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ALASKA

SPORTING JOURNAL Volume 8 • Issue 4 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, Chris Cox, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Darrell Holland, Jeff Lund, Bixler McClure, Krystin McClure, Dennis Musgraves, David Zoby SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Grifﬁn, Michelle Kovacich, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Michelle Hatcher, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum 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 The Kobuk River, an important water route for tundra residents of Kotzebue, is a favored destination of hunters in search of big game like caribou bulls. (LEW PAGEL) 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 CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 4

Chris Cox (pictured) and his friend, Chris Dankmeyer, put a miserable, rain-soaked trip to the Kelly River behind them and returned a year later in hopes of landing lots of big, beautiful Dolly Varden. Paddle along with the Chris crew as they cast about for redemption!

KELLY’S HEROES

(CHRIS DANKMEYER)

FEATURES 17

THE STAMP ACT Duck hunting season is just around the corner, and if you hunt waterfowl regularly you know every year purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp is a necessity. But have you ever wondered about how, where or from whom the art for these stamps comes from and how much money the winner can make? So did young filmmaker Brian Golden Davis, who followed a yearlong journey with a group of passionate, obsessed and eccentric artists hoping to paint The Million Dollar Duck. BULLISH ON THE KOBUK In remote Arctic regions like Paul Atkins’ hometown of Kotzebue, waterways are as important to residents as freeways are to big-city commuters. Take a ride on the Kobuk River with Atkins as he and fellow hunters float in search of massive caribou bulls. OH BROTHER Where does the time go? Little brothers of your friends who bugged you years earlier actually do grow up. So discovered Jeff Lund while fishing with Capt. Daniel Peters aboard the Klawock-based Clutch on a day that not only rekindled old memories but provided

a few kings off Noyes Island. 109 GET JIGGY FOR SALMON AND STEELHEAD – ON THE FLY Our Field to Fire team of Scott and Tiffany Haugen has many surefire ways to score limits of salmon and steelhead and make tasty meals out of your catch. Scott’s an accomplished angler who knows how irresistible micro jigs in various colors can be to steelies and coho in Alaska’s rivers and streams. After she lands a few fat fish, Tiffany fires up the smoker to prepare a simple but delicious recipe. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 58 Hiking for Kenai Peninsula grouse 73 Feisty Arctic grayling an alternative to Interior hunting trips 116 An angler’s return to Port Ashton 138 Q&A with the Alaskan RV Butler 149 A new twist on fire starters DEPARTMENTS 13 The Editor’s Note: USA Olympic shooting glory 37 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 © 2015 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. 10

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EDITOR’S NOTE

ince I’m such a diehard sports fan, by the last few days of an Olympics I’m normally wiped out from being captivated by three weeks of drama, highs, lows, sportsmanship, bad behavior, political acts, and NBC’s tradition of subjecting us to asinine tape delays. While Team USA as a whole lapped the competition – the Yanks’ 121 medals threatened to double second-place China before finishing 51 clear of the Chinese – the women of USA Shooting had their best performance since 1984 (when most of the Eastern Bloc boycotted the Los Angeles games). Americans won three medals, including a bronze by Alaska-born Corey Cogdell-Unrein in trapshooting. But while lots of successful American Olympians – swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles are prime examples – become America’s sweethearts, anyone who does anything with a gun just won’t get as much praise as those who butterfly and vault their way to the medal podium. Team USA’s first gold medalist in Rio was unheralded West Virginia University rifle team member Ginny Thrasher in 10-meter air rifle. And though the 19-year-old Thrasher did an interview with NBC’s Dan Patrick, she surely would have received less coverage had she won a shooting gold a week in, rather than the first full morning of competition when NBC is scrambling for stories. Yet Thrasher’s win prompted this tweet from British talking head Piers Morgan: “LEAST SURPRISING BREAKING NEWS EVER: America’s 1st Olympic Gold Medal is for Shooting.” (The holier-than-thou Morgan included the hashtag #Thrasher for added effect.) USA Shooting won the tweet-off with this gem to counter Morgan’s chirping: “Thanks for trolling. Realize it was a pellet gun, she defeated heavily favored Chinese & 6 proud @GBShooting reps are in Rio 2.” Boom; roasted. Kim Rhode’s bronze in skeet shooting was the 37-yearold Californian’s sixth consecutive Summer Olympics with a medal won, the first such accomplishment by any woman in any sport in any country (Italian luger Armin Zoeggeler is the lone man to pull off that feat). Just don’t expect Madison Avenue to flood Rhode’s phone or inbox with pitches to represent its brands. Bloomberg had a story questioning why Rhode is not sponsored by any of the United States Olympic Committee’s major worldwide advertisers like McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble, which don’t seem to have much interest in aligning with one of Team USA’s most decorated medalists of all time. Cogdell-Unrein, who grew up in Eagle River, Alaska, is married to Chicago Bears defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and was slighted by the Chicago Tribune, which for some reason initially went with a headline of, “Wife of Bears lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics.” Ugh. But Cogdell-Unrein, just like Thrasher and Rhode, has handled it all remarkably well. And the best news is, they have quite the shiny souvenirs from Brazil they can cherish and we should appreciate more than we did. Congrats to Team USA. –Chris Cocoles aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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THE STAMP ACT

