Fishing

No matter your experience level, our fisheries are excellent places to fish for trout in a beautiful location. People new to trout fishing and trout fishing fanatics will delight in what French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoirs have to offer.

Please read this important safety information about fish consumption.

French Meadows a Delight for Expert Anglers

Experienced anglers consider French Meadows among the top trout lakes in the Sierras. At 5,200 feet in elevation, French Meadows is a large reservoir with more than eight miles of shoreline with two easily accessible boat launches.

The submerged river channel and natural contours of the lake provide deep cold-water sanctuary for trout while tree stumps left from the developed reservoir provide the trout plenty of cover.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife annually stocks French Meadows with rainbow and brown trout. The rainbow trout average 12 to 22 inches while trophy brown trout can be caught by more experienced anglers.

Find Large Trout at Hell Hole Reservoir

Hell Hole Reservoir has an easy to access boat ramp and parking area. Hell Hole is magnificent, remote, and rugged. It covers over 1,250 surface acres at 4,700 feet of elevation and is formed by the unspoiled waters of the Rubicon River.

The lake is stocked annually by the Department of Fish & Wildlife with fingerling rainbows, foot-long browns and fingerling Kokanee with a self-sustaining Mackinaw population. The trout at Hell Hole don’t strike as easily as at French Meadows, but their size makes up for it. The reservoir’s Kokanee are a quick catch for the experienced angler, though.