Big Chico Creek Fishing Report

To help right the historic wrongs of the past, CDFW and partners are hard at work reassembling and reintroducing native fish species to the upper reaches of Big Chico Creek in Butte County. Decades ago, Big Chico Creek was chemically treated in a misguided attempt to boost salmon and trout populations by ridding the creek of native minnows and other important forage fish. At the time, these fish were believed to be competing with salmon and trout. Instead, as a result of the treatment, the creek’s ecosystem collapsed and has struggled to fully recover to this day. This work takes place alongside the Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project that will remove a significant barrier in Big Chico Creek blocking spring-run Chinook salmon, steelhead and other fish species from reaching their historic habitat in the cooler waters upstream.