March 17 – A Good Day Fishing

Once again, at sunrise there are 2 figures, out on the Kuskokwim River ice, bent low. Deb and I take a detour to check it out. Two local women, not young, are jigging their lines up and down.

One has a bunch of monofilament snarled around a wooden ladle. The other has a piece of wood carved to look like a child’s fishing pole. Between them they have caught a single Grayling in 3 days of fishing. But they are content. Both love fishing, and for them it is unrelated to catching anything. Eva fishes with a piece of macaroni, while Margaret bobs a small chunk of leftover moose pot roast.

The holes have been augured by a man who is preparing for students to have a day fishing. There are 10 students, thus 10 holes. Each is 12 inches in diameter through 4 feet of ice that lays on about 8 feet of river water. Eva said the students will have the good bait, shrimp. We will be there observing and hope to have pictures of whitefish and northern pike.

The museum has been calling us. Today was the first open day after quarantine. Two former high school teachers work there. It is a wonderful repository of local history. They also have every local animal, from a vole up to a wolf. And a large collection of mastedon tusks and teeth.

I bought a local cookbook autographed by the staff who compiled it.

Terry from McGrath