There are many wonderful trout streams in Northern California. But almost all of them are so far away from the Bay Area that a multiday trip is required to fish them.
Not so with Putah Creek. It’s located just below Lake Berryessa a few miles out of the town of Winters.
This is a comfortable drive for Bay Area and Sacramento area anglers. In the late 1950s, Monticello Dam was constructed in a narrow canyon stretch of Putah Creek, forming Lake Berryessa.
Prior to this, Putah was one of the finer smallmouth bass fisheries in the state. But the cold outflow from Berryessa changed all that.
Planted rainbow trout flourished, and the trout fishing is still good today. One more attraction—Putah Creek can be fished in winter when most Sierra streams are closed.
Putah is a wide, flat stream that is ideal for fly fishing as well as for bait and lure angling. Access is very good via Hwy. 128 and camping is available.
Regulations and limits vary by season, so be informed. The good trout fishing section extends for about five miles below Lake Berryessa.
The six signed Putah Creek Fishing Access sites line Hwy 128 with excellent facilities. Access 1 at 38.5177,-122.1005 has a gravel lot for 12 cars and a short trail to a broad riffle.
Access 2 at 38.5173,-122.0940 offers a paved pullout with vault toilet and direct bank casting. Access 3 at 38.5169,-122.0876 holds a shaded turnout for four vehicles and a braided side channel ideal for high-stick nymphing.
Access 4 at 38.5170,-122.0820 has the largest parking pad with room for drift-boat trailers plus a 0.15-mile path to a long glide. Access 5 at 38.5163,-122.0765 sits beside a gentle inside bend with an eddy seam and space for eight cars.
Access 6 near the Hwy 128 bridge at 38.5154,-122.0703 has shoulder parking and quick entry to the deepest pool in the corridor. Additional informal pullouts exist downstream toward Winters at 38.5078,-122.0602 and 38.4989,-122.0490, but use caution on blind curves and avoid blocking gates.
Blue-winged olives pop on overcast days November through March from noon to 3 p.m. The densest spinner falls occur after storms when flows stabilize.
Midges run year-round, peaking at first light in winter and again at twilight in summer. Carry multiple sizes to match varying emergence patterns.
April through June brings tan and olive caddis emergences near dusk when water temps hit 52-56°F. These create short but intense surface windows.
PMDs overlap in May with pale duns riding flats from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. These are often followed by a brief spinner fall before evening caddis.
Pair BWO hatches with CDC Comparaduns and Sparkle Duns in sizes 18-20. Match these to Juju Baetis and WD-40 nymphs in sizes 20-22 for subsurface support.
PMDs respond to size 16-18 Film Critics or Thorax Duns. Back these with Split-Case PMD nymphs and Pheasant Tail Frenches in the same sizes.
Midge workhorses are Zebra Midges in black or red in sizes 20-24, Top Secret Midges in size 22, and small RS2s. Fish them with 6.5X fluoro to soften drifts and avoid spooking selective feeders.
For caddis, fish X-Caddis, Elk Hair, or CDC & Elk in size 16. Run a LaFontaine Sparkle Pupa or Olive Caddis Poopah size 16-18 two feet below an indicator.
A 9-foot 5-weight fast-medium rod covers most indicator and dry work on Putah. Step to a 9'6" 6-weight with a fighting butt like the Sage Foundation 690-4 when wind kicks up or you’re throwing heavier split shot.
Pair with a large-arbor reel holding 100 yards of 20-lb backing and a smooth 4-5 lb startup drag to cushion 20-inch fish. Use a true-to-line-weight floating line with a long front taper such as Rio Gold or SA Amplitude Smooth MPX for mending on flats.
Carry a 10-foot sink-tip Type 3 at 3 ips for swinging soft hackles in deeper slots. Standard leader builds start at 9-foot 4X for dries, extended to 12-15 feet with 5-6X tippet on glassy glides.
Cross only at inside bends where cobble replaces snotty bedrock. Notable crossings include Access 2’s upper riffle and Access 5’s midpoint island.
Stay shin- to knee-deep on the inside seam, then cast toward thigh-deep outside lanes where trout hold under push water. Use a wading staff and felt or Vibram with studs for safety.
Flows above 350 cfs push hard on the waist, so keep crossings limited to riffle tails. In summer low water at 120-180 cfs, stealth-wade from the bank and minimize mid-channel crossings to avoid spooking fish on the flats.
The deep pool under the Hwy 128 bridge at 38.5154,-122.0703 holds the creek’s heaviest rainbows. Fish the head seam where the main chute drops into 6-8 feet.
