Fly fishing is pretty much the way to go at Baum Lake currently. The weed growth is prohibitive for spin anglers, especially those looking to toss spinners or spoons. I managed one nice rainbow on a Panther Martin but most every cast retrieve came back with grass trailers. There were quite a few fly anglers either wading or fishing from small personal pontoons or kayaks casting to the  many trout slurping flies on the surface.

The powerhouse at the head of Baum Lake, a very popular spot for spin anglers is currently offline with workers shutting it down until at least the end of the October. The work has also impacted the Cassel Forebay above the powerhouse with the back bay becoming stagnant with an algae film growing on the surface due to lack of flow.  The main flow of the creek is being diverted at the Cassel Rd bridge to the natural creek channel on the south side of the bridge.  Fishing to the west of the Post Office remains unchanged and a good option.

Baum Lake will improve for spin anglers once cold weather takes hold and the weed growth begins to die back but in the meantime fly fishing will remain strong.

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.