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2017 SPORTSMAN CALENDAR INSIDE

MONSTER LAKE TROUT! Secrets For Interior Lakes

Ice Rod Tech Talk

DISCOVERY’S

EXTREME HUNTING!!!

WILD Combating AK’s

Weather

Harrowing Kodiak Island Blacktail Hunt

ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTIER EVE KILCHER Q&A & The Return Of JEWEL!

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ALASKA

SPORTING JOURNAL

Volume 8 • Issue 7 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Reale

WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Gary Gearhart, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Randy King, Jeff Lund, Mike Lunde, Dennis Musgraves, David Zoby SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Michelle Hatcher, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum

Experience Alaska!

WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines DIGITAL ASSISTANT Samantha Morstan PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTS Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com ON THE COVER With Alaska’s Interior lakes frozen solid as winter kicks in, many anglers will brave the cold for a chance — and it’s not an easy fish to catch — to land a monster lake trout. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224

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CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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CONTENTS

145

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 7

FROM ONE EXTREME TO ANOTHER Alaska’s weather is never considered boring, and at times can be downright impossible to anticipate. So imagine how hunters like our Paul Atkins have to prepare for multiple conditions far north in the tundra, where everything from blustery wind to snow and ice can make for a miserable if not life-threatening experience. Atkins explains how to hunt the Last Frontier’s extremes. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

FEATURES 19

ALL ABOUT EVE The ladies of the Kilcher family chronicled on the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier, can hold their own on the homestead. Eve Kilcher grew up living this way and married into the family, raising two kids with her husband, Eivin Kilcher. Get to know the resourceful Eve, who also talks about the return of the family’s celebrity singer, Jewel, this season.

125 BUCKS, BUFFS AND BEARS When his hunting partners had to cancel, Randy King went ahead with a Sitka blacktail hunt on Kodiak Island.

King, whether he liked it or not, was rarely lonely as he hiked around for a buck. Initially, he saw a lot more larger mammals like a herd of buffalo and some terrifying encounters with Kodiak brown bears. Find out if he managed to score a buck.

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FROZEN LEGENDARY LAKERS Every winter, Dennis Musgraves bundles up and heads out to several frozen Interior lakes in search of a trophy lake trout. The laker is not an easy catch for anglers. But for the patient and persistent, if one of these massive fish does bite the end of your line, it can be quite the exciting fight.

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DREAMING OF SUMMER As the holidays inch closer, visions of salmon and halibut are dancing in the heads of Lower 48ers examining the possibilities for a fishing trip to Alaska.

Field to Fire columnists Scott and Tiffany Haugen left their Oregon home for an epic adventure in Sitka.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 41 Safari Club International’s Alaska fundraising efforts 75 The latest in ice fishing rod technology 91 Memories of fishing cruises on “Eddy” 108 Friends bond fishing kings on the Kenai 161 A successful mountain goat harvest 163 Company profile: Big fish at Petersburg’s Island Point Lodge 166 Company profile: Ketchikan’s Salmon Falls Resort DEPARTMENTS 17 The Editor’s Note: Patience needed on some fishing trips 53 Protecting Wild Alaska: Hunting license fees increasing for nonresidents 53 Outdoor Calendar

Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues) or $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2016 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 12

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EDITOR’S NOTE

W

hat fascinated me about Dennis Musgraves’ story this month on ice fishing for lake trout was the fine line between quantity and quality.

Musgraves, who as a longtime Alaska Sporting Journal correspondent will target just about any fishy creature in the state, was honest in selling this activity to anglers who’ve always dreamed of taking an auger to a sheet of hard water: You’re not going to simply let your line down through the icy lid and pull lake trout up at will, he counseled. If you catch and release one of these monsters over a long and frigid day, you’ve actually accomplished a lot. But you might not catch a damn thing either. And I got the sense Musgraves was OK with that.

I know the feeling. Last month, I went down to California to fish on the Feather River, an hour or so north of Sacramento.

I was with a successful guide who consistently delivers king salmon for his clients. So with air and water temperatures cooling after the usual hot Golden State summer and early fall, I fully expected the four of us on his boat would limit out on Chinook.

Instead, it was a struggle. Over about four hours and despite moving constantly and switching up bait and tactics, all we could muster was a small catfish and a squawfish, hardly anything to get excited about. I kept reeling in what we believed to be kings Even if our correspondent Dennis Musgraves doesn’t but which wriggled free before I always have a massive could get them close to the boat. lake trout to show off It looked like I was going to get from an ice fishing trip, it doesn’t ruin his spirits, skunked. and we should all feel that But besides the frustration way when we fish. (DENNIS of twice failing to get the fish on MUSGRAVES) my line into the net, I still had the time of my life. It didn’t matter if we came home empty-handed and I’d be unable to post anything on my other magazine’s blog or impress my fishing buddies on Facebook.

Surely, I was warmer than Musgraves has experienced in all those subfreezing Alaska days without a bite from a lake trout. But now that I’m older, I understand that it’s not so much about how many fish you catch but how much you make out of being outside, sharing stories with your fishing partners and embracing that you’re not stuck in the office, traffic or on your couch watching TV. The footnote to this point is that finally, I broke through and reeled in a 10-pound king and brought some fresh fillets to family members in the San Francisco area whom I was visiting. It was the only salmon we caught that day, but when we got back to the marina we all shared bro hugs and high-fives.

I’ll send some of those vibes to Musgraves the next time he enjoys a day on the ice, even if a lake trout doesn’t tangle with him. –Chris Cocoles

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Eve Kilcher (right) and her husband, Eivin, are content leading their homesteading life near Homer. They’re among the family of off-the-grid residents in the Discovery Channel series Alaska: The Last Frontier.

(DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT ALASKA: THE LAST FRONTIER ’S EVE KILCHER EMBRACES COUNTRY HER OFF-THE-GRID, ORGANIC WAY OF LIFE FOR HER FAMILY aksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2016

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Motherhood has changed Eve in a lot of ways.

“I think it’s made me try to simplify my life,” says the mom of Findlay (here), now 3, and 1-year-old daughter Sparrow Rose. “Nurturing children and trying to nurture all the plants and animals I have has proven to be exceedingly challenging and stressful and difficult.”

(DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

BY CHRIS COCOLES

I

t’s become one of the most commonplace scenes when an earthquake strikes: TV footage of grocery store shelves tipping over and sending bottles of food and drink smashing onto the floor and creating one hell of a cleanup on Aisle 4.

Just imagine if it was your personal, locally sourced food – what you worked an entire season to cultivate, jar and store to get your family through winter – literally crashing into pieces.

Eve Kilcher had to endure the disappointment of a massive Alaskan earthquake wiping out dozens of jars of food she labored to produce in her off-the-grid garden. It was one of the captivating moments of the Season 6 premiere for the Kilcher family of Discovery Channel’s Alaska: The Last Frontier, which was challenged by last January’s 7.1 quake that rattled through the family’s Southcentral Alaska homes.

“The earthquake brought a lot of awareness to us,” Eve says of her husband, Eivin Kilcher, and their kids, Findlay and Sparrow Rose. “‘Oh my god, all my glass jars are just a mess in my root cellar.’“ What irked the affable Eve was how she’d stacked the items too close to each other, leaving them vulnerable to the many potential pratfalls homesteaders face in the wild coun-

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try of Alaska.

“Not the best plan; let’s make it to where there’s not a possibility that we don’t lose all of our food storage,” she says with a wry laugh during a recent phone interview. “Spreading things out and not keeping them in one place is always a good idea whenever possible.”

But it’s the rustic, turn-back-the-clock lifestyle that Eve and Eivin, his father Otto and stepmom Charlotte Kilcher, uncle Atz, cousin Atz Lee (Alaska Sporting Journal, January 2014) and others, have chosen for themselves. (The family’s most famous member, singer Jewel, visits this season; see sidebar on page 28.) The cameras might paint a certain picture that viewers have about the Kilchers, but it’s clear that Eve would be raising her kids this way with or without an audience getting a sneak peek into her journey.

Chris Cocoles First and foremost, I grew up in Northern California and experienced my share of rough earthquakes. How did the Kilchers handle the Alaska quake on Jan. 24?

Eve Kilcher Well, I think it was a wakeup call for everyone in this area, just because we haven’t had an earthquake that big in a very long time. So it’s just that constant reminder of the elements and the powers that be that we have no control over.

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Eivin (tending to a harvested deer), does most of the hunting, but Eve is capable of taking care of herself in the wild and wants her children to learn that way of life also. “Even if my kids don’t decide to live this way and make different choices,” she says, “I just feel good knowing that they will have the skills to come back to this if they ever choose to do so.” (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

And all we can do is just be as prepared as possible. But in all honesty, I’m so glad to not be in a city. It sounds a lot scarier to be there in an earthquake, and a little more dangerous [laughs]. We have open spaces and we can get out of our house fast enough.

CC I see your point. I’d always envisioned myself being in the middle of downtown San Francisco or some other big city when the “Big One” hit.

EK That sounds horrifying. But I think in a way we’re more

mentally prepared for the unpredictably of the elements because of what we live in from day to day. Growing up on the water and getting caught in storms, because storms pick up here so quickly – the weather is changeable by the second.

We are aware of that at all points in time, so we have a slight advantage there. It’s that kind of awareness leading to always being ready for anything because there is so much out of our control. All you can do is be as prepared as possible.

CC It was so heartbreaking to see all of your meticulous culti-

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probably some ungodly amount of money [laughs]. I don’t think about value of food as much as we should. And I guess that’s why organic, free-range food is that much more expensive. Someday, I’ve got to figure out that number; it must be jaw-dropping.

CC One thing about Alaskans is the resilience that the resi-

Living as organically and naturally as possible inspired the Kilchers to write a cookbook with some of their favorite sustainably prepared recipes. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

vation of food literally shattered in the cellar.

EK I sometime should figure out the amount of hours and labor that goes into one jar [laughs], because if you paid me a decent wage, how much would one jar of food be worth? It’s

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dents have. How much have you been tested mentally and physically living up there?

EK Yeah, I think I have, but I’d have to say it’s a different resiliency and different hardship than (people in other) places. I think about people who live in inner-city slums. I don’t know my resiliency in that scenario. I think I might not be very resilient and not sure how I would cope with that intensity. I have resiliency out in the wilderness; I have skills, I have knowledge having grown up here. [Eve lived on a homestead not far from her current property in the area around Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.] I have the skills and abilities to make me more resilient in this environment.

But I think about other environments and I can’t say if I’d have the mental resiliency and wherewithal living in places where’s there no nature and in some places where people are

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dying all the time. I don’t know; I feel like I’m so lucky, and in a way this is the easier way that we’re doing. Because I feel like nature is the ultimate healing force. But what makes everything OK at the end of the day is having a lot of family support around. And that’s also something that a lot of people don’t have.

We are trying to live in a family-based culture, and in actuality it’s a lot easier. I don’t know how parents raise kids without grandparents. I have an arsenal of grandparents because of remarriages, and luckily all the remarriages are with wonderful and amazing people. It’s funny: People think we have it so hard and we’re in need of such resiliency, but I actually think it’s harder if I moved to a big city, had to work a 9-to-5 job and never saw my kids. And my hat’s off to people in that situation. I don’t think I have it that hard. I’ve told Eivin that I feel like a queen in a castle in the most beautiful kingdom in all the world. There are hardships and we do work hard, but I think it’s all relative.

CC In the season premiere, you talked about your kids and how it’s changed you. What specifically did change when first Findlay and then Sparrow Rose came into yours and Eivin’s lives?

EK I think it’s made me try to simplify my life. Nurturing children and trying to nurture all the plants and animals I have has proven to be exceedingly challenging and stressful and difficult. And trying to take on what we used to take on has

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definitely become more difficult. Whenever Eivin has to be gone (hunting or fishing), it’s so hard on me, and so I think I’ve tried to simplify.

But it’s also driven home for me how important it is to continue to do what we’re doing for our children. The only way that I truly know my children are living healthy and eating healthy is (by growing food on) the land that I cultivate and I know is healthy. Even though sometimes I think it would be so much easier to move into town and not grow anything, I wouldn’t be aware of my food and where it came from. Even when it says organic – that’s great and it’s better – you still don’t know where it came from and it still can be full of pesticides from the farm next door. It’s driven home the importance of continuing this lifestyle even though it’s very hard. I grow an insane amount of vegetables – way more than we need – but I’ve toned it down a lot compared to what we used to do. I used to make a living selling produce and now I don’t. Now it’s more about, In what ways can I give more energy to my children and get them involved too when they get older?

CC I’m sure when you’re growing then picking the fresh vegetables from your garden, it’s a lot of sore muscles afterwards, but does it make you feel good that you’re going to be raising your kids this way of life?

