"During my pre-teen and early teen years I had the pleasure of working for Brother Benish, a Jesuit Brother at the Mission located at St. Mary's, Alaska. He was an avid fisherman, the rod and reel type. Every Sunday we would go up the north fork of the Andreafski River to rod and reel. The best time Brother Benish liked to fish was during the high water period. One year I was one of the lucky ones, along with a volunteer teacher, to go with him up the Andreafski River for a week-long trip of rod and reel fishing. It was a two and a half day boat trip, fishing all the way, until we could go no further with the boat. We continued on by foot for another day along the shore and over the hills. Brother Benish always seemed to know the exact spot where to camp and start fishing. The grayling we caught, I swear, were a good 24 inches long and the dorsal fins were huge when they were spread out. For years after this trip and to this day I've seen a lot of grayling, but they all look like minnows compared to what we were catching during that trip up the Andreafski River."

By Ray Alstrom