Uncle Dean-O

This past July I was trolling through the Crossover and noticed this gentleman on the bank. He was with his friends fishing for red salmon during the peak of the run.

I watched them hook several fish during my troll. It was neat watching these guys hanging out and spending time in the outdoors with their friend with limited physical abilities. This got me thinking about my uncle, Dean Lageson, who also has limited physical abilities, and what he has meant to me.

Passion. Other than my dad, when it comes to fishing, no one has had a greater influence on me than my Uncle Dean (recent photo above). At a very young age, when spring would roll around, I remember begging my mom and dad to take me over to my grandparents house so I could go fishing from the banks of Twin Lake with Uncle Dean. Oh, we fished a lot of other lakes through the years, but Twin was in his backyard and not many people knew it as well as Uncle Dean. Even in the winter I couldn't wait to go visit because we would always do something fishing related. What sticks out the most is cleaning and putting new line on our Johnson Century reels while watching The World of Virgil Ward (yes, I still know every word to the theme song). There's no doubt that Uncle Dean taught me a lot about the fun of fishing and everything that goes into it.


Generosity. This is another characteristic of my Uncle Dean. There are certain relatives that everyone has that you always want to visit because they slip you a few coins or dollars and tell you to go buy candy or an ice cream cone. Well, I couldn't wait to see Uncle Dean because he would always give me a new fishing lure or two. The great thing about this is he still does this today. Ask me about my collection of Rapala lures.


As an adult, I wish I could spend more time fishing with Uncle Dean (I'm still holding out that he'll join me in Alaska for a trip), but the thing I have and cherish is the time we've spent together. Over 40 years of fishing with him I've never grown tired of the stories or his jokes. Everyone should be as fortunate as I've been to have an uncle like Dean.

10th Anniversary

Jane and I were reminded that the summer of 2012 will be our 10th season owning Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service. Wow, where has the time gone?


We've met a lot of great people over the years, and a few clunkers (and you know who you are!). Actually, we've been very fortunate and have had outstanding people stay and fish with us. Thank you for arriving as our guests and leaving as our friends.


If you like the clothing that is so elegantly modeled by Mac and Jane, we will have a limited supply on hand this summer.

Staging

With the NASCAR racing season in full gear it got me thinking about Kenai's version of it. Every year in July and August the Classic and Jr. Classic tournaments are headquartered out of Harry Gaines' place on the lower Kenai River. The guides participating are required to wait in front of their dock a half hour before the start of the tournament. Initially, we are all spread out at safe distances but as the starting time nears we are literally rubbing the sides of the boats together. Veteran or rookie, the competitive juices are definitely flowing.

It always fun to be part of these events. Unfortunately, for the spectator, it is not as exciting as a NASCAR race. Speeds are no more than 25 mph and to date there have been no firey crashes.

Morning Nightmare

All summer long I wake up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready for my day on the water. I'll eat breakfast, pack a lunch, and then drive to the cabins. Next, I grab my fishing gear from the storage shed and walk a 100 feet down the dock to where my boat is moored. As I'm walking I always worry that one day when I arrive my boat will look like the one pictured above. I wonder what this guy thought when he walked down his dock and found his boat swamped. I bet they weren't happy thoughts.

I'd like to say this is an isolated incident but I see this happen every summer and it scares me. I wonder when it's my turn to have a swamped boat. I always try to control what I can to prevent this but some times things just happen. You never know when a gasket seal will fail, or combination of excessive rain with a large tide will happen.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that 2012 will be a dry one.