Although there was this one other\u00a0thing that happened back in the 80\u2019s\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

I was a guide for an Alaska fishing lodge.\u00a0 On this particular day my duties included flying out with 4 guests to a river where another of our guides had a camp.\u00a0 This was on the Nushagak River, more specifically the section known as the \u201cMiddle Nush\u201d [pronounced \u201cnoosh\u201d].\u00a0 I don’t recall exactly where we were, but I believe it was above where the Mulchatna comes in from the east. $\"nushagak_map\"$ <\/span><\/p>\n

We were going to fish for resident trout and perhaps intercept the first silver salmon of the year.\u00a0 It was my first year as a guide and hadn\u2019t been there before.\u00a0 No worries, I was excited to see some new water, as I had spent a lot of time doing lake trout detail on the lakes at the lodge.<\/span><\/p>\n

So I’m in a float plane with 4 guests.\u00a0 The plane lands near a gravel bar where the other guide was waiting with two boats [he had to tow one from his camp].\u00a0 At this point it is important to note that the other guide is none other than Brian Cummins, better known as BC.\u00a0 Anyone who has guided in the Bristol Bay Region in the last 30 years has probably met him, or at least knows of him.\u00a0 He is the perfect fishing guide: entertaining, outspoken, funny, smart, and an overall great guy.\u00a0 We had not guided together much before so\u00a0I didn\u2019t really know him that well, but like all other new guides I had a ton of respect for any senior guide, and I wanted to make sure I did well.\u00a0 While he is a super nice guy, he could also be very intimidating.\u00a0 We loaded the gear into the boats and waited for the float plane to take off.\u00a0 Gene, the pilot, would meet us back here later in the afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"BC,$

BC, from a different season with a king Salmon. This was also on the Nush<\/p><\/div>\n

Boats loaded, we eased off the gravel bar.\u00a0 \u00a0I asked \u201cWhat\u2019s the program?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFollow the leader\u201d was the only answer I got.<\/span><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s what I did.\u00a0 BC pulled up to a tasty looking bank and his guests started fishing.\u00a0 I eased in about 50 yards above his boat and had my guests start casting.\u00a0 They were all using spinning rods.\u00a0 We floated along this bank for a bit, then BC pulled up and headed down river a half mile or so to a similarly good looking bank. \u00a0Same drill, he led the way, I followed behind.\u00a0 Both boats were catching a few fish, nothing too amazing, but a nice mix of resident fish- mostly rainbows and grayling.\u00a0 So it went.<\/span><\/p>\n

We moved to another new section, this time as we were drifting along we came to an island that split the river in half.\u00a0 BC went to the right.\u00a0 I looked down the left channel.\u00a0 It looked good.\u00a0 No reason there wouldn\u2019t be fish down there.\u00a0 Besides the island didn\u2019t look too big, and it should be easy enough to meet up with BC when the two channels converge.\u00a0 He did say follow the leader\u2026but I know what I\u2019m doing.\u00a0 I can find my own fish.\u00a0 Who wants to be second boat through every time?\u00a0 Not me.\u00a0 What\u2019s the worst that could happen?\u00a0 This island can\u2019t be more than a few hundred yards long\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

So down the left channel I went.\u00a0 And it would be 6 hours before I saw BC again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turns out the island was longer that a few hundred yards.\u00a0 A lot longer. Nonetheless, I still expected to see BC once the two channels came back together.\u00a0 But he was nowhere to be seen.\u00a0 I hadn\u2019t heard an outboard running during my side channel venture, so I could only assume he had continued floating down river.\u00a0 So downriver I went.\u00a0 Never having fished this river I didn\u2019t have any spots, but my guests caught fish steady enough, I just fished along \u201cfishy\u201d banks.\u00a0 At some point we came into a nice slough where my guys caught a couple of quick rainbows.\u00a0 Then one of them hooked a much bigger fish.\u00a0 Thinking it was a big rainbow I was pretty excited. \u00a0As I was preparing to grab it, I got a good look at it and realized it wasn\u2019t a rainbow after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turns out it was one those early silver salmon we hoped to intercept.\u00a0 Actually, BC had a spot somewhere near the drop off point that he had found some silvers in the day before, and we were all to fish there in the afternoon. Of course I had no idea exactly where that was, still had no idea where BC was, but there\u2019s silvers here, so keep casting boys!\u00a0 They ended up catching two more silvers out of that spot, and then I spotted a similar looking spot downstream and they got two more out of there. I was pretty pleased with myself, seeing as how i had never fished for or ever even seen a silver salmon before that day.\u00a0 They caught all the silvers [and most of the other fish this day] on Mepps and Vibrax spinners.<\/span><\/p>\n

By now it was getting close to lunchtime, and I was eyeing up the big metal box in the middle of the boat.\u00a0 The lunch box.\u00a0 Sandwiches, drinks, salad, desert.\u00a0 For both boats.\u00a0 And both guides.\u00a0 I still didn\u2019t know where BC was.\u00a0 I was convinced he still had to be downriver ahead of us, so I fired up the big motor and drove downstream for a while.\u00a0 Like for a half hour.\u00a0 At some point I came to a village.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what village it was, but I was pretty sure that if we were going to be near a village during our planned day that BC would have mentioned it.\u00a0 So I did a 180 and started back upriver.\u00a0 $\"604694080.427879\"$ <\/span><\/p>\n

