Day 2...

No-guide Sunday. Our standing crew for the trip consisted of Noel, his friend and our local host Wayne, Tanner and myself. Wayne was already committed to go on halibut trip with another friend. So what's the Doc to do when he's short a rod? Call a guide!

We were joined this morning by Andrew "King Me" Larsen who brought some good eggs and even better mojo to the boat. Upper holes were dead so we trudged on down to meet the tide fish. Andrew picked up a couple of sockeye backbouncing my trusty K15 Tammy Fae below the Pillars.

We dropped down to the Crossover where King Me scored our first bonafide Kenai king backtrolling a diver and eggs. After high fives and testosterone-driven hero shots, we dropped down to bounce the Beav. (no joke, PP folks, this is the for-real-deal bonafide Beaver Creek). Noel scored a pair of his and hers kings on his namesake "Special", handing the bigger one off to Tanner.

All the fish this morning were beautiful platinum chromers. I called Andrews beautiful hen at 37-38 in the net and gave him the choice to heave it aboard. "Yeah I need the meat, " he says. Up and over she goes. I called Tanners equally gorgeous hen at 34-35 in the net. "If you say she's under 40, I'll take her," he says. Up and over she goes.

Well "F" me... let's just say I underguessed..... AGAIN! A bit disappointed in myself for killing a pair of 4-salt egg wagons, but all in all a fabulous morning bite!

However unbeknownst to me, we did suffer the first casualty of the trip. 10 ft Sage XP laying in the gunnel tray was now only 9'8" due to careless rearranging of rods. GDITMMM! Oh well... still managed a limit of reds from the Riverbend launch for Tanner's cooler while my compadres went to eat and nap at Wayne's house. Ran the boat back down to the Beav to meet another guide buddy Ryan. Stopped at Eagle Rock to make one single rod drag for old times sake.... first time I've turned my boat sideways in 16 years! No bite. I hopped in Ryan's boat at the Beav (where he was down to only one rod having already put two in the box) and bounced up another king on UEC.

Later that evening, Silas and Alex arrived at the house to join us for some sockeye flossing the following morning. Before Silas went to bed he got his first lesson at filleting fish.