Soldotna, Alaska Day 57, June 28, 2013

This morning I started out the day by going fishing at the Kasilof River. It is located about 13 miles south of Soldotna. I tried fishing for about 2 hours and didn't get anything, so went back to the 5er.

We then went sightseeing. We started out at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. It is located close by to the RV Park. They have many displays including a pair of moose antlers that were locked together resulting in the death of both combatants. There was a sign about them, and I have included the picture that tells about the mystery.

This is where I was fishing.

We went on a nature walk and found a little cabin that belonged to an Alaskan big game guide. There was also a nature walk that led down to a lake by the Visitor Center. The differences in the terrain were quite pronounced. It goes from dense forest to what looks like Arctic tundra. While we were on the walk the mosquitoes were awful. They would swarm you if you stopped to take pictures, and I even had one try to fly in my nose. I guess it’s a good thing I sprayed Cindy and I with mosquito repellent before we went on the walk. The people from here tell us this is the worst year for mosquitoes they can ever remember.

Notice the size of my hand compared to the bear paw mold.

All this is within 1 mile of Soldotna.

We then went to the Homestead Museum, where there are several cabins, and an old school house. There were also several flower beds with different examples of Alaskan flowers. Of course Cindy had to take picture of them.

As we were driving along we noticed this street name. We thought some of the names of streets were interesting.

My fishing line had been tangling, and I decided to get new line put on. While there I asked about fishing. The lady told me they had been catching them on the Kasilof River. I told her I hadn't had any luck there. She said it was because of the tides. When I asked her what she meant, she explained that on high tide the fish came into the River. It takes them about 2 hours to swim the 8 miles to where we fish. She gave me a tide book that said high tide was at about 9: 30 tonight, and I needed to be there at about 9:00 to get ready. 

When I got to the place she recommended, there were about 8 other fishermen. At first nobody was doing anything, but at about 10:00 the other fishermen started to catch fish. I’m sure because I don’t know what I’m doing, I didn't get anything. I finally gave up at about 11:30, but decided to try once more by the bridge by the parking. When I got down to the water, I could see 2 fish just resting in a quiet spot near shore. I decided to see if I could catch them, and after several try’s, I managed to hook one of them. I tried to catch the other one, but got him in the side, and he got away. When I looked some more there was one other fish in the spot, so I tried again. After several casts, I hooked this fish in the mouth, and got him in easily. That was all I could see, so I got two nice salmon.

Thanks for viewing.