North Fork Mokelumne River

Wild factor • 7
Trout Rating • 7
Fish caught • 0
Fishing season • East of Highway 49, last Saturday in April to Nov. 15; there is one mile of river west of Highway 49 that is open year-round.
Remote Access • The wildest stretch of river lies above Tiger Creek Reservoir, a lush 7.5 miles that harbors the river's biggest and best fish. To drop into the middle of it, take Winton Road east from West Point in Calaveras County for about 5 miles to Lily Gap. Turn left on Forest Road 7N44Y which parallels the river for the next three miles before coming to an abrupt halt. Descend 600 vertical feet to the river anywhere along it.

Wild and Scenic status for the North Moke has been proposed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and actively advocated by The Foothill Conservancy, an Amador County group that has collected about 600 signatures of support from local residents. Final eligibility documents were competed last year and Conservancy Director Chris Wright has encouraged people to write Congressman Dan Lungren, representing the district, to ask for further action. The proposed 37-mile stretch east of Highway 49 has some of the best trout fishing in the area, plus a dizzying array of American Indian cultural sites from a time when the canyon was used as a passageway to the Eastern Sierras.

I kayaked the lower 5 miles of the river and fished near Highway 49 since the upper portion remains off limits. Again I didn't catch anything but I blame it on a bruised arm I got while kayaking. Devil's Toilet Bowl, the last and only class 3 rapid in this stretch, turned me over and smashed my elbow into a rock. I proceeded over another rapid while trying in vain to flip over with my one good arm. Out of breath in calmer water I popped out and swam through freezing water to the shore.
Note about pictures: These are from last year. The last bit of Salmon Creek water is still evaporating from my camera.

Salmon Creek

Wild factor • 4

Trout rating • n/a

Fish caught • 2

Fishing season • For the stretch west of Highway 1, Dec. 1 through March 7, on certain days of the week. Trout fishing east of the bridge is open from the last Saturday in April through Nov. 15. 

Directions • Salmon Creek crosses Highway 1 in Monterey County 47 miles south of Big Sur State Park and 23 miles north of San Simeon. 

Like Villa Creek, no one has nominated Salmon Creek for wild and scenic status, but not for lack of beauty. A short trail leads to a split waterfall on the creek near its crossing with Highway 1. Below the falls, which serves as a boundary between anadromous and potamodromous rainbows, the stream continues to cascade through large boulders in a steep ravine to the ocean. The steelhead here were also affected by black spot, but not as severely.

I hacked my way to the ocean on the north side, then fished upstream. Slipping off a rock, I fell backward into a pool and drowned my camera. My picture-taking might be on hold for a while ...

Villa Creek

Wild factor • 4

Trout rating • n/a

Fish caught • 3

Fishing season • For the short stretch west of Highway 1, steelhead fishing is allowed Dec. 1 through March 7, on certain days of the week. Trout fishing east of the bridge is open from the last Saturday in April through Nov. 15. 

Directions • Villa Creek crosses Highway 1 in Monterey County 44 miles south of Big Sur State Park and 26 miles north of San Simeon.  

Villa Creek isn't a candidate for wild and scenic status but it's one of several streams in Monterey County undergoing an intensive steelhead restoration project by various agencies. I caught three juvenile steelhead, which stay in the streams for up to three years before heading to the ocean. The fish had black spot disease, a parasitic infection that is linked to poor water quality, according to a study done on the Columbia River. Black spot doesn't pose a threat to humans, I was told at Central Coast Fly Fishing in Carmel, but occasionally gives rise to spinal problems and other disorders in infected fish. 

South Branch Middle Fork Feather River

Wild factor • 8
Trout rating • 8
Fish caught • 0
Fishing season • All year for the section within Butte County
Directions • From Oroville, drive east on Highway 162          16 miles
Continue past first turnoff to Bald Rock Road (it's a loop)        6.5 miles
Right on Bald Rock Road                                                                   0.4 miles
Left on 22N62                                                                                        7.7 miles
Arrive at the bridge over the Middle Fork of the Feather River. The South Branch enters downstream on the far side of the bridge. Continue across bridge several miles to trail access to Seven Falls and upstream portions of the river.

Video Milsap Bar Road

Little North Fork Feather River

Wild factor • 8
Trout rating • 6
Fish caught • 0
Fishing season • All year for the sections within Butte County; this is roughly seven river-miles adjacent to Milsap Bar. 
Directions • From Oroville go east on Highway 162               16 miles
Continue past first turnoff to Bald Rock Road (it's a loop) 6.5 miles
Right on Bald Rock Road                                                            .4 miles
Left on 22N62                                                                            7.7 miles
Arrive at Milsap Bar and the bridge over the Middle Fork of the Feather River. The Little North Fork enters just upstream from the bridge. 

The Little North Fork has few trails, maintained or otherwise, for 10 miles above the Middle Fork of the Feather. The pictured waterfall (unnamed) lies 1 mile upstream. Fishing for little rainbows and browns heats up in the summer and fall. 

Fall River

Wild factor • 8

Trout rating • 5

Fish caught • 1

Fishing season • All year for the part in Butte County (about seven miles)

Directions • From Oroville drive east on Highway 162     4   miles

Pass Miners Ranch Rd on the right                                           1.3 miles

Right on Forbestown Road                                                          6.1 miles

Left on Lumpkin Road                                                                   3.5 miles

Cross South Fork Feather arm of Lake Oroville                      7.2 miles

Left on 21N35Y                                                                                1.6 miles

Arrive at trailhead and bathrooms

The 4.5-mile trail leads to Feather Falls, a 650-foot waterfall on the Fall River about a half mile upstream from the Middle Fork of the Feather River. This short stretch is best accessed by boat via Lake Oroville and a little scrambling up the Middle Fork. I climbed down a gully by the waterfall overlook which was - forgive the adverbs - very hard and extremely stupid, or that's what came to mind while I was doing it anyway. I left the canyon in a gully across from the overlook. While significantly lower angle than the first, it topped out in a forest of manzanita that entangled me for two hours in the dark. At one point, on my hands and knees between bushes, I lost track of the waterfall and the sound that guided me. When I heard it again, it had swung directions. I stuck to my rabbit trail and the sound soon reemerged in front of me. Scrambling through a mesh of gullies and spurs, I found this was an acoustic trick of where I was and gave up on the waterfall. A few stars between tree tops helped me find my way back to the river, about three-quarters of a mile above the falls. A short trail led from there to the overlook.

Lower North Fork American River

Wild factor • 5                                                             Trout rating • 6

North Fork North Fork American River

Wild factor • 6                                               

Trout rating • 4

Fish caught • 0

Fishing season • All year. Only lures with barbless hooks from November to April. 

Directions • From Auburn take I-80 east                           27 miles
Take Alta Exit                                                                                 .2 miles
Make a quick Right and Left onto Casa Loma Road            .9 miles

Veer Right to stay on Casa Loma Road                                   .4 miles

Veer Left to stay off private road                                              1.4 miles

Right at stop sign; go over railroad tracks                             .6 miles

Veer Left at Y                                                                                  .1 mile

Arrive at signed trailhead with bathroom