EK Even if my kids don’t decide to live this way and make different choices, I just feel good knowing that they will have the skills to come back to this if they ever choose to do so. And it’s

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Singer Jewel (left, with her dad, Atz), is coming home to Homer this season when she reunites with the Kilcher family on Alaska: The Last Frontier. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

JEWEL SHINES AGAIN

While the Kilchers’ old-school way of life has made them a TV draw on Discovery Channel’s Alaska: The Last Frontier, patriarchs Atz and Otto and their children and in-laws aren’t the family’s most recognizable faces.

That would be the singer Jewel Kilcher, who hit it so big she’s universally known just by her first name. And why not?

She’s a four-time Grammy Award nominee, sold 30 million albums – her debut album, Pieces of You, went platinum 12 times over – and countless TV appearances.

But while she left her family’s Alaska off-the-grid lifestyle to chase and achieve stardom, Jewel has always remained connected to the show. She and dad Atz teamed up to croon the theme song, Now 42, Jewel is coming home this season on the show that chronicles her family’s experiences in The Last Frontier.

Discovery briefly teased Jewel’s homecoming – she made her first appearance on Nov. 27 – with the Kilcher clan.

“After a decade away making music and starting a family of her own,” a season preview says, “the prodigal daughter returns.”

“I grew up working cattle with my dad,” she says in a trailer

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touting the new season. “I’m just really glad to be back.”

The reunion was also met with enthusiasm from her family members.

“It’s always awesome to have Jewel back in town, and it doesn’t happen very often. I don’t even remember the last time she was back here,” says Eve Kilcher, married to Jewel’s first cousin, Eivin. “We go and visit her when she’s at her place in Colorado.”

Jewel’s son Kase – with her ex-husband, professional rodeo cowboy Ty Murray – is a few years older than Eve’s and Eivin’s son Findlay, but besides the obvious family ties, parenthood has brought the group closer.

“I adore Jewel. We get along in so many ways, as mothers, as health nuts, as foodies,” Eve says. “I feel like she’s been a great help in a lot of ways, and I know we were really excited, and it was so good to get the kids together. She’s just a really amazing person.”

“She’s very down to earth. She can glam it up if she needs to, because that’s part of the industry, but that’s not her M.O. She’s just a naturally beautiful woman. But the way she was raised was very down to earth. Those are her roots, always.” CC

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a set of skills that’s being lost.

CC How much did you hunt and fish growing up on your homestead?

EK I did not ever hunt growing up. The first time I ever went hunting was with Eivin when we went deer hunting in (a previous Alaska: The Last Frontier season), and that was really the first time, although once I went rabbit hunting right here on the homestead and I was equally as bad then. I’d have to say that once I started having kids, my desire to go hunting has lessened greatly. I feel like I’m in a nurturing mode and not so much a killing mode, although I know I had to slaughter all of my chickens for meat and I was crying. But it’s one of those things where I can do it; I can process all these chickens and get them in the freezer because I need to do it. But there’s also the idea of, do I need to go hunting? No. I’m more (comfortable) looking for the mushrooms and the berries, and I’m not as serious about shooting the deer because I have a husband who’s going to bring home the bacon for me and I don’t need to worry about it.

CC There are so many shows about the “Alaskan lifestyle” out there. Do you hope yours has provided a positive if realistic view on how Alaskans live?

EK That is definitely my hope, because there are a lot of these shows that are – um – less than classy. They show a different

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Eivin takes a break with the family dog, Tonsai. Eivin’s father Otto also continues to homestead on the show. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

angle of Alaska. All of it is real and true to some extent. But this is our angle and feel like it’s what gets me through the filming, which can be challenging at times. And it’s not something that I imagined or really wanted in my life. I’ve accepted it for what it is, and what drives me to do it is that we will inspire people to do what they can to live a better lifestyle for them and their children, but also for our environment. And also I hope it has them thinking about things a little bit more and thinking outside the box, doing what they can to think about where their

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food comes from. If you’re from the city, you’re not just going to live off the land, (but you can) question where your food comes from. Can you buy it locally? Can you go visit a farm on the outskirts of your city and see what they’re doing? Can you support a local farmer and help them out? It’s the people who say “We dug up our yard and planted a garden” that really inspire me and make me keep doing this, because I have to feel this is positive or it doesn’t feel worth it to me.

CC On the subject of food, you and Eivin just released a cookbook, Homestead Kitchen. We talked about how important it is

for you and your family to eat organically. Is that what inspired you to write the cookbook, and how much does it mean to you to share the bounty of what’s in your backyard?

EK It is important to me to eat organically, but just as important to eat locally. Knowing where your food comes from and how it was raised or grown is one of the important messages we are trying to portray. It isn’t about a stamp that says organic; it is about quality and sustainability that goes beyond organic. This book was inspired by wanting to share our ethos on food and bring people’s attention to the origins of the food we put in in our bodies. It makes a huge difference in overall health of the individual and the earth. We cannot grow, forage or hunt everything we enjoy eating, but we try to do as much as we can ourselves or from our community.

CC Is there a personal-favorite Alaska-inspired dish in the book, something that you, Eivin and the kids have enjoyed and has sentimental meaning for you?

EK Many of the recipes in here are sentimental and well-loved by our family because they all have memories and stories tied to them. Bone-broth soup is a staple for us and is what our kids are raised on. It has so many of the vitamins and minerals you need that are very bioavailable. It also represents using all of the animal right down to the bone. Almost every time we sit down and eat this soup, Findlay pipes up with questions about this deer we are eating: “Where did it come from?” “How did

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BEST OF GOLD PROSPECTING

“At this point in time, this is the life we want. We’re really happy here, happy raising our family here,” Eve says. “I don’t think we’d ever move to a city, as neither one of us would be happy.”

(DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

it die?” “Did Mommy or Daddy shoot it?” “Was it a boy or a girl?” This inevitably inspires Eivin or I to tell the story of how it came to our table and how thankful we are to have it to eat.

Of course, we tell Findlay the more soup he eats, the stronger he will become and the sooner he will be able to go hunting with us. Thus, his bowl is drained in minutes!

CC Have you and Eivin ever thought about the idea of doing something else with your lives? Not necessarily completely

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change it up and relocate to Chicago or another major city, but rather just a more gradual change in lifestyle?

EK [Laughs] At this point in time, this is the life we want. We’re really happy here, happy raising our family here. I don’t think we’d ever move to a city, as neither one of us would be happy.

If, for some reason, we had some goal that required us to be in a city for a short term for something like if I wanted to go back to school, maybe we’d consider it. I’d probably try for it not to happen (in a place like) L.A.; that wouldn’t make me very happy. But Eivin and I have traveled a lot to other countries – he mostly in Asia and me a lot in Central and South America – and we talk a lot about when the kids are older and kind of more teenaged, we’d like to take them to a Third World country and work in orphanages to help other people who are less fortunate. We just would want to give them some perspective just to get them out of their zone. But I think I mostly look forward to just growing old here together, living in this beautiful place while we’re young.

Who knows what life will bring? ASJ Editor’s note: You can purchase Eve and Eivin Kilcher’s cookbook at various outlets, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target and Walmart. Like her at facebook.com/kilcher.eve. New episodes of Alaska: The Last Frontier are shown on Sundays on the Discovery Channel (check your local listings). Go to discovery.com/tvshows/alaska-the-last-frontier.

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Hunters and hunting organizations are at the forefront of protecting America’s wildlife and wildlands. These caribou run free on the Steese National Conservation Area north of Fairbanks. (CRAIG MCCAA, BLM)

FOR A GOOD CAUSE SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL’S ALASKA CHAPTER RAISES MONEY TO HELP CONSERVATION AT ITS ANNUAL BANQUET

BY GARY GEARHART

I

n this day and age of electronic communication what would be the purpose of a fundraiser?

What does it accomplish and where does the raised money go? In the case of the Safari Club International’s Alaska Chapter’s annual banquet, it accomplishes a great many things.

Monies raised go to the many conservation efforts that the chapter sponsors. We all understand that we have to manage what we have so we don’t run out.

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A WAY TO GIVE BACK It sounds easy enough, but in practice it’s a day-to-day chore, whether it’s a paycheck, this year’s salmon catch, that 1 pound of coffee for a 10-day hunt, or the fish and game that make Alaska the premier state for hunting and fishing. The key is managing what we have now so that it will last for us and, equally as important, the generations that follow us forever.

That is the precept of the North American wildlife conservation model - an axiom that was put in place more than 100 years ago and has enabled us to enjoy the bounties of nature for the past Alaska conservation projects like reintroducing wood bison are at the forefront of the state Safari 10 decades.

Club International chapter’s fundraising efforts. (ALASKA CHAPTER OF SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL) Projects that SCI events have funded include Dall sheep and black bear studies; the sending wounded warriors on Safari Club-related programs. introduction of the wood bison; defending our hunting and In Alaska, wildlife are as much a part of our everyday trapping rights across the nation; education efforts; and conversations as the daily weather forecast. Whether it’s

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Alaskan outdoorswomen like Ruth Cusack (left) and Christine Cunningham are among those SCI members who help raise money for projects throughout the state. (STEVE MEYER)

the fishing forecast for next week or next year, the moose or caribou harvest, or changing Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations, there’s rarely a day or week that goes by without some aspect of wildlife in the news. Unfortunately, there are those in the news who are speaking from an uninformed, misguided or unscientific basis. It is imperative that we know the facts and science behind what really preserves wildlife.

Sponsoring educators and students to go to the American Wilderness Leadership School (AWLS) in Jackson, Wyo. is part of this educational process.

GETTING TOGETHER Every year we all get together for our banquet.

It’s a time and place where sportsmen can gather to talk about wildlife conservation. It’s a time and place to discuss the best ways to preserve what we have. It’s a time and place to gather with knowledgeable/informed people and show your support for conservation. It’s a time and place to meet and greet exhibitors from around the globe and plan your next outdoor adventure.

The Alaska Chapter of Safari Club International (AKSCI) is the voice of wildlife conservation here

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in Alaska. For over 40 years the organization has worked tirelessly with ADFG and state legislators to preserve wildlife and your right to hunt and fish in this great state. Without their efforts, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have today.

The AKSCI will hold its annual Sportsman’s Banquet on February 24 and 25, 2017, at the Deni’na Center in Anchorage.

This two-day event features guest speakers, outfitters from around the world, raffles, silent auctions, and live auctions with over $500,000 worth of fishing and hunting trips.

Tickets are available now at aksafariclub .org or by calling (907) 980-9018. One hundred percent of the monies raised from this event are used to support wildlife conservation, education, and humanitarian services, plus hunters’ rights.

Please join us and show your support. ASJ Editor’s note: Gary A. Gearhart is the SCI director at large and a past Alaska SCI president. Look for a Q&A with him in the January issue of Alaska Sporting Journal.

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World-class taxidermy like this Dall sheep behind longtime Safari Club Alaska member and local wilderness guide Sue Entsminger, will be on display at the upcoming banquet, set for Feb. 24-25 in Anchorage. (AKSCI)

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PROTECTING

FEES TO INCREASE ON WILD ALASKA ALASKA LICENSES, TAGS

BY CHRIS COCOLES he new year will ring in with increased costs for Alaska’s anglers, hunters and trappers. Beginning on Jan. 1, various fees will go up, a byproduct of the passage of House Bill 137.

“The new rates mark the first time in 24 years that hunting license and tag fees have increased, while sport fishing licenses last increased about 10 years ago,” an Alaska Department of Fish and Game press release stated.

Just $5 has been added to the price of a resident sportfishing license ($29 from $24), but hunting licenses will be significantly higher for both residents and nonresidents. Alaskans, who admittedly don’t have to pay extra fees for most game species tags, will spend $45 on a hunting license, up from $25 in 2015. But nonresident hunting license fees will now almost double to $160. A nonresident hunting and trapping license cost $250 last season but $405 this coming one.

“Alaska’s new prices are in line with other states; (they) are significantly less expensive for resident hunters because Alaskans don’t pay resident hunting tag fees,” ADFG Commissioner Sam Cotten said.

“The nonresident tag fees that are charged doubled with this bill. But even with that doubling, they’re still in some cases less than what an out-of-state person pays in other states,” Maria Gladziszewski of ADFG’s Division of Wildlife Conserva-

T

tion told KTUU TV. It should be noted that many sportsman’s organizations, conservation groups and guiding associations supported the bill’s passage.

“Sportsmen groups realized the need and started lobbying the state legislature a couple years ago to say, ‘Hey, we want to pay for this. We want to continue the partnership to pay for what we use,’” Gladziszewski added. “It was in the tradition of sportsmen paying for conservation.”

