Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wednesday, July 15, Sitka - "Sympathy Salmon!"

We're still in Sitka. Val's going to do the laundry this morning and then we're heading out.
Last night, we met Ken Des Rosiens, Jr. and his son, Ken III, our slip neighbors, and trawler fishermen. We were sharing fish stories...he had a lot more stories than me, but we had the big 109 lb. halibut story we told him. I offered him some which he gladly accepted and then proceeded to load me up with freshly flash frozen Coho that he and his boys just caught. Cody calls them our "sympathy fish." He did give me some tips on how to catch 'em so I'm charged up and ready to go. Just call me the "South Dakota Salmon Slayer!"
Turns out the DesRosiens are Christians too. We had a great visit. They are trying to establish new markets for their fish, mostly smaller independent outlets, like restaurants. They flash freeze their fish right on their boat, pack them into insulated boxes, and ship them air freight right to the clients door. So, if you want to get together with your neighbors and buy a box of fresh Alaskan salmon, these are the guys. Contact them at 907-738-3873 or TeamD@WildBlue.net.
Connor spent most of the day yesterday fishing around the docks with whoever would listen to him jabber. He came back with two nice Rock Fish and a bucket full of little perch. We cleaned the Rock Fish and he went off to sell the perch. He worked for hours with no success but, right at 9PM, he found someone who bought the whole bucket for $5! (Is that legal? I hope no one from the fish & game departments reads this - he may have to go to jail!) What a little entrepreneur. Maybe there's a commercial fishing career in his future?
It may be a couple of days before we pick up an Internet connection. So, you all have a great couple of July days!