NEW DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES THE WEIRD AND INSPIRING MOMENTS OF THE FEDERAL DUCK STAMP CONTEST Longtime Federal Duck Stamp contest artists Tim Taylor and Adam Grimm set up decoys as the sun rises near Grimmâ€™s home in South Dakota. The Million Dollar Duck is a documentary chronicling the contest and makes its TV debut on Sept. 14 on Animal Planet. (MILLION DOLLAR DUCK)

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BY CHRIS COCOLES

t’s as big a rite of passage for duck hunters as dusting off decoys, flooding fields and training dogs to retrieve downed birds from the swampy muck each fall and winter. If you’re 16 and older and want to hunt ducks in the United States, besides your state’s general hunting license, you’re also required to purchase a Federal Duck Stamp (currently priced at $25). Ninety-eight percent of proceeds from sales fund America’s 5.7 million acres of U.S. Fish and Wildlife national refuges (USFWS says $800 billion has been raised over time). Since 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act – more commonly known as the Duck Stamp Act – a different artist’s rendition of a very specific species appears on the stamp. Who cares? It’s just a stamp, right? Try telling that to Tim Taylor, Adam Grimm, DeeDee Murry, Rebekah Nastav and Rob McBroom. As the title of a new documentary set to make its television debut on Sept. 14 on Animal Planet explains, being named the artist who creates the annual Federal Duck Stamp design can change lives. Hence, The Million Dollar Duck was born. The federal government doesn’t award the winner any monetary prize, but the winner holds the licensing to the art image to sell it on everything, as the movie depicts, from bottles of Jim Beam to bowties to limited-edition art prints. “They can make a million or more dollars from selling their art,” says Bob Lesino, former chief of the Federal Duck Stamp Program, in the film. And even if it’s more about expressing yourself on canvas, reflecting a love for preserving our wetlands duck habitat or whatever rationale you can come up with, making money for painting a mallard, blue-winged teal, canvasback, gadwall or cinnamon teal can’t hurt the motivation factor. But this film digs deeper into the souls of those who continue to track down the perfect shot and literally create their own masterpieces.

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“It’s a weird idea and one of those stranger-than-ﬁction stories that a cartoonist comes up with this idea to have artwork on a stamp that will save wildlife habitat for the birds and other animals,” director Brian Golden Davis says. “And then it spirals into this weird American subculture that people dedicate their lives to winning. To me, these were real American characters.” (MILLION DOLLAR DUCK)

As its title suggests, the crazies, the oddballs and the dreamers who partake in this competition are chasing the riches that may come with the title of Federal Duck Stamp champ (who wouldn’t?). But you ﬁnish watching knowing they also care: about art, about ducks and about wildlife. “I think that elevates it a little bit about to where it’s not just a desire for money,” the ﬁlm’s director, Brian Golden Davis, says. “The idea is that it’s bigger than the individual. Saving wetlands and making sure that there’s habitat for ducks for generations to come makes that stamp so special.”

IF GOLDEN DAVIS REMEMBERS anything about his outdoors background, it is that he didn’t share his dad’s love of trout ﬁshing back home in Virginia.

