August-September, 2022
First off, please go back to the most recent blog post and then scroll down and read the comments, especially the one from Robert Davis, and my reply. Boondockers Welcome is a great organization, perfectly trustworthy, that offers all manner of free and low-cost camping. I’ve used it a number of times with no problems. If you’re an RV-er, check it out!
Ok, now on to today! This was my first morning here after my first night here. Not that I was up early this morning, no, I slept in! 🙂 But it definitely was still morning when I finally opened the door of the trailer, smelled the fresh air of the woods and the river, and stepped down out of the trailer with coffee in hand to wander over to the river … the Nisqually River. How beautiful.
Notice the long line of floats in the water, in the shady part of the photo above. That line is attached to shore at the far end, and then a fish net is hung underwater from those floats … to catch fish.
There were lots of long and short lengths of those floats/nets in the river. The photo below shows two short ones further up the river. Each line is owned by someone, hence the small open powerboats that come up and down the river from time to time throughout the day, checking their lines and checking the nets for fish.
Here’s that longer line (below) that was right in front of me where I stood on the bank of the river, at the end of my campsite.
I was just standing there, enjoying my last cup of coffee for the morning, watching the river, listening to birds, when I heard an engine … an outboard motor engine. I didn’t see the boat yet … but it was definitely coming from the left. So I turned to the left and snapped this photo (below) of the tight bend in this river (where there was yet another float line). And I waited.
Here it comes! Turn your sound on, enlarge the video, you know the drill.
The people in that boat didn’t stop at the float/line in front of me … they kept heading up river. These folks know this river like “the back of their hand” so they know where the deep water is, even around snags and logs in the river. I would have loved a ride up the river in one of their boats.
Just 20 minutes or so later, another boat came zooming up, but I didn’t catch a video of it arriving. It stopped right in front of me! Right at that long line of floats.
They took three or four smaller fish off the line before this big one showed up (below).
At one point, one of them looked up towards me, then said something to the other one of them. They both looked at me. I waved and sent the sign language sign for “thank you” … they did the same back to me. I pointed to my camera to let them know I was taking photos, and to ask if that was ok. They both nodded and smiled and gave me thumbs up and waved.
About 30 minutes later, they had gathered in all the fish, and the net, and the floats, and were about to leave. They looked up at me again. I waved and put my hand on my heart, and patted my heart. They nodded their heads, and waved, and then they headed back down stream around that tight bend in the Nisqually River … taking their fish home.
As I drove around the area during the few days I was here, I kept looking for a place to buy fish from the locals. I never found a place to do that. Since I live nearby, I’m going to find out what’s up with that … are there so many fewer fish now that there aren’t enough to sell to others? When the fishing here used to be a major source of income? I’ll let you know what I find out.
But in the meantime, I was fascinated by the outboard motor that this couple used on their boat. A Yamaha 70 HP jet outboard … not a propellor, no sir! Air/jet propelled.
There are so many snags/logs in the river, and so many shallow spots (like the one below) that propeller outboards get damaged, get mired in the mud, such that they simply don’t work here.
So jet/air propelled outboard motors, that are designed for shallow draft waters, are what people use on this river. Here’s a link to info about jet outboard engines for small boats. That link and info are from Alberni Power & Marine, in Port Alberni, Canada.
This was a super beginning to my first day here. 🙂
Fish! Now this is my kind of blog post. 🙂 Great video of the boat heading upriver, and of the couple hauling fish and equipment.
Thanks, Tim. I thought you might enjoy this one. 🙂
My dad and I had a string of fish nets in a river near our house in Idaho when I was a youngster. Well, mostly my dad had that string of nets. 🙂 I loved going out on the river with my dad to haul the fish. Mom had no interest in running the river, but she sure could gut and clean and cook up a mean mess of those fish. Oh gosh, what great memories.
I’m so glad you have those memories, how special. I hope that river was beautiful, bet it was. What a great family effort … you and your dad bringing home the fish, your mom preparing and cooking it. Thanks for sharing that, Lori, that is really special.
I really enjoy your travels and your stories and your photos, so many different things you notice along the way. But I also love the comments of the people who read this blog. You folks are wonderful! Thanks to everyone! 🙂
Me too, Shawn, everyone’s comments are super, including yours. 🙂 Thank you.
Nice outboard motor! Thanks for the info and the link.
You are welcome. Boats are great. 🙂
Nice fish. Good eating. And nice people. That was great that even at a distance you made a really good connection with them.
I was so happy those folks responded to my gestures, and that they responded so kindly. That really made my day.
What a great conversation and understanding you had with those people who were hauling in their fish. Kindness, from you and from them. The world needs more of that! Did you find out who they are so you could send them a link to your video and photos? I bet not, huh.
What an exquisite campsite, right on the river!!!
Janey
Janey, you are thinking like I am. One of the reasons I looked around for anyone selling local fish was to buy some fish, but I also was going to try to find those two people in order to share the video with them. Neither happened … no local fish for sale, so no way to find those folks.
I adore this campsite! 🙂
The videos are great. I don’t know anything about these sorts of rivers or fishing. My folks and I fished on the ocean in our boat, just us. But we fished for deep sea fish that were close to shore, probably different fish than are in rivers like the Nisqually. And a jet outboard … wow. cool. 🙂
Another fish person! Fran, I bet you have stories to tell, especially being out on the ocean, with waves and weather. And fresh fish for dinner! Yum. 🙂
Mutual respect and friendship. And gorgeous country. And a beautiful day.
Absolutely the best of days.
So different to our rivers and fishing in Britain.
Next time I’m in Britain (probably Scotland), I’m going to make a point of asking about river fishing there, Henry. Now that I know a bit about it (thanks also to Mark in Canada), it will be interesting to learn more about how it’s done in another country.