Alaska hunters and anglers will pay increased license fees this coming year, but nonresident hunters and trappers will face some of the biggest price hikes. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

OUTDOOR CALENDAR Dec. 10-11 Dec. 15 Dec. 15

Cabela’s Ice Fishing Classic, Anchorage (907) 388-4532 Application period closes for Draw, Tier I and Tier II Hunts Resident moose hunting season opens in GMU 9B, 9C and 9D (Alaska Peninsula)

2017 SPORTSMEN’S AND BOAT SHOWS Jan. 11-15 Portland Boat Show; otshows.com Jan. 12-15 International Sportsman’s Exposition, Colorado Convention Center, Denver; sportsexpos.com Jan. 19-22 International Sportsman’s Exposition, Cal Expo, Sacramento; sportsexpos.com Jan. 25-29 Washington Sportsmen’s Show, Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, Wash.; otshows.com

Feb. 3-5

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April 21-23

Eugene Boat and Sportsmen’s Show, Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Ore.; exposureshows.com Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Center, Portland; otshows.com Idaho Sportsman Show, Expo Idaho, Boise; idahosportsmanshow.com International Sportsman’s Exposition, South Towne Exposition Center, Sandy, Utah; sportsexpos.com Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show, Menard Sports Center, Wasilla; chinookshows.com Great Alaska Sportsman Show, Sullivan and Ben Boeke Arenas, Anchorage; greatalaskasportsmanshow.com Fairbanks Outdoor Show, Carlson Center, Fairbanks; carlson-center.com/ outdoorTravelShow.php

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A MAGIC MOMENT

ANGLERS WHO ICE FISH FOR LAKE TROUT DON’T LAND A LOT OF FISH, BUT THEY’LL CHERISH THE ONES THAT THEY DO

BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES

S

huffling across the snow-covered ice in the early-morning darkness had us feeling confident about our arrival time.

The overloaded sled we dragged behind us slid smoothly across the frozen surface, doing little to slow our quick pace. We were determined to reach a spot on the lake, set up and begin the pursuit for lake trout before sunrise broke over the horizon.

Shawn Johnson and I were up early on another outing for lake trout on the ice. We both knew from our past experience that getting out before daybreak would allow us a good opportunity to catch

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a prized laker, since fish seemingly become most active during the transition periods of the rising and setting sun.

After arriving at our previously selected area, we punched through the thick surface of the ice-covered lake with a power auger, set up a portable thermal shelter and turned on a propane heater to warm the inside. Three 10-inch holes situated side by side, with about 2 feet between each hole, allowed Shawn and I to fish on the ends and place a transducer from a flasher unit in the middle.

Before the heat built up in the fishing hut, we had already dropped our plastic tube jigs down into the depths and eagerly began watching the screen of our Vexilar sonar situated between us. The specialized ice fishing sonar device allowed us to see everything that moved in the water column below us, including our lures.

We worked in unison watching the vertical depth trying to attract fish. It took about 45 minutes for the first sign

How’s this for a fight: You versus a lake trout that bit your rig 110 feet below the surface. It might not always end in a catch of these elusive fish, but when ice fishing in winter, one of these monsters makes for quite an experience. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

BREAK THE ICE NOW Nothing is more exciting to me than chasing an elusive lake trout during ice fishing season in Alaska. The fish are bold, beautiful and challenging. Although most of my outings don’t end in bringing a giant fish to the surface, the anticipation and thrill of catching one keeps me coming back for another chance at glory.

Lake trout are a slow-growing, cold-water fish and part of the char family. Because Alaska Department of Fish and Game no longer stocks the species and it has a low reproduction rate, over harvesting of the resource is a concern of anglers. Catch and release should be considered for lake trout since there are many other stocked species available in strong numbers for table fare.

Ice fishing for lake trout in Alaska typically begins in December, when there is safe ice thickness and winter trails groomed for travel. The winter fishing season normally lasts through the month of April.

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Lakers are most active the first few months after freeze-up and just before winter break-up, although fish can be caught throughout the season. Depending on the location, bait and artificial lures can both be very effective in targeting fish. Make sure to check fishing regulations of the specific body of water you plan to fish, since many lakes have bait restrictions and specific retention requirements for lake trout in order to be harvested.

My friends and I have found that single-hook jigs with plastic tubes work very effectively. Using a single hook reduces fatal hookups and allows for a better chance at a successful release.

FISHING ELECTRONICS Vexilar FL-Series Ice Flashers: Dependable, easy to operate, and will increase your catch ratio. (vexilar.com)

PORTABLE ICE SHELTERS Clam Outdoors’ hub-style portable shelters come in a large variety of sizes and styles to protect ice anglers from Alaska’s extreme winter elements. (clamoutdoors.com)

ICE FISHING ROD Jason Mitchell Mackinaw Series heavy-action rods are specially designed for big-shouldered fish. They have the right amount of sensitivity in the tip to feel a soft bite and a stout lower spine to maintain control when reeling a large fish up to the surface. (clamoutdoors.com).

TACKLE BOX STAPLES

FISHING LINE

Using specialized equipment has kept me safe, comfortable and increased my winter catch rates. Below is a short list of the gear I trust and use when winter fishing for trophy lake trout:

P-Line 20-pound test Spectrex braid (main line) and 15-pound test fluorocarbon (leader) is a perfect combination to put on your spool when targeting winter lakers. (P-Line.com) DM

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A powerful auger is half the battle to get through a frozen lake in the Alaskan Interior. December is the opening month for targeting lake trout. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

of life to mark on the screen. A glowing orange mark appearing near 80 feet on the monitor, about 20 feet under Shawn’s lure.

Our reaction was immediate and simultaneous, alerting each other with the same words, ”There’s a fish!”

Since Shawn was the closest, he released the spool catch on his reel, quickly lowered down to the mark and began short jigging motions to try and entice the fish to bite.

It did not take much action in the tentacles of the plastic tube for the light on the screen to react and charge. The light on the screen turned bright red, which told us that the fish was directly under the transducer and sizing up Shawn’s offering.

“He’s right on you!” I shouted out, just before the strike came. Shawn quickly raised up on his stout heavy-action ice fishing rod to set the hook as he felt the fish slam his bait. His rod doubled over, bowing and flexing from the resistance of the fish.

The battle had begun and our early-morning start was paying off.

As he held on tight to the bouncing fishing rod, he looked at me with a wide smile.

“I think it’s a lake trout,” he said.

CHASING LAKE TROUT DURING Alaska’s winter season can test even the most seasoned ice angler’s patience. The moments of glory are infrequent, and hoisting fish after fish is uncommon since the cheetahs of cold water can seemingly be the most elusive fish species to catch during winter in the 49th state.

If you’re up for an ice fishing challenge, lake trout certainly can test your resolve and resiliency. Contributing factors making Alaska’s lakers tough to catch include a limited number of accessible roadside locations where the fish are present, low reproduction, slow growth rates, and the fact that Alaska does not currently have the species included in the sport fishery hatchery or

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A good ice shelter provides our author (left, reeling in another lake trout) some comfort in the bitter Alaskan cold. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

sportfish stocking plan.

I have learned how to increase my odds ice fishing for lake trout in Alaska by following a few simple rules:

OBTAIN BATHYMETRIC CHARTS A bathymetric chart is an underwater version of a topographical map. They allow fishermen to have a visual reference for structure, shape and depth of a lake bottom.

This information can be used to lo-

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cate likely places where lake trout can be found. ADFG has many bathymetric charts of roadside lakes in Alaska available to the public. I like using the charts as a historical reference, chronicling locations where I catch fish, and marking the chart for future outings so I can return to productive areas.

A least cisco is a popular baitfish dining option for lakers. A jig that resembles these fish makes for a nice presentation to fish with.

(DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

USE A FLASHER Modern-day fishing electronics is the number one tool that will assist you in the deep-water hunt for lake trout. A flasher unit will allow you to see fish swimming under you and give you instant feedback on how fish react to your presentation.

Additional advantages include having accurate water depth, and being able to know what the water depth is before you even drill a hole (since units can send a signal through the ice). Although the devices can appear to be overwhelming for a first time user, they are very easy to operate and mastering the concept of using one is not difficult.

STAY MOBILE If you’re failing to mark fish with your flasher or the action is limited, you need to be on the move. A change in depth in a new location can be all the difference in locating active fish. Lake trout are the wildcats of the deep, and

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unlike suspending species like northern pike, lake trout are constantly moving in search of food.

Since ice fishing is vertical fishing, covering a body of water is much more difficult rather open-water tactics when trolling or horizontal casting. Vertical

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Author Dennis Musgraves (right) and his fishing buddy, Shawn Johnson, get rewarded for a lot of patience since it’s not easy to coax a bite out of big lake trout.

(DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

jigging can only cover the column from the surface; more often it will take several moves in order to find fish.

FILL YOUR FUNNEL The best thing any angler can do to

catch more lake trout is to go fishing more often. Filling your funnel with more ice fishing outings will eventually bring you a payout. The cliché is never more true in this instance: “You can’t catch any fish unless you go fishing.”

Make sure you get your fishing line wet, and do it often.

Applying any of these suggested recommendations in your own approach or adding modern tools to your equipment arsenal won’t guarantee

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Because these fish are not stocked regularly and there are widespread numbers of other gamefish in the state to put on the table, releasing big lake trout (below) and maybe catching them another day is a good choice. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

hooking up with a lake trout, but it will certainly increase your odds. All it takes is one fish to the surface in order to fully grasp and understand the addiction for pursuing lake trout in winter.

I am not ashamed to admit that most of my trips end without a single fish hooked up, which I am fine with. It only makes the lake trout I do catch through the ice much more glorious. ASJ Editor’s note: For more on Dennis Musgraves’ fishing memories in the Last Frontier, check out alaskansalmonslayers.com.

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TECH TALK ON ICE RODS BREAKING DOWN THE COMPONENTS OF ALASKA-WORTHY FISHING POLES

PART I OF II

BY MICHAEL LUNDE

L

ong before modern technology was used to help develop today’s ice fishing rods and other advanced electronics, the high-performance, high-tech world we live in spawned from a simpler generation of anglers.

Prior to construction of the first major highways in Alaska, ice fishing was a Native Alaskan tradition and practiced ritual that bonded families closer together while providing winter sustenance. Instead of high-performance, gasoline-powered augers, they punched a series of square-shaped holes with spuds and then established gillnets underneath the ice. This methodical system allowed remote Native communities to harvest large numbers of least and Bering cisco, broad and humpback whitefish, sheefish, and sea-run char.

As sportfishing opportunities on the hardwater expanded over the course of time, techniques and presentations were developed and eventually refined to help us target our favorite Alaskan gamefish. In response, traditional techniques later refined, coupled with advanced technology, broadened our horizons to increase our angling skill sets.

Additionally, advances in ice fishing electronics have allowed us to predetermine fish habitat locations and ultimately catch more of them. Therefore, with the blessing of this advanced technological era we are in, the innovative trends in rod blank technology, material options and

There’s a variety of spinning and baitcasting ice fishing rod combinations to handle all of Alaska’s freshwater gamefish.

But whether you shoud use a fiberglass or graphite one, or a longer or shorter rod, depends on several factors.

(MICHAEL LUNDE)

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custom aesthetics have allowed us to skillfully master our favorite techniques.

Here, we provide a comprehensive rundown on commercial and custom-rod selection to match technique-specific situations for targeting Alaska’s piscivorous gamefish in remote and roadside fisheries during the ice fishing season.

Furthermore, we break down graphite rod anatomy by covering three major material components used in the construction of traditional and today’s ice fishing rods. To improve your understanding of the fundamental principles of rod craftsmanship, we also explore guide specifics, handle configurations and rod-tip bonus options.

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO ROD SELECTION Choosing the appropriate ice fishing rod for Alaskan waters is primarily determined by a threefold combination of factors. First, the gamefish species of choice you are specifically targeting is of important consideration, and predetermines the proper power and rod blank material component. For example, the same ice fishing rod designed for trophy lake trout fishing will not suffice for targeting smaller rainbow trout in Interior lake systems.

The second criterion for rod selection is the technique and presentation you’re going to use. Each technique and/ or presentation will correspond to a given rod length, action, and power that maximizes the performance of the lure, bait or jig.

A third component is the number of guides. Longer rods will have six to seven interspaced guides, whereas shorter rods have around five to six. A rule of thumb is that the more guides on the blank, the better the rod’s control and accuracy, though they can also increase weight on the blank.

Finally, consider the depth that your favorite fish are congregating in the majority of the time. Longer rods perform better in deeper water because they transfer more energy to engage the hookset, whereas shorter rods perform better in shallower water. Overall, these cumulative decisions are indeed species-specific.

CASE STUDY: FIBERGLASS Alaska’s abundant distribution of freshwater lakes and rivers presents some of the best trophy ice fishing opportunities in North America. Although there are fewer species to target than in the Lower 48, there are still legitimate opportunities to fight trophy lake trout, northern pike, sheefish, burbot and Arctic char. With populations of 25- to 30-pound pike and 15-pound burbot and char available, a strong rod blank characterized by lifting power without reducing sensitivity is an essential requirement.

