The event was hosted by Clearwater Lodge and was held on five of the best blue ribbon trout waters in the country —the Upper Sac, McCloud, the Pit, Fall River and Hat Creek—iconic places sharing a common attribute: cold, clean spring water. The challenge was as much a friendly competition as it was a celebration of the health of these rivers and their wild trout populations.
“We were excited to bring this event back to the area to raise awareness of these iconic fisheries while supporting CalTrout’s continued efforts to keep these rivers thriving,” shared Curtis Knight, California Trout’s Executive Director. “This area and these waters are an important part of CalTrout’s history, starting with Hat Creek in 1971 where we laid the ground work for wild trout management.” Teams competed to see who could catch and release the most fish inches across all five waters over three days. First place went to Steve McCanne and Alec Gerbec guided by John Fochetti, coming in with 1,088 inches of wild trout. The team established a solid lead after Day 1 on the McCloud and Upper Sac and never looked back. McCanne and Gerbec will have their names engraved on the bronze Five Rivers Challenge perpetual trophy that will be housed at the Clearwater Lodge. They also received prizes from sponsors Sage and Rio.
Photos by Mike Wier