Headed to Fresno

[lcpl.allan]

Well, the day has come that I will be leaving the Sacramento area and heading to Fresno permenantly for work. I'll be just a touch bit closer to the Sierra's and looking for any information about fishing locations in the area down there. And if anyone is willing to share the super secret squirlle locations over PM I'm more than happy to go check on them and make sure that they're still super secret and getting trolled by some young punks.
Thanks in advance all. Hope to meet some folks living down in the Fresno area in the future.


Cheers

[Sammy]

research the kings river for sure

[BillB]

As Sammy says . . . and don't leave out any part of it. That would be from the Sierra to well past Lemoore.

[Jay Murakoshi]

I'm not a trout fishermen but I'm close (25 min.) to the lower kings river and the sierra's. I will get a hold of my buddy and he can tell you more about the area and the Seqouia's for the goldens.

Jay

Don't count on any fly shops being in Fresno

[lcpl.allan]

Thanks guys. I've been doing some research about areas to fish and found a couple that appear to be good. But as with any fishing locations, with out going there or getting reports from people you never know if it's worth a darn.

I've been looking around for a fly shop somewhere close, but unfortunately haven't found anything. My girlfriend's great grandfather is Buz Buszek so I was excited to find that out. But then saddened to find out the folks they sold the shop to closed their doors.

Anyways guys, I'm looking forwards to getting to explore the Sierras down there and share some reports and pictures.

[Cruzin4Metalheads]

I went to school down there some time ago, but still remember a few places. Will pm with you with a few specifics on the best options, but some you will want to check out will be the kings, kaweah, kern, merced and a few others.

[jim p]

Been fishing the area for about 22 years. There are plenty of options for all seasons in the area. The lower Kings in the winter is good. About a half hour drive depending on what side of the city you're on.

Summer and fall you'll want to get out of the valley heat. Numerous Sierra streams starting about at about an hour out of town and then increasing as you go up into the mountains. Lots of stocked water and several wild trout waters too.

Willow, Rock, Dinky, Tamarack, Rancheria, San Joaquin, Granite, Big Creek,... The list can go on and on. These places can get crowded but just like most places a little walk and... . The special places aren't listed here, PM me when you're settled

The biggest help for me when I moved here was to get a Sierra National Forest map. I would open it up and just start bluelining. You'll be amazed at what some of the creeks hold.

There are lakes ranging from the Valley floor to alpine. You'll have access to Wilderness Areas and other locations for day hikes or overnighters.

Also, when Tioga Pass opens Mammoth area (Owens, Hot, Rush, etc. are about 3.5 hours drive. I do several over the hill trips (day or weekend) in the summer.

Please tread lightly. And, if you get to some of the special places, please put'em back. Your care will help to offset the hordes that don't care.

The only place to get fly fishing supplies is Herb Bauers but over the years the fly fishing part of the store has become smaller and smaller. To the point that what Jay said, don't expect much. It was a tragedy when Buz's closed.

[BillB]

Darn small world don't you know. I knew Buz when I was in high school (right across the street from the "shop" which was a garage!) and his son-in-law the late Micky Powell. There was a Buz's in Bako for a while. Not sure it's still there.

As everyone says there are a multitude of places to fish. Outside of the Kings there are not many large fish to play with, and no steelhead, but massive opportunities.

[epzamora]

Fresno can be a decent location. half an hour away is the lower kings, good for winter fishing. 2-3 hours' drive can get you to the central coast or the high sierra. kings canyon, sequoia, yosemite, all offer some action. and like jim said, grab a sierra forest map and start bluelining. there are stripers at san luis and the forebay. heck, there's the aqueduct if you're willing to try something different

yes, no fly shop here, but herb bauers has a fly department which should service most of your general needs. there's also yosemite waters fly shop in oakhurst and if you hit the more northern sierra, just off 99 in modesto is the sierra fly anglers fly shop. and for cheap flies in fresno, you can swing by fisherman's warehouse.

eric
fresno, ca.

[lcpl.allan]

Thanks for the info all. I'll be relocating to Fresno in mid June, so my trips aren't too far off yet. I'm still out in Oklahoma City right now training.
I was very excited to find out that my girlfriend is the great granddaughter of Buz, and then very sad to find out that the folks that bought the shop ended up closing down. It could have turned out very good in my favor had they still been open.
I'll be looking forward to sharing some of my trips with everyone here. And, as always I'll be treading lightly and only keeping the pictures of the beauties I put back. I'm a firm believer in catch and release. I only keep what I'll eat that night when camping.
As always, you guys are a wealth of info and I hope to meet some of you locals and hopefully throwing some flies with ya.