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I hadn’t been to Wickiup since early summer.....probably early June. This is the time of year that the browns can turn on in the famous lake. A lot depends on the water levels. The lake stayed really full this year due to the late spring snow and rain. Very similar to 2011.

After the last of the company, Jan’s sister and her husband, I was ready to get “back in the saddle.” I hadn’t fished for several weeks and really had an itch to scratch. I woke up early Thurs. morning and decided to start out at East lake and then drop down to Wickiup later in the day. East was really slow and I only picked up one small brown and had one other bite to show for the morning. That made it an easy call to head down to the “Wick.” I figured since it was the last half of August I would run into Chuck Jones since he always stays the last two weeks of each August on the lake.

My remote steering had an electrical short and I had to take care of that first. After picking up some butt splices from Napa in LaPine, I got the remote back in working order and headed over to Wickiup. As I made my way out on the lake, I thought I saw Chuck’s old boat and then remembered the story I heard about his other boat being stolen after a flat tire on I-5 last year on his way over to Central Oregon to fish.

Sure enough I was right.......it was Chuck. We pulled along side each other and got caught up. I didn’t see him last year so it had been two years since we last talked. We always enjoy each others company. I have a lot respect for such an accomplished angler. In fact, we both had one of the best brown trout days either of us had ever experienced a couple of summers ago when we fished Wickiup together. For an unimaginable day of brown trout fishing, go to my “fishing reports page” and scroll down to 8-29-2010. It was the best day of quality brown trout fishing I have ever had!

As the wind blew our boats along we talked about the fishing and what had happened in our lives the past two years. Then the subject got around to the recent fishing successes. He had been at the lake since the preceding weekend and had amassed around 20 browns over 22 inches.....those would be 4 LB. and up! His biggest was around 6.5 LB. It was good to see him again as we pushed off from each other and starting fishing from our respective boats.

It turned out to be a pretty good day. I caught browns of 4, 5, 6, 6.5 and 7 LB. As Chuck and I occasionally checked with each other, we both did fairly well. He caught three I know of including a 4, 6 and his biggest near 8 LB. As it neared dark, I told him I would probably see him the following week as I would return for sure before he headed back home.

Stay tuned for more info as I will be back up this coming week and should see Chuck again.

Tight Lines,
Rick