Super Tuesday.....
and it was! During the king season, Tuesday's are referred to as "Super Tuesday". Because there is no guided angling allowed on Sunday or Monday, many believe it's the best day to be on the river due to a two day break. I personally think everyday is the best day to be on the river, but I digress...
So this past Tuesday I had North Carolinians, Marty and Erica in my boat. Erica started the day off with the first fish and the first adventure. It went something like this: a fish bites her lure, she takes the rod out of the rod holder, she sets the hook, and then the fish heads downstream. Less than five seconds later the release lever on the baitcasting reel is inadvertently tripped. Oh, oh. Rats nest, birds nest, whatever you want to call a backlashed reel, when the line is buried deep, the reel is inoperable (see photo above).
The only thing I can do when this happens is find my gloves and hand line the fish to the boat. My previous experience has been that this usually does not go well with a large fish. I was wrong. With Marty manning the net, this 40lb hen made it in for a boat side photo. That wasn't exactly the plan Erica, but at least you got to fight the fish for a little while. More importantly on this day, you caught a fish in Alaska before your husband did.
A few trolls later, Marty had a text book Kenai king experience. Fish bites lure, Marty sets the hook, Marty fights the fish, fish is landed, it's measured and falls a 1/2 inch under the protected slot, fish is retained, and we all take photos of Marty. Text book.
Thanks Marty and Erica for starting out my week this way. Great fishing, and even better conversations truly made this a Super Tuesday. I look forward to your next visit to Alaska.
The next couple of days Kid Chan and his crew of twenty were scheduled to stay and fish with us. Outside of Gary Blinn, this is the largest group that Jane and I have had to accommodate. With that added pressure, it was important to use some of the best people I know to guide them. The combined guiding experience exceeded 100 years on this river, and it included a former president of the Kenai River Professional Guide Association, along with the current president. Thanks Mike, Ray, Boo, Kyle, and Jeff for making this all happen.
How did it go? Well, we fished in the afternoon on the first day and every boat had action. Above is a nice king that Nick caught. Even though this fish was under the protected slot limit, Nick wanted to release this king so he could continue to fish. Who could blame him?
The very next troll this fish was caught and released.
And this one too was let go. It's amazing how there will be long periods of inactivity, and then in a short span a lot of action.
We finished the afternoon with the release of this gorgeous 20" rainbow trout.
The next morning told a different tale. Based on the action of the previous day, and with an incoming morning tide, I thought the results would be much different. It was a struggle to find fish. The only two fish that were caught were in Jeff and Kyle's boat. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because the early run of Kenai kings can be inconsistent day to day. Thanks, Kid, for bringing such a great group to our cabins. And thanks again guides (if you're reading this) for your professionalism. Guiding is much more than putting fish in the box, and you all represent what is best about our industry, and this river.
Next week I'm scheduled to fish nearly every day. My fingers are crossed that the run will continue to build, and the water conditions remain the same or improve. Good, bad, indifferent, you'll get the fishing report right here.
BTW, the red salmon below was caught by Dan Meyer on the lower Kenai. Soon, the Russian River experience will be happening.....
Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service
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