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“It was always catch and release; I kind of preferred eating what we catch. My parents have a place on Chesapeake Bay and I was also someone who loved sitting on a dock and ﬁshing,” Golden Davis says in a phone interview discussing his feature directorial debut. What about duck hunting? “It’s something I really didn’t know about after not having come into contact with anyone who was a duck hunter.” Golden Davis, a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts – a who’s who of ﬁlmmakers are among its alums – came across a book written by Martin Smith, The Wild Duck Chase: Inside the Strange and Wonderful World of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Smith’s work was the driving force behind The Million Dollar Duck, and like Golden Davis’ movie, chronicles a year leading into

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the competition. “When I read that, I was so shocked that it has this amazing history of this contest, the artwork and the conservation with this subculture, that I felt like the outside world didn’t know about it,” says Golden Davis. “For me, it was discovering something cool and hoping others thought it would be interesting to learn about as well.” The 1996 movie Fargo, which won two Oscars, worked the Federal Duck Stamp Contest into its plot with its dark humor and satire that made the ﬁlm an instant classic (Fargo even references

just a thing where people could advance their (art) career,” says Golden Davis, who knew he found a far-moreinteresting-than-it-sounds documentary during his ﬁrst interview, with 2010 contest champion Robert Bealle. “Nobody would buy a salamander stamp or a speckled toad stamp, but they’ll buy a duck stamp. And when the (USFWS) take that money and buy all these thousands of acres of wetlands to protect it, all those little creatures come under that umbrella. That’s one thing that I’m so proud that I’m a part of this. It almost makes me emotional,” Rebekah Nastav won the Junior Federal Duck Stamp contest as a teenager and says she’ll enter the Federal Duck Stamp event until she wins that also. “Once I learned about the federal and how much of a bigger deal that is,” she says, “it’s like this thing you want to spend your life pursuing.” (MILLION DOLLAR DUCK)

multiple contest winners Joseph, Robert and James Hautman, who are all featured in The Million Dollar Duck). Both the ﬁlm and TV industry have carved out a niche for poking fun at these kinds of events in “mockumentary” form. But Golden Davis saw a compelling aspect in pursuing this project. This is a story of personal triumph, persistence, friendship, passion and even rebellion that at times can be funny, inspirational and a reminder of how critical sales from these stamps can be to maintaining a healthy population of waterfowl throughout the country. “I had read the book and done some research online, but I really didn’t know how strong the connection to conservation and nature would be. Or was this

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says Bealle, clearly becoming emotional as his voice cracks. “I think the connection to the outdoors makes this something special,” Golden Davis says. The hope is The Million Dollar Duck will introduce a whole new segment of the population to the stamp at a time when sales have sagged as hunter statistics declined, leaving less possible stamp purchases and spawning doubts about the program’s long-term viability. “If we somehow lost the duck stamp and the revenue associated with the duck stamp,” USFWS Director Dan Ashe warns in the ﬁlm, “5 million acres of habitat would disappear overnight.”

“I’VE BEEN PAINTING WINDOWS since

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“It is a disease of sorts to start collecting this stuff. The other stamps: they’re nice, there’s so many of them,” says stamp dealer Bob Dumaine in the ﬁlm. “The duck stamps – they’re special. When you can see the ducks’ eyes and you can see the patches on the wings … that’s skill.” (MILLION DOLLAR DUCK)

I was 15. So it’s 36 years now,” says middle-aged Tim Taylor in the ﬁlm’s opening scene. Taylor brushes a Christmas-themed display at a Sunoco gas station in snow-covered Mine Hill, N.J., where you get the sense the monotony of painting Santa and his elves at donut shops and diners isn’t exactly the end game of the American Dream. “So, I’m in the art ﬁeld but I’m not doing what I really want to do. The ideal goal – just like the waiter who wants to be an actor – is to actually paint what you want to paint. I had seen a wildlife art magazine and it had an article in there about this contest where you could win a million dollars. So I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do. I’m going to enter that. But I didn’t know a thing about ducks.” These artists are proud of what they do – Taylor says he’s entered since 1995 – what their work stands for, and, for some, what it could be worth. They compare the scope of the contest to global events like the World Cup or the 22

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Super Bowl. Adam Grimm, a husband and father of three from South Dakota who has already won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest previously (1999) but continues to enter, likens it to being an American Idol champion (and it’s not that far-fetched as it sounds; Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were nobodies until we knew them when). Golden Davis doubles down on how Taylor has changed. He might be the epitome of the spirit of this contest considering how he’s evolved over the years. “It’s funny that Tim Taylor started doing the contest just because of the money aspect,” Golden Davis says. “But in the end, it was more about ducks, habitat and breeding than he’d ever expected. And that’s what happens. I honestly think you can’t really win the contest unless you have a pretty good knowledge of not just waterfowl anatomy but also waterfowl behavior. And that only comes with years of dedication. There’s not a lot of people who can say, ‘I’m going to enter this thing

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and I’m going to win it and make a lot of money.’”

