For live and premium content, sign up for our email newsletter and we'll send reports directly to your inbox
Finally, anyone who has fished Alaska very much has a bear tale or two to share. Here’s an unusual one from a report filed by subscriber A. Michael Pardue about a trip to Alaska’s Fishing Unlimited Lodge last August. Makes you wonder about the value of carrying mace in bear country.
“Several of us were spread out along the stream one day when the guides told us that we needed to reel in, get off the beach, and stand up on the bench several feet above the beach. The reason: psycho-bitch and her twin cubs were walking slowly up the beach toward us. The two guides went into the river and stood near the stringer of salmon.
The bear and cubs reached us, and mama went into the stream toward the guides. She got close enough to get maced, whereupon she put her head under water and a minute or two later came up with the top salmon from the stringer. She calmly walked out of the stream at that point, collected her twins, and climbed onto the bench, dropping the salmon to the ground about 30 feet from us, and prepared it for her cubs by opening up the skin on one side. For the next 10 to 15 minutes we heard the squeals of her cubs as they ate. Finally, mama and cubs went back to the beach and walked downstream out of sight.”