After some horrible weather near the end of May and some rescheduling due to my wife's strep throat, we were barely able to pull off yet another Dad's Weekend to keep this tradition alive.  BWild and I had been planning this trip for months, and were so disappointed when we had to cancel.  However, as it would turn out, that was probably the best thing that could have happened.  We would hit East Lake just after an unusual storm front pushed through, and we hoped this would make for better fishing.

I met my dad, Kim, in Eugene on the morning of Wednesday May 26th.  We dropped his truck off at the Wildishs' house and headed for East Lake.

 We were shocked to see how much ice was still on the lake as we came over the hill where you can first see the lake.  Hearing reports that the lake was open from the Hot Springs all the way to the Cliffs, and then seeing it was half of that was a bit disappointing. 

Dad and I quickly found David and Kathy Jones, owners of East Lake Lodge, busy getting things in order for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.  Kathy checked us into our Pintail Cabin and said the fishing had been good with fish up to 23" caught.  Dennis McGanty, who caught an incredible 12-1/2 pound hookjaw last year at East, had just been there and did pretty well up to 4lbs. but nothing bigger.  Our goal for the trip was one brown over the 5lb. mark but deep inside I was

hoping for something much, much bigger.    We quickly got our things

unloaded and into the cabin, and then we were ready to go fishing.  As we walked down to the boat, Brian and his dad, Gary, were launching their boat!  We helped and then headed out into open water around 3 p.m.

It didn't take long and we were into fish.  We found that fishing over deeper water was producing, mainly in the 20-25 foot range.  The fish were scattered from 5 feet deep clear to the bottom so we had to change up techniques and lure depths to put them in front of the fish.

 Rainbow, Chub, and Koke pattern lures all seemed to work for us and nothing really stood out as the clear winner, so as with the depths, we tried all sorts.  Later in the evening the bite heated up and Dad scored a really nice brown with pretty red/orange sides on his belly.

I got a couple pics of Dad with his trophy then told him to get the fish back in the water so that it could catch it's breathe.  What I meant was for him to put the fish in the net and then soak him.  Then we could get a length and weight measurement.  Before I knew it, Dad plopped the fish nose first in the 36-degree water and he quickly swam home!!  I smiled and laughed, and said "Dad, I was wanting to measure and weigh that fish!".  Dad laughed and said "You told me to get it back in the water!".  Well.......how could I argue with that.  We laughed it off and estimated the fish to be 24 inches and real close to the 5lb. mark.  It was a nice healthy brown with thick shoulders.

We ended the first day with 6 browns to the boat, and I had one that spit the hook that looked like I had hooked an anchor line!  This was one powerful fish and it just stayed there as I set the hook into him.

 Dad and I both thought I was hung up, until my rod pumped hard two or three times and began to slowly swim off.  Dad hollered "Oh my God, it's a FISH!".  I stayed right with him for a minute or two, and then the dreaded slack in the line quickly followed.  That was the one I was looking for.  Next time......

Thursday was SUPER slow for my Dad and I.  We tried all the same lures and fishing techniques as the day before, but the browns just wouldn't cooperate with us.  BWild on the other hand was spankin' em.  Dad and I were happy for Brian and Gary, but at the same time were wondering what we did to deserve such lousy fishing.  That's the way it goes sometimes with this brown trout hunting.  We only caught three dinks at the end of the day.  That evening however, we got to enjoy Gary's cooking of some fine venison steaks and his famous fried potatoes with onions.  It really hit the spot after a cold day on the water.

Friday morning we all slept in since we had a helluva time fighting the thin layer of ice that covered the water the morning before.  We were on the water by 6 a.m. and within 15 minutes of trolling I hooked up with a dink.  As I was reeling it in, I was surprised to see a 10"

rainbow had hit my LC 128 lure.  Crazy fish!?!  I set my pole down inside the boat to reach for my pliers that are kept in my scent box.

When I looked back up to pull the little rainbow in for release, there was a BIG Brown trout right beside the rainbow all focused in on him.

I quickly hollered "Dad, look at this huge brown back here!".  Now this is all happening about 3 feet from my boat with the motor still idling and me standing up in the boat.  I immediately start feeding some line to the brown, and out of nowhere these huge jaws open up and crunch down on the rainbow!!  I couldn't believe it!!  He takes a couple more swipes at the rainbow, and I'm just hoping that one of my trebles gets him.  This big hookjaw looks like he's in the 6 to 8 pound range, and I'm getting really excited seeing this unfold before my eyes.  Next thing I know, Dad flips his lure back to the fish, but comes up just a bit short.  I holler and say "Yeah Dad, do it again!".

 This time Dad stripes off more line and flips his lure back a little farther.  He cranks down and then jigs it a couple times, BOOOOOM, FISH ON!!  His rod slams down hard, and I see Dad jerk back as he sets the hook.  The big brown takes off straight down to deeper water.  He makes a run down about 20 feet, headshakes, and bulldogs for a few minutes.  I'm just sitting there laughing and stunned by this whole event.  Before I know it, the brown comes up right underneath the boat, and I'm ready with the net.  He swims out, and I nab him.

WOOHOO!!  Dad and I holler and high five each other.  What a cool and special moment for the both of us.  Definitely a story we will not soon forget.  This time after some great pictures, we get a 24 inch length, and 5-1/2 pound weight from this old hookjaw.  Dad released him, and we just had to sit there for a while to take it all in.  I've heard of numerous big browns following lures right up to the boat, but most of the time they spook and take off.  But to actually catch one..........Wow!  That was cool!

Needless to say, that fish made the whole trip for Dad and I.  We fished for a while longer, but had to check out of the cabin by 11 a.m.  We went in, broke down camp, and met up with the Jones' to return the key to the cabin.  We thanked them for another wonderful experience at East Lake.  If you can get the time off or get lucky enough to book a cabin on a weekend at East, I highly recommend it!

They have all the comforts of home in each cabin, and you sort of get a nostalgic feel being in them.  Go to eastlakeresort.com for reservations or information.  David and Kathy are great folks and will treat you right.

Dad and I followed the Wildishs' out of the Crater, but kinda wished we would have stuck around to talk with Dan Stewart.  Evidently as we were pulling out, Dan had a 7 pounder in his livewell that he wanted to show us.  Sounded like that was just the start of his hot bite too.

 Dan has been on fire in the brown trout world, and it was great getting to meet him and share some stories at night in the cabin after fishing.  I look forward to seeing him again.

Instead we headed for Wickiup and did pretty well there too.  Dad and I caught 7 browns and probably lost another 5 or 6.  We never had any huge takedowns or fish we felt were really big, but I did catch a really pretty 4-1/2 pound male that was only 21-1/2 inches long!

That's a pretty fat fish.  I kept a nice 3 pounder for the kids, and decided to call it a trip.  We left on Saturday around 11 a.m. as the Memorial Weekend crowd was kicking into gear.

Once again, we had a GREAT time with Brian and his Dad, and can't wait to do it again next year.

Best of luck everyone,

R.D.

"Browns - Coyotes of the Fishing World!"