Day 94--July 30, 2013

          We ate breakfast at Gwin's Roadhouse.  It's a great old lodge that's been active since 1952.  Hand-built by Helen and Pat Gwin, this historic log roadhouse is located in the middle of the Chugach National Forest on the Kenai Peninsula.  All their meals of great and HUGE.  Their menu is traditional American and Alaskan.  Brian had a salmon omelette.  Travis had reindeer sausage.  I asked him if it was Rudolph or Donner.  He did not think that was funny.  :-)
          After that, the boys were suited up for "combat fishing" on the Russian River.  During the long-lighted days of July, the scenic riverbanks become a battle zone.  Men, women, and kids wade into the frigid waters, stand arm-to-arm with other anglers, casting, and casting, and casting until their arms ache. 
          The salmon are making their trek upstream to spawn and then die.  As they swim up stream, they have their mouths open and hopefully, they will catch one of the lures in their mouths.  They are big fish and put up quite a battle.  If the fisherman accidently snags the side of one of the fish, they have to release it back into the water.  Snagging is not an acceptable way of catching any of the different species of salmon and trout.  With combat fishing, it is man versus fish and man versus man.  Here's a picture of what it looks like here at the height of the salmon run.

Not my picture, but just wanted you to see what it
looks like when the salmon are running

Chase and Travis in their hip waders and poles
headed out to catch their limit of fish.  We are here at the
end of the 2nd run, so not as many fishermen or fish.

From left to right--Travis, Samantha (also in hip waders), Chase,
and unknown fisherman
who kept telling the boys how to do it even though we never
saw him catch any fish.

Until next time,

Dolores