Hat Creek Restoration Project

Hat Creek is one of Northern California’s iconic and hallowed waters. This spring creek literally put wild trout fly fishing on the map in California - Being the first designated Wild Trout Water under the CA Wild & Heritage Trout Program. Fifty years later Caltrout is still committed to enhancing and facilitating habitat improvements that will help Hat Creek flourish for future generations of anglers and outdoor enthusiasts…

Read below for more information on the latest project that CalTrout is spearheading on Hat Creek (From CalTrout Website)

Hat Creek Restoration Project

Project Goal

Use large woody debris to restore 1.5 miles of instream habitat for the benefit of wild trout while helping protect cultural resources on over 5,000 acres of ancestral lands of the Illmawi Band of the Pit River Tribe.

Project Description

Hat Creek, located on the ancestral lands of the Illmawi Band of the Pit River Tribe, is a legendary fishery and the birthplace of CalTrout. Resting atop an immense lava field known as the Modoc Plateau, Hat Creek is a unique spring-fed system with the constant flows, stable temperatures, and abundant nutrients that allow fish, bugs, and aquatic plants to grow at extraordinary rates. However, this incredible area also suffers from a sedimentation problem resulting from a volcanic eruption of nearby Mount Lassen at the beginning of the 20th century, compounded by bank erosion due to historical grazing and ranching practices throughout the area.

In 2017, CalTrout completed an extensive restoration project, installing multiple large woody debris structures throughout the Carbon Reach of the Hat Creek Wild Trout Area. These structures not only provide cover for juvenile trout, but also help move sediment and reprofile the stream channel. This project also involved riparian planting to stabilize the stream banks and combat erosion.

CalTrout is committed to continuing the protection of Hat Creek and we are actively working with the Pit River Tribe and our other partners to leverage years of scientific data collection to continue restoring this unique spring-creek ecology and wild trout fishery.

Project Partners

• Pit River Tribe

• US Fish & Wildlife Services

• CA Department of Fish & Wildlife

• PG&E

• UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

• Waterways Engineering Inc.

• NFWF

• Orvis

• Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council