The development of fiberglass into rod blank technology allowed rod manufacturers to cater to experienced, enthusiastic anglers on the hunt for trophy fish. Fiberglass is physically designed to withstand cold conditions, exhibit a higher magnitude of toughness and durability, and provide 76

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increased power compared to its material cousin, graphite.

Under extremely cold conditions, graphite becomes severely brittle, which places large amounts of stress on the blank, even under lighter stress loads when presenting larger lures.

Given the tough-as-nails attitude associated with fiberglass, it is typically the ultimate material to use in rod blank development for targeting trophy fish, especially in combination with extreme conditions.

A GUIDE TO ROD GUIDES Rod guides have gone through an age of innovative exploration and modification over the past 20 years for both ice and open-water fishing situations. Each type of guide is characterized by specific ring inserts, mounting-to-blank protocol, weight, size, and material construction.

Fundamentally, all rod guides are designated to reduce cumulative rod weight, minimize guide insert breakdown from high-tensile-strength, low-stretch braided line, and minimize freezing. The slight differentiation among each guide type and material transcends into fishing technique improvement and performance. Here’s a brief fundamental breakdown of each rod guide with a corresponding list of advantages and disadvantages.

FUJI ALCONITE Alconite is a guide material with a base formulated from aluminum oxide. Typically, commercial or custom-made rods constructed with Fuji Alconite guides are relatively cheaper than silicon carbide. Common characteristics of Alconite guides include superb smoothness, the fact that they’re lighter than silicon carbide and full aluminum oxide, and feature increased ring diameter for prevention of freezing of guides. Assuming the frames are stainless steel, a thorough freshwater rinse and towel-dry should stave off corrosion for many seasons.

ALUMINUM OXIDE Aluminum oxide guides debuted roughly 40 years ago and are still used quite frequently on commercial and custom-made ice fishing rods. Attachments to both fiberglass

CASE STUDY: GRAPHITE The age in graphite has revolutionized into underexplored techniques designed to perform at high proficiency. Many anglers are familiar with the advantages of graphite compared to its material counterpart, fiberglass. When environmental conditions and/or biology lower the aggression level of the fish or reduce their metabolic activity, a sensitive technique and presentation is a requirement for detecting strikes.

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Graphite is the material of choice to consider when sensitivity is a supercritical component in your ice angling repertoire. An important side note to remember when selecting a graphite fishing rod is the number of modulus in the blank.

Higher amounts of modulus in a graphite blank translates into a rod that is significantly lighter, with increased sensitivity, and is more expensive.

Graphite is a disadvantage when it comes to jigging with oversized lures, because it places huge amounts of stress on the upper end of the blank. Additionally, getting a rock-solid hook set with an oversized lure (such as ¾-ounce baits) into a large sheefish, northern pike or lake trout is problematic because a graphite blank doesn’t transfer enough energy to generate the power necessary to set the hook.

Yet, despite these two drawbacks, graphite still remains a favorable choice in commercial and custom-rod selection for ice fishing.

ROD LENGTH DETERMINATION Rod length is an underemphasized category when it comes to ice rod selection. Specific case-by-case situations arise when either shorter or longer rods are favored.

Situations for when length is a significant determinant of rod selection include the number of anglers you’re fishing with, technique and presentation being implemented, fishing depth, and the fishing environment – whether you’re in a shelter or outside on the ice.

Longer rods should be considered when vertically jigging over deeper water. An additional advantage with longer rods is they allow for improved hook-setting power on oversized lures, combined with improvements in fish-fighting ability compared to shorter rods. In deeper depths, longer rods such as 38 to 48 inches in length exhibit more power for setting the hook than shorter ones.

If selecting a custom-made ice fishing rod, make sure you request specific fore- and rear-grip lengths for the rod. This will allow the rod-and-reel combination to be properly counterbalanced.

Although most ice anglers favor longer rods, shorter rods should not be overlooked. Their advantages include being able to jig downsized versions of lures or jigs, fish shallower depths and target smaller gamefish.

for fine-tuned presentations when jigging various lure types.

Common applications for Tennessee handles are rods designated for deadsticking, minnow-lining and vertical jigging.

A baitcasting handle is simply designed to accommodate to secure and lock a baitcasting reel. Baitcasting set-ups are and graphite blanks occurs. A primary advantage with aluminum oxide is that they are highly durable and tough, especially if made on a stainless-steel frame. Assuming the frames are stainless steel, a thorough freshwater rinse and towel-dry should stave off corrosion for many seasons.

SILICON CARBIDE Silicon carbide, commonly referred to as SIC, is a titanium carbide and considered one of the most versatile options for rod guides for ice and open-water fishing opportunities. Friction and heat are reduced during the formulation process. In general, reduced friction translates into longer casts. A common advantage with silicon carbide guides are that they can withstand the abuse from today’s superbraids, which are characterized by almost zero stretch.

Cheaper and midperformance rods typically don’t feature these guides and, therefore, they are specifically a common aesthetic on expensive, high-performance ice fishing rods.

STANDARD TITANIUM R.E.C. RECOIL This material component for rod guide construction is relatively new in the age of rod-building technology. The primary foundation for titanium REC recoil guides is revolutionized from a nickel-titanium alloy. A primary feature with this guide style is its propensity to spring back to its original shape, even in scenarios when bent flat. Titanium REC recoil guides are approximately four to five times lighter than other styles of guides. Another bonus is that regardless of the weather conditions you’re fishing in, titanium REC coil guides are highly corrosion-resistant.

Other common features include absence of ceramic inserts, hard, flexible metal, pliability and very light weight. If ice buildup suddenly accumulates, then it’s relatively easy to crack ice out of them. ML

HANDLE DESIGN VARIABLES A Tennessee handle is a modification to a spinning rod handle in which the spinning reel typically has to be duct-taped onto the handle to prevent slippage or misalignment. It functions to specifically adjust the balance of the rod with just about any size spinning reel.

Preferences vary on material components for the grip, yet Portuguese-grade cork remains an exceptional choice, thanks to its improved grip capabilities, especially in ice fishing situations. Multiple advantages – infinitely adjustable, light weight, fewer components to set up, which can result in less equipment failure and reduce hand fatigue – assist 78

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highly recommended for vertical jigging or presenting oversized lures in excess of ¾ ounce.

Vertical jigging with oversized ice jigs is more comfortable compared to utilizing a spinning rod. In contrast, lighter weighted jigs or lures are presented much more efficiently on spinning rod handles.

Personal preferences vary on lengths of the fore grip and rear grip. A general rule of thumb for length-specific selection on either is the relationship with the overall length of the rod. As rod length increases, fore and rear grips should increase in length. This is important because it allows for a

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The author’s collection of ice fishing rods include lengths of 28 to 48 inches.

He notes that as a general rule, as rod length increases, the fore and rear grips should increase in length for ideal counterbalancing.

(MICHAEL LUNDE)

rod to be properly counterbalanced.

A modified version of a conventional spinning rod handle, a hidden hood rod grip has a grooved indentation that

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allows for the spinning reel seat to insert easier compared to a standardized grip. Specifically, these are formulas for spinning reels and not baitcasting reels. An advantage of a top

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hood encased with cork is that it protects your hands from touching cold metal components on the grip. Overall, this handle conďŹ guration is a versatile option for hardwater anglers who prefer a comfort-ďŹ tting reel seat, especially in situations when wearing a liner glove or ďŹ ngerless gloves inside a heated shelter or warmer-than-normal conditions outside.

SPRING BOBBER/INDICATOR OPTIONS When ďŹ shing for smaller gameďŹ sh in Alaska, additive custom options are available for supplemental sensitivity to the upper third of the rod blank. Originally designed and implemented for panďŹ sh in the Lower 48, the application of a spring bobber and/or indicator to the rod tip increases the sensitivity of the rod so light bites can be easily detected.

Common scenarios for employing the spring bobber or indicator option include jigging with bait, dead-sticking, ďŹ shing micro-sized ice jigs, or when additional sensitivity is necessary.

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES Technology in rod blank development, guide components and custom aesthetics have changed over the course of time. In rod technology, the predominant world of ďŹ berglass evolved into the simplicity of graphite, which thus transcended into advanced material components, length dimensions and handle conďŹ gurations to create the ultimate lineup of ice

“FIBERGLASS AND GRAPHITE HAVE TIMES THEY’RE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS.â€? ďŹ shing weaponry.

As an angling community, we have incrementally reďŹ ned our ice ďŹ shing techniques and presentations to therefore catch our favorite Alaskan ďŹ shing targets with improved consistency.

With our improved understanding of how environmental conditions change the biology and how aggressive our ďŹ sh species of choice is, the availability of commercial and custom-made ice ďŹ shing rods has expanded to match technique-speciďŹ c situations.

At present, both ďŹ berglass and graphite have times that they’re the most advantageous option while the other material component is not.

If not taken into consideration, it will become substantially difficult to match technique-speciďŹ c situations when environmental scenarios trigger unexpected behavioral responses in our favorite ďŹ sh.

Continued on page 86

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Continued from page 82

Bottom line, by synthesizing through the key information addressed in this article, you will be more confident in matching the appropriate ice fishing rod with your favorite species and preferred angling techniques.

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Custom-made ice fishing rods excel in performance, thanks to advances in blank development technology. Many companies, like Minnesota-based Thorne Brothers, have nearly limitless options available that cater to multiple species and techniques/ presentations. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

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EDDY AND I AN ANGLER’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH HIS BOAT

Eddy, the author’s 15-foot Boston Whaler, has taken him on a lot of adventures throughout Southeast Alaska. (JEFF LUND)

BY JEFF LUND

I

’d get the feeling on a Wednesday, the urge on a Thursday and what was something like desperation on Friday.

Fly rod. Trout. Life outside work. I needed them.

You know, stuff that matters. So I’d fill up my coffee thermos and truck and head down the highway.

During my 10 years in California, that was the routine – well, as much as it could be a routine. The water I wanted was hours away through congested traffic. If I got there and was able to fish without being bothered by any other anglers, I still had to combat cars on my way home.

Any sort of euphoria or catharsis was ruined by 18-wheelers, overanxious BMWs driven by texters, overzealous Honda Accord owners with 200,000 daily-commute miles, and, of, course the myriad Priuses (Pri-i?) with “Coexist” bumper stickers.

My truck was my troutmobile, and though the drives

weren’t exactly relaxing, the escape in my rig was. That’s why fly rods stayed in there. Flies were stuck to the roof. Maps were printed and filed between the passenger seat and the center console.

I live in Alaska now, so I’ve got Eddy. She’s a 15-foot Boston Whaler built in 1985, and yeah, she’s named after the girl in The River Why.

SOUTHEAST ALASKA IS MADE up of 1,700 islands, with the best muskeg, creek, river, whatever always residing somewhere else. This is most true in the Ketchikan area. There are few roads and a large population, so hunting and grounds that are accessible get heavy traffic. Not California traffic, but heavy in a relative sense for Alaskans.

So Eddy and I fish and hunt together.

Instead of driving to the upper Sacramento River after school on a Friday, I launch and ride the tide to the Naha River.

I have no cover or windshield to protect me from the elements, so on cold days my face leaks from the eyes and nose.

I lose feeling in my lips, but it’s OK. It’ll come back eventually, you know?

But I’m not Huck Finn with his raft or any sort of special, enlightened dude. Around here, kids start running skiffs beaksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2016

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Lund, a high school basketball coach in Ketchikan, is a huge college sports fan and roots for his alma mater, the University of Arizona, but this time of year he’d rather be on the water than in front of a flat screen. (JEFF LUND)

fore they get a car. It’s a way of life. It’s part of the culture. One of my students made fun of me after I shot my first bear a few years ago. She killed hers when she was 10.

If we can’t find anyone to go with, we go alone. We hunt and fish alone, but it’s not about bravado. We take precautions, tell people where we are going, bring a radio, flares,

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wear a life jacket, check the weather, tides, etc.

Nature doesn’t care if you respect it or how much experience you have. It’s indifferent to things like that. Nature just is, and you can be in trouble even if you are prepared – especially this time of year.

For unmatched access, there is a price.

There’s no towing service out here – only the Coast Guard, which doesn’t need to respond to every call. If your engine goes out and your boat is afloat, you flag down someone to give you a tow. If you’re sinking and lives are in danger, then the officials come out, but the Coasties aren’t AAA. The point is, you don’t live in Alaska to spend the weekends watching college sports on the tube. I watch a game or two if the weather is bad or after a morning out, but there will be a time for that when I can’t launch my boat, walk a muskeg, get

Eddy takes the author to the streams home to one of his favorite species, steelhead. (JEFF LUND)

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to the river, or battle the currents. If I don’t do these things now, when will I?

