From StateParks.com: "Ahjumawi is a place of exceptional, even primeval, beauty. Brilliant aqua bays and tree studded islets only a few yards long dot the shoreline of Ja-She Creek, Crystal Springs, and Horr Pond. Of the park's 6000 acres, over two thirds of the area is covered by recent (three to five thousand years) lava flows including vast areas of jagged black basalt."

The Little Tule River joins the Tule River before emptying into the Fall River. From this location, it is just a short boat ride to fish the productive waters of the middle Fall River, and spring fed Horr Pond and Big Lake, waters that hold big, wild trout.

Chris and I fished the waters of Horr Pond for the first time and found water so clear it was as if the water and sky blended together. We stalked trout that we could see cruising and caught some of the largest rainbows we’ve ever landed on the Fall River system. Horr Pond and Big Lake lie adjacent to Ahjumawi State Park, the ancestral home of the Pit River Indians. Public access is only possible by boat.

We suggest a visit to the springs for their historical interest, as well as the fishing. It is still possible to see rock constructed fish traps used for centuries by the Native People and catch trout that have resided in these waters before the land was settled by immigrants. Large trout are also caught in Eastman Lake. Fishing can be excellent at anytime of the season with the hatch of the giant Hexagenia mayfly on the Fall River beginning in late June acknowledged as one of the highlights of the year.

Fall River Mills has an excellent golf course and an interesting museum filled with historic artifacts from the area.

For more information and reservations:

Ajumawi Lava Springs State Park
http://www.stateparks.com/ahjumawi_lava_springs.html

Photos by ©2002 Christine and Michael Fong