Final Night At Stoney Creek

Tonight will be our last night at Stoney Creek for this trip, tomorrow we move to Saint Theresa Resort and Lodge near Soldotna.  We made our last fishing trip this morning and caught 10 Reds for a total of 120 with 114 in the freezer.  The freezer is for the most part full, so fish will have to be shipped to make more room.

Stay tuned for more update as we get settled at our new home.

View of the mountains out the rig window at Stoney Creek this morning

Fish Update

We went fishing this morning at about 8:30 a.m., fishing pressure was light/moderate.  It didn't take long and Ken landed a Red.  Rosalie caught the last fish for our 12 limit at about 10:30 a.m.  Ken also caught and released a Flounder.

It was then into town to clean fish and afterwards I dropped Rosalie off at Sew and Bee Cozy for some more fabric and I went grocery shopping and walked the dogs.  It was then back to the rig for some lunch and final processing and into the freezer for the fish.  Our current catch here at Seward is 110 with 104 in the freezer and it's almost full.  No, we won't be headed for home since the freezer is almost full, but we may ship some.

We plan to go fishing again tomorrow, our last trip before we pack up Wednesday to move to St Theresa.

Rosalie not only catches fish, she now helps fillet them

I think we are close to being true Alaskans

A Little Drive

Saturday we took a break from fishing, Stoney Creek and Seward and took a drive west to Sterling to take some stuff out of our freezer over to St Theresa and afterwards stopped at Scout Lake to walk the dogs before stopping by our Wisconsin friends Jim & Donna.  On the way we stopped at Bearly Threaded a quilt shop in Coopers Landing so Rosalie could get her fabric fix.  It was good seeing Jim & Donna and getting our first look at the house new paint job and expanded parking area.

It was a rainy cool day in Seward (50's) and 60's and mostly cloudy at Sterling.

Saying Goodbye Is Always Tough

Tuesday night we went to supper with our Wisconsin friends that stayed with us at Stoney Creek the last 2 weeks.  We went to Ray's in Seward and had great food with great views.  We tried to get a group picture, but with the windows in the background it wasn't possible.  The entertainment was a Sea Otter swimming in the harbor right outside the windows.

Wednesday morning it was time to say goodbye as two couples left on the 4000 mile drive back to Wisconsin.  The other couple left a short time later driving their Great Alaskan Holidays rig back to Anchorage and then to the airport for a six hour flight to Chicago.  

We went fishing the afternoon of the 22nd for two hours with Ken hooking one Red, but losing it.  The 23rd we went fishing early (6am) and Ken caught two fish on his first two casts and we ended up catching our limit of twelve in two hours.  To date we have caught 96 Reds and have 90 of them in the freezer.  We hope we can freeze 100 before we leave for Sterling/Soldotna on the 29th.

Summer Solstice

Fishing has slowed down significantly, especially after the rain on Sunday.  Resurrection Bay is very muddy with lots of sediment and debris.  We fished yesterday morning and caught three.  Last night we headed out at 10:00 p.m. and fished until midnight.  We didn't catch or see anything caught and only saw one fish jump.  If I haven't mentioned it before, we watch for the Reds to jump, which means a school is in the area.

The group at the fishing hole about 12:15 a.m.

Tomorrow our Wisconsin friends start for home, two couples are driving rigs and one is flying.  We enjoyed the time we spent together and will miss them.

More Kenai Fjords Pictures

And the skies are not cloudy all day!

It is day three of beautiful Alaskan weather, the last three days have been mostly clear with temperatures in the low 70's.  Summer is in full swing with tourist and locals out and about everywhere.

We were surprised Tuesday afternoon by a visit from Stewart and Cindy Ballweg, I took Stew out fishing yesterday morning and we fished from 8:15 until 11:00 and never caught or saw a fish caught, it was the total opposite from the day before.  I was able to send the Ballwegs with some Red's from our freezer.

After fishing I spent time with the dogs and took a nap as well as doing some work around the trailer. Rosalie and the other three Wisconsin couples went on the Kenai Fjords Tour yesterday that departed port at 10:00 a.m. and got back around 6:30 p.m.  They had great weather and saw lots of interesting stuff as well as a great supper.