IT’S COLD HERE. IT’S dark here. But the access to those pure, quiet moments is so close. You forget about the cold. You forget about the rain or snow. You forget about the dark. It’s there, and you notice it, but it’s just one of the things that comes with living in a place like Southeast Alaska. We aren’t locked in a freezer or bound by ice. It’s never too cold to be outside to snowshoe and then snowboard. There are always enough hours during a Saturday for something fun – winter king trolling, hiking, snowshoeing, snowboarding.

I’m an assistant coach for the girl’s basketball team at Ketchikan High School, so my winters are busy with games. Last season was the most successful in school history. It culminated in a third-place finish at the state tournament. Our semifinals loss was against a school of 1,700. We have 400.

In the aftermath, every Saturday for a month I went to a river solo. I celebrated the season. I celebrated freedom. I celebrated steelhead. The weather and fishing were great, and since my buddies rarely had a break in their schedule to go with, I went myself.

It’s a little sad, maybe, that I’m cheating on my truck with Eddy. I just use the rig to pull its replacement, then ditch it at the launch next to the other lonely trucks that have been similarly dumped.

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Of course the urge is still there, but it’s different. Because it’s so easy and takes such little effort to get out with Eddy, I never feel as frayed. I never feel that desperate need to get out and away. If anything, every couple months I feel the need to get on a big jet and get back into the world.

Even if it’s just to remind myself why I left. ASJ Editor’s note: Jeff Lund is the author of Going Home, a memoir about fishing and hunting in California and Alaska. Go to jefflundbooks.com for more.

“Because it’s so easy and takes such little effort to get out with Eddy, I never feel as frayed. I never feel that desperate need to get out and away,” Lund writes of his relationship with his boat, and which contrasts sharply with his California trips. (JEFF LUND)

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A GETAWAY TO REMEMBER

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J

“

ust sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery, and in a couple hours we’ll be fishing,” smiled Bruce Gipple, captain of the Huntress, as we pulled out of Sitka. It wasn’t tough getting comfortable in the 60-foot boat, and the Southeast Alaska scenery was breathtaking on this late July morning.

For the next five days, the Huntress would be our home as we traveled the Inside Passage, fishing for salmon and halibut, and dropping crab and shrimp pots. As my wife Tiffany and I overlooked the smooth water, feeding humpback whales could be seen in the distance. Bald eagles seemed to be on every point of land and a brown bear even poked its head out from under the spruce trees, scanning the beach for sea food.

For Tiffany and I it was like a vacation: No cell phones, no TV or internet coverage for five days, and every day we’d fish a different spot, then spend the night in another cove.

SLAMMIN’ SALMON “In a few minutes we’re going to start trolling for salmon right out there,” pointed Bruce, snapping Tiffany and I out of dream mode. Though we lived for years on the North Slope and I’ve been fortunate to travel much of the state over the past 25 years, this was Tiffany’s first trip to this corner of the Last Frontier. She was smitten with the rainforest surroundings, plus how vastly different it is compared to other regions of Alaska.

“We’ve been hitting coho in pretty close, so get your boots on,” Bruce said with a smile. Less than two hours from the dock, we were catching coho, and in just over three hours of fishing, Tiffany, myself and another couple from Oregon had our day’s limits of coho and king salmon.

As Bruce headed the Huntress north through the Panhandle archipelago, one of the deckhands cleaned fish while the other swapped fish-cleaning duties for an apron.

Soon, we were enjoying a delicious meal, complete with fresh-caught salmon.

ROCK BOTTOM After lunch, we dropped anchor between

The Huntress, owned and operated by longtime Alaskan guide Capt. Bruce Gipple of Horizon West Guides, made authors Scott and Tiffany Haugen’s week on the sheltered waters of the Panhandle more than comfortable – and productive. (SCOTT HAUGEN) aksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2016

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FIELD

DELICIOUS SALMON PUFFS AND PÂTÉ

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

W

ith the holidays upon us, now's the perfect time to clean out the freezer. This recipe works great with tasty reds, fat kings, delicious coho and even early-season chums and pinks.

Since the pâté and puff filling lend themselves to experimentation, recipe variations are limitless. I usually use whatever fresh herbs I have on hand. If parsley isn’t your favorite, substitute with diced celery. Smoked fish can be used but be sure to omit salt from both recipes. If you want to experiment without using the whole recipe, just mix a tablespoon of the filling or pâté with a spice you like and test it before you mix it into the entire batch.

PUFFS 1 cup 7 Up or similar lemon-lime soda ½ cup butter or margarine 1 cup flour Four large eggs Filling 1½ cups flaked, cooked salmon One 8-ounce package whipped cream cheese (at room temperature) 2 tablespoons finely sliced green onion or chives 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley Salt and pepper to taste Bring 7 Up and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add flour, whisking until smooth and remove from heat. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each. Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonful on a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes (watch closely). They should be lightly browned on top. Let puffs cool.

Work fish into tiny flakes and make certain all bones are removed. Mix cream cheese, onions and parsley until well blended. Add fish and gently mix and add salt and pepper to taste. Slice puffs in half and stuff with filling. Makes 16 to 24 puffs. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated.

Throwing a holiday party and have some extra frozen salmon? Tiffany Haugen has two delicious, spicefilled recipes for pâté and puffs. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

SALMON PÁTÉ 1 cup flaked, cooked steelhead or salmon ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream 1 tablespoon dry white wine 1 clove chopped garlic 2 teaspoons horseradish 1 teaspoon dill 1 teaspoon celery seed Salt and pepper to taste Work fish into small flakes, making certain all bones are removed. Blend all ingredients in food processor and garnish with dill. Refrigerate until ready to serve and serve with crackers or vegetables.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H), to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other cookbooks can also be ordered at tiffanyhaugen.com.

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two points of land atop an underwater tabletop that looked like prime halibut habitat on the depth finder.

“This spot’s been pretty good to us this summer, but we haven’t fished it for a few weeks,” Bruce said.

No sooner had the first sinker hit bottom than the rod tip started to bend. Within minutes a 40-pound halibut was on the deck, followed shortly by another. After releasing a few more about the same size, Bruce suggested we move to another area for bottomfish. He was confident that we could find bigger halibut another day, in another place.

Tiffany had always wanted to catch a big yelloweye rockfish. On her first cast at the new spot, she did just that.

“Are you serious!” she yelled with excitement as a large yelloweye – in its vivid orange colors – emerged from the black depths.

“This is amazing,” Tiffany reflected on the day as we pulled away from the rocky outcropping that produced a variety of rockfish in a brief 30-minute span. “Could it get any better?”

“Well, it could,” joked Bruce. “We could drop some crab pots on our way into the bay we’ll be spending the night in.”

SHELLING IT OUT It was midafternoon when, after an hour’s run, the crew used the boom on the upper deck to offload a skiff. With a half-dozen pots baited and ready to go, I hopped in to lend a hand. It didn’t take long and those six crab pots were soaking in the bay.

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We pulled the pots the next morning and came away with some fresh crab we ate for lunch. With the skiff loaded back on the Huntress, we headed out of the bay and were soon dropping a line of shrimp pots.

While the shrimp pots sat, we anchored the Huntress, grabbed our river fishing gear, hopped in the skiff and headed toward a remote stream. It was low tide and the mouth of the little stream was barely ankle-deep. Bruce assured us that once the tide changed, it would push in a fresh batch of coho, chums and pinks. He was right, and together we enjoyed the highlight of the trip for me: wade-fishing a small Alaskan stream for multiple salmon species.

On our way out of the bay we pulled the shrimp pots and collected all the shellfish we wanted. Dinner that night was delectable, highlighted by fresh shrimp cooked multiple ways and salmon bellies prepared to perfection.

Every day of that week on the Huntress was special. Not only was the fishing exceptional, the scenery ever-changing and refreshing, but the food, hospitality and staff were top notch.

Since 1993, Bruce and his family have been making a living offering unique, very special fishing adventures. When asked why he moved his fishing operation from the Kenai area, he said it was simple, really.

“Creel studies have shown Sitka produces the largest catch of saltwater king salmon in the state, per hour, per angler,” he said. “Sometimes, Craig takes top billing but Sitka is a close

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Tiffany shows off a bucket-list yelloweye, a fish that’s not only pleasing to the eye but the palate as well. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

second. And the variety of fish here is huge. We get all the salmon species, lots of bottomfish, trout and Dollies. And the sightseeing is phenomenal.”

Indeed, the whole trip was magnificent. We watched multiple pods of humpback whales bubble-net feeding, spied eagles up close, watched bears on the shore and took in captivating scenery from daylight to dark. The nights sleeping on the boat were among the most peaceful you could ask for.

The fishing was phenomenal and the staff members as good as they come.

You can tell, after so many years of doing this, Bruce and his team at Horizon West Guides – he runs a fleet of day boats – have it down. They love what they do, everyone works great together, and when your trip is over, there’s an empty feeling in your stomach.

It’s the feeling of not wanting it to end.

But with each passing day you’re closer to the next journey. And as good as this Alaskan adventure was, you can bet Tiffany and I will return, hopefully sooner than later. ASJ Editor’s note: To learn more about fishing Sitka water with Bruce Gipple and his crew, call (360) 887-3676 or visit HorizonWestGuides.com. Signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, A Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, can be obtained by sending $38 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or from scotthaugen.com.

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WAITING TILL THE MIDNIGHT HOUR

FRIENDS, NO-SEE-UMS, A NO-NAME STREAMER AND A MIDWEEK SALMON OPENER PROVIDE A NIGHT (AND MORNING) TO REMEMBER ON A KENAI PENINSULA STREAM

BY DAVID ZOBY

A

s we left Homer and headed north up the Kenai Peninsula, KBAY 94.5 played oldies that I remembered from my youth – the Stones, Hendrix and Rod Stewart. The nostalgia was overwhelming.

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My friend David and I are contemporaries, more or less, so we sang along. David’s son Rocky had just turned 20. Of course, he thought the tunes were lame. When Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” blasted from my speakers, David and I sang off-tune, making it obvious to Rocky that he was outnumbered.

We were not the only ones parked at the gravel lot. After

This was not our first fishing trip of the year. We had been skunked all season. When the river was closed, I drove up the peninsula and picked morel mushrooms.

The only one of us to have caught a king was Cathy, David’s significant other. Tying on one of my Mepps Aglias designed specifically for Alaska, she’d caught a 37-inch hen on her fifth cast and the only bite of the day. She took the fillets to the Lower 48 on a visit her parents.

That had been a week earlier.

Now, Rocky sat cross-legged on the bank. He already had cured roe on his hook, his bobber set at the right depth. A few no-see-ums buzzed him. David staked out a likely spot just downstream. It had been the “hot spot” the week before the river closed for a few days to allow part of the run to go upstream and spawn.

In 20 minutes it would be midnight and we’d be able to cast our egg clusters, streamers and spinners into the tannic waters. Even if our chances to catch a king were slim, we were excited enough to stay up all night. With kings, you do what you have to.

I had on a pink-and-chartreuse streamer I picked up in a fly shop in Anchorage. I don’t know what it was called; I had no idea if it would work; I tied it on in private to avoid any embarrassment. Still, it looked sort of fishy, like it might work.

I could hear the breakers pounding the shoreline just beyond the acres of marsh grass. Mist was blowing in from Cook Inlet. Eagles were perched on the deadfall waiting to see what would happen next, just like us.

AS AN OUT-OF-STATER, this was a rare chance, one that only comes when the salmon runs are strong enough to allow fishing into June.

Though I was thoroughly beat from days of hunting morels in the burns with my dog, Rocket, beachcombing along Kachemak Bay, and trying to get out to the halibut holes in David’s boat, I was the one who had lobbied hardest that we hit the river at midnight.

We had a short window of opportunity. By 2:30, the sun

An angler waits on midnight and the opening of a king salmon season in the Cook Inlet area. (DAVID ZOBY)

stuffing our $5 day fee into the box like the rest, we headed through the maze of trails. I saw glimpses of river here and there, and smelled the scent of moving water and decaying fish. Arriving streamside, we still had half an hour to kill. I watched the pool for rolling kings, telltale signs that the salmon were in, but didn’t see any.

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would set behind Mt. Illiamna and the no-see-ums would become fierce. The river might also close altogether in a few days.

Alaskans with buckets, spinning gear, fly rods, dogs, children, landing nets, flashlights and coolers emerged from the woods and surveyed the river. There was laughter and whispering. There was plenty of room. It was Tuesday about to become Wednesday, and the big crowds never materialized.

David had said that the best time to go would be midweek.

Despite their best intentions, many fishermen didn’t rally and come to the midnight opener. Perhaps they’d be there a little later, 4 a.m., when the sun rose again after a brief absence from the blue skies over Cook Inlet.

