Like Yosemite, it has towering granite mountains and spectacular alpine lakes. No restrictions. Notes: Contains Brook Trout, some in the 12-16" range.Kennedy Lake: This is a 45 acre lake at 7,839' ele. You must arm yourself with a good topographical map and a compass to find some of these high country lakes. I never made time to fish these lakes in those early years and as the last decade drew on, storied of fewer fish surfaced. Emigrant Wilderness: Emigrant and Huckleberry lakes. It has a reputation of having large rainbows up to 16". The Pacific Crest Trail pretty much goes around the East edge of Emigrant Wilderness. Iceland Lake: This lake is fishless. Contains Brookies and Rainbows. It remains a beautiful lake with good campsites and a short hike of 1.5 miles from the trailhead.Chewing Gum Lake: Covers 7 acres at 8697' elev., 3.5 miles from trailhead. From the south, the wilderness is accessible from Cherry Lake, along the border with Yosemite National Park. Grouse Lake: 9 acres at 7098' elevation. This wilderness harbors trophy fish for those willing to trek deep into the backcountry. Thus, the Emigrant Wilderness combines the blacks, reds, and grays of basaltic and pumice stone with glacially polished granite vistas. 10 miles from the trailhead. Just north of Yosemite National Park area, it is at the junction of the volcanic formations characteristic of the Sierra to the north and the granite mountains found farther south. Gerrard Consulting. through Nov. 15. No restrictions. All three of these wilderness areas can offer excellent trout fishing, but the Emigrant is the crown jewel for wild trout. Suggested Flies for the Emigrant Wilderness area:Westside Sierra Hatch Selection, Dry Flies:Small Western Green Drake #14-16BWO #16-18Parachute Adams #12Elk Hair Caddis #14-16St. Lewis Lakes: There are three lakes that can be accessed off-trail, each containing Brookies. It also offers alternate routes across Emigrant Wilderness for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. 10 trout in possession. No restrictions. The Fishing The Emigrant Wilderness is extremely beautiful. The last 3 miles being off-trail. Rivers and Streams within Emigrant Wilderness: Last Saturday in Apr. Lakes within Emigrant Wilderness: Open all year. 10 trout in possession. A #10 Dave Davis or Model-T Ford Fender with a ‘crawler behind it can produce astonishing results on these unpressured fish! The section on directions lists my favorite paths, favorite campsites, and GPS coordinates. Limited nutrient sources have also kept the numbers of fish down but the surviving trout have been able to get to large sizes. From the Box Spring trailhead, you can reach the following lakes: Chain Lakes: 5 small lakes less than 7 acres each at 7586' elevation.2.2 miles from the trailhead. 3.7 miles from the trailhead. You will find breathtaking scenery and fresh mountain air. There is a variety of trailheads the angler can use as departure points. Fishing & Boating. The best troutin’ is in the more remote lakes, many located in the southwestern portion of the area. Must go off-trail to reach from Emigrant Meadow Lake.Maxwell Lakes: 34 acres at 8635' elevation, about 21 miles from the trailhead. Native brown trout can be found in Summit, Lily and Horsemeadow Creeks. Contains rainbows.Bigelow Lake: 50 acres at 9589' elevation, 23.5 miles from the trailhead. Emigrant Wilderness: A ProfileROG 16-25 12/2019 The 113,000-acre Emigrant Wilderness is located in the Stanislaus National Forest, on the upper west- ern slope of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range. The routes described below hike straight through the high elevation heart of Emigrant. We saw plenty of fish along this hike, but had little luck catching any. From the Gianelli Cabin trailhead you can access the following areas:Powell Lake: This 7 acre lake used to be known for large Brookies. 