Alaskans don waders, grab very big nets and go dipnetting

Alaska fishing tradition thrives: dipnetting

KENAI, Alaska — Sean Boulay had a grin plastered across his face a couple of hours after donning his waders, wheeling his blue and white cooler onto the sand and sticking a large net into the water.

The unsuspecting sockeye salmon soon were swimming into his net one after another.

His catch was the result of a uniquely Alaskan activity called dipnetting. For a few precious weeks in midsummer, residents obtain free permits to dip homemade nets into the water and catch fish that will fill their freezers and pantries for months to come.