Brad & Pat joined us this July for the first time, Alaska was on their bucket list, and we were happy to welcome them and watch them fill their bucket with as much Alaska as possible!  We were delighted as they enjoyed each day on the Kenai River, watching eagles soar, moose swim by, fish jump and the pleasant days of July pass by. But, when it came to catching the sneaky sockeye salmon they quickly realized that it would take persistent patience and consistent casting. Pat amazed me as I watched her refine her casts, improving with each flip, even switch-casting to ease the shoulder stress — something I’ve never seen someone new master so quickly. I myself haven’t ever tried it. But she figured it out quickly and her patience paid off tonight after her husband Brad challenged me to catch one in 50 casts or less AND coach Pat to the same success (with no limit of casts). On my 44th cast I landed a nice sockeye salmon and set about finishing the challenge by giving Pat just the nudge of moral support she needed to succeed. She started bumping fish quickly, had a couple brief hookups including one that jumped so violently it sent her reeling backwards into the bank! Not more than 15 minutes after mine she had landed a nice sockeye hen. Within another 1/2 hour she landed a bigger buck! Amazing to watch, to share and to celebrate. Dinner is served! Thank you both for your kindness to our resort and for embracing all we do here…and thank you for the 2018 Sockeye Salmon Challenge prize!