| "FISH ON!!"I yelled, as my seven weight fly | | | | in your life.I looked at my fish, I looked at |
| rod bent over and the line played it's | | | | Allen, and I looked at that Grizzly, and |
| magical tune of "zinging in the rain". It was | | | | thought to myself; "Great, I have three other |
| hard to tell just how big the fish was or if | | | | fishermen on this boat and they all match the |
| it was a Rainbow or big Dolly Varden.Hooking | | | | criteria that I had required to fish with in |
| a big upper Kenai river trout in fast water | | | | bear country. They are all bigger and slower |
| doesn't leave much time for species | | | | and at this point- between me and the bear!!" |
| identification."Hang on to it-we'll chase it | | | | BUT, if we had to go overboard-I sure wasn't |
| and go land it in some calmer water." said | | | | confident that I could outswim these guys. |
| Allen, who was behind the sticks of our 20 | | | | Plus, I had a rod in my hand, a fish on the |
| foot Willie drift boat.We had just entered | | | | line, and a natural fishermen's instinct- to |
| the Canyon section of the upper Kenai river | | | | not want to lose my trout!! The bear would |
| and while my three other compadres fishing | | | | certainly pick me, because he would get the |
| with me on the boat had already hooked some | | | | bonus of having a trout for dessert after |
| BIG Rainbows and Dollies, I had yet to catch | | | | having his "Fisherman ala Gore-Tex" entree. I |
| what I will call a "quality" upper Kenai | | | | guess I shouldn't have been too |
| fish. That of course means insulting every | | | | worried,afterall, Allen wouldn't have wanted |
| trout on every other river in North America, | | | | to return to the lodge without his |
| since the eighteen inch Rainbows and twenty | | | | "guests"--too much paperwork!!Right?Allen |
| inch Dolly Vardens I had already caught were | | | | frantically grabbed at the anchor rope, while |
| hardly chopped liver!! It's just that I had | | | | "mama" thrashed about in the water. Meanwhile |
| watched numerous twenty-four inch fish caught | | | | the rest of us had that "deer in the |
| in the morning and listened to Allen comment | | | | headlights" look, waiting for either |
| on how this was the best morning of fly | | | | instructions from Allen-or the voice of God- |
| fishing he had had on the upper Kenai this | | | | to tell us what to do next."I think we'll |
| year. Again, don't get me wrong-I was | | | | fight this fish somewhere else." Allen said, |
| catching my share of fish- but this was the | | | | while grabbing the oars and pulling us away |
| kind of fish I was waiting | | | | with Herculean strength.That- is what they |
| for.Ziiiiinnnnggggg.I stood up in the front | | | | call an understatement. Somewhere else |
| of the boat, and Allen gave chase in our wide | | | | indeed!How about Pennsylvania?Mama had done |
| bellied river pursuit vehicle. | | | | what she had intended, danger to cub-gone, |
| | | | fishermen white as ghosts, and Brown bear |
| I held my rod high and reeled to keep a | | | | Peace and tranquility restored to the right |
| tight line on the fish.As we drifted towards | | | | bank.MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!She turned, and |
| the "river right" bank, we heard some | | | | splashed back to the shore...I don't know if |
| crashing in the trees. In my peripheral | | | | it was the lowering of the anchor that had |
| vision I saw some movement, but kept my eyes | | | | startled her, or the banging of the boat, or |
| fixed on my pulsating rod tip. Allen | | | | the splashing of my Rainbow, but we had just |
| nonchalantly mentioned that we had a Brown | | | | witnessed -first hand- how the Grizzly bear |
| bear over on our right, kind of like a guy | | | | protects her cubs in the wild.Pretty much by |
| mentions seeing a 1957 Chevy.It's neat-but | | | | going NUTS!!We drifted over to "river left", |
| nothing to get to crazy about.Keep | | | | downstream about another 100 yards, and |
| fishing.Now, I don't know about you, but when | | | | finally landed an exhausted 23 inch FAT |
| I pass within twenty yards of meat eating | | | | Rainbow trout. Of course, the fish seemed an |
| carnivores-I like to give them more than just | | | | after thought now as all five of us checked |
