May Lake, located in Yosemite High Country, offers large, plentiful brook trout in addition to stunning vistas and easy access. It is a must-fish, particularly for novice anglers looking to score some easy trout.
May Lake is small, not usually mentioned in most fishing books or guides of Yosemite National Park. However, it offers consistently excellent fishing at all times of day, which makes the low amount of fishing pressure baffling.
There is a 1.2 mile hike to the lake from the parking lot, which is steep and dusty. This alone discourages many families from hiking up. Those that do usually forgo fishing equipment and instead opt to bring a camera or swimming gear up to the lake.
Upon reaching the small lake there is a granite cliff that extends into the water on the left side. This area is your best bet during the morning and afternoons, as the cliff allows easy access to a steep drop off populated by hundreds of fish.
A mid-sized brook trout caught on the fly rod.
My 11-year-old sister and I managed to catch six trout in under an hour with white Power Eggs during the middle of the day. However, you have to use an extremely long leader to avoid the weeds that line the bottom of the lake. I fished a standard sliding egg sinker rig with a 3-4 foot long leader. The longer you can make the leader, the more success you will have.
The lake changes in the evening, and fishermen have to change with it to continue enjoying success. The fish rise off the bottom and begin feeding off the plentiful bugs on the surface. At this point, the sliding egg sinker rig stops working.
Small flies become the weapon of choice. I used a #20 Parachute Adams and by casting directly to the hungry fish, was able to catch the three biggest trout of the trip during this time. Kastmasters are occasionally effective, but you have a better chance if you use a fly rod, or even a fly/bubble combination.
You'll notice the fish here are larger than the average high-sierra trout — in the 10-12 inch class on average. This is in part due to the huge amount of insects, which include mosquitoes. If you choose not to bring insect repellent, be sure to cover every inch of exposed skin with mosquito netting or long sleeves. During evening the mosquitoes are relentless, and can ruin an otherwise pleasant fishing expedition.
May Lake is one of Yosemite's gems, boasting gorgeous views in addition to great fishing in a unique setting. Stop by with a fly rod in the evening or a spinning rod in the afternoon, and see it for yourself.
Equipment and Catch Summary:
- Eagle Claw telescopic spinning rod spooled with four-pound test
- Sliding egg sinker rig (egg sinker, swivel and #8 baitholder hook)
- White Power Eggs
- Three-weight Reddington Classic Trout fly rod with 6x leader
- 6 trout; afternoon (white Power Eggs)
- 3 trout; evening (#20 Parachute Adams)
- 7 trout (4 = Kai Oda, 3 = Craig Oda); morning (white Power Eggs)
Location Total: 16 trout
Trip total: 39 trout
During the day the trout go deep, but the fishing is still excellent!
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