The sky is the limit! (OK- just 70...)

Being a resident in Alaska has it's advantages. No state income tax, no sales tax, vanity plates are only $30, you don't need a fishing pole to catch fish, permanent fund dividends in October, no permits for guns, and did we mention you don't have to have a fishing pole to catch fish? On the Kenai river, for about 4 weeks in the summer, it is legal to stick a net into the water, wait for a sockeye salmon (or a king, if you are lucky), to swim into it, and then yank it out of the water. This can be done from standing on the shore, but if you are lucky, you have friends who have a boat!! Alaska is always better with toys!!

Chris and Amy spent the day with their roommates/tenants, Jay and Sara, trolling along the edges of the Kenai river, dip netting for sockeye. You have to obtain a special (free) permit, which only one is issued per household in order to dip net. The limit for the season is 25 sockeye for the head of household, with an additional 10 sockeye per household member. So a family of 4 can catch up to 55 sockeye in a single season. Our boat contained 2 households of 2- for a total of 70 sockeye!

Dip netting is not technical, the most difficult aspect is not knocking someone over board with the net handle. Needless to say, Amy got bonked on the head a few times. The weather was cold, cloudy and rainy, but we managed to get the boat into the water before the 4 hour wait began at the boat launch. The river was jammed with boats, and boats were so close together, at times you could hop into another. But everyone was friendly and courteous, and admired your latest catch as they drifted by. All in all, we only ended up netting 31 sockeyes that day. But we had a couple of engine failures, a wet dog, and a few near misses with going over board. Oh, and a freezer full of fresh fillets.....

Canoe for Two on the Lil' Su

The kings were still running hot in several different rivers. Chris and Amy decided to make a long weekend before the 4th of July and float down the Little Susitna river. We packed up the car, loaded up Phoenix and Nuggett (Daleth doesn't like water, boats or swimming), and dropped in at Miller's Crossing, just outside of Houston (Alaska, that is). It was about 9pm and the sun was still shining.

The Lil' Su is a wide, shallow, lazy river, and we were not in a hurry. The first night we camped out on a sandbar, built a great fire, and discovered that Jiffy Pop is not meant for camping trips. We were a little nervous about the possibility of bears, and were grateful that the dogs like to bark.

The next morning, we awoke to light sprinkles, which stayed with us off and on for the rest of the trip. As we drifted downstream, we began to see giant shadows pushing against the current. We pulled over in several spots, and Chris hooked into several massive kings. Amy hooked a couple as well, and although she put up a good fight, she couldn't land any. She did, however, catch a dolly varden- which is a beautiful little fish with pink circles on it's flanks, and bright white stripes on its fins. They taste a lot like trout.

All in all, we saw hundreds of kings, a couple of bald eagles, a beaver, two river otters, three moose- one was just a baby, a little bit of sunshine and no bears. We camped for three nights, and took our time to enjoy the fresh air, silence (interrupted by the occasional float plane overhead), and isolation. We saw only about 10 other people the whole time, and only at the put in and take out spots.

This was such a laid back, fun and easy trip- we just might do it again. And happily take along anyone who'd like to try it.

Long Live the Kings vol. 2

They say that the average person has to spend 40 hours fishing to actually hook and land a king salmon. Chris and Amy are here to tell you that this is true. Painfully true. Frustratingly true. They also say that a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work. Again, let us assure you that this statement is also quite true. We scheduled a trip to have a guide take us up the Deshka River, known for kings early in the season, and silvers later on in the summer. Chris had to work the night before, and we were due to meet our guide, Howard, at 4:45am. The Deshka River is just outside of Willow (the location of the official start of the Iditarod), located about 3 hours north of Anchorage. We decided it would be easier to drive up late the night before, rather than to get up at 1:30 am. We snoozed in the back of the Subaru, nestled between a few trucks with empty boat trailers, awakened by the occasional buzz of the boat motors.

We spent an abosolutely beautiful, sunny, warm Alaska day (it was about 75 degrees- major heat wave!)- which is great for boating, but not so great for fishing. Howard took us to incredible hot spots, where we watched hundreds of king salmon swim right past our bait at lightening speed. These kings were on a mission, and they were late. At one point, we were positioned above a set of shallow rapids, where we could SEE the salmon flipping and splashing, their bodies half way out of the water. They were so large, they created huge wakes as they blasted right past our lines. Amy did have a couple of nibbles that morning, but no one else on the boat felt the slightest tug. Howard reluctantly returned us to shore empty handed. But, being the typical fishermen, Chris and Howard kept us entertained all day with their stories. It only motivated us to keep trying and make plans for another day. One of the great things about Alaska is that there are endless choices for fishing. And we intend to take full advantage of that!

