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?