The Seasons of the Pit River

Regulations were changed a few years ago to allow year-round fishing on the Pit River. While runoff and weather conditions can impact the river’s fishability at times, the Pit River can provide some great walk and wade, classic pocket water fly fishing options through much of the year.

February, March, and April

Late winter and early Spring fishing on the Pit River, if water conditions and weather cooperate, is terrific. There are hatches of March Brown mayflies and smaller caddisflies that can begin as early as February and run throughout March and April, topped out by Pale Morning Duns that start in mid-April. And the massive stoneflies even begin to hatch as the weather warms in April.

The fishing during these early months is largely dependent upon weather conditions and runoff. Fortunately, the river’s flows are almost entirely controlled by releases from its many dams and powerhouses, so even on wet years it generally remains fishable through much of the spring season and the Pit has become our favorite early season fishery. Stormy weather can bring on some memorable Baetis mayfly hatches, while the warm, sunny days that mark the start of spring in the North State are quite possibly the best conditions for the fishing that time of year. The warm weather gets the bugs moving, and the more bugs are active the more responsive the trout are likely to be. We’ve discovered that some of the best dry fly fishing of the entire year comes on sunny days in March and April on the Pit.

May and June

May and June have long been considered some of the “prime time” months on the river. As the weather warms in late spring and early summer many different types of insects begin to hatch on the Pit, creating consistent opportunities throughout each day to catch fish on both nymphs and dry flies.

The most important hatches on the Pit this time of year are the stoneflies. The massive salmonflies are the first of the stoneflies to appear, hatching sporadically throughout the month of May and sometimes into early June. They are followed by numerous Golden Stoneflies and Little Yellow Stoneflies, all of which can get the Pit River’s wild rainbow trout rising on the surface. And even when the fish aren’t focused on the flying adult insects, the pocket-water nymphing with big stonefly nymphs can be as good as it gets.

July and August

The “dog days” of summer are the best time of year to wet-wade the Pit River, and highsticking the pocket water and oxygenated pools of the river will produce nice trout throughout the morning and middle of the day, with hatches of Golden Stoneflies and caddis bringing about sporadic dry fly opportunities in the hour or so just before dark.

By late July or early August the many submerged boulders on the river begin to turn black with midge larva, providing a new delicacy for the trout from late summer through the fall. Angling traffic on the river is light during the summer months, but it is literally one of our favorite times of year on the river. You will rarely see another angler, and it can be a great time of year to join the 20/20 club (20 inch fish on #20 fly).

September, and October

Fall brings on some of the Pit River’s bigger bugs, including its famous Isonychia mayflies and a few giant October Caddis, as well as the best weather of the season. Both of these large insects emerge by crawling out onto streamside boulders and vegetation, so although dry fly opportunities are rare, the powerful rainbows of the trout often gorge themselves on the nymphs that are easily dislodged in the tumultuous pocket water of the steep canyon.

On overcast days, there can be some phenomenal blue-winged olive hatches. These tiny mayflies respond to changes in barometric pressure, and hatch whenever a storm front moves through the area, stimulating some great midday dry fly action on all of our regional streams, including the Pit, throughout both the fall and winter seasons.

November, December, and January

The Winter Months on the Pit River provide some great late-season opportunities for die-hard trout anglers. The mornings and evenings are often cold in the narrow river canyon, but midday sunshine can warm the river up and provide some good action on nymphs and streamers for some of the river’s bigger fish holding in the deeper pools. And anglers fishing the Pit in the winter months should always be prepared with a few blue-winged olive dry flies, as overcast afternoons can have some memorable Baetis mayfly hatches.