This trip was a definite bucket list achievement. I had been invited a couple times but was unable to attend previously. When Jim called me last October and invited me this year, I was going. I had my money to him the next day to cover the expenses of air and truck. Yes, last October is when the plans were laid for this trip the first week of August.
Friday - Day one Jim picked me up at my place at 5:30 am and we made our way to SLC airport. We checked boxes loaded with goodies that Jim had been putting together for the year and a gun he had purchased for the people we were staying with. Flight to Seattle and then Anchorage. We landed in Anchorage at 12:30 and we got our supplies and truck. We then picked up storage bags that the Madisons needed for processing the fish. We made our way out of Anchorage up highway 1 to Soldotna. We stopped in Girdwood, and then Cooper's Landing where we stopped to get some Ice Cream! Rulon always looking forward to getting his ice cream at Wildman's Store. We called Will and Jane to let them know we were close. This was about 6 pm, we arrived at Will and Jane's after a quick stop at the Fred Meyer for our fishing license. The dusk hours were beginning. We got to Will and Jane's around 7 pm and we unloaded the truck. I met our host for the first time and exchanged hellos. Will and Janes's home is beautiful and sits on the Kenai River. We stayed in the "caregivers" apartment above the garage.
We had a quick dinner and then we fished. I was fulfilling a dream and casting my line into the Kenai River was surreal. I imagined how it would be with fly pole in hand and working the fly through the columns and hooking up a salmon and fighting it into my net. Not quite that way, the fishing was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had a 9 ft ugly stick fly pole loaded with 80-pound halibut braid and attached was a 1.5 oz weight to 50-pound leader tied onto a size 2 hook with some yarn to make it look like a fly. I was quickly given a lesson on the casting method and retrieval method. Not casting more than 6 - 8 feet of line out with the 6 - 8 feet of leader and getting the sinker to the bottom as quickly as possible and feeling it drag across the rocks during the drift and then quickly setting the hook with pull and set motion to hook a fish. I observed the others for a minute and then got after it. I fished until 11:30 pm that evening, the sun never set so it was dusk and I could see my line the whole time. I managed to land my first Kenai Sockeye Salmon that evening. Jim, Rulon, and Gary were surprised, most of the time it takes people quite a while to master the technique and get a fish onshore. I was elated!! My first fish before the end of the first day!
Saturday - Day 2 - I woke up at 6:30 to find the others gone! They were already fishing. I got to the river and found that Gary and Jim had already 2 fish each of their 3 fish limit. The fish were in. I quickly got in the water and started the repetitive motion of casting and pull-setting over and over again and again. We fished until Will came to the deck of his beautiful home said breakfast was ready, at which time everyone reeled in and retreated to the breakfast table. Jane had fixed us a nice breakfast! During breakfast, we learned what our service project was to be, a 20 x 30-foot paver project. Gary being a contractor would take the lead on this project and we would help by moving the 400 plus pavers.
The House - Will, and Jane are retired educators and built this house to their specifications for hosting large parties and fishing the river. Pulling in the first thing you notice is a large greenhouse filled with greenery. The driveway leads up to a double 2 car garage, with one side specifically set up to process fish and game, the other had the washer, dryer, and bathroom with shower. The garage stairs lead you down to the basement which is completely open and set up for storage, this is where you find a wall of waders of all sizes and fishing poles hanging from the ceiling. Upstairs you had three options, door one took you into the main living area, door two opened onto the deck and the outside main entrance and door three lead you upstairs to the "caregiver" apartment. The main floor is open and spacious with a hallway leading to the movie room, master bedroom and guest bedroom, and bathroom, with a steam shower in it. The apartment has a living room, full bath, and bedroom, this was built for when Will and Jane get older they can have a caregiver stay in it and take care of them.
After breakfast we were back on the river it didn't take long for Jim and Gary to limit out and they went up to start the paver project. Rulon and I stayed on the river, until "afternoon snack time". I manage to get one fish on the bank and Rulon had two on the bank. After snacks, We went back to the river where I landed another sockeye. This was the end of catching fish for the day we never landed our third fish after hours of casting and dinner was being served Rulon and I called it a day.
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