Fall is here and maybe winter is right on its heels. With 4-7 in of snow (depending on where you lived in town) falling on Oct. 4, a new record was established in Bend. The most snow for a day in Oct. EVER! I thought I better get back our there before it is all over this season. Most of our lakes will be closed at the end of this month. Dink and I will be hooking up this next weekend for probably our last trip of 2009.

I decided to get up to Paulina before the storm moved in on Tuesday. I didn't get up there until around 3:00 p.m. and was greeted by only one other boat on the lake. We waved at each other on our first pass by. I could tell by the way he was ripping his lure, that he knew how to troll for browns. We both were working a good area and I decided to make a move across the lake to another spot I like, and give both of us some room.

I was picking up some browns but most were this summers plants of 10-12 in. stuff. While I was letting a lure out, I hooked up on a nice 3.5 LB. hen right off the top before I could get the bail clicked over. Turned out to be my best of the evening.

Around 6:00 I saw the other boat approaching rather quickly and was certain what was coming. I had just put my lure out and as he pulled along side, he asked if I could do him a favor. I instantly knew he wanted me to take some photos of his big brown. Before I finished my thought, he confirmed that he did indeed have a monstrous hookjaw! This fire plug was only 28 in. long and was one of the most beautiful browns I have ever seen. It weighed 13 LB. on two of the three scales we used. After introductions, I took a couple of photos of Dan Stewart's third brown over 10 Lb. this year. What a year he is having!

Nothing more eventful happened for either of us before dark so we meet at the dock around 7:00 to discuss us doing a mount of it for him. He agreed to let me take it home in my ice chest and we will return a killer mount to him by next spring.

I hope to make it back up to the Crater later this week.....stay tuned for more reports......

Screamin' Drags,

Rick