Environment,    hat creek

CalTrout Receives $650,000+ Grant To Restore Hat Creek Fishery

By Tom Chandler 12/11/2012

In what would seem to be final and absolute proof that I'm experiencing early onset CRS Syndrome (Can't Remember... uh wait a minute), I completely forgot to post about CalTrout's Hat Creek restoration win.

They received a $650K (plus change) grant to restore California's iconic Hat Creek, which once drew folks from all over the country, but in recent decades has suffered at the hands of invasive muskrats, a sediment plug (courtesy the area's quirky geology), and a few other insults (you can see Hat Creek's problems outlined in the video at the bottom of this post.)

Hat Creek CalTrout Director Jeff Thompson (left) at Hat Creek.

Hat Creek's once bountiful weed beds and bug hatches are a remnant of their former selves, and it'll be interesting to see how both rebound once they're given a chance (for the record, Hat Creek still produces good fish, but they lack much in the way of cover).

You can find the details of the restoration announcement here.

It's good news for those who knew Hat in its prime, and I'll post details of the recovery plan once I beat them out of the project person.

See you at Hat Creek, Tom Chandler.
AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

11 comments
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I can't speak for CalTrout and I don't know all the details of the complete restoration plan, but I can relate a few things I picked up during the tour (which may be out of date). First, the plan involves a lot more than buying some woody debris and tossing them in the creek. To minimize angler impacts on the banks, they're planning an access trail around the creek and they're going to move the parking ... more lot away from the banks. I believe plans for a pedestrian bridge over the creek may be considered. More importantly, they aren't going to dredge because it simply doesn't make sense to do so. The tail end of the sediment plug has moved into the lower stretches, and the depth of what remains isn't deep enough to make dredging sensible. Even if it did, the existence of a protected fish (chub) would make getting a permit difficult if not impossible. Bank stabilization and Muskrat control aren't simply a matter of dumping a few rocks along the banks, They learned a lot from the bank stabilization pilot project of a few years ago, which prevented the widening of the creek, but was undermined by muskrats. I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing, but this stuff is expensive, especially once you consider the costs of planning and studies to monitor the results.
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That's a lot of money for stream bank stabilization and introducing woody debris. The bigger question is whether or not it will be in vain. The sediment plug is the biggest problem in Hat Creek correct? From what I've read on Caltrouts site there is no plan to remove the sediment plug, the plan is to wait for it to move downstream. I'm no geomorphologist so I don't know what all the issues are, but ... more it seems like a short sided approach to make Caltrout and the angling public feel good. I would like to see Hat Creek restored, not band-aided. Maybe I'm missing something in the plan. I wouldn't be commenting if I didn't think you could give me a clearer picture of the restoration.
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JP2: Toxic exposure to….what? Or is that who? Singlebarbed. With all the time he's spent standing in Central Valley ag effluent, not even a home chelating kit can make him stop glowing...
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Toxic exposure to....what? Or is that who?
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Marty: Nice to see the good guys win one! I understand this one was at least a decade in the making.
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Psumner: How about some sort of lottery system to limit the number of anglers that come out after its restored, so we don’t have 1 angler for every 2 fish? ;-) The lottery system will be replaced with the implementation of a Singlebarbed disincentive; CalTrout's going to hire him to roam the banks of Hat Creek on weekends, commenting on the gear and technique of anglers and pushing the occasional ... more angler into the river. Between the hectoring and the very real danger of toxic exposure, they figure they won't need a lottery.
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The Muskrats are clearly a problem. "Control" is not easy, though at least one wag suggested handing a couple teenagers a .22 rifle. Given their tendency towards mischief, he figured channeling that energy was the kind of sustainable solution the world needs...
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Nice to see the good guys win one!
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How about some sort of lottery system to limit the number of anglers that come out after its restored, so we don't have 1 angler for every 2 fish? ;-)
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This is great news. I have nearly broken many an ankle on the holes those muskrat's dig all over the place.
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CRS? Ha,no surprize there....Two rugrats,it's the Xmas season,a need to keep the family in food and shelter,a business to run,thousands of unwashed yammering for more blog stuff....It's no wonder you forgot your shoes,have mismatched socks, and your shirt is buttoned crooked....Oh,yeah,go back and close the fridge door too.........
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