Foothill Freestone · Volcanic · Northern California

Butte Creek

A wooden covered bridge crossing Butte Creek, with a gravel bar and calm water in the foreground, near Chico, California.

A famous Central Valley spring-run Chinook recovery stream — worth knowing about for where salmon recovery is happening and why water temperature matters, not as somewhere to fish for salmon.

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 temp23.0°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 temp23.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindSE 21 km/h
Pressure1013 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°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 6 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 3 with Pro.

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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 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. A wooden covered bridge crossing Butte Creek, with a gravel bar and calm water in the foreground, near Chico, California.
    honey-run-bridge-from-butte-creek
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A famous Central Valley spring-run Chinook recovery stream — worth knowing about for where salmon recovery is happening and why water temperature matters, not as somewhere to fish for salmon. 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

Central Valley spring-run Chinook recovery context. No catch score, no targeting language, and strong temperature/conservation messaging.

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

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Butte Creek (Butte County)' (CAR5204000020020610131525), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Mercury, Toxic Organics. 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) · CAR5204000020020610131525

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 6 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature3 × 28%0.8
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity49 × 12%5.9
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 46
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
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