Living Alaska, Women Fishing

Fisherwomen Captains, you Do Not See This on the Deadliest Catch

Photograph by Author Ketchikan Alaska

I came to Alaska from California on a bicycle in July 2021. I rented an apartment in the Salmon Capital of the World, aka Ketchikan, Alaska. Behind the apartment building is Ketchikan Creek which is known worldwide for the Salmon Run. I always thought that the stories of being able to walk across a river on the backs of king salmon were an exaggeration of the Mark Twain type. I was wrong. I witnessed the salmon spawning upriver firsthand and was amazed.

I did not fish for salmon last season because I did not have a fishing license and wanted to meet the letter of the law. I bought fresh salmon from my neighbors who had a license and had enough to share. Being single I only bought a few salmon steaks at a time. My refrigerator was small, and my kitchen was a hot plate and microwave. I barbecued my salmon steaks through the summer.

Photograph by Author Ketchikan Creek Alaska

I never fished in San Francisco. I did fish the bay when I was an adolescent. I rarely caught anything but mud Sharks, which are un-eatable, fun to catch. I was a little out of my league by the proliferation of fisher and fisherwomen in Alaska. I have several female neighbors who have…