This past weekend we headed down to the Kenai River to fish kings with D's parents and also dipnet for reds. It was an incredibly successful afternoon since the reds were running strong. We hit our limit within 2.5 hours on Saturday: 35 for our household and 25 for D's friend Karl who came down to dipnet with us.
Here is the bridge where D picks up his passengers. It is faster to run the boat down the river by himself (less weight) and pick us up at this point.
D and Karl manned the nets this year - they were pros! Sometimes pulling in 2 or even 3 fish at a time. Fish & Game requires that we clip the tail fins to designate that these are dipnet-caught sockeyes (reds).
Thank goodness it didn't rain this year - last year we were cold and wet. The boats all jockey for position and try to avoid: 1) getting too close to shore; 2) hitting other boats; 3) getting stuck on a sandbar; and 4) colliding with the commercial fishing boats moored up to buoys. It's hard work for everyone and I am happy to be done for the year!
Looks crowded in the boats, doesn't it? In previous years we have seen people dipnetting out of Zodiacs or little inflatable boats. This year took the cake though -- a guy and gal were dipnetting in a JET SKI! I was too busy driving the boat to get a photo but it the most insane thing I have ever seen out there. Where the heck do they put the fish? Alaskans are crazy, no doubt about it.
This is what we call "cherry pie all over the boat." I have found red splotches of fish blood in the boat months after dipnetting is over.
After arriving home on Sunday evening we got straight to work canning a batch of reds with my favorite recipe (basil & onion) and vacuum-sealing 4 gallons of filets for the freezer. With the amount of fish we have, it'll be a week-long schedule of processing fish after work!
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