Rainbow Trout fishing is available yearround in the stretch from the Foresta Bridge to Lake McClure. However, the limit is 2 trout from November 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in April. The limit switches to 5 trout per day and 10 in possession during the general trout season. Fish ranging from 12-16 inches are common, with fish over 20 inches spicing up catches. Bait, spinners and flies all will work.
German Browns are caught throughout the year, usually by anglers fishing for rainbows. Anglers should note that the Merced from the western I boundary of Yosemite national Park at El Portal down to Forest Bridge is open to fishing year round with only artificial lures with barbless hooks allowed. The limit is 0 rainbow trout and 5 brown trout per day and 10 browns in possession.
Smallmouth Bass action is best when the water warms from June through September. Fish nightcrawlers and crawdads.
Camping is available at the US Forest Service's Dirt Flat and Dry Gulch Campgrounds west of the Foresta Bridge, as well as in three Bureau of Land Management's campgrounds below Briceburg. For camping information call the Sierra National Forest, Mariposa Ranger District, 559-683-4665.
