Les Anderson Day

May 19th, 1985, local fisherman Les Anderson caught a new world record king salmon on the Kenai River. The leviathan weighed 97.4lbs and the record still stands today. Les passed away four years ago and in his memory the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce started Les Anderson Day. Not a lot of fanfare other than a salmon bake/barbecue at the Soldotna Creek Park but it is well attended. Rumor has it that Hobo Jim will be playing so Jane and I will try to make it this year.

The Kenai River has produced 8 out of the top 10 king salmon caught on rod and reel but it's not the world record that makes May 19th, 1985 a special day for me. I was a college student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks at that time and at the end of the school year my dad and brother decided to see Alaska and to fish. While they were here the headline in the Anchorage paper said "New World Record King Salmon Caught on the Kenai." My dad asked where is this "Ken-ay" River. I told him it was about a 12 hour drive from Fairbanks. Needless to say we jumped in the car and the next day we were fishing the mighty Kenai. My dad caught a 30-35lb king that day right out in front of Beaver Creek (karma?). My brother and I didn't get a bite but I was truly impressed with the river and the size of my dad's first Kenai king salmon. 22 years later I'm still impressed with this river and can't imagine being anywhere else in the summer.

Updates on the spring cleaning/maintenance. The Chinook, Sockeye, Coho cabins and the office have been stained, 2 new hot water heaters have been installed, 2 natural gas lines have been run, the dock is in, and new steps have been installed. The only major item left is to add a loft to the Coho cabin and that work will begin next week.

Tomorrow is the first guided trip of the season. I will give an update later.

Happy Les Anderson Day, and happy birthday big brother Tim.