High Sierra Trout Fishing Near Mono Hot Springs, Northern California
Nearly Endless Rainbow, Brown, Brook, and Golden Trout
The Mono Hot Springs area is a trout fishing paradise, surrounded by mountain lakes, small streams, and cold, clear water throughout California’s High Sierra. Tucked deep in the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite and Kings Canyon, it gives anglers the chance to fish for rainbow, brown, brook, and golden trout across hundreds of square miles of surrounding wilderness.
For those of us who love the quiet sound of small mountain creeks, this is a special place. Every bend and pool offers something new to explore, and many of the more remote streams see relatively little fishing pressure.
Below are some of our favorite trout fishing spots near Mono Hot Springs, from easy drive-to lakes and river access to quieter backcountry waters.
2026 Season starts May 22 to October 26
Where to Fish
South Fork of the San Joaquin River
You can start fishing right next to Mono Hot Springs Resort on the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. The resort sits deep on the west slope of the High Sierra, between Yosemite and Kings Canyon, and is home to one of Northern California’s most remote natural hot springs accessible by car.
During the main fishing season, this stretch of river is often stocked with rainbow trout. Size can vary depending on what’s available from the hatchery, but anglers commonly catch trout around nine or ten inches, with the occasional fish reaching twelve inches or more.
From the bridge over the San Joaquin, trout tend to spread out through the river, so it’s worth exploring a mile or two upstream or downstream past the campground. You may also run into a larger rainbow that carried over from the previous season.
Mono Creek and the Diversion Dam
From Mono Hot Springs Resort, drive north on Edison Lake Road about 2.9 miles to Mono Creek Campground, where you’ll find the diversion dam and a small lake. It’s one of the easier fishing spots to reach by car, and during the summer, the lake is often stocked with rainbow trout.
This spot also has a little High Sierra history built into it. The Mono Creek Diversion Dam was built in the 1920s as part of the Big Creek hydroelectric project that helped bring power to Southern California. You can still see the giant siphon pipe running near the bridge across the San Joaquin River and up the slope toward Ward Tunnel. Later, Edison Lake Dam was built to store spring snowmelt, helping keep water available through the summer, even in dry years.
Mono Creek itself is a beautiful stream that flows out of Edison Lake and down toward the diversion dam. Rainbow trout from the lake often work their way up the creek, so there’s more water to explore than just the small lake by the campground.
Just keep an eye on the flow while you’re fishing. Water is released from Edison Lake, and at times, Mono Creek can rise when more water is let out for power. If you notice the water coming up, step out of the streambed and give yourself plenty of room.
Below the dam, there’s also a small creek that runs into the South Fork of the San Joaquin about a mile and a half downriver from Mono Hot Springs. The fishing can be good here, especially for brown trout, but they spook easily. Sneak up slowly, stay quiet, and consider catch and release so this peaceful stretch keeps fishing well for everyone.
Edison Lake and Vermilion Valley Resort
From Mono Creek Campground, you can keep driving another 1.6 miles to Edison Lake. You’ll come to the southeast end of the lake, where the road crosses the top of the dam and makes it easy to walk down to the shore.
Fishing can be excellent here, especially early in the morning along the dam. Rainbow trout are a common target around the lake, and you can also fish Mono Creek where it flows out of Edison Lake below the dam. That gives you a nice mix of lake fishing, creek fishing, and shoreline spots to explore in one stop.
From Edison Lake Dam, it’s a short drive to Vermilion Valley Resort on the western end of the lake. If you continue past the resort into the campground area, there’s a parking area where you can walk down to the water and fish from the shore.
This is a good next stop after Mono Creek because it gives you more room to spread out, more shoreline to explore, and another beautiful High Sierra lake to add to your fishing day.
Cold Creek Fishing
From the campground area near Vermilion Valley Resort on Edison Lake, you can walk about a mile and a half along the shoreline to where Cold Creek flows into the lake. That inlet can be a great place to fish, especially where the colder creek water comes into Edison Lake.
From there, you can work your way up Cold Creek for about a mile. The fishing can be excellent, especially for brown trout, and the creek gives you more of that quiet, small stream fishing the High Sierra is known for.
Cold Creek also has some interesting local history. Before Edison Lake was built, this area was part of Vermilion Valley, where Mono Creek wound through open meadow. Longtime visitors remember it as one of the area’s great trout fishing spots, with meadow water that was sometimes compared to the best trout fishing in Montana.
Today, Cold Creek is still one of the better places near Edison Lake to find good stream fishing. It takes a little walking and exploring, but for anglers who like brown trout and quieter water, it’s worth the effort.
