From California Trout, Trout Unlimited, the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, originally published in December 2009 issue of California Fly Fisher.

For over a century, the McCloud River has been a world-renowned fishing destination, known for its overwhelming beauty and as the historic home of rainbow trout now transplanted around the globe. The river has been transformed over the years with the construction of Shasta Dam in 1945 and the loss of salmon and steelhead. 

In 1965, PG&E’s new McCloud Dam began the diversion of 80 percent of the McCloud’s spring-fed base flows to the Pit River. This led to the extirpation of bull trout in the McCloud, the southernmost population of bull trout in North America. Yet through all these changes, the beauty and wild-trout fishery continue to draw anglers from around the world. More than 90 percent of the visitors to the McCloud River come to fish for its outstanding rainbow and brown trout. 

The McCloud Dam, James B. Black Powerhouse on the Pit River, and Pit Hydro Projects 6 and 7 are up for relicensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The relicensing process provides an opportunity to assess current conditions and enhance the river’s habitat. 

 Californian Trout, Trout Unlimited, the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance believe that the McCloud River and its wild trout are robust, and these organizations are working to protect the special attributes of the McCloud. We are recommending flows that preserve and enhance the existing conditions that make the McCloud such a special place.