Pit question

lightfoot · Senior Member

Pit question

Cole Davis · Senior Member

Lightfoot I mostly fished last year a couple times versus the 4 or so "trips" I do to the in-laws every summer. In April if I remember correctly the flows in the pit 3 stretch below Britton were around 600-650. It was nasty in some spots and lots of good pocket water I normally fish was completely blown with flows. Like you say there were some new spots created however and some gave new meaning to soft edges. Not exactly safe down there anymore especially when the sun starts slipping away.

lightfoot · Senior Member

I sent an email out to Tim Fox at the Redding Fly shop...Hadn't heard that name in about 20 years...asking for info.

With last seasons rain/snow I could easily see 600+ in April. I've made a few trips in the past with flows like that and it was truly fishing in the trees with very off colored water. I caught fish but it wasn't very safe and rather than work from the water it was wading through the PO.

LOL afraid of the dark, or just the yellow eyeshine? Bono and I ran into 3 mountain lions up there about 15 years ago that were walking down the road just above the pit 4 dam. It was around 10pm or so and they were only about 50 yards from a group camping down below. Taking a flash picture from inside the truck didn't work out so well. That's another story.....lmao I got a million of 'em.

Otter · Senior Member

Local guide Craig Nielsen reports for October. Shasta Trout.com

Fishing on the Pit River this season has been frustrating to say the least. The new flow regime with the increased volume has reduced the amount of fishable water and to add to the frustration the flows have not always been steady or predictable. Finding unpressured water and steady flows has been the key to success. Its been a boom or bust game, when we find suitable conditions and rested water the Pit has been terrific. Returning the next day we may find the flows changed unexpectedly and a large group of anglers in our favorite reaches which can make for a challenging day. Caddis have been hatching midmorning through the afternoon and nymphing with size 14-16 patterns has provided the most success, though fish have also come on small mayfly nymphs, Copper Johns and Rubberleg patterns as this river almost always has a bit of a smorgasboard.

My experience on the Pit has been similar boom or bust. Depends on the flows and the crowds.

The new flow regime was a FERC request. Guess who owns most of the land and the dams?? PG&E No protests were made and the increase in flows easily passed. Same thing happened on the McCloud. Pull out the maps or put in time on local waters.

Cole Davis · Senior Member

Aahh that's funny lightfoot. More afraid of not being able to see my way back out of the spot I'm fishing. Hard enough to see sometimes in there even with the sun up.Yep Otter, got burned twice in last couple years headed to the McCloud from burney. Flow schedule seems normal on the web then you get there and it looks like a milk truck crashed in the river.

lightfoot · Senior Member

pre read material note: I'm having issues posting links on here for some reason so for most, it's going to be a cut n paste into your browser rather than just clik and view....sorry in advance.

btw: as far as crowds on the Pit. I've never seen more than 2 other people fishing there (one occasion) though seldom see ANYBODY. It's probably not the safest place to fish alone. I'm half tempted to wear a bike helmet.

These links below lead me to believe that they are basically pulse flows though they are listed for Pit 1. If the flows are cranked up at Pit 1 you'd think the increased water would eventually make its way down to Pit 5 and beyond, though this is the Pit confuse

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Calendar/view-event/event/2747/

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/31077/

http://www.pgecurrents.com/2011/09/26/shasta-county-pge-to-increase-whitewater-flow-for-recreationists/

A little digging pulled up a LOT of information....

FERC Relicensing Update: Challenges and Opportunities

The change in fishing regulations isn’t the only big change happening on the Pit River these days. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted PG&E a new 36 year license to operate the Pit 3-4-5 project on July 2^nd, 2007. The new license dictates big changes in the way the project is managed, including changes in water releases. These changes were the result of years of input and studies mandated by various state and federal agencies. Curtis Knight, Mt. Shasta area Program Chair for California Trout, helped me unravel some of the details of the new license. The new FERC license can be viewed on the http://www.ferc.gov/ website. Go to “E-Library”, then search for docket # “P-233” to get all documents related to this project. Search for “P-233-081” to view the license.

