Wolfe told Fernandez about the event when he came to work a few days later.

“With the moon being full at that time of the month, the tidewater moves in and out of the river; sometimes the level of tidewater rises three to five feet in one hour,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said Wolfe and Kutsch had been fishing about three miles from where the river meets the ocean.

“The chance of the wallet being in the same spot was little to none,” Fernandez said.

Wolfe purchased a new fishing license and salmon tag and asked Fernandez if he wanted to go fishing about two weeks later on Oct. 15.

“There were a lot of fish being caught and he wanted to get back in the action, so I told him sure I’d go,” Fernandez said. “I had just started vacation and didn't have any plans for the rest of the week.”

Fellow Sweet Home friend and angler John Kunzman said he would take his boat along and Kutsch was up for another trip as well.

“I had never fished this part of the river where we were going,” Fernandez said. “I have seen it while driving by and watched people catch fish there.”