Wading On The Pit River?

[mattv-mcfly]

I'm planning on trying to head up to the Pit River No. 3 for the first time this weekend and I'm wondering what I should expect wet wading/wading wise?
I've heard a lot of warnings: Flows too high! It's dangerous! Unfishable! Safety is my number one priority when fishing and I play it smart when I'm in water that can be potentially hazardous. I've read and heard that the fishing is great up there so dangerous wading isn't even really nescessary. So whats the name of the wading game on the Pit?

Also what is the difference between a sturdy stick on the ground versus an expensive wading staff?

[kylgrn]

Pit is fun, and you're on the right track with the requirement of a wading staff. The difference for me between a stick on the ground and a wading staff (even a cheap one) is that the wading staff can usually compact if needed, and more importantly they have a tether to secure to your waders so you can freely use your hands and not worry about the stick floating off and stranding you.

I found the wading to not be super difficult, what I did find difficult was holding back from wading to all those REALLY enticing spots while fishing alone.

[JasonB]

I don't think that the flows are particularly pushy, it's just that the boulders are very irregular and slick. There just isn't much "normal" streambed wading there, in most places almost every step is awkward and has the potential for a stumble. It's easy to be fooled on your footing and and up slipping or tripping, more so than on your average river but nothing insurmountable. Danger really depends on how much you try to do, I'm extremely conservative on wading in general and I do opt out of more spots on the Pit than I do on most other rivers. Some spots the overhanging trees can make things hard to fish, and beware when making your way through the clumps of razor grass as it kind of hides a lot of deeper spots. Challenging, yes. Worth it? Depends on what you enjoy from your fishing, certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

One thing that I've found that really takes a lot of the challenge and potential stress out of the equation is to wet wade with a PFD on, allows you to rely a lot less on solid footing in many situations thus minimizing the slipping and tripping. The downside to wet wading there is the razor grass, blackberry bushes, and poison oak really dish out a lot more abuse on your legs. There is also some variety in terms of what sorts of issues that you'll deal with, so browse around a bit. As for the rumors, when you hear that the river is "unfishable!" and that "the fishing is great"... well, you do the math.

If you do go, take a thermometer and let us know what the water temps are doing up there. The Pit tends to run kind of warm in general, I'm a bit scared of just how warm the stream temps might get this year.
Good luck,
JB

[Fly Right]

Wet wading is the way to go unless you want to bring home some river in your waders. Caution is needed and plan on getting wet.
Staff, cleated shoes and tough shins will get you rewarded with some pretty nice fish. The PFD suggestion is also a good one.
High sticking a nymph was my method of choice back in the day when I ventured down to the Pit. You probably won't bump into me there anymore......too many birthdays.

[mattv-mcfly]

Thanks for the advice. I'll be extra cautious while I'm out there with the wading and bring a staff. I'm looking forward to seeing what I'm up against and catch a few fish when I get there.

[kylgrn]

Have fun! Let me know if you find my wading staff down there somewhere lol.

[cdevine]

Have fun! Let me know if you find my wading staff down there somewhere lol.

JasonB- Great advice on wading the pit and in general. Common sense and know your strengths and weaknesses well. I've seen people do some crazy things over the years. I'm good at boulder hoping and traversing canyons. In the river I'm much more cautious. I've taken a few swims and life can cross you by quickly. Have fun and be safe.

[EricO]

For sure bring a staff. I've used a Ron Hart's wading staff for years...solid piece of
hickory, I think. Has saved me out of tight situations so many times. You can really lean
into it for support, and you'll need it to plant in front of you because the river
bottom on the Pit (and even walking in the water next to the bank) is as uneven
as it gets. You will laugh, sometimes, of how brutal it can be.

Kiene's should have 'em. Don't bother with a foldable staff..the Pit will tear it to pieces.
You want sturdy.

Oh and wear something over your shins when you wet wade. Otherwise the Pit
will bang 'em up good. Will also protect you better from poison oak, blackberry
bushes etc. I use sliding pads that baseball players use. Gel insert and
fairly comfortable over the knees and shins. I may go to soccer shin guards
at some point.

