Thursday, July 1, 2010.

Today we are going salmon fishing on the Kenai River. The company is called "King of the River" and it was a very enjoyable trip. They explained how to cast and hold the rod. Two of our rods had herring as bait; the other two rods had salmon fish eggs for bait. Within the first 20 minutes after casting I had a huge hit on my rod. It took me 45 minutes to reel the line in. My shoulders and arms ached so much I thought they would fall off. When I finally got the line all the way up to the boat, we saw a 50 pound salmon on the line. These fish are so strong that the captain likes to wear them out beside the boat before pulling them in. So they did that; but the fish eventually swam under the boat and cut the line with the propeller and we lost him. Daddy said that was a trophy fish, "a once in a lifetime" and I lost him!!! I didn't catch a single fish the rest of the day. If I had, I wouldn't have been able to reel it in. My arms felt like limp noodles!! Noah's fish kept eating the bait off, but never getting hooked. Tyler caught a small King called a "jack king" which we could keep and not have to record. You are only allowed 1 King Salmon per day; 2 King Salmon per year from the Kenai River. Daddy caught a couple salmon under 20 pounds which we could keep. They are now in the freezer in the RV. I had to get rid of some of our frozen food to make space for the fish.
We ate halibut and salmon grilled outside with a seafood rub and olive oil. It was delicious!!!! I could probably eat that everyday and still not get tired of it. Fresh fish tastes so much better. By the end of this summer we will a freezer full of halibut and salmon. I guess I can keep my big freezer after all!!!