Someone counted down the seconds: “Ten, 9, 8, 7 …” and people began flipping their lures and bobbers out into the river’s lazy runs and deep pools. I heard “Fish on!” and a whoop, but it was short-lived as the line broke. The female angler had to walk back to her truck for another egg loop. She also returned with a thermos of coffee.

The bite was not “hot.” I began to wonder if we had sacrificed good sleeping hours. But then I saw bulges in the water as a few fish moved up from the rapids into the pool where I stood casting my no-name streamer. For no reason that I could determine, a king leapt and crashed right in front of me.

A few anglers upstream hooked salmon and began to wrestle with them. Their faces were grim, their concentration palpable. They tangled lines, argued a bit, but somehow landed

This 37-inch hen bit just a few drifts into a previous opener for the wife of a friend of the author, and while seemingly a good omen, it wouldn’t be that easy for the anglers that day. (DAVID ZOBY)

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The eagles began to talk. One took flight and settled a few feet from me. His talons were the size of a man’s hands. His gaze was hard to return. When one of the anglers hurled the offal into the river, the great bird swooped in and took it in his grasp. The eagle brought the roe and liver back to the bank and ate it only a few feet from where I stood.

AFTER TWO HOURS OF casting without a hit, I sat down to rest.

Rocky briefly hooked a fish before it came loose. Our hands were cold and the bugs were punishing. We were low on not just roe but also morale. But we The massive crowds that sometimes create combat fishing on Kenai Peninsula streams were could still discern the fluoresmore tame, considering it was midweek and the no-see-ums were buzzing. (DAVID ZOBY) cent bobbers as they drifted by.

It was nearly dark when Daboth fish. The kings were over 35 inches long, silver beauties vid hooked a fish. He let it run to the next pool. I saw the king’s that were probably new arrivals to the stream. Both fishermen wide back as it pushed over the skinny water and into a deep bonked their fish on the heads and went about cleaning them hole. I followed David and spoke to him about how we might by the stream. land this fish. David, an Alaskan, had been fishing for kings

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since mid-May, but he had not caught one yet. He had burned gas money, day fees and lots of cured roe without a single bite. I could see how much he wanted this one. He was hardly breathing as the fish made another powerful run and nearly hung up in a cottonwood snag.

I turned my headlamp on so I might be able to see the leader and help land the fish. David crunched up the gravel bar and tried to beach the king. I was taken aback by the size of the fish, which had a tail like a shovel. Its body was too big for me to get my hands around. I was afraid to grab its gills or put my hands in its mouth. When the tail flung grit and mud into my face, I decided to take him by the caudal peduncle.

I reached down and gripped the meaty section just above the tail fin. The fish burst forward, beaching itself. The hook came free, but the fish was on its side in only a few inches of water. I leapt on him and held down his terrible thrashing.

David put his rod down and came over to break up the fight.

He got the tail firmly in his grip and calmly walked the fish up the bank. He bled it with a quick cut to the gills.

Covered in slime and scales, I went back to my spot and started casting again. The bout with David’s fish only made me more irresistible to the gnats. Rocky moved down and joined us. The regulations say that once you retain a fish from one of these peninsula streams, you are done for the day. You can’t even fish for Dollies. But David was OK with that. He admired his king and snapped a few photos with his cellphone,

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then walked back to the truck and put the fish on ice while Rocky and I cast through the insects and gloom.

MOST OF THE OTHER anglers had abandoned the river for the bug-free comfort of their trucks. Some would come back when the sun peaked and others had gone home to bed. We decided to soldier through the darkness.

Rocky and I stood on the gravel bar and talked about fishing, Alaskan winters and what he wanted to do with his life.

David came back and helped keep our bait fresh. He was humming Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and messing up the words. I tried roe for a while but went back to flies. The day came forth as one of those blue-sky wonders you get in Alaska in June.

It warmed up and a new squadron of fishermen arrived.

Some caught fish immediately, which was hard to watch; it didn’t seem fair. As the day brightened, our chances faded.

I had been told that kings in particular are hard to catch on bright, clear days. Soon, it seemed no one was catching fish.

None rolled or breached. The river didn’t bulge, as I had seen earlier. The bite’s coming to an end – you have to get them first thing in the morning, I was reminded by a fisherman who had caught and released three. He was obviously a local.

Rocky mentioned breakfast once or twice. I was thinking about coffee and eggs. That’s when I felt a bump. I lifted my 8-weight rod and felt a solid pull.

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“I think I have a big Dolly or a jack,” I told David.

The fish just sort of hugged the bottom. I saw him struggle.

Suddenly he ran upstream 20 yards and did a somersault. It was a huge king salmon with my no-name streamer in its top lip. David coached me through the 25-minute ordeal. It was hard to take a breath; I was so worried I’d lose the fish that I hardly enjoyed the fight, which struck me as counterintuitive.

Rocky put his gear down and assisted. Others watched too, which increased my anxiety to maximum levels. David kept saying, “You got him,” but I wasn’t so sure. The fish, a buck, rolled on its side and the river seemed to flex and warp when it came to the surface and thrashed. The king was chrome, another new arrival, possibly on the last high tide. By the time I subdued him and David grabbed his tail, I felt a strange affinity toward the salmon. It was bittersweet taking the knife to bleed him, but that’s what I did.

WALKING THROUGH THE WOODS with the huge king hanging by

The guys managed to pick some morel mushrooms as well, an activity that goes hand in hand with fishing kings in June.

(DAVID ZOBY)

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my side, we passed other fishermen who were just arriving.

They nodded and said wry things. We stopped at the bridge and watched two fishermen fighting kings. One king came off at the last second. The other skidded ashore in the gravel and lay frozen, all of its fight gone. Rocky said that next time he’d like to fish that pool.

“If they keep the river open,” countered David. “It depends on the run.”

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No restaurants were open yet in Homer since it was still too early. We went to Safeway, grabbed eggs, sausage and tortillas, and David cooked a huge breakfast for us.

We checked and rechecked the tide tables. With our fish cleaned and on ice, we talked about going up the peninsula and collecting morels, or maybe heading out to see if we could find some halibut. But I was tired.

I dropped by K-Bay Coffee and snatched their free internet as I had a cup. I looked up the most recent fish count for the river. The Alaska Department Fish and Game keeps a sonar reading just upstream from where we’d fished and posts the numbers daily so you can see how the run is progressing. Over 300 had come up the day before. It was a below-average run, but showing life in recent days. Perhaps the state biologists would keep the river open a few more and give Rocky a chance at a king.

I struck up a conversation with a man at the neighboring table who had fished that morning too, but on a different river. He said his group of four had all “tagged out” before the no-see-ums came out in force. I asked about kings and whether they stayed in the pools or went upstream.

“Those fish you saw roll past this morning, by now they’re up in the woods somewhere.”

He motioned toward the hills overlooking Homer.

I drove up the Kenai a few hours later with my dog. We wanted to try a new burn area for morels and Cook Inlet

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The author finally scored the big king he’d stayed up late for, a result that doesn’t surprise anyone with a midnight obsession for these fish. (DAVID ZOBY)

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For kings, you do what you gotta do. (DAVID ZOBY)

was kicked up and rough. The radio station played the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rambler.”

No fishing boats were on the water and I thought about the Chinook out there, whether they’d make it to the spawning grounds, fall prey to seals or succumb to the gillnets. I hoped enough would flood through the gauntlet so that we’d be able

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to fish for them next year and the year after.

As I passed over the rivers and streams, I couldn’t help but think about the kings in each. It’s foolish to dream of fish; to go to the river at midnight; to plunder your bank account for a chance to fish in near darkness.

Only kings can make you act this way. ASJ

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GOING SOLO FOR A KODIAK BUCK AFTER HIS PARTNERS BAILED ON HIM, AN IDAHO HUNTER HAD ONLY ONE CHOICE: TO GO IT ALONE, AND SOMEHOW NOT GET EATEN BY BEARS

BY RANDY KING

I

t would have been an idyllic place to camp, I figured, if not for the Kodiak brown bear tracks in the sand.

They dwarfed my size 11 boot by nearly 5 inches.

Whatever bruin it belonged to was huge, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I was here on a mission: shoot a blacktail off Kodiak Island’s road system while hunting solo. And I wasn’t about to let a real-life monster scare me.

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Kodiak holds a certain mystique for th those of us from the Lower 48. Make no mistake: I am a seasoned outdoorsm man; that said, there’s something about an island with only 70 miles of ab hi highway and which features resident bears the size of Volkswagens that be m made it more extreme than my usual Idaho hunting grounds.

Id I arrived on a Thursday morning with only three days to hunt and was w a nervous wreck. An advance guard, consisting of my father and uncle, was co supposed to have already been on the su island for three days. My hope was that is they would have cased the joint by now th and had some valuable tips about how an to hunt Kodiak. Problem was, they’d canceled on the adventure a week out. ca At some point my stubbornness kicked in and I tossed my good judgki ment to the wind. To hell with it; I am m hunting Kodiak alone. hu My plans had to adapt to this new reality. No longer was I trekking into the re hills with a backpack and a bear fence hi to camp among the stars. Instead, I was sleeping in the front seat of a rented sl Chevy Silverado. I had to condense my C entire adventure into one suitcase, a cooler and backpack.

BLACKTAILS ON KODIAK are divided into different types: road system deer and nonroad system deer. That classification is important for two reasons. First, it dictates the number and type of deer a

DECEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

hunter is allowed to shoot. From the road system a hunter is allowed doe or buck and multiple tags per year. But on the road system, hunters are only allowed one buck tag per year.

Because of the road system’s proximity to the island’s population center, namely the town of Kodiak, and ease of access, it needs to be hunted differently than other parts of Kodiak. Basically, the road system is hunted harder than other areas on the island. When planning a Kodiak road system hunt, take that into account. If it is an easily accessed location, people are already hunting it, which is not unlike the Lower 48.

Hiking near a salmon-filled river on Kodiak meant the author would have multiple terrifying meetings with brown bears the size of “Volkswagens.” He quickly got away from the river.

(RANDY KING)

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DAY 1: THE LONG WALK At about 11 a.m., I started my blacktail hunt. I had picked the end of the road, literally, as my starting point. True story: Kodiak has a commercial satellite launch pad. Near it I ran into a maintenance guy named Derek. Being a social fellow I asked him what he thought of my hunting plans.

“Heading into that area sounds like a great idea,” he said.

“No one ever really goes back there since it’s such a pain to get to. That said, since there is so little traffic, watch out for bears down low.”

Near the launch pad is a place called Barry Lagoon and I parked near there. Pack loaded with the necessities (a satellite phone is a must), I began my walk to the Sacramento River, about 4 miles away, according to my map, and a two-hour walk, I figured.

In my research, I’d found a map that noted a trail parallel to the beach headed right to the river. I set out to find the trail, bust butt and scope some country.

No matter how much time I spend on hunting forums or stare at Google Earth, actually arriving at a hunting location and seeing the territory is gut-wrenching. The peaks are taller, the hills steeper and what you thought was an afternoon jaunt is more like a death trek through impenetrable devil’s club. Basically, a new hunting spot is never what you think it will be.

This was exactly the case on Kodiak.

To be clear, there is no trail to the Sacramento River. There is a beach and high tide, lots of brown bear tracks and no trail.

Four and a half hours later I set foot into the valley that holds the river. I had seen exactly one doe in my travels.

I cut across what I thought would be the happy hunting grounds without seeing so much as a turd from my quarry.

That is, until I came close to the river itself. There, I heard the distinct sound of a deer crashing through brush, and when I rounded a section of alders I caught sight of a nice track in the sand that was so fresh the edges were still getting wet when I arrived.

I had a feeling it was a buck – no fawn tracks with it, and it was alone – so I followed the track onto the river bottom (the Sacramento is nothing like its Lower 48 counterpart, more like a small creek, honestly).

Soon I was walking the sandy gravel bars down the middle of the river. A salmon darted from a small pool in front of me.

The edges of the river bottom slowly closed around me, the alder getting thicker and thicker. I tracked the deer for a few hundred yards downstream this way.

When I heard the splash about 40 yards in front of me I was hopeful, briefly, that it was a deer. It wasn’t. Instead, I was graced with a Kodiak brown bear, ungracefully trying to climb a riverbank and falling back into the water. I about soiled my pants since I literally had nowhere to run: The alders were so thick on either side of the creek I would have been lunch before I cleared them. So I did the only thing I could think of: I racked a round into my .270 and yelled, “Hey, bear!” Drenched, the bear shook like a dog and sauntered off into the brush, headed upstream but disappeared in mere footsteps.

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ODE TO THE GRIND Like most big game hunters, I am faced with the “grind” problem regularly. I have, on good years, a lot of ground meat and a family that will only eat so many tacos and bowls of spaghetti. To solve this problem, I often opt for meat pucks, also known as meatballs. This is my Thai-style red curry meatballs recipe, with white rice, green beans and basil. For more recipes on wild game visit my website, chefrandyking.com.