Have fun and report back. Wet wading will feel awesome. I think you will do well.

EO

[kylgrn]

Don't bother with a foldable staff..the Pit will tear it to pieces.
You want sturdy.

EO

This is so true, I had a folding staff and it literally got torn to pieces to the point where the links wouldn't fit together nicely. This was all done over one trip to the pit river, the thing will literally get wedged between boulders and bend out of shape. Also, don't try to hop along those boulders with the grass on top, very deceiving lol.

[JasonB]

This is so true, I had a folding staff and it literally got torn to pieces to the point where the links wouldn't fit together nicely. This was all done over one trip to the pit river, the thing will literally get wedged between boulders and bend out of shape. Also, don't try to hop along those boulders with the grass on top, very deceiving lol.

Felt that last line needed a little emphasis, can't tell you how many nasty little surprises I've had in the grassy mazes... lol
JB

[Troutsource]

I fished the Pit last weekend (Friday evening through Sunday evening) on stretch 3, 4 and 5 with my brother. Pit 3 is definitely wadeable (as were the other stretches), but your mantra on the Pit should be, "every step counts." You really need to be patient and feel your way with every step and a staff is a must (mine is a hollow telescoping one from Orvis, and it worked fine except for getting wedged between rocks on occasion due to a wide plastic ring around the end of it). The good thing is that, due to the fish density, your hours waded per fish passed is probably not that much lower than most rivers. I would not wet wade -- too many things to scratch you up, especially when getting down to the river, but also as you wade, inch by inch, along and within all sorts of vegetation. Water temps were very warm on Pit 5 (skunked Friday evening and saw no surface feeding), less so on Pit 4, and least so on Pit 3. I caught probably close to 40 fish, mostly high sticking with a brown Pat's Rubberlegs (and a few on a caddis pupa dropper). If you fish this way, you will get many hits that you mistakenly think are obstructions on the bottom (I can't tell you how many times I delayed the hook set and ended up hooking (sometimes foul hooking) a fish anyway). Set your hook any time you think it might be a hit. The only problem is snagging vegetation behind you when your line comes flying out. So what I ended up doing was trying only to jerk my rod back about 4-5 feet, not the rip-lipping 10 feet I normally do. My theory for why it was hard to feel the hits is that the split shot (medium or medium-large) creates a buffer by creating an angle in the line. In hindsight I should have experimented by moving the split shot closer to the fly to reduce the buffer. I always tie a tippet knot where I want the split shot to reside, otherwise it always slides down all the way to the fly. My brother used an indicator and also had good luck, but I think that limits the water you can fish and complicates the casting. I used a 0X leader, which helped horse some of the big boys up to the net from downstream rapids, and also get my fly unsnagged more easily. Bring extra flies because if you fish the bottom like I think you should, you'll lose a bunch. Get weighted flies if you can.

P.S. We had one of our tires slashed while parked along Pit 3 on Sunday afternoon (in a very visible area right along the road), and a PG&E employee told us one of his buddies had all four of his tires slashed that same day. If these morons are still on the loose I'm not sure what the best advice is. Definitely carry a spare, make sure you know how to replace your tire, have a flashlight if you're coming off the water at night, don't get off the water too late or it will be hard to find help if you need it (and there's no phone reception, and who knows if these guys are hoping to set someone up for problems at night), carry camping gear in case you need to spend the night, etc. After we replaced the tire around 7:00 PM I was nervous about parking, so we parked first right near the powerhouse, then secondly we pulled 1/4 mile down a camping road where people were camping and the car was not visible from the road. There are several campgrounds (official and unofficial) that will provide this option. Don't want to kill anyone's buzz, just providing a word of caution.

[EricO]

This is so true, I had a folding staff and it literally got torn to pieces to the point where the links wouldn't fit together nicely. This was all done over one trip to the pit river, the thing will literally get wedged between boulders and bend out of shape. Also, don't try to hop along those boulders with the grass on top, very deceiving lol.

