Hat Creek

[Randy B]

What's happened to the weed growth in Hat Creek and where did all the suckerfish come from? Is there a relationship between the lack of weeds and what seems like an increased suckerfish population?

I'm not a fisheries biologist, nor am I obviously a rocket scientist, but my wondering mind wants to know.

[Xnjb707X]

What section of the creek were you at?

[Randy B]

Between Power House 2 and the 299 bridge. Is it just too early in the year for weed growth? There were plenty of weeds that had been cleaned out of the flume water prior to going down into the power house.

[Rick J]

Hat Creek is a very sad thing to me - I have not fished it for maybe the last 10 years or more. I first fished in in the early/mid 70's and it was a truly pristine fishery with heavy weed beds down around Carbon and it was totally unwadable! That made it one of the toughest spring creeks I have ever had the pleasure to fish! Can't recall exactly when but a big storm blew out a portion of the bank up by the power house and dumped tons of silt into the creek and it has not been the same since - after that you could wade almost anywhere at Carbon which made it much easier to fish but it lost much of its charm and challenge so I have looked elsewhere for my spring creek fishing

[Cal]

The Hat Creek Wild Trout Section has undergone a number of devastating events in the last 20 years. Stream bank damage by invasive non-native muskrats has widened the stream bed and introduced huge amounts of silt into the system. Secondly, there is a massive sediment plume of reputedly volcanic origin moving through the creek which smothered most of the vegetation in the upper 2 miles of the stream (the volcanic origin will be verified by professional geologists). This plume of streaky gray sludge is easily viewed from the 299 bridge at the picnic area.

Read Chip O'Brien's article from a couple of months ago in California Fly Fisher for a more extensive description of the issues facing the creek. One positive outcome of Chip's article is that it looks like Cal Trout will take an active role in reassembling the Hat Creek Restoration Advisory Committee and that a restoration plan will be developed.

[Scott V]

How did a non-native muskrat get introduced and when?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Back in the 1970s there were some wonderful trout fisheries that have really gone down hill.

One was the Wild Trout stretch of Hat Creek from Power House #2 downstream to the Lake Britton rough fish barrier dam.

This was a world class wild trout fisheries that was famous for kicking people buts.

Lots of hatches and lots of feeding fish.

Like several mentioned you could not really wade it much because it was so deep, now it has filled in.

On any Saturday in the summer the parking lot at the Power House #2 was filled with vehicles with many people fly fishing from there down stream for miles.

It was never easy but was always challenging.

With Fall River fishing well in that area back then thousands of fly fishers drove up Interstate 5 to go to these wonderful fisheries.

Back then Burney was a hopping place for fly fishers.

Back then Nor Cal was so good that no one ever drove south down 395 to fish like they do today.

[egabelr]

It is still early. Weeds will come back as the weather warms even though not to the density they were in decades past. I heard that the muskrat problem was a result of escaped muskrats from a "fur farm" somebody had. Not the best idea.

I like to fish Hat Creek in late May through June and then in October.

[Cal]

I like to fish Hat Creek in late May through June and then in October.

What, and miss the best July & August sucker fishing west of the Mississippi ?

Last year when I walked the entire length of the Wild Trout section I saw a school of at least 100 3-8 lb suckers at Carbon Bridge flat tailing in 2 ft of silt-choked water. Probably good practice water for bonefishing, at least something to do until effective restoration is completed. Don't forget your 8 wt !

Suckers, squawfish and other rough fish wash down from Baum lake through the Hat 2 Power House. DF&G plants trout for angler harvest in the flume immediately above Hat 2, so you see more and more Eagle Lake strain hatchery fish in the Hat Wild Trout Section (they can be identified because they have a more gray coloration and many have a spot pattern that extends all the way to their belly). Jim Adams (Adam's Books & Angling, Berkeley, CA) who was a biologist for PG&E at the time the Wild Trout Section was set up told me that to simulate fish mortality they used to put 24" 2 x 4's through the Hat 2 power house and they came through without a scratch.