MEATBALLS 1 pound ground venison Four garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped Handful of Thai basil, chopped 1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional – it really stinks but offers up great flavor) ½ small red onion 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste Two eggs ½ cup panko or breadcrumbs

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Salt and pepper CURRY SAUCE AND GREEN BEANS 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 red onion, chopped 1 inch ginger, peeled and minced Two garlic cloves, minced ½ pound green beans, sliced into 2-inch sections One can coconut milk ¼ cup Thai red curry paste Salt and pepper 3 cups jasmine rice, cooked and hot Thai basil, chopped Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients listed for the meatballs together in a medium-sized bowl. Place 1-ounce meatballs on a tin foil-lined cookie sheet about an inch apart from one another. Bake meatballs for 20 minutes or until they reach 135 degrees on the inside.

While the meatballs are cooking, add the sesame oil to a medium-sized

DECEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

Tired of making burgers or tacos out of all your ground venison? Try a Thai-inspired spicy meatball dish.

(RANDY KING)

sauté pan. Heat on medium for two minutes, add the red onion and cook until soft. Next, add the ginger and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the green beans, coconut milk and red curry paste. Bring all to a boil. Taste and adjust as needed with salt, pepper or maybe even more curry paste. When it boils and the paste is incorporated, the sauce is done.

Serve meatballs on a bed of white rice, topped with the curry and green beans. Garnish with Thai basil. RK

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SIX LESSONS

After a difficult hunt, a hotel refrigerator managed to hold the author’s Kodiak venison. (RANDY KING)

After a brief “thank you” prayer and a change of undershorts, I continued downriver, figuring the upriver was now claimed property of Yogi.

I could hear the ocean at this point and knew I was close to being in open country. I only had one direction to go, and this time I was much more diligent and focused. Only about 200 yards downstream I saw a second bear crossing the river. He was calmly walk-

1) A whole Sitka blacktail fits in a hotel mini fridge, FYI. 2) If you line a hotel ironing board with towels and plastic wrap, you can make a decent cutting board for deboning a deer.

3) The area I hunted is overrun with feral bison, which are ranched on the island. It’s both cool and a little scary since they are roughly the same size/ color as a brown bear. When you see one in the distance, it makes your gut drop until you realize it’s just a su-

per-deadly bison capable of stomping you into a puddle. But, hey, it’s not a bear, which would only slurp your remains out of said puddle.

4) Unlike Idaho and most of the Lower 48, you can keep Dolly Varden here.

They are delish on your plate.

5) Don’t think you can build a cooking fire easily with driftwood. The island is so wet that not much that is openly exposed to the sky will burn.

6) In a cooler, my buck weighed in at 49½ pounds. Keep that in mind for planning purposes. RK

ing from one side to the other when he noticed me and stood up on two legs. I was running out of shorts at this point.

Luckily, this bear wanted nothing to do with me; it turned tail and ran.

It became clear that I needed to get off the riverbed badly. I found a bend that opened into conifers and climbed my way out. I followed the sound of the ocean to the mouth of the river.

When I arrived I quickly found out

why the bears were there. Silver salmon by the dozens were running upstream.

Basically, I had been walking down the middle of the bears’ food source. No one has ever called me smart, and this instance solidified that argument.

I fished briefly and unsuccessfully for the silvers. Across the river from me was a herd of feral bison feeding and not really caring that I was there. A bald eagle came down and grabbed a salm-

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on. This was why I was in Alaska, deer or no deer.

When out scouting new country it is always best to set a firm “turnaround” time. While seeing new country is cool, getting back to camp safely is even better. My time had come, so I began to head down the beach back to my U-Haul. It was on the beach that I encountered perhaps the most dangerous situation yet. It was a set of bear tracks. Smaller than others I had seen, they were also paralleled by two additional sets of even smaller tracks. A sow and two cubs had passed this direction. Luckily, I had missed them.

On the way out I stopped and glassed the peaks from the beach.

At the very top, just like I had been warned, were deer. I could make out antlers on one, but he was miles off, completely off limits until morning. I picked a landmark, a large tree on a cliff face, as my goal for the morning.

A red fox came out of a hollow log

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Just as massive as Kodiak’s bears but slightly less dangerous are the island’s bison. Their size and color made the author wonder if they were also bears. (RANDY KING)

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a few feet from me, sniffed the air and wandered off. I just smiled and stared. I now had a plan.

As the story goes, at one time ranchers ran cattle on Kodiak, but livestock doesn’t do so well against giant bears. Bison, however, fair better. (RANDY KING)

DAY TWO: DEER SPOTTED It was still very dark when I awoke in the cab of my truck. The sleeping part was easy, the waking part was not. Frost covered the ground as I packed my bag and ate a cold breakfast. I had my location picked out and I made a straight shot for it.

As the sun rose off the ocean, I climbed and climbed in the wet grass and weaved my way through alders and marshy meadows on my way to the chosen tree. I caught site of five blacktail does on my way up.

No matter how hard I tried I could not make them magically grow horns.

It would not be easy for me. Articles I’d read online often noted that Kodiak was not for the out of shape – it would test you to your limits.

They were right.

It was 11 a.m. before I reached my

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tree, which the deer apparently liked as well. Sign was thick and I smelled musk. I knew I was close but had not spotted anything for an hour. I felt defeated as I sat on a cliff edge to glass and eat a snack. This was supposed to be the happy hunting grounds.

Then, nature provided just enough to keep me motivated.

A doe and two fawns were feeding away from me when my stank wafted over to them. Three heads snapped back in my direction. Tails went into the air and I heard the momma snort. I watched as she led them from one high pass to the next in mere moments.

I smiled and shouldered my pack.

The odds of seeing a buck were starting to stack in my favor. I climbed past the cliff faces to a small saddle between peaks and I found myself sitting in a patch of barren dirt that was either a buffalo bed or a bear bed. I told myself it was a buffalo bed.

From this point I glassed the

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Finally, success on a Sitka blacktail buck. Still, there was work to be done for this solo hunter, getting his quartered deer down a steep hill before bears arrived. (RANDY KING)

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spines of rocks and shrubs that lined the north side of the peak. I spotted a doe, then another, and then … holy crap – horns! Instantly, my binoculars started to shake uncontrollably in my hands. I was short of breath and tried not to laugh out loud. I’m 35 years old and was getting buck fever like a 12-year-old. It was awesome.

I positioned my pack frame and tried to steady myself for the shot. The forked buck was at about 200 yards.

With the shaking continuing I needed to calm the hell down, so I dropped off from the buffalo bed and used a small ridgeline for cover to cut 100 yards off the shot. That little bit of stalking and exertion leveled me off. Back on the ridgeline I lay down, put the crosshairs behind his shoulder and let lead fly.

The buck crumpled and thankfully slid into a bush. Blacktail down! Time to go to work.

The hillside was so steep that when I tried to gut the buck I could not keep him from sliding down the hill. Eventually, I tied his horns off on a small tree, used the heel of my boots to dig footholds in the grass and started the evisceration process. I kept an active eye over my shoulder for bears. I’d heard the rumors that gunshots sound like dinner bells to Kodiak bruins and wanted no more of those in my life. Quartered and in my pack, I had to now get him off the hill.

I sat down on the slick grass, set the pack on my lap and placed my gun on top of it. I crossed my legs and began to slide down the mountain. I went for nearly 500 yards on the dewy grass, with only one rock finding solid placement on butt-cheek.

I slid into a different ravine with a small stream. At the bottom I found an opening in the river bed and ate lunch.

For the first time in my life I actually muttered to myself, “God, I hope I don’t see any salmon.” ASJ Editor’s note: Idaho resident, author and chef Randy King also writes regularly for ASJ’s brother magazine, Northwest Sportsman. For more on Randy, check out chefrandyking.com.

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DEALING WITH EXTREMES

IN THE HARSH WINTER CONDITIONS HUNTERS FACE IN ALASKA, BEING PREPARED FOR ANYTHING NOT ONLY WILL HELP ENSURE SUCCESS BUT ALSO MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

Author Paul Atkins, who lives in Alaska’s Northwest Arctic, has had plenty of chances to figure out how to safely hunt in the depths of winter and other extreme conditions. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

Y

ou hear a lot about extreme hunting, but really, what is it? How is it defined? Is hunting a bear more extreme than, say, hunting moose?

There are many hunting situations that could be called extreme. Whether you are crawling through the long grass somewhere in Africa (more on that next month in Alaska Sporting Journal) or braving the cold temperatures of the Arctic tundra, you have to be prepared. Sometimes the urge to hunt overpowers our senses, and we leave caution to the wind. And there are those times when you go when you probably should have stayed home. Extreme is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes.

Shelter may be the most important consideration when venturing afield. A warm tent that keeps wind and snow at bay and is big enough for a stove will keep you snug as a bug – though by no means should you forget fleeces and sleeping bags either. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

LIVING WHERE I DO - above the Arctic Circle, where hunting season literally last 365 days of the year - puts me in a lot of extreme situations. I remember a few years ago when the spring Dall sheep season for subsistence hunting opened. February in the Arctic can be brutal, with temperatures registering unbelievable readings on the thermometer and making going outside hazardous to your health.

Traveling 100 miles on a snowmachine can feel like a death march, but the urge to hunt sheep and hopefully get the chance to wrap your hands around a full-curl animal overpowers any thought of danger. Then again, it’s not exactly wise wisdom.

It was cold - 25 below zero to be exact - the morning when we decided to go, but we were going anyway. We selectively packed our gear, secured it to our sleds and left the comforts of town. The forecast called for the temperature to climb to zero, which is very comfortable for climbing mountains in search of white sheep. Howaksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2016

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ever, when we reached the halfway point the temperature dropped 10 degrees.

We pushed forward anyway, finally reaching the mountains just as darkness set over the river. Frozen to the bone, we finally decided on a suitable place to set up our camp, which consisted of an Arctic Oven tent, a wood stove and two Wiggy-brand sleeping bags.

Many people wonder how you could survive in these extreme conditions, but it’s possible. It all starts with the right equipment. If you want to hunt and survive in such conditions, you must be prepared. The Arctic Oven tent, which is made by Alaska Tent and Tarp, is a true wonder in itself, working in all conditions and easy to set up. It also comes with a wood stove that fits easily inside, providing warmth even in the coldest weather. I know it did that night, given the fact that we were dressed head to toe in beaver fur and had two of the best sleeping bags known Having the right gear to man. is the key to not only This sheep hunt success, but essential to surviving. (PAUL D. ATKINS) was a true test of the extreme, especially when we awoke the next morning to an unbelievable temperature of 47 below! We did not want to leave the warmth of the tent but did anyway, only to find our machines frozen to the point of not starting.

Having the right gear and being prepared is the key to having We knew then a good time and making the most of any adventure. Extreme that we would have hunting calls for extreme gear. Depending on the place, the to wait until late in weather conditions and the difficulty of the hunt you need the afternoon if we to be prepared. Here in Alaska where I hunt – or anywhere, planned to go looking for that matter – I never leave home without the following: for sheep at all. The sun is funny thing up A SATELLITE PHONE here: even the slightI once developed a kidney stone on a five-day caribou hunt; est change in temhaving a device to call out saved my life. perature will do wonA GPS ders, especially when Buy one and learn how to use it. Not only will it get you back it clears the trees, to camp, but they are actually a lot of fun. providing the warmth A GOOD SET OF BINOCULARS needed to pull on In extreme conditions, being able to see is everything. what once was a froWARM WATERPROOF CLOTHES zen crankcase.

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Rafts are essential for hunting Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many rivers. They provide a mode of travel and easily transport meat and gear from one place to another, plus they give hunters a sense of comfort. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

tent as fast as possible, thankful for the extra wood we had decided to cut during the day.

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The conditions looked great for taking a bull with a bow, and we spotted several groups throughout the area. One in particular was located in a shallow saddle that was accessible on foot after our approach. I grabbed my bow and headed to the top of a hill.

By the time we got there the weather did a 180-degree turn and a blizzard blew in. We had whiteout conditions with very limited visibility, making it a chore just to stand upright.

The bow became worthless and I traded it for the rifle my buddy was carrying. It had a subpar scope and seeing

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through it was almost impossible. Ice and fog had built up on both ends and I had to constantly wipe it clean. Again, extreme hunting requires quality gear, and when it’s not proven or belongs to somebody else it becomes even more difficult.

Finally, the bull I wanted appeared in the scope and I felt the recoil of the rifle and saw the bull fall. It was about a 250yard shot, but by the time we got to him he had vanished. We desperately looked, but he was simply gone.

The weather worsened and we debated on leaving before it got really serious.

I didn’t want to leave a wounded animal and knew that we had to keep searching.

