Getting There

To reach Shamrock Lake, get to Highway 120 at the east end of Yosemite National Park, either from Tuolumne Meadows or from Lee Vining, California. Take Saddlebag Road, which is signed, and follow it uphill over a road that is partly paved and partly improved dirt road. Once you arrive at Saddlebag Lake, you have the luxury of a store, bait shop, restaurant, and keeper of the t-shirt that becomes yours if you get the Sierra slam in the 20 Lakes Loop.

The Hike

To reach Shamrock Lake, follow the trail from the drop-off point of the Saddlebag Lake ferry northward, past Steelhead Lake. Continue right on the trail, past a couple of small ponds until you reach Shamrock Lake. The hike is very easy with only a short amount of uphill hiking near the ferry drop off point. Once you reach Steelhead Lake on the left, the trail is generally flat all the way to Shamrock. There are plenty of places to set up camp all around the lake.

The Fishing

Shamrock Lake is a good lake to fish and camp at. Shamrock Lake offers great views of the high Sierra and is, more often than not, simply passed over by hikers and anglers alike as there are better destinations to visit in the 20 Lakes Loop.

Shamrock Lake produces steady action for small, pan-sized Brookies. They can be selective sometimes but a small hares ear or pheasant tail should bring in a few. Most of the time we spent at Shamrock was spent sight casting to visible fish, which were everywhere. I used black and brown ants as well as some birds nests on our outing. We watched the Brookies come up and take a look at our presentations but many turned away at the last moment. Steve usually brings the hardware, spinners and Kastmasters, when he and I go together but this time he chose to do more photography around this lake instead of fishing. My suggestion is to stick with the small nymphs and midges and you should have some fun. Not likely that there are any trophies in this lake so don't get your hopes up. A better shot at a trophy sized fish can be found at Odell, Saddlebag or possibly Greenstone Lake.