The weeds are making it tough to fish at Baum Lake

Baum Lake - Cassel, CA (Shasta County)


by The Fly Shop
7-19-2013
Website

Current Lake Conditions: The weeds have really filled in making it tough to fish certain parts of the lake, but you can still enjoy a fun time here. Best to get out there early in the morning. Anglers fishing #18 Red Copper Johns, Black Midge patterns and Woolly Buggers in black or brown have been finding rainbows, sometimes a brown trout. Bring a few PMD dries and various cripple mayfly patterns for a chance at taking fish on the dry fly before the sun gets high (in the sky..really)! Expect a solid fishing experience in the AM hours through the week. Not fishing as well as it was this time last month, but that's summer fish'n on Baum.

The Fly Shop's?? Tips: Fish midges all day! Look for occasional hatches of BWOs and PMDs that produce surface feeding and dry fly opportunities before the sun...get's high. In the sky! Seriously! Stripping and retrieving Leeches on intermediate sinking lines is a great tactic as is suspending #22 black Zebra Midges or Mercer's Gidget under a small indicator. Try a black A.P. on a slow retrieve. There are a lot of scuds in Baum Lake, making various scud patterns an obvious choice. Suggested leader selection consists of 9' 5x and a spool of 6X tippet for dry flies and the smallest nymphs.

Baum Lake is an ideal fishing destination for pontoon boats, float tubes and small prams.

Fishing an Intermediate sinking line with a small PT nymph can produce a bent fly rod. The key is SLOW strips! Nothing in Baum Lake is moving fast. Use lighter, longer leaders. Delicate dry-fly presentations will produce more strikes.

Road Conditions:
No restrictions at this time. Call 1-800.427.7623 for up to date Northern California Road Conditions.

Suggested Fly Patterns:

Dry Flies:

• Harrop's Emerging Midge
• Adams - #18-20
• Almost Dun BWO
• Harrop's Last Chance Baetis
• Tilt Wing Dun - Mahogany #18
• Griffith's Gnat
• Mercer's Missing Link - #14-18
• Light Cahill - #18

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• Red Copper John - #18
• Ultra Scuds
• Sparkle Scud
• BH Half-Flashback PT - #14-20
• Black A.P. #14-16
• Beaded Zebra Midge - #18-20
• Mercer's Gidget
• WD-40
• Micro Mays - Red #16-18
• Olive Pheasant Tail Nymph #18
• Zebra Midge - #16-20
• Chromie - #18

Streamers/Leeches:
• Jay Fair's Wiggle Tails - #10
• Beaded Micro Buggers - #12
• Zack's Swimming Leech Black or Olive
• Zack's Damseleech - #14
• Double Bunny - #2

Fly Fishing Gear:
• Outcast?? Fish Cat 9-IR
• Scott?? G2 Series Fly Rod 4-5 wt
• Sun Day Afternoons Hat