Alaska 2001 - Part 5

I could have definitely done this outdoors camp at the beginning of the trip. It is located right on the Kenai River. I've been around, up and down both coasts and then some. It is an easy going place....an adult summer, also good for the kids. This camp supplies everything...no more driving, they drive. No more hunting for restaurants and taking a chance on good food. The meals are excellent and plentiful. You won't starve, by a long shot....you may even gain a pound or two. The cabins are clean with great beds to collapse on after a full day of fishing. The wake up call for breakfast is 4:15AM...welcome to fishing! For us fishermen, that's normal wake-up time, but what is so sweet here is that you walk across from your cabin across a dirt road to their dining room. Mountain style log cabin, cozy and nice. Bacon and eggs, pancakes, sausage and hot coffee waiting. The night before they tell you what guide you are going out with...he joins you and gives you the rundown. The van will be waiting there outside the dining hall. The night before, they give you a check list so that you can order what you would like to eat for lunch...it then magically appears on the boat! Don't you love it! All you have to worry about is hooking up. (for more details, click on the link to their site, above.)

The first day we go there, Tom, one of the nicest fellows I've personally run across in a long time, told me about fishing in the river right in the camp where they launch some of their river boats. He gave me some killer flies to use. Yes, I David Michael Richichi went flyfishing. Hey, bottom line, if it's what the native fish want, then that is what yours truly is fishing with. I am by far no expert fly fisherman, but I can hold my own. Sort of a Brooklyn cast buddy just don't stand behind or I will own your 80 dollar hat and cast it into the drink. I have river fished for over 15 years prevously in the Delaware and can still read the river water.

	So later that first night I was casting a nice calm pool right off the fast current and I caught some really nice dolly varden. I was stoked, no sleep for me. Then I changed up to a flesh fly that Tom game me and I had my reel screaming with a nice 18 inch rainbow. Michael, my son, came down to join me with his spinning rod. He climbed up on one of the boats that was tied to a tree and made on blind cast.
	The next thing I knew, he was screaming, "Dad, I'm on a monster!" I figured that he had just a normal size fish until one of the people working at the camp ran for the net. I droppped my fly rod and ran over. Michael had a 24 inch rainbow. He smiled at me and said, "beat that Dad!" It was time to go to bed and I was not going to hear the end of this> Michael was under his covers smiling from ear to ear, "Did you see the size of that rainbow! Hey Dad, you'll never beat that one!" And then all I heard was snoring from the little dude.

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