July 12th, 2012: Fishing for Sockeye on the Kenai
It seemed like I had made a thousand casts. Each one was the
same, a flip really and then a slow drag across the current, making sure the
sinker was bouncing on the bottom. Finally a Kenai twitch before lifting my rod
tip and flipping again into the water.
Without any warning I felt the power of a salmon as it came
out of the water. I basically held on as the fish decided it wanted to head out
into the current and it did. There was no way I could stop it as the swift
current caught its body.
My drag was fine and I only hoped I and the hook would hold.
A local fisherman told me he was ready with the net but he did say I would
probably have to chase the fish downstream as that’s what usually happened when
the fish gets into the main current.
It didn’t matter as the fish pulled off, but it was ok,
cornbread makes a mighty fine dinner, along with a salad, and garlic bread of
course. I cast for a while longer but it was not to be. The run is really just
starting and we are leaving for Homer tomorrow.
I did get lots of advice and I did see others catch fish.
The three main things I learned were that the best way to catch salmon is to be
here when the main run reaches where you are. One local told me that you could
catch fish by casting over your shoulder as the river was filled with fish.
Two others said the same thing that it’s all in being here
when the numbers are high and so I felt good. I did have a large salmon on the
end of my line and I had fished in the Kenai. The weather is forecast to be bad
for a week or so as a large front is moving in and in a week or so the fish
should be coming in by the tens of thousands. We will be back! Clear skies
Ps We did have
sockeye for dinner as we went to a local fish market and bought it. It made the
corn bread taste better as I have been eating lots of cornbread without fish so
far this journey.
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