The Story of Hat Creek Chapter 1: FISH

Hat Creek was THE place to fish in the 70s and 80s.

It was one of the best and highly renowned fisheries in the western United States. It was a destination. People flocked to it for the abundance of large fish. The challenge of catching fish on a dry fly. To be part of the history of the first wild trout area. In the glory days of the early 80s, Hat Creek supported over 5,000 fish per mile. But by the mid-80s, the fishery started to decline and the creek suffered. Sediment from volcanic sinkholes suffocated the creek, killing off vegetation and, with it, wild trout. As we did decades ago, at the start of our story, CalTrout responded. We committed to bringing back this iconic fishery once again. And so began the Hat Creek Restoration Project. A 3-year odyssey to revive the fishery.