CHASING ALASKA’S (B) LING BOUNTY

BY CAL KELLOGG

Picture the scene. We are in the middle of nowhere, a vast marine wilderness in the Gulf of Alaska. The sea, capable of great violence, is –for the moment – calm and dark under an overcast sky.

A mile to the west the steep slopes of an uninhabited island climb out of the saltwater. The tidal zone is a mix of dark sand beaches and rock covered by a thick blanket of mussels. Beyond the rocks are emerald-green pastures, ultimately giving way to dark timber covering the upper half of the island.

Bears live on the island; you’ve seen their round black forms on the beaches and on the grass-covered slopes. They are always eating; always on the move. It’s a stark land with an eat-or-be-eaten economy – both on the steep sloping islands and beneath the water’s surface.

A thousand yards from the boat there is another much smaller island. This one features no beaches and no grass. It’s just a nasty black dagger of lava wearing a cap of dense spruce trees.

Beneath the ocean’s surface a long ridge connects the two islands. If it were not covered with water, you’d see a craggy swayback ridge connecting two rugged peaks. Massive predators patrol the swayback, looking to eat anything smaller and slower than themselves.

Capt. Steve Smith of Captain Steve’s Fishing Lodge is a master at positioning the boat to drift over the swayback. The longer the Alumaweld lingers over the reef, the better the chance of tempting a real trophy. Steve fires a huge jig 150 feet