Alaska Dip Netting - Family-Filled Adventure
An amazing phenomenon occurs for a short time each summer in the Last Frontier as thousands of Alaskan residents, both young and old from all walks of life, take a break from whatever they are busy doing at the time to storm the shores of Alaska's rivers. Other Alaskans know exactly what they're up to as soon as they lay eyes on the long-pole contraptions of every sort, shape and size with very large nets attached. Some come alone, others come with friends or their entire families, having carefully planned this annual getaway and Alaskan family fishing tradition. Arriving in cars, trucks, campers and RVs, they bring their kids, pets, coolers, tents, gear for harvesting and cleaning, food, wood for fires and anything else they feel they might need for a day, a few days or a week or two at a time for some fun-filled work and adventure. This adventure and privilege of the Last Frontier is called dip net fishery and is only open to Alaskan residents. Since Alaska is known for world class salmon fishing with a variety of species, dip netting is an unparalleled and not to be missed, opportunity for all Alaskan residents to fill their freezers with prime subsistence for the coming winter. So with a whopping 25 salmon per head of household limit and an additional 10 fish per family member in sight, they go in droves to the various Alaskan rivers around the state as each is opened up for fishing. They are well equipped and armed with fishing licenses; dip netting permits for recording, a good cap and pair of sunglasses to guard against occasional seagull deposits. How does one dip net? First you need a long pole with a handle that you are able to handle and are comfortable with, usually 10 to 15 feet, (shorter for kids) with a large net no bigger than 5 feet in diameter. You can buy one or be creative and craft your own, staying within the size limitations. Although many don't wear any particular type of clothing, most are outfitted with chest waders that are designed to keep you warm and dry; that is if you don't fall in. You wade out as far as you feel comfortable, careful not to fill up your waders with water and hold the dip net straight out in front of you into the current. Now you wait. Waiting might be the hardest part for some. Sometimes you will wait a long time and your arms and legs will probably get tired, but wait you must until you feel a tug in your net. You then give the net a quick twist to the left or right depending on the direction of the current so the salmon can't escape and then walk backwards or turn around and run quickly towards shore pulling the net behind you and empty out your fish on the shore for someone in your family or a friend to take over from there. You repeat this process over and over again until you reach your limit. Someone in the family or a friend will either bonk the fish on the head with a club or cut a gill to bleed it out or both. To keep everything legal, your catch must be recorded on your permit as well as physically marked by clipping both tips of the tail fin of each fish before packing the fish away out of sight. It's the law. A good pair of kitchen sheers should accomplish that task just fine. Now it's ready to be put on ice in a bucket or cooler in preparation for the trip home. You might reach your limit in one day or over several days or weeks. Dip netting is like the luck of the draw or "the great equalizer" as Alaskans like to say about this adventure extraordinaire. Sound incredible? It is and it's only found in Alaska. If you happen to be fortunate enough to be in Alaska during this season, don't miss the sight of these elbow-to-elbow dip netters as they get together with family and friends to have a bit of fun while dip netting for their food for the coming year. There's nothing like it. Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Alaska |
Other Articles
Great Places To Go Fishing In Texas If you like fishing you will like the different fish you can catch in Texas. Cutthroat, rainbow trout, lake trout, and brown trout can be caught in different locations in TexasThe brown trout are considered the be the hardest to catch. There survival is attached to pure cold water. This trout is very sensitive to water temperature chan ...Save Money By Catching Your Own Worms If you're anything like me, you go to the local bait shop and buy a couple containers of worms every week. At two to three dollars a container, this gets a bit pricy after a month or so. Some may say this is the essence of being a cheapskate, but hey it's an option if you're interested. All you need is a few things.First of all, you ne ...There Is Bass In The Grass Did you ever plan that fishing trip to the big lake, then when you got there you realized you had no idea where to start fishing? Too much ground to cover, right? Let's break it down a bit to simplify it.The first thing you want to look for is cover; something that 'looks' like a good place for a bass to hide. Depending on the time of day ...Share Your Inflatable Fishing Boat or Suffer! Would you like to learn more about the inflatable dinghy, its accessories, or even something about an inflatable boat dolly? Whether you're in the market to purchase one or you just simply like to learn more about this remarkable watercraft, then you may find this article useful. In the early days of boating when tenders consisted of small rigid ...Rainbow Trout Facts That The Fish Anglers Crave When it comes to the fish most anglers crave, it is easy to understand why they want as much in the way of rainbow trout facts as they can find. Rainbow trout has quickly become one of America's favorite fish dishes, and trout facts make it easy for the consumer that buys them in the fish market to determine whether or not they are farm raised. ...Salmon Fishing in Canada What makes salmon fishing in Canada different from salmon fishing in other places and why is it very popular all over the world? There could be a lot of reasons why salmon fishing in Canada is something that many salmon fishing enthusiasts wanted to take. Probably because, they have several options of salmon fishing destinations than they can ev ...Fishing for Customers using On-line Ads Both the large corporations and mom-and-pop stores are successfully using online ads so it is tougher by the day to compete. Those who are truly “in the know” are practicing certain trends and are coming out on top.Here is a look at a few of them:1) Organic ShapesIf you examine the top selling ads from Weight Watchers, Offic ...7 Things To Remember