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Drift-Fishing for King Salmon on Alaska's Kasilof RiverBy Naomi K. Shapiro
"I'll be disappointed if we're not off the river by 8:00 a.m." are the first words I hear from fishing guide Rob Gardiner, when I arrive at the Kasilof River landing for my first drift-fishing experience. Although I like his cocky, confident attitude, I secretly hope my fishing day won't be quite that short.
2:30 a.m.? Say what? Yep -- that's when you have to get up to go drift-fishing for the 'big salmon' -- which, at this particular time, were swimming up the nearby Kasilof River. I climbed out of my warm, comfy bed, fumbled into my clothes, grabbed my down jacket to fend off the river's early-morning cool, wet air, and made my way down Legend's polished log staircase. After a quick breakfast, Linda handed me my lunch, and drove me the 45 miles to the Kasilof River landing to meet Rob and our other fishing companions. I was about to experience another page in the never-ending story of Alaskan outdoor adventure: High summer on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula -- just 125 miles from Anchorage -- and, the livin' and fishin' is... EXCELLENT!
But since I always try to include fishing with my travels, I was about to experience another "Alaska high".
I later learn that the Kasilof River is closed to motors anyway, so only a few drift boats and some bank anglers get to fish one of the top-producing streams of the Kenai Peninsula. I was lucky to hook up with the beautiful, new Alaska Legends Adventure Resort and their exclusive fishing guide at a time when everyone else in the area was booked for the short, intense season. And, if the boat wasn't full, Rob could 'farm out' any extra space. So, salmon anyone? Yes, salmon EVERYONE! Especially me! Meanwhile, back at the Kasilof boat landing, Rob officiously directed us to our seats in the drift-fishing boat, a 20-foot, v-hulled, aluminum driftboat with two individual, padded seats in the bow, two in the middle, and one in the stern, for the guide. The boat's unique, banana-shape is what allows the river water to rush by without moving you with it. My fishing companions this day were Doug Bell and Mike Koogle, two nice guys from Colorado who tried to catch their own salmon for a couple of days, and ended up with runny noses and an empty boat. So they hooked up with Rob to do some catchin'.
Drift fishing is strictly row-row-row your boat gently UP the (swiftly moving) stream, and then, let the current push you along as far as you care to let it. You have to be strong and skillful to captain, guide and fish from a drift boat. And Rob was! He eased the boat from the landing, agitated that he wasn't the first away.
The maneuvering began, and the swift-moving current caused some close calls as the drift-rowers jockeyed for position, trying to find the fish, and respect each other's space at the same time. Rob quickly fixed our lines, adding his special attractant -- little packets of salmon eggs, cut-up sardines, and "a pinch of Copenhagen, for flavor." It was now 5:30 a.m., and Rob said the salmon would be coming in soon. From time to time, he dropped a special little anchor to hold us in one spot. Our poles stood at the ready, in holders, with the lines streaming out about 20 feet from the bow and sides of the boat. As long as it was still quiet, I began to interview Rob. He told me he liked the attention, "because guides don't usually get interviewed by their clients." 'What's important to you?" I probed, referring to his attitude about life. Rob mused, and then said, "My most important thing is to make sure you have a good time and catch fish." "C'mon, that's not what I meant," I said, and then he told me true: "If you don't think you're the best at anything you do, then you're not." Believe me, this kid believed what he said. Time passed. 7:30 a.m. Everyone in our boat was silent. Well, that isn't totally true: Mike started chanting, "Meester Feeshy, where are you?" -- and Doug and I laughed every time he did this. Rob didn't laugh.
Then, Doug and Mike each got strikes and missed a couple of fish. "It's not as easy today as it was yesterday," Rob offered. The tension mounted a little more as we each waited for a hit. Then... WHOCK! My rod bent and Rob yelled at me to grab the pole out of its holder, which I did. I started reeling, but the line went slack. "It's not there any more," I said, dejectedly. "Yes it is," they all yelled excitedly -- "it's made a run toward the boat, keep reeling!" They were right, and I kept reeling. Soon I felt the tension on the line again and jammed the butt of the pole into my gut and kept reeling until I could swing the fish into the net that Rob had ready.
"Yessir!!" Rob smiled. My two new friends from Colorado sheepishly smiled and said, 'Ladies first?' OK -- I got mine. Now I became an observer. Rob continued to row, we continued to drift, and then we were at 'the hole' -- a good fishing spot. In short order, Doug nailed a 20-pounder and Mike got a 20.5 pounder. And, while happy for everyone, I was disappointed that my fish, at 15 pounds, was the smallest of the three, even though I was the first to bring one in! It was now about 9:00 a.m. "Should've had you guys back on shore by now," Rob muttered. We were all quiet because we didn't want our fishing day to be over so quickly. We fished casually until we neared the boat ramp, which was located about a quarter of a mile before the Kasilof River empties into the bay.
