Jenny Marrs may have spent most of her Alaska fishing trip untangling lines and accidentally smacking herself in the face with a fishing weight, but the HGTV star says the family adventure was worth every embarrassing moment.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, the “Fixer to Fabulous” star shared that the outing marked husband Dave Marrs’ lifelong dream of catching salmon on Alaska’s Kenai River.
Family Adventure
Jenny gave a permanent spot on her Instagram grid to the memories she created with her husband and children during their dream getaway to Alaska.
“Dave’s mom lived in Alaska for a few years after nursing school. At the time, her mom and stepdad were living here because he was making a living as a commercial fisherman. Fishing is in his family’s blood. It’s what they do for fun and what he grew up doing. It’s what Nana Marrs taught each of my kids how to do as soon as they could hold a fishing pole,” the mother of five shared on Wednesday, July 22.
While her husband’s family has fishing in their blood, Jenny admits she had only fished one time before their recent vacation.
“My sister and I were bored with the adult conversation at my aunt’s house on the bay, so we walked out to her dock and grabbed a couple of poles,” she reminisced. “We didn’t know what we were doing and got bored quickly because we didn’t catch anything (I’m fairly certain we didn’t use any bait). Growing up, I preferred a book on the beach rather than a fishing pole.”
While it was never her favorite pastime, Jenny wanted to make the family trip one to remember for her husband, whose lifelong dream it had been to catch “salmon on the Kenai river during the salmon run in July.”
“When I booked the day, I knew we all had to experience this together. So, instead of being the photographer while everyone else fishes, I can count fishing on the Kenai as my second fishing experience. Pretty incredible!” she shared.
A Fishing Mishap
Dave’s dream was realized as the family caught a collective 156.8 pounds of sockeye salmon. However, it didn’t come without a few mishaps.
“Charlotte was the first person to hit her limit of six,” Jenny shared. “I started the day by whacking myself in the face with my line weight, my dad fell in the river, we laughed a LOT, and we are all most assuredly tucking the memories from this day away forever and ever.”
The trip was especially memorable as the family recently lost Dave’s mother, Donna Marrs.
“So broken hearted right now but I know heaven is a better place with my Mom there,” the HGTV shared via social media in September 2025. Jenny added, “We don’t know how to move forward here without you but I promise we will try our best.”
Amid the family’s trip to Alaska, Dave’s sister-in-law, Karey Marrs, commented, “I love this SO much! Well done! Donna was smiling from above and so proud of all of you! 😍”
“I thought of her so much yesterday! She would have loved this!” Jenny responded.
