If you ask the Fishe team about their favorite fishing stories, one exceptional memory comes to mind.  Years ago we took a day to fish together on the Nushagak, one of our favorite rivers in Western Alaska.  Our goal was clear: we were hoping to get lucky and encounter a fish that is a prize among anglers of all stripes — a King salmon.  The day was quiet and so was the fishing.  We trolled from the boat and covered as much water as we could.  There was an eerie stillness, a heaviness in the air, broken only by the purring of the motor as we made our way across the water.  It was as if we collectively held our breaths, waiting and tense with anticipation.

A shout of “Fish on!” from one of our anglers shattered the silence, and the telltale sign of a bent rod could mean only one thing: the Kings were on the bite!  Within seconds all four of our rods where doubled over, heaving under the weight and muscle of these incredible fish.  The air filled with a humming sound, as the Kings ran and stripped line off of our reels.  We sidestepped and ducked and contorted ourselves to avoid tangling with each other as we fought to bring the fish under control.

To be in the presence of a King salmon is to be astounded by their power and beauty and by their profound connection to the Alaskan ecosystem.  Born in our local rivers and coming of age where our rivers meet the sea, these fish spend their adult lives feeding in the Pacific Ocean before returning to their home rivers to spawn and complete their life cycle.  Also called Chinook salmon, after the Chinookan peoples of the Columbia River region of the Pacific Northwest, the King salmon is the State Fish of Alaska.  Kings have nourished and inspired Alaskan communities for generations, and they hold great significance for many of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.  The largest of the Pacific salmon species, they have been known to grow up to 58 inches long and 130 pounds — no small fish to contend with on the end of a fishing line.

We caught our limit of Kings that day and even caught a few more that we released back to the river.  It was the type of day an angler never forgets.  In honor of this memory, and in honor of these extraordinary salmonids that grace our home waterways here in Alaska, Fishe introduces the Kaleido King line to the Fishe collection.  Born from the kaleidoscope of colors in a King’s reflective scales and with a hint of purple (the color of royalty!), we hope that this pattern captures our love for Kings and inspires you to get out on the water for more adventures with your Fishe friends, wherever that may be.  

Kaleido King is available in Fishe’s signature leggings, dry bag backpack, canvas tote, wading belt, headband, neck tube, socks, and more to come!  Follow the link below to check out the new Kaleido King line.