Kenai, Alaska

 Carnage on the Beach

I timed the trip perfectly to be here when the main 'sockeye" run of salmon start up the Kenai River to spawn and die....but then, you have to ask yourself....don't we all?

As a survival trick, the salmon wait for the incoming tide and then swarm in as a massed group....you can almost hear the leader say, "Let's go together boys, that way some of us will make it".

These scenes are of Alaska residents "dip-netting". They each get to catch 25 sockeyes this way for each family member. They can get "proxies" to catch for neighbors and relatives. If you are a non-resident like me you can catch three with a fly that has a hook no more than 3/8  inch in diameter.

 I set the alarm for 2:30 AM. It is fairly light outside. I go to a spot in downtown Soldatna where we saw a lot of 10-15 pound sockeyes yesterday leaping out of the water after being hooked on a fly. It's almost deserted at 3AM . I hook two beauties with my flies but after several spectacular leaps the line breaks and they both get away.

Alaska sockeye is the healthiest meat you will ever eat...it's full of omega-3 and gives you a lot of the good cholesterol....no PCB...only 50 calories an ounce....and delicious...they only eat plankton and that gives them the red flesh and the nickname "reds"....

At nine I find a lovely spot on the Kenai with only a few natives fishing...It's a long trek there with Mrs. Phred's broken foot and we forget the camera. My hip boots have a hole in the right knee and I have a hell of a time removing it after fishing...she stands on the platform behind me and gives me useful tips on casting and form that she sees the other fishermen do. She is hopeful that these tips will land me a fish.

I hook three more big sockeyes with a boot full of cold water. All of the break my line...I have three hypotheses:
1. The pounds of test on my line is too light...
2. The line is old and rotten.
3. I'm tying bad knots for the sinkers, swivels and flies, creating failure points....

I buy new 30 pound test line and get a brochure on knot tying...also a patch kit for my rubber hip boot....high tide is at midnight tonight ...FISH FEAR ME!!!

You Can't Keep the Wild Ones

Sarasota, Florida

Salmon fishing in Oregon is good. We cut though the cool fog on the Pacific Ocean for an hour or so, then catch our limit of six Coho salmon in a couple of hours. We can only keep the hatchery salmon with the clipped adipose fins. We throw the wild ones back.

The Oregon sand dunes extend for miles. The weather is very cool on the coast, even in July.

There seems to be a prevailing wind.

This is called Devil's Churn. You get some strange wave effects as the tide changes.

I have an appointment with the Veteran's Administration this morning. They will provide Mom with a pension to help pay for her care at the assisted living center. The application takes five or six months to grind though the bureaucracy. You have to be a combat veteran or a veteran's spouse to receive this assistance.

This seal is clapping for fish parts. He hangs around where the fishing boats clean fish for the customers.

The "feels like" temperature in Sarasota today will be over 100 degrees.



The Columbia River near where Lewis and Clark spent a dismal winter eating salmon until they were sick of it.

The Columbia a few hundred miles to the east of the ocean.

Sunset.

What We Lost

Astoria, Oregon

Astoria is the oldest European settlement west of the Mississippi River.

First we visited the Astoria Tower. It was built on a hilltop overlooking the little port of Astoria. The story that celebrates the Lewis and Clark expedition that arrived at the mouth of the wild Columbia River in 1805 is wrapped on the tower in word and mural. You would have to walk rapidly around the tower about 15 times to get the whole story. Our legs feel very rubbery after walking up the 160 stairs to the top of the tower.

We spent time in the Astoria Maritime Museum. The Columbia River is an unforgiving place to sail into. "Crossing the Bar" where the massive output of the Columbia meets the wild Pacific has done in thousands of ships and small boats. We watch a movie about the specialized river pilots and "bar" pilots that help the ships navigate in and out of the Columbia.

The early settlers here pretty much wiped out the fur-bearing creatures in a few years and turned to salmon fishing. The apparently inexhaustible supply of salmon led to the establishment of dozens of canneries. There are pictures in the museum of horses drawing in nets with 60,000 pounds of Chinook salmon in each net. Fat, healthy fish, averaging 50 pounds each.

The wild Columbia has been tamed into a series of placid lakes by 13 great hydro-electric dams. A few confused salmon and sturgeon make their way up specially constructed salmon runs around the dams. Sea Lions have discovered these runs and gorge themselves on the spawning salmon, often staring directly into video cameras.

We are near a factory that hunted whales for mink feed and fertilizer until the 1972 ban on whale killing was established. They used to make ladies corsets out of the baleen that whales use to filter plankton and pretty much hunted that species to extinction.

Back down in Trinidad, California the second growth redwoods are only about 100 years old and five feet in diameter. Everywhere you look you see 18 foot diameter stumps that were logged out as if we had a license to cut down or kill anything with commercial value.

A Perfect Day

Winchester Bay, Oregon

The alarm went off at 4:30 AM. Captain Patrick Sullivan told me to bring "full rain gear" because it was an open boat. We left the harbor a little before 6 AM and ran through the dense fog and cold air at high speed for about an hour. My raincoat was dripping with fog. I kept expecting the Exxon Valdez to appear 30 feet off our port bow. Finally the Captain found an area of the Pacific that was about six degrees warmer where he though that there might be salmon.

