Hat Creek, Pit River

Re-enter The Pit

by Matt

The Pit River has some of the best nymphing fishing in California but it is by far the most physically demanding river I’ve ever fished. You can fish an entire section of water and feel like you’ve waded a mile only to find that you’ve moved a couple yards. Boulder hopping, blind wading, bushwhacking, and endless waves of trout define this river.

Pit 3 Below Lake Britton Dam

Unlike many of the spring-fed rivers and creeks in the surrounding area, the Pit is subjected to warmer water temperatures in the summer which can make fishing for trout too risky for resuscitation. Higher-than-average water temperatures were very prevalent during the four year drought however they haven’t been as much as an issue since the El Nino floods and the decent snowpack we’ve been getting recently. One of the signs along the river I read reported that these fish have adapted to high winter flows and low summer flows therefore biologically these fish are quite hardy and resilient.

Pit 3 is where most of the magic happens on the Pit River. The river
there flows below Lake Britton dam which helps keep the water cool. The river flows through a steep canyon for the first few miles below the dam. There are several turnouts and access points however you’re going to have to hike down to get to them. The canyon starts to flatten out a bit once you make your way down to Rock Creek access. You’ll be spending a lot more time getting around instead of fishing so if you’re looking to get into some quick action definitely hit up Rock Creek access or the river below it.

Took Me Like 15mins To Get To This Spot

My number one advice for anyone who is interested in fishing the Pit is to bring a wading staff. If you don’t bring a wading staff I suggest you bring some extra clothes because you’re going swimming. The Pit is made up of algae covered boulders that are extremely slippery especially the ones that are at an angle or rounded, I don’t recommend putting your foot on those. The river isn’t deep or swift per se it just has a lot of deep holes in it.

Pit River Shasta Bow

Fishing wise this trip was quality over quantity. I hooked more than I landed and didn’t net anything less than 12”. You definitely have to think about how you’re going to land these fish before hooking them because you’re not going to do well trying to fight them in heavy water. These fish appeared to tire fast after a few short bursts and I was able to land most of them by bringing them to the surface while netting them as if I was catching a baseball.

Pit 4 Dam

I did an overnight at Ruling Creek Campground and fished Pit 4 the following morning. I did pretty well while fishing near the campground but noticed that the water was a bit warmer than it was on Pit 3. Not wanting to exhaust any fish to death, I went back to fish Pit 3 for a bit and ended my trip on Hat Creek.

Hat Creek
I continue to keep coming back to Hat Creek despite the hit-and-miss factor if it. Perhaps I truly do enjoy the challenge of this very technical creek. The majority of the day was spent sight-fishing with a hopper dropper. I rose and missed a few fish on the hopper but got several good grabs on the dropper. Later after the sun went down the fish began rising to PMDs then they switched to some sort of emerger or cripple that I couldn’t figure out. The fish on Hat Creek aren’t huge but they are some of the spookiest and smartest trout I’ve ever fished for. Getting a wild Hat Creek trout to eat your fly whether a dry or a nymph is so rewarding.

My First Hat Creek Brown
Yuba River

Yuba Hopper Bite

by Matt

Grasshoppers are a prominent food source for the fish on Lower Yuba during the summer months starting in June. Although considered terrestrial insects that live mostly on land they will often accidentally find themselves in the water from time to time after a hop in the wrong direction. Hoppers are one of the few dries you can have some success with blind-casting on the Lower Yuba during the summer. Hoppers can be both productive and fun to fish when you get the timing just right.

Yuba River Summer Flows

For the past several years now the hopper bite on the Lower Yuba hasn’t been so good. The long drought in addition to the triple digit summer put a real hamper to the hopper population and though they were out there the bite wasn’t red hot. This year is different. Higher flows and slightly milder summer temperatures have helped put hoppers back on the menu.

I try to focus on areas where hoppers are most likely to end up. Structure near the bank such as rocks, trees, or tall grass are excellent ambush spots for trout that are looking up. The real key on the Lower Yuba is to make sure that you are fishing water deep enough for fish to hold. This usually means water that is at least 2-3ft deep or deeper. Seams and riffles that drop off into pools are also great hopper spots on the Lower Yuba.

Hopper To The Face

Though the quality of the trout on the Lower Yuba has been improving, most of the wild trout out there are still pretty small. I’ve been getting into more 12”-14” fish which is a great change from last years 8”-10”ers. The hopper pattern I’ve had the most success with on the Lower Yuba is a size 6 Morrish Foam Hopper; this pattern is very buoyant and produces an excellent silhouette when in the water.

During my outing I scouted a small cranny along the bank that was fenced off by dead willows. The cranny was about 2ft deep and may or may not have held a fish. I splatted my hopper into the current and let it drift a few feet downstream, nothing. I casted again and watched as a silver bow came out of nowhere and grab my hopper. I fought it for a few seconds before the fly popped off. “That was awesome…” I chuckled with a smile. You definitely know you’re having a good day on the Yuba when you hook more fish on top than below.

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