I fished every day this past week with the exception of Monday. I would've fished Monday, but Mondays are designated as drift boat only days on the Kenai River and I don't own a drift boat. How was the fishing? My salmon catch rate mirrored the sonar counter....ZERO. If you don't believe me, the sonar numbers can be found …
River Salvage
One of the annual traditions of spring for me is to take my eight foot cataraft out of storage and float the lower Kenai River. There are three reasons why I do this. First and foremost, it’s the first time being on the river for the year. Second, it's great exercise rowing a cataraft, and walking gravel bars. And, finally, it's a …
2 Lives Well Lived
The sun set on the Kenai for two guys I'm going to miss dearly. I was hoping to write about Mother's Day today, or talk about a wonderful neighborhood razor clam fry on Friday, but instead I'm honoring two men who passed on May 7th. This post honors the legacy of Bob "Deano" Laflamme, and Will "Wilbur" Robertson. It's an …
The Dock Goes In
For me, the official start of our season begins when the dock goes in. With the highest tide of the month happening at 5:21 a.m. this morning, it was go time. Jane was unable to help me with the task this year, so neighbor Dan stepped in to fill her wading boots. Thanks Dan! I also want to give a shout out to my …
To Our Customers
In light of these crazy times, Jane and I want to extend our well wishes to you and your families and hope you are safe and sound. First, our hearts go out to anyone who has been impacted by the virus, either directly or indirectly. Our thoughts are especially with those who are sick, and wish for them a full recovery. Equally …
Mystery Solved
Ever wonder what happens when you misplace your pen? Apparently, every one of them has ended up in my tackle box. Now, if somebody could tell me where the extra socks end up, I’d be eternally grateful. Holy cow. I keep my tackle box relatively organized, but while doing a deep clean, I couldn’t believe how many pens I …
Fish For The Future
One of the strongest advocates I know for releasing Kenai king salmon, especially females, is Francis Estalilla. Whether it’s a personal plea, writing articles, or introducing regulatory changes to the Board of Fisheries, his passion for future salmon runs is matched by very few. In the March publication of Fish Alaska magazine, …
Deep Clean Treasures
Like many of you, I've been spending my stay-at-home time sorting through my storage areas. It's been fun to find treasures from days gone by. I can’t believe it, but I actually found some of the gear that I wrote about last week. If you recall, after I wore out three Zebco 202 reels, my dad bought me a …
More New Stuff For 2020
My first fishing rod I can remember, that wasn’t made from a willow branch, was in the late 60's. My dad purchased a beautiful blue Holiday brand fishing rod for me from a Holiday gas station and paired it with a Zebco 202 spincast reel. To say I wore the reel out was not an exaggeration. My dad replaced it three times with the …
An Oldie, but Goodie….
Pink Slime Warning: April 1st, 2012 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in conjuction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that for the 2012 fishing season pink salmon ne' "Pink Slime" has been banned from mixing with any other salmon in the Kenai River. The …