The Pit River is a difficult river to wade, which limits its popularity. Those who take up the challenge are rewarded by large wild rainbow trout.

The 30 miles of the Pit below Lake Britton are divided by hydro projects into five individual reaches, each defined by a dam at the upper end and a powerhouse and reservoir at the downstream end. Between each dam and powerhouse on the Three, Four, and Five reaches are 7 to 13 miles of fishable water. Controlled releases of 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the dams create ideal tailwater conditions--constant flows, good clarity, and stable temperatures--that produce the tremendous food-rich environment typical of great fisheries. The Pit's reputation as a great fishery centers around these upper three reaches.

A fisheries biologist I know has called the Pit the finest naturally-occuring wild-trout river in California, and many anglers who fish there agree. They have discovered that no river in northeast California has the catch rate of the Pit. In the Three Reach, where the average fish is 14 inches, the catch rate for experienced anglers approaches four fish per hour. Nymphing anglers are most effective, but dry-fly anglers also do well. Evening dry-fly fishers frequently catch 15 to 20 trout in an hour. The big news, however, is that refined nymphing techniques have made it possible to catch fish throughout the day and in the river's long pools.

The Pit is a river where you can hone the skills needed to fish freestone streams. It's a river where you can use dry flies, nymphs, even sinking-tip and sinking lines. It's also the place to develop good wading skills. An angler at home on the Pit will be at home on any freestoner in the world. Most other rivers will seem easy compared to the Pit, particularly in the wading.

Through its course the Pit has every type of freestone water except classic gravely riffles. It lacks the gravel and cobbles necessary for those riffles, and that's where the challenge lies. The Pit is difficult to wade. If it were as easy to wade as the Madison or the Frying Pan or the Sacramento, it would be beset with anglers every day of the season. Wading limits its popularity.

The Pit has few flat spots. It should be called the Big Boulder River, a name that more accurately captures the river's true nature and evokes an image of a bright cascading freestoner that holds fine populations of native rainbows. The Pit's boulders discourage many anglers. After only one or two trips into the canyon, scrambling around the rocks, bruising their shins, catching few fish, they decide it's easier to drive (an hour away) to the Upper Sacramento or the McCloud, where the wading is straightforward and where roads, railroad tracks, and trails afford good access. But like the Pit's famous spring-creek tributaries--Hat Creek and Fall River--the Pit reveals its secrets only to those who are patient--those who put in the days, the seasons, it takes to master the fishery and the wading skills.

Wading Basics
On the face of it, wading the Pit is a simple matter. It requires the proper gear: sturdy felt-sole wading boots and a wading staff--a good tall, stout one or a metal ski pole. Leave the fancy collapsible at home. The Pit destroys them. Tie a length of strong cord around the shaft just below the grip. Tie the other end to the ring on the back of your vest or waders, adjusting the length so that when you reach back, grab the cord, and extend your arm, the pole ends up in your hand, ready for use.

The key to moving around in the Pit is to go slowly and always have two points of contact. The river averages three feet in depth and its velocities are not particularly high, so you can plant your staff upstream and lean into the current; this will help right you if you loose your balance. Your pole plant should be on the river's bottom, between rocks, not on top of them. Likewise, when you move your feet, keep them on the bottom. Go around the big rocks rather than up and over them. Slide your foot into the intersections of rocks, but don't wedge your foot tight between the rocks. Keep your body sideways to the current to reduce the force of the water on your legs. Commit yourself to your staff and move only as far as that pole plant allows. Keep your stance wide and avoid crossing your legs. Find a secure position; then move your pole again. The pole is your anchor, the vital third point of contact that allows you to always maintain your balance. Keep your center of gravity low. Once you accept these wading techniques, you can master the wading and be free to concentrate on the fishing.

Hatches and Foods
The Pit is a rich soup of a river, with exceptional water quality and profuse hatches. The pH is high and there is an astonishing amount of fish food. On any day of the season there may be six, eight, or ten different species of bugs in the air--always the ubiquitous midges, generally dragonflies and damsels, usually one or more small mayflies, usually microcaddis, frequently stoneflies. The river is not hatch-driven like other waters, but some super hatches provide superb nymphing and dry-fly opportunities.

