No Lake McCloud Launch RPT

Me and the wife are up at McCloud.  We drove down to the lake to check things out before taking the Outbacks out tomorrow morning to do some fishing. 
Are there any places to launch other than the boat launch? Maybe closer to where the river comes in?

I've only gone down the main road, over the dam and continued down to Iron Canyon, Big Bend, pit reservoirs, etc. Haven't put a kayak in that reservoir yet. The ramp is in the upper two thirds of the lake isn't it? You should have no problem heading up to where the river comes in. Some insane fishing up there at the last riffle from what I understand

Good luck!

Scratch that, looks like the ramp is about the halfway mark. Didn't look like there were any other launch areas unless you were willing to manhandle your yaks down and up a steep bank.

I've only launched from main ramp.   Ur outbacks shouldn't have a problem reaching either end of the reservoir.  It's beautiful there!  Love it. Last time I was there it was like a Mutual of Omaha episode.  Deer, bear, Eagles and osprey, fish jumping everywhere, osprey dive bombing all over the place.  Sweet place, enjoy!!!

Pretty certain the main ramp is your only option

Thanks guys.  I'll give a report in a few days.

After much convincing I was finally able to get my wife to retire in July of last year.  I retired (for the second time) in August.  We were planning on finally having the time together that never seems to happen when both partners work and there are children to deal with.  But life often has other agendas. After new opportunities, tragic deaths, and taking care of a 102 year old mother we were finally able to put together a plan to christen the 2015 Outback we purchased for my wife that has been sitting unused since being purchased last October.
Last summer we rented a cabin near Mt Shasta with relatives from Virginia and explored the area. After returning home I had read on the board here about Lake McCloud and have been wanting to try it out ever since.  My wife made reservations at a B&B in McCloud, I had made a trailer to hold our kayaks and equipment, and we were finally on our way!
While relaxing at the B&B I started looking at other opportunities in the area, since this would be more of a “together time trip” and less of a fishing trip. We decided that it would be better to try a gentler venue and it looked like Baum Lake would fit the bill.
Baum Lake, near Burney, is less than 90 acres and is a part of Hat Creek.  Narrow, less than 1.5 miles long, and with power boats prohibited it seemed like the perfect venue.  It didn’t hurt that the fishing is almost always good and there are lunker trout regularly caught.  We got up a little later than planned and didn’t make the turnoff (unmakred!) so we didn’t get the kayaks on the water until after 10:00.  But the lake was calm and beautiful with only a couple of fly fishermen
float tubes visible

My goal for this trip, in addition my wife and I finally having time together, was to catch some fish to smoke for my 91 year old father.  I normally keep a fish or two for a meal and release the rest.  This time I planned on keeping enough for the smoker, so I would fish with worms.  My wife wanted to practice with her new G.Loomis fly rod (retirement present from me) from the kayak.


Baum Lake is shallow, mostly under 12 feet deep, has a current, and the bottom almost completely covered with Elodea.  It is in a beautiful setting, surrounded with cat tails, pines, firs, and oaks.  When we finally got on the lake and slowly peddled out we were greeted with a wonderful cacophony of bull frogs, ducks, geese, black birds, and various water foul.
I pedaled along until I could see some breaks in the weeds,tossed worm in and soon got a bait stealing nibble.  The next cast produced a beautiful 17 inch rainbow.  In the following hour I caught a 14 inch brown  and another rainbow, this time 13.5 inches, then the bite turned off and I went out to fish near my wife in the middle of the lake.


She wasn’t so lucky but was enjoying the beautiful day.  While drifting along I saw a group of fish, all longer than 20 inches swimming under my yak.  I excitedly tossed the worm in front of them for... nada, reeled in and tossed again.  Fish on!!! But this fish didn’t give the erratic zig zag and diving like the others.  It was mostly like reeling in a big piece of sea weed.  When it comes up to color it clearly isn’t a trout, but I don’t recognize it.  After getting it in the net I find I have landed a 22 inch Sacramento pikeminnow.  It’s my first pikeminnow and a big disappointment after anticipating a lunker raninbow.  I later find they are native to hat creek. 
Also a disappointment is later learning that the camera my wife was was using to take pictures of the fish was on some strange setting and most of the pictures didn’t turn out.  But all was not lost, because Baum is such a calm quiet area I brought my dSLR along and was able to get some pictures of the wild life.










The following day we returned to Baum less interested in fishing and more interested in just taking in the nature.  We each caught a nice rainbow, relaxed, and enjoyed the ambiance.  After fishing we visited Burney Falls, a first for both of us, then went to spend the evening pedaling the kayaks on Lake Siskiyou.  A very tranquil and special evening.

Undecided what to do for dinner we went into Mt Shasta got a bottle of wine and a pizza and spent the evening on the B&B’s patio in the warm mountain air for a very nice evening together.

Sounds like a great trip!  Love it up there.  Going in a couple of weeks.

Nice writeup and the photos are truly awesome...

Great times John!
Love your pics

Outstanding pictures, Baum and Siskiyou are two of my favorite lakes. 

Thanks for the replies guys.  It was a fun trip!

Outstanding pictures, Baum and Siskiyou are two of my favorite lakes. 

Ben, how do you fish Siskiyou?  I have been there a couple of times and haven't done very good.

Thanks for the replies guys.  It was a fun trip!

Outstanding pictures, Baum and Siskiyou are two of my favorite lakes. 

Ben, how do you fish Siskiyou?  I have been there a couple of times and haven't done very good.

It's supposed to have a fair smallmouth fishery, but I've never attempted that action.  But pulling a dodger/crawler toplined about 100' from the shoreline in the fall/winter/spring is a deadly combination for rainbows.    This time of year they'll likely be hunkered down in the cooler water by the dam, but honestly I'd forgo Siskiyou trout action in the summer in favor of McCloud and Baum.  Britton crappie is another option in the area. 

Spent a week up there last summer...so beautiful!!!  I'm feelin the Lake McCloud Jones!!  Great pics!

Thanks for the report and cool pictures oldfart.

Awesome pictures!

Thanks for sharing!