FINALLY SALMON

Our friend Maryln asked if we'd like to drive her car to Talkeetna. She will take the train, and would like to drive back. We will spend the night at the Princess McKinley Lodge.

I booked a guided fishing trip.    talkeetnafishingguides
Ginger will relax at the Lodge.
We met the guide at the river. I am accompanied by a wonderful couple Rick and Corkie from the rural area of northern Penna who are in Alaska celebrating their 50th anniversary. Ironically the guide, Grant, is from 20 miles from them.
We run up the Talkeetna River in the aluminum jet boat, powered by a 350 hp Chevy engine. The river is not gray like glacial fed waters. it is greenish. Grant explains that it is because it has gotten cold at the glaciers and there is less sediment melt. We head just a few yards up a creek, the water is crystal clear.

 Nearly stepping on the salmon as I wade the shore.

 One of the many dead..after completing their spawn.

YES....THATS A BEAR PRINT...fresh because it has been raining today.

I can see salmon swimming below me, schools of them. Some leaping like mullet, only they are 8-12 pounds.
Fishing with medium action spinning rods, a popping float and a heavy jig head with feathers, we immeidately begin catching fish. All there of us are often hooked up at the same time. Grant stays busy netting and releasing them.  You are not allowed to pull them onto the shore, and you are not to keep them out of the water for very long...he holds them up just long enough to get a photo.
We catch a variety of Silver, Chum, and Pink salmon. They are also varied in their colors, depending on how far along the spawning process they are. Silvers, aka Coho salmon, that have nearly complete it are bright reddish-orange, some with a hump, and curved in jaws. I caught a 12 pounder that looked like the mature one on the wiki page, only much brighter red.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coho_salmon

We fished several areas. Some had a concentration of fish that would produce a hit every cast.
Rick and Corkie fished from the banked boat, and were exhausted from catching so many. I jumped on the shore and waded. The shore was littered with dead salmon. Many with their heads ripped off, I saw dozens of fresh bear tracks.

I wanted to fly fish for trout so Grant rigged me up.  I caught a beautiful Dolly Varden.


Because they were near the completion of their spawn, their flesh was not suitable for eating. Except one. Grant filleted it. We took it back to the restuarant owned by the guide service. The made a terrrific meal for us. We had a very enjoyable meal, now becoming new fishing friends.