I arrived at Paulina Lake on Saturday, October 10^th and set up camp. That evening I went out for an evening troll and caught one small brown.  The next day, I fished all day, and only caught three small browns at the west end of the lake. This was actually a good fishing day for me based on my previous experiences at Paulina. I was seeing fish all day, but they weren’t all that interested in what I had to offer. Monday, my third day fishing, I caught four fish in the morning; one at 3 ½ pounds or so, and considered this a “bite”. I rested, and then went back at it that afternoon. I was top-lining a long set-back of 300 feet or so in about 10 to 15 feet of water when something big hit. I instinctively turned the boat out towards deeper water to avoid the hazards of the shallows, and I was glad the fish followed. I took the boat out of gear when I saw 80 some odd feet on the finder and began to relax slightly when the fish turned around and began peeling off line as it headed back towards the shallows. Back in gear, following in shaky pursuit, I retrieved some line of what may have been a hundred foot run. Then the damn fish started heading right for the boat. I shifted into neutral with my foot while reeling fast to avoid slack as it passed the boat and began to make a wide circle. Feeling safe in almost 50 feet of water I shut off the motor and raised it by pushing the button with my knee. He was fairly deep and as I pulled him up, I finally got a glimpse of him. Now I was really shaking! The next several minutes, it was just a yo-yo battle because I could see that he was only hooked by the rear hook and I was afraid to put too much pressure on the fish. Every time I stuck the net over the side, he’d make a short run and I had to pull him up again. I don’t really know how long we continued this action right at the boat, but it seemed like a good 5-10 minutes. All of sudden, it was over and he was in the net. I took several pictures myself and then remembered seeing another boat, so I headed over to get his help in taking pictures. That’s when I met Rick Arnold. As it turns out, I just drove my fish right to the taxidermist.

 For the next few days, I caught four or five fish per day, and then spent a day going back and forth to La Pine to fix the heater in my camper. The next day, Friday, October 16^th, I caught a 9 pounder in the morning casting into some disturbed chub fry. I saw the dark shape following the lure and then watched her take it, not 50 feet from the boat. That was cool! Nothing more all the rest of that day until my last pass in the dark when I caught an 8 ½ pound female. I could hardly see in the dark to net her. It rained on and off (more on than off) for the next few days with an average of about 4 fish per day. One day I caught a 5 pound male and a 6 ½ pound female whose seine broke, presenting me with her eggs all over the floor of the boat. I didn’t feel good about that and got her back into the water as quickly as I could. Fishing slowed down considerably the next few days, as the rain increased. I don’t like fishing with the top up, but on a day of continuous nagging drizzle, I broke down and put it up. There was one other boat that showed up that day, that’s when I met Ryan. He had no top on his boat, so he joined me in my boat and we ended up fishing the rest of the day together, which I really enjoyed. I bumped into Alan one morning at the marina, and spent some time visiting with him and enjoyed swapping a few stories .A couple of days later Rick returned with his fishing partner, John, to camp and fish a few days. Fishing picked up again, especially the smaller ones. I then hooked a 7# ‘r that jumped way out of the water at the hookset in between Rick’s and my boat. I don’t think Rick realized the fish was on my line right away with the long set-back I had, and for a second it looked like he might make a pass at the fish, but he didn’t. On Thursday, October 22^nd, Rick had another friend coming up to fish in his boat, so I suggested John fish with me. Around 10:00 am, I got hit and I wasn’t sure whether it was a fish or a snag cause the line just stopped. John reeled up, and I turned the boat and began to retrieve line, pretty sure that I’m snagged. When I only had about 50 feet of line still out, I was holding the rod up in the air motionless with quite a bit of pressure, when there was a slight movement of the rod tip. And then we both watched the line move to the side. I turned to John and said, “It’s a freaking fish!” It was easier to stay calm having a boat partner, especially John, with all his experience. I took my time bringing the fish in, and before I knew it, John scooped him up in the net!

 I really enjoyed meeting Ryan, visiting with Alan, and having dinner together at camp with Rick and John. One of the nicest experiences for me is meeting and getting to know other avid brown trout fishermen. I still have to pinch myself to make sure it wasn’t just a dream. It was a dream come true, a fishing adventure of a lifetime.