Reservations for Friday and Saturday nights at campgrounds are usually full. I drove over to Upper Summit Lake and was able to find the best campsite available. Bathrooms close by (I’m Old), my personal launching ramp, and a tree to hide my float tube from the road. Not too shabby at all. Add for only $9 per night with Senior Discount / America The Beautiful Card, even better than boondocking.
Obviously not having a fantastic experience at the Russian River took hold of me. My neighbor, and the best guy you ever could meet, went to the Russian River 30 years ago, and had a great time. He even has an 8 x 10 of a Red Salmon jumping out of the water while attached to his line. Sadly, Roger is undergoing Stage 4 Cancer and may have already passed. I would have gone with him years ago but Roger’s brother made the choice of inviting his other neighbor (who we never, ever, fished with) to join Roger in Alaska the following summer. Thus, I missed that trip.
I wanted this trip, not so much to catch Red Salmon, but to see the salmon in huge numbers, getting caught by everyone, as I thought of my friend and his time here. I never got the full Russian River experience, but I’ve spent two plus weeks remembering my friend, letting him go, and cherishing all the times I was his neighbor and fishing partner.
I slept in today, read, took a nap, read, drove out to dinner, and then back to the campground. I fished from 9 to 11 PM. The wind was mild but strong enough to blow me 100’s of yards down the bank and towards the middle. When I headed back, I’d do 100 scissor kicks into the wind, then cast a few times to rest. The wind would push me half way back. I reminded myself of a young puppy who jumps one step forward, then two steps back to catch it’s balance. Float tubing in the wind is just like that.
As I got close to my take out, I hooked two small (11 – 13 inches) Dolly Varden, close to shore just off the first drop off. The first fish broke the line and the second squirmed off the hook as I was about to net it. Another night on the lake with 2 hookups in 1.5 to 2 hours. Not the bigguns tonight, but fish nonetheless.
Tight Lines!.
The concept of only being able to fish between a half-hour after sunrise and a half hour before sunset takes on a completely different mindset at this time of year in Alaska. Lol