To: n0abe@qwest.net

X-Type: Email; Outmail

Subject: From Ed and Edith Homer, AK

X-Via: KA6IQA

X-Status: Sent

Ole for the list.

Greeting from Homer, AK and absolutely beautiful place. Let me tell you fishing for Red Salmon is hard work. They come up

the Kenia from Cook Inlet to spawn. They run on the bottom quite close to the shore. Even before they leave the ocean

they quit eating so to catch them you have to hook them in the mouth. If you snag them anywhere eles you have to release

them. In my opinion it is typical GFP as the commercial fishing get 99% of the fish with nets and AK residents can dip net

them. I don't believe they can use fish wheels on the Kenai. They assure spawing reproducton by closing things down for

everybody about August 1st. They have a sonar line across the Kenai just a couple of miles above the mouth where they can

count the salmon going up stream If there is not enough they close the commercial fishing down for a little while. The

silver will run in a couple of weeks and they will bite on Red Salmon eggs. Anyway to catch Reds you put enough weigh

about 18" ahead of the hook to hold it close to the bottom and then flip your line upstream in about 5 mph current and

if you have the weight correct you can feel it just bumping the bottom as it rapidly goes down stream. When it gets past

you at about a 45 degree angle you give it a jerk. The idea is to have the hook downstream ahead of the weight as much

as possible so the "REDS" swimming up stream near the bottom with their mouth going open and closed gets the hook in there

mouth. Even the local pro's snag some outside the mouth and have to turn them lose. Now the good part. When you hook one

I have never, ever experienced anything like it. The brake just screams and they come up out of the water 2-3 feet. Some

of them take off and run for 40 feet on top of the water with your brake just screaming. With the 5 mph current and a 10

pound silver with their power it is something! They are built for running upstream with great leaping power! My biggest

one took me about 15 minutes to land. It ran 4 times. Sometimes rather than going down stream they will run right for

you so suddenly you have to crank like mad to get the slack out. Even with 40# test if you have slack and they get a run

your line will pop like it is made of paper! In our fishing camp we met Alice and Walt, retired from Phoenix. This is

there 5th year up here to fish for REDS. It is like a culture coming to fish the Red Run. Very, very interesting! Oh

did I tell you we had a kind of secret spot our King Salmon guide KL7X showed us as fishing the Kenai is extremely

restricted to protect the bank. Even there a lot of locals were fishing and some tourists but we were still only 10-12

feet apart. We need to go to the hospital in Sodotna as they have a collection of their worst hook in the face cases!

Safety glasses would not be a bad idea when a Red takes off and the person sets the hook often times the hook comes out

and flys back and if you are in the way it would be bad! I can see why they call it combat fishing! YOU JUST HAVE TO READ

THE NEXT TRAVELOGUE. Edith and I have found out so much talking to the locals as well as other tourists. Sodotna and Kenai

are just nuts with all the people fishing. Fred Meyers was like opening day at Walmart in Mitchell every time we were

there which was 5 times. The two towns are like Rapid City in the summer but each town about 12 miles apart are about

4000 people. They only thing I have ever seen that was more crowded was Quartzsite AZ. They traffic jams up for a

couple of miles quite often. We have processed 29 Reds and have 28 quarts and a bunch frozen. We have at least 150

pounds of "REDS to take home. Once you freeze or can it they don't count as possesion limit. Next will be Clam Gulch

onother culture! This retirement is awesome! Not enough hours in the day to soak it all in!!!

Ed and Edith

[MID: 1070_W0SD Sent Via: KA6IQA Date: 2001/07/24 05:12:29]