Otis Fishing Report for September 17, 2023: As we login into Netflix for some Sunday night relaxation and check River Watch “one more time” (that’d be the 364th time today), we see a bear that looks remarkably like… OTIS! That’s not really saying much because we don’t actually have our glasses on and that phone screen is small. At the risk of appearing like we don’t know what we’re doing — I mean… who can’t recognize the bear they count fish for lol — we post anyway: IS THAT OUR BOY?
And just like that… at 3:00 p.m. Katmai time, Otis glides right back into the hearts of chatters across the globe! ♥
We’re only a minute in, and already our chonky boy is chomping! And for those of you worried about his shapely shape, Otis twirls around to show us all sides — including his cute tushy side. 😉 He’s looking fit and fat, much to the delight of cam viewers!
Anyone who knows Otis knows “slow and steady” defines him. It’s his motto. A core belief. No wasted energy. What.So.Ever. And we’re guessing CamOps are thinking they’ve got an easy 3- or 6-minute span when Otis is on screen, yeah? (No offense intended, CamOps!) Well a couple of minutes in, Otis takes our CamOp by complete surprise and RUNS for a live FISH and in a blink, he’s off cam. CamOp recovers quickly and Otis is already sitting down to savor his feisty feast (there was a wiggle, folks!).
Minutes after that, Otis POUNCES and grabs another wiggling fresh catch and enjoys every single bit of it, while the Alices gaze in awe.
We’re 20 minutes in, and Otis saunters behind the tall grasses. We see Who Bear marking a tree, and Otis magically appears again. He picks up a morsel (that’s less than a scrap even, if you’re counting), snorkels, and Meander Fishes, as Otis does. At 25 minutes in, we lose him again, and we’re thinking the odds are he’s headed for the Falls. Where 32 Chunk is swilling salmon in Otis’ Office. Queue Jaws soundtrack…
We’re not wrong, but it’s an entire hour later before Otis arrival at Alice’s Restaurant. The wait staff has set a place for him and beckons him to dine, but Otis has his eyes on Fish Inspections in his Office. Slow and steady, as our boy likes it — there’s no need to alarm Chunk the Hunk just yet.
Otis hops on the Conveyor in hopes for two things (probably): First, Fish and second, that a keen Side-Eye Chunk’s way will to get the Big Furry Boulder to leave the Office.
Unfortunately, the side-eyeing gig doesn’t go as planned. Chunk comes out of the Office and chases Otis off the Conveyor.
Or maybe it does… Otis loops back toward his Office during the chase, and Chunk keeps going toward the Riffles. Ah, all’s well that ends well! And THAT is how we got here. 🙂
Finding no fish in his Office, Otis decides to head out. He has a little tête-à-tête with Who Bear (602 maybe?) coming into the Office, and heads back Down River just 20ish minutes later.
As a smart bear does, Otis mostly hugs the River bank in search of scraps and DOAs. He turns at the corner past Riffles, and off cam he wanders.
We presume we’ll pick him up in the Lower River, but for now we’ll bid you adieu, so we can get some snoozles of our own (yes, it’s early, even in this time zone lol), and we’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow. Total fish count from 3:00 p.m. to about 5:00 p.m. is 2 Fish + 2 Scraps on cam!
Happy Otis Returns Day for the third time of the 2023 season, and until tomorrow, wishes for fishes and fat bear bums! ♥
Bear cam images in this post are copyright National Park Service and/or Explore.org
