ANGLER’S TOP 10 : If Trout Are Your Game, Here Are the Best Spots in California to Find Them

Hat Creek is the one. The best trout fishing stream in California.

Says who?

Dick May, that’s who.

May is executive director of California Trout, a 2,500-member organization that is largely responsible for California having about 500 miles of streams and half a dozen lakes under wild-trout management.

May, who has fly-fished virtually every blue-ribbon trout stream in the state, was recently asked to rate his 10 favorite California trout waters. He led off with Hat Creek, a quiet little stream about 70 miles east of Redding, on California 299.

Hat Creek, born on the north slopes of Mt. Lassen, 40 miles away, flows north along California 89. After it flows under the highway and through two PG&E; power plants, it becomes a designated wild-trout stream, under special management. The 3 1/2 miles from the No. 2 power plant to where the creek runs into the Pit River constitutes the wild-trout portion.

Hat Creek’s rainbows are persnickety. In 1982, Hat Creek fly fisherman Frank Monzon said: “This is a tough little stream. The trout are very selective. If you aren’t showing them exactly what they want, you won’t do very well here.”

And while you’re at Hat Creek, drop in on No. 2, too. May’s Nos. 1 and 2 are only eight miles apart. Fall River is just up the road, near Fall River Mills.

Not surprisingly, no Southern California waters make May’s top 10. But two in the Eastern Sierra, a familiar region to many Southland trout fishermen, make it--Crowley Lake and the East Walker River, both in Mono County.

Although May estimates that California Trout’s membership is roughly 90% fly fishermen, he says the organization has lure-oriented fishermen, too.

“We’re all interested in wild-trout waters, barbless hooks, catch-and-release fishing, that sort of thing,” he said. “We’re affiliated with about 50 local fishing clubs and rod and gun clubs throughout the state. We see ourselves as a constituency group for federal and state fisheries management professionals (biologists) who want to do a good job of managing wild-trout and steelhead resources in California.”

May’s No. 1, Hat Creek, was the first working model of a wild-trout fishery in California. In effect, it gave birth to the state’s Wild Trout Program, which requires the Department of Fish and Game to recommend to the Fish and Game Commission each year 25 miles of streams and one lake for inclusion in the Wild Trout program.

Here are the top 10, with May’s comments:

1. Hat Creek, Shasta County. “This is a classic fly-fishing stream akin to the great chalk streams of Europe, in appearance and richness of its food chain. There actually are chalk banks on part of Hat Creek’s streamsides. It provides for an extremely rich food chain for trout. Before the construction of power plants on the Pit River and the completion of Shasta Dam, Hat Creek was a major spawning area for chinook salmon and probably steelhead. Hat Creek became an early, instant success in the early days of the Wild Trout Program. In some months, it’s pretty crowded.”

Location: Hat Creek flows under Highway 299, about 70 miles east of Redding. Regulations: Limit of two fish a day, barbless flies and lures only, 18-inch minimum size. Trout: Ample numbers of rainbows up to two pounds, some browns up to six pounds. Biologists netted an 18-pound brown 10 years ago.

2. Fall River, Shasta County. “This stream barely makes my list because of one negative--you have to fish it from a canoe or a skiff, which isn’t my bag. But I rate it just behind Hat Creek because of the positives--it’s one of the most beautiful streams in the state, it’s a rich trout resource and it’s simply a wonderful place to fish.

“There are a lot of cottonwoods, aspen and poplars along the shores. In the fall, it’s beautiful. Cal Trout has provided the only public access to the river--the riparian land on both sides is on private property. We had to go to court in the mid-’70s to have the river declared a public, navigable waterway. Our access gate is at the Island of Road Bridge.”

Location: About eight miles from Hat Creek, alongside County A20, at the town of Fall River Mills. Regulations: Two fish, barbless flies and lures, 14-inch maximum size. Trout: Almost exclusively rainbows, up to three pounds. Consistently larger rainbows than Hat Creek. Occasional browns.

3. McCloud River, Siskiyou and Shasta counties. “The appeal of the McCloud is its uniqueness--you feel you’re fishing a High Sierra Nevada runoff stream because it’s heavily forested, but it’s actually at a relatively low elevation. Also, it’s a spring-fed stream yet it still seems like a Sierra runoff stream. The McCloud is located in that transition zone between the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada. It’s unique in almost every way. The area of the river under wild-trout management is downstream from McCloud Reservoir.”

Location: Near the towns of Dunsmuir (Interstate 5) and McCloud (State 89). Regulations: Two fish, barbless flies and lures, no size restrictions. Trout: Resident rainbows mostly one to two pounds, some to five. Some migrating browns.

4. Upper Sacramento River, Shasta County. “This is the fishery I call my Freeway Wilderness. There’s something about catching a five-pound wild trout a rock-throw away from a freeway in the biggest state in America that appeals to me.

“I’m talking about a wilderness experience with the sound of diesel trucks going by, right above you. If you’re lucky, you’ll also hear a Southern Pacific train go by. The locomotive might even get your back cast.

“There aren’t a lot of freeway exits off Interstate 5 between Dunsmuir and (the town of) Mount Shasta, but if you do a little exploring, you’ll find some wonderful, quiet places to catch some big trout. And with some ingenuity, you can find a nice quiet pool and have it to yourself all day. I’m talking about 20 miles of streamwater, most of which is not under wild-trout management.”

