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What else has been going on around here…
- We Made It! December 22, 2025
- We Make Do, So Can You! November 2, 2025
- Twice in 3 Days October 31, 2025
- Processing Day October 26, 2025
- Raspberry Saskatoon Mead October 18, 2025
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Tag Archives: fish camp
We have this thing in Alaska called subsistence rights. It applies to all Alaskans modeled after Native Alaskan lifestyles of harvesting annual quantities of food all at once. From game animals to fish, mushrooms to berries, and whales too but only if you’re Native.
This Wednesday begins our local gill Set-net season for sockeye salmon. So for the next couple of weeks be prepared to see us live on the beach in our little (big) tent village. Breath fresh salty air. Fall asleep to the gentle melody of the tide. Work hard and play harder. It’s the Sourdough way!
Our fish camp tradition began 8 years ago with 3 women with a borrowed site and gear and determination to provide fish for our families. We weren’t very successful that first time. But we did not give up!
We have raised our kids with this annual event. At any given point in the year they can tell you how long until fish camp. It is a tradition that’s anticipated greatly.
This year is extra special because our founder, Niki, is back with us. She’s been full-time RV living and missed the past several years. We are all looking forward to the reconnect.
It’s time to get our fish. Winter is coming.
We figured this year would be plentiful with the Sh’mita starting this fall but we didn’t know how plentiful!
So far, two of our family units have gotten their desired count of fish. Three more of us are closer. We’ve shared with two other families that could come down and get fish, and have another couple of families on standby. And we’ve helped a couple young fellas fishing on their own this year navigate the regs and when they needed an extra hand.
It feels good to be able to share Alaska’s bounty with others. There’s been many years when we just got enough to feed our own households. Sharing is caring.
Salmon is life.
A major part of our diet is salmon.
Salmon burgers, salmon salad, salmon patties, salmon pasta, salmon noodle casserole, salmon enchiladas, smoked salmon on bagels with cream cheese, lazy sushi bowls with smoked salmon on top, salmon jerky, candied salmon…. You get the picture?
Are you hungry yet?
#aklife #lovealaska #salmon4life #livingofftheland
We started our Personal Use Fishing season with a bang. First tide out, three nets set and within 12 minutes we had fish in all three nets.
We pulled 34 fish our first tide. Needless to say fishing has been good so far.
I’ll check in later, I’ve got fish to process.
#AKLife
#lovealaska
#subsistance
#salmon4life
#salmonlove
2020 was another epic year, but not because we got a lot of fish. We were on the beach June 10th and left June 25th.
Mr P had the idea to make our kitchen on his trailer. So he and Dean put it together on the beach after much assembly at home. We covered it with tarps and clear plastic and moved in!
Having the elevated, separate kitchen was wonderful! It kept most of the sand out as well as the young ‘uns.
The dinning hall.
Our solar chandelier.
Welcome to “On the Rocks Bar”.
Cheers to another year of fishing, friends & fun!
Mo & I set up camp a few days early, in hopes to enjoy a slower pace before the fishing frenzy began. Not sure that worked out for us, but we did enjoy the extra time. It allowed us to slowly set up camp and get it just right before everyone else showed up.
We were missing Niki and Chris this year, felt a little strange without our fishcamp buddies. But we still had Mr P & Mrs Jane and Mr Jimmy.
Mr Jimmy had come out earlier in the year to set out some stakes. We found them with the help of Mr P and began the job of setting up camp.
Once we all arrived we had 300′ of beach sprawl to allow three nets for four families to use. Two potty tents, a kitchen, dinning hall, storage areas, kids canopy (with carpeting), four main campsites with a hodgepodge of tents, campers and canopies. Two four-wheelers and a dozen or so kids running around, give or take a few.
Then the work began.
Fishing was restricted again this year, we could only fish one tide a day. (Due to lowered king salmon returns.) This allowed for a slower pace but it significantly reduced our overall catch. None of us limited out. Most of us got enough to get us through the year, we hope. You never know year to year how much you’re going to actually go through. Some years we eat way more salmon than others. It definitely is a staple in our diet.In between fishing we always make time for fun and games. The kids come up with their own entertainment, like this duo.
And then there’s the card and board games. I found “Joe Name It” at the thrift store this year and it was a lot of laughs. 
Hmmm…. 
Arts & crafts time. They made jelly fish.
Then there’s the friends who come to visit and bring their little puppers. 
And not so little puppers. Burt still has that puppy demeanor even tho he’s as big as a horse.
