I have fished this stream quite a bit. It is fairly good fishing, but there are few large fish. Finding the right spot is key. If you hike a bit, you will find bigger fish. Towards the top of the canyon there are several good holes, but this is also where most people fish. I rarely flyfish this stream as it is very hard to avoid the vegetation. small spinners or tube jigs work well. I talked to a ranger there at silver lake and he told me that you can use bait. That was about 6 years ago though, could have changed since then.
For some quick action for small brookies try the stream above silver lake. there are hundreds in that section. Tiny usually, but they are pretty little guys.