August 29, 2000. Today we arrived at our second cabin. The boat trip out here was uneventful, except for a dense white fog that rolled in and forced us to slow down for a mile or so. Otherwise the day was sunny and bright, and we saw orcas and dolphins in the channel.

The cabin is situated at the mouth of a creek, hidden in forest on a large shallow bay studded with islands and hidden rocks. We came in at high tide and carefully threaded through the shallows until we found it, surrounded by tall conifers and serenaded by a babbling brook that glistened in the sun.

The stream is crowded with fish. We caught humpies, silvers, dogs, reds, cutthroats, and dollies. The humpies are everywhere, cruising in small groups in the slack tidal waters, and spawning in redds in the sun-dappled riffles. The silvers are tough to find as they lie in the deep dark holes, and tough to land when they hit, since they fight like demons and jump repeatedly. The trout congregate in holes below the riffles, where they feast on drifting salmon eggs.

The chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), or "dogs" as they are known locally, are just past their prime and most have already spawned. They are large and fantastic-looking fish with crimson and purple stripes, averaging around 30" in length and sporting sharp, jutting canines in both hooked jaws. Some of the fresher fish will still hit lures, and I landed two today, after quite a tussle on my ultralight spinning rig.

There is a large black bear that has been fishing the far bank in the mornings and evenings. He seems focused on fishing and mostly ignores us, even when close enough to be within casting range. He did chase Joyce back into the cabin once...maybe she was catching too many of his fish.