Hey Kylrgn,

The Leki staff I tried years ago bent and ended up losing half of it downstream. My buddy actually goes
to Home Depot and buys a broom handle. Then he drills a hole in the top, put good rope through and
then attaches a carabiner to the rope....super inexpensive and will last for years.

The Tufts, as we call them, are brutal. Useless to try walking on them.

EO

[Pupa]

Additional notes on the Pit (adding to Troutsource's review):

I caught 2 browns (one 18", one 6") on Pit 3 - what a great surprise! That makes 3 total browns on Pit 3 in 5 visits (previous one was very large). Evening dry hatch was fairly lackluster with some caddis and PMD's and sporadic rises. Pit 4 can be crossed in very few places. Warm water on Pit 4 upper 60's. Pit 5 must be pushing 70 in the lower reaches. Pit 3 is cooler maybe low-mid 60's and can be crossed with more frequency depending on the run. Did not fish the early mornings but late mornings were productive. Afternoon action slows a bit and late afternoon/evening is on (nymphing)!

[TyV]

I will add my two cents briefly. JasonB's post is the gospel in my book. I will add this: I have had 2 experiences so far up there on the Pit. The ONLY difference was that I took and used a wading staff the second trip. The first trip I went in a few times, got cut all over by the razor grass and my shins were beat up for a couple of weeks. The second trip with a wading staff...I was slow and methodical with all my steps and used a wading staff. I pushed my wading much more than many would...I was fortunate but didn't have a single dip into the river. I honestly find the hiking close to shore in many spots much more challenging that in the river...if you can believe that. OK, that might be a a toss up lol.

Just go and have a blast. You won't know until you go and check it out. Just take a wading staff...and use it everywhere...and then go slow like you are 20 years older than you are.

Fish ON

[left field]

Agreed about the solid staff. I stopped in a hardware store in Burney and grabbed a broom stick and some paracord. They drilled a hole for me and I was good to go.

The thing about the Pitt is that it beats you up even if you don't take a swim. Wading from one hole to another can take 20 minutes of baby steps. Normally I can spend 12 hours on a river, but after a few days I was cutting my day short and hitting my tent. The access is a bitch and you have to bushwhack to the river more often than not.

Bring more flies than you think you'll need. I was travelling so only had a small box with me. After losing most of my nymphs I was forced to cut dry flies down into reasonable facsimiles of nymphs. They worked.

Great fishing and can't wait to go back.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The Pit River was my favorite trout stream...........

I fished it with dear friends and my brother Dick sense the 1970s.

Some of our Pit River bunch are gone now....Galen Geller, Skip Orr, Neal Hansen.

Now with those higher flows I can't really fish it anymore at 70 years old.

It still has some of the best wild Rainbow trout in the west.

Today I can still think of some of the best moments of my fly fishing life up on the Pit in the fall.

http://www.kiene.com/portfolio-view/pit-river/

.

[EricO]

Fish On, this is the simplest and best advice on the Pit. Well said. Because the times
I've rushed and went too fast, well let's just say my clothes were drying by the campfire
that night. :)

"and then go slow like you are 20 years older than you are."

EO

[kylgrn]

Hey Kylrgn,

The Leki staff I tried years ago bent and ended up losing half of it downstream. My buddy actually goes
to Home Depot and buys a broom handle. Then he drills a hole in the top, put good rope through and
then attaches a carabiner to the rope....super inexpensive and will last for years.

The Tufts, as we call them, are brutal. Useless to try walking on them.

EO

Thanks for the idea! That's brilliant, I'm definitely going to give it a try before buying another wading staff.

[kylgrn]

P.S. We had one of our tires slashed while parked along Pit 3 on Sunday afternoon (in a very visible area right along the road), and a PG&E employee told us one of his buddies had all four of his tires slashed that same day. .

I'll be up there next weekend, I'll be sure to strap the trail camera to a near by tree.

