I spend a couple of days a week volunteering as a coach/counselor at our church's addiction recovery and discipleship ministry called New Heart Place. I am honored to be the coach for a young man named James who has had a very difficult life, being on his own since age 9 and finding himself in deep trouble with the law and through addiction. He is doing remarkably well and it was my goal to get him out for some fishing, the first time since he was a young kid. Picked him up about 2:00 PM after he was done with his commitments and stopped to purchase his first fishing license, then on to Bitter Lake. Arrived at the lake a bit after 3:00, at the lake side by 3:20 and lines in the water by 3:30. Temp at the outset was 74 degrees, bright sunshine with a bit of a breeze putting a chop on the water. Water temp at the shoreline was 66 degrees... very warm already. Was very surprised to find not even one angler at the lake... had thought we would have to struggle to find a spot. I set James up with Pink Power Eggs on a 4' leader, and I started with chartreuse PE on a 6' leader. James made the first cast and set his rod in its support, turned toward me and I immediately pointed to his rod tip as it was already dancing... he couldn't believe it as he reeled in his first ever Rainbow of about 12"... not even a minute had elapsed! The action was non-stop as fish were biting the Pink PE extremely well. By 4:30 we had our limits and were ready to head home. James was giddy with excitement as he had limited and netted several of my fish too. He could hardly wait to return to the house and show the other young men what he had done. He is on the schedule to cook dinner tomorrow night, so the trout will be on the menu!
All the fish we caught were in the 11" to 12" range. Though the water temp at the shoreline was very warm, handling the fish as we reeled them in, they were quite cool to the touch... obviously the water is quite cooler at deeper depths. So grateful for the larger fish the WDFW has been stocking in these lakes this Spring.
An awesome day, as James just soaked in the beauty of the lake, asking as many questions as he could about fishing and about the waterfowl we saw while at the lake. Hard to believe that a young man could grow up in the Pacific Northwest and have such little contact with the sport I love so much. Speaks volumes about the destructive lifestyle he has led most of his life, and from which he is now free!
Left the lake about 4:45, and it was just then that a few more fishermen were arriving at the lake. Looking forward to sharing more fishing experience with James this Spring. PTL!

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