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Coming off a great trip like Dink and I experienced up at Kootenay Lake this last fall, I was pretty sure I could handle the winter without any fishing trips and spend some time with the kids and grandkids down in California. My wife Jan had just retired and really wanted to "snowbird" this year to regions south of Central Oregon where we could miss out on the snow and ice for a change.

We left in early Dec. after waiting out a few storms. With better driving conditions and a week after we had intended to leave, we finally set out on Dec. 9th. We got lucky and only hit some rain around Weed, Ca. before stopping in Red Bluff for the night. Next day we had a tail wind all the way down the valley to our destination in Central California.

Fast forward to the end of March. Our 30 foot trailer was beginning to seem like a 10 footer to me. Not only that, but I was finally itching to head home. With visions of brown trout swimming in my head, we made our way back home and arrived the first weekend of April. I knew I would have a lot to do for at least a week and so I didn't think I would be fishing until I could put my house back together. This past week I finally got to "scratch that itch" and got the boat out on the water.

It was a day between storms with little wind and ample sun. It felt so good to be back home and fishing again. That is probably the longest stretch that I can remember when I have not fished. A little more than 4 months! After helping some guys get their boat off the trailer ( they forgot to undo one of the transom straps) I was finally fishing around 11:00 that morning.

In the first 15 minutes, I hooked up on a nice 6.5 LB. hookjaw that popped the release on the rigger and made a good run before I got him in. Half an hour later, a slow pull on the rigger announced what turned out to be the trout of the day. The 8 LB.+ hen was really chunky and dogged it out before I got her up. An hour after that a lean but long hookjaw was my last bite. It slowed after that and the rest of the day was a boat ride.

A few days later my buddy, Tom Staley, joined me for another outing. High winds greeted us and we were forced to fish down hill until the rain arrived and the winds decreased. Tom stuck a nice 5.5 LB. hen around mid-day right before the rain settled in. It was several hours later that my rod went off and a nice 5 LB. hen showed up for a photo. Nothing happened after that and we headed home right before dark.

Look for a report next week as I have a (3) day trip coming up at Crescent Lake.

Tight Lines,
Rick