Muskrats (no muskrat-like mammal is native to Northern California) escaped and allegedly were released from the Rat Farm near Big Lake which is also near one of the boat access points to the Tule R/Fall R. They have since spread through the entire watershed of Fall R, Pit R and Hat Creek. Steve Vaughn, owner of Vaughn's Sporting Goods in Burney said that a rancher upstream of Cassel had a trapper remove a years worth of muskrats from his 1/2 mile of stream last year and that the total was about 200 lbs, probably enough to make a nice comforter or small area rug.

Ideal muskrat habitat is marshland, which is what they are making Hat Creek.

[Ralph]

Bill-
Nor Cal still has amazing fishing though I admit to dreaming of the "golden days" of trout fishing.

Remember when Martis was the state's first Wild Trout Lake that went toe to toe with Hebgen for big gulpers? What a place!! Now it is the cesspool for Northstar and Lahontan development.

Then again there have been some success stories. I remember fishing for small, but spunky rainbow in Putah and snagging diapers and condoms. Now you can catch some big fish amid the diapers. Does anyone use condoms anymore?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Ralph

Martis Creek Reservoir was really popular back then with great hatches and big fish.

[Randy B]

I learned to fly fish on the trophy trout section about 15 years ago and even then it was an great fishery - weedy, tons of fish, and difficult to wade unless on your tip-toes.

I'm embarrased to say that I didn't notice the decline of this fishery until last weekend...hit me all at once and like a ton of bricks. I'm glad to hear there is at last talk about efforts to restore it through this Hat Creek Restoration Advisory Committee.

Can't even imagine how good it must have been back in the old days when Bill would drive his horse and buggy up there to fish.

[BobVP]

"Can't even imagine how good it must have been back in the old days when Bill would drive his horse and buggy up there to fish."

What? Bill got a horse? I thought he had to pull the buggy himself...up hill both ways.

I also remember Hat from just a few years back...10 or so...as being "better" than it was last year, but I will admit I still enjoy fishing Carbon late in the day, late in the year. That is the place I have caught my largest (and friskiest) trout to date on a dry. I will make a least one trip there again later this year but I will mix it in with the Pit and Fall and another stream I remember if I can remember where to turn off!

[BIGBROWN]

I just got back from a weekend in Shasta. I fished the conservancy on the McCloud on Saturday which was awesome. The flows were perfect and all the rainbows I handled were firm healthy fish, it was really a memorable day. This morning I stopped by hat creek this morning in the hope to throw some dries having nymphed the entire day on the McCloud, I was blown away by what I saw. I hadn't fished there in three years, but the river was a shadow of itself from how I had remembered it. the only weed growth remaining seemedto be in the powerhouse two riffle, I walked about a mile and a half down stream from the parking lot stopping every couple hundred yards to look for sippers or surface breaches and saw only one rise in three and a half hours. The bank erosion from whichever critter has infested the meadow has gotten ten times worse, and the weed beds in the flats have vanished. I may not have fished it in a couple years, but for quite a while it was my go to early season destination, as it tends to be unaffected by runoff, unlike some of my other favorite north state streams. The weed beds were there when I made my made the early season trips only a few years ago, I just don't understand what has happened, but someone should be writing about the state of this stream pronto. it really is sad.

[Ralph]

The TU dam was built to exclude coarse fish from competing with the trout. Since the creek is now filled with coarse fish why not pull the boards? The river bed gravel would spill into the depths of Lake Britton and the back cutting action would re-channelize the creek all the way to the PH riffles. Some flushing flows from PG&E would speed the process.

Once the creek reaches stasis, rebuild the dam, electrofish and net out as many coarse fish as possible and go on a muskrat trapping campaign. In vulnerable portions, the river bank can be armored from muskrats and wading humans. A footbridge at the top of PH riffles and another by Lemonade would prevent a lot of wading that takes place simply to cross the creek.

Make parking limited (with a couple of handicap zones) and provide overflow parking about 1/3 mile away. MUCH of the erosion is being caused by anglers tromping into and out of the creek. Even a short walk will keep the crowds down.

[Rifflerat]

I was there at Pit 2 Wednsday and the river critters seemed to be everywhere.