Super Hatches The Pit's best hatches begin in late April and run through November. Blue-winged Olives (Baetis) hatch throughout the period. The first super hatch is the Western salmonfly (Pteronarcys Californicia), which hatches from late April to early June. Match it with a #6-#8 Bird's Salmonfly or an orange Kaufmann's Stimulator. The Golden Stonefly (Acroneuria Californica) comes off at about the same time. Match it with a #8-#10 Lawson's Henry Fork Golden Stone. Match the Olives with a #16-#18 Light Cahill, Olive, or Tan Paradun. In June, July, and August you'll see Little Yellow Mayflies (Epeorus), Tricos, Olives, and various caddis species. Use #14-#16 Yellow Humpies and White Wulffs, #20 Trico spinners, #18-#20 Olive Paraduns, and #12-#14 tan or brown Elk-hair Caddis. In September and October you'll see Isonychia hatches that you can match with a #10 Burgundy Spinner. Tricos, Olives, and caddis continue to hatch. The Blue-winged Olive is the only super hatch in November; use an #18-#20 Olive Paradun.

The hatches begin with the salmonflies and golden stones in April and May. In late May the Epeorus mayfly duns and spinners fill the evening air in such profusion that they are a wonder. Late May also sees the beginning of heavy caddis hatches that last much of the summer. The bright hot days of summer mean afternoon water temperatures can reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit and wet wading is pleasant. The summer bugs are very small microcaddis, Baetis, Tricos, and midges.

The first storm in mid-September signals the arrival of fall and with it autumn's first super hatch: the big Isonychia velma mayfly. The dark nymph shucks appear on the downstream sides of rocks along the slow water. The big spinners form vast flights, and anglers get slashing strikes to sparsely dressed black AP Nymphs with soft hackle collars. They dead-drift the nymphs in the seams and retrieve them with jerky little strips along the slower edges.

After the Isonychia come the giant October caddis, a uniquely Western hatch. The big pupal shucks appear on rocks in October, and the adults, with fat pumpkin-colored bodies, labor upstream in the afternoons, dropping heavily to the surface to lay their eggs where trout take them eagerly. The October caddis are the autumn equivalent of the stoneflies of spring; the fish greet them with the same enthusiasm. The river's biggest fish come to the surface for this fly. It's fine dry-fly fishing that lasts most of October.

For the big trout that want more than caddis and mayflies, the Pit has trout fry; the fry and young of Sacramento squawfish, hardheads, and suckers; sculpins in astonishing numbers; Pit-Klamath brook lamprey, an eel-like fish that grows to five inches; and remarkable numbers of crayfish. The Three, Four, and Five reaches hold very large trout. My guides and I have had hooked 10- to 12-inch rainbows seized by much larger trout (over five pounds). We just haven't figured out how to land one of these big fish after it has grabbed the small fish as an appetizer. Short-line Nymphing
Visibility in the Pit is typically three to four feet and the many boulders make it possible to wade close to the fish, so the water is perfect for short-line nymphing--controlled, drag-free drifts with the line entering the water directly beneath the rod tip.

An 18-inch fluorescent-butt section of 20-pound Amnesia between the fly line and the leader makes a useful indicator. A bit of strike putty rolled onto the leader sufficient to coat the leader for an inch is equally effective. If I use two coatings of putty, with the first placed four feet above the fly and the second midway between the first and the end of the fly line, I can see one or the other easily, depending on the depth of the water. Two sections as indicators also make it easy to tell when the leader gets downstream of the fly and strike detection becomes impossible.

The short-line nymphing presentation is a lob, lift, and lead. I wade into position directly across from the lie I intend to fish, shake 10 to 12 feet of line out of my rod tip and let it hang below me in the current. I raise my rod tip to 45 degrees, look at my target, and lob my split-shot at the target with a high arching cast so the weights enter the water as near to vertically as possible. The weights and fly should penetrate the water quickly to get to the fish's level without a long drift. I immediately raise my rod tip to horizontal and lift the extra line off the water's surface, reducing the chance for drag and establishing a connection with the split-shot.

