Thousand Island Lake & Ansel Adams Wilderness
Ansel Adams Wilderness (near Mammoth) · near Mammoth Lakes · Eastern Sierra
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- July–September (snow-free)
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required. Thousand Island Lake and the Ansel Adams Wilderness hold trout in stunning settings beneath the Minarets, reached by backpacking (or a long day-hike) from Agnew Meadows/Reds Meadow (summer shuttle) near Mammoth. Wilderness permit for overnights (quota).
What is here
- Features
- Trout beneath the jagged Minarets · One of the Sierra's most beautiful basins · Brookies in island-studded lakes · Backpack or long day-hike from Mammoth
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Fishing detail
- Water type
- high-sierra
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly · Casting
- Boat
- shore
- Target species
- Brook trout · Rainbow trout · Golden trout (some lakes)
- Intl tip
- License required (permit for overnights, quota). Trout beneath the iconic Minarets — brookies and rainbows rising to small flies in island-studded lakes. Backpack or long day-hike from Agnew Meadows (via the summer Reds Meadow shuttle). July–September. Combine with Mammoth and the Devils Postpile. Stunning scenery, willing fish.
The guide
Thousand Island Lake, its surface dotted with countless rocky islets beneath the serrated spire of Banner Peak, is one of the m…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Thousand Island Lake & Ansel Adams Wilderness — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.725, -119.172