Dan's Side Car: Dip Netting At Kasilof

We just came back from dip netting on the Kasilof River. We got there Tuesday evening after a day of packing (seems that we take more STUFF each trip!). This is my first time dip netting and it really is like nothing else you do. A ton of people all show up at one location (where the salmon come in from the ocean)with anything and everything you need to get fish. We show up in motorhomes, trailers, tents, pick up trucks and cars. People are all dressed in waders and are carrying huge nets and coolers. There is no campground, it is just a place that you somehow find "a spot". Seeing as we are so big we found our spot on the side of the road. Some of us stayed a while others would be there for the day. Seeing as it does not go too dark right now it was a busy noisy place. When the tide starts to come in you see the people toggling up and heading out there to fish. Kevin was with them, they all line up, place the nets in the water and wait. It is a no brainer really, but it is also hard work as you do have to hold the net there against the current, and your arm pit deep in water.
Kevin caught most of our fish on Friday evening/night and the rest on Sat evening/night. All in all we got 40 red salmon.
Whist we were there we took Arnold out to Homer for the day. I drove the first 40 miles, it was incredibly windy and this is all I could manage. When I stopped to let Kevin take over I could hardly move my shoulder joints and wrists. Homer is a lovely town, the view is beautiful.
By Saturday we had run out of water and it was all getting too old. Dan and I were going nuts cooped in the motorhome, so we headed out to Fred Myers this way we could dump, get water and more ice for our fish. We spent the night in the parking lot with friends, the plan was to find someplace to camp and clean fish. That did not happen as everywhere was full so we all headed home Sunday morning.
Once home we had to start the job of cleaning, cutting and wrapping and canning the fish. We worked till 3.3oam Sunday night and all day Monday. You know you can really get sick of the sight and smell of fish!