Undercut banks at Access 4’s lower meadow conceal fish tight to wood root balls. Dead drift a weighted midge rig inches off the cut for best results.
Boulder clusters below Access 3 create micro-eddies that stack big fish during caddis evenings. Swing soft hackles across the foam line when insects are active.
In summer, shaded ledges along the north bank just above Access 1 shelter trout mid-day. Target these spots when sun angles are high.
Run a 2-fly rig with a heavier anchor fly like Split-Case PMD 16 or Rubberlegs 8. Position this 18-24 inches below a size 20-22 midge dropper on 5.5X fluoro.
Position a medium Air-Lock or Thingamabobber 1.5-2X the water depth above the anchor. Adjust up or down until shot ticks bottom every third drift.
Use one #4 split shot at 0.20 g in 3-4 foot glides. Step to two #4s or a single BB at 0.40 g in 5-6 foot slots.
Crimp split shot 10-12 inches above the anchor to reduce fouling the dropper. High-stick with a 10-foot leader plus 3 feet of tippet and keep a shallow downstream mend to maintain a vertical drop through the primary seam.
On the glassy flats at Access 4, cast upstream 1.5 rod lengths off the target rise. Use a reach mend to set slack before the fly lands.
Grease only the first 18 inches of leader with paste floatant. Treat flies sparingly to preserve natural ride height.
During BWO drizzle, make sidearm casts to keep low profile. Land the line in an “S” pattern for drift length.
If fish refuse duns, clip the hackle off the bottom of a CDC Comparadun to create a cripple silhouette. Slide it across the film at the tail of the pool.
Where bait is legal downstream of the special-regs zone, drift cured salmon eggs on size 12-14 octopus hooks. Use one BB shot 12 inches above in 3-5 foot walking-speed water.
Nightcrawlers threaded on size 8 bait-holder hooks work best at first light. Pinch a single #4 shot for a slow tumble along the bottom.
Mold chartreuse or rainbow PowerBait on size 14 treble or single egg hooks for planted fish near the Putah Creek Trout Conservation area boundary. Use a 4-6 lb mono mainline and a 24-inch 4 lb leader below a sliding 1/4-oz egg sinker.
Always verify you are below the artificial-only section to stay legal. Boundaries are clearly marked but can be confusing to first-time visitors.
Use size 1-2 inline spinners like Panther Martin gold/black or Mepps Aglia silver on 6 lb mono. Cast quartering upstream and retrieve just faster than current to keep blades thumping.
In deeper pools, flutter 1/8-oz Kastmasters or Thomas Buoyants with a lift-drop retrieve. Tap bottom every few seconds to trigger strikes.
Clip barbs or buy barbless trebles to comply with special regs. Swap to single siwash hooks where required.
Low light favors darker blades for better visibility. Switch to silver or holographic on bright days to match chub flash.
Cold water pushes fish into slower seams during winter months. Target tailouts and inside bends with zebra midges size 20-24 under yarn indicators for softer landings.
Shorten leaders to 9 feet and use 5X fluoro to improve turnover with gloves on. Keep flies 8-14 inches off the deck to avoid moss.
Grease guides with paste floatant to reduce icing. Keep fly boxes warm in an inner pocket to prevent brittle tippet knots.
Swing small soft hackles like Partridge and Orange size 16 at the end of the day. These work when BWOs trickle and trout slide shallower.
From Monticello Dam to 1 mile below the Hwy 128 bridge, Putah Creek is artificial-only, barbless, and catch-and-release for trout year-round. No bait, no scent, and single barbless hooks on lures are required.
Downstream general regulations allow bait and harvest under statewide trout limits. Always check current CDFW booklets because boundaries and flow closures can change.
Seasonal spawn closures can occur around sensitive redd zones. Avoid wading over clean gravel in November through February.
Slot limits are not currently enforced here. Selective harvest rules may apply in adjacent reaches, so confirm before fishing.
Off the Hook Fly Fishing with guides Ryan Williams and crew runs Putah trips. Call 916-722-1055 for booking and flow updates.
Kiene’s American Fly Fishing Co., 2752 Marconi Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821, 916-483-1222, stocks Putah-specific midges, 5-6X fluorocarbon, and barbless hooks. Sweeney’s Sports, 1537 W Imola Ave, Napa, CA 94559, 707-255-5544, provides licenses, split shot sizes, and real-time clarity reports for Hwy 128.
Lost Coast Outfitters, 540 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-483-2278, carries long-taper trout lines. They can arrange guided days via Bay Area pickup for traveling anglers.
Planning a multi-lake trip or exploring more Northern California fly fishing? Check out these resources:
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