Baum Lake is a great choice for a day of fly fishing

Baum Lake - Cassel, CA (Shasta County)


by The Fly Shop
8-10-2013
Website

Current Lake Conditions: Callibaetis hatches happen mid-day and a few fish can be found feeding off the surface eating duns and emergers. You will find some sections of the lake are weedy. The weeds get thick by mid-summer and that does limit fishable water. Best fishing is found along the deeper sections of the lake. Baum lake has a lot of rainbow trout in it and cold clean water makes for healthy conditions all adding up to what is a great choice for a day of fly fishing, any day. Best flies can be nymphs suspended under small indicators. The associated nymph section to the right lists a number of solid possibilities. Grab a few and go!

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:

• Hackle Winged May - Callibaetis
• Harrop's Emerging Midge
• Adams - #18-20
• Almost Dun BWO
• Harrop's Last Chance Baetis
• 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