The fishing on the Pit remains great!

Pit River - CA (Modoc County)


by The Fly Shop
7-19-2012
Website

The Pit River consists of a series of dams and reservoirs that stretch for some 30 miles from Lake Britton to Shasta Lake.

Current River Conditions: Not much to report this week other than the fishing remains great! The Pit is always a good choice in July. Nymphing with Pheasant Tail Nymphs in #14-16 should produce hook-ups with energetic rainbows. You can change up the fly selection with a big dry dropper configuration or toss a #8 Pat's Rubber Legs at the fish. It won't be long before the fish start looking for those big isonychia of August.

There is a an abundance of good water on the Pit from Lake Britton Dam all the way down to Big Bend and beyond! Plan on wet wading and casting nymphs about 10 feet out into the pockets, riffles, glides.

We expect the Pit to produce good fishing all summer long!

Bring the wading staff! We highly recommend wearing a PFD (Personal Floatation Device) too. The Pit River is a demanding river to wade thanks to slippery, bowling-ball like boulders and rocks. Keeps the crowds down!

UPDATE:
Expect 30 minute delays on HWY 299 from 12 miles to 5 miles west of Montgomery Creek due to road maintenance work.

The Fly Shop's ? Tips: Under a medium sized indicator, fish a #6-8 Pat's rubber Legs through the day. Suspend a #16 black Micro-Mayfly underneath. A dry-dropper rig comprised of a Salmon fly adult and a #16 red copper john can be a great choice for all day action. #14-18 Pheasant Tail Nymphs should be in every fly box. fishing near sunset is a great plan. Have your #6 Orange Stimulators ready.

Be ready for supremely tough wading conditions when fishing the Pit. Flat ground DOES NOT exist here! A wading staff really makes a difference for every angler who fishes here. Pack some dry clothes, snake kit and don't forget to dry out your fly-box at the end of the day! The Pit River rainbows will eat all day most of the time. These feisty fish can be found holding in fast bubbly water and in slower, smooth flowing water as well.

High-stick and short line nymphing techniques are the key to finding the biggest rainbows on this river. Have plenty of BB, AAA and SSG split shot in your vest pocket. Feed lots of line and go for long drag free drifts, using an indicator and suspending flies 3 - 6 feet deep, in the long smooth glides between boulders and broken riffles. An there is no shortage of boulders, riffles, runs and pockets.

River Fact: The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S. that cross the Cascade Range.

Water Flows:
Pit #3 Flows
Pit #4 Flows
Pit #5 Flows

Suggested Fly Patterns:

Dry Flies:

• Quigley's Stacker Stone
• TFS Li'l Yellow Stone Dry
• Brook's Hedlite Sally
• Matt's Stoneflies #6-8
• The Thing From Uranus #4-8
• Grillo's Sideshow Bob - Stone
• Elk Hair Caddis - Tan #12-16
• Yellow Stimulator - #8-16
• Orange Stimulators #6
• Mayfly Cripples - #12-16

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• Deceptive Cray
• Mercer's CB Little Yellow Stones
• Little Sloan's
• CB Black Bird's Nest - #10-16
• Sexy Souka - #6
• GB Black A.P. - #10-12
• Micro Mayflies - #14-18
• Red Copper Johns - #16-18
• Zebra John - #16-18
• Pat's Brown Rubberleg - #6-8
• GB Half-Flashback PT - #12-20
• Pheasant Tail Nymphs #14-18
• Amber Wing Prince - #14-18
• GB Bird's Nest #10-16

Streamers/Leeches:
• Beaded Lite Brite Bugger - #6
• Zack's Swimming Leech - #8

Fly Fishing Gear:
• The Fly Shop's ? Landing Nets
• Pit River Hardwood Wading Staff
• Simms ? Headwater Stockingfoot Waders