Paulina Lake fishing 7/21-7/22

Hello all - My wife (Mrs. CodPeace?) and I took the opportunity to take a 4-day weekend in Bend and had a great time fishing both Saturday and Sunday at Paulina Lake. We both got new Hobie Outbacks this summer and spent a great deal of time promoting the benefits of the Hobie Mirage drive, etc. to people who were watching us fly from one end of the lake to the other despite tough headwinds.  Look forward to installing my turbo fins!

We arrived at the lake at noon and were surprised at how few people and boats were up there.  Much different experience than Hagg Lake on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I fished primarily with a Ford Fender and hammered silver/green wedding ring with a good size piece of worm dangling past the hook. The first day, we stayed mainly at the south end, later fishing the east bank down to the north end and back, catching the first small rainbow after 10 minutes out but only 6 small rainbows 8-9 inches for the day.  I released all to gain some weight. Also, with the resistance of the Ford Fender and 1-ounce banana weight, I had to stay aware of my line tension to make sure I wasn't unwarily dragging one. Not much fight to speak of.  The second day at the east end was better.

Sunday morning we got to the lake 3 hours earlier and even fewer people. Right away we made our way to the north end, catching a small rainbow and a brown along the way. We had the opportunity to have a close view of a Bald Eagle as he sat perched above the east bank. Most of the boats that were there were anchored and jigging.  On my first loop around the north end, I caught my first ever Kokanee around a foot long and a strong fighter. I wasn't planning on keeping any so I brought it in by the line where it easily came off. It was nearing 11:00 at that time so we started back catching another small rainbow for the fourth fish of the day. About twenty minutes into fighting the wind on our way back, my rod tip bent down and I knew it was a nice fish. After a decent fight, I brought in a chunky brown about 14 inches. Good news is that he's still up there waiting for us to come back.

Overall it was a great time, decent workout, and a fun time breaking the "stink" since getting the yaks this summer. Can't wait for fall chinook!

~Ben

Nice report, Ben. Glad to see you lost your stink.

Nice Report CodPeace!  Sounds like a great time.

-Spot-

Nice! great boats , great report. If you liked the speed from the regular fins wait until ypou put the turbos on, it will feel like a whole new boat! Did you get the sailing rudder too?

I don't have a sailing rudder yet but it's on the list.  Definitely before hitting saltwater. 

Being a newbie, I have to say that Kayak fishing is awesome!  I grew up fishing on the Yaquina, mainly for sturgeon and fall salmon so I can't wait for the chance to get towed around by a monster.