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.