Written by: Greg Hocevar
It’s no monster, but this Yosemite brook trout displays amazing colors.
Photo by photo courtesy Greg Hocevar
People generally don’t think of Yosemite National Park as a fly-fishing destination. They think of its sheer granite cliffs—Half Dome and El Capitan—the waterfalls, Yosemite Valley, and the High Sierra. At some point during my time fly fishing, my thinking and perspective has gone from catching as many fish as I can, to catching the biggest fish I can, to catching fish in the most beautiful places in the world. Well, the hantavirus didn’t stop a long-time friend and me from taking our annual backpacking trip to Yosemite.
This particular brookie jewel was caught and released on Bridalveil Creek on the southwestern rim of Yosemite Valley. The creek is very skinny, with extremely skittish wild trout. It was the perfect opportunity for me to use my 6-foot 1wt Orvis Superfine Touch. It has enough backbone that I could make a lengthy cast without being right on the fish, but is also delicate enough to lay down a size 18 Yellow Sally as if it had just been blown out of the air onto the water.