[mattv-mcfly]

Hey ya'll just got back from the Pit, I also spent half the day at Hat Creek for the first time as well.
I fished around Rock Creek access from 9-2 and got into a few. Two over 16'' and a few dinks. The fish seemed to like the smaller nymphs where I was at. Dropper Dark Lords and Coppers Johns where the ticket, no takes on the Rubber Legs. I got fed up catching dinks and fished a Sculpzilla to which I landed a nice 18''+ fish. The water was warm as well. I didn't check it with my thermometer but it felt like at low to mid 60s.
The wading was tough but it was pretty do-able. Honestly I was expecting a lot worse! A wading staff should be a requirement when fish the Pit though. I moved like a blind man and it kept me dry for the most part. The bushwhacking was worse than the wading in my opinion, anything and everything is in your way on the way to the river: trees, thorns, slippery puddles, etc.
There was a PGE truck going up and down the road checking in on people as well as giving them surveys so I felt a lot better leaving my car.

I also fished Hat Creek for the fish time and man is it tough. Nothing was really happening on top until around 8pm. At that time there were hatches of midges, little yellow stoneflies, and PMDs. I was able to get a few fish to rise during the day but I got too excited seeing them come up for it and set the hook too fast. There were no fish landed here today but I had more fun here than I did on the Pit. So frustrating.
The water here is also warm which I thought was odd because aren't spring creeks usually cold? I also found a few dead trout in the water too. Definitely an ill omen on Hat Creek.

[amoeba]

Very good basic information:

The only tip I would add would be shin guards for wet wading; a neutral color that fits.

[Notch]

Fished Pit 3-4 last weekend and it was on fire. Pit 3 was especially good because of the cooler water, which was around 62-64 all weekend. Pit 4 was warming to around 70 and the fish were staging in the bubbles and made fishing a little more tricky, having to use more shot to get the flies down quick in the pocket water. Small flies were out produced bigger flies for me - #18 micro mayfly, #16 pt's, #14 micro goldens stones were all good. Swinging nymphs in the long runs was good in the evening as well as a stimulator/micro may dropper in the pocket water.

The wading was tricky as usual in the high flows. Since the weather was warm we decided to wade/swim most of the time. A roll top bag is essential here, as well as a stiff wading staff and felt/cleats. One benefit to swimming to the other side is often times there's untouched water that people cant get to, especially on Pit 4 where flows were 520 and swimming was the only way to get across. I think a 7mm wetsuit will be my new type of "waders" on the Pit when the water cools off, since it's good for protection on rocks and keeps you warm when having to swim across some of the deep runs. I can't imaging staying dry in my waders on the Pit anymore. Here are few pics from the trip

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/jnotcher/DSCN4224.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/jnotcher/media/DSCN4224.jpg.html)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/jnotcher/DSCN4237.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/jnotcher/media/DSCN4237.jpg.html)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/jnotcher/DSCN4252.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/jnotcher/media/DSCN4252.jpg.html)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/jnotcher/DSCN4260.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/jnotcher/media/DSCN4260.jpg.html)

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b152/jnotcher/DSCN4281.jpg (http://s19.photobucket.com/user/jnotcher/media/DSCN4281.jpg.html)

[EricO]

Wet wading the Pit is the best when it's hot! No big deal if you go down cuz
it's hella refreshing anyways. Man, I can't wait to fish it this summer.

The tail on the last fish is huge! Nice specimens.

Flows of 520 is lame for Pit 4. I used to fish it when it was 250-300 cfs, (as I recall)
before they raised the flows a few years ago. 375 cfs give or take a tad, would be perfect
and way less dangerous. I don't fish it nearly as often as I used to since the flows were raised.
Way less water, imho. A few of my favorite side channels to fish on 4 went sayonara.

Guess I need to start swimming ;)

Cool report Notch.

EO

[baldeagleflyfishing]

I was up there 2 weeks ago and wet waded in my knee high moc's w/ stealth rubber soles and they worked great in that the 1/4" thick leather acted as built in shin guards. Fished mainly pit 4 and largest to hand was 15", but got broke off by 2 big fish on 3x