KNOWING THAT A LARGE portion of audiences doesn’t hunt, Golden Davis made sure to stick up for the impact the Federal Duck Stamp has because of hunters. Remember that the film industry isn’t exactly known as being sympathetic to outdoor sportsmen and –women or much of anything that involves guns or death of wildlife. As one person interviewed in the film says, “You can imagine where this conversation goes: ‘You’re collecting money, for what? ‘For wetlands to preserve waterfowl.’ And then some people say, ‘Wait a minute; you’re a hunter. Isn’t that a contradiction?’ And I say, ‘Of course it’s not a contradiction. Hunters care about the land and care about the birds.’” The artists care too, and Taylor and Grimm became fast friends after years of submitting paintings. In the film, Taylor visits Grimm’s family in South Dakota and they plan to

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head out in search of birds to capture on film. (Besides the fact that wild, migrating birds look far more dynamic and healthy than domesticated ducks one might find in a more urban setting, the rules stipulate that paintings of ducks must come from photographs created by the contestants themselves rather than other licensed works.) “We’re going to look in every puddle, every lake, every pond, until we find them,” Taylor says as he and Grimm travel dirt roads in search of canvasbacks, one of the duck species approved for the particular contest featured in the film. Grimm, a longtime hunter whose dad introduced him to the outdoors, and Taylor, who has no background shooting ducks, both don camo gear and put out decoys to capture the perfect image from massive camera lenses that they can base their contest entry on. It’s that kind of obsession that drew Golden Davis to this project. Everyone seems to have his or her reason for coming back year after year, knowing

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that just one of hundreds of entries gets picked and simple math says you’re more likely to get knocked out in the ﬁrst round than contend for the No. 1 spot. It’s a can of mixed nuts group. “Some of the more traditional type of wildlife artist that enters is a duck hunter, has been a duck hunter (his or her) whole life and has a love for waterfowl,” Golden Davis says. “And then there are other people like DeeDee Murry, who’s just an all-around animal lover.” Murry, a Centralia, Wash. resident, introduces her scene-stealing dog Hallie, a blind dachshund that is something of a painter herself (you have to see it to truly appreciate it, especially since Murry says, “I thought I had a pretty good year last year with my art, but my blind dog sold more art than I did”). We also get to know three Minnesota-based Hautman brothers, who had combined to capture 10 titles and were described as the New York Yankees of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest because they always seem to win.

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And then you have the outcast, Rob McBroom, another Minnesotan who’s never won and enters every year knowing damn well that he will likely never win. And he’s just fine with that. If every film needs a villain, a rebel and the anti-establishment, he’ll gladly accept that baton and run with it. “My artwork has a lot of glitter and rhinestones and glow-in-the-dark aspects to it – nothing at all like they’re looking for,” McBroom says with a mischievous grin. “It’s not winning; it’s the degree in which I lose. I would say my percentage of winning this year – well, you can’t have less than zero percent, but it’s pretty close to that.” He proudly displays past entries that, while always depicting the right type of duck, also include rather eclectic background details like the time he included a Morse code translation of dialogue from a porn film. McBroom has become Taylor’s nemesis and trolled him in some of his paintings after Taylor called him out on social media.

