Yellow Creek

Fishing Yellow Creek

Yellow Creek is a spring-fed tributary of the North Fork Feather that joins the river at Belden. Its water stays cold all year, it holds wild trout, and it is managed as a Wild Trout Project water. The upper creek winds through the meadow in Humbug Valley, reached by Humbug Road off Hwy 89, about 8.7 mi in. In 1990 Yellow Creek Campground sat there at 4300 ft with 10 sites, open May through September. Trailers and RVs had to come in from the Hwy 89 side; the Caribou Rd approach was best left to four-wheel drive. The meadow water is a chain of pools under water grass, with small riffles and undercut banks between them. Below the valley the creek drops into a canyon of fast water and some deep pools. The lower end is reached on foot: a trail of about 2 mi starts at the rest stop at Belden and climbs along the creek past many pools and whitewater riffles, an easy walk of around an hour there and back. Summer is its best season, since the spring flow keeps it cold. Bait and flies were the usual methods in 1990. In the meadow, work the grass cover and the undercut banks; on the trail section, a short rod handles the tight canyon water. Regulations change and differ by section, so check the current California regulations before you go.