As we passed the spots where we had caught the silvers I was tempted to stop and see if any new\u00a0ones had moved in, but figured I better find my fellow guide.\u00a0 After an hour of motoring I checked my gas can.\u00a0 Not good, less than a quarter tank.\u00a0 It was getting on in the afternoon.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m in trouble, and I am doubting that I have enough gas to get back to where we were to be picked up.\u00a0 We ate our lunch while I was motoring, trying not to think too much about what the other boat did for lunch.<\/span><\/p>\n

It should be said that we were never in any actual danger [other than me potentially getting my ass chewed] as I knew all along that no matter what the pilot would be able to find us.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you are an Alaskan fishing guide, the appearance of a float plane can bring mixed feelings.\u00a0 On a day when things have gone well it can be disappointing to hear the drone of a Beaver as it means the end of the fishing day and time to go back to the lodge. Or, if you\u2019re a guide at a river camp, a bad weather day can mean no guests [think day off!].\u00a0 The appearance of a plane on those days can be a little disappointing.\u00a0 I can tell you I have never been as relieved as I was when the yellow and blue Tikchik plane appeared above the trees at the next bend.\u00a0 The pilot flew over us, circled around and landed on the straightaway.\u00a0 Just in time, as my outboard was running on fumes by this time.\u00a0 $\"604706913.610449\"$ <\/span><\/p>\n

I pulled up on the gravel near the plane, secured the anchor and sheepishly approached Gene who had just stepped down from the cockpit.<\/span><\/p>\n

I tried to explain what happened and asked where the other boat was.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just above where I dropped you off this morning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow pissed is BC?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cModerately.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be more pissed when he finds out he has to come down here to get your boat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Great.\u00a0 We loaded our gear into the back of the plane and our salmon were loaded into a float compartment.\u00a0 A quick taxi to the middle of the river and we took off upstream.\u00a0 Within a couple of minutes we dropped back down and landed where we had started our day.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was no other boat in sight. Gene said that BC still had his guys fishing the silver hole just upstream.\u00a0 On cue, here comes BC\u2019s boat towards us at full speed, but BC was the only occupant.\u00a0 He barely slowed down as he drove up on the gravel.\u00a0 He barely glanced in my direction\u00a0as he snarled \u201cYou don\u2019t play follow the leader too fuckin\u2019 well, do ya?\u201d\u00a0 I didn\u2019t say much, tried to make a quick excuse for my disobedience, but he was having none of it.\u00a0 He continued, \u201cHad to take my\u00a0guests\u00a0up to my camp for lunch, I\u2019m sure you guys ate well though\u201d.\u00a0 Then he put on\u00a0his\u00a0happy face and started talking to my guests, \u201cHey, grab your rods and get in my boat, I\u2019ll take you up to where the other guys are still fishing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They complied and he turned back to me.\u00a0 \u201cI want to see your guys catch a couple of silvers today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe got silvers\u201d was my reply.<\/span><\/p>\n

He looked at me like I had just said we had found a yeti.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, right.”<\/span><\/p>\n

I gestured to the float compartment.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the good part.<\/span><\/p>\n

He lifted the lid and looked inside.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget that look on his face.\u00a0 A confused look that betrayed what he was thinking\u2014something along the lines of \u201cHow in the ever living fuck did this clown from Minnesota manage to find silvers that aren\u2019t even supposed to be in the river yet\u201d.\u00a0 He slammed the lid back down. \u201cI\u2019M TAKING THEM UP THERE ANYWAY!\u201d he shouted and marched towards his boat.\u00a0 Gene winked at me and I knew everything was going to be OK.<\/span><\/p>\n

BC came back with all four anglers about forty five minutes later, and they did indeed catch a few more silvers.\u00a0 We loaded all the gear and fish into the airplane, and I apologized to BC again; he still had to go down river to retrieve the other boat.\u00a0 He had calmed down and explained to me the importance of sticking to the plan.\u00a0 Duly noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

We made the quick flight back to the lodge.\u00a0 Because of the uh, overtime fishing session we were the last plane to pull up to the dock. Somehow, word of my little adventure had already made it back to the lodge, and the other guides gave me grief as we unloaded our gear.\u00a0 No matter, the guests had a good time, caught the first silvers of the year, and had an interesting story to tell at dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Epilogue<\/span><\/p>\n

The Boss couldn\u2019t have been too mad at me, as later that week he sent me on another mission to the Nushagak.\u00a0 This time we were going to fish the infamous \u201cBlood Beach\u201d on the lower Nush.\u00a0 The hopes was to intercept the first major run of silvers [not the \u201cscouts\u201d we had caught upriver, we\u2019re talking a push of many thousands of fish coming in on the tide]. 2 planes, 2 pilots, 2 guides, 8 guests.\u00a0 The fishing was stupid. They KEPT limits for all, 5 fish each, so 60 fish.\u00a0 Plus they released a bunch.\u00a0 The other guide and I had to clean all the fish before we could fly back to the lodge or we would have been too heavy to get in the air.<\/span> $\"604694126.938680\"$ <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you’ve gotten this far on the story and want to keep going…here’s a song I wrote about the Nushagak.\u00a0 One year while staying at a camp on the Lower Nush I counted how many salmon I could see swim past me in one minute while standing on a gravel bar.\u00a0 It was 110.\u00a0 This was going on for days<\/span>. The number of salmon that run up that river is phenomenal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Big Nushagak<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is a song I wrote for\u00a0a contest, it protests the proposed mine in Bristol Bay.\u00a0 I didn’t win the contest.\u00a0 Maybe due to the production quality–I recorded it with my phone and used an app to put drums and bass to it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"