Baum Lake - March 12-14

[michaeln]

Well, I'm up here at the Sleepy Hollow Lodge in Burney, headed back to SF on Sunday.

Fishing has been slow for me and the people I have been fishing with. Thursday was cold but pretty bright and sunny. Didn't hear of anyone catching more than 1 fish.

Yesterday was varied, overcast all day, periods of light to heavy rain, no wind to 30MPH winds. By the time we got off the lake yesterday at around 4PM it was SNOWING, cold and wet. Trying to pack up the boats and the gear was tough due to numb hands. Not very pleasant late in the afternoon. I caught two little rainbows, but one gal who was wading near the outlet of Crystal lake hooked and landed a rainbow that was probably 24" plus. Nice fish, took her about 20 minutes to land it and release it. She was high stick nymphing. My buddy Mike who was spincasting out of my pram (I am using my new NFO Outlaw Rampage 'toon) caught a 16" rainbow on a "Trout Magnet" (kind of a split-tail jig).

It snowed here last night (not much accumulation though). 21 degrees right now. We're going to wait until maybe 10AM and then head out for more Baum abuse.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I guess I am too old to that cold..........but do remember that kind of stuff a long time ago.

Thanks for the detailed post............

[joshfish]

its beautiful in redding today so the weather up at baum should be great also. hopefully the fishing picks up today.

[michaeln]

Clear and cold out there today, with an incessant 5-10mph NE breeze that made it feel REALLY cold and played hell with the single anchor setup on my 'toon. The current flows south to north and the wind would blow from the northeast to southwest. With a single anchor that means you never stop moving. It sucked.

My friend Mark was using my pram today for the first time. He found a honey hole, nailed down both ends with the two anchors and proceeded to boat 8 fish in about an hour and a half on dries during the early afternoon BWO hatch. Man I love that two anchor setup. I have to figure a way to do it on the 'toon.

His girlfriend Emily caught one rainbow before Mark and I even got on the water. I, on the other hand, fished all day and I never caught a single fish.

Tomorrow's supposed to be warmer. If it is, I will go out in the morning and fish. Otherwise, I have been cold for 3 days, and I'm old, and I have a cold, and I just got laid off Wednesday, and frankly, I have had enough crap for one week.

[joshfish]

michael for the front anchor on your toon just zip tie or wire tie a small pulley to one of your foot rests and use a five pound pyramid anchor. when i was up there the other weekend i had the same problem. i talked to a couple of people and they showed me that setup and they said it works great.

[Hibbygibi]

Don't sell that pram :unibrow:

With a single anchor that means you never stop moving. It sucked.

My friend Mark was using my pram today for the first time. He found a honey hole, nailed down both ends with the two anchors and proceeded to boat 8 fish in about an hour and a half on dries during the early afternoon BWO hatch. Man I love that two anchor setup. I have to figure a way to do it on the 'toon.

[michaeln]

Well, I'm back home. Looked like it was going to be windy Sunday so I just headed back to SF.

Not my best trip up there by far, but I was delighted that the people I talked into going up there all got into some nice fish. It can be fun just being happy for your friends' success.

I probably won't go back up there for a couple months.

[Rick J]

Don Rotsma and I made it up on Saturday - got there around 11 and fished until around 3. The BWOs were coming off around 1 but were sporadic at best where we were as the wind would come up and knock the bogs down anytime they got going - managed a few fish - one n a midge earlier and the others on dries - a number of suck downs with nobody home - the wind was just too cold to really get jazzed on things so we packed up pretty early and headed home - right at the end I was seeing quite few spinners on the water but by then I just wanted to get to a warm truck!!!!

[michaeln]

Yeah, I hear you about the cold. It only got up to 40 degrees, and with that north wind it was pretty unpleasant. Wish I'd been able to meet you. Were you guys in that drift boat by any chance?

[Rick J]

no - we were in the 2-man aluminum pram - I think we were likely anchored just up from you guys - we were the guys hunched over shivering!!! and cussing the wind - I can see doing this for steelheading but..........

[michaeln]

Something about this trip, although I enjoyed it a lot, beat me up pretty bad.

I started the trip with a mild cold, by the Monday following the trip I was getting sicker and sicker, and I ended up getting checked into Kaiser ER on Friday, where I spent five days in the hospital fighting off a severe case of double pneumonia... according to the doctors, if I had not checked into the ER on Friday I would likely have died Saturday.

I am back home now caring for myself, but it will be weeks before I regain my strength. I don't think sitting out there on Baum in freezing rain was a really good idea since I already had a cold going.

[Hibbygibi]

Sorry to hear this.. It never is a good idea to sit out in the elements without the proper clothing, I am sure you were prepared. I guess as we get older it gets tougher to fight the bugs off.
Hope you make a full recovery and you get back to fishing fast.
Al

[michaeln]

I think my gear wasn't the issue.

I was wearing heavyweight fleece tops and bottoms, heavy wool socks, another fleece outer shell on top, breathable waders, Simms G4 jacket over a ball cap and Simms fingerless gloves. I was dry and not cold (not warm either).

I think I am just, alas, getting too old to do the stuff I love to do.

[Hibbygibi]

Let's hope not


I think my gear wasn't the issue.


I think I am just, alas, getting too old to do the stuff I love to do.