Fishing small streams with my brother and dad many years ago, we would take turns, maneuvering through the willows and around the rocks to balance on a log and make a cast to a pool while the others watched and waited for the trout to strike the drifting fly. We fished collectively, and it was fun. Many fly fishers can trace their roots back to such memories.
My dad told us stories about my grandfather catching large fish in small streams, and I wondered where all the big fish had gone. Then, one day while fishing a heavily willowed pool beneath a rock ledge, I fooled and landed a trout that was huge — 14 inches long. It was an enormous fish for a small creek.
Small-stream fishing is about experiences such as these. It’s about the hunt and the glory of catching a 14-inch fish where 10 inches is a large one and most are 5 to 8 inches long. These waters are really creeks or brooks, small enough for you to cross with a hop, skip and a jump. Streams this size are not easy to fish, but the treasures they hold are priceless.
What follows discusses the small streams that are tributaries of Lake Almanor. They all hold fish. Many times, access is from paved roads, though others are accessed from rough dirt roads, and for some, you need to blaze your own trail. Whatever stream you pick to fish, you will find willing trout eager to take a dry fly or a nymph.
The fishing season for Lake Almanor’s tributaries are a little different than for other streams in the region, opening on the Saturday preceding Memorial Day and closing on November 15.
The North Fork of the Feather River Drainage
The North Fork of the Feather River drainage is situated on the north side of Lake Almanor, and includes the North Fork itself, plus Rice Creek, Domingo Creek, Willow Creek, and Louse Creek, all of which add to the North Fork’s flow. The river runs through the town of Chester and directly into Lake Almanor.
Domingo Creek starts at Domingo Springs at the end of the pavement on a county road, the Old Red Bluff Road, which is also called Chester Warner Valley Road. The creek comes out of a spring on the hillside and flows south toward the small town of Chester. The North Fork of the Feather starts with Rice Creek and a large spring to the west of Domingo Springs. It then collects the waters of Domingo Creek and Willow Creek and flows down to the High Bridge Campground, which is at its confluence with Warner Creek. The North Fork continues south toward Chester, picking up the water from Louse Creek. The upper sections of this drainage are small creeks that become larger during the runoff months, from April to June. Once the North Fork collects the water of Warner Creek and Louse Creek it becomes a midsized stream. These creeks are small freestones.
The only exception is Domingo Creek, which starts out as a spring creek and rapidly changes over to a freestone. The creeks flow fast over tough terrain and contain everything from large boulder pools to pocket water thickly lined with willows. The upper reaches of many of the little creeks, such as Rice Creek, Domingo Creek, and Willow Creek, hold brook trout, with the North Fork and Warner Creek holding rainbow trout and brown trout. In autumn, brown trout enter Lake Almanor’s tributaries to spawn. They usually return to the lake before spring runoff, but some (large) fish may hold over and be in the streams when they again open to angling on Memorial Day weekend.
The Last Chance and Benner Creek Drainages
Benner Creek f lows along Chester Juniper Lake Road, just north of the town of Chester. The creek turns south into a residential area of the town, then flows down into Causeway Bay. The creek is small and runs fast. It holds brook trout at the top of the creek and rainbow and brown trout in the lower section. It opens for angling on Memorial Day weekend. Brown trout from Lake Almanor also spawn there.
Last Chance Creek is just east of Benner Creek. It is a small creek that flows directly into Lake Almanor. There is a campground where the creek enters the lake — Last Chance Campground. The creek is small, but the farther you get away from the campground, the better the fishing is. Rainbows and brown trout are in this creek, and it, too, plays host to spawning brown trout from Lake Almanor.
The Hamilton Branch
The Hamilton Branch is on the east side of Lake Almanor. The stream originates from Mountain Meadows Reservoir and flows into a canyon, then into Lake Almanor — it’s approximately 18 miles long. Locals have dubbed it “The Branch.” The stream has very good access, even though it flows through a lot of private property. The Hamilton Branch Fishing Access Park is located on the west side of Plumas County Road A13, just before its intersection with Highway 147. This access point is at the junction of the creek with Lake Almanor and allows anglers to venture up the stream.
The next access area is located just east at the Highway 147 bridge at the Hamilton Branch. Upstream from the bridge there are many dirt roads that run out to the creek. Some will get you closer than others.
The Hamilton Branch is a large freestone stream with boulders and deep pools. It has a special quality. Rainbows from Lake Almanor come up the Hamilton Branch to find cold water in August or early September. This gives the smallstream fly fisher the chance to find fish that aren’t measured in inches, but in pounds. The Branch is very popular, especially during the hot summer months. Many bait fishers fish the confluence of the creek and the lake. Fly fishers may want to head upstream, where fish are cooling off in big, oxygenated pocket water.
