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!
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