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