Cast Netting at Sweetheart Creek August 2012

We loaded up the boat this past weekend and took a trip down to Sweetheart Creek, about an hour and a half boat ride south of town. Barley was dropped off with our friends, our cast netting permits were in hand, and we met at 04:00 hours to launch the boat. Head to net the Sockeye....

We had the zodiac dragged up the beach by 07:00, and headed to the second pool on the river. There were already 3 bears on the beach when we pulled up, and one male brown bear was already fishing right next to our spot.

This guy was just upstream of us, with a nice pile of fish carcasses laying behind him.

View of the first bear from our cast netting spot.

Pat and Quinn getting the nets ready. We had 3 permits between the 4 of us, which equaled 75 fish that we could net.

This male was eating salmon just one pool down from us.

Our cast netting spot. This is where the men had to turn the cast net over to Jackie.

Hazy shot of the bear.

Pete pulling in a net full of salmon....pink and sockeye!? Sockeye on the stringer hanging off the bank.

Some of our sockeye.

Quinn and Jackie at the cast netting spot.

Jackie throwing the net. And, the only shot we got of a cast net throw.

Tom and his friend throwing cast nets just downstream of us. Note the bear behind Tom just down the falls.

Tom pulling a net.

Tom, Bear, and his friend pulling a net.

We packed up our 52 fish, and hiked back out to the boat. This is what we came out to...

The view down the channel driving back to Juneau.

This is what happens when you wake up at 02:30 in the morning, spend 8 hours cast netting, fending off bears, and hiking out 52 fish. Tired men.