13 July 2010
It rained most of the night and all day. We mostly stayed in and rested up and caught on on a few things needing to be done. A couple of walks down to the river to check out fishing was also in order. The reds have not started to run yet.
We can see the Kenai river out the back window. The Kenai is a swift running river. The salmon run close to the shore which makes accessing them easier. The Kenai flop and twitch is the method used to catch the reds (Sockeye) since they do not bite the hook. It is a technique I will explain again. You flip a hook with some colorful yarn tied to it about 15'-20' in the water and let it drift a little ways and then give it a good yank. The line also had some lead shot weights about 3' up from the hook. The idea is to snag the fish in the mouth. If you miss the mouth and snag any other part of the fish you have to throw it back.
Most all of the fishing supplies you will need are available at Fred Meyer not far down the road. Oh, bring a small club, hip boots and maybe a net. Is is most useful to have hip boots or waders. I don't have boots. The club is to stun the fish or knock them out before you cut them up. I have been told it is best to cut the gills before sting them to bleed them out in the water. The meat will taste a lot better.