A Fishin' Mission October 2024

A “Fishin’“Mission” !   

WE’RE OUT OF HERE!!  And with that, the Hendrickson brothers pointed the truck and boat down the road and headed off to the Sierras. They had been talking about this for awhile and finally decided the time was right.  This was a well-planned, well thought-out adventure.  The season was fast drawing to a close, and the time to possibly catch a Big Brown Trout was at hand.  That meant intense preparation – having everything ready. The truck was packed with every possible solution to whatever problem the two “Eagle Scouts” thought they might face.

The destination – Annette’s Mono Village, Upper Twin Lakes, down Hwy.395 along the Walker River to Bridgeport, then 14 miles to the Lake.  Upper Twin has been a Hendrickson “family” destination for well over 60 years.  They, and friends and acquaintances from several locations, re-establish relationships every year and Twin Lakes holds many memories.  Annette’s, right at the end of the highway is the spot.  It is a full-service destination with campgrounds, cabins, motel units, restaurant and store with boat rentals and great fishing opportunities and is the place where the brothers headed. 

This was not however, to enjoy the fall colors or designed to be a relaxing, low-key, pleasure cruise.  On the contrary, this visit was intended as a Big Brown Trout Hunt.  Upper Twin Lake is known to be the home of large Brown Trout and the state record, 26.8 pounds, was caught there by Danny Stearman in 1987.  The record still stands and anglers try to meet or beat this number every season. 

Plans for this trip did not come casually.  Two weeks prior to this adventure, the brothers and wives spent time at Upper Twin.  SEP’s brother Paul & his wife had reserved a cabin for a few days…we came later in the RV.  The brothers had an opportunity to fish in Paul’s boat one evening and that set the tone!  They hooked a very large fish…Sep felt it and handed it to Paul who fought it for more than ten minutes, only to have it come unbuttoned.  It was the absolute greatest fish fight Paul has experienced – he was ecstatic and ready for more.  That’s when the decision was made that the brothers would return for a serious go at catching “Walter” again!

Going on a fishing “Hunt” takes planning and lots of preparation.  The proper rods first…in this case, 7-foot and 7’6”long.  Reels were matched to the rods to provide maximum flexibility, and used old line was removed to be replaced with fresh line.  This meant a trip to Fishermans Warehouse in Fairfield where each reel was filled with the proper amount of 30-pound test braided line and 20-pound Top Knot fluorocarbon leader. 

Lure selection was done carefully, envisioning various scenarios.  This hunt was for Big fish…meaning big fish chomp big lures.  Big fish get big by being smart!  The tackle box was loaded so no matter what, replacements and choices would be available.  Upper Twin has a thriving population of Kokanee Salmon…the natural food choice of Browns…5” and 6” Rapala X-Raps in gold and silver were definitely part of the ammunition and so were even larger Rapala SX-Raps, and the Big Net was on board.   

Personal gear had to be evaluated also.  Going into an elevation of 7,200 feet at this time of year, necessitates taking items not used at sea level summer temperatures.  Jackets, gloves, vests, long underwear and raingear came along on the trip. 

The ride to Upper Twin was comfortable.  The truck handled the Lund 2075 “Fisherman” efficiently.  It’s a loaded Gone Fishin’ Marine boat, 20’10” long with a 200hp Mercury motor, 9.9hp Mercury kicker, twin Lowrance locators, MinnKota Ulterra 36-volt auto-pilot trolling motor and four electric Scotty downriggers with braided line…ready for the challenge.  Arrival at the lake was mid-afternoon, leaving time for launching and prep and the first venture on the water.  Not much happened, a few other trollers were visible at various locations and as dark fell, our hunters headed in to shore.

The next morning, early, just as the sun was coming up, the brothers launched the boat and headed straight to where fish were holding the night before…the northeast shoreline, where the lake is the deepest and steepest.  Two downriggers were set in the 50-60-foot range, two at 30-40-feet.  An abundance of fish showed on the locator…but nothing, absolutely nothing was interested in any of the offerings.  They trolled till noon and headed in for a break. An hour later, back at the same location…a fish hit!  This was a Big fish!  It ran and fought hard…and ended up at a big tree in the middle of the lake, that the anglers didn’t even know existed.  The fish ducked into the tree and the fight was over…he was gone.  They fished until after shadows began to hit the lake…with one small eight-inch Brown as a prize.  It was released and the day was over.

The plan for the next day was a full day of fishing…fish and fish hard!  They would head to “the” spot in the morning and make it happen!  However, it was not meant to be - the next day indicated change.  They awakened to the sound of wind, of leaves moving in the trees, to a much cooler temperature and a feeling of impending storm.  It meant time to head home.

The decision was made, the boat was loaded, they packed up and said their goodbyes.  Later on, according to Austin Byers, Manager at the resort, the temperature fell to 16 degrees, light snow fell and roads got slippery.  

The truck headed through the hills in pouring rain showers and safely on home.  They talked a lot about what had happened at Upper Twin Lake.  They experienced the really Big Brown the first time, then the next really Big Brown on this trip, then the small Brown they released.  They saw a lot of fish on the locator, know a whole lot more about the lake and its structure and have good feelings about where to find Big Browns, next time.  They will return, to try again…it’s just a matter of time…after all it’s relative.

Just be in the right place, at the right time, at the right depth, at the right speed, with the right lure, in the right color, with the right action and proper presentation.   Just do everything right…the Big Brown is there, waiting to cooperate…he will be caught!