He was right. My first fish was a 25 pound Chinook (King) salmon. We had to release it because this year there is no season at all for Chinook in California or Oregon. The Chinook salmon spawning runs in the Sacramento River have declined precipitously. Big agriculture is thought to be the cause as the river water is taken into fields and then returned to the river at a higher temperature and with a variety of pollutants.

We began to land Coho (Sockeye) salmon about eight to ten pounds in weight. The ones raised in hatcheries have their adipose fin clipped off. You can keep those, but the "wild fish" must be released. I caught three of each before "limiting out" with three hatchery salmon about 10:30 AM.We went back in to pull some crab pots. Crabs with soft legs are not very meaty so Captain Patrick threw back about half the crabs because of soft legs. My fellow passenger, George, explained to me the cooking process for crab.

Our three oldest grandchildren are completing a 2-week drama class with a play tonight. Afterwords, the family will be driving thru the night to Indian Rocks Beach on the west coast of Florida for their yearly "beach week".

I got home and froze about 15 pounds of Sockeye fillet. I kept out this one chunk and we grilled it along with grilled potatoes, onions and green peppers. We also cooked some sweet green peas for lunch. The grass here is thick and soft. It was nice to warm our toes in the sunshine

Winchester bay is a small fishing village on the north end of the Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation area. People come here to run exotic dune buggies, ATVs and motorcycles up steep 600 foot sand dunes. Others like to fish for salmon and catch crabs.

A Nice Fish

Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon

We ended the day in Ray's Grocery store in Port Ormond (population 1,049). Ray's gave us a ten cent credit for bringing our own paper bags for the groceries. Oregon is really green and has many strange, advanced policies like this for recycling.

Ray's had a two pound salmon for less than six dollars. It was a nice fish. I talked to the butcher and he told me he thought it was a silver. It still had the skin on. Basically only the head and entrails had been removed.

I cut it into two pieces and froze half. The other half will be lunch tomorrow.

We're at the Cape Blanco State Park on the Oregon coast. The campground is lovely and sits on a high bluff. You have to walk down a steep trail to get to the beach. The temperature is still in the 60 degree Fahrenheit range with the wind off the cold Pacific.

As we walk the beach, we see many strange, twisted driftwood shapes. We picked up a hitchhiker on the way in. He is searching for gold in the beach sand.

We walk the beach for miles, worried a little that the tide will come in and cut off our retreat. In the end we find a path to climb up off the beach. The Killer Whales (Orcas) and Great White Sharks feed nearby on salmon and seals. We see a sad dead seal on the beach.

If you look very closely. you can see me standing by this beach rock. I'm the little blur of blue. In the morning we'll come back to swim in the chilly Pacific.
The lighthouse is part of the park. The last time we were here, there were whales spouting just offshore. We like this place. We might stay several days.

Fishing Report

Trinidad, California

We watched the shadows lengthen on the Wimbledon courts in the early California morning. Good playing on both sides. Mrs. Phred hides in the bedroom on critical points. She is afraid she will bring Roddick bad luck if she watches. Most of the time this works.

After the game, I went by myself to see the Trinidad State Beach. Mrs. Phred wanted a stay at home day to wash clothes and clean up the RV. I need to fix the tow wires again and check the tire pressures and generator oil before we leave tomorrow.

They are not allowed to fish for salmon in California again this year. The returning salmon population has fallen off a cliff during the last six years. The problem is thought to be declining water volume and quality in the rivers. As agriculture draws more water into canals and then returns it to the rivers, the water temperature rises and the water quality and volume diminishes with the addition of insecticides, fertilizers and other pollutants.

The Shenandoah leaves on an afternoon fishing trip at 1 PM. We catch our limit of black rockfish in about three hours. I end up with about ten pounds of rockfish fillets. We cook some in bread crumbs and olive oil for dinner and freeze the rest in portions for two. I make some brown rice and vegetables to go with the fish.

After we limit out, the crew asks if we want to watch them pull crab traps. They have a hydraulic device on one side of the boat (I've forgotten whether it's called the port or starboard side) to pull in the traps.

None of the passengers actually want any of the crabs, so the crew returns them all to the sea.

A great day for fishing. Today we'll visit some of the redwood parks and maybe play some tennis before heading up the Oregon coat on highway 101. I have always wanted a black leather jacket with a chicken on the back.

He wore black denim trousers and motorcycle boots
And a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
He had a hopped-up 'cicle that took off like a gun
That fool was the terror of Highway 101

The Reds are Running

Kenai, Mouth of the Kenai River, Cook’s Inlet, Alaska

Cook’s Inlet runs along the Kenai Peninsula for about 150 miles. It’s lined with 12,000 foot snow-covered active smoking volcanoes. I used to fly up and down here once a month to deliver supplies out to a radar station at the end of the Aleutian Chain a few miles from Russia. The trip from Washington State to the end of the Aleutians took 20 hours. After a 100 hour trip to Southeast Asia, you could just squeeze in an Alaska supply trip at the end of the month before running out of hours.