I lead the split-shot downstream at the exact rate the current is flowing by holding my rod steady in a horizontal position and rotating my upper body at the waist. I sweep my rod downstream, keeping a tight line to the fly and split-shot. This is the critical part. If I do it properly, I see and feel the slight hesitation in the drift that signals a take.

Indicator Nymphing
When it is not possible to wade close enough to make a short-line presentation, I use an indicator nymphing technique. As the distance from the rod tip increases and the angle of the line goes from 90 degrees toward horizontal, it becomes increasingly difficult to get a drag-free presentation. For these longer casts, I use a highly buoyant floating indicator that sits up on the water rather than in the surface film. Poly macrame yarn is ideal.

The river's many boulders make it possible to wade close to the fish. Short-line nymphing techniques work best. Make a dragfree presentation with the line entering the water directly beneath the rod tip.

I pull out enough yarn strands to make an indicator about the size of a large olive, comb the strands with a little plastic comb to increase their volume, thoroughly grease the strands with floatant, and tie them into my tapered leader with an overhand knot or overhand loop at about one and one-half times the depth of the water. On the Pit this generally means five to six feet.

The poly yarn sits so high that drag is minimized. It's superior to the cork and foam styles, which guarantee drag. I cast in the same way as I do with the short-line nymphing and immediately lift as much line off the water as possible, leading the indicator downstream.

This large indicator technique is less sensitive than short-line nymphing. Since the takes cannot be felt and this is a visual technique, it's necessary to stay particularly attentive, or you will miss takes.

Puffball Nymphing
For water deeper than five or six feet--and there is plenty of good deep water in the Pit--my guides and I use a technique called "puffball nymphing" after the indicator we fashion. Popularized by California anglers Dean Schubert and Dave Hickson, puffball nymphing now allows us to dead-drift nymphs in deep water that we had previously had to fish with sinking lines and traditional wet-fly swings or streamer techniques.

Pit River Tackle
In addition to the wading staff and felt-sole boots, you need a 9-foot rod that provides the necessary long lever for casting split-shot, a long reach for line control, and enough backbone for fishing sinking lines or sinking-tips. You can use weight-forward lines, but a 4-, 5-, or 6-weight double-taper floating line can make it easier to roll cast when you are stack mending. Your leaders should be rod-length, tapered to 5X or 6X, and a supply of BB split-shot and strike indicators (putty or yarn) are essential. A net can be helpful. And, of course, you'll need lots of flies, especially nymphs, because the Pit is first and foremost a nymphing river. I use three nymphing styles--short-line nymphing, indicator nymphing, and puffball nymphing--depending on the water depth and how close I can wade to the spot I want to fish.

I rig for puffball nymphing with the same rod and double-taper line; on the end of a 7-foot leader tapered to 3X or 4X I tie a poly yarn indicator, which ranges in size from from a large olive to a Ping-Pong ball, depending on how much weight I wish to suspend. A Duncan loop or improved clinch knot works well.

To the leader I tie a length of 5X tippet above the puffball with a Duncan loop or improved clinch knot and then slide the the knot down the leader until it stops at the puffball. The tippet will hang at a 90-degree angle to the leader. I set the length of the tippet at just less than the suspected depth of the run I plan to fish. I tie my fly (or flies) on and add a one or two BB split-shot a few inches above the fly and I'm ready to fish. This puffball rig requires less added weight to penetrate the water column than other nymphing rigs.

I concentrate on the fast water at the heads of the pools (slow water often holds large suckers, squawfish, and hardheads) where puffballing works best. I position myself about 30 feet below the cascade at the head of the pool.

To make the cast I feed the indicator and fly downstream 25 or 30 feet, raise my rod tip smoothly from horizontal to vertical, allow the water to load the rod, and then make a high arching cast with a big open loop. I want the split-shot to hit the water vertically and penetrate the water column quickly.

