For the past 5 years during Memorial Weekend we have been going to Antelope Creek Lodge run by the Fly Shop in Redding. This year we could not get our regular weekend so we booked with Bailey Creek Lodge. Both Lodges are a great destination for the fly fisher and for being pampered. I would say the food might be a bit better at Bailey Creek and that is saying something. The food at Antelope is excellent but Bailey edges it out.
Uncle Meng and Aunt Gina joined us along with Po Po and MoMo. Melanie drove up Sunday night to have dinner with us.
Our hosts Peter and Cindy Mitchell are fantastic and did everything in their power to make us feel at home and comfortable. We could not have asked for better hosts.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and after settling in and rigging our gear, we headed to the pond. The fish were already rising and we caught some really hard fighting healthy rainbows.
We came in for dinner at 6pm and were served bruschetta smothered with saute’d mushrooms as our appetizer, a wedge salad, Sous Vide filet mignon, corn on the cob, baked potato and hot fudge sundae for dessert. We had not eaten that large a meal in a long time.
After dinner we headed back out to the lake and fished until dark. There was a good hex hatch right at dark and we got a few fish on hex cripples.
Breakfast the next morning was another huge meal. Cinnamon bread French Toast with strawberries and bananas AND bacon and eggs. There was so much food left over we felt bad. Lunches were “make your own sandwich” and thank god for that. We were still full from breakfast to have a full blown hot lunch.
The fishing on the second day was incredible. There was a damsel hatch that we fly fishers dream about. The fish were keying in on the damsels and if you could get a cast near a rise, it would be automatic. This went on for hours. It reminded me of the good ole days at Davis Lake. I don’t have many pics of the kids with fish because they would not be close by when they caught fish. We fished in prams and they were never that close. I fished with Emma in my 10 foot pram and she was too close to get any good pictures. Plus these fish were so spunky that they were difficult to hold.
The fishing slowed down a bit the next few days. The bass pond north of the lodge was great fun for the kids. Lots of bass on conventional gear and some big 5-6 pound fish were caught.
This Lodge is perfect for anyone that wants to decompress. From the heated pool and hot tub to the great meals and accommodations, it’s a relaxing quiet visit. This is THE place for us until something better comes along. It’s only 65 minutes from our house!
We will go back for a day trip this year and rebook again for 4 days next year.