Butt Creek
Butt Creek doesn’t run into Lake Almanor. It runs into the reservoir named for the creek — Butt Valley Reservoir. The creek and reservoir are located just west of Lake Almanor. To reach the upper section of the creek, turn west off of Highway 89 onto Humbug–Humboldt Road. Humbug–Humboldt Road forks approximately a mile from Highway 89. Continue southwest on Humbug Road. You will then cross the Butt Creek bridge, approximately two miles from Highway 89. If you continue on that road, it will take you to Humbug Valley and Yellow Creek. At the Butt Creek bridge on Humbug Road, the creek on the north side of the bridge is in a meadow heavy with willows. On the south side of the bridge, the creek starts it freestone descent down to Butt Valley Reservoir.
To access the creek where it enters the lake, turn west onto Butt Valley Reservoir Road. Continue on the paved road until you get to the bottom of the hill, 2.4 miles from Highway 89. To the right (north) there will be a dirt road. This is Powerhouse Road. You will see a white sign posted on a tree. Turn right onto the dirt road, and it will take you down to a bridge. At the bridge, you will be at Butt Creek. The lake is a few hundred yards downstream. Many fly fishers park at the bridge and fish upstream. The creek’s gradient there is steep, with large pocket water.
There is a middle access on Butt Creek. It is what I call the Hidden Valley. If you continue on the dirt road another 1.3 miles, at the confluence of Butt Creek and Butt Valley Reservoir, cross the bridge that I just mentioned and continue on that dirt road. You will come to the Hidden Valley. The dirt road goes uphill, and you must stay to the right. The road will follow the hydropower water pipe that runs from Lake Almanor to Butt Valley Reservoir. This is a huge, 20-foot-diameter pipe. You can’t miss it. Continue on the dirt road, and it will enter a small valley. There is a bridge that crosses the creek. You can fish upstream or downstream from the bridge.
Some words of caution: between, these two bridges PG&E has a release pipe that they may open at any time. When open, water from the 20-foot hydropower pipe coming from Lake Almanor runs down the creek. This makes the creek between the bridges into a Class 7 whitewater stream. You don’t want to be in it when that happens.
Small-Stream Tactics and Gear
On small streams, you don’t really cast. What you do with the fly is more like a dap, a flip, or a slap. The dap is just that: the angler just drops the fly on the water, but not the leader. Pick the fly up quickly and dap the area again. The fly does not drift for very long, only about two feet, maximum. For a flip, you just backhand or flip the fly onto the water. This is used mainly to cast around logs or low-lying branches. Again, the drift of the fly should be only two to four feet. The slap imitates the impact of insects that have fallen or been blown onto the water. You are seeking a quick striking reaction from the trout. Casting conventionally in places with heavy brush and trees is not wise, unless you like spending time picking flies out of branches rather than fishing.
However, casting technique is not the priority. Positioning yourself to cast is. I use two approaches to the water. While fishing upstream, I cast to the bottom of the pool first, then take a step and cast farther up the pool. This approach allows you to cover the water in a methodical manner that will not spook the fish. Alternatively, I work from the head of the pool downstream. This approach allows me to fish across the water to dap, f lip, and slap behind rocks or around obstacles.
When fishing a small stream, be conscious of safety issues. It is wise to fish with a partner. You can work as a team while fishing and stay safe. Always tell someone at home or leave a note specifying where you are going to fish and what time you should be home. A small-stream angler can encounter all the safety issues involved in hiking, climbing, walking over logs, and hanging on to branches for support while casting. Make sure you are in good physical condition. One of the benefits of fishing upstream is that it allows you to see what terrain you are dealing with and what you must struggle back over to get to the car. As my dad told me numerous times, if you climb up something, you must be prepared to come down it. If you come to an area where you feel it is not safe to continue, stop and return to your starting point.
Wearing pants and good hiking boots is a must, but wear a good pair of boots that you do not mind getting wet. You may be wading a little, but most of the fishing is done off of rocks and logs. I use a wading staff that doubles as a walking stick — stability is imperative. I also carry a light, a map, waterproof matches, a knife, a warm jacket, water, and a snack. For small-stream fishing, I like a 9-foot rod designed for a 3-weight or 4-weight line. The length makes dapping, flipping, and slapping a fly easier, though a shorter rod is more easily carried through the willows. I use a standard 7-1/2-foot leader tapered down to 4-pound test. Small-stream flies are simple. Attractor patterns work well. Wulffs, Humpys, and regularly hackled or parachute f lies in size 14 and 16 are great. Standard nymphs such as Hare’s Ears, Bird’s Nests, and Pheasant Tails in size 14 and 16 all produce.
Lake Almanor’s streams hold trout. All of them offer angling opportunities plus the interesting challenges associated with creeks. Fish together with friends and family and create wonderful memories. Be safe, have fun, and get back to your fly-fishing roots.