Spring Creek Tailwater Mix · Volcanic · Northern California

Battle Creek

Battle Creek flowing through a rocky, tree-lined gorge near Manton, California, viewed from Wildcat Bridge.

A major Central Valley salmon recovery tributary rather than a normal angler-promotion venue.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Glo Bug / Egg · 6-10
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp23.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Glo Bug / Egg
Glo Bug / Egg6-10
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp23.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather27°C
WindS 19 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 23.1°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
CO
Comet (orange)
4-8 · Comet
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Treat as conservation-first and verify current CDFW rules before any angling recommendation.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. Battle Creek flowing through a rocky, tree-lined gorge near Manton, California, viewed from Wildcat Bridge.
    Winter-run juvenile release into Battle Creek
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A major Central Valley salmon recovery tributary rather than a normal angler-promotion venue. What matters most here is restoration, closures, current rules and non-targeting of listed fish. Volcanic bedrock underlies this river. These are steelhead and salmon waters managed by CDFW under strict, frequently-changing seasonal rules — salmon retention is often prohibited and catch-and-release is widely required; check current CDFW regulations before fishing.

  • Volcanic
Conservation note

Important recovery context for Central Valley Chinook and steelhead. No listed-salmonid catch score; no targeting language.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Battle Creek (Tehama County)' (CAR5081000020200421044068), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5081000020200421044068

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 4 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature2 × 28%0.6
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity45 × 12%5.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23.1°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 47
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Verify → Verify
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts