Fishing With David Or "Is This Really A Vacation?"

Recently, Joel and I went fishing in Alaska with my expert fisherman brother, David. Of course, you are all wondering about our big catch. Well, I learned a few things about myself and also about fishing in Alaska. The first day we spent fishing on a boat out of Homer, Alaska. We were on the hunt for the BIG halibuts! My first two lessons were learned the first day, right there on that fishing boat. First, I learned that I do get seasick. Second, I learned that halibuts are heavy. When you add that incredibly huge and large sinker that probably weighed about 5 pounds, they are even heavier. So, I confess that the deck hand had to help me reel in my halibuts. Joel would have helped but he was busy being seasick and also reeling up his own halibuts. Ditto for David!

After that, David took me to the fishing tackle store and I got to pick out some lovely green wader pants. They really keep you dry and even warm while you are fishing in the streams. The very next morning, we awoke at four a.m. to go for the big ones at Deep Creek. We had carefully researched the tides and we were guaranteed to catch silver salmon in abundance. First we had to drive to the creek at four a.m., put on our waders, walk through the woods to find the exact spot, in the dark, that we had staked out the day before. I was glad that I had brought along some tiny flashlights. Yes, soon, the big ones would be everywhere. We would be catching fish like crazy. The only problem was, the fish didn't get the invitation and they never showed up. But at least we were ready, we were there, we had baited our hooks with the wonderful salmon eggs that are a cross between a tongue and a blood clot. Yucky indeed. Finally even the locals gave up the hunt and we all went for a big breakfast at the local restaurant that had something about a moose in the name. Everything in Alaska has the name "moose" in it. Anyway, the breakfast was great and I don't think we ate moose, but maybe some reindeer sausage.

Since our fish stringer was decidedly empty, we decided to check out where the locals go to fish. It was a different stream down by the ocean. So, we got our waders back on and slipped and slid down the trail to the muddy banks of the creek. Since there were lots of locals, we thought it was a good sign since they probably wouldn't be there unless the fish were plentiful. Well, what we didn't count on was the mud situation on the creek that was caused by the tides flooding the creek off and on through the day. I can only say that never have I ever seen such mud. It immediately sucked the shoes off your feet which was ok because you immediately sunk down over your ankles in the mud anyway. So, we simply tried to walk around on the steep embankments in our waders and no shoes. Of course, keeping your balance was impossible. At times I would just slide down the bank to the shore and stand, deep in the mud. The three of us slid around in the mud for hours. Joel caught one salmon, but the one I caught got away. No one could get their feet out of the mud and get to me in time to help me land it. Although I was disappointed, we were laughing like crazy just to be in such a muddy predicament.

Anyway, during the next few days, we found out where the real locals fished. Yes, we had found the secret boardwalk under the bridge next to the Visitors Center in Soldatna. The boardwalk was alongside the river and the idea was that you cast in your slimy hot pink salmon egg chunk and then walked the hundred and twenty feet alongside the river down the boardwalk as your bait floated along in the current. At the end of the boardwalk, you reeled in your bait, walked the boardwalk back to the beginning, cast back in the river and walked the length of the boardwalk, over and over and over again. Now mind you, lots of other people had discovered this secret fishing spot. Lots of odd people. In the endless parade of odd folks was a certain cameraderie. At first, no one would look at you. So, I just started saying, "Well, Hey! Catch anything?" They couldn't resist friendliness, and also David and Joel helped them land their fish with our trusty and very large fish net. We fished that way for hours and hours. It was my kind of fishing. Aerobic! But David said he could have walked to Idaho and still, no fish. Joel did catch five or so over the next day or two and finally even David caught one. But we did make friends with some of the natives, even if they were a bit strange. They shared their salmon eggs with us and that was the final lesson. If you want to make friends with the Alaskan fisherpeople, share your eggs and help them net their fish. At least they will smile so even if your don't go home with tons of fish, you will have incredible memories that promise to keep you chuckling for a very long time.

I have attached a photo that says it all!

Kathy Reets - Co-Founder and Owner