Back and forth we retraced the shot, and as the weather worsened I noticed a big Sometimes, it’s the things that you can’t see that will turn a nice day into a nightmare. lump in the snow. At first I thought it was a Creeks and rivers covered in snow are still flowing underneath, presenting a potential rock, but after closer inspection and a cou- hazard to the untrained eye. (PAUL D. ATKINS) ple of kicks in the snow my bull appeared.

The snow had completely covered him by the time we with me and could call for help once we got back to camp. A got there. Getting him out of there was a different story. The sat phone is an expensive piece of gear, but when you hunt in snowmachines and sled we were using were not up to the the extreme it’s a must. task, especially when it came to a 1,000-pound muskox.

Also, a good reliable and functional GPS that you know We had to leave him, but luckily I had my satellite phone how to use needs to have a place in your pack, no matter what

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the conditions are. Both will save your life and give you peace of mind on any adventure. I’m just glad I had both or there’s no telling what might have happened. We were fortunate to get the muskox back home the next day.

As usual, I was never so glad to see my family.

Deer hunting can also be a tough matchup with the extreme. Whether you are hunting mule deer in Montana, whitetails in Kansas or blacktails on Alaska’s Kodiak Island, all scenarios can result in death for hunters.

Long before I could afford a GPS, I was hunting deer on the south end of Kodiak. Most hunts are conducted from a big boat, where each day you take a skiff to shore and then hunt from there.

Bears are legendary there, and the worst thing that can happen is to get caught after dark because you can’t find the rendezvous point. Having a couple of deer strapped to your back makes it even worse. Luckily, we weren’t far off and it was a clear evening, which allowed us to see the boat. Scared in the extreme with nothing to rely on is a whole different story than having some form of technology.

SO HOW EXTREME IS hunting today compared to 10, 20 or even 30 years ago? We still go to the same places, for the most part. We still pursue the same big game and we still hunt in all kinds of conditions.

Or has the climate made it more difficult to get things done?

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Is it drier, colder, warmer? Are there more roads? Can we go further than we did before? Most hunters will probably have different answers to all these questions, but if there’s a sure thing in all this, it’s that the men and women who ventured out years ago were true outdoors masters. I wonder sometimes how those legends of the past did it, especially when factoring in the presence of bears.

I love bear hunting and have hunted the spring grizzly season in Alaska for the last 20 years. Each one is as exciting as the last, giving wonder to what the early days of April bring.

Cutting a track from a fresh-out-of-the-den bear is truly special, and seeing a big boar cruising the white tundra can be an incredible sight. But the hunt itself can be very extreme.

I don’t really believe in global warming, but something is happening. Each year is different, even though the ocean ice seems to be just as thick as the year before. A few years ago we were hunting a drainage in the western Brooks Range. I glassed what I thought was a very big bear about a mile off.

However, in order to get to a place to stalk the bear we had to ride our snowmachines to the base of a hill.

The only way to do this was follow a frozen creek for about a mile and then hopefully get off and make the stalk. As I eased along on the slick ice trying to get across, I felt a crack and before I could even hit the throttle I was going under.

As I sank, I scrambled over the top of the cowling and was able to get out. All you could see was the front of my snow-

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By outfitting himself with top gear and dealing with the risk smartly, Atkins has been able to safely harvest a variety of animals in extreme conditions. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

machine sticking out of the ice. Luckily, I was with friends and we pulled it out.

Once we were on solid ground the machine miraculously started! We continued the hunt but never saw the bear again.

It was truly extreme and very wet.

I’ve also had some extreme moose hunts. Again, success was due to primarily having the right equipment. One such investment is an inflatable raft. Moose hunting always involves water, and to find the big bulls it usually means getting wet.

A good friend of mine shot a tremendous moose a few years

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ago. We actually had two caribou down and were in the process of getting them cut apart when we saw, in the distance, a big old massive bull walking straight towards us. We quickly waded a creek, crossed some swampy tundra and found ourselves peaking through some sparse willows. The bull passed within 100 yards and Garrett let him have it.

So, here we were with two caribou and a 62-inch bull moose down within 50 yards of each other, and it was almost dark. We quickly took a few photos, removed the guts and peeled back the skin. It was a lot of work, but with a good set of knives and reliable headlamps we got it done. The problem now was the fact we were 2 miles from camp in some of the most bear-infested country in the Northwest Arctic and we were covered in blood. Was this suicidal or extreme?

We didn’t see any bears on the way back but noticed some awfully big tracks. The next morning, we inflated the raft and pulled it upriver closest to where the moose and caribou were.

After eight exhausting, half-mile-long trips each, we had the meat, horns and gear back at the raft. The sight of us loaded down with meat and antlers coming down that river had to be something else.

I’ve taken other extreme moose.

Sometimes it’s happened in the most willow-choked tundra imaginable, where mosquitoes are so thick that you can’t see in front of you. And it’s also happened in deep, cold snow that makes you want to crawl inside the moose to keep warm while field-dressing it.

All these experiences were extreme, but I would do them all over again and again. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an author and outdoor writer from Kotzebue, Alaska.

He has written hundreds of articles on big game hunting and fishing throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. Paul is a monthly contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal.

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CAN’T ‘KNOCK’ THIS HUNTER OUT OF THE GAME!

Photos courtesy of Jesse Knock

L

ast February, we introduced you to Southeast Alaska resident Jesse Knock, who while out hunting near Ketchikan slipped and fell off a ledge. Somehow he got up and worked his way back to the trailhead. Knock was hospitalized (his most serious injuries were in his mouth) and recovered without suffering any major setbacks.

“It’s made me think about more than just filling the tag and actually coming home. It knocked some sense into me,” he told our writer Jeff Lund. “This place is no joke.”

Just a few months later, Knock was right back in the field and harvested a mountain goat. Here are a few photos from his hunt. ASJ

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A FAMILY TRADITION IN PETERSBURG

A

An interview with Frank Stelmach, owner of Island Point Lodge in Petersburg (800-352-4522; islandpointlodge.com)

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL How did you get involved in

the business?

FRANK STELMACH In 1982, my son and I, along with four other friends, decided to go to Alaska for a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip. We continued to go to Alaska every year with various groups of friends and acquaintances. In 1988, I purchased a camp for my personal use.

Later that year my son decided to move to Alaska. In 1989, he and I decided to open a lodge that would cater to the common angler by setting a price that was affordable. The first year we took six fishermen a week, doubled that the second year, then to 18 and up from there.

ASJ Tell us about the fishing at Island Point Lodge.

FS We fish for all five species of Pacific salmon throughout the summer salmon runs. Kings begin to show in May and run to the end of July before spawning in August. Late June and into July the sockeye arrive. They are mostly a river fish as are pink salmon, which arrive in late July along with the chum. Some of the best salmon fishing is for coho, which arrive in early August and run into late September.

We fish for halibut in 20 to 90 feet of water using 1-pound weights. Most other areas of Alaska like Ketchikan, Sitka and other areas will normally fish 200 to 500 feet with 5-pound weights. They do have some shallow areas as we do, but they find better action at the deeper waters. The reason we fish the shallow water is that Petersburg has several canneries that process a lot of fish with scraps going out as waste. The main reason we fish shallow is that after the salmon spawn, they die and float out the rivers into the bays to become food for the halibut and crabs, as well as the seals and sea lions. We have several varieties of rockfish, along with eels, octopus and crabs. The rivers also have cutthroat and Dolly Varden.

da, but we have had guests from New Zealand, Australia, England, Ireland, Spain and Germany. Our oldest international guest was 92 years old from Germany. He fished one of our rivers, Kah Sheets. To get to the waterfalls and pool is a 2-mile hike uphill on a boardwalk. He caught his limit of sockeye and carried them down with him to the boat; pretty good for a 92-year-old guy. Our oldest American guest was 95, a doctor from Yakima, Wash. He loved fishing for kings, and on his last trip before he passed away he caught a large salmon; he was very proud and happy with the fish.

ASJ What else is special about a stay at your lodge?

FS Besides all the fish, the next best reason is that we are located in Southeast Alaska in the Tongass National Forest. The scenery is spectacular because of the glaciers, snow-covered mountains, the bays, cove and channels. You can see humpback whales and orcas; they come through the Wrangell Narrows directly in front of the lodge. Seals and sea lions, sea otters and deer are at the foot of our decks. It’s not unusual to see moose, black bears and wolves swimming across the bays and channels or walking the shorelines. Lots of bald eagles everywhere. You get a great Alaskan experience when you come fishing in Alaska. Again, the attraction is fishing, but the experience is getting out there and enjoying nature. ASJ

ASJ What’s the dining experience like?

FS We start serving breakfast at 5 a.m.; pop your head in the kitchen door, see what the daily breakfast is and place your order. You can make your own sandwiches for lunch with meat selections from our refrigerator or you can come back to the lodge and eat. If you caught a crab, a salmon or some other fish, we will prepare it for you. Dinner is at 7 p.m. and usually at 6:30 we’ll have hors d’oeuvres. One night a week we do a pig roast on an outside grill; we have a game burger night, deep-fried halibut, grilled salmon, baked or grilled halibut, baked chicken and a spaghetti night.

ASJ Your website says you specialize in international guests.

Can you share a story with some international visitors or any guests that’s memorable to you?

FS Most of our guests are from the United States and Canaaksportingjournal.com | DECEMBER 2016

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Meet a Family with a Battery-Powered Landscape

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A SALTWATER PARADISE A An interview with Deborah Lahti of Salmon Falls Resort in Ketchikan (907-225-2752; salmonfallsresort.com)

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL What’s the history of

Salmon Falls?

DEBORAH LAHTI Salmon Falls Resort was originally built as a homestead. What is now Timbers Restaurant was to be the main living quarters for the family. Fortunately for us, the family decided to share the beauty of Salmon Falls and created a fishing lodge. The property was built with the avid angler in mind. The house was turned into a dining hall with 360-degree views of the bay. Guestrooms, meeting space and a full-service marina were added. For over 30 years, Salmon Falls has been known for fishing, and in 2015 the property went under new management and took on a transformation. The guestrooms, lobby and restaurant were enhanced. Fun fact: There is a piece of the old Alaskan pipeline in Timbers Restaurant.

ASJ Your lodge looks really rustic. Give us a rundown of what you offer guests?

DL Salmon Falls Resort offers a rustic Alaskan experience with a level of luxury. From the moment you step foot on property, you will be in awe of the picturesque views and feel the excitement of being on the water reeling in the catch of the day. The marina is home to 10, 24-foot Orcas, skiffs, kayaks and onsite fish processing. Our experienced captains are U.S. Coast Guard-certified and are trained to assist both novice and experienced anglers alike. Our guestrooms have an Alaskan décor and offer enhanced amenities that include pillowtop mattresses and Keurig coffee makers. In Timber’s Restaurant, you will find a culinary feast, handcrafted cocktails and ice cold beer on tap. Aside from being on the boats, the deck is our guests’ favorite place to enjoy the resort. They sit for hours by the fire with a beverage in hand as the eagles soar overhead and the whales pass by.

ASJ Ketchikan is known as a great saltwater destination.

What’s the salmon, rockfish and halibut fishing like?

DL The fishing is exhilarating at Salmon Falls. Our guests are always in a rush to get out on the water and thrilled to return to tell the “fishing stories” of the day. While halibut/rockfish and salmon fishing are two different types of fishing, we are able to do both in the waters around Salmon Falls. Captains anchor for halibut and rockfish, which may be caught throughout season. For salmon fishing, our captains typically troll with downriggers. The salmon run stronger at different points through the season. Kings run early, with silvers coming in midseason and finishing the season with the pinks. We had a great season in 2016, with many of our guests limiting out. We look forward to 2017 and are excited to introduce our biggest salmon catch of the season competition. All guests who want 166

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to participate will be entered for a chance to win a four-night, three-day fishing package for 2018.

ASJ What are some of the other activities for guests at Salmon Falls?

DL We truly have something for everyone. On-site activities include guided kayak tours from our resort to the small islands of Clover Pass, where whales and eagles are abundant. Guests may also create their own adventure, as kayaks and skiffs are available for sightseeing and self-guided fishing along the passage.

ASJ When is the ideal time for guests to visit – perhaps depending on what kind of fishing experience they most want?

DL We are open seasonally from June through September, which is prime time to visit Ketchikan, so we would say it’s always an ideal time to visit Salmon Falls Resort. The orcas and humpbacks swim through the passage all season and often come right up to the marina. As for other wildlife sightings, you will find sea lions and eagles at the dock throughout season. The fishing, accommodations, excursions, views and food are amazing, so there really isn’t a bad time to visit. However, if you’re looking to bring home that monster king, you might want to visit mid-June through July. If you’re looking to fill your freezer, visit us later in season when the silver and pink run. ASJ Editor’s note: Like Salmon Falls Resort at facebook.com/SalmonFallsResort. You can also reach them at (800) 247-9059 or via email at info@salmonfallsresort.com.

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