Northern Trails And Tales

Exhausted from a round of newpaper and TV studio interviews, I still feel compelled to share with my faithful readers the dramatic events which unfolded in the upper drainages of the Sustina River this morning.  For several weeks now the fishing has been poor, to say the very least.  In fact, the situation was getting so desperate that the Saturday morning fishing shows were refusing to film in the Mat-Su Valley.  In  a final attempt to turn things around, the Alaska Travel Cooperative agreed to fly in such angling luminaries as Lefty Kreh, Joan Wolff, Lou Tabory and a host of others hoping that if just one majestic king salmon was caught the magic would return.  To be brief about it, all the heroic efforts culminated in abject failure and each icon departed with an empty creel…..  And thus the stage was set for this morning’s adventure.  Arising at 2:45 AM to meet our guide at 3:30 PM, we then motored 50 miles north to Talkeetna where we boarded a jet boat and powered our way five or six miles up the river through the stabbing cold  The guide finally slowed the engine to ask me exactly where I thought we should cast our bread upon the waters.  Summoning my finely honed river reading skills I confidently pointed to a very fishy looking spot.  Strictly between the two of us, and despite the frustrations suffered by the aforementioned acclaimed anglers, I immediately hooked up.  Reluctant to embarass them in any way, I quietly put a bit of slack in the line and let the behemouth  wiggle and giggle and slip off the hook.   Time and time again, I deftly managed long line releases in an effort not to sully their reputations.  Finally, after an appropriate interval, I cried, “Fish On!!!”   Oh, what a fish it was!  Skillfully, I guided it through the raging torrent protecting my light 40 pound leader.  Time and time again, the bright and powerful 35 pound king made efforts to return to the sea from whence he had come 70 miles ago.  It was thrust and parry, but patience and superior skill finally led him to the net. (Pictures not available as personal photographer was fishing downstream) And so the long drought ended.  In itself, this would have been enough to etch the name of your’s truly in the pantheon of Alaskan anglers, but to prove the point, I nailed another king of 25 pounds or so.  (Pictures may be available despite technical difficulties)  Then, to great acclaim, I retired to the stream bank, satisfied that the lustre and attraction of the Mat- Su Valley had been restored…..  I can hear my guardian devil whispering, “Enough.  Enough!”  I assume he means enough fish, though I suppose less kindly souls might interpert it as “enough bull-hit!”…..  Now, Boys and Girls, here’s the true skinny.  The day was gorgeous, the small river beautiful, and the guide knowledgable.   Closely following his instrutions, I quarter cast my six inches of pencil lead and unbaited hook with plastic salmon eggs (”no more than two inches from said hook”) upstream and let the lead tick along the bottom setting on anything that might have resembled a snag.  For any of you who might think this sounds suspiciously like Pulaski, N.Y., you’re right on the $$$.  The guide swears the  kings strike the “bait” and the first fish actually did seem to hit it fairly hard, but my guess it that I lined his mouth.  Ditto, the second.  It ain’t my favorite kind of fishing, and in Pulakski I’ve failed to attain the competence of such snagging masters as Frank Rusczek and Mike Bartolotta who seemingly can perform this prodigous feat just seconds before said salmon is set to expire of natural causes.   Still, we had a fun time this morning, and by some perverse luck did “catch” two salmon.  Rather than looking for me on “Good Morning, America,” search for Dan Rather’s return— that might be about the same time I catch my next one!…..Otherwise, we’re having a good time in Houston, Alaska, notable primarily for a Deputy Mayor who hails from Houston, Texas.  But it’s also the fireworks capital of Alaska, or at least this part of Alaska, and the highway is crowded with fireworks stands— and plenty of customers….  Off to bed to dream dreams of landed salmon….