Seeing the volcanoes again from our perch on a bluff brought back the old memories. I remember falling asleep with my face in a radar scope cowl over the remote Pribilof Islands. I remember flying here between pink and purple fantasy cotton candy cloud layers at dawn.

The fishing regs here are incredibly complicated. I read a sign this morning on the Kasifof that says King salmon with adipose fins can only be taken on Thursdays and Saturdays. There is a picture of an adipose fin but no other explanation. I go to Google and learn that hatchery fish have adipose fins removed before release. The fish with adipose fins are therefore wild salmon that get extra protection five days a week.

For part of the season, kings between 44 and 55 inches in length must be released. As I understand it, this restriction has expired, but Kings over 55 inches must be presented to Fish and Game within three days before they are filleted.

The residents are lined up shoulder to shoulder now along mouth of the Kenai with dip nets. They stand in lines of about fifty waiting for a turn to run down the beach and scoop up the reds. It’s called subsistence fishing.

A resident is allotted 25 reds annually plus 10 reds for each dependent. We see a family, cooking jars of red flesh chunks in pressure cookers, preparing for the winter. Reds run about 10 pounds each. This is a big event in summer. Tomorrow is the weekend and with the news of the run, the beach should be even more crowded as the 24 foot tide and fish come in.


I buy some rubber boots that come to my crotch so I can stand on the shore and attempt to snag a red or two before we continue the trip. About 40,000 reds a day will enter the river for the next two weeks. They swim along the shore making them easy to scoop up with dip nets. You have to be a resident to use a net. I'm nervous about catching a fish that violates regs. However, no one seems to be checking.

This morning, I walked down to the quiet Kasilof River. A moose waded out a few feet from me and then swam across the river. These are the moments that a volunteer nature photographer lives for. It’s a job. Someone has to do it.

Finally I’m in a place with enough bandwidth to post pictures to my blog. I catch up on about two weeks worth of blog pictures.

Why are we here?

Portage Glacier, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Philosophers have pondered that question for thousands of years. I know the answer. The annual runs of King Salmon and Sockeye Salmon begin in the Kenai River about July 15th. I’ve been here the last three years. The eagles and bears also begin to congregate.

It never really gets dark here this time of year. There is a period of twilight from about 1 am to 3 am, but it’s still pretty light.


Dave and Karen next door are hauling one of those aerodynamic aluminum trailers. They have a topper on their Chevy pickup. He has a full size freezer in the bed of the truck that runs off a complex system of 12 volt batteries, inverters and a portable generator. So far he has collected 30 Sockeyes from the Copper River and three small Kings (about 25 pounds each). When they stop, they set out pots full of fresh herbs and growing tomato plants. I watch him set up his fly rods.


The pink salmon we caught ended up each being a package of two pound filets. We can’t grill and eat a whole one at one meal, so Mrs. Phred mixes the leftover with mayonnaise, eggs, celery and chopped onion for sandwiches. It's really good.

We make reservations for three days in Homer for Halibut fishing and another three on the Kenai in Soldatna for Salmon. One day is with our traditional guide, Larry, for kings. We also hope to take a fly-in trip to the back country to watch the bears fish for salmon.

DB Cooper: You have a message.

Alcan Highway: The Yukon – Mile 1135 – July 6, 2007.

On the 4th of July we took a hike though the Chilkat rainforest near Haines, Alaska.

 
The trail comes out on a rocky beach overlooking a glacier across a bay. It’s quiet. All you can hear is a waterfall under the glacier about ten miles away. I try my luck fishing with the usual result.


Later, we encounter a huge grizzly bear. She has her new cub with her. She is eating yellow flowers and pretty much ignoring us except for an occasional glance. You can tell a grizzly by the size and by the hump on the back. Black bears and brown bears are smaller.


In the evening we go up to Chilkoot State park to watch the “Mad Raft Race” on the Chilkoot River. There are four rafts in the race, all home-made. In last place are two little girls on a raft built of milk jugs. Their raft disintegrates as they pass, but they float on in the swift, cold water to finish. A fisherman stands in the current and brings in a salmon. So far this season, only about 10,000 “reds” have crossed the weir. The big run should start soon.


We drove north from Haines on the 5th and reentered British Columbia, then the Yukon. Northern Alaska is about 60 miles from where we camped last night. As we drive we pass a bald eagle preserve area where about 3,500 eagles gather to feast on salmon later in the summer. The campground is full of abandoned WWII highway construction equipment.

The bears here in the empty Yukon put on fat for the winter in September when the “chum” or “dog” salmon come to spawn. Chum salmon are considered the least desirable of the five species of Alaska salmon by humans.

They say to wear little bells and carry pepper spray when you hike in the woods because of bears. We see lots of bear droppings on the hike. You can tell black bear droppings by the berries and squirrel fur. Grizzly bear droppings are full of little bells and smell like pepper spray.


Here are some bear and forest pictures.