| "FISH ON!!"I yelled, as my seven weight
| |
| | that Grizzly, and thought to myself;
|
| fly rod bent over and the line played
| |
| | "Great, I have three other fishermen on
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| it's magical tune of "zinging in the
| |
| | this boat and they all match the criteria
|
| rain". It was hard to tell just how big
| |
| | that I had required to fish with in bear
|
| the fish was or if it was a Rainbow or
| |
| | country. They are all bigger and slower
|
| big Dolly Varden.Hooking a big upper
| |
| | and at this point- between me and the
|
| Kenai river trout in fast water doesn't
| |
| | bear!!" BUT, if we had to go overboard-I
|
| leave much time for species
| |
| | sure wasn't confident that I could
|
| identification."Hang on to it-we'll chase
| |
| | outswim these guys. Plus, I had a rod in
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| it and go land it in some calmer water."
| |
| | my hand, a fish on the line, and a
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| said Allen, who was behind the sticks of
| |
| | natural fishermen's instinct- to not want
|
| our 20 foot Willie drift boat.We had just
| |
| | to lose my trout!! The bear would
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| entered the Canyon section of the upper
| |
| | certainly pick me, because he would get
|
| Kenai river and while my three other
| |
| | the bonus of having a trout for dessert
|
| compadres fishing with me on the boat had
| |
| | after having his "Fisherman ala Gore-Tex"
|
| already hooked some BIG Rainbows and
| |
| | entree. I guess I shouldn't have been too
|
| Dollies, I had yet to catch what I will
| |
| | worried,afterall, Allen wouldn't have
|
| call a "quality" upper Kenai fish. That
| |
| | wanted to return to the lodge without his
|
| of course means insulting every trout on
| |
| | "guests"--too much paperwork!!Right?Allen
|
| every other river in North America, since
| |
| | frantically grabbed at the anchor rope,
|
| the eighteen inch Rainbows and twenty
| |
| | while "mama" thrashed about in the water.
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| inch Dolly Vardens I had already caught
| |
| | Meanwhile the rest of us had that "deer
|
| were hardly chopped liver!! It's just
| |
| | in the headlights" look, waiting for
|
| that I had watched numerous twenty-four
| |
| | either instructions from Allen-or the
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| inch fish caught in the morning and
| |
| | voice of God- to tell us what to do
|
| listened to Allen comment on how this was
| |
| | next."I think we'll fight this fish
|
| the best morning of fly fishing he had
| |
| | somewhere else." Allen said, while
|
| had on the upper Kenai this year. Again,
| |
| | grabbing the oars and pulling us away
|
| don't get me wrong-I was catching my
| |
| | with Herculean strength.That- is what
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| share of fish- but this was the kind of
| |
| | they call an understatement. Somewhere
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| fish I was waiting for.Ziiiiinnnnggggg.I
| |
| | else indeed!How about Pennsylvania?Mama
|
| stood up in the front of the boat, and
| |
| | had done what she had intended, danger to
|
| Allen gave chase in our wide bellied
| |
| | cub-gone, fishermen white as ghosts, and
|
| river pursuit vehicle.
| |
| | Brown bear Peace and tranquility restored
|
| I held my rod high and reeled to keep a
| |
| | to the right bank.MISSION
|
| tight line on the fish.As we drifted
| |
| | ACCOMPLISHED!She turned, and splashed
|
| towards the "river right" bank, we heard
| |
| | back to the shore...I don't know if it
|
| some crashing in the trees. In my
| |
| | was the lowering of the anchor that had
|
| peripheral vision I saw some movement,
| |
| | startled her, or the banging of the boat,
|
| but kept my eyes fixed on my pulsating
| |
| | or the splashing of my Rainbow, but we
|
| rod tip. Allen nonchalantly mentioned
| |
| | had just witnessed -first hand- how the
|
| that we had a Brown bear over on our
| |
| | Grizzly bear protects her cubs in the
|
| right, kind of like a guy mentions seeing
| |
| | wild.Pretty much by going NUTS!!We
|
| a 1957 Chevy.It's neat-but nothing to get
| |
| | drifted over to "river left", downstream
|
| to crazy about.Keep fishing.Now, I don't
| |
| | about another 100 yards, and finally
|
| know about you, but when I pass within
| |
| | landed an exhausted 23 inch FAT Rainbow
|
| twenty yards of meat eating carnivores-I