I had dreamed about driftfishing for salmon in Alaska, and here I was, noshing salmon sticks with a great kid and grand guide -- and we're bringing home the catch of the day!
The experience of drift fishing, like all of Alaska, was so special -- in the most positive and wondrous way. The Kenai Peninsula is utterly awesome, with lots of wildlife -- moose, bears, and soaring eagles -- great fishing, and all manner of outdoor and recreational activities. I stayed at the brand new Alaska Legends Adventure Resort, about ten miles out of Soldotna on the Kenai River. Legends is run by Linda Heath and her daughters Marnie and Michelle and their families, who had a vision that they were to build a lodge in Alaska, and people would come! Well, they did (build it), and people did (come)!
Activities include just about anything people can do from that Kenai Peninsula location: Salmon fishing; halibut fishing; wilderness canoeing; horseback riding; Misty Fjords scenic boat trips; the Marine Museum in Seward; and trips to other parts of Alaska, like Denali National Park. And, yes, there are fishing poles in the foyer at Legends, so you can walk a few steps to the Kenai River, and wet a line whenever the urge comes over you. I know I will return for another awe-inspiring Alaskan
adventure soon -- oh, just about as fast as you can say:
"Fish-for-salmon-on-the-Kenai-Peninsula!" If you go: Alaska Visitor Information Kenai Peninsula Tourism _____ Naomi K. Shapiro is a Wisconsin-based travel and outdoor writer. e-mail: cre8vads@cheqnet.net |
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It's 4:30 a.m.
Two hours earlier, Linda Heath of Alaska Legends Adventure
Resort (on the Kenai River) tapped lightly on my door to make sure I was awake.
I'd already been horseback riding in the mountains near
Moose Pass, canoed jewel-like lakes in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge,
helicoptered to Godwin Glacier for a sled-dog-ride near Seward, kayaked in the
Pacific out of the picture-book community of Seldovia, and walked the shoreline
of picturesque Homer, Alaska.
"If you go salmon fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, choose
drift-fishing," advised friend, radio host, and Beloit, Wisconsin, fishing
guide, Jim Cheadle, before I left on my trip. "It's a slower pace and you'll
get to know your guide better than if you're motoring on the river."
Cowboy-hat-wearing, strong-and-handsome, six-foot-tall,
190-pound, 24-year-old Rob told me he'd been guiding in Alaska since taking a
one-way flight from Oregon in 1994. He told me he returns to Wyoming and
Montana each fall to guide for big game hunting -- and do some rodeo bull-riding
in his spare time! 
It was about 5 a.m. and we were on the river -- mists
rising in the cool morning air. We passed under the bridge near the landing
with about 20 other boats and guides doing the same thing. Filled with
anticipation tempered by ennui from the early wake-up call, no-one made a sound.
The tension mounted.
And there it was, what Alaska is all about: A gorgeous,
shimmering, King Salmon. 
Some of the other guides, including a woman, were pulling
their boatloads of clients back UPSTREAM. (Yep, they get into the water --
it's shallow in most places -- and they pull their banana boats back to make
another run through 'last chance hole' or 'desperation alley,' to try to boat
salmon for their clients before they reach the end of the line again).
We were happy and doing high fives as Rob effortlessly
winched our boat up the steep ramp. Then we hopped into Rob's pickup for a ride
back to the first landing, where we took photos of the two Colorado guys with
their salmon, and said good-bye. 
Rob drove me back to Legends Adventure Resort. On the way,
he offered me some smoked salmon sticks -- Alaskan snack food! We munched, and
smiled, and looked out at the scenery, including the distant mountains, and, we
talked about life... 
At Legends, we shot some pictures and then Rob took my
salmon into nearby Soldotna to have it processed by one of the area's
first-class plants. A few days later, FedEx rang my doorbell in Wisconsin and
handed me a box with my perfectly packed, partially-frozen fish.
Legends is first-class all the way, offering packages that
include accommodations, 3 gourmet meals a day prepared by the house chef; drinks
before dinner, wine with dinner, snacks, planning, activities, reservations,
tickets; and transportation to and from the major tourist activities in the
area. They also happily pick up and drop off at the Kenai airport, as they did
for me.