Ferry and Boat Options at Edison Lake
When ferry service is available at Vermilion Valley Resort, you can ride across Edison Lake to the upper end of the lake and fish Mono Creek near the headwaters. The fishing can be good up there, especially in September when the brown trout are more active in the fall.
You can ride across in the morning, pack a lunch, and make a full day of it. That gives you time to walk a few miles up Mono Creek, fish along the way, and come back later in the day.
If you’d rather have more flexibility, you can also check with the resort about boat rentals and return whenever you’re ready.
Devil’s Bathtub and Graveyard Lakes
Devil’s Bathtub, not to be confused with Devil’s Bathtub in Yosemite, is a beautiful high-alpine lake at about 9,200 feet. It’s one of the sources of Cold Creek, which has some of the best fishing in the area. The trailhead is about half a mile past the Vermilion Valley Resort campground.
The trail crosses Cold Creek, and you can find good fishing there too. Cold Creek, both above and below the Devil’s Bathtub Trail, can be excellent for brown trout. They spook easily, though, so you’ll want to move slowly and stay quiet. Don’t just walk right up to a pool. Sneak in carefully, keep a low profile, and flip your fly in before the fish see you. Once brown trout spot you, they’re usually gone for a while.
The last part of the hike to Devil’s Bathtub is fairly steep and stays under forest cover, so you don’t get many big views until you reach the lake. Once you do, the view opens up to 11,520-foot Graveyard Peak, with a bowl of rugged summits to the northeast that resemble old tombstones.
The Graveyard Lakes, sitting around 10,000 feet just below the tree line, are also excellent High Sierra trout fishing lakes. They’re reached from a separate trailhead that starts a little farther up the path than the Devil’s Bathtub trailhead from Vermilion Valley Resort.
Onion Meadows and Cold Beer Meadows
For anglers who want a more adventurous trip, there’s another road that leads northwest from Vermilion Valley Resort toward Onion Meadows. It’s a high-clearance Four Wheel Drive road, so this isn’t a casual drive. But if you’re prepared for it, there’s a small stream in Onion Meadows that can offer very good fishing.
If you continue a little past Onion Springs, the area turns into wilderness, following the trace of an old road that once led about six miles down to Cold Beer Meadows, Rock Creek, and a few other small creeks. Years ago, you could drive farther back into this area. Now, you’ll need to hike.
It’s a good trek, but that’s part of why the fishing has stayed strong. For determined anglers who don’t mind putting in the effort, Onion Meadows, Cold Beer Meadows, Rock Creek, and the surrounding small creeks can still offer the kind of quiet backcountry fishing that’s hard to find closer to the road.
Ward Lake and Florence Lake
Two more drive-to fishing spots near Mono Hot Springs are Ward Lake and Florence Lake. From the resort, cross the San Joaquin River and head back toward Kaiser Pass Road. At the junction, about 1.9 miles from Mono Hot Springs, turn left/east toward Florence Lake.
Ward Lake is the first lake you’ll reach, about 3.6 miles east of the junction. It’s a natural High Sierra lake tucked into a dramatic granite basin, with the road running right alongside the shoreline. There are campgrounds nearby, a trail around the lake, and regular trout stocking during the summer months, making it a reliable and easy place to fish.
It’s also a beautiful place to slow down and take in the scenery. Eagles are often seen perched in the tall trees between the road and the lake, and if you’re lucky, you may watch one sweep down over the water and pull a trout from the surface. At 7,375 feet, with granite walls, clear mountain air, and calm water, Ward Lake is also a great spot for kayaking.
After Ward Lake, the road to Florence Lake becomes even more dramatic, cut into a steep granite cliff with wide-open views toward the headwaters of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. As you drive, you may notice a distinctive brown mark on the mountain across the river to the north. Once you spot it, it becomes a helpful landmark for getting your bearings around Jackass Meadows, the Jackass Dyke, and the Florence Lake basin.
Jackass Meadows and Blaney Meadow
About 2.1 miles past Ward Lake, just before you reach Florence Lake, you can turn left toward Jackass Meadows. This is where the South Fork of the San Joaquin River flows out of Florence Lake and winds through broad, open meadows.
The area is beautiful, peaceful, and popular for both camping and fishing. The outflow from Florence Lake is regularly stocked with trout during the main fishing season, and rainbow trout are commonly found around the campground area. Farther downstream, about a mile or so below the campground, brown trout become more common.
Not far past the turnoff to Jackass Meadows, you’ll reach Florence Lake itself. Sitting at about 7,200 feet, Florence Lake is a rugged and striking High Sierra trout lake, surrounded by granite, boulders, and mountain views. One of its most recognizable features is Mt. Shinn, a pyramid-shaped peak rising to 11,013 feet above the lake.
