Annual Kenai Cannery Ladies Retreat: August 2021
When we arrived at the Cannery Lodge we were greeted with gorgeous summer weather and champagne at the Hen House. All the ladies gathered here, introducing themselves and visiting, before we were shown to our rooms. We all met for dinner at the Cannery Club on property and it was fantastic. We were able to meet our Guides, Dallas Voss, Erin Shoen, and Kasey Loomis as well as and the owner of the Cannery Lodge.
The next day we started with an early breakfast before getting on the shuttle to take us to our boat launch for a full day of fishing. The ladies had their choice of fishing for Trout or SIlver Salmon. We were able to meet up with the rest of the group for a shore lunch on the river and catch up on how the day was going so far. We then fished the rest of the afternoon and once back to the lodge, we were able to get a small break to freshen up and later meet for a restorative yoga session with Creatix of Shapeshifting Wellness, Molly Cerridwen Brooks. In addition to being a certified Yoga Therapist, Molly is also a Yupík Traditional Healer with strong roots in Alaska. It was wonderful to relax after a day on the water and Molly is an excellent instructor. Her class was much appreciated. After yoga we met again at The Cannery Club for dinner prepared by the private chef at The Cannery Lodge, Chef Tiffany.
"We fished the entire day and did, in fact, all limit out on Silvers."
The third day we met for breakfast and hopped on the shuttle again to the boat launch. The weather was still amazing and it was looking to be a great day. Today some of the ladies changed it up and switched boats to fish for Trout or SIlvers. Everyone fishing Silvers the day before limited out, so if that was the case today, we would meet at lunch and switch boats so everyone could keep fishing with such fortune. We fished the entire day and did, in fact, all limit out on Silvers.
Once back to the boat launch, Kasey, one of our Guides, filleted all of the fish and we headed back to The Cannery. We then took a small break to relax and the group met back up for an amazing cooking class followed by dinner.
On the last day we had a half day of fishing. We did well on our final boat trip and some gorgeous fish were caught. After we were done we stopped at the fish packing place and picked up all of our fish from the weekend. All in all, each lady went home with 12-15 lbs of Silver Salmon. We split it all evenly as there was plenty to go around. Some of the ladies even chose to fly home with it so we had it packed in fish boxes for them.
This trip was a huge success and we could not have asked for better weather, activities, Guides, Lodging, or Food. The ladies got to experience fishing for multiple species of fish and even how to make Russian Pelmeni’s! Overall we had a great time and are excited to be offering this trip again next year!
Libby Ouellette is the Wholesale Manager for Fishe Wear and has been hosting the Kenai Cannery Ladies Retreat with Women's FlyFishing™ for over 3 years. Originally from Gorham, New Hampshire, Libby enjoys Backcountry Hiking, Camping, and adventuring with her furbaby, Fenway. When she is not recreating with friends she can often be found volunteering with Challenge Alaska's Adaptive Skiing and Snowboard Program for individuals of all ages with disabilities.