Discovering the Overlooked: Fishing a Hidden Creek in the SF Bay Area

For years, there's been a creek hiding in plain sight.

In the SF Bay Area, genuine fishing creeks are hard to come by. The winter of 2023 gifted us with torrential rains, breathing life into many urban waterways. However, by August, most had already surrendered to the summer heat.

Watch the companion youtube video here!

Update and Disclaimer: This creek is legal to fish from Saturday preceding Memorial Day
through Sep. 30 2023. I won't name the specific creek/tributary.

Source: CDFW 2023 Freshwater Sportfishing Regulations Booklet

While Henry Coe State Park was enticing, the idea of a strenuous 5-mile hike every week under a blazing 90F sun was less appealing.

Gear

• Rod: Tenkara USA Iwana 12ft rod
• Line: Dragontail Tenkara Level Line (cut to 11ft)
• Tippet: Scientific Anglers 5x Trout Tippet (cut 2-4 ft)

The Search for Fresh Creek

I found this creek after looking at blue lines on Google Maps. I had to make sure it wasn't private property, but Google didn't show that information. One day, I did make the 1 hour drive to the creek. Sure enough, it did have signs that it was open, however the trails leading to it were largely unkept.

The overgrowth initially raised doubts: Was this place forgotten? Or was it a sign, warning me of trespassing?

I eventually found a path that led through the creek. The path was clearly laid out already. Was the path created by the park, or someone just as adventurous?

Looking at the map, it looked like I was within bounds of the park holding this creek.

Eventually I called the governing park, and they told me it was fine to fish here. Phew!

The creek wasn't the easiest to navigate. The "entrance" side of the creek didn't have any spots to stand and cast a line. There's multiple rocks that look to be man-made steps to help one cross the creek. I hopped my way across through these rocks. Once I got to the other side, it was a good spot to get my gear ready and fish.

While setting up my rod, I see schools of fingerlings (or are they juveniles?) swimming in the water. That was a good sign to me!

How to Fish this Creek

Hidden in the deeper areas of the section I was in, I see a few big fish. I rarely see them feed up close. Most of the time, they're feeding 30ft away from me.

There are larger pockets of calm waters upstream. Walking close to the water spooks big fish right away. I can't see them with my peripheral vision from the trail. When I walk a little closer with my eyes zoned in the water, I see bigger, fast, and evasive fish scurrying away! They sensed my presence from afar, dashing away before I could make my move.

At this point, it is pointless to cast in hopes I'll get their attention.

The strategy evolved: stay hidden, maintain distance, and be patient.

Yet, landing these fish remained a challenge.

In the clip above, I was strategically positioned higher than the water. To avoid spooking the fish, I cast my line farther from the water then crouched my way closer.

This fish still haunts me today. After casting from a farther distance 5ft from the water, I got the attention of a few bigger fishes hanging out together. I got one bite from them, and that fish had quite the energy! I was not able to set the hook. All that violent action spooked the other big fish away.

What could I have differently to land that fish?

Sections of this creek is just about two feet narrow. In these narrower sections, bow and arrow cast is best.

Catching Rainbow Trout

I was able to land my first trout here after several unsuccessful attempts. Here's what worked for me.

Kebari with Size 12 Hook

I tied my kebari to imitate crane flies. The ponds and creeks I've been to around this one all had crane flies in the water. I was able to consistently set the hook on sizes 10 to 12. Any bigger and they spit the hook out with ease.

Stealth

I had to cast around 3ft away from the water, even on elevated ground. Crouching definitely helped. Trout was more eager to follow my kebari around after I deployed some stealth tactics.

Use a Shorter Line with Bow and Arrow Cast

While some spots had more clearance, this particular creek had too much cover for me to cast normally. I started with a 13 foot furled line. It was alright, but I didn't need the extra length and casting distance. I thought having more line meant more chances of getting tangled in trees. It also heavier, so it made more noise on the water whenever it landed. Not good, since the fish in this creek are extremely careful!

I had more success with my 11 foot level line. It was more subtle and landed in the water more gently.

If you're not familiar with the bow and arrow cast, I encourage you to read my post here!

Repeatedly Casting at the Same Spot

The lack of murky water enabled me to see where the trout are, what they're up to, how interested they are in eating my fly. Many times, I'd get their attention on the first cast. In all those cases, I was not able to land them. Their splashing around would have scared other trout away already.

However, they do come back after some time. In some cases, they'll just stay very still in a deeper pocket of water. Repeatedly casting above or around them, they will be bound to get interested again, or get trout from another section of the creek curious enough to come over.

Try Many Spots

An advice I read on reddit was to leave a spot every 15 minutes. Fishing the same spot for too long will just scare the fish away. You can try going back to it later if you prefer. In my case, I was able to invest enough time on each section to see 1) if fish are there to begin with 2) if fish there are already spooked 3) if fish are eating.

I was able to get bites on 4 out of 5 spots that day.

Look for Suitable Spots

While there were catchable sized fish pretty much the entire creek, only a few spots had fish holed up and eager to eat.

Trout here seemed to like shaded, deep pockets of slow moving water. They always face upstream and just float there. That to me was the best indicator that I was gonna catch something in that spot.Repeatedly Casting at the Same Spot

What Didn't Work

Shrimp Kebari

I tried a few other colors and styles of kebari here. The most ineffective one was one I called the "shrimp" kebari. It's just white fuzzy goose feather, with white sewing thread, mesh from supermarket oranges, and black thread to "finish" the sushi look.

It just scared every trout in the vicinity. It was pretty funny to see trout look at the fly for a split second then just bolt out. It did float nicely though!

I had many more instances of trout avoiding the shrimp kebari. I was unable to record some of the more comical ones. In one case, this curious trout came out of its hiding spot to look at the fly. It disappeared right away after giving the fly a good sniff.

Woolybuggers were also ineffective. They splashed too much and possibly too big for these 8-12 inch trout.

Should Have Brought a Shorter Tenkara Rod

I brought my 12 foot Iwana from Tenkara USA. It's a good all-rounder. If I knew there was this much cover, I would have opted for a 10 foot rod at the longest. Something like TinyTen 2 or Maxcatch Mini (9ft) would have been perfect!

Nature's Moments

Rainbow trout is beautiful. The bright colors, the curiosity, voracious appetite, and the vigorous fight make it a fun prey to catch. Here are photos of my trout that day.

There was also no shortage of other animals. I was not able to take photos of turkeys and pigs that visited me.

It's a little hard to see in the photo above, but there were five deers that took a water break at the same time! One more deer is visible in the back. I thought it was cool how they all came one after the other. One of them sensed me (even though I was there the whole time), stared at me for a good minute, then they all ran away.

There's always signal crayfish in this creek. It's crazy how we have so many here, from tiny creeks to man-made lakes. I read that they're not all too harmful to the ecosystem as they're only able to catch sick and dying fish. What do you think?

I also noticed that fish get spooked when they see a crayfish crawling nearby.

The End

I still have yet to see another human on this creek. The closest I've seen someone was probably a mile away. Not too far, but far enough that I feel at peace!

As summer 2023 wanes, the creek is still flowing strong, even though the water level has been significantly lower since I first checked it out. It's tested my skill, patience, and got me thinking about my approach.

Have you stumbled upon a hidden gem in your travels or adventures? A place that tested your skills or simply offered a peaceful escape? Share your story!

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