Hitting the Reset Button

Posted on May 1, 2017 by

3 Comments

After a heavy water season and a literal flushing of the system EVERYTHING has changed.

The flow rate is approaching normal seasonal levels:

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It was a blue bird day without much cast defeating wind. Perfect setting for a day on the Putah.  I fished a bit with a couple friends and found Access #5 to be dramatically changed with higher flows along the north side of the island and deeper channels dredged all over revealing wonderfully clean cobble.  It had a Lower Yuba look.  Years of accumulated silt – GONE!  Good riddance!

The few feisty fish that came to hand were chubby, healthy yearlings just losing their parr marks.  It was apparent that they have faired well after the long period of high water.  They definitely didn’t appear to be having difficulty finding food and shelter.  Here’s hoping that the bug life also thrives with the change in substrate.  Give us something more than that #24 midge please?!

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Photo courtesy of Steve Karr

On the downside, thistles have grown to astounding levels creating virtual hedge rows.  They have replaced blackberry patches that were burnt to the ground along access 4 and 5.

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A hedge of thistle at Access #4

Putah Creek Trout has an ambitious slate of future work – one of the first steps will be to determine just how the Putah has changed. We all look forward to the challenge of relearning this special water after such a dramatic makeover.

Category: Conservation, Front Page, History

3 Comments on “Hitting the Reset Button”

  1. Thanks Dr Dan. New member and excited about Putah and it’s little ecosystem . Been at least a decade since I fished Putah. Hope to make it a father/son flyfishing trip option. Lemme know about any work I can do.

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  2. Thanks for your interest Barry! Keep coming back to check on the website and the Facebook page for upcoming projects. You can always Donate to the cause as well. More to come!

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  3. My name is Vernon Terry and I live in Martinez. I am a member of The Diablo Valley Fly Fishermen of Walnut Creek. We are new to the area having moved from Orange County about a year and a half ago.
    My wife and I participated in the 2019 Putah Creek clean up and had a great time working with every one to clean up Putah.
    I would like to be more active with your organization and would like to be made aware of events that I could be of use.
    Putah is a beautiful stretch of water and I want to help keep her that way.
    Regards,
    Vern Terry

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Spring has sprung on the creek. The water is quite turbid and on the rise 300+. Silt from the recent run off is really impacting some of the best runs. 128 is now open with one lane controlled by traffic lights. Goslings were keeping close to mom and learning how to navigate the riffles at FA#5. 4/4/23 ALERT: Highway 128 closure effectively shuts down access to the Putah Creek fishing access. The recent rain and runoff has undercut highway 128 near FA#3. Work crews have closed the road at Pleasant Valley road on the east side and at the dam to the west. Looks like no fishing access until the work is completed. No ETA known at this time. Don’t even bother. Now that the flows are starting to go down for Fall (currently at 204cfs), I wanted to share my thoughts on fishing Putah and discussions on the board. I think there is a balance that we should strike regarding discussing fishing success on the Putah and ensuring that we aren't contributing to the phenomena of "Hot Spotting". This is obviously subjective. Putah Creek is NOT a secret to the local fishing community and should be cherished and celebrated by ALL of the community. That being said, it is an extremely small fishery - only ~4.5 miles much of which is UNfishable due to vegetation and topography. It is the closest wild trout stream fishery to the Napa, Bay Area, and Sacramento metropolitan areas. This can lead to significant fishing pressure (duh). 2022 Putah Creek IDR Cleanup success! Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped make our little piece of water more enjoyable and safe for everyone to enjoy! We collected ~800 pounds of trash and 100 pounds of recyclables. #coastalcleanupday #putahcreektrout #pickupyourtrash 2022 Putah Creek Interdam Reach Cleanup is Saturday 9/17/22. Please consider joining us as a service to the resource that we all enjoy. Please sign up at the link below: October 23, 2021 - PCT worked with CDFW leaders to replace regulation and mud snail signage as well as 3 angler survey boxes. Hard but rewarding morning. Look for opportunities coming up to participate in our next event. Check out the new survey boxes (hopefully to report how successful you were)! #putahcreektrout #itdoesntcountuntilitssurveyed. Volunteers needed Saturday October 23, 2021 to help Putah Creek Trout and CDFW Region 3 replace angler survey boxes and signage. YOU can help this fishery improve! Sign up through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/putah-creek-special-fishing-regulation-signage-placement-volunteer-event-tickets-182066655267 or email PutahCreektrout@gmail.com #putahcreektrout #troutunlimitedca #johnmuirtu Thanks to the 25 or so volunteers, the 2021 Interdam Putah Creek Cleanup was a great success. Per Steve Karr “We collected 150 lbs of recyclables and filled the 10 yd dumpster with an impressive 1800 lbs of trash including a torn down shed and other construction materials that had been illegally dumped near Fishing Access 2 and Fishing Access 1. Special thanks go to our site team leaders Shawn, Son, Dylan, Dave, Mike, and Richard. Special thanks to Charlie Schneider and Roger Wachtler of TU for their help in volunteer recruitment. Special thanks to Tom Robinson and Fly Fishers of Davis for providing tables and 5 gallon buckets.” #putahcreek #putahcreektrout #rivercleanup #cleanupchallenge #cleanupday #troutunlimitedca #flyfishersofdavis 2021 Cleanup Day is Saturday September 18! Come join PCT and help beautify the creek we love. More info at putahcteektrout.org website including how you can make this a safe outdoor activity during the pandemic. ** NEW EVENTBRITE SIGN-UP ** https://www.eventbrite.com/e/putah-creek-trout-inter-dam-reach-cleanup-tickets-169528017865 Bring your rod and your energy!
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