I ended yesterday by driving to Soldotna and spending the night in the Fred Meyer parking lot. I’m heading north to get out of 5+ days of rain and blown out rivers. Fairbanks is warm and clear for the next week, and halfway to Fairbanks is good Grayling water, and better weather. Seven hours, stopping…
Day 58: Adapt, Migrate, or Die — Part 2 of the Hunt For Grayling
Today it is raining hard. I canceled my walking guided trip for tomorrow as the Anchor River is chocolate brown. There is 100 % chance of rain tomorrow, and 80 % for Saturday, with 60% for each of the following 4 days. Since the Anchor River Coho run is about 2.5 weeks long, and losing…
Day 57: Fishing And Enjoying It
Since I slept through high tide this morning as it was around 7:30 AM, I headed into Homer for lunch. There is a fantastic sandwich / coffee shop in Homer, called 59 Latitude. Sandwich and large moca for $17, and the sandwiches are the best I’ve had in a long time. I dropped by the…
Day 56: A New Place, But Still Rain
I got into Homer and drove all the way to the end of the spit. Lots of tourist shops and fishing trip shops with a lot of cars for a Tuesday. I looked online for fly shops and found one just above the Anchor River. I made a reservation for a half day guided walking…
Day 55: Time To Plan On Leaving This Area And Search Out Silver Salmon. And It Is Raining!
Time to Leave Tenderfoot Campground. I never thought to see if Summit Lake Lodge rented boats. This is a great lake for fishing, and even better with a boat. As it is raining, I can spend the night here (paid for), or at Quartz Creek Campground (paid for), or drive to Soldotna and sleep in…
Day 54: Cannot Hear. Need to get batteries.
I got up at noon to see a beautiful, windless lake, ready to be fished. However, I couldn’t hear well as my hearing aid batteries died overnight. I know I saw some spares, but it could take hours to find in the nooks and crannies of the van. A wise person would fish for a…
Day 53: I’m Feeling Better. Caught a Rainbow.
A nice Saturday to wake up, read, nap, brunch, and then fish. Just like every perfect day. I got out on the water at 5 PM, and the wind blew me to the north, instead of south, for the first time. Instead of having to work so hard to get back at the end of…
Day 52: I Slept. I Awakened. I Better LOL
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…
Day 51: Why Am I Not Fishing More Often?
I have asked myself the question of why I’m not fishing every possible day. After 7-plus weeks along this journey, I’ve come to realize that I am not physically prepared for this trip. For example, at the Russian River the most common phrase I’ve heard from other fishermen is: “We limited out in an hour”….
Day 50: Air Out The Van And Hit The Russian River
I dropped by the Pink Salmon parking lot at the Russian River Campground and found it about 80% full of cars and campers. It is after lunchtime so the morning run is probably over, but I’ll check out the water anyway. People are fishing, and I Can See The Red Fish. The red colored fish…