Current River Conditions: October caddis are active near sunset. There are rainbows and browns, some rainbrowns too, eating emerging caddis along the edges of the river. The Power House #2 riffle is a great spot to fish. Anglers suspending #18-20 black or brown midges or mayfly patterns are hooking up! Hat Creek closes for the 2012 season on November 15th.

Look for October Caddis along the section of Hat Creek downstream of HWY 299. Have a couple October Caddis dry imitations and fish them dropping a #18 Micro-May. The Powerhouse #2 riffle has been fishing consistently all day. Best dry fly results happen early in the day, then again near sunset. Insect hatches have been more active and should continue through October. The morning hatches consist of BWOs at or near sunrise, then caddis come off near 10:00 PM. Midges are a big part of the Hat Creek rainbow diet. Rising fish can be found in the flats below the Powerhouse riffle when the sun is low. Bring 7x if you hope to fool these crafty rainbows.

Don't forget! Swinging buggers and /or leeches almost always gets some attention any time of day. Fish near the edges of the weed patches.

The Fly Shop's ? Tips: We recommend Mercer's Missing Link for a good caddis dry along with the classic Elk Hair Caddis in olive or tan. Sizes #16-18 are good. A Parachute Adams #14-16 will imitate some of the dark mayflies, like the Callibaetis. Various cream colored and olive mayfly dries in #16-18 should be placed in your fly box. Carry a selection of nymphs from #18 to #14 and suspend them under a big dry fly like a yellow stimulator.

Present your mayfly duns/dry flies on 9' leaders tapered to 6X. Leader length after attaching tippet should be about 11'. Fish #6-8 leeches, like Zack's Swimming Leech and buggers like Fox's Peacock Buggers near sunset. Look for caddis in the evenings. Swinging #16 Birds Nests, Green Poopahs and #16 Zug Bugs should trick a few rainbows or more. Look for rising fish along the flats below the Power House #2 riffle. For the best presentation, drift your D&D Cripple down and across to rising fish. For a fun challenge, try catching Hat Creek trout on as many tactics as you can: small indicators with nymphs, swinging wet flies and/or streamers, and, of course, with a well-presented dry fly.

The Powerhouse #2 Riffle is one of the best spots on the creek, but also one of the most popular. Anglers seeking a real challenge should sight-cast to trout in the fabled "carbon flats" section, and those looking for solace can hike into the freestone section just above Lake Britton. 5wt rods are perfect. Have an extra spool loaded with a Scientific Anglers Wet Tip Clear Fly Line.

Suggested Fly Patterns:

Dry Flies:
• October Irresistible Caddis
• Rubberleg Stimulator #8
• Turks Tarantula #8
• Light Cahill #18
• Cutter's E/C Caddis olive ~ tan #16
• Midge Hanger
• Last Chance Cripple #14-22
• Normans Loop Wing BWO & PMD
• Parachute Adams #14-18
• Spotlight Caddis Emerger Olive #16
• Mercer's Missing Link #16-18

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• WD-40 (Any)
• Black Zebra Midge #18-20
• Hogan's S&M #16 Brown
• Fox's Wire Body Beeottis (Any)
• Tungsten Jig PT
• Posse Bugger #14
• Glass-Bead Micro May-Black or Olive
• Mercer's Gidget Brown or Olive
• Pat's Brown Rubber Legs #6-8
• GB Half-Flashback PT #14-20
• Burk's Crystal HBI
• Zack's Pseudo May #16-18 (Any)

Streamers/Leeches:
• Zack's Zugger's Yellow/Brown
• Fox's Peacock Buggers #8
• Zack's Swimming Leech Various
• Fox's Cone Bugger Rust
• Double Bunny
• Beaded Mini Leech Olive

Fly Fishing Gear:
• Simms ? G4 Pro Wader
• The Fly Shop's ? Stocking-foot Chest Waders
• Wading Boots
• Get Buff