Big River Lakes, Katmai Peninsula, Alaska
Another day, another fishing trip into the wild. This time I took my family to the Big River Lakes. Yeah, I know, it is a rather non descript name. Lots of the place names in Alaska are that way. The "lake" is actually sort of a river and marsh combined. There is no bank, almost no where to stand. You can only fly in using a floar plane. Then step on to a boat straight from the plane, as you can see in the picture below. It is critical to understand that since there is no hard ground, you fish from the boat and rely on the speed of the boat to complete, rather run away from the bears, who is also fishing Sockeye Salmon!
Big River Lake is about 50 mile as a crow flies from Soldotna, AK, in the Kenai Peninsula, across the Cook Inlet to the west. When I say "I took my family" earlier, it is bit of a stretch. Again I had no idea about even this existence of this place, and without my friend Dan, the mountain man (!) and Allan the bush pilot, I wouldn't be able to make it. Here is Dan in his elements!
Set UP
I have never fished for Sockeye Salmon in my life. I have tasted them, and they are wonderful, but nothing compared to fresh caught! I know them from grocery store and seen their picture. Even seen them live swimming in my previous trips to Alaska, but never fished. I learned from Dan, that when they spawn (lay eggs) upstream, in the fresh water mountain streams, they turn dark red. They are not good to fish at that time, as their meat feels soggy and soft. They taste good when they have just arrive from the ocean, and sort of in the brackish salty water. They are pinkish during this time and when you open them up, their meat is dark red.
In Big Read "lake", there is no swift flowing water. It does have some tidal current but the water is glacial till fed and so not very clear. Dan explained that this is the ideal ground to fish for sockeye salmon. I first didn't believe him, because I have fished in Alaska with him in crystal clear water. For Trout of course, but I thought all Alaskan fish like clear water! Aparently not!
Dan's hook set up always amazes me. But here this is extreme. Why? Because Dan explained the salmon here are not biting. They are ready to spawn, so they are starving. How do you catch a fish which you know is not biting with a hook??
Answer: You use a spinning rod. Cast as far away as you can. Then reel back with periodic very strong jerks! Blindly. With these jerks, you just 'hook' a fish. Not in the mouth most of the times, sometimes in the body, sometimes in the fin, whatever! This is the most bizzare fishing I have ever done. This requires some skills! But Dan can get my 10 year old to catch 3 Salmons in 10 minutes!!
They were amazing experience for the kids, and everyone caught a whole lot of them. There were four of us, each can keep three. We kept 10 and cooked 2 right there on the boat. I normally don't like fish that much. I don't enjoy the smell. I tell you, fresh caught Salmon has no fish smell! So I loved them.
Aftermath
Dan filleted all the fish for us. As we flew back to Soldotna, there are places in town who can vacuum seal and pack and ship it. They have the fish processed for us and we got them in a commercial freezer at a friend's home. Then when we were ready to fly back from Anchorage we brought them with us. We brought back about 35 pounds of Salmon. It will likey last us 3-4 months I am guessing! Good catch, eh?
So, how was the food? Did you have any special dishes in mind when you caught the fish?
Just grilled it on a propane stove over there on the boat. But at home still going though it with all kinds of recipe you can think of :)
Here is the fish
A classic fishing photo, looks like you had a great time.
Yeah, everyone loved it. We have never done anything like this before, hope to do it again soon.
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Wow this sounds like quite the adventure. I wouldn’t mind it or the 35 pounds of fresh sockeye - yummie!
It's fun and quite easy. I have forgotten how much I enjoyed fishing .
Hey, what a fascinating adventure, how many emotions you must have experienced, I would love to experience something similar.
Thank you. Its only fishing. Not hard to do.
Alaska?😳 Reminds me of the movie "Resident Evil".
Glad you had good time with your family there.
I didn't know Resident Evil had an Alaska version. I am only aware of the Racoon City, but that said I am not a fan of the franchise.
All right then.
I am happy that you all had a great time there and it would have been a trip to remember for the children.
My kids travel a lot with us and totally spoiled in terms of traveling. But older said, dad can we come back here every year… this is music to my years.
That's great. :)
Lots of fun in fishing. I also have childhood memories of fishing. When I was kid, I used to watch fishing with my dad. Now everything has changed. Anyway you had a beautiful day dada, seem to be an Real adventure lover.
Nice of you to visit my blog, that is rare! :)
Yeah, I have fished off and on, and I have mostly forgotten how much I enjoyed it. If the kids can collect some good memory of fishing, maybe they will be interested in future.
Not like that dada, I read almost everyone's posts, even beyond of BDcommunity. Just can't leave a comment always. I should leave a comment under the post atleast whenever I read someone's post.
Yes! kids will be interested in it in the future, just like you are helping them collect memories.
I have never done fishing in my life. Probably no one that I know of, has ever done it.
I belong to a family of farmers. And when I visit my farms(once in a couple of months), we pluck fruits, and vegetables.
It feels good to eat something that was grown on your land, by your people.
Probably, fishing feels something like that. Catching your own food. Eating it.
Or maybe it is just a fun activity to do when you are around lake.
But I feel fishing makes people happy😀 just like growing houseplants gives people happiness🙂
Farmers don't fish? That's a bit odd
North Indian farmers don't. We are vegetarians.
We grow crops like wheat and rice only. No fishing😅
That looks really good, I'm thinking it would taste really good as sashimi, the water should be clean enough to eat it raw?
Yes. Just with some lime and salt. Tasted wonderful.
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There are always new adventures, new places to go fishing. For any fisherman, there's always a new place, always a new horizon. You’d be glad you finally know the existence of this place.
Big River Lake, looks a beautiful environ just great fishing 🎣. Of cos you must hav had quite an adventure.
I’ve only gone fishing twice and I loved it .. Not d actual fishing tho, couldn’t make a single catch - I just love the peace and quiet of being at waters. It's different. The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. And this you’at able to relate to us well with the pictures.
This really sounded and looks amazing, I would love to do something like that!!
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BEER.Very interesting technique. I'm gonna ask my dock buddy if he has ever tried that yank blindly technique.
I don't fish, but nice catch!
Wow that's means that is only those that has opportunity of plane can do the fish business,nice one.
This is fun,I guess you really enjoyed your self.lol
Fishing is a good and fun game too
Thanks for sharing, this is awesome