ALASKA CARIBOU CAMP 2007 chapter 1

I almost cant believe it is already over. So much anticipation, planning, eagerness to get there, and waiting for September. My wife and I arrived in Anchorage to the feeling of clean, cool, crisp fall air. No more 90+ degree, humid days. We were greeted by Andrew and Julie and enjoyed catching up. The very next morning, Andrew and I headed out to our secret fishing hotspot - the confluence of the Russian River and Kenai River. This time was different. We were no longer the water slapping, bumbling, overly excited salmon busting stumble-bums. WE were the trout snobs! Andrew briefed me on the overall plan during the 2 hour ride up the Seward Highway (worth flying to Alaska for in itself). When we arrived, a short tutorial and we were off. Andrew and I had quite a good day on the Rainbow Trout waters.

I had reeled in a small rainbow last year, but it wasnt worth mentioning. This year would prove different. Andrew linked up first. I was slowly tuning my game. Finally, it all started coming together. Once I found the correct combination of egg color, weight, length of leader and proper strike indicator style and positioning, I was yanking them out in the kind of manner you may imagine in a Bart Neyman dream.

We enjoyed most of the day just catching and releasing up and down the river. Andrew caught quite a good one and it was possibly his best ever. I had one that may have been a contender, but it escaped just as I was landing it! I did have another that I was proud of. I caught a couple of Dolly Varden as well.

Andrew's best success was a big boy that he hooked out of Cottonwood Hole. This is a particular spot on the river. It is also where Trän caught her first ever red salmon last year. It must have taken at least 10 minutes to get it in. I had tried and tried at that spot, but nothing. He threw in and bang! That's how it is sometimes. I was able to figure out a little rapid a ways downstream. I would cast my egg just above and off side of a small rock and float it through just so. About one in five or ten casts were producing trout! Andrew just could not make it happen here. I guess the subtle differences in our presentations were making one spot better for each of us.

Ray Warren, Andrew's father, arrived the next day. The Next few days were spent making final preparations, packing, re-packing, cross checking each others lists, and removing possible "over packing" items. But, on a trip where you dont have to hike in and out your gear - better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. It was fun to watch the three of us and our different personalities in our packing and approach to the trip. A good balance of approach and emphasis sure made things easy. What was important to one of us may have been missed by the others. The ladies were laughing. I guess it looked like a traveling REI gear and clothing yardsale. One hundred pounds of gear apiece! Off we go...