Steve, Rowena
and Richard prepared to attack
the Russian River Sockeye Salmon. Steve said that people would be
fishing very near to one another similar to Kenai River combat
fishing. It turned out to be skirmish fishing with people 10 to
15 feet apart. We arrived around noon time and the first mishap
was discovered with incomplete fishing poles that had no rod
tips. With a general store nearby, 2 new rods were
procured. We took the Russian River Ferry across with chairs,
lunch, and equipment. Soon, we found our spot and Rowena was set
up first and hooked a fish before anyone else was even set up.
Once I was
set up and started fishing, I noticed some moisture on my feet inside
the waders. They were brand new in 2001, the first and last time
I used them. After an hour, my feed were soaked and I could feel
liquid water surrounding my feet. A while later, my pants were
soaked up to mid-thigh. I had not brought another pair of pants
except for shorts. I thought it would be too cold to wear the
shorts under the waders. I knew that if I could not dry my pants,
I would have a serious problem on the Gulf of Alaska the next
day. I would freeze on the ocean. After 3 hours, I had
enough and took a break during which I emptied the water out of my
waders and had lunch. I returned to fishing after about 45
minutes.
Fishing was
slow for us. People all around were catching fish. In the
last 1/2 hour, I got 2 salmon which surprised me both times.
The final
tally was Rowena and Richard with 2 fish each and Steve with no
fish. We packed up and took the ferry back to the truck around
9:30 PM. I showed Steve and Rowena the amount of water from the
waders. They laughed. We hit the road and since we were
going to get into Seward late, I called the bed and breakfast to let
them know of our schedule. I asked if there was a clothes dryer
available and the response was "it's 11 o'clock." I asked if
there was a laundromat in town and the reply was "it is closed."
This did not sound too promising. We got to Seward about 11:45 PM
and went directly to the B & B. The operator greeted us and
asked "who needs the dryer?" She took me upstairs and showed me
the dryer which I used to dry my pants. I then went to the market
to get ice for the salmon and when I returned I found our room
locked. Luckily Rowena opened the door and I was able to get some
sleep.
Seward Halibut Fishing
