Dipnetting...only in Alaska

This past weekend we made out third annual trip to the shores of the Kenai River to participate in a truly Alaskan activity - dipnetting.  What it consists of is standing in the river with a 5 foot in diameter net and wait for the salmon (sockeye/reds) to swim into your net.  Then you flip your net over (in the correct direction - this is key!) and drag it to shore.

A view of the river from the bluff the RV park sits on

Only Alaskan residents are permitted to do it, as subsistence, and we are allowed 25 fish for the head of household, plus 10 per additional family member (so we're allowed 35)!  Last year we caught our best yet at 20+, and we can have salmon about 3 times a week for dinner!  This year was not so successful, and we caught 3 - total...  We still had a blast, and will "live off" the remainder from last year's for awhile anyway. 

Brittany, Andrew & Robert lined up in the river waiting for the salmon to swim in

A view of the semi-crowded shore - folks fish, fillet, and camp out here!

Brittany, Andrew & Robert

 We went out Friday night's tide and got pretty wet as it was right when all the boats were coming into the port for the evening, so we kept getting drenched in their wakes.  Thankfully, it wasn't raining and the sun came out form the clouds around 8 p.m. (it was about 50-60 degrees that night).

The sun!

Andrew holding a beautiful fillet before we vacuum-packed them

Saturday it rained almost all day, so we hung out in the RV park above the bluff that goes down to the river and went to our annual lunch spot - St. Elias Brewery, for pizza and beer.

Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church in old town Kenai 

(a block away from the RV park)

Part of old town Kenai, and a smaller Russian Orthodox chapel

The bluff we walk down to get to the river (with all our gear in tow)

Fireweed on the path down the bluff to the river

All in all, it was a great weekend with friends and experiencing the Alaskan "summer" (regardless of how many fish we caught)!