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“It’s kind of funny because Rob is such a divisive character in that community. You have people who really love him and defended his right to enter the contest,” Golden Davis says. “And you have people who do not think he should have any involvement in the duck stamp contest. So just knowing that I was going to include him, I got a lot of emails.” And while he sheepishly accepts the lightning rod title, McBroom is ﬁrst to admit his approach won’t win him anywhere near enough love from the majority of the judges. That said, is his spirit more disingenuous than the next entry? Of the ﬁve judges who got a glimpse of his – let’s call it, complex – paint scheme, one did provide an “in” vote. The rest sent him out of contention. “But your painting is awesome,” he’s enthusiastically told by an admirer in the gallery of entries. “A lot of people think that I’m doing this as a joke at peoples’ expense,” McBroom says. “It’s a pretty small group of people that I would have to be making

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It’s an understatement to say Rob McBroom’s entries are unique compared to just about every other artist who enters the contest. “My artwork has a lot of glitter and rhinestones and glow-in-the-dark aspects to it – nothing at all like they’re looking for,” McBroom says. (MILLION DOLLAR DUCK)

fun of, and it’s a lot of effort in order just to tweak them. So I hope it helps the duck stamp competition, because it’s a good program that is getting less and less revenue coming in.” Still, there are a lot less people in this genre’s world like McBroom and more like Butler, Mo. resident Rebekah Nastav, now in her mid-20s. When she was 15 in 2006, Nastav won the Junior Duck

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Stamp Contest and has made it a priority to someday win the big one and bask in the possibilities for those fortunate enough to survive an extremely subjective judging criteria. “The Junior Duck Stamp Contest changed my life,” Nastav says. “Once I learned about the federal and how much of a bigger deal that is, it’s like this thing you want to spend your life pursuing.”

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And that’s one reason why Golden Davis calls his debut as a ﬁlmmaker a “very American” production. “It’s a weird idea and one of those stranger-than-ﬁction stories that a cartoonist comes up with this idea to have artwork on a stamp that will save wildlife habitat for the birds and other animals,” Golden Davis says. “And then it spirals into this weird American subculture that people dedicate their lives to winning. To me, these were real American characters.”

SO WE KNOW FOR every Rob McBroom, who understands he’s not in it to win it, and for every Tim Taylor, who deep down believes this is going to be his year, there’s a sense of purpose in the journey from blank canvas to individual artistic expression. “Abstract painting is the realm of the intellectuals,” Taylor says. “Realistic painting, realistic duck stamps, are by people who have invested most of their lives in observing the wildlife, of learn-

Adam Grimm’s entry in the 2013 contest that was depicted in the ﬁlm. The odds of winning this event are long for most of the contestants, but most keep coming back year after year for a chance to have their own artistic imprint on the stamps that fund federal wildlife refuges in Alaska and beyond. (ADAM GRIMM)

ing how to become a painter. There’s no shortcut to being good.” Winning a contest like this also is void of those shortcuts. The movie’s grand ﬁnale features the actual two-day judging,

which in this instance was at Ohio’s Maumee Bay State Park on Lake Erie. Golden Davis manages to portray the process as taut, tense and nerve-wracking. A roomful of artists – some who are

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true conservationists and wildlife lovers, others with $ signs dancing in their heads – await five judges’ decisions on which paintings progress and the others that get eliminated one by one. “I was a little worried about being able to capture the tension in the room. I had other people describing it to me as watching paint dry, and I was a little nervous,” Golden Davis admits. “I wasn’t sure if we did, but when I first showed the film, people were yelling at the screen when people would get knocked out or move along to another round. You tend to have a fairly passive audience that’s watching documentaries. But when I saw that (yelling), it was a big sigh of relief.” The survivors move onto the next round with a points system and a minimum total needed to make the final round. For contest lifers like Taylor and the determined Grimm, flanked by his wife and three kids, this is waiting for the envelope reading of the Oscars’ Best Picture, the Heisman Trophy or, as Grimm thinks, the winner of American Idol (cue judge Simon Cowell, the scourge of Idol hopefuls, asking Rob McBroom, “What the bloody hell was that?” when voting on his painting). In a movie with a fast-paced 71 running minutes, the climax is the winning depiction of the judges’ choice for the perfect Federal Duck Stamp. “I remember when I was young and just getting into buying the Federal duck stamps and looking at that artwork on there and thinking just how amazing it was that some artist out there painted that,” Grimm says. “Following in that path and being part of that history, that was a goal of my life.” Isn’t that what an American story is supposed to be? ASJ Editor’s note: The USFWS website (fws. gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php) has information on the federal stamp. Animal Planet will broadcast the film on TV for the first time on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. Pacific (check your local listings). For more on The Million Dollar Duck, go to milliondollarduckfilm.com. Follow director Brian Golden Davis on Twitter @ golden_davis.

