King For A Day- Nehalem, Oregon

Mother always said, "Good things come to those who wait." And while the show from the 50's may have been Father Knows Best- we all know that should have been Mother Knows Best all along. And so it came to pass that a guy (that would be me) who has been trying to score a King Salmon since his first trip to Alaska in 2007 and who had gone zero for whatever in the attempts to capture the gold (it IS after all an Olympic year) finally "broke the skunk" with a little help (make that a lot of help) from his friends on the Nehalem River In Oregon on this very day. Halleluiah! Can I get an Amen?

Good neighbors. It's sorta what RV-ing is all about. Common interests, common experiences, good people trying to do pretty much what YOU are trying to do. We met such folks withing seconds, literally, of pulling into Paradise Cove on the Nehalem Bay. Yes, they were instantly good people. Who just happened to have a son-in-law, Russ Morrow at www.fishwithruss.com who guides on the Nehalem River for salmon, sturgeon, and a few other things. Not only did we get to hook up with Russ, but Bill and Kay Schantin came along for the day's outing and hooked several of the fish that the rest of got to "tag team" on for the victory of the day. Remember "It takes a village"? Apparently that is not only true, but it is true for what it takes for me to catch my first (and second) king salmon. Chinook, if you prefer. Either way, they fight hard, they look good, they have a black mouth, and they taste as good as it gets in the world of fish. The boat had four fish on the day: a 25 pounder, a 15 pounder, a 10 pounder, and another one a bit smaller than the 10. Works for me!

On today's slide show, you'll get a look at the surrounding area where we found excellent fishing, clamming, crabbing opportunities. Some good eats. Some spectacular scenery. And a whole lot more- but that will just be the overview leading up the the day on the water and if you don't mind the capital letters (with caveats)--- MY FISH . If there could have been a more perfect day- I have no idea how it could have come to pass. Mother was right again. She always (well, make that almost always), is.....

Don't you just love captions like this : The author, with his first two king salmon, 15 and 10 pounds respectively....

One more note- at the end of the slide show, you will see the roe from my two "hen" kings in a dish. That roe is, as you read this, soaking in a salt brine to become......do do do dooooooooo...caviar! Amen!

Pssst! Did you notice the shameless promotion of including the logo for Chicken Gold Camp, Alaska on my hat in the final shot of the slide show???