Sir James Meets The King

James and I loved New York fishing. Thirty miles north of Syracuse, we fished the Salmon River and its tributaries, learning together, as we were newcomers to the area.

Catching a King is not for the timid. They fight when you hook them. They fight while you put them on the stringer. They fight while they are on the stringer. A stronger fish is hard to find. Watch out for their teeth!

Thirty Five pound fish, knee-deep water! Who would have thunk it?

James caught the rare, almost extinct, and highly desirable "Striped King Salmon". That's our story, and we're sticking to it.

The St. Augustine Record printed our picture holding the newspaper along with our six kings (the limit) for the day.

In front of our lodging, the Deer Creek Motel. We were so exhausted and hungry at this point, that we probably could have eaten the newspapers. You may notice that the Striped King Salmon that I am holding has stripes at a completely different angle than the one James was holding in the earlier picture. By the angle of their stripes, you can determine, exactly, what stream they are migrating back to. This is a natural phenomenon, not seen anywhere on earth. Click on picture to see the stripes.

Another daily limit getting hosed down in preparation for processing.

Fillets from these six kings will fill two shelves in the freezer.

The leaves are at their "color peak" in October when we visit.

In search of the elusive "new secret fishing spot". If you find one it is usually not secret for very long. Spies are everywhere.

Beware of flying hooks and sinkers when the King spits it back at you. Fortunately, he missed my eye. True story.

James was able to take a box of frozen fish to Steve, in South Carolina, and get a hug from the grandchildren. It is obvious from the picture, that the Preslar genes have certainly been passed down to the next two generations.

It was great to spend the night in State College, Pennsylvania with Verna and her family on our way back to Florida. I miss the fun we had on campouts when we were all younger. I'm ready to go again, anytime. Her daughter, Catherine, is the sassiest angler I have ever met. Her favorite expression is, "Bring it on!"