I was able to experience another 'first' the other day...something I'd never even HEARD of until this week...dip net fishing. Even for someone who is not a huge fan of fish, this was a REALLY cool experience!
see these big nets? Alaska residents line up in the water with these big boys...
the nets have really long poles attached...
the salmon swim upstream, in to the nets...
when the fisherman feels the fish fighting in the net, he quickly runs towards the shoreline
once on shore, if the fish is still fighting, it gets a whack on the head with a stick to put it out of it's misery...it looks like a small billy club...the kids especially seem to enjoy practicing this part...
cutest little set of waders I've seen... :)
if you're lucky...you'll find someone with a boat...then you can just slowly idle up the river with your nets down, and haul in the fish that way...sometimes pulling in multiple fish at a time...
I liked this one's name... :)
My friend Alanna's cousin had a boat, and there were 4 nets working, so they ended up catching A LOT of fish...as in 187 total salmon...not bad for one day's work. Each resident of Alaska is allowed to catch so many fish per family member in their household. This is one way the state of AK 'rewards' its' residents for living in the state. I was not able to fish since I am not considered a resident yet, but I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing the whole process...something I have NEVER seen before...AND, I got to 'drive' the boat. :)
We were down near the Kenai Peninsula at a place called Kasilaf...it was an absolutely beautiful setting...
wouldn't you like to fish in a setting like this?
Some people choose to clean and filet their fish right on the spot...
but the group I was with chose to put the fish in coolers to take home and clean up later...
this guy reminded me of one of those
Big Mouth Billy Bass fish that was so popular...he kept opening his mouth at us...
not exactly a light load to lift...
all of this fish will provide for them through this year ~ some of it gets smoked, some of it gets vacuum-sealed, but all of it will eventually get eaten.
Alanna
Alanna, her cousin's friend Matt, her cousin Jamie, and me
They stopped fishing around 8:30pm ~ it was an amazing day! And there is MORE to it...I'll tell you in my next post... :)
3 comments:
Ya know, when I think fishing, I think "Melody" Obviously. :) Looks yummy!
So jealous, Dean and I would have a blast doing this! Have you started liking salmon yet?
Ashley, I've actually had salmon about 3 times now, and I do enjoy it b/c it doesn't taste super fishy...
Mary, you know I'm all about fishing! :)
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