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This summer has been so busy with little time for writing.
I drew a coveted Oregon Pronghorn tag this year after 15 years of applying so that consumed much of my time as the season
was right in the middle of August! As it turned out, I got a beautiful trophy Antelope buck, so that too was very successful.
As for the fishing, here is my Wickiup report:
In late
August, I took a couple of FTO days off from work and took the family over to Wickiup Reservoir. Wickiup is a pretty
special place to me as I have been coming back each year since 1998. She can be pretty stingy and break yer heart, but
she also has been known to kickdown some of the biggest browns in the entire west coast. I'm still looking for my first
over 10 pounds from her, but love trying to break that mark each and every year.
We arrived
around 10 pm on a Thursday night. I got our tent setup and the boat launched in the dark so I didn't have to deal with
it in the early morning. I met our good buddy, Chuck Jones, at the boat ramp the next morning and we chatted for 30
minutes in the thick fog. Chuck gave me the lowdown and told me how he had been doing and where the fish were kegged
up. Originally I had plans to fish a few favorites spots out in the main lake, but after talking to Chuck he advised
I stick to the Deschutes Arm. He had already been there a week with 24 browns over the 4 pound mark (up to 8 pounds
being his biggest) so why would I question him! Haha! So with my GPS on board, I cruised up the D. Arm to a favorite
area.
The fog
was so thick I could barely see 10 feet in front of my boat. It was crazy thick! Finally I got to the area where
I wanted to start and could make out I was in the right spot. I killed the motor and cruised into some shallower water
and stealthily started pitching a kokanee imitation stickbait. I cast for hours with no bites. Finally around
7:30 am, the action picked up. I hooked about an 18 incher that quickly came unbuttoned after jumping out of the water.
I was pleased to have hooked a fish, so I quickly cast back in the general area. After a couple of quick twitches of
the rod/lure, I got slammed!
This big
hookjaw jumped completely out of the water shaking its head and instantly went down deep screaming line and drag then.........POP!
He broke off with one of my favorite lures in his mouth! Ugh! I was so bummed and disappointed. More so
about losing the lure than anything. Nevertheless, he was about a 27", 7+ pounder that would have made my trip!
Just a dandy. I sat back down and collected my composure. Tied on another lure and got back to fishing.
Over the
next two hours, I landed a 4, 3, & 5.5 pounder. Around 10 am, I headed back to camp to spend the rest of the day
with the family, swimming, riding bikes, and hanging out. I was satisfied with catching one over the 5 pound mark and
ended up not even going out that evening.
| A 5.5 lb Hookjaw in the AM for RD |
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| Not a bad morning for the Coyote.... |
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| ...a nice 4lber in the net! All fish were released. |
Saturday and Sunday mornings were just as
successful with fish of 4.5, 4, 6, 3, 5, & 5 pounds caught and released. The best fish of my trip, a beautiful thick
and stocky 25 inch 6 pound hookjaw was caught around 7:30 am on Saturday morning.
| RD's biggest of the trip! |
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| A chunky, 25 inch, 6 lb Female. Photo courtesy of Chuck Jones. |
Let me tell ya,
casting is a super fun way of catching these trophy brown trout! It is instant hookup and almost all of my fish jumped
straight up out of the water once hooked! They scrap hard and put up one helluva fight! I feel very blessed to
have had such successful summer trips and thank my family for allowing me to feed my addiction by letting me fish as much
as I can while on these "family" trips. We once again had a great time fishing, boating, swimming, riding bikes, and
just hanging out.
Take care and
best of luck on your next trip,
R.D.
"Browns - Coyotes
of the Fishing World!"
| Another Chunky Wickiup Brown for the Coyote! |
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| A beautiflully patterned 5 lb brown for RD |
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| A really pretty 5 lber in the net! |
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| For limited fishing time, RD was doing fantastic at the Wick! |
| A nice close-up shot of RD's 6lber! |
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| Biggest fish of the trip! Congrats on a great trip, brother! |
| Some Summertime Camping at Wickiup! |
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| The Daniels Family Soaking up some sun! |
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| A nice day for a boat ride on the Wick! |
| Ryan's son, Wyatt, cashed out! |
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| Too much family fun, I guess! |
| A beautiful Central Oregon Sunset! |
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| It doesn't get much better! Family Time, some Fishing, and Beautiful Scenery! |
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