LATE ARRIVERS:

Now you’ve got to understand that sockeye fishing is a morning and evening sport. For the most part mid morning through mid afternoon and the dark of night tend to put off the sockeye bite. So a true sockeyer starts the day in the morning. In the early morning. Alarm time is 4am. That’s tough if you’ve fished the whole day before and just made it into bed by midnight. However, the real sockeyer sets the alarm for 4am. That secures a spot. It doesn’t guarantee the best spot, however. You’ve got to get up at 3:30 for that one. Anyways, I’m up at 4am. Most people don’t consider the log hole as the ultimate place to stand in the river. However, it is my preference. And 4am usually guarantees my spot. There is no limit to fish that I’ve hooked before 5am over the past few years. By 7am, I’ve usually reached my limit if the fish are running, And those morning runs can be classics. Right about 5am when the light steps up a few notches, the fish wake up and the morning is made or busted. It is a critical time that 5am-6am period. The best runs occur in this time period. These are good morning dream times that occur before most people are conscious and reward those who got up out of bed. Many times, by 7am the burst of fish have come and gone.

I love getting into the water early with no one beside me. Being able to perform the Kenai shuffle is a beautiful way of fishing for sockeye. Only early mornings or late nights give one a chance to test the methods. And so I’ll make a beeline for the log hole, establish it as my base. Gauging the closest competition up and down the bank I decide how far down the beach I can walk and still reclaim my spot at will. With that factor calculated and a quick look back up the hill, I begin my deadly tactic. Last year the tactic became a true weapon, this year it became art.

And then after while, whether I’ve hooked one or not, the river bank begins to fill in. Somedays it takes longer than other days. But sometimes it happens quickly. And then one must lay claim to the territory he wants to fish. And into the morning about 7:12am people start to wake up and realize that there’s some fishing going on. By 9am, every bass-fisherman and idiot who thinks he can just walk into a hole and claim it start to arrive. You people are the worst. Thank goodness I’m usually done fishing by then and don’t have to deal with you. But there are times when I do and it is just pain staking watching you. Maybe that’s why I get pretty aggressive when I get crowded in on. In fact, I don’t really share the river very well. Especially on the days I have to compete for fish. I’m a sockeyer. Don’t crowd me. Stay out of my hole. Don’t cut off my rod and retrieval. Hey, don’t stand down in the water right in front of me. I’m in charge here. This is my spot, I think I’ve made that clear now. Now I don’t really like having to fish like that. I prefer a nice sharing caring setup. Four people, three spots and we’re trading off. But, truth is these people who butt in without asking or waiting just put me off and force me to remedy the situation, to set right who is who and who fishes where. And I do that by putting my fish on the bank time and time again, holding my spot and staking my claim.

Yes, I will catch fish. Time and time again. And most likely you won’t. Because you’re a late arriver, there’s a 75% chance you’re a bass-fisher or a rookie, you don’t have a hole, and you don’t know what the hell you are doing out there. So learn something. But whatever you do, don’t get up before 7am.

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