Portal Forebay
Portal Forebay is another High Sierra trout fishing spot you can easily drive to from Mono Hot Springs. It’s a small 20-acre lake about 4.5 miles from the resort along Kaiser Pass Road, the same road you came in on.
The lake helps supply water to the Portal Powerhouse near Huntington Lake, but for anglers, it’s best known as an easy-to-reach trout fishing spot with a more open shoreline. It’s often stocked with trout during the summer, and it’s one of the better places in the area for kids to fish because there’s a nice sandy beach around the lake.
From Portal Forebay, you can also hike down to the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. It’s about a mile and a half to the river, where the fishing can be good for brown trout. Just keep in mind that the trail is steep, especially on the climb back out.
Corbett Lake and Givens Lake
A couple of miles east of Portal Forebay on Kaiser Pass Road, near Bosillo Campground and the High Sierra Ranger Station, you’ll find the trailhead to Corbett Lake. From the 7,400-foot trailhead, it’s about a three-mile hike to Corbett Lake, which sits at roughly 9,070 feet.
About a mile into the hike, the trail climbs through old-growth forest and a steep set of switchbacks, gaining about 800 feet. As you get higher, you’ll start to see views of Devil’s Tower, Lake Edison, Devil’s Bathtub, and Mary’s Mountain behind Mono Hot Springs Resort.
Corbett Lake has good brook trout fishing. If you want to keep going, Givens Lake is another three-quarters of a mile higher through open granite country.
Before heading out, you can stop at the High Sierra Ranger Station for current trail information, fire permit questions, or other local updates. Just make sure you get your California fishing license before you come up the mountain, since they aren’t available at the ranger station or Mono Hot Springs Resort.
Best Times to Fish Near Mono Hot Springs
Fishing around Mono Hot Springs changes throughout the season as snow melts, water levels shift, and higher-elevation lakes and trails open up.
Late Spring and Early Summer
In late spring and early summer, rivers and creeks may be running high and fast from snowmelt. Lakes and slower stretches of water can be better choices until the runoff begins to settle.
Summer
Summer brings the easiest access to most lakes, campgrounds, trails, and fishing areas. Stocked waters are often a good choice for families and casual anglers, while early mornings and evenings tend to be the most comfortable times to fish on warmer days.
Early Fall
Early fall has its own appeal, with cooler weather, fewer visitors, and good opportunities for brown trout. September can be especially rewarding around creeks, inlets, outlets, and other quieter stretches of water.
Licenses, Regulations, and Stocking
Before you fish near Mono Hot Springs, make sure you have a valid California fishing license if you need one. Anglers age 16 and older generally need a California sport fishing license, and it’s best to buy it before you come up the mountain.
You’ll also want to check the current California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations before your trip. Rules can vary by lake, creek, river, season, fish species, size limit, bag limit, and gear restrictions.
Some nearby waters are stocked with trout during the summer, but stocking schedules can change. If you’re planning your trip around stocked trout, check the current fish planting schedule before you head out.
One important local note: fishing licenses aren’t available at Mono Hot Springs Resort or the Forest Service ranger station, so take care of that before driving up Kaiser Pass Road.
One important local note: fishing licenses aren’t available at Mono Hot Springs Resort or the Forest Service ranger station, so take care of that before driving up Kaiser Pass Road.
Gear to Bring
A little planning makes fishing around Mono Hot Springs much easier, especially if you’ll be driving between lakes or hiking into smaller streams.
For most fishing days, bring:
If you’re heading to Cold Creek, Devil’s Bathtub, Corbett Lake, Givens Lake, or Graveyard Lakes, keep your gear light. The hiking can be steep in places, and the weather can change quickly in the High Sierra.
Fishing Tips
The easiest place to start is the South Fork of the San Joaquin River near Mono Hot Springs Resort. From there, you can branch out to Mono Creek, Edison Lake, Ward Lake, Florence Lake, Portal Forebay, Cold Creek, and nearby alpine lakes.
A few things to keep in mind:
Start close to the resort
The South Fork of the San Joaquin is the easiest first stop, especially for families or casual fishing.
Try the easier lakes with kids
Portal Forebay and Ward Lake are good options because they’re easier to reach and have more open shoreline.
Move slowly on small streams
Brown trout spook easily, especially in clear water. Stay low, stay quiet, and don’t walk right up to a pool before you cast.
Fish the inlets and outlets
On lakes, trout often hold where colder creek water comes in or where water flows out.
Go early or late in summer
Morning and evening are often better than the middle of the day, especially when the weather is warm.
Give yourself time
Some of the best spots take a little walking, so don’t rush the fishing or the hike back.
Pack out what you bring in
Fishing line, wrappers, bait containers, and trash should all come back with you.