See every public fishing venue in California on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Tule River Middle Fork is a public river in Tulare County, California, managed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can fish it on a California sport fishing licence — plus a Steelhead Report Card to fish for steelhead, or a Bay-Delta Enhancement Stamp on the Delta. California’s navigable rivers carry a public right to the bed and banks below the ordinary high-water line. Central Valley and Klamath King salmon seasons are set each year and have closed entirely in recent seasons, and many Sierra streams run a last-Saturday-in-April to 15 November season with Wild Trout catch-and-release reaches. Public access confirmed via CDFW water.
A Sierra Nevada trout stream — wild and stocked rainbow, brown and brook trout in cold snowmelt water; the general season on many streams runs the last Saturday in April to 15 November, with year-round and Wild Trout / catch-and-release reaches marked in the regulations.
It runs roughly 2 miles through the Sierra Nevada region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are North Fork Tule River and South Fork Tule River.
Species from CDFW's fish-planting schedule, the CDFW High Mountain Lakes survey (Sierra alpine lakes) and, for the marquee reservoirs and rivers, hand research and PiscaMaps profiles.
Night fishing: California has no blanket night-fishing closure — catfish, bass and striper anglers fish through the night on many lakes and the Delta. Trout streams and a number of specific waters restrict fishing to the period one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset; check the district rules in the California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations.
Boats: California rivers are drift-boat and raft water (the lower Sacramento, Trinity, Klamath, Feather especially) or bank-fished; a mussel inspection may apply where a river feeds a reservoir.
Bank & bivvy camping: The Sierra, Cascade and Coast Range river corridors run largely through National Forest -- dispersed camping is allowed on most of that ground with a California Campfire Permit, plus Forest Service and state-park campgrounds along the major rivers.
Tackle: The general trout limit is 5 in most of the Sierra, dropping to 2 or catch-and-release on Wild Trout, Heritage Trout and many Eastern Sierra waters, with a last-Sat-in-April to 15 November season on many streams (year-round on others). Central Valley and Klamath King salmon seasons are set annually and have closed entirely in recent years. Check the California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations for the district.
Anyone 16 or older needs a California sport fishing licence — the resident annual is about $62 (one of the most expensive in the country), the non-resident annual about $167, with 1-day (~$20) and 2-day (~$31) options; the annual licence now runs 12 months from the date of purchase. Add-ons: a Bay-Delta Enhancement Stamp (~$7) to fish the Delta and Suisun/San Pablo bays, a Steelhead Report Card (~$10) to fish for steelhead, a Second-Rod Validation (~$19) where two rods are allowed, and a free sturgeon report card. Youth under 16 fish free. Buy from CDFW at wildlife.ca.gov. A California sport fishing licence covers this water — it is on CDFW's fish-planting schedule.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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