Perazzo Meadows

[BumbleZ]

I've been going up to an area called Perazzo Meadows on Google Maps about once a week for couple of months now and exploring. I'm assuming the creek that meanders through this area is called Perazzo Creek although it's not really labeled on Google or Cal Topo. The area is full of a small meandering stream that splits and comes back together in a number of places and also dotted with more ponds than I can count. It's a gorgeous area and very hikeable. I've only seen one other person fishing up there in all the trips I've made to the area and that was yesterday.

So, this area is loaded with small fish in the 3 to 5 inch range. I'm fairly new to Northern California and I don't know much about this area but I'm confused by the fact that there are only tiny fish in this area. Is there anyone familiar with this area that can help me understand why?

I really enjoy the scenery and terrain here and the fish are extremely willing to take a dry fly and don't seem to care what kind. There are mostly Brookies in this area, although I've also been catching Cuthroats and the occasionally brown. I've also been working the upper reaches of the Little Truckee from where forest road 0720 crosses it down to where Henness Pass road crosses and am seeing the same conditions.

[Sheepdog8404]

I'd imagine you're going to start seeing a lot more people up there now...

[johnsquires]

I'd imagine you're going to start seeing a lot more people up there now...

For 3-to-5-inch fish? Possible, I suppose, although that would be a sad commentary on the state of fishing in CA.

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

The Perazzo Meadows area does not have any special angling regulations. I believe it is 5-take, any size, and no gear restrictions. The area gets "cropped" early in the season of any decent trout by those looking for table fare. If they ever mandate special regs in the area I'm confident that one will catch larger trout...through-out the season.

Frank R. Pisciotta
www.cyberfly.com
530-587-7333

[eastbayed]

I used to wander up to Perazzo Meadows and fish the Little Truckee River a few times, maybe 20 or 25 years ago. The are only a few spots where there is access, as I recall much of the area is posted. The Little Truckee is probably no more then 10 feet across and the water is not very deep. But the trout loved small dry flies. I could hardly make a cast without having a small fish try to take the fly. I may have caught a fish of 7 or 8 inches from time to time, but most were very small. The stream is very rocky, moving and pristine, but not very deep. I suspect there is some spawning going on up here. But I would guess that any larger fish would head downstream or become a victim to predators. The daytime temperatures can rise.

[BumbleZ]

Thanks for this. I found an interesting report of a study done in the area in 2013 for Trout Unlimited and the Forest service that talks about how they modified the upper meadow to cause more flooding and ponding and then introduced Cuthroats. Now 4 years later, I'm seeing small cuthroats in the area. There are tons of ponds in the upper meadow now. Also the meadows are not posted any longer. You can see where the old stakes are but they have removed the signs. There are also what appears to be old cattle trails in the meadow that are growing over and I don't think they are grazing there any longer. Plenty of access now and some very nice unimproved campsites as well.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We just came out of a big dought in California where many lakes and streams were dried up or way down so it might just be that fact.

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

25-30 years ago the area below the second bridge at the Perazzo Meadows access road was indeed posted & for exclusive use of members of Wilderness Unlimited. There were 4-5 locked gates from there downstream providing access to the meadow for members. From there all the way through the open meadow (several miles) to where the area compressed into a smallish ravine just above the small diversion dam, access was for members only. WU used to have its annual membership meeting there. They'd plant the waters with huge RB brood stock for the event. Those that were not cropped during the event remained there and occasionally surprised anglers in the areas open to the public.

The USFS, not TU, did a million-dollar "plug & pool" project there, guessing 2012-13, re-directing the stream to its natural meander. I assisted a TU-led group when we did a re-location of Brookies upstream out of the proposed project area. The largest trout I ever caught there was a 17" brown. For years one of the degrading factors for habitat was the cattle-grazing...no longer there. The undercut banks were non-existent when the cattle grazed the meadow...having guided there for a couple of WU members.

The talk is that the area may be part of a future LCT re-introduction. Since the "plug& pool" I haven't fished it for several years and was totally unaware that LTC were present as mentioned in a previous post.

A consortium of non-profits is involved in the area...initially involved when Arnold was govenor of California. I anticipate good things to occur...

Frank R. Pisciotta
www.cyberfly.com
530-587-7333

[John Sv]

Hi,
The LAnd Trust I work for owns the lower most 1K acres of Perazzo. I believe Wilderness Unlimited is now USFS, and then it's us, USFS and then the private Ranz and Bickford ranches. I can't find where they stocked Perazzo with LCT, but they stocked the heck out of the Little Truckee with LCT next to the Little Truckee Campgrounds. They also stocked Webber and Lake of the Woods with LCT, and although I can't fathom anything surviving a trip over the falls people usd to claim catching Webber triploids below the falls as well, so who knows. On the Land Trust parcel there is no plug and pond (yet) but it is fishing well for small LCTs. Prettier than a postcard though! The ponds get warm in the summer, fyi...

[wineslob]

I've been going up to an area called Perazzo Meadows on Google Maps about once a week for couple of months now and exploring. I'm assuming the creek that meanders through this area is called Perazzo Creek although it's not really labeled on Google or Cal Topo. The area is full of a small meandering stream that splits and comes back together in a number of places and also dotted with more ponds than I can count. It's a gorgeous area and very hikeable. I've only seen one other person fishing up there in all the trips I've made to the area and that was yesterday.

So, this area is loaded with small fish in the 3 to 5 inch range. I'm fairly new to Northern California and I don't know much about this area but I'm confused by the fact that there are only tiny fish in this area. Is there anyone familiar with this area that can help me understand why?

I really enjoy the scenery and terrain here and the fish are extremely willing to take a dry fly and don't seem to care what kind. There are mostly Brookies in this area, although I've also been catching Cuthroats and the occasionally brown. I've also been working the upper reaches of the Little Truckee from where forest road 0720 crosses it down to where Henness Pass road crosses and am seeing the same conditions.

Keep going farther up and make the left to go to Meadow Lake. Lots of small streams up there, but still mostly small fish and nearly exclusive to Brookies.