Out of the wild and into my net

Sam and I are headed to Chitina tomorrow morning for a whirlwind fishing trip. Now, for those dear friends living elsewhere, this isn't exactly a leisurely jaunt to the nearest pond with a can of worms and a picnic lunch. We are going to get a winter's worth of Copper River red salmon. We're dipnetting the fish and now on the eve of our excursion, we're busy gathering the most basic of necessities to spend the night on a rock. No tent, or sleeping bags even. We're getting taken to a remote spot on the river by boat and will spend the night fishing. We're bring a small stove to make a meal and coffee and some warm clothes and rain gear just in case. We hope to get our 40-fish limit by morning to get back in the truck and drive the six hours back north to Fairbanks. This is an annual event for most Fairbanksans and when said in passing 'Yep, goin' to Chitina tomorrow,' the reply is always the same: 'Good luck.'
The response is such because there is a chance you can get skunked in Chitina. And right now, at this moment, the river is not thick with reds on their way to spawn as it usually is at this time of year. The days have been hot and the glaciers melting, making the river-water high and the salmon elusive. We're hoping things might change by the time we get there as this is our one shot at fish for the year. A laundry list of tasks around the cabin won't allow us to take another trip south to Chitina this summer.
So wish us luck, I think we'll need it.
Today Rich came over to help me oil the exterior of the cabin. It's a messy job, but somebody's got to do it. Rich and I got two sides done and will tackle the rest of the job upon our return from getting fish.
Peace (and salmon)


BFF Richard and I oiled up.