After about four momentarily-hooked salmon, I finally nailed one Sunday: An eight-to-10-pound coho at the confluence of the Skeena and Kispiox rivers!

This particular hen was well hooked, but I had some anxious moments when she got into the Skeena, where the current is heavier.

Fortunately, the fish ran out of gas, and I was able to keep it from getting into the main current.

After an epic10-minute battle between man and fish, I got it on shore, the hook out, resuscitated it and got her back on her way.

Twelve minutes later, I hooked one that that covered about 40 metres of water in about eight seconds before exploding about a metre out of the water. It dove down and away from me, with the line breaking close to the reel. That, folks, is a tackle failure.

"If it's that fast, it must have been a steelhead," remarked one of the local Gitxsan Indians fishing beside me.

The fishing fun wasn't done there. Another coho grabbed a gold and orange Gibbs spoon about seven metres away from me and went screaming down-river. The line broke at the knot, when is indicative of a less-than-competent job of knot-tying by the fisherman.

Two other fish smacked at lures, which broke loose then rebounded like a slingshot fired them. Although there were bystanders behind me, no one lost an eye -- which would have made it less fun.

The afternoon ended with another spunky coho, one that I put at about six to eight pounds. That fish did not come willingly to shore. It's amazing what a lifetime of dodging seals, eagles and killer whales does for a salmon's muscle tone. :)

Unfortunately, that one had to be kept as it took the hook deep enough to damage its gills.

At the end of the day, six solid hits, two well-hooked and lost, and two on the bank. I think I'm in the right place.

Add some eagles patrolling the skies, bears patrolling the riverbanks, and mountains forming the horizon, and you have the makings of a pretty good day outdoors!