C:\akweb\5-20-04.htm5/20/04

The fishing season got off to a bang this past weekend when I went to Ninilchik and hired out a halibut charter boat with a local dentist that I work with at the surgi-center. The King Salmon were in Cook Inlet and the halibut were becoming more numerous. When we arrived, the weather was overcast with sporadic showers, the temp was in the 40’s, and there was a bit of a breeze. Once we were out in the Inlet, it was cold, rainy, and we were always in a choppy sea, making us secure a new handhold before letting go of the old while getting around the 28 foot charter boat. We were all dressed in winter coats, gloves and hats, and wished we had brought more clothes with us!

We fished for King Salmon in the morning, and the first King hit my dentist friend’s rod as the captain was getting my rod set up. A 15 pounder. About an hour later, my rod went nuts, and after a brief fight, I hauled a 22 lb. King aboard. The other two folks on board weren’t as lucky, and went home without any salmon.

During the afternoon we fished in deeper water for halibut. We all brought at least one to the surface, all small (in the 15-20 lb. range~~they go to well over 300 lbs!!) and we kept 5 between us. We returned to port around 7 PM, the fish were cleaned and filleted, then we headed home. We stopped in Soldotna for supper, and by the time we got done (around 10 PM) I realized I wouldn’t be able to make the 3 hour drive back home, so got a motel room.

I headed out the next morning at 6 with a bright sun shining directly through the windshield. Couldn’t see much in front of me, but know there was a cop behind me. Sure enough, she pulled me over before I got out of town. Seems I had briefly crossed over the yellow line going around a corner heading out of town with the sun in my eyes. She wanted to know if I’d been drinking. At 6 AM Sunday morning.

She ran my license and decided I was fit to drive, so I headed out again. I hadn’t gone another 10 miles when I saw a couple of grizzly bears loping towards the road in front of me. The yearling cub crossed the road in front of me, and I slowed down almost to a stop after I passed, thinking about looking for the camera. About that time the sow made the road behind me and was none too pleased that I had come between her and her cub. Once on the road she veered towards me in the truck, and with visions of scraped paint and pushed in windows, to say nothing of being mauled, I decided I didn’t really need any photos of the grizzlies, and took off! I don’t have a good reference as to how large she was, but she looked plenty big enough coming at me in the rear-view mirror!!

Finally made it home later that morning with 20 lbs of King Salmon and around 13 lbs. of halibut for the freezer, which should see Cecelia through the summer. We hope to go out Memorial Day weekend with the camper and do some lake fishing for Rainbows, Dollies and Grayling.