Around noon on Sunday, May 15^th, my family and I were on the way to pick up my mother-in-law from church. We had about 20 minutes to kill before we were to get her so I decided to stop by Whitehall Reservoir in Hopkinton, MA for a ‘moment’ to fish. I never fished here before but I heard there was a lot of bass, pickerel and pike.

It was raining, not too bad, but still, very wet. I didn’t care though. I was wearing sandals, shorts and a tank top, I figure it should feel refreshing.

My wife waited in the car while she Facebooked, and our two children slept. ‘I got 18 minutes now,’ I thought. Cool. I can make this happen. I have to catch something. I was feeling good. My wife said goodluck and and closed the rear door and I grabbed two rods, one already loaded with a 5” senko worm on my medium spinner, and my trusty Kastmaster on my light spinner. I always have rods in the car loaded.

I walked about 20 feet away from my parked car to a little cove, between two trees just off of the boat ramp. No one was here. It was raining, skies were cloudy and it was mid-day.  The water was stained a bit, and appeared to have some good vegetation right in front of me. Gripping my bass rig, I took my senko outfit and tossed my offering into the weeds. I did a slight pull and twitch movement with the worm, trying to be as seductive as I can for any bass that might be lurking. Nothing. I fan casted this area again to no avail. I wasn’t entirely confident with my senko worm presentation, but realized I now only have 10 minutes left.

I look back at the car and see my wife plugged in, and as far as I can hear, I hear no children crying.

9 minutes left, I thought.  I moved onto the boat launch area now, clear in the open. I balance myself on a narrow sliver of pavement, which was the edging of the ramp descending into the water. Since it was higher than the ramp I was able to get a little further out into the water. The lake looked beautiful. Peaceful and serene.

I ditch my medium spinner with the worm for my favorite rod and reel, (a Walmart cheapie) with my favorite go-to lure, a 3/8 ounce gold Kastmaster. I side cast it as far as I can throw. I have caught smaller bass on this before so I thought I would give it a try. It felt so good to chuck the quite heavy gold lure with my thin, 6lb fluorocarbon line. This was my test cast, I wanted to see if I was going to pull up weeds, how little, how much, if any so I can switch to a lighter weight spoon. I grabbed just a few weeds, so I figure I ought to pull in my retrieve a tad quicker, keeping the Kastmaster a bit higher in the water column.

Nothing, no bites. But I now see some action a little further away, right in front of me… I guess maybe 75 feet out? I see large ripples forming as if fish were feeding, different than the standard rain drops.  I see some good splashes too in this area. I cast my lure a few feet away, not to totally spook the fish. I am just happy it’s raining, hopefully it provides me with sound camouflage.

I get a small hit, but impatiently I set the hook too hard, and sent the darned Kastmaster flying back 20 feet. That was stupid of me. I have to be more patient.

I launch my offering again in the same area. It feels so good to throw something that far I thought to myself. What a newbie sensation. I looked back at the car to see if my wife was watching. No… she was glued to the phone.

I retrieve my line, slowly as first, to let it sink, then picked up the pace to keep it higher in the water… with a few twitches, Bam! I get a strike, feels like a little rumble, like a strong vibration… I wait… I set the hook, not too excitedly but a firm hook set. Not a huge sweeping set, just… a small one.

I feel the resistance, man, I was so happy… I am gonna bring in a fish… I looked back at the car, I don’t even know I am looking back at my wife for approval now, but I force myself to enjoy the fight. I thought to myself, don’t wear it out and kill it, but take your time, be patient. Be cool.

I bring the fish in closer, thinking all this time it may be a small bass… (in hindsight, I was silly for thinking this. Wrong area for bass). It was pretty good fight, nothing unusual… but kinda reminds me of a trout kinda-fight. As the fish approached, I saw a glimmer in the water, slightly silver and a medium hue, it was then I  had lost the fish just 5 feet from shore. Damn! Did he unhook himself?

By now I got the fever, I just got one more cast and I can do this.. it’s been over 20 minutes now since I first got here. Man, my mother-in-law is gonna be pissed. Just one more cast. I will just drive fast to the church I thought.

I got the adrenaline pumping in me, getting soaked by the rain, feeling so good, I ready for the next cast. I sling my lure back in the same area with precision. I feel like Papelbon pitching for a save. WHAMMO! I got a another strike, back to back, I wait… I feel the tug and vibration again… a short hook set… I real in faster to better plant the hook and threw in one hook set again for good measure. I will eat this fish so I don’t mind me being a bit too aggressive. As I reel in my fish, through the weeds as it approached the shore, I see the same type of glimmer… a longer body but narrower than a bass… I was a bit surprised.

As I pulled my catch successfully out of the water and took a look at it, I was shocked. There are not supposed to be trout in this lake, I thought. Moreover, this wasn’t a typical stock trout like they usually stock in these parts too. It’s not a brookie nor a rainbow. I know it’s not a laker or some salmon species. Could… this… be… a … brown? The fabled, elusive brown trout?

I took a picture with my phone.  I then waltzed over to the car and proceeded to show it to my wife. She was slightly amused, so was my now awake daughter who I proceeded to harass innocently with my fish. “It’s gonna get you, it’s gonna get you!” She just covered her eyes with a half-hearted smile. I texted my buddy the photo and he confirmed it was a brown trout. About 13”, a nice size. I was totally happy. Not a monster brown like how the fly fisherman stalk, but a brown nonetheless. My first brown - and I got be at the church in 5 minutes so I don’t have to ride home with a pissed off mother-in-law.