Graduation

I guess that's the best word to explain how I feel every year at the end of King season. It's a heck of a life where 3 weeks every July can make or break you financially . But MP and me mustered through it just like we always have in the 20 some years we've owned the boat launch and the 30 some years I've guided....somethings in life don't get easier just because you know how to do them. We're up at 3:30 every morning to open the gate, MP has the hardest job as she deals with literally thousands of people, me, just 4 a day....and of course the usual banter at the boat launch. Here's pic that shows my life...I go the entire week without going into town. I usually get to the garage with things put away by 1:30 or so and have a beer. I'm usually a Pacifico guy but those clear bottles reassured me this July that there wasn't a bee in them.

This is how my work bench looks when I purge the black boat #003 of all the King gear and transfer to all my silver gear,,,I got a bunch of stuff....

For 13 years ol Jet-dog would wait for me on the picnic table everyday of July. It always really helped me. Now with her gone I guess I'm a little more alone  but this year my new buddy Cameron here really stepped up to put that ol smile on my face no matter how the day went or the weather hurt....Thanks Cameron....mischevious looking little guy ain't he ?

We had great success this July, lots of King salmon to the boat and it makes me feel good to know I still have what it takes, no laziness. Starting with when bait was allowed we never got skunked. This fish here was a 9th inning rally that saved that streak last Tuesday...Ol Jaxson there ain't as good a poser as Lowell, but pretty close.

Ginny Simpson caught a beauty. I don't know why she needed help holding it up because she sure didn't need any help landing it.

The last 4 days of the season I did something I've always threatened to do and that's plan my trip around the tide so we fish the best part of the day. The first day it went off without a hitch and we caught 4 Kings and then....the wind hit. It was blowing 15- 25 for two days and although we fished pretty well it was hard on morale. One day I retreated from Mile 5 up to Mile 7 just to get behind the lee of the bluff. As we fished in 2 foot whitecaps at Mile 5 in a 21 footer with 32 inch sides boats half as big made there way to the dip net fishery. It's amazing nobody was killed. Here's a pic I took as we ran around Mud Island on Saturday, it really doesn't do it justice but you get the idea.

So with the wind and tide it's high risk, high reward. It was very flattering to be hired by Mick
Wykis my neighbor to take his friend and family out. He knows many a guide and chooses me, thanks Mick for the trust. Here's a pic of the Friday catch with them, Mick, his daughter Aly and friend Larry. As you can see we fished all alone in the lower river, that takes some confidence.

It was like magic....on the last day of the season my new friend Jaqi caught our first silver of the year. Everybody knows that it's my favorite fish and fishing so I took it as a harbinger of good things to come. Not only was it our first silver but it was an exceptional one to boot. Jaqi had her King salmon cut off by an incompetent boater on my birthday and I was so hoping she'd catch one on Saturday but she settled with a smile for that nice Coho. We'll get that Chinook next year Jaq....I promise.

Through the years I've been a little hard on the State Parks Agency....The Rangers are like Jack booted Hitler youth and their lack of respect for our Private property is stunning....and of course they're trying to put us out of the boat launch business... But lazy they ain't. Any agency that has time and effort to put their ' don't have fun here'  signs on a floating objects deserves a 2nd chance from me. So based on that and the fact that the Director is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world I'm going to chill out with State Parks and give them a break....for now.... that is.

Actually it's brilliant. Like a roving billboard. Now EVERYBODY on the Kenai knows what not to do....maybe someday they'll let us know what we CAN do....