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR

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Now-Sept. 15

Sept. 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 1 Sept. 2 Sept. 8

Valdez Silver Salmon Derby (valdezﬁshderbies.com) Homer Halibut Derby (homeralaska.org/visit-homer/ events-homer/homer-jackpothalibut-derby) Black bear hunting season opens in Game Management Unit 2 (Prince of Wales Island) Goat season opens in GMU 11 (Wrangell Mountains/Chitina River) Brown bear season opens in GMU 14A and 14B (Mat-Su Valley) Brown bear season opens in GMU 15 (Kenai) Muskox season opens in GMU 18 (Yukon/Kuskokwim Delta) Brown bear season opens in GMU 20 (Fairbanks/Central Tanana) Valdez Big Prize Friday (valdezﬁshderbies.com) Moose season opens in GMU 12 (Upper Tanana/White River)

Sept. 8-10 Sept. 15 Sept. 15 Sept. 15 Sept. 15

Kenai River Women’s Classic (krsa.com/event-detail.php?event=3) Brown bear hunting season opens in GMU 1 (Southeast Mainland) Moose season opens in GMU 3 (Petersburg-Wrangell) Deer season opens in GMU 4 (Admiralty/Baranof/Chicagof Islands Black bear and brown bear season opens in GMU 16 (Lower Susitna)

Brown bear season opens in several Alaska game management units this month. (LISA HUPP/USFWS)

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A RETURN TO THE FAMED ARCTIC WATERWAY FINDS CARIBOU, BUT BAGGING A BULL WOULD BE A CHALLENGE

Early morning in the Arctic can be breathtaking, especially along the channels that ï¬‚ow through the Kobuk River delta. It was here that Paul Atkins, his son Eli and their friend Lew Pagel hoped to harvest caribou bulls. (PAUL D. ATKINS) 40

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

REs are full of anticipation, including the ﬁnicky one I was trying to rip apart. The plastic seal was like a vise, but eventually I got it open and began searching to see its contents. Eli, my 12-year-old son, was already devouring his ready-to-eat meal,

and Lew, my longtime hunting partner, was doing the same. Since we were starving we decided to eat on the boat, which was anchored to a bluff on the south side of the river. As I heated up my “pork rib” I got the strange feeling that we were being watched, or at least not alone. My intuition was correct. Four monster caribou bulls stood on the bank across the river and contemplated whether to aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

cross or not. It was a beautiful sight. The stretch of the river we were on was a familiar one, but getting there that morning had been an adventure in itself, since reaching the Kobuk can be treacherous. A monster, shallow lake separates the town of Kotzebue from its mouth, and if the wind is up, then it’s almost impossible to cross in a boat. The wind that morning was supposed to be less than 10 mph, which is very doable, but once we got halfway across it changed and triggered bigger-than-average waves, tossing us to and from and covering us in glazed ice. It was a cold bumpy

dark mixture of moss, roots and sand standing taller than I or anybody else could ever climb. It was classic Arctic Alaska. I had been through here many times, but 10 years had passed since I’d last been up the Kobuk in search of caribou.

RIVERS ARE A HUGE part of everyone’s lives here in Alaska, but for us here in the Arctic, the Kobuk is especially so. Whether you’re getting from one village to another or heading to camp in hopes of catching a few salmon or picking berries with your family, it really doesn’t matter; the river helps deﬁne who we are.

Camps are special on the river, a place not only to rest and eat, but laugh and reﬂect. A lot of great times have been had here, and hopefully a lot more will be in the future. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

ride, but once we made it across it well worth it to see the old river once again. As we cruised upriver, we took note of how the wall of yellow-leafed willows that stretched on forever into the hills came to a stop just short of the sand and rock that covered the bare bank. Green grass could be found in a few places and on the way up we’d seen six moose devouring it as fast as they could. The other side was a high mud bank covered in a deep, 42

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

The Kobuk itself flows endlessly east of Kotzebue and is made up of many different channels that find their way into one wide expanse of delta. Each channel has a name and each has some of the best hunting this country has to offer. Many years ago when I first arrived in Alaska, I made my maiden voyage up this same river by boat. I was in awe of its beauty and the immense amount of taiga that ascended the landscape above it. Huge valleys of spruce and willow could

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

Waterfowl is a constant on the Kobuk, which makes it a duck hunter’s dream. If caribou and moose are hard to ﬁnd, make sure you have your shotgun, as the action is fantastic. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

be seen in every direction; the river teemed with ﬁsh. It was as incredible then as it is today. That same trip, which happened over 20 years ago, was actually my ﬁrst introduction to Alaska. The weeklong adventure was for caribou and hopefully a moose, if we were fortunate

enough to see one. We did not, and the closest caribou we saw was well out of reach. But that boat ride changed me: I fell in love with Alaska and life in the Arctic, and it played a big part in me moving here and making this place my home. I’m so glad I did.

