Halloween Fishing and Fall Nostalgia at Bidwell
Coming off an incredible week of tarpon fishing, I came home to a mountain of catch-up chores at both the office and house. I kept trying to sneak in a Forebay day, but every time I checked the forecast, the wind looked like something out of The Perfect Storm. Add a little “Papa Meng duty” watching grandson Miles, and just like that — two full weeks without a single striper. Brutal.
After last Halloween, when we didn’t get a single trick-or-treater (not one!), Gina and I decided to escape civilization altogether and take the Revel up to Wilderness Unlimited’s Bidwell property near Lake Margaret. We figured we’d trade candy duty for campfire smoke and trout. Of course, the WU reservation line informed us that Lake Margaret closes mid-October — naturally, the week before we arrived — but no problem. We set up camp at Bidwell’s Pond 2 for a little fall fishing and relaxation.
The Baum Lake Detour (and Gina’s Fan Club)
On the way up, we made a detour to Baum Lake. It wasn’t exactly busy on Halloween evening, but the few diehard locals still out there were quick to notice Gina. Within five minutes she had the old-timers laughing, showing off photos of their catches, and spilling their fishing secrets like she was running a confessional. She knows how to charm fishermen — years of practice.
Turns out, they’d been catching and releasing some absolute units — half a dozen trout over 24 inches. One guy swore the DFW must’ve planted giants. The lake was alive with fish rising to midges, and I immediately regretted leaving the float tube at home. Baum is tailor-made for a small pram or rowable pontoon — anything that lets you stand and cast over the weeds. Next time, I’m showing up armed with 4- and 5-weights, full float lines, and vengeance.
Meat Fishing at Cassel — Just Like the Old Days
As daylight faded, I suggested we head down to Cassel Campground and try for some breakfast trout. We stopped by the Hat Creek pond above the powerhouse — nobody there, not even a ghost of a fisherman. The place looked exactly like it did 30 years ago, except for a new fence along the raceway. Still open to fish, though.
Armed with a red rubber worm and ultralight spinning gear, I filled the creel with a limit of feisty 9–12 inchers in under 30 minutes. Sure, I could’ve gone fly rod, but this was a meat mission — and I still enjoy a little nostalgic bait fishing now and then. We cleaned the fish, drove to the campground, and fried them up for breakfast two mornings in a row. There’s nothing like fresh trout sizzling in butter as the frost melts off the grass. Coffee tastes better at 30°F.
Cassel was my home base back in high school. I’d drive there Friday after class, fish till Sunday at 5 p.m., then haul back to San Jose in time for Monday morning. It’s also where Gina and I first camped together in California — which makes it officially sacred ground. Turns out, the main loop of the campground is seasonal, but the outer loop stays open year-round — and free! Perfect for winter boondocking the Revel while fishing Baum.
Back to Bidwell — Glamping with Starlink and 7X
Fifteen minutes down the road, we rolled into Bidwell and met the host, Cory. He didn’t recognize me, but it has been over a decade. He filled us in — fresh water at the gate, firewood for sale, and even a propane-heated shower at Pond 2 (BYO propane). He said the fishing was good on all three ponds, with a few brutes pushing 24 inches. I didnt meet them.
We camped at Pond 2, hooked up Starlink, and streamed the World Series and 49ers game next to rising trout. Technology has officially ruined roughing it — and I’m not complaining. The nights were cold enough to frost your waders, but the mornings were glassy calm. Fish were rising all day, sipping midges off the surface. No hatch to speak of, just subtle dimples everywhere.
It was maddening, technical fishing — 20-foot leaders tapered to 7X, size 24 midges, and fish that knew exactly how to use the weeds to break you off. I hooked 12 and landed 6 in two days — every one felt like a hard-earned victory. That night, we celebrated with Wagyu steaks, grilled zucchini, sweet potatoes, sticky rice, and ice cream sandwiches by the fire. Five-star camping.
The Long Leader Experiment
Sunday morning, I doubled down on my leader setup, chasing every edge I could. I built the perfect 20-foot 7X leader using a 14-ft Airflo floating steelhead polyleader, a trimmed 7.5-ft 4X Rio mono leader, 2 ft of 5X, and 3 ft of 7X joined with triple surgeons. It turned over surprisingly well — as long as I didn’t blink mid-cast.
For visibility, I tied a little tuft of wool to the 4X junction, but I’m experimenting with FTD’s High Float polypropylene fibers, which might outfloat New Zealand strike wool. Every little edge counts when you’re trying to drop a midge on a dime 50 feet out in the breeze.
Nostalgia and a Perfect Ending
In the afternoon, we swung by Pond 1 — deeper, clearer, full of cruising fish. It’s a float tube pond for sure. Tempting, but time was short. We circled back to Cassel for one last easy limit of dinner trout, packed them into the Revel fridge, and hit the road. Five hours later, we were home — smelling like woodsmoke and trout grease.
We’ve been camping here since my kids were born—over 30 years ago. Both Mark and Mia learned to cast a fly on this very pond, just like Gina did not long after. Coming back now felt like stepping into a time capsule. The trip was pure nostalgia—quiet, simple, and grounding. Evenings were spent by the campfire with Gina, sipping hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows for s’mores, and watching old movies on the iPad under a blanket of stars.
I didn’t see another soul all weekend, which made it feel even more special. Standing beside that same pond where Mia caught her first trout more than three decades ago brought everything full circle. The smell of pine, the chill rolling off the water, the stillness of the forest—it was all exactly as I remembered. The gear might have evolved, the reels a little smoother, the rods a little lighter, but the feeling… the feeling hasn’t changed one bit.
I’ll be spending a lot more weekends up there from now on. With Starlink, the Revel, and a few 7X leaders ready to go — I might never come back.
