I answered my ringing cell phone.
"HI MARC!" I exclaimed, "it's been a while, what's new?"
"Well Dan" he replied "it's been 15 years that I've been asking you to come up to Alaska and do some fishing with me. What are you doing?"
Before I thought of what my prior commitments were, I shot back, "coming to Alaska, of course!?!"
So that's when it all began. I spent the months prior to departure preparing my camera gear, clothing and travel arrangements. Such a dream! The week prior, I had replaced my aged DSLR camera with a nice, new DSLR. What better opportunity to test it out than the middle of nowhere in Alaska. Marc has always known I was an artist and photographer, and here he was, willing to set me up with a source of income (salmon fishing), a place to live (a remote cabin in the boonies) and all the scenery and wildlife I could imagine.
PERFECT!
We flew to Juneau Alaska first. There, we loaded supplies such as fuel, food and survival necessities into open-top, flat-bottom, aluminum river skiff boats. The trip to camp travels up the Taku River Inlet south of Juneau Alaska, through rough waters, pounding rains, chopping seas and frigid glacial air. We continue through Alaska up the Taku River into Canadian waters, A small, unique commercial salmon fishery occurs there, where less than 30 people work like mad men over their small operations. The cabins are simple. The lifestyle is rustic. There is only generator power or none at all. Gasoline must be strained for water and wood is chopped for warmth. Sleep?...sleeping bag. I was told upon arrival, after being blown away at the shear epic proportions of the trip to camp that "you can't be no bitch ass out here dude!" THIS was gonna be an adventure!
The fishing is done completely by hand. The nets are built and mended with twine and needles. The gill nets are small and set into the river over the side of a small skiff. When each short drift down the current is completed, the nets are pulled into the boat by hand. The fish are caught in small quantities between 0-25 pieces. They are picked out of the pile of netting on the bottom of the boat one at a time. It's A LOT of work. Each Salmon is dressed immediately (gutting and cleaned) before putting onto ice in large cooler totes. Daily we would deliver the fish to the landing station set up by the local First Nations Company, Taku Wild. From there, they would count and transport the product by jet boat to Juneau or float plane to Atlin BC. Sometimes, if supplies were running short, we would deliver a 1000 pounds to Juneau Alaska in our own boat. A long, cold trip exposed to all the elements. We fished 14 hours a day, cleaned boats, fixed cabins, repaired motors and nets, and slept in the slime the fish left on us.
I was gone from home for over 2 months and although the trip was incredible, exhausting, frustrating, gorgeous, tiring, hilarious, demanding and easy.....I have to say WHAT A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TRY SOMETHING NEW AND LEARN A GREAT SKILL ALONG THE WAY.
What a trip!
Here are some photos of the trip...
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*all images copyright Daniel John Poisson-2012. No prior permissions granted.