| a passing glance.Especially, since most of us | | | | our waders for "brown spots", but after all |
| on the boat were seeing our first Brown | | | | that, it would have made us cry to lose that |
| Grizzly bear in our lives, and not everyone | | | | fish.We all "high fived" each other and still |
| gets to see a Grizzly when they come to | | | | couldn't help but looking back upstream--just |
| Alaska. Not to mention that any one of us | | | | to make sure "mama" wasn't still angry. Allen |
| would make a delicious mid day snack for a | | | | said that it was the first time he had seen a |
| bear with the munchies.Allen, trying to be | | | | Brown bear jump into the water like |
| the consumate Alaskan fishing guide, was | | | | that.Really.Then we sat there and all gave |
| trying to pass it off as an everyday | | | | our accounts of how the scene "went down". It |
| occurence and make you feel like -"Heck, most | | | | was great to hear everyones reaction and |
| of us guides sleep with bears"--but you could | | | | different version of the "thirty five seconds |
| tell by his watchful back and forth | | | | of drama".We took a picture of that fish- |
| looks--that he didn't get to see bears that | | | | which will be forever on be referred to as |
| often.As Allen lowered the boat anchor in a | | | | the "Bear Fish", and even though it wasn't |
| nice back eddy, I turned toward the fish and | | | | the biggest fish on that float--it will |
| got back to the task at hand. Pump, reel | | | | certainly be the one most remembered.There |
| down, pump, reel down.About that time, I | | | | was no picture of the bear-since everyone was |
| started to hear some more commotion from the | | | | riveted on the real bear on not the Kodak |
| bank, and about the same time as my fish | | | | moment.When we got back to our lodge, Allen |
| revealed his Rainbow identity by making an | | | | told the story of our Alaskan experience and |
| acrobatic leap into the air, I turned to see | | | | some of the older guides looked at him |
| a bear clawing it's way up a tree.Good, | | | | "sideways" like he might be working on a good |
| that's what I like to see from man eating | | | | fish story or nickname.I could see it now... |
| carnivores!I turned back at the fish--and | | | | "Who you going out with today? Grizzly |
| then did a double take on the bear.OH @%$+ IT | | | | Gillette? Allen the Bear Slayer?... Of course |
| WAS A CUB...... and we're not talking the | | | | there were four witnesses that were ready to |
| kind that play in Chicago!!Faster then I | | | | back him up and it wasn't exactly like we had |
| could get the words " it's a cub" out of my | | | | said we had seen "bigfoot" or "aliens" for |
| mouth, mama bear went into protection mode. | | | | heavens sake!!All in all, I would say we got |
| We all heard brush being knocked down like | | | | the true Alaskan experience that day. Nice |
| tackling dummies at the Chicago Bears | | | | fat upper Kenai Rainbow trout and Dolly |
| training camp and then we saw "Mamas" round | | | | Vardens on a fly, false charged by a Grizzly |
| face,shoulders hunched, claws digging in as | | | | mom and an unforgettable day in incredible |
| she made a charge at us towards the bank.We | | | | scenery.As the years go on--I am sure |
| all looked over at the same time,and for a | | | | the"Bear Fish"will get bigger, the bear will |
| brief second, my first thought was: "Oh | | | | get closer(maybe even into the boat!!) and |
| great, why does this have to happen when I | | | | the legend of "Grizzly Gillette" will grow |
| have a nice Rainbow on? I hope I don't lose | | | | tall.But not nearly as tall as that |
| this fish." Of course, sitting twenty yards | | | | BEAR!!A.J. Klott |
| away in a boat- in the water- gives one a | | | | |
| sense of security.A false sense of | | | | Author, writer of fishing humor,and "fly |
| security.That bear took to the sky like | | | | tack" peddler.A.J. writes about the |
| "superwoman". Paws out and legs flying- | | | | people,characters and modern day events that |
| without even breaking stride- she was IN THE | | | | surround the fishing world. His first book is |
| WATER.You never saw ten eyeballs get so large | | | | due out in December of 2005. |