You have seen the photo, now hear the story.

THE “HOG” THAT SAID THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU ALL THE WAY HOME

Submitted by Vickie and Floyd Martin, Gold Hill, Oregon

I MADE THE TRIP TO KENAI RIVER EACH YEAR, THIS IS OUR THIRD TRAVELING FROM SOUTHERN OREGON, MY DREAM WAS TO CATCH A REALLY BIG KING SALMON, OUR GUIDE; ALBERT CALLED IT A “HOG”. I BOOKED EXTRA TRIPS WITH OUR GUIDES FOR MORE CHANCES TO HOOK MY “HOG”.

THIS YEAR STARTED OUT TO BE REPEATS OF YEARS PAST, MY FIRST TRIP I CAUGHT RELEASED THIRTY AND FORTY POUNDERS, MY FISHING COMPANIONS, STRANGERS TO ME, COULD NOT BELIEVE I WAS RELEASING SUCH NICE FISH, THEY WERE “BABY HOGS”.

THE NEXT TO DAYS I FISHED WITH MY HUSBAND AND FRIENDS, JIM AND JOYCE WEATHERS FROM IDAHO. MY HUSBAND SAID I HAD TO KEEP OUR FISH FOR THE FISH BOXES, ALBERT JUST LAUGHED BECAUSE HE KNEW MY HEART WAS ONLY INTO CATCHING MY “HOG”. AS A GOOD WIFE I DID WHAT MY HUSBAND SAID. ON THE FOURTH FISHING TRIP ON THE KENAI, I BOOKED WITH ALBERT FOR THE LAST TIME THIS YEAR WHILE MY HUSBAND AND FRIENDS WENT TO HOMER TO FISH FOR HALIBUT. I DID NOT KNOW THEIR HALIBUT TRIP HAD STORMED OUT, WITH THE COLD WIND AND MISERABLE CONDITIONS ON THE KENAI I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. I WANTED ALBERT TO PUT ME TO SHORE SO I COULD “P”, TRIPS ARE FIVE HOURS LONG, ALBERT SAID BUCKET, I SAID “NO WAY” NOT IN THIS WEATHER, DON’T WANT TO GET ANYONE WET, “HA HA” I DID IT ANY WAY.

MY FISHING COMPANIONS WORKED SO HARD TO GET A STRIKE OR A BUMP, THEY DID LOSE TWO.

ALBERT HAS A SPECIAL “HONEY HOLE” WE LINED UP WITH IT, “BAM” I ALMOST LOST MY POLE WHEN THE FISH TOOK MY LINE, THE FISH WAS PULLING SO HARD, TAKING LINE AND GOING UPSTREAM, ALBERT SAID VICKIE THIS IS A BIG FISH, A REALLY, REALLY BIG FISH, ALL THE BOATS PARTED AND THE FIGHT WAS ON. AFTER TWENTY MINUTES MY ARMS WER SHAKING AND I WAS NOT GAINING ON THE FISH AT ALL, ONE OF THE FISHERMEN HELD MY BELT SO THE FISH WOULDN’T PULL ME OVERBOARD, FINALLY THE FISH SLOWED UP ENOUGH. REELED SOME LINE IN, THOUGHT I WAS WINNING. THE ‘HOG’ TOOK OFF AGAIN, I SAID “OH NO NOT AGAIN”, AND EVERYONE WOULD LAUGH. FINALLY AFTER LINE IN LINE OUT ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN TIMES, WE FINALLY SAW THE BIG FAT RED BUCK, I SCREAMED SO LOUD THE WHOLE RIVER HEARD ME, ALBERT SAID YOU CAN DO THIS WHEN YOU GET YOUR FIRST GLIMPSE, IT’S UNBELIEVABLE HOW YOUR ADREELINE KICKS IN. ALBERT SAID “REEL DOWN, PULL UP SLOW, REEL DOWN PULL UP SLOW” THAT’S ALL I KEPT HEARING, THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER THE NET WAS IN THE WATER, AND I FINALLY HAD MY “HOG”, I YELLED, NO I SCREAMED AND JUMPED UP AND DOWN,HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND, BOATS AROUND WERE YELLING AND CLAPPING TOO. GOT THE FISH TO CALM DOWN ENOUGH TO MEASURE WITH THE KENAI RIVER SPORTSMAN WOODEN RULER, FIFTY THREE INCHES LONG, ESTIMATED WEIGHT EIGHTY TO EIGHTY-FIVE POUNDS. I WAS SO EXCITED I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER AND HOW COLD AND MISERABLE I WAS, BUT THAT’S FISHING.

THE FISHING TRIP I WILL NEVER FORGET AS LONG AS I LIVE. A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO HI-LO CHARTERS FOR ALL THEIR HOSPITALITY, ALBERT AND STANLEY FOR WORKING SO HARD FOR ME THE LAST FOUR YEARS, AND OF COURSE MY HUSBAND FOR BRINGING ME TO THE KENAI RIVER EVERY YEAR TO GET MY “HOG”, AND YES I WILL BE BACK, THE WORLD RECORD IS JUST A “FISH ON” AWAY, AND IF YOU CATCH A HOG, PLEASE “CATCH AND RELEASE”.