Just like yesterday, Steve and I we were off to our fishing spot around 5:00 a.m.
Again, we went to the Gilman River Center, and again, we arrived just as some guys had gotten their limits for the day and were leaving. We were close to the same spots we had yesterday.
Today, I left my spinning rod at the RV, but took both our 9-weight and 8-weight fly rods. I had them both set up the same, and if I broke a line on one, I could just grab the other one without having to take time to re-set.
I managed to get one Sockeye in on my 9-weight rod, but the next fish broke my line. I got another one in on my 8-weight rod. Then, as I had my third fish on later in the morning, I was getting it close to Steve for netting and the rod snapped. But I still had the fish on the hook and, somehow, Steve managed to net that one, too. So I got my three, and ended up with a broken rod and a broken line on the other rod. I would worry about that later, and turned to be the "net guy" for Steve.
Today, after talking to guy at Sportsman's Warehouse, Steve had a different set-up and he got his three as well. Like yesterday, it took us about three hours.
Before we got to Soldotna, Steve had bought a net. However, we learned yesterday that we needed a bigger net. A couple of fish got away because we struggled netting them, so Steve went out and got a much bigger net for today and it definitely helped.
We went back to Centennial Park where we got some more photos before cleaning our fish.
Steve got the biggest of the day.
But I was still quite happy with mine.
We filleted them out and were one again back home a little after 10:00.
Linda vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer until we could get them to our local friend, Sara.
I then took my broken rod to Sportsman's Warehouse here in Soldotna. I bought two Reddington Path Combos at their store in Anchorage, so I figured it was worth a shot to see what they would do about my broken rod.
When I walked in and showed them my rod, the clerk said "Another one? Must've been a bad batch". Apparently, I wasn't the only one. I was hoping it was just a bad batch as well, as all I wanted to do was replace it with the same thing. They found the exact weight and length combo in the back and gave me the new one with no questions asked. Nice.
Back at the campsite I re-rigged both rods again, this time with a slightly different set-up. And then Linda was finally ready to try her luck.
She got on her waders and we went back to the River Center. There was still a long line of fishermen, and she didn't want to walk to the end against the swift current, so we hung out near the stairs waiting for a closer spot.
A young man right by the stairs broke off his line and told Linda should could fish there while he re-rigged. On her fourth cast, Linda caught big male Sockeye.
That was her first salmon of this trip.
After that, we waited until the young man got his limit and Linda got his spot. There was a lull for a while, but eventually she caught her second, and soon after that she got her third. Nice.
She could barely lift them.
She really liked having a personal assistant to get her off of snags, net her fish, get the hooks out, bonk them, and bleed them out for her. And I didn't mind doing it at all since I wasn't fishing myself. Perhaps I'll get her out there again.
So we got our limit of three each. I cleaned them and she vacuum sealed them, and we delivered about 20 pounds of fillets from yesterday and today to Sara to store in her freezer.
Tomorrow, we're heading down to Homer where we will store our RVs while we take our Jeeps on the ferry to Kodiak Island for a few days. But, before that, Steve and I agreed we'd get up early in the morning and try to catch our limit again before we leave Soldotna.
Comments