Pit 3

There will be many changes to the flow regime, but the biggest is new minimum streamflows. When the new flow regime is implemented, the lowest streamflow at any time of year will be 280cfs, almost double the current release of 150cfs. The Pit River will be very different at these flows. Small cascades that currently contain good pocket water may become too fast to fish. Conversely, many of the marginal spots that are currently too shallow and/or slow will turn into good spots to fish. Some of your favorite spots are going to be lost, but hopefully just as many new good spots will be created.

Summer minimum streamflows for Pit 3, 4, and 5 will be 300, 375, and 400cfs respectively. Fall minimum streamflows will be 280 in Pit 3 and 350 in Pit 4 and 5. Flows during the winter depend on whether a spill occurs over the dams. Winter minimum streamflow ranges for Pit 3, 4, and 5 will be 300-450, 375-600, and 400-550cfs respectively. The new FERC license defines summer as April 21^st through August 31^st. Fall is defined as September 1^st through November 30^th, or anytime in November when a spill occurs over one of the dams.

There are also provisions for spring “freshet” releases. These will occur every other year in March in the event that no spilling has occurred in the past two years. These freshet flows will involve a ramped 21-day elevated flow release with at least two consecutive days of 1500cfs average flows. These freshet releases are intended to mimic the natural hydrograph, albeit to a limited extent. Without interference from the dams, the Pit River would naturally rise during the winter and spring. These higher flows help to distribute woody debris, wash out silt, and distribute gravel deposited at the mouths of tributary streams. When the new FERC license comes into effect, the Pit River will experience elevated flows at least once every two years.

There are also provisions for recreational whitewater flow releases. Starting in 2013, PG&E will be required to release 1200-1500cfs during one weekend in August and one weekend in September in Pit 5 only. These recreational releases will be monitored extensively and compared with baseline data collected between 2010 and 2013. The recreational flows will be re-evaluated after three seasons and it’s possible that changes will be prescribed in 2016.

These new streamflow releases require extensive modification to the outlet structures on the Pit 3, 4, and 5 dams. FERC requires that the new minimum flows be implemented by July 2^nd, 2010. I spoke with Jason Vann, PG&E’s License Coordinator for the Pit 3-4-5 project, who said PG&E is working very hard to meet that deadline. If you’re fishing the Pit in 2009 or the first half of 2010, you will probably notice construction in progress at these dams.

Fishing The New Flows

Needless to say, with higher average flows, wading will become even more dangerous than it is now. There will be fewer places to cross the river. There will be more areas where you are forced to fish from the bank and will have to deal with overhanging vegetation blocking your cast. Slips and falls that would merely get you wet and embarrassed at 150cfs could threaten your life at 300cfs. The bottom line is to be careful! Fish with a buddy, carry and use a wading staff, and use common sense. When the new flows are implemented PG&E will begin posting live streamflow data on a website. It will be worthwhile checking flows when planning a trip, especially in the winter and spring when flows may be elevated.

How will the river fish at the new flows? Several years ago I participated in a fishability study conducted by PG&E. I got to fish Pit 3 at 400cfs, and Pit 4 at 300, 400, and 800cfs. Pit 3 was a nightmare at 400cfs. There was much less fishable water and it was quite honestly a terrifying river to fish at those flows. Hopefully 300cfs will be much better. Pit 4 fished great at 300cfs and there seemed to be much more fishable water. At 400cfs it still seemed better than at the current flows, but perhaps not quite as good as at 300cfs. At 800cfs it was a boating proposition. I floated the river in a pontoon boat and caught a few fish, but bank angling was nearly impossible and the amount of fishable water was severely diminished.

In my opinion, it would be a shame and a waste if the increased flows result in less fishable water on the Pit River. Dozens of anglers can currently enjoy the river all day long without even seeing one another. It would be unfortunate if the new flows result in fewer places to fish and therefore reduce the number of fishermen the river could accommodate. Keep in mind that without the dams the Pit River would never drop below 1800cfs and fishing as we know it would be out of the question. The new flows could very well result in more and larger fish. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Some interesting information about gravel was found in the third submittal from the above link http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/results.asp One could make a full time job just trying to keep up with the polatics.

-- Edited by lightfoot on Wednesday 26th of October 2011 07:14:23 AM

-- Edited by lightfoot on Wednesday 26th of October 2011 07:17:27 AM

-- Edited by keith bigelow on Wednesday 26th of October 2011 05:43:31 PM

lightfoot · Senior Member

No takers? Where is that sense of adventure?