Not kayak - Dipnetting Kenai River Sockeyes

 Glad to see the sockeye run is nice and strong this year.Looks like the 16th was a great day to be out there.
 
 I am missing the red run since moving to Washington.Dipnetting is fun ,but a lot of work.
 Catching sockeye on a fly pole is amazing stuff.They are so strong.Used to bust 15 lbs test leader,no problem.
  If they got to be 50 lbs--you'd be hard pressed to ever land 'em.Dynomite fish--and so tasty.

  Go get 'em Alaska crew....

I've got 54 in the freezer right now.  All caught on rod and reel.  Dip netting is great for those who need tons of fish or don't have enough time for rods.  I prefer my nightly recreational therapy to take my mind off work....plus it makes for cheap Christmas presents.

The Kenai run is off the hook this year! We have been cutting truck load after truck load of these fish and man are they looking good!! Definaly not PWS fish. The grade are been large too with fish over 9 pounds headed and gutted!!
Go get them guys.

What's the deal with the caudal fin on this guy? 

Done!
Sixty-six pints. Lemon-dill. Lemon-pepper. Lemon-caper. Jalapeño. Jalapeño-spice. Hickory

And then there's the 20 sides that were smoked with a light honey glaze. The rest are in vacuum-sealed bags in the freezer, beautiful planks every one.

From here on out, it's just fishing for grins.

Oh, and bigdood, the caudel fins have to be clipped before leaving the fishing zone, to distinguish the fish harvested in the dip net from a sport-caught fish.  On the beach, I just bleed them, gut them and clip them. The filleting gets done once I'm back home at the fish table...