108, the Sonora Pass, is about 30 miles out of the town of Sonora. No restrictions. Contains Rainbows, last planted in 2014.Pingree Lake: 40 acres at 8093' elevation. Upper Bucks is 12 miles from the Gianelli trailhead. Karl's Lake: This lake is south of Wood Lake and is fishless.Red Can Lake: 4 acres at 8296' elevation. You can read about my most recent pack trip, to Emigrant Lake, on my blog: www.leehaskin.blogspot.com Unfortunately, the Brookies, although big, are taking over this amazing Rainbow fishery. The lake is nearly 2 miles long with good camping on either end. We deliver the definitive fishing material straight from the experts. Two main acccess routes to the Emigrant Wilderness are from Kennedy Meadows and the Gianelli or Crabtree trailheads out of Cold Springs, off Highway 108. Hikers with strong backs should also consider packing in a small inflatable boat. This lake is fishless. Gold Panning. It gets drawn down during the late summer and fall for hydroelectric power. Ultra-light Krocadiles, Rooster Tails, Mepps and Panther Martins can also be trolled or fan-casted from the bank on almost any of the Emigrant Wilderness Lakes. Does anyone have any recent intel regarding good camp sites, mosquitos, fishing etc. 3 min read. Tuolumne County is a backpacker's paradise. Very poor spawning capability. All Rights Reserved. 11.6 miles from the Gianelli trailhead. Starting Point: Kennedy Meadows. Emigrant Wilderness ~ 6 - 10 August 2007. Taking the Crabtree Trailhead, just south of the Gianelli trailhead, you can reach the following:Camp Lake: 6 acres at 7618' elevation. Fishing. This trip is completely customizable to your wishes, allowing you to see a vast amount of the incredible Emigrant Wilderness! Another 1 mile past Toejam Lake off-trail.Wire Lakes: There are three lakes within this system. Most of the lakes are surrounded by lodgepole pine. 10 trout in possession. Contains both Rainbows and Brookies. Where some spawning has taken place, the trout have been able to subsist. Flies can range from #12 to #18 depending on the size of the indigenous trout. We fished several surrounding Lakes for 7 days and caught over a dozen big browns and rainbows (16-24") having our best luck DEEP within Emigrant Lake. Vrain CaddisKings River Caddis #12-16, Nymph Flies:Pheasant Tail Nymph #12-14Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear #12-14Bird's Nest #12-14Prince Nymph #12-14Kaufmann Golden Stone #6-8Little Yellow Stone Nymph #12-14. Emigrant Wilderness is displayed on the Cooper Peak USGS quad topo map. Contains Brookies. We were surprised how difficult the fishing was and retired our fly rods for spinning reels which could handle heavier/larger 1/2 oz. Lake is 7 acres at 8653' ele. About 13 miles from the trailhead with .5 mile going off-trail. Camping • Eldorado National Forest • Emigrant Wilderness • Family REC • industry news • News and Events • Sierra National Forest • Stanislaus National Forest • Summer recreation Wildfire Restrictions Initiated on BLM-managed public lands Western Sierra. Lakes within Mono County: Last Saturday in Apr. Contains small Rainbows and Brookies but difficult to fish due to the shallow nature of the lakes.Rosasco Lake: 6 acres at 7902' elevation. Ready for some activity? It is amazing we enjoy some of the most pristine country, anywhere, and a horse pack trip is perhaps the best fishing value, for quality trout fishing. There are so many trailheads, lakes, and worthwhile routes, that it would be impossible to name them all. The Cherry Creek, including the East Fork and North Fork, contain small 4-7" Rainbows and Brookies. Take the spur trail from the north end of Emigrant Lake. Emigrant Wilderness ~ 6 - 10 August 2007 This report is divided into creative writing and creative (maybe mundane) information at the end for those interested in directions and review of new equipment. 4.7 miles from trailhead.Granite Lake: Can be reached from Y Meadow Lake, off-trail. Thanks Emigrant Wilderness is in the Reserves category for Tuolumne County in the state of California. We hiked about 25 miles in this area over the course of four days. The Emigrant Wilderness falls within the Stanislaus National Forest.