Long Live the Kings vol. 1

Sometimes, our schedules make it difficult to do things together. Lucky for Amy, Chris will go and check out an adventure, and if its worth a second trip, we'll go back together. The Anchor River is down on the Kenai Penninsula, about 20 minutes north of Homer, and the Ketchimak Bay. King Salmon run early in the season, and come in with the tides. The water level close to the mouth of the river changes sometimes by 8-10 feet. We were lucky to secure a campsite right at the edge of the river, and only about 100 yards from the beaches of the Cook Inlet, as well. We arrived, just at the peak of high tide. The shore was lined with fisherman, who were occasionally pulling massive kings out of the water. We fished for a while, until the tides subsided, had some dinner, took a disco nap, and then fished from about 11pm until 5am. We were the only ones on the rivers edge, and although we never did catch a king, we were able to see hundreds of these giant fish working their way up the river. They were so massive, that they created a wake behind them as they fought against the current. It was exciting to watch. It never did get dark, as the sun never truly sets in Alaska in the summer. We saw so many bald eagles, and had perfect weather (hard to come by in Alaska). Despite the fact that we didn't catch any fish, it was an amazing trip.

Halibut Honey Hole

Our jobs often lead us into great opportunities. That and the fact that for a big city, Anchorage is still a pretty small town. Amy has a couple of patients who also happen to be neighbors. Luckily, they are very generous people who love to fish. We were invited to join them for a day of halibut fishing in Ressurection Bay. The captain took us to his "secret honey hole" about a 4 hour boat ride out of Seward harbor. We were all alone out in the middle of the ocean with about 15 other charter boats. Despite the cold, over cast gloom, and the 6 ft seas (not bad for this part of the world) the whole boat limited out in less than an hour. They were all "chickens", but it was enough to fill the freezer for the season. Chris even caught a couple of ling cod (out of season, so we had to throw them back), and discovered that cod are, in fact, uglier than the 'butt ugly' halibut!

Thar she blows!

Jay and Sara, our roommate/tenants, talked Amy into going down to Homer for the Shorebird Festival. Unfortunately, Chris had to work, so he couldn't go. We camped out on the Homer spit, which is a little sand bar that sticks out into the Ketchimak Bay. In the earthquake of 1964, the spit dropped 3 feet. But that doesn't stop anyone from building on it. There are a couple of campgrounds, and a huge selection of cute little shops and restaurants that attract tourist. We spent one morning at several viewing places to check out the birds, and even saw a sandhill crane. Jay and Sara's friend Rob, arrived that afternoon with his 18 ft whaler, and took us on a boat ride into the Bay. The water was calm, and the sun poked out a few times from behind the clouds- a real treat for this area. Our first stop was "Gull Island", where thousands of kitty wakes and other birds hang out. We watched an osprey swoop down and capture a kitty wake for lunch, and saw a sea otter sneak into a nest to steal it's eggs. Then it was off to Halibut Cove, a little artist community accessible only by boat. They have the only floating post office in the country. We checked out the tide pools and played with starfish and sea urchins, and then headed out for some more sight seeing. Amy was thinking that it was an amazing day, and couldn't possibly get any better. We were zooming along by Glacier beach (yes, there is a glacier right there), and Amy spotted something big coming out of the water about 30 ft away from the boat. It was the fin of a Minke whale! We watched it crest out of the water several times, and he circled an eddy, probably fishing. We chased him, from a safe distance, for several minutes, before turning off to head back to the harbor. Amy was disappointed to leave, as this was the first time she'd seen a whale, what a suprise. Then, about 50 yards in front of the boat, an Orca peaked out of the water...with her baby beside her! We kept a very safe distance from her, not wanting to scare her and make them dive. At one point, she was coming straight for our boat, and then turned sharply away from us...a little JAWS moment, got our hearts racing. We lost sight of them and headed to Sadie Cove, and Sadie mountain. We beached the boat, and drank a beer from Homer brewery, before going back to the harbor. Several locals that we spoke to said that it is extremely rare to see whales in this area, and none of them had EVER seen two different species in one day! What LUCK! The only thing that was missing that day was Chris. Otherwise, it would have been the perfect Alaskan adventure.

Chris is 29! and holding.....

For Chris's 29th birthday, Amy took him to Cooper Landing for a "romantic" fishing weekend. We stayed at Gwin's lodge, a cozy little shit hole next to the Kenai River. We drove down to the Kasilof river for some steelhead fishing. Early May in Alaska is "spring break up", and we hiked through snow to get to the frozen edge of the river. Bald eagles and cloud cover was abundant, but not a steelhead to be had! After all that hard work, it was time for a cabin-cooked meal of fresh Alaskan king crab cake, tiramisu and wine. The next day, we hiked up to the waterfalls at the Russian river. And let's just say, there is nothing like bad renditions of 80's music to keep those hungry spring bears at bay!