Jake Arrives, Fishing Lake Pend Orielle & Steak Supper on GUSTO

Captain’s Log – Gusto with Jake

Picked Jake up at Spokane International around 10:00 this morning. After a couple of stops for sundry supplies, we made our way back to Twin Lakes. Lunch was a quick affair at Moon Dollars before we hurriedly packed our gear and pointed ourselves toward Bayview.

On the way, we stopped in Athol and picked up a pair of thick ribeye steaks for supper aboard Gusto.

Once underway, we made an exploratory run north toward Maiden Rock before turning south and deploying eight lines off the planer boards. We offered the fish a little bit of everything—Apex lures, flies, Rapalas, and a handful of other proven candidates. The lake was nearly flat calm, bathed in sunshine. Later in the afternoon, a light overcast drifted in, taking the edge off the bright sky and giving us hope that the fishing might improve.

Fish appeared regularly on the electronics as we worked our way down the western shoreline, but nothing seemed willing to commit.

Eventually, we changed tactics and went after kokanee. We stacked the downriggers with double setups and left four of the original trout lines fishing in the background, just in case a big rainbow happened to wander by.

Meanwhile, a thunderstorm was quietly building to the southeast.

As evening approached, we fired up the grill and cooked a pair of pound-and-a-half ribeye steaks. After supper, we settled into one of those peaceful moments that seem to happen naturally aboard a boat—good food, calm water, and nowhere in particular to be.

With darkness approaching and the weather drawing closer, we decided to call it a day and began retrieving gear. As I brought one of the rods in, I noticed it had released from the clip and was bent over hard. There had been no obvious strike, so our first thought was that we’d snagged a stick or some floating debris.

But as the line came closer to the boat, Jake spotted movement beneath the surface.

Fish.

Sure enough, a handsome 18-inch hybrid rainbow-cutthroat had quietly hooked up right as we began rolling up gear. We both had a good laugh and were grateful not to finish the day completely skunked. One fish isn’t much by numbers, but it felt like a proper reward for a fine afternoon on the lake.

By then, the storm had crossed the ridge to our east.

Lightning flashed across the sky as we hurriedly finished bringing in the remaining gear. We put the hammer down on Gusto and made a run for it. Rain began falling just as we slipped safely into Bayview Harbor. We secured Gusto in her berth, packed up our things, and headed back toward Twin Lakes.

The drive home was memorable. Rain hammered the windshield so hard the wipers could barely keep pace, and lightning flashed all around us. By North Idaho standards, it was a serious thunderstorm.

Jake and I had remarked that Kansas storms possessed an epic quality that Idaho simply couldn’t match. By the time we reached the condo, we had to concede that this storm would have felt right at home rolling across the plains toward our place in Douglas County.

By 9:00 p.m., we were settled in for the evening, listening to the rain and looking ahead to tomorrow—a round of golf in the morning and time with Austin later in the day.

And with that, the week was officially underway: a week dedicated to seeking delight, spending time with family, and making memories worth keeping.