There are rivers that fish well, and then there are rivers that get under your skin. The Upper Pit River at the Powerhouse No. 1 access, tucked into the volcanic canyon country east of Redding near the small community of Fall River Mills, belongs firmly in the second category. Once you’ve stood knee-deep in that cold, clear water watching wild rainbow trout sip emerging caddis off the surface, you’ll understand why seasoned anglers make the three-hour pilgrimage from the Bay Area and beyond just to spend a weekend here.
The Pit River is one of Northern California’s most underappreciated trout fisheries, and the stretch below Powerhouse No. 1 is a particular gem. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated a significant portion of this water as catch-and-release only, which means the fish are there — and they are big, wild, and educated. Expect rainbows averaging 14 to 18 inches, with genuine trophy fish in the 20-inch-plus range for those patient enough to match the hatch properly. The river runs cold year-round thanks to hypolimnetic releases from the PG&E powerhouse operations upstream, making it fishable even in the dog days of August when most Northern California streams are too warm and low to touch.
Getting there is part of the adventure. You’ll drive east out of Redding on Highway 299, winding through oak-covered hills and high desert terrain before the landscape opens into the wide, sage-brushed expanse of the Fall River Valley. The Powerhouse No. 1 access sits along a dirt road off Highway 299, and the hike down to the water is steep enough to remind your legs they’re working but short enough that you won’t dread the climb back out. Once you’re streamside, the canyon walls rise dramatically on both sides, volcanic rock stacked in jagged columns overhead, and the sense of isolation is complete and entirely welcome.
The hatches here are exceptional. Green drakes, pale morning duns, caddis, and blue-winged olives cycle through the season in reliable succession, giving dry fly enthusiasts plenty to work with from late spring through early fall. Nymphing with smaller patterns — Copper Johns, Pheasant Tails, and zebra midges in sizes 16 through 20 — produces consistently throughout the year. If you’re new to the river, spending a half-day with a local guide service before going solo is worth every penny; the Pit has its quirks, and learning the wade routes and holding water shortcuts the learning curve considerably.
Pack your lunch, bring a good pair of wading boots with felt or rubber soles suited for slippery volcanic rock, and plan to stay most of the day. Cell service disappears the moment you drop into the canyon, which feels less like an inconvenience and more like a feature. The Pit River has a way of demanding your full attention, and giving it willingly is the whole point of being there.
Whether you’re an experienced fly fisher chasing a personal best or someone looking to cast a dry fly over rising trout for the first time in a genuinely wild setting, the Upper Pit River at Powerhouse No. 1 delivers something increasingly rare in California: elbow room, healthy fish, and a canyon that looks more or less the way it did a century ago. That’s not nothing. That’s everything.