When Landing A Large Fish Have you ever had the pleasure of having a large fish on the end of your line? I'm not talking about a big fish. I'm talking about a LARGE fish. The size that almost instantly makes you break out into a cold sweat, and think to yourself, "My God!" If you have, these tips may help you land that fish. They've been learned by being the victim ...The World's Deadliest Storms 10. Hurricane San Ciriaco 1899Hurricane San Ciriaco, also known as the 1899 Puerto Rico Hurricane, San Ciriaco Hurricane, or 1899 Hurricane San Ciriaco, was an intense and long-lived Atlantic Cape Verde-type hurricane which crossed Puerto Rico over the two day period August 8 to August 9, 1899, causing many deaths from the flooding. ...Surf Fishing The Outer Banks of North Carolina My first experience surf fishing was with my father on Wrightsville Beach, NC in the 60’s. He parked our shiny black Ford Fairlane in a gravel parking lot off the beach and we hiked over the dunes to the surf, carrying rods, buckets, tackle box and various other fishing paraphernalia. I remember him catching bluefish, croakers, puppy drum and f ...What Has Happened to the Cod Stocks Off the Shores of Newfoundland? The Newfoundland cod stocks. What has happened to cod fishing off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland?Several centuries ago, John Cabot, sailing under the English flag, found the richest fishing area the world would come to know. Cod stocks in the Grand Banks region off the coast of Newfoundland were ...Fishing in Maine Maine offers a wide range of fishing opportunities in both freshwater and saltwater environments. Boasting over 6,000 lakes and ponds coupled with over 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, Maine is host to some of the best fishing spots in the world, and as a result is a hugely popular destination for fishing enthusiasts from around the globe. Wi ...Choosing the Right Fly Fishing Rod Choosing a good rod is a major decision for the fly fishing angler. Shopping for that new rod can also be allot of fun. But how do we know what the right rod is? Here are some tips to help you make your purchasing decisions.Fly rods are about the action, casting speeds, weights, and many more factors. You generally want a soft or slow cas ...Daiwa Reel Parts - Parts You Can Rely On When it comes to fishing and parts for your rod, few names stand on top of the quality list like Diawa reel parts. Diawa has long been noted for quality and excellent craftsmanship, whether it is for fly-fishing equipment or bait casting reel and rod combos. Virtually every big outdoors sporting good store carry the name Diawa, and the company e ...Why Bass Don't React Like They Should When Bass Don't React Like They Should.Everyone has their favorite fishing lure for certain conditons. You just know the lure will work when you find the same conditions in the water where it caught bass before. But, what if it don't? What if you use that lure and cast it over and over again and you don't catch fish?Did y ...A Tiger on the Line - Some Common Trout Hybrids Most trout fishermen are familiar with the basic species they will encounter in their local streams t and lakes. Rainbow (the most commonly stocked fish), lake trout, brown trout, Brook trout and even the rarer Cutthroat and Apache all have their own fisheries and public education programs. However, anglers may not be aware of the rarer and pr ...Boating on the United States Pacific Coast There are so many great places in the Pacific Ocean to go boating that it would take a boating enthusiast years to try them all. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world, and boating in the Pacific along the United States coast can mean many different types of exciting experiences. From the clear pristine waters of Hawaii to the exc ...Some Great Tips To Help You Catch More Fish While River Fishing In my opinion, the most important thing to remember while river fishing is not to spook the water that you're about to fish. I've seen entirely too many anglers do this very thing. For example, they'll wade 1/4 of the way out into the river and begin fishing. Thus leaving themselves standing in the very water they probably should have fished ...How The Weather And Moon Really Impact Fishing Let's start with the barometer. The barometer is a very effective tool for measuring the feeding behavior of fish. The barometer is an instrument used to measure ambient atmospheric pressure. Don't worry, I'm going to simplify it for you and cut through all of the scientific jargon so we can get to what really matters, catching fish. The mea ...Trout Species - Cutthroat Trout and Golden Trout Cutthroat Trout: Cutthroat Trout are generally found only in high alpine lakes or in some selected areas of the Pacific Northwest.The Cutthroat Trout is the original trout of the Rocky Mountains. Unlike Brown Trout which were originally introduced to the Eastern United States, Cutthroat Trout are originally from the Western half of the Un ...You Want To Work From Home... 5 Things You Must Consider There are many people on this earth who claim that they want to work from home. They make the claim, but have no idea what it really entails. Remember, when you work from home, you still have to WORK. Working from home isn't some sort of license to just sit around in your underwear and have money delivered to you, although it seems as if many ...Split Shot Bass Sneak Attack The Split shot rig is a finesse version of a fish finding rig along the lines of but not quite the Carolina Rig. Too many anglers dismiss this method as being too slow or a small fish method. The truth is that it is a deadly finesse method that can cover water as efficiently and as quickly as the Carolina rig. The split shot method also is a gre ...Fishing Sea Walls And Riprap Tired of fishing with your GPS and finding nothing, tired of dragging that Carolina rig all over the bottom of the lake, tired of trying to come across that magic spot on the lake. Well you may be ready to try your hand at fishing rocky riprap or seawalls, those obvious shoreline, hugging features found on lakes, rivers and reservoirs across the ...15 Tips to Making More Telephone Appointments, More Often So we all hate having to make telephone appointments, it’s a pretty thankless task at the best of times, but if you learn your craft well, at least you will be out there getting appointments and making things happen. Just remember, if you sell a product worth say 5000 pounds, and it takes you 100 rejections to get that sale, then each of those r ...
|