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Moose are a common sight early in the season. But if there is one thing for certain on the Kobuk, it is that when you see one, most of the time it’s a cow. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

After that ﬁrst trip, I couldn’t get back fast enough, so I made it to the Kobuk again the following September. This time, however, it was quite different. Thousands of caribou migrated through the country and seemingly approached us from all directions. From our boat, we could see groups of 50 and 100, and knowing where to position ourselves became a confusing

delight. I used my bow to get my ﬁrst caribou on that other trip, and to this day it was probably one of the most incredible hunts I’ve ever been on.

IT WAS NO DIFFERENT on this particular day. The bulls that were staring at us from across the river now didn’t seem too concerned. They actually looked tired, and as I watched them

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The taiga and tundra surrounding the Kobuk is breathtaking, and along the river you will encounter an abundance of cabins and camps. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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through my binoculars I started to imagine the incredible journey they were on: Miles and miles of deep tundra, being chased by wolves and bears, plus all those rivers they had to cross. I would be tired too. Seemingly on cue they began to bed down, and one after another they lay in the sand directly across from us on the river. We tried to continue with lunch, but the thought of four bulls lying on the bank across from us made it too exciting to eat our MREs. We had to make a plan, and I told Lew and Eli that our best bet was to roll up the anchor and float down the river ever so gently and get across to the other side. The hope was that the caribou wouldn’t become too alarmed and would stay put until we could make our way over. We proceeded to implement that plan and it seemed to be working perfectly. Our floating exercise brought us to a point downstream 400 yards away from the bulls. We quietly got out with our gear: Lew with his bow, Eli with his rifle and me with the camera. The wind was right and the willows were thick, making conditions perfect for a stalk. We inched our way forward, weaving in and out of the brush, while trying to keep a visual on the caribou at all times. It was working perfectly until the willows gave way to

SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

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Lew Pagel, author Paul Atkins and his son, Eli, celebrate the bull that would provide a winter’s worth of meat and a memory to recall for years from now. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

open bank. Lew ranged them at 100 yards and knew that getting a shot with the BowTech was not going to happen. Eli, however, would have a chance with his riﬂe. My son had never taken a caribou, even though he has been with me many times when I’ve done so. He has helped me cut meat and truly enjoys being on the river. Getting him his ﬁrst big game animal has been our goal for some time and I really wanted this for him. We quickly set the Bog Pod shooting sticks up and got ready. Eli lined up his scope and pushed off the safety. We could tell that the bulls were getting nervous as each stood up, milled around and watched in our direction. Then it happened. A boat came barreling around the corner, creating a chaotic scene that had our four caribou friends making a mad dash through the wall of leaves. It was game over. It was equally disappointing and incredible to experience. As we cranked

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up the boat and headed back to camp all I could do was reďŹ‚ect on seeing caribou once again on the banks of the Kobuk. The scene â€“ four big bulls with their brownish gray coats and showing off their beautiful white manes and tremendous antlers â€“ was truly special and hard to stop thinking about. We didnâ€™t score, but the experience was a memory that will be forever etched in our minds. I was so glad Eli was able to see it.

Sunset on the Kobuk is even better after you bag a large caribou bull. (ELI ATKINS)

AS WE HEADED TO CAMP, we rounded one of the many bends in the river and came to a large sandbank I had camped at once before. Lew noticed something and over the steady purr of the outboard motor I heard this telling declaration: â€œCaribou!â€? We immediately headed to

