Our dipnetting and camping adventure

So this weekend we went about 4 hours south of here to a place called Kasilof. It's a popular dipnetting area!! And with this being opening weekend we were pretty surprised it really wasn't that busy. Not like the first year we went, but I'm definitely not complaining. It's nice to not have to fight for a spot in the water lol.

We got there about 11pm or so on Thursday evening. And we were met by our friends Jesse and Brenda. They had already set up and had a fire going and all. Was so nice :) Well we sat around and wound down a bit from the long drive and then put the boys down. Then me and Brenda went out to try our luck, except the luck couldn't be found lol. We felt a couple "swishes" by our legs and a couple hit our nets but nothing was really going on so we called it quits after a while and figured the boys were pick up our slack the next morning.

The guys went out the next day and really did well... we went down and watched for a while and let the kids play in the sand and collect rocks. Between John and I on Friday we caught 11 fishing (John catching the bigger part of that). We also went for a fun 4 wheeler ride with everyone and the kids and loved it. My boys thought it was great!!

The last day John and I decided to get some more fishing in before we left so right when we woke up John suited up and went out. Then after I fed the boys, we got dressed and walked down to the water. John ended up catching 6 during the morning and when I relieved him I caught 5 more while John took the boys back to camp for a break. So after an hour or so or fighting current, getting knocked on my butt in the water (John wished he'd been there with a camera), splattering blood in my face while whacking the fish (which my sweet son wiped off for me since my gloves were all fish slimey) I was sore, tired and we ran out of room for the fish we were catching I stopped fishing. We stayed down at the beach and John cleaned and gutted the fish. We then 4 wheeled back to camp and packed up to leave. We ended up getting 22 fish between us!!!

It was an awesome trip... I am such a non aggressive preson in every sense of the word but when I go fishing, I definitely go all out, I guess its one of the things I've really grown to love about being in Alaska... I never would've known how much I loved to dipnet. It takes alot of endurance especially when you're catching those fish back to back and not getting a break.

For those who dont know what dipnetting is you use a huge net, ours its 5 feet in diameter and it has a really long pole on it so it can sit deep in the water (see pics). You are in chest waders and alot of times fighting a nasty current and trying to stand up and hold your net in the right position and when a fish hits your net, you turn the pole so its horizontal and slam it to the ocean floor so the fish can't swim out, you then start your backwards run to the beach before the fish had a chance to swim out or finds a little spot to escape, once you pull it off shore, you grab your "whacker" (which I'm sure has a normal name but thats what we use lol, and you smack the fish on the head, then slit the gills to let it bleed out, and string it up, then you grab your net, and hope your spot in the water is still there and someone else didnt slip in lol.... or you go and put your net back in somewhere else.

Anyway enjoy the pictures !! Get comfy because there are a TON!!! Oh and the pics you see of that mountain that looks like a volcano? Yeah, it is... thats Mount Redoubt, the one that just erupted a few months ago, still steaming!! We were just across the inlet from it at our campsite :)

SIDE NOTE: That fish that slammed into my net that knocked me on my butt....... YUP I still kept him :)