Fishout Site:  Pit River

Fishout Date(s): Thursday - Saturday

                           September 6 - 8, 2007

Fishout Leader: Bill Carnazzo

Phone:  (530) 367-5209

Email: bcarnazzo@ftcnet.net

Meeting Time: Mid-week or weekend; time & place to be announced

Meeting Location: to be announced

Max. # Attendees: Unlimited

Directions: I-5 N toward REDDING - go 158.0 mi.  Take exit #680/BURNEY/ALTURAS/LAKE BLVD onto CA-299 E toward BURNEY/ALTURAS - go 50.7 mi.  Arrive at the center of BURNEY, CA.

TroutSource.com: The number "Three," "Four," and "Five" stretches (the areas above powerhouses 3, 4 and 5) below the dam are your best bets on the Pit and have varying degrees of accessibility.  The Three is most accessible, and can be reached by parking along the road at some points and hiking along the river at others.  A good starting point is at Lake Britton Dam, where you can take Pit Canyon road (accessed from route 89) down along the River.  Although the Pit Canyon road continues to parallel the river through Pit Four, access is sparse and more challenging.  In Pit Five, the road leaves the water altogether for several miles, returning at the town of Big Bend (this may be our fishing location; I'll confirm later).  Pit Six and Seven are rarely fly-fished.

Website(s): http://flyfisherman.com/southwest/dgpitriver/

http://www.kiene.com/reports/streams/pitriver.shtm

http://www.theflyshop.com/streamreport.htm

http://www.troutsource.com/RiversFolder/Pit.htm

Fish:  Trout

Fishing strategy: 90% up-stream indicator nymphing in heavy pocket water

Tackle:

Rod Wt(s)

Line

Leader

Tippet

Other

Flies:

Patterns:

Other gear:

Waders

Wading staff

Wading Boots

Personal Flotation Device

Polarized sunglasses

LUNCH

Dress Warm, gloves

The Pit River is notorious for its difficult wading. Some of this lore is overblown, but wading can be tricky in places. This is due to two problems: murkiness of the water which prevents seeing the bottom clearly; and deep potholes. But it is a beautiful river, and September is the time for the Pit’s big Isonychia mayfly hatch.

Isonychia nymphs are among the fastest-swimming mayflies in the world. They can power their way through fast riffles with ease, and their imitations should be fished with fast twitches. The nymphs are hefty and the trout gorge on them during the hatch period—as in BIG trout. The just-hatched adults are often called Mahogany Duns. Some refer to them as Slate Drakes, but the former name best characterizes the Pit River species because of the insect’s coloration. Check the following URL for good info on the river, its hatches, and fishing techniques: http://flyfisherman.com/southwest/dgpitriver/

The best place to stay for camping is Burney Falls State Park on Highway 89. For those who want to stay at a motel, there are some good ones in Burney, including the Charm Motel.

The outing is scheduled for September 6 - 8, 2007, which is Thursday through Saturday. This gives members the ability to attend this outing and fish both during the week and/or on the weekend. I will have a signup sheet at the August meeting, and since there is no limit on the number of members who can sign up, I will take signups over the phone and via email after the August meeting. I will also use an email blast and the message board since notice is a bit short on this one. If you have questions call me at (530) 367-5209, or send me an email message at bcarnazzo@ftcnet.net