| |
| | trout. Of course, the fish seemed an
|
| like to give them more than just a
| |
| | after thought now as all five of us
|
| passing glance.Especially, since most of
| |
| | checked our waders for "brown spots", but
|
| us on the boat were seeing our first
| |
| | after all that, it would have made us cry
|
| Brown/Grizzly bear in our lives, and not
| |
| | to lose that fish.We all "high fived"
|
| everyone gets to see a Grizzly when they
| |
| | each other and still couldn't help but
|
| come to Alaska. Not to mention that any
| |
| | looking back upstream--just to make sure
|
| one of us would make a delicious mid day
| |
| | "mama" wasn't still angry. Allen said
|
| snack for a bear with the munchies.Allen,
| |
| | that it was the first time he had seen a
|
| trying to be the consumate Alaskan
| |
| | Brown bear jump into the water like
|
| fishing guide, was trying to pass it off
| |
| | that.Really.Then we sat there and all
|
| as an everyday occurence and make you
| |
| | gave our accounts of how the scene "went
|
| feel like -"Heck, most of us guides sleep
| |
| | down". It was great to hear everyones
|
| with bears"--but you could tell by his
| |
| | reaction and different version of the
|
| watchful back and forth looks--that he
| |
| | "thirty five seconds of drama".We took a
|
| didn't get to see bears that often.As
| |
| | picture of that fish- which will be
|
| Allen lowered the boat anchor in a nice
| |
| | forever on be referred to as the "Bear
|
| back eddy, I turned toward the fish and
| |
| | Fish", and even though it wasn't the
|
| got back to the task at hand. Pump, reel
| |
| | biggest fish on that float--it will
|
| down, pump, reel down.About that time, I
| |
| | certainly be the one most
|
| started to hear some more commotion from
| |
| | remembered.There was no picture of the
|
| the bank, and about the same time as my
| |
| | bear-since everyone was riveted on the
|
| fish revealed his Rainbow identity by
| |
| | real bear on not the Kodak moment.When we
|
| making an acrobatic leap into the air, I
| |
| | got back to our lodge, Allen told the
|
| turned to see a bear clawing it's way up
| |
| | story of our Alaskan experience and some
|
| a tree.Good, that's what I like to see
| |
| | of the older guides looked at him
|
| from man eating carnivores!I turned back
| |
| | "sideways" like he might be working on a
|
| at the fish--and then did a double take
| |
| | good fish story or nickname.I could see
|
| on the bear.OH @%$+ IT WAS A CUB......
| |
| | it now... "Who you going out with today?
|
| and we're not talking the kind that play
| |
| | Grizzly Gillette? Allen the Bear
|
| in Chicago!!Faster then I could get the
| |
| | Slayer?... Of course there were four
|
| words " it's a cub" out of my mouth, mama
| |
| | witnesses that were ready to back him up
|
| bear went into protection mode. We all
| |
| | and it wasn't exactly like we had said we
|
| heard brush being knocked down like
| |
| | had seen "bigfoot" or "aliens" for
|
| tackling dummies at the Chicago Bears
| |
| | heavens sake!!All in all, I would say we
|
| training camp and then we saw "Mamas"
| |
| | got the true Alaskan experience that day.
|
| round face,shoulders hunched, claws
| |
| | Nice fat upper Kenai Rainbow trout and
|
| digging in as she made a charge at us
| |
| | Dolly Vardens on a fly, false charged by
|
| towards the bank.We all looked over at
| |
| | a Grizzly mom and an unforgettable day in
|
| the same time,and for a brief second, my
| |
| | incredible scenery.As the years go on--I
|
| first thought was: "Oh great, why does
| |
| | am sure the"Bear Fish"will get bigger,
|
| this have to happen when I have a nice
| |
| | the bear will get closer(maybe even into
|
| Rainbow on? I hope I don't lose this
| |
| | the boat!!) and the legend of "Grizzly
|
| fish." Of course, sitting twenty yards
| |
| | Gillette" will grow tall.But not nearly
|
| away in a boat- in the water- gives one a
| |
| | as tall as that BEAR!!A.J. Klott
|
| sense of security.A false sense of
| |
| | Author, writer of fishing humor,and "fly
|
| security.That bear took to the sky like
| |
| | tack" peddler.A.J. writes about the
|
| "superwoman". Paws out and legs flying-
| |
| | people,characters and modern day events
|
| without even breaking stride- she was IN
| |
| | that surround the fishing world. His
|
| THE WATER.You never saw ten eyeballs get
| |
| | first book is due out in December of
|
| so large in your life.I looked at my
| |
| | 2005.
|
| fish, I looked at Allen, and I looked at
| |
| |
|
