Baum Lake continues to produce good fishing this winter for Brown Trout. Yes, there is some snow on the ground and yes, you better dress accordingly, but trout are there to be caught.

I made the venture to Baum this morning along with friend Dale Huffman, to try our luck along the bank of Baum. While snow lined the sides of the roads above almost 2500 ft, all roads to the lake and parking areas were clear.

Dale and I noticed the parking area packed with trucks but drove over to my favorite spot, the outlet from the powerhouse behind the hatchery. After a very futile hour of chucking and winding spinners without even a how do you do, we made the decision to try the main lake and the bay adjacent to the outflow of Crystal Lake.

Every type of drift boat, pram, personal pontoon and float tube were lined up in the bay, fishing small midges for the most part, under an indicator. Fly anglers were leaving early having worn out their arm bringing in fish after fish, allowing a new angler to fill the vacated slot. Browns were jumping and boiling throughout the area. I watched one angler nearby reel in 20 trout in an hour or so.

Fishing from the bank, Dale and I decided to stick with spinners and spoons to try our luck. We took position along a tule lined point and began casting into the trout laden area. We had a few short strikes and managed to quick release a number of fish before finally bringing a brown to the bank. There did not seem to be any pattern as we both rummaged through our tackle selections getting a few hits and fish here and there, until just before dusk, when Dale tied on a yellow bodied Roostertail and hooked fish on three consecutive casts. Maybe the marabou tail on the end did the trick?

We landed nine fish, browns with exception of one nice rainbow, for the day, and had many more brief and not so brief encounters, practicing our long range release techniques quite successfully. One couple fishing from the bank nearby scored limits on yellow powerbait, so there are many options for success. Using flies from a pram or personal floating platform is by far the best option, but bank anglers using conventional tackle can score as well.

Gary Heffley has been a valued contributor to MyOutdoorBuddy for over 10 years serving as manager, sales representative and reporter for much of Northern California. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to fish and write about his adventures. He has a long history in the Sporting Goods field and uses that extensive experience to impart his wisdom in his writing.