Spot Check
By Mike Wier
Fly Fishing & Community
Outreach
Putah Creek
A nice surprise
Putah Creek. Yeah, I know, Putah Creek. I used to be a little skeptical of the place but it’s actually a pretty cool wild trout fishery. If you’ve been there, then you already know. If you haven’t, then it’s definitely worth a trip sometime. The fishing can be quite challenging and fun but fishing aside, it’s also a really beautiful little canyon and great place to escape for some nature time and river relaxation.
From Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa to Solano Lake there is a great tail water trout fishery that is open year round to catch and release fishing with single barbless hooks. The whole stretch resembles a fishing park. There are plenty of trails and access points for all skill levels as well as a campground and small general store that is open in the summer months.
Living up in the mountains and being surrounded by killer rivers and lakes, I’d never paid much attention to Putah Creek or had a reason to drive that far to catch trout. I figured it was too close to the Bay Area so it was probably crowded or degraded. A decade or so ago I started hearing stories of some pretty big trout coming out of there. After a friend showed me a photo of a big wild buck pushing 30” my interest was definitely captured.