Hat Creek is a magical place that holds some of the most difficult fish I’ve ever tried to catch. This spring creek is one of the few spring-fed streams in California that is public and easily accessible. Other spring fed streams that come to mind are the Fall River, Yellow Creek, Hot Creek, and the Upper Owens however Hat Creek in my opinion is the best.
Hat Creek is incredibly difficult to fish during the mid-morning and afternoon due to the bright sunlight. Although I could clearly see fish holding in the current they were not interested in my nymphs and if they were to would grab it they would spit in out in less than a second. I learned this trip that the fish hide in the undercuts during the day. As I waded downstream along the bank I stepped into a hole and watched as several decent sized fish swam out of the undercut they were holding in. How would I approach this new found knowledge and would these fish even take?
It’s been a few years since I’ve fished Hat Creek and I was excited to get back on it. The restoration project is still a work in progress however I did notice a significant improvement along the banks as the trees planted have grown a bit. The water seemed a bit higher than usual which is always welcomed as more water means more fish. There were a few slots in the creek that were also much more deeper than I remember which were nice to find.
I had a limited amount of time this trip and decided not to try chase the afternoon Hat Creek “bite.” Instead I waited for the evening Hat Creek hatch. Hat Creek fishes its best from 6pm to last light. As the sun goes down the bugs come up and the trout come out.
The evening hatch on Hat Creek this time of year is typically a mixture of PMDs and caddis. As I observed the water I noticed more PMDs than any other bugs and tied on a size 18 PMD comparadun on a 12ft 5x leader to match the hatch. This was my first chance getting to break in my new Echo River Glass 8ft 5WT that was perfectly suited for a stream like Hat Creek. I was able to rise a few small fish below Powerhouse #2 but they were only about 3” and flew off as soon as I set the hook.
My favorite spot to fish the evening hatch is at Carbon Flats. The PMD hatch started around 8pm and lasted until last light around 9:30pm. I didn’t hook any Hat Creek trophies but was able to rise a few medium sized rainbows. Despite being a bit small these Hat Creek rainbows fought hard.
Prior to fishing the Hat Creek evening hatch I paid a visit to Baum Lake which is always a great place to fish. Trout from the hatchery are released quite frequently into the lake along with a few trophy brooders in addition to wild mega bows that can be found lurking in the depths.
Baum Lake isn’t a difficult lake to figure out how to fly fish; the fish like zebra midges, callibaetis, damselflies, bugger, and scuds patterns. Baum Lake can also produce a decent dry fly bite in the afternoon and a few hours before sunset; just remember to bring both stillwater and stream dry fly patterns such as tricos, PMDs, caddis, and callibaetis. A float tube is critical as the lake has a current similar to a spring creek. It’s also a lot easier to kick through the weedbeds and mud sitting in a float tube than trying to wade through it.
I caught fish throughout the day on Baum Lake and was lucky enough to hook into a couple megabows that ended up being long distance released. I did manage to catch a new personal best rainbow trout that was an absolute chunker. The fish was released to live another day and will definitely put a smile on the next person who manages to haul it in.
