As Brian's week came to a close, it was time to get down to business and try and fulfill all the dreams Brian had of his first trip to Alaska. We shifted from the Chena back into the rain on the Kenai Peninsula, picking up some salmon and rainbows along the way.
The first stop on the Kenai was Quartz Creek, an excellent Dolly Varden fishery. Like everything else, it was high and off-color, but Brian quickly ticked a nice Dolly buck off of his hit list.
Then the focus shifter to Sockeye Salmon, and we muscled in a few of the monsters the Kenai is known for. The run wasn't shaping up as expected however, and fresh fish just weren't showing their faces. Eventually the discussion turned to bears, and lets face it, they are one of the appeals of fishing in Alaska. Brian had yet to see one, only their signs, and with all of the fish species he was after being caught, the focus shifted their way.
The Russian River is well known for its bear population, and if you're high in the gorge at 'bear o'clock' in the evening, odds are pretty good you'll have some company on the river. So upriver we headed, looking for some of the large resident Rainbows that call the Russian home, but keeping a watchful eye out for furry company.
I spotted what I thought was a couple Rainbows, but to my surprise on further inspection it ended up being a small school of very fresh Sockeye making a run upstream. We quickly changed our rigs over to target them, and before long we had the pool exploding with the trademark jumps and runs a fighting Sockeye is known for.
The stringer was filling up, and Brian was excited to be able to send some fish back home to VT for his wife and kids. As he headed out for his last fish to limit out, he glanced upstream and quickly realized we weren't the only ones fishing the run. Somebody once told me in regard to the bears in Alaska to remember that 'you're fishing in their refrigerator.' And that's pretty much how it is. Give them their space, they'll give you yours, and if you overstep your bounds and reach for their last favorite beer, you might get your hand slapped.
To be serious though, they are incredible, powerful creatures that deserve our respect. Be smart and know how to conduct yourself in bear country. Bears on the Russian are used to seeing humans, and they may charge you to push you off, claim your stringer, steal your backpack, or potentially worse. Be aware and conduct yourself accordingly.
We kept tabs on our friend as it came towards us, and after Brian hit his limit and we got some last photos, it was time to concede our spot. We quickly packed up our fish and headed downstream. The 'bear o'clock' timer had stopped ticking, and we had some more company before hitting the main trail, cleaning our fish, and eventually up and out of the gorge. We arrived back at camp a little tired, a little wet, a little hungry, but with big smiles. Mission accomplished.
Just another day on a river in Alaska.....
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment