Suggested Flies for Jennie Lakes Wilderness area:
West Sierra Hatch Selection

Other Local Favorites:

Dry Flies:
Parachute Adams #16-18
Olive Caddis #16-18
St. Vrain Caddis #14
CDC Cripple #12-14
Kings River Caddis #12-16
Orange Stimulator #8-10

Nymph Flies:
Pheasant Tail Nymph #12-14
Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear #14-18
Prince Nymph #14-16
Bird’s Nest #14-18
Copper John #12-14
Fox Poopah #12-14
Kaufmann Golden Stone #10-12
Zebra Midge #16-18

Directions:

From Fresno, take Hwy 180 east for 54 miles into Kings Canyon National Park to the junction with the Generals Highway. Turn right and proceed on Generals Hwy. 6.4 miles to Big Meadows Road. Turn left and drive 3.5 miles to the Big Meadows Trailhead parking lot.

Notes:

Jennie Lakes Wilderness is 10,556 acres and was established in 1984 under the California Wilderness Act. It is unique to the Sierra as a wilderness area that is not part of the Sierra crest but rather an island designated as wilderness at a mid-elevation on the western slope. Jennie Lakes Wilderness is situated north of Sequoia National Park and west of King Canyon National Park. There is separate portion of Kings Canyon National Park just to the west of Jennie Lakes Wilderness. The area is bisected by the Boulder Creek canyon that is over 1000′ deep. The eastern side of the wilderness is a high plateau of meadows and the western portion is dominated by Shell Mountain at an elevation of 9,594′. Six lakes reside within the wilderness, Jennie Lake is the largest and Weaver Lake is a popular swimming/fishing lake only 3.25 miles from the Big Meadow trailhead. There are three trailheads providing access to the wilderness: Big Meadow, Rowell, and Stony Creek.

Taking the Big Meadow trailhead, you can reach,
Weaver Lake: (8707′ elevation). A shallow lake only 3.25 miles from the trailhead. Best fishing is late Spring and Early Fall. The lake warms up during the summer and is used primarily for swimming. Currently stocked with Brookies. Rainbows were planted here until 1992 and there are some that continue to survive. Contains Rainbows, mostly 7-9 inches, and Brookies, mostly 8-10″.

Jennie Lake: (9,012′ elevation). From Weaver Lake it is 8.7 miles to Jennie going through Rowell Meadow and JO Pass. Stocked with Rainbows. Contains Brookies up to 11″ and Rainbows up to 14″.

From the Stony Creek trailhead,
Stony Creek: Stocked with rainbows around the campground from May to July. The water gets quite thin by August and the fish move down below the campground. Contains Rainbows 6-8 inches.

The Rowell Creek Trailhead can give you access to a number of lakes within the South Fork Sugarloaf Creek drainage of Kings Canyon National Park,
Seville Lake: (8,408′ elevation) 5.4 miles from the trailhead. Contains Brookies up to 12″.
Lost Lake: (9,197′ elevation), From Seville Lake, Lost Lake is a mile southeast but a steep ridge separates the two lakes. The trail from Seville makes a loop around the ridge with a distance of 3.5 miles from Seville. Lost contains Brookies, up to 12″.
Ranger Lake: (9,193′ elevation), From Seville Lake, Ranger Lake is 4.4 miles along the trail. This lake was supported by aerial drops of fingerlings up to 1986. Spawning was unsuccessful due to the outlet creek going dry. Fishless.
Beville Lake: (9,142′ elevation). This is just a quarter mile from Ranger Lake to the southeast. Beville may be fishless but may just have very low densities of fish.
Going over Silliman Pass, you go from Kings Canyon National Park to Sequoia National Park. Both parks are managed as a unit called SEKI. The first lake you encounter is Twin Lakes.
Twin Lakes: (9,400′ elevation). About 12 miles from the Rowell Trailhead. The two lakes have had a good population of Brookies for over 80 years, up to 12″.

The Wolverton Trailhead will take you to the following lakes, a 12 mile roundtrip:
Heather Lake: (9275′ elevation) 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Contains Brookies, 7-9 inches.
Emerald Lake: (9225′ elevation) 4.3 miles from the trailhead, follow the outlet stream a tenth mile up to the lake. Contains Brookies 7-9 inches.
Aster Lake: (9110′ elevation) 4.3 miles from the trailhead, follow the Emerald Lake outlet stream down 2 tenths mile to the lake. Contains Brookies 7-9 inches.
Pear Lake: (9550′ elevation) 6 miles from the trailhead. Contains Brookies 7-9 inches.

Fishing Regulations

Jennie Lake:

Open all year. No restrictions. 5 trout per day. 10 trout in possession.

Other Rivers and Streams:

From the last Saturday in April through November 15, five trout daily bag limit, 10 trout in possession; and, from November 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in April, 0 trout bag limit, artificial lures with barbless hooks only and trout must be released unharmed and not removed from the water.

Other Lakes within this area:

Open all year. No restrictions. 5 trout per day. 10 trout in possession.