With the preseason announcement closing the entire Kenai River to king salmon fishing, I was not in a hurry to put the dock in until my first guided red salmon trips in July.
In April, the tide wash high enough to put the dock in. Unfortunately, the late break up of ice prevented us from doing so. I waited for the high tides in May and June, but there wasn’t enough water. The next opportunity was during the Buck Moon phase, happening July 4th and 5th.
I’m glad the water was high for two days because I needed both of them.
This is what the water height looked like the morning of the 4th. Not good. With the help of Ron, MJ, Dan, Dave, and Jane, we were able to move the dock section 10 feet closer to the creek channel. Considering the tide the next morning was only 2 inches higher, I wasn’t optimistic we’d get the dock in.
It was time to get Big Will involved.
Will came up with a plan that involved nearly 400 feet of rope, a pulley, and a Dodge Ram 3500. He thought we would be able to slide the dock across the grass plateau down to the creek without the assistance of a high tide.
It almost worked. Will was able to move the dock to the ridge of the creek bed, but no further. It would rest there until the morning high tide on July 5th.
At 6am, the dock crew from the morning before showed up. As we eagerly watched the rising tide, it became evident there wasn’t enough water to float the dock out. With muscle, and a heavy assistance from Rusty and his boat, it finally got done. Uff da!
I can’t say enough about the plan Will put together. Sure, there were a few hiccups, but ultimately the dock is in for our guests. Equally as important was the effort from Ron, MJ, Dave, Dan, Rusty, and Jane. Thank you guys, a thousand times over.
When the dock goes in, the fishing begins.
On Saturday, I spent an enjoyable day with Greg and Cindy trying to find a few red salmon. They were elusive. Even though fishing was slow, the wildlife viewing made up for it. We saw moose with calves, seals, arctic terns, loons, and bald eagles. It never gets old.
For the week ahead, we will be giving it 100% in pursuit of red salmon. Come back to see how we did.
Fishing Report Week Ending 7/2/23