If you’re a lazy fisherman like me, look no further than this Alaskan river for your next fishing trip.
There is a fine line between fishing and catching, and I usually find myself on the latter end of the spectrum.
Though I almost get tired just looking at all of those fish. For me, a lot of the joy of fishing is the wait… the peaceful meditation between hits on the reel… a line in glassy water, senses tuned into the subtlest changes in line tension… waiting for it… And BAM! You get a hit.
Here, I can’t imagine waiting more than a few seconds to get a bite… shoot, you’d probably hook a fish just by casting.
Or better yet, ditch the rod and reel and grab you one… salmon noodling anyone?
On second thought, salmon do have some decent teeth…
All jokes aside, the salmon in this video are likely congregated to spawn. Salmon are known to strenuously swim upstream in large numbers to reproduce.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:
Like all species of Pacific salmon, sockeye salmon are anadromous, living in the ocean but entering fresh water to spawn.
Spawning itself usually occurs in rivers, streams, and upwelling areas along lake beaches. During this time [thousands of] eggs are deposited. Males and females both die within a few weeks after spawning.
Talk about the laying it all on the line.
According to the Take Me Fishing Blog, salmon generally do not eat once they have entered freshwater streams to spawn. Yet because of high concentration, many salmon still hit various lures such as flies, spinners, spoons, and plugs, possibly out of instinct.
All said, if I stumbled upon this honey hole, I don’t think I’d fish it…
Making this Alaskan river the perfect place to crack open a cold one, sit back, and enjoy the beauty of mother nature, a lazy fisherman’s dream.
“The video was taken on a Roadtrip in Alaska in August 2022 near Valdez, Prince William Sound. There were more salmon than I have ever seen before. Really impressive.”
Just wait until the bears show up…
