The Pit River consists of a series of dams and reservoirs that stretch for some 30 miles from Lake Britton to Shasta Lake. If there's one river around here that intimidates people, it's the Pit. One reason for this could be the common descriptions of the river: "The Pit River is a nasty, gnarly thing... like walking on greased bowling balls all day," or "It's not a question of when you fall in on the Pit, it's how many times!"

There is some truth to these statements. The Pit tumbles down a steep, rugged canyon marked by a seemingly endless array of slick boulders. The hiking can be arduous, and the wading can be tricky.

But for those adventurous anglers willing to work a little, the rewards of fishing the Pit River are well worth it. The tough reputation of the river keeps many anglers away, making the Pit a great place to get away from it all. Each and every pocket of water on the river holds fish, and amazingly large fish at that.

These wild, football-shaped rainbows are the definition of strong-willed and hard-fighting. Many anglers, after finally summoning up the courage to test the Pit's tumultuous waters, have remarked that it is arguably "the finest wild trout river in California." Indeed, the strength and power of these scrappy rainbows will astonish any angler who challenge and conquer the Pit.

It is a pocket-water fisherman's dream-stream, flowing through a scenic canyon that is littered with boulders of all shape and size. These boulders, and the oxygen-rich waters flowing around them, provide the perfect sanctuary for dozens of species of aquatic insects. This massive food source enables the feisty rainbows to grow big, fast, and strong.

We primarily nymph fish this stream, although there are occasional hatches of stoneflies, caddis, and mayflies that will bring some fish to the surface, searching for an easy meal. Our guides have put in a lot of time exploring the many rugged miles of the Pit, and know some fantastic places to wet a line (and tie into leaping rainbows cast after cast)

The Fly Shop's Guides service operates under permits obtained through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our guide service on this river is open to anyone during the regular trout fishing season, on a non-discriminatory basis.