Week number 3.5

of silver season 2013 is in the books...and what a week it was. There's a lot of silvers here and by and large everybody caught their salmon, with a few exceptions. We were a little out of sync on a trip I did for my friend Keith, fish were everywhere and we just couldn't get em....then when we did have them surrounded late in the morning we were so cold form the driving rain that we kinda retreated, gave up a few fish short. We had a similar day with my old friend Alan Ayo and his friend Karen. She caught the first salmon of her life and turned out to be one of these wonderful people you just feel like you know already. We talked of writing and in a few days she sent me this book she's written. Wow, she's had a varied life. a missionary in New Guinea and street preacher in Europe. She's been in love and seen loss...and shared it with us. So, it was a great part of the season for me Karen. I'll treasure the book and share it as you'd like.

If you have to sit in the pouring rain and fish the three guys I had the other day are the ones to do it with. Keith , John and Dick here are all lawyers and about as fun as anybody I've ever met...and that's saying a lot. We had two limits and when we got down to just John fishing for our last fish it would have been easy to say 'uncle' in the cold rain but we hung in there and the rod finally went 'off'. A nice load of salmon.

It started out kind of  like thick air, not really rain but way heavier then fog. Then it turned into plain old fashioned outright rain, this pic gives you the feeling.

One day I had a cancellation and like Forrest Gump things just seem to go my way. I received an e-mail from a guy named Kevin Day who had his son Conner up from Colorado to fish and see the state. Kevin's been here many a time as he's an airline pilot and has hunted and fished all over the state....well, we had a wonderful time as they're skiers and fishermen and Bronco fans and....people like me. So thanks for coming Kev and Connor. I got the feeling I'll see you again.

I had the weirdest feeling when Scott White and his dad got in the boat that first morning.  When they booked I of course remembered them from the previous trip which seemed to me to be like two years ago. Well a sign of the ageing process works this way I guess...it was really 2006, seven years ago since I'd seen them. Yikes. These guys are golden, fishing with old friends. We had two days of great fishing and sunny warm. Hows about the way the sun reflects on the this fish of  Don's ? Maybe that's why they're called 'silvers'.

I had a great visit with their friend J.W. who was a marine in Viet Nam and then followed that up with a career in the Guard. J.W. reminded me a bit of my friend Tony, people who have and have earned a healthy perspective in life. Thanks guys, I hope it not another seven years before I see you again.

One more pic of Don just so you pick up the feel. I wish I could describe it better....it's mid morning and that thermal fog layer is finally trying to burn off. No matter how many clothes you have on on these clear Kenai mornings it's always pretty cool...then this happens. You're warm and the boat is drying out, you feel like the days half done...and it's only 8:00 a.m. I like that.