Back in June my good friend Jeni came up to visit. She was also bringing up a new puppy and employee for me Max(he loves his job). While she was in King Salmon, Alaska I had time to show her some of the scenery. The scenery of King Salmon has a personality all of it's own. Native cultures have lived there for thousands of years. The various rivers and streams are the pulse of the area. Salmon numbers in the millions arrive to there natal streams each year. They provide food and nutrients for all life of this area. After the salmon have spawned plants as well as wildlife benefit from the decomposing carcasses. The people of King Salmon also depend on the salmon arriving each year. Some just for food, some for money, recreation and every combination of the three.
Jeni arrived early in the run when fish were not abundant. We spent most of our time enjoying everything else the area has to offer, but I wasn't going to let her leave without catching some salmon. Why, because it's what I do, it's my job. I take fisherman out to experience what I fell in love with when I came here. There's something very rewarding to me about taking someone out to experience my little corner of the world. There are so few places on earth that are as wild and untouched as Alaska. King Salmon, Alaska sits on the Naknek River. The Naknek River has a run of all five species of Pacific Salmon, including King Salmon. My goal with Jeni was to see her fight a chrome bright monster of a King. We were pretty laid back in our efforts but we ended up making it happen. Jeni, a little on the girly side but up for adventure, was able bear with me in my hunt for the first kings of the year. We struck out each day with my quest in mind. The salmon however weren't ready to storm the river. We did however catch some smaller fresh salmon each time. Fresh salmon were on the grill within hours of being caught. There is nothing like it, fresh from the grocery store is nowhere close to this delicacy. On one of our last trips on the river Jeni scored a nice King of 15lbs. It wasn't the rod bending monster I wanted for her, but just as much fun for both of us. I think she enjoyed my excitement about the fish more than catching it.