1st 12 fish limit at Seward

We got our first 12 fish limit at Seward today during the morning high tide.  It was a beautiful day, mostly sunny and temps reached the high 60's this afternoon. Almost everyone from our Wisconsin contingent caught fish today and spirits are running high.

What's Up?

Some of our Wisconsin friends joined us at Stoney Creek last Wednesday and will be with us until the 22nd.  Two couples made the long journey from Wisconsin by truck and travel trailer, the other couple flew up and is traveling in a Great Alaska Holidays rig.  Other friends from Montana joined us Thursday. We have been spending lots of time fishing and having some success.  Thursday evening we met for a fresh salmon potluck.

Today the ladies took a break from fishing and went into Seward and toured the Sea Life Center and a number of shops in downtown Seward.

At the Sea Life Center in Seward

A sleeping baby Sea Otter

Now he is awake

A picture of where we fish across the bay from the Sea Life Center, we fish just to the left of the of the white roofed building on the left side of the picture

Harbor Seal

Sea Lion

On the beach south of Seward, L-R Debbie, Diane, Rosalie, Velma

To date we have 51 Red Salmon in the freezer and hope our success continues.

We are seeing lots of eagles around camp and whales, seals and otters in Resurrection Bay. 

Some pictures from 06-08-2016

Even when the fishing is slow the scenery can't be beat

Not every day a ship crosses your path

Casper

Spirit

We are having good luck fishing and every day Mother Nature gives us a show, the day before we saw River Otters on the beach, yesterday we saw whales, eagles, sea lions, sea otters and more.  after fishing we met a guy that was from Richland Center who along with his wife now run a B & B here in Seward.  He offered us some freezer space and to stop in for a visit, so last night we stopped by for coffee and cookies and a visit.  Jo Doug Inn 

What a difference 36 hours makes

The same shot from the rig window 36 hours apart.

Rosalie Fishing

Today we started fishing at 8:00 a.m., 1 hour before low tide.  Fishing was slow with only a couple in the cooler by 10:00 a.m.  Then things picked up and by 12:30 we had 10 in the cooler.  It was a rainy and cool day with temps in the 40's and a brisk wind off Resurrection Bay.

After fishing we stopped at the Marina cleaning station where it takes about 40 minutes to clean 10 fish.  The it was off to a auto garage to see about getting the headlight replaced, the mechanic said he was just back from vacation and referred us to another guy in town.  We stopped at the recommended garage and the mechanic told me if I brought the bulb he would put it for $20. (There is no GM dealership on the Kenai, Anchorage is the closest one).

Then it was home for a quick snack and then processing fish.

It was a good day for a chili supper.....

/

A dreary evening at Stoney Creek - 9:30 p.m.

Sunday

We have been fishing the past three days and even though it's "fishing" it's still work and we both have some aches and pains.  Between standing in 2' - 2 1/2 surf, jerking and reeling in those big fish in 50 degree rainy weather it takes a toll on us, BUT we are having fun and catching fish. :)

So far we are having better luck fishing low tides or just as the tide starts to rise after the low.  Last night we started fishing about 6:00 p.m. and quit about 9:00 p.m. with 7 fish.  Our total for the season is 16.

After fishing we take our catch into Seward to the Marina where they have a very nice fishing cleaning station complete with running water and a place to discard the spoils.  Last night after cleaning we stopped at Safeway for a few essentials and then off towards "home".  After I came out of Safeway I noticed the left front headlight out, I tapped on it a few times, but it didn't come back on.  Only a 1/2 mile down the road we passed an Alaskan State Trooper and he stopped us to be sure we knew the headlight was out.  He was polite and courteous and seemed more interested in visiting than enforcement.  So now I will have to find a place hopefully in town that can fix the headlight.

The boys seem to be settled in and look forward to their daily walks and rides.  We take them with us when we fish, sometimes Rosie waits in the truck with them and other times we leave them to watch us.

Temperatures have been in the 50's during the day and 40's at night and rain on/off every day.

Red Fillets processed and drying before wrapping

Red Fillets Plastic wrapped and ready for shrink wrapping

Red fillets processed, plastic wrapped, labeled and ready to be frozen