Once in a while there’s even time for laying down on the job. It’s a hard life Mr. Jimmy! 
There’s always time for good food though. We do eat well at fish camp. Mo is the “Kitchen Queen”.
These enchiladas were amazeballs.
Dessert even. Oy I ate too much.
Dean does a damned fine job of grilling. He usually works all day then comes down to the beach at night. He can sure cook up some delicious food even after working a full day.
This year was a bit overcast and drizzling so the camp stove was a must. We enjoyed its warmth under our dry canopy.
This old fire pit of Niki’s sure has been handy. One bent leg gets propped up in a rock. And a salvaged oven rack with two pieces of rebar makes a nice cooking surface. Hey, we’re Alaskans, we make do.
The kids are always up for a wienie roast. Which is good for when camp isn’t set up and we have no kitchen. 
Putting the nets away for the night. We pull them, stretch them out and flag repairs, Jane takes the time to carefully mend each one, then we gather and store the nets up beach. Get up the next day and start over again.
Here’s to having a warm, dry kitchen out of the wind. L’chaim!
And that’s a wrap. Another year in the books. Smoked salmon and plain jarred salmon adorn our pantry shelves. Life is good.#alaskalife
#fishingalaska
#subsistancefishing
#bitchescatchfishes
Last year for the Personal Use Fishery, my friend Niki invited me to join her using another friend’s setnet site and gear, and try our hand at setnet fishing. We got our feet wet literally and figuratively, but didn’t do that great at the fishing.
Fast forward to this year and we decided to do it ourselves along with another friend Moira. Niki found a deal on two used nets, one in good, usable condition, and the other in need of new net. We worked together with another set of friends, Caleb & Kayla, to figure out what we needed for our rigging and for repairing the second net. Kayla it turns out, likes to hang net and helped us out greatly by hanging the entire new netting on our second net!
Photo credit: Niki P Kayla hanging new net on the corkline.
Out of our little cooperative of friends we ended up with help from so many people. The Parrish’s (we had two Parrish families!) helped setting up our rigging and figuring out which set-up we liked the best. Mr. P has mad skills at the fish filleting. Ms. Jane can repair a net and set a net out even at nearly high tide.
Photo credit: Kaylena M. Jane replacing a torn section of net.
Photo credit: Brandi W. Mr. P, Juniper and Dean working on the cleaning table whilst Thing 2 and Lil Bit observe.
Moira ran a mad kitchen and has some fabo skills at campfire cooking. She can also set a net out on her own which is no small feat I might ad. Between the three of us we have 11 kids I think, so there were little people everywhere at any given time, ranging from 22 months to 13+ years. It was a lot of fun.
Photo credit: Moira I. Campfire fajitas almost ready!
Juniper was a real trooper, coming out regularly to lend a helping hand and bringing gear. Her awesome “1972 Tent” housed my family for the duration comfortably, except for that one rainy night… but we all dried out good the next day!
Kaylena didn’t bat an eye at getting into the messy work of cleaning and filleting the fish. She brought a cheerful little pup to camp too, a favorite of the children.
The Schwartz family brought out goodies and supplies, and hours of entertainment for the kiddos.
Photo credit: Niki P
Moira and Annie 4-wheeling it.
There were a few other folks who came to lend a hand and left with a few fish, all of which were appreciated. And many a campfire were burnt and enjoyed on the beach.
Photo credit: Kayleena M. Campfire time!
All in all we caught over 300 fish total for our cooperative which included two kings and several Kenai Reds (which are larger than the Kasilof Reds). We set up a canning kitchen and started canning right on the beach.
Photo Credit: Niki P. Salmon in jars.
Photo credit: Brandi W
Sand fish being hauled to the cleaning table.
It was a great Alaskan experience. The kids had daily geological, meteorological and nautical lessons right in front of their eyes. The divers biology, from finding a live crab in the neighbor’s net to many pieces of dead crabs left over from the previous tide, to the eagles taking the fish waste and dive-bombing the seagulls, to various seashells and sea glass, every day was a new discovery.
Photo credit: Brandi W.
Feather collecting child.
It was seriously exhausting and yet so very rewarding. I am greatly looking forward to next year and doing this all over again!!
Photo credit: Kaylena M.
A tired Gus sleep-guarding the net.
Photo credit: Moira I
4-wheeler fun!
Thanks to everyone making this year’s fish camp a success!
Photo credit: Moira I.
A beautiful ending to a beautiful day.
Alaska on my mind... 