservation system. Reservations for them are essential from April through September. The first-come, first-serve campgrounds usually fill up by noon during busy times.

In the valley floor, there is no camping outside the campgrounds. You may not sleep in your car, except in a designated campsite. Other campgrounds are located outside the valley, mostly along the Tioga Pass Road (Highway 120). For backpackers with a wilderness permit there is a Backpackers' Campground where you may spend one night prior to your leaving on your hike the next day.

California's Best Camping

For complete information about campgrounds around Yosemite, see

Fishing Supplies

On your way to Fishing Yosemite on the Merced River or Tenaya Creek you can pick up fishing supplies at

Yosemite Village Sport Shop, Yosemite Valley
Curry Village Mountain Shop, Yosemite Valley
The General Store in Wawona, Tuolumne Meadows or Crane Flat
Yosemite Rivers Fly Shop, Highway 41, Oakhurst
Sportsmen's Den, Highway 41, Oakhurst
Lucky Logger Liquors, 5188 No. Highway 49, Mariposa