Location: Between I-5 the towns of Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta. Regulations: Ten fish for most areas. Trout: Mostly rainbows, some migrating browns. Chance of a five-pound rainbow in most areas.

5. Truckee River, Nevada County. “This is another freeway wilderness stream, right off Interstate 80. The Truckee River is a very underrated river. It has great potential. It’s one of the newest waters to come into the Wild Trout Program.

“There are 12 non-contiguous miles of wild-trout water, starting roughly at the town of Truckee and running downstream under two bridges and eventually to the mouth of Gray Creek. If you do some exploring along the Truckee, you can find some very attractive places to fish. June through August is the best time, when the runoff volume is down. At some times of the year, you can wade across the Truckee. At other times, you’d drown.”

Location: Interstate 80, from Truckee east to mouth of Gray Creek. Regulations: Vary on several Truckee segments; consult state fishing regulations. Trout: Browns, rainbows.

6. Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park. “Lassen is one of America’s least visited national parks, and that’s why a lot of us like to fish there. It’s quiet, pretty and there’s a lot of wildlife to watch. I’ve seen a bald eagle snatch a spawning rainbow out of the mouth of Manzanita Creek. There are good Park Service camping facilities there.

“Manzanita is only a 50-acre lake, but the fishing is excellent. The shore fishing is good, but I like to use an inner tube. I use all kinds of flies there, including streamers. Most days, there’s some mid-day insect activity on the lake that presents you with dry fly opportunities. I’ve been there when rainbows were jumping on caddis flies, all over the lake.

“I never caught the 10-pound trout in New Zealand everyone said I would when I went there, but in a few years I expect to catch one at Manzanita. It has great potential.”

Location: North entrance of Lassen National Park, 45 miles east of Redding. Regulations: Two fish, 12-inch maximum, barbless flies and lures only. Manzanita Creek is a fully protected spawning stream--closed to fishing. Trout: Equal mix of rainbows, browns.

7. Heenan Lake, Alpine County. “One thing I enjoy about Heenan is just watching young kids learning to fish, and watching 26-inch cutthroat trout yank the lures off their lines. Heenan is a 100-acre, zero-kill cutthroat brood-stock lake owned by the Department of Fish and Game. You can fish from boats or shores.

“It’s a great place to take a young person, to show him the joys of catch-and-release fishing. A skilled fly fisherman can catch obscene numbers of fish in one day. I’ve caught 21-, 22-inch cutthroats there. Wet flies will work in any color, as long as they’re black. Cutthroats are dumb, easy to catch.”

Location: Near Markleeville, off State 89. Regulations: Zero-kill, barbless flies and lures only. Lake open Friday-Sunday from Friday before Labor Day through last Sunday in October. Trout: Lahontan cutthroats.

8. Yellow Creek, Plumas County. “There are 12 miles of Yellow Creek under wild-trout management, but 2 1/2 miles of it run through a meadow. The rest of it is billy goat country, strictly a young man’s game.

“The meadow is called Humbug Meadow and it’s owned by PG&E;, which provides full public access. It’s a small stream, but it grows very large fish. It’s mostly browns and a few stray rainbows. The browns get to six pounds and some locals have caught them to nine.

“The challenge I like at Yellow is that it’s exposed and the fish are spooky. You need to stalk them, like game. And the brown trout in Yellow are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen anywhere--a golden brown with dark, vermilion red markings. The spotting is outrageous. In fact, a lot of people who’ve caught them there go home and tell people they caught brook trout in Yellow, but they’re really browns.”

Location: Near Chester. Regulations (apply only to meadow area): Two fish, barbless flies and lures only, 16-inch minimum size. Trout: Mostly browns.

9. Crowley Lake, Mono County. “Crowley’s new fly-fishing season is a whole new world. The lake is so big it’s virtually unexplored territory for fly fishermen. The fishing is outstanding near the mouth of the Upper Owens River, but there are others. The fly-fishing brotherhood is really just learning what’s going on there in September and October.

“The rainbows are plentiful, big and in prime condition. Many of them are hatchery fish, but there’re a lot of wild ones, too, that spawned in the Upper Owens River. A lot of guys there use tubes, and the popular flies are streamers, midges and caddis.”

Location: Off U.S. 395, near Mammoth Lakes. Regulations: Special fly-fishing season is Aug. 1 through Oct. 31, two fish, 18-inch minimum size, barbless flies and lures.

10. East Walker River, Mono County. “The East Walker isn’t the prettiest trout stream in the state, but it’s one of the toughest to fish, so that’s why it makes the list. It’s a real challenge. The East Walker separates men from boys.

“You need to know how to use streamer flies effectively to do well here, how to probe the depths of the river. It’s brushy, so you’ll get hung up and lose some flies. The streamer is the most effective fly on the river, except during the October caddis fly hatch.

“At times, lures are particularly effective. The East Walker is a historic river in California wild-trout management. It was the first stream in California to have a minimum size limit.”

Location: Downstream from Bridgeport Reservoir dam, near Bridgeport. Wild-trout section runs four miles, from dam to Nevada line. Regulations: Two fish, 14-inch minimum size, barbless flies and lures only. Trout: Browns.