Saddlebag Creek / Highway 120

Saddleback Creek

Road condition:   Paved       

Region: Tioga Pass / Highway 120 / outside the Yosemite Park entrance

Description: Saddlebag Creek is a small 2.75 mile, open water creek that follows the road to Saddlebag Lake and campground

Species: Planted Rainbow trout and small wild Brook trout closer to the lake

Closest town or supplies:

Contacts: Lee Vining Chamber of Commerce (info@leevining.com; Visiting Mono Lake www.monolake.org/visiting/; Mono Lake Visitor Center (http://www.monolake.org/monomap/vc.htm

Nearest campground: Saddlebag Lake Campground and Junction Campground

Fishing Tips:  Utilize stealth and a low profile before you cast upstream.

Favorite lures or bait: Use small lures such as Kastmasters, Daredevils and Panther-Martins.  Bring smaller lures, but have a variety of color combinations to entice both shallow and deep cruising trout. (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Lures and Bait)

Favorite fly patterns: Fly & Bubble technique with small nymphs such as Hare’s Ear, Zug Bug, Bead-Head Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail or a Tellico Shrimp.  (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Fly Patterns and Techniques)

Stocking information: 2,000 + annually

Nearby fishing: Saddlebag Lake, Twenty Lakes Basin, Ellery Lake, Gardisky Lake, Tioga Lake

Additional information:

Directions: From the junction of Highway 120 and Highway 395 just outside Lee Vining, take Highway 120 approximately eleven miles to the Saddlebag Lake Road on the right. Look for parking spots along the creek.