East Lake 2014

I'll admit, East Lake isn't the most catchy name for a family destination lake. Whenever I mention the central Oregon lake that sits at 6,400 feet above sea level I usually receive a "where?" reply. Overly simplistic lake naming aside, East Lake is one of the most beautiful, family friendly places I am blessed to have been able to take my family to for the past two summers. The lake is filled with Kokanee, Trophy Brown Trout, massive Rainbow Trout, and a few Atlantic Salmon (landlocked of course). With a boat speed limit of 10mph, East Lake is all about the fishing... Well sort of...

For my family, fishing is just an excuse to be together and enjoy the outdoors and it's awesome that Papa Dave joined us again this year. Yes, we caught plenty of fish... and no, this is not another fish don't matter as much post because catching was tough like my Father's Day Diamond Lake post.  This now annual trip really is about the smaller things like Gavin learning to steer the kicker tiller, Garrett calling the shots on when it's time to beach the boat to swim, and letting my daughter Grace bitch and moan about her life jacket just like her older brothers did at her age.  

Most of the fishing this year was targeted at Kokanee as the kids really enjoy the fast action and tasty table fair. The majority of our fishing was done by down riggers out each side of the boat with one or two additional flatlines out the back. However, this year, we also spent a fair amount of time jigging for kokanee while anchored in around 50' of water which was a kick in the pants. I couldn't tell you just how many fish we boated but it was more than enough to keep us entertained.

East Lake and the Newberry Caldera provide magnificent scenery along with the chance for some amazing thunder and lighting... like you've never seen before. At the high elevation, you're literally right in the middle of the storm and for the second year, we were on the far end of the lake when the storm rolled in. With a frightened 5 and 3 year old we booked it to the cabin to enjoy the show in safety. I really wish we'd taken some pictures and video but I guess just too distracted.

Just like the previous year, our trip to East Lake exceeded expectations. Our time with Papa Dave along with BWild and his family made the trip even better. It's awesome to see how all the kids grow both in size as well as their desire to spend time in the outdoors together.