I count to three while the fly sinks, and then I raise my rod tip to vertical and make a stack mend (a short fast roll cast) to flip the leader and indicator upstream, thus taking the pressure completely off the tippet and allowing the fly to sink as deeply as possible without drag.

As the drift continues, additional stack mends create brief, perfectly neutral "turnover points." Takes usually come at the turnover point. I pay careful attention to the puffball. I set the hook on any hesitation--a dip, turn, or tiny sideways movement. As the puffball drifts in front of me, I flip the fly line upstream of the indicator and shake line out of the rod tip to continue the drift into slow water. Then I strip in line, raise my rod tip high, and recast.

Puffballing is a deadly technique, but beware. Keep your casting loops open. A long drop of fine tippet with weights and a hook at one end and a big poly indicator at the other is a tangle waiting to happen. Learning the casting technique can be frustrating, but stick with it and you can catch more fish than with drys. When tangles occur, use the "two-minute rule." If it looks like it will take longer than two minutes to untangle, cut the fly and split-shot off and rerig with fresh tippet.

Sinking Lines and Streamers
The Pit has ideal water for sinking-line strategies. In the runs and pools, the tremendous numbers of trout fry and rough-fish fry plus sculpins, eels, and crayfish mean that big trout are always on the lookout for a large meal. Woolly buggers in black and brown work well when fished on 10- to 15-foot fast-sinking-tips. The sinking-tip lines also work well with soft-hackle flies in shallow runs; fish the flies with an across-and-down swing.

A #8 or #10 olive Woolly Bugger dead-drifted like a nymph and then crawled back among the boulders creates an attractive crawfish presentation when used with a sinking-tip line. In the big deep pools a Teeny 200 line or a similar sinking line cast downstream and then retrieved very slowly with the rod tip underwater and a sculpin pattern on a short stout leader can be productive. There are enough large trout in the Pit to make such prospecting worthwhile. Your catch rate may go down, but your average size will certainly go up.

High-stick Dry-fly Fishing
A dry-fly technique developed by northern California guide Joe Heuseveldt is exceptionally effective on the Pit. Joe calls it high-stick dry-fly fishing, and it is truly precision fishing. It requires thoughtful wading, careful casts, complete line control, and absolutely drag-free drifts.

With 10 to 12 feet of line out of the rod tip, load the rod with the casting stroke to turn the fly over just above the water's surface. Joe calls it the fly swatter cast--a fast, up-down stroke, the rod coming up to vertical and then down about 20 degrees. The fly is placed precisely on the target and the line is immediately lifted off the water, without moving the fly. Use the technique to cover every fishy spot with 6- to 8-foot drifts. Leaders should be tapered to 5X and the same length as the rod.

Joe prefers to use a #12 or #14 Royal Humpy with this technique. It's highly visible, and when it's tied on with a Duncan loop it can move more freely. His rod choice is a 9-foot, 4-weight. It's remarkable to watch Joe make his way up the Pit, with his wading staff in one hand and his rod in the other, covering a 10-foot arc of water, placing his fly carefully and taking fish after fish.

The Pit does not give up its fat rainbows easily, but anglers willing to make a commitment to walking, aggressive wading, and forging a long-term relationship with this extraordinary fishery, will find that it is a river of great rewards and deep satisfactions, a river for every season.

Pit River Access
The most productive reaches of the Pit begin below the Lake Britton Dam west of Highway 89 and about ten miles north of Burney. Pit Three, Four, and Five comprise about 30 miles of river. Pit Three begins at the base of Lake Britton Dam and flows for seven miles to the outflow from Powerhouse Three.

Pit Three has the easiest access of all the lower reaches. The Pit Canyon road, which runs from Lake Britton Dam to the Pit Five Dam and then to the tiny community of Big Bend, is at river level for three miles of water upstream of Powerhouse Three. You can also fish below the Pit Four Dam and around the Big Bend area.

If You Go
The small town of Burney is the center for anglers fishing the Pit River, Hat Creek, and Fall River. Burney has accommodations, restaurants, fly shops, and other services, and the town welcomes fly fishers. There are lodges and campgrounds nearby.