Hat Creek

Hat Creek represents the quintessential chess game of spring creek fly fishing for wary trout. It bubbles out of the numerous aquifers near Mt Lassen and runs clear and cold throughout the season, providing ample habitat for a variety of different aquatic insects, including stoneflies, caddisflies, and multiple mayfly species. The shallow, easily waded riffles and long glass-smooth flats of Hat Creek offer ideal holding water for the stream’s resident rainbow and brown trout, and it is perfectly suited to fly fishing.

Hat Creek is one of the longest spring creeks in California, and is generally broken up into two main sections. Upper Hat Creek runs for over thirty miles from its headwaters in Lassen State Park downstream towards the small community of Cassel. Much of this section of river runs through private land, but there are several sections that are well stocked throughout the season and a popular family camping and fishing spot. The Wild Trout Section is the lower 3.2 miles of Hat Creek flowing from the PowerHouse #2 to Lake Britton and is the home of the best fly fishing water.

Seasons

Hat Creek opens to fishing on the last Saturday in April and remains open through November 15.

• May and June are generally considered the “prime time” months on Hat Creek because of the incredible diversity of insect hatches that take place during these two months, including salmonflies, golden stoneflies, little yellow stoneflies, Pale Morning Duns, Green Drakes, and a few different sizes of caddis. Dry fly opportunities abound, while nymphing the riffles will produce trout during the few lulls between hatches.
  
• July and August have some good Trico hatches in the mornings, and caddis every evening, though midday fishing can be slow. Anglers targeting Hat Creek in the midsummer months generally focus on the hatches that occur early in the day, taking midday siestas or heading over to the nearby Pit River to high-stick the oxygenated pocket water before heading back to Hat Creek for the evening rise.
  
• The Fall Season on Hat Creek is a favorite time of year on the creek for locals. Other North State Rivers get most of the attention and angling traffic, so it’s not uncommon to have Hat Creek to yourself to enjoy the morning Trico Hatches and afternoon Blue-winged olive hatches.

Click here for more detailed information on the seasons to fish Hat Creek

Fly Fishing on Hat Creek

The section on Hat Creek from Powerhouse #2 down to Lake Britton provides an array of quintessential fly fishing water; it is where the serious fly fishermen spend their time. This section of river is 3.2 miles long, all of which is designated as Wild Trout water with Trophy Trout restrictions.

The Wild Trout section of Hat Creek begins at Powerhouse #2, where the creek cascades down a long riffle before tapering off into the deep weedy water below. This riffle is probably one of the most popular – and productive – portions of water in the entire state. Every day of the season there are likely to be several anglers working the riffle. Despite this constant pressure, the riffle fishes well throughout the seasons, with dry fly hatches occurring almost every day and great nymph fishing when the fish aren’t rising.

Below the Powerhouse #2 riffle, Hat Creek spreads out and slows down, turning into typical spring creek conditions. The river bottom in this Carbon Flats area is composed of a silty, weed-lined bottom that is perfect for aquatic insects, especially several species of mayflies including Tricos, Baetis, and PMD’s. This is technical, spring creek fishing at its very finest.

Hat Creek changes its nature one more time around the point where it flows under Highway 299. Here it becomes more freestone in nature, consisting of a long series of riffles, pockets, and a few deep pools formed by ledges. Fish frequently hold in the pockets and around the ledges. There is considerably less fishing pressure in this part of the river, and the fishing generally not as technical as in the Carbon Flats area. In addition, the freestone nature of this piece of water, combined with the constant cool flows, makes it ideal conditions for Stoneflies. There are some great Salmonfly hatches in the spring, as well as Little Yellow Stones, several varieties of Caddis, and many Mayflies as well.

The fish in this section of Hat Creek are well-educated – many are said to have PhD’s in deciphering artificial flies – and see a fair amount of pressure throughout the year. Their extreme wariness is what makes them so desirable to anglers wishing to test their spring creek tactics. It takes long leaders, delicate presentations, and matching the hatch precisely to fool these wary rainbow and brown trout. Several of our guides specialize in fly fishing on Hat Creek; their local knowledge and teaching ability make a day on the river an invaluable learning experience.

To make a reservation, please give us a call at 800-669-3474 during business hours any day of the week. We can give you the answers you need or the detailed explanations to questions you might have, or check on guide availability and confirm your guide reservation in minutes.

If you prefer to correspond on-line simply e-mail us at info@adventuresinflyfishing.com and we will respond promptly.