Hat Creek completely decimated by Live Bait

[JoeFin]

Got back last week from my trip up into Oregon and the far northern reaches of Northern California and was totally shocked at what I saw on Hat Creek.

Hat Creek from every thing I read was one of California’s legendary trout fisheries and from the looks of the stream still should be. Above Baum Lake up into the 5000 ft elevation is a natural trout fishery full of fast water and pools, lined with an environment of Ponderosa Pines, Manzanita and Aspen Trees that provide an abundance of natural food sources for the fish.

Where people get off believing it is “Their RIGHT” to remove fish at an alarming rate, many of which are never to be eaten, but rather thrown out at the end of their camping trip, is a mystery to me.

The majority of people I saw catching fish were doing so with Red Worms or Night Crawlers in some of the many Honey Holes found along the stream. Witnessed a couple of Asian ladies coming out of Baum Lake at 6:30 am with a stringer of at least 20 fish.

A grown man with his 2 small children around 8 to 12 years old. When his son got tired of pulling out planters with worms that were balled up just below one of the strainers for the power plant on Baum Lake, the kid picked up a fly rod his dad had bought for him and was working on his casting technique. The Dad finished off the can of worms with the kid’s bait caster, pulling out fish one after the other.

Went through the conservancy section of Hat Creek and never saw anything over 6”.

Went through the burn section of Hat Creek up around 4000’, only to find a well worn path to the “Honey Holes” strewn with Power Bait jars and Worm lids.

Don’t even want to talk about the great fishing and many “Hook Ups” I found on other streams in the area in fear I’ll return to find the same decimation of natural fisheries I witnessed on Hat Creek.

Totally Disgusting

[WanderingBlues]

Sigh....... Sip poured.

[John Harper]

I just picked up a whole backpack full of trash from Mammoth Creek yesterday. Bottles, wrappers, cigarette boxes, worm containers, powerbait jars, fishing line, lure packages, and the best stuff......several big piles of used toilet paper. Luckily, it was all dried out.

These people suck.

John

[fflutterffly]

There needs to be a great face of authority by volunteer groups like FFRC and others who love their waters and help protect them. It would be great if there was a 'community watch' program for streams.

[NorcalBob]

I've been reluctant to post this because I don't really like posts that denigrate into pi$$ing matches. But......
Firstly, I've been fishing Hat Creek for over 40 years and I have quite a bit of experience there. To suggest that bait fishing is decimating Hat Creek is completely false. That section of Hat Creek where bait is allowed has always been heavily stocked and heavily fished by the bait crowd. It is pretty much the same as the infamous Bishop Creek, a heavily impacted put and take fishery. Always has been and always will be. For those hardy anglers willing to brave bushwacking through heavy brush and rough terrain the rewards are still there and largely untouched by the bait crowd. And for the portion of Hat Creek that is managed as wild trout waters where bait is not allowed, bait fishing (besides being illegal) is pretty rare. The wild trout section has basically been destroyed by the fly angler crowd and a combination of overuse, natural, and other causes has been the downfall of that fishery. Not bait fishers. Just a few facts here, not rants.

[fflutterffly]

Bob can you please expound on why you feel fly fisherman have helped in decreasing the fish population.

[NorcalBob]

Firstly, habitat issues on lower Hat Creek (Wild Trout Section) have led to the demise of that once great fishery, not bait fishing (been illegal since the 1980's). These include overuse by anglers (primarily fly) causing streamside bank and vegetation erosion, an old muskrat farm, excessive sedimentation (likely caused by natural processes, but made worse by excessive angler use), a significant widening and shallowing of the river channel, and a significant decline in instream vegetation that supports the food chain. The upper sections of Hat Creek (where bait is legal) has always been a popular put and take roadside trout fishery popular with families and bait fishing over the past 40 years (and longer). No different really, than popular eastside waters like Bishop Creek! Smart fly flingers that are interested in wild fish stay away from the roadside areas of Hat Creek! Bait fishing has nothing to do with the decimation of Hat Creek as the OP has stated.

[JoeFin]

Bob

I was talking about the "Overuse of Live Bait" (worms). Granted the upper Hat is a "Put and Take" stream as you put it, but I see no reason it should be used as a "Harvest Zone" for unethical fishers. Had my cell service been working I would have called in the license plate of the 2 ladies walking out with what looked like +20 fish on a stringer. The limit still remains at 5.

Guy in the camp ground next to me ran up to Bridge Campground for 1 hour each morning and evening with his can of worms and boosted of taking his limit each time.

A live Bait restriction to 16 years and above would be more appropriate

[darrin terry]

Having only fished Hat Creek twice, once each, upper and lower, I did see the damage the muskrats have caused and are continuing to cause. My dad, my friend Dan and I fished the lower with Mike Mercer last year and Mike was explaining about the muskrats that escaped the farm and showed us some of the damage done. Pretty bad. I personally have no frame of reference as to what it was like in the past, but Mike did say that it was a far cry from what it was like say 15-20 years ago. Still decent fishing, though only Mike caught many fish.

[DrCreek]

That's the way it is, JoeFin. As long as they were within TOTAL compliance of the law for the water they were fishing (legal with a fishing license, not exceeding the legal limit in both quantity per day AND size as well as legal method of take being used), there's nothing you or I or any one of us can do about it. If they weren't in compliance, give the info to the DFG hotline and pray they can get there in time. Fat chance, I know. But it beats trying to educate someone that isn't looking for an education - or worse, decides that his business isn't your business and shows you by offering you a freebie knuckle sandwich. And I know you might not like hearing the truth that NorcalBob has chimed in with, but he's right. AS a local example, look at the overuse and trail ruts (all caused by flyfishermen) at Hot Creek. Being declared a "blue ribbon fishery" usually translates into certain death for most places.

Look, nothing * me off more than seeing some idiot dragging a chain full of fat trout (particularly WILD trout) on the pavement. But as long as he did it LEGALLY ACROSS THE BOARD, I'm fine with it (no, really I'm NOT fine with it, but over the years I've learned to get over it and never go to those places again).

I'm not part of the "Hey, the glass is half full" school of thought as you can see. You can plan on society always behaving this way. In fact, I believe the overall degradation of both the current culture AND the overuse of the environment will continue to get worse year after year until both implode on themselves. Remember the commercial years ago with the Indian elder with the worn face that had a tear in his eye as looked at the mess that "man" had left behind? I'll never forget it. I have yet to see another television commercial as moving as that one. That's kind of how I feel about this subject. It's enough to drive me to tears.

[WanderingBlues]

That one drives me to laughter if your referring to "Iron Eyes Cody" He was a good actor. He pretended to be an Native American, but was a full blooded Italian.

http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/ironeyes.asp

Awwww, *? You gonna offer proof Santa doesn't exist next?