When I was a kid, my Uncle Dean gave me a sticker that said, “Fishing Fools Club...Persistent Counts” and said I was now an official member. I was too young to understand what that meant, but I liked the sticker because the illustration is of a man fishing. He had been fishing so long, by the time his bobber went under, he had …
Fishing Report Week Ending May 31, 2020
There was good news and bad news for the Kenai. The good news is the sonar counter finally registered a few king salmon. At least three lucky anglers that I know of caught fish. The bad news is every fish caught fell below the 34" slot limit. Small run, small fish, not a good recipe. How did I do fishing this week? The string of …
First Fishing Report
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 …