Well, the 5^th time we’ve done “Dad’s Weekend” and we all had high hopes. I’ve been extraordinarily busy at work and I had to cut my trip short by a day and a half. I almost thought I wasn’t going to be able to go, but I’d be damned if I was going to let work get between my dad and I’s annual event. Then, with a SNAFU with my truck’s driver side window deciding to break and me getting a touch of the flu, it was almost if “someone” was trying to tell me “Not to go!” Me being very stubborn, come hell or high water, I was going fishing with my dad!!!! With a small miracle occurring and getting my truck window replace a day and a half earlier than expected and me drugging myself with Nyquil, Tylenol, and a boat-load of Vitamin C, I was going to be able to go afterall! Thanks to the Good Lord!

I left early on Friday morning with low expectations. I knew that East Lake was about 90% iced-over and if there was even one or two other boats on the lake, there’d be no way for RD and I to attack the lake with our trophy trout fishing techniques and tactics properly. However, with Paulina Lake being a next-door neighbor and producing the State Record Brown a few years back, it was a nice back-up plan to have.

I arrived to the Teal Cabin around noon and saw my dad, RD, and Kim all outside relaxing from that morning’s fishing. They were expecting me to show up around 6 or 7 pm so it was great to see them. They told me of their success and that RD had caught a THICK 7lber on Thursday evening and they were marking fish everywhere at Paulina. I was excited.

That evening, I wanted to get familiar with the lake and “scout” to see where the fish were and in what areas. We took a lap around the lake to no avail. We were out in front of the marina where we were marking some fish when I saw my dad jump up and grab his rod. I looked over at his rod and it looked like a human hand had grabbed the rod tip and just pulled back. I always think this every time myself or anyone in my boat gets a big hit “Ah…he must be hung up” but then common sense kicked in and dad was flat-lining and in 80 feet of water!!!! OMG!!! After I kicked the boat in neutral and dad fighting the fish, as quick as it hit, it was gone. He reeled in his line and sure enough, he was sawed off. He then said to me with a very genuine look on his face “Brian, that was the biggest hit I’ve ever gotten by a trout!” Crap! We ended with catching a dink for the evening and we called it a night. It was getting really rough as we left.

The next morning, the bite was hot from about first light for about hours and then died. Dad and I caught 5 and had about a dozen short-strikes. I did get one good take down, but came unbuttoned after 5 seconds. Dad ended up getting a really nice, 22 inch, 4lber. When I first saw it jump from the water, I thought it was going to be in the 5 to 6 lb range. When he got it closer, it was a little smaller than I expected. But, still a beautiful and great fish and I’m glad Dad was able to catch and release him.

The rest of the trip (Saturday PM/Sunday AM), we got quite a few short strikes, but never hooked up solid again. We threw everything at them but to no avail. RD and Kim had it dialed by catching quite a few more than us, but beside the 7lber they caught on Thursday, pretty much all dinks. However, Paulina Lake was great to visit and I was very appreciative of Karen and Todd Brown allowing us to moor our boats. Dad and I had a great breakfast on Sunday morning at East Lake Resort. Dad had the Huevos Rancheros and I had the Bay Shrimp Omellette. Superb (especially after a cold morning on the water)!!! We saw the legendary John Hofferd and chatted with him for quite a while. It’s always great to see these people that we’ve come to develop great relationships with over the years.

My dad’s and I’s best lures were Yo-zuri Crystal Minnows (4 inch size), Bomber 15 A’s, and the new Xcalibur Xs4. We got some bumps on Trophysticks, Lymans, and Rapalas, but nothing really stuck. Our most productive spot was along the south shoreline, but be careful. There are a LOT of rocks and snags in there. I lost over $100 worth of lures this weekend, but when those big browns are hanging around structure like that, you got to put it in front of them. A big thanks to Dave and Kathy Jones for their great accomodations at East Lake. Although we didn’t get to fish there, it’s still a very relaxing and enjoyable place to stay.

 

Take care,

Brian