by Miss Scarlette

Created on: September 28, 2009   Last Updated: September 30, 2009

Although I'm not an avid fisherwoman, or a female who finds the lure of the stream incapable of being dismissed, I do enjoy fishing from time to time. And one of my fishing experiences involved salmon.

In 2004, my husband and I, along with two other couples, drove the Alaskan Highway from Texas to the interior of Alaska. After driving three weeks to get into Alaska, we ultimately made our way along the glacier strewn road to Valdez., the place the natives call "Little Switzerland." There we saw unbelievable beauty, including the inlet of Valdez. It was June, and the climate was mellow, and the water cold and calm enough to catch salmon.

After watching some natives pulling in salmon from the shore, we could stand it no longer, and drove back to get our license to legally try our luck in the cold waters, hoping to have fresh salmon for breakfast. We bought our license, and then went back to satisfy our desire to accomplish what the natives were. By then it was around 3:00 p.m. We stood on the shore and threw out lines baited with silver and red, flat lures. One by one, the men in our group pulled in large salmon. I wasn't having as much luck.

A man next to me was pulling in large silver salmon time and time again. He'd fling each one onto the rocks on the shore and then hit them in the head with a wooden mallet. It was a bloody exercise in handling the fish. I hated watching, but wouldn't keep from observing his strategy. He'd gathered his limit and had begun to clean them right there when he turned to me. He was friendly enough, and finally asked if I wanted to catch a fish. I said, "Of course, I do."

He walked over to me and told me to take my rod and cast the line out as far as I could. I did so. Then he said, "Count to 5 and pull the line in as fast as you can." I did as instructed. After three unsuccessful tries, he said to me, "I forgot that you're from Texas, so count to 3 and reel fast." We both laughed, but I did just as instructed, and soon, I was pulling in a large, silver salmon from the frigid waters of Alaska.

I guess the tips I could give about fishing for salmon are 1) cast the line out as far as you can, 2) wait briefly, 3) then pull the line in as fast as you can reel. Then you can decide whether to beat the fish over the head with a mallet.

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