King Salmon

July 6th Traveling across Alaska we keep seeing and hearing about the Kings, there in, there not in, it's too cold, the river is too high, the river is too dirty, they're six miles away and there are 33,000 of them. Bucky and George were anxious to catch a fish, while Jane and I were anxious to eat a fish. Following Dave Vickaryous' excellent advice, we stayed at a somewhat primitive campground in Sourdough on the Gulkana River, supposedly a hot river for Kings. Bucky and George outfitted themselves with fishing equipment bought at the Sourdough Roadhouse, run by the campground owners, ne of whom was blind. They headed to the river to try their luck in the pouring rain and heavy wind. I couldn't find the scissors to cut George's huge birds nest, but a knife cut through the steel line quite easily. How does steel line tangle into such a mess? Guess what? Despite their $20 sophisticated equipment, they didn't catch anything! Fortunately, Doug Herron, a King Salmon fishing guide, was camped at Sourdough with his chocolate lab. He was generous with his advice to the boys, resulting in Bucky and George quickly coming to the conclusion that fishing from a boat with someone who actually knew what he was doing might be the best decision. So, the next morning, at 6am, Bucky and George were at Doug's trailer set to go. The rain was gentle at this point waiting to accelerate a few hours later. Along with Doug's friend and his two young daughters, they were off for a half day of King fishing. The results were terrific. Everyone on the boat caught a fish. The law allows one fish per day. The salmon meal we enjoyed that night was the best any of us had ever eaten...caught and in the stomach within 12 hrs.