Re: [VFB] Most memorable memories

[Joyce's crafts and flies]

One of my most memorable was an early (0600) morning as I and my friend Kenny went out on the Deschka river in Alaska. There was such heavy dew on everything that it looked like hoar frost. We got in the boat and went up to the "Hamilton hole" a deep spot of a sandbar in the river. On the way we watched eagles and their young sitting watching us and beaver swimming and splashing the river with their tails, warning us to stay away.  At the hole we caught and released five beautiful, silver sided, fresh from the salt 30 pound salmon. As we sent them on their way up river, we looked up and saw a black bear with two cubs watching us from across the river. I'm sure that she was hoping for us to provide lunch. So were the sea gulls, which had gathered overhead. So, we each caught one more king salmon, killed and filleted  it, leaving the offal for the bears and the birds. At this point, the foggy frost had melted, and we went back down river with fresh salmon for breakfast.      No description can do justice to the wonder of the morning, the sights and sounds and the beauty of those still sparkling silver fish. Joyce