Fixing it up...

Not much happening around here. We are still waiting for an opening from Fish and Game. So far there has been something like 75 Salmon up the Naknek River, not enough for us to put our nets in the water. Many of us have been sick with a bad cold going around the camp. I spent my Birthday (the 22nd of June) in bed with my book and a sinus infection but I was glad to have the time to rest so I can be ready to fish. We have made many improvements to the cabins at our camp by fixing broken windows, leaky roofs, and adding a couple of bunks, we also used some handyman jacks to level out one of the cabins that was moved away from the cliff last spring. The cliffs around here erode 2-3 feet a year so after 25-30 years the cabins have to be moved back to avoid falling into the bay during the winter storms. These cabins are built to be moved so all we need is someone with a big tractor, some chain, and some pilings; all in all it has been a fairly productive couple of days and we have been ending our days with a couple of fun filled hours of board and card games. Uno!
-Sarah

Thursday, June 19th

So we arrived and we've been very busy getting ready for the fishing season. We're trying to work out our living situation getting our larger cabin in order. I've been working with my Uncle and Cousin to prepare the new (very old) wooden drift-gill net boat for the upcoming season. Right now I'm covered in red paint after lying on my back paining the underside hull with a four inch brush; it was only after I had spent an hour and a half painting that my Uncle told me he had a paint roller. Thanks Harry. Sarah has been delegating and directing the set-net crew preparing the set-net skiffs. The first two of the four boats have been launched into the water via a crane and were piloted down river to Bristol Bay where Sarah and the intrepid crew set the first outside nets about a fifth of a mile from shore. Once the nets were set they had to drag themselves through the calf deep mud flats all the way to shore. Afterwards we went down to the river sites and put down screw anchors in case we need to fish in the emergency harvest district. We've been working from about 9am to 11pm every day since we arrived. Our first opportunity to fish we caught two Sockeye and our next set that afternoon we caught nine Sockeye. Most of these were eaten by the crew and the few remaining went as gifts to various people who have helped us prepare for the season. That's all for now. It is finally bedtime at five minutes to midnight as the sun is just setting and we are all getting desperate for sleep, more soon.
-David and Sarah Nicol

We're Packin' Up!

Today, David and I are getting ourselves packed up for our trip. We fly out this Monday at 6:30am. We fly into Anchorage Alaska to catch another short flight to King Salmon where we will meet up with some of the crew and head to the beach cabins outside of Naknek to set up. Some of the set up work has already been done by the crew that arrived on the 1st of June. We are excited to get up there and start the 2008 fishing season!