Ya gotta have hope

It's been a many a year now that we've been on our healthy lifestyle thing.  It used to be only the gym but in the last 10 years MP and I have enjoyed walking together for 3 miles every day we can, when we have time we don't miss a day. Two of our favorite jaunts are along the river where I love to look and wonder and chat with the fishermen we meet along the way. When we do our Soldotna Creek walk we cross the creek two times and every time for the last ten years I look and look and look and hope as I tell MP , " someday we're going to see King Salmon in there again". Well, there they are.
An obvious spawning pair right at the bridge on East ReDoubt, they're back.

I know that it shouldn't sound strange to see salmon in an Alaskan stream but it's been years since we or anybody else has seen them here. In the early 70's Woody had a friend who lived in the building where the Kenai Watershed Forum is now, we'd routinely see dozens and dozens of Kings. But as the years went on and all the runs got smaller the first to show the stress were what we call the 'discreet' runs that help make up the overall Kenai run. Just like Slikok Creek across town this was an important incubator but just a really small part of it all and the fish were gone all in all. . In fact a few years ago Soldotna Creek was treated with Rotenon (sp) to kill ALL the fish in it fearing that Northern Pike could be migrating to the river from the lakes upstream that had them...obviously at that time they didn't think there was a remnant spawning population of King Salmon that we sorely need back. SO...it was with enthusiasm and wonder as MP and I watched them actually do the deed. The redd had already been dug and the male was milting and then covering the gravel as he slapped around in the current on his side. I left that walk feeling good, I kinda think that if you see two there's more, one thing I've learned is that salmon don't come in ones. This may not be the brightest bright spot we have going on but it's something, it's something good.

This walk was in the middle of a bit of high water we had from the Skilak Glacier dumping so as we walked and talked of the wonderous salmon we had just seen I was thinking maybe the water was high enough to float out the huge snag we walk by on the boardwalk behind the Park. The snag was intact and low and behold I can see figures that a recognize resting under the cover. Adult Silver Salmon waiting out the rushing water in a quiet and safe place....I'm feeling like a fish whiperer.

What a great walk...Hope you come back. I've got a great idea for a blog entry about a few things I've learned guiding that helped me get through 37 years of the unusual.