Fish Report for 12-15-2013

December is one of the best months to fish Baum Lake

12-15-2013
The Fly Shop

Current Lake Conditions: It will be slow going getting into Baum Lake this weekend due to the snow storm that rolled through on 12/6. Be prepared with tire chains. Looks like weather will be great all this week and warmer by next weekend. Fishing has been good!

Don't miss out on fishing Baum in the winter months! December is one of the best months on this lake. Midge hatches, midge hatches!! Baum lake is fishing fair to great! It does almost 365 days a year. #18-20 midges come off daily. Add in cloudy skies and it's a recipe for good angling. Hatches of BWOs happen when conditions are just right: cloud cover and wet weather. You can get into some good dry fly fishing here.

This east side venue is a worthwhile spot to cast your next fly. Bring your pontoon boat or float tube. Get on the water early for best dry fly chances throwing #18 Adams or BWO patterns. Fish midge nymphs mid day. The bite is really slow late afternoon through sundown.

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:
Expect chain controls due to snow/ice. HWY 299 can get a little nasty at this time of year, especially during and after storms. 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
• Hackle Winged May - 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


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