Otis Fishing Report UPDATE for September 22, 2023: It turns out for all our need to be off cams yesterday that we only missed 35 minutes of viewing time based on the 12-hour cache. Not too bad! Now we only watched all of River Watch and a few snips at the Falls, but we think we have the rest of the story as wrapped up as possible…
This morning, we pick up on River Watch and see a Splooting Bear eating and immediately think “Oh, look — Otis!” and then we think to ourselves, “But Otis doesn’t Sploot” (therefore, Splooting Otis should be coming to a theater near you soon! Bwahaha) and then we put on our glasses and see it looks more like 274 Overflow. 😉 (Yes, we’re fooled by his doppelgangers too!)
Around 7:00 p.m., we spy Otis swimming in the late-day sun enjoying what surely must be some Salmon Fritos aka Salmon Snacks aka Two-Bite DOAs. He heads off cam in the direction of Kat’s River View, and then Zig Zag Fishes this spot for a hot minute.
At 8:00 p.m. on the dot and caught only be the most keen-eyed of viewers, Otis appears at a far distance and right edge of Riffles cam. The Falls are quiet, save the sounds of rushing water, a lone seagull’s wings, and the rustling of red and orange trees in the winds. He takes his rightful place in what some might label the finest fishing spot at Brooks Falls: Otis’ Office. He stays only a few short moments, as the fishing is better this time of year at the River, but before he leaves we capture this breathtaking image of Our Favorite Bear in his iconic fishing pose with both Spirit Bear and Alice watching over him.
Just as he’s twirling to leave, Cruiser captures this GIF of his departure, and Riffles cam goes to Highlights for the night.
Quickly, we switch over to Brooks Falls. It’s still live video and our CamOp looks to be in search of Meandering Otis — he’s nowhere to be found. But anyone who knows Otis knows he doesn’t run away from his Office (unless there’s either a fish involved or 151 Walker is chasing said fish). We suspect one of three things occurred: He wandered across the river close to the Falls and left via the Fish Ladder; he went up the Far Path for a Nap; he was close to the Far Bank and under a tree overhang. In other words, we don’t know where he went either, but we highly suspect the Fish Ladder option! 😉
River Watch remained stationary until dark, and after dark, it can be quite difficult to ID any bear, so we’re totaling the September 22 fish count at 1 Fish + 10 DOAs plus that one pizza from last night. And maybe a “root bear float” in honor of the bears! 😉
Hoping to confirm Otis on River Watch soon and report back later. Until then, Wishes for Fishes and a Sunshiny Day! ♥
Bonus Content: Downward Bear Yoga instruction on Brooks River brought to you by SuspectCelery!
Bear cam images in this post are copyright National Park Service and/or Explore.org