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shore, and I got my rifle from its case. I jumped up on the bank and began the short stalk alone. There were five animals in all, each bigger than the four we had seen earlier. Choosing was difficult, and I had to decide quickly, while at the same time get a clean shot. Wanting the biggest bull meat-wise and antler-wise can sometimes create conflict, but once I found him it was pretty easy. The scope found its mark and I waited for him to turn broadside and alone. He did, falling where he stood. The remaining bulls ran only a short distance, stopped and looked back like they always do. For a moment I thought Eli or maybe even Lew might have a chance at one of them, but the caribou weren’t impressed. They quickly turned and disappeared into the wall of willows, swallowed up as if they had never been there. The whole episode took less time than it takes to tie your shoes, but it was incredible, to say the least. It was exhilarating and surreal all at once. Seeing the big bull laying there in the sand with its double shovel and pristine coat reminded me of long-ago seasons, when I’d brought my dad to this very spot. I’d also spent countless hours hunting with friends in this same area. We took a few pictures, fielddressed the best we could and loaded the bull on the front of Lew’s boat. Darkness was approaching now, but we were happy sharing in our success and the benefits that come from living in such a great land that we call home. It was the end to a great day.

THE KOBUK RIVER IS full of surprises. It might be moose one day, waterfowl the next, or maybe even a porcupine; you never know. This day, however, it provided us with food and memories from one of its oldest and most incredible inhabitants: the mighty caribou. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska. He has written hundreds of articles on hunting big game 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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UPLAND

Bixler McClure always looks forward to the Aug. 10 upland bird opener, but he and his wife, Krystin, prefer hiking Kenai Peninsula trails in September for grouse. (KRYSTIN MCCLURE) 58

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SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

RESURRECTION FOR TWO KENAI GROUSE HUNTERS, SEASON DOESN’T REALLY START UNTIL SEPTEMBER BACKPACKING TREKS THROUGH THE HIGH COUNTRY BY KRYSTIN AND BIXLER MCCLURE

ugust 10 is always circled on our calendar, the date marking the start of upland bird season on the Kenai Peninsula and the last grip of summer. By this date, we’ve had a few cool days and the leaves are starting to turn. And since our ocean-based explorations come to an end due to inclement weather in the Gulf of Alaska, we start to move inland. Each Aug. 10 we’ll load up our .22 riﬂes and hit the trails for day hunts for grouse and, after snow, ptarmigan. But our best success comes from our annual September backpacking hunting trips.

aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

Some of the authors’ accommodations along the route through Resurrection Pass. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

Krystin McClure wets a line in a rather spectacular setting. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

The past few years we’ve started doing backpacking hunting trips along many of the one-way trails on the eastern side of the Kenai Peninsula. It is the only form of backpacking where you actually walk out with more weight than when you started. Backpacking hunting allows a hunter to access more remote parts of a trail where a day hiker cannot. By pushing our backpacking hunting trips to September, we avoid all the Alaskan pests on the trail: bugs, brush and gun-wary tourists. While there are numerous trails to choose from, our favorite and most recent expedition was along the Resurrection Pass Trail, a 72-mile gold miner’s route that spans from Hope to Seward and is bisected by Cooper Landing and the Sterling Highway in the middle. The southern route out of Seward remains unmaintained after a washout, so we stuck with the northern route. This 40mile section of trail covers some of the best grouse and ptarmi60

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gan terrain in the peninsula, as we would discover.

BIXLER AND I PACK as lightly as possible, but we still find ourselves carrying a hefty load on our backs. Because this trail is so much longer than our usual 25-mile treks, we lighten our loads by carrying just one .22 rifle and one fishing rod. I could not hike on a trail with so many lakes without a fishing rod, so I gave up the .22 to Bixler, who would be leading the way on the hike. Our plan was simple: 10 or so miles each day, a cabin reserved at each stop, and a Wildman’s single scoop of ice cream at the end in Cooper Landing. Bixler’s mom, Sue, dropped us off in Hope after we parked our car in Cooper Landing. We started up the trail – a long uphill climb to the first cabin – in the pouring rain that soon turned to slushy snow. The first 10 miles seemed closer to 20,

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BIRD HUNTING PRIMER Grouse and ptarmigan hunting on a backpacking trip can be highly successful if you are willing to carry the extra weight. Here are some tips to make your expedition more successful:

DO YOUR RESEARCH If you are new to the area, do some research on elevations and terrain. Some trails never reach above the treeline, so you may be disappointed if you are going for ptarmigan. Others, like Resurrection Pass, are too long to be completed in an overnighter and must be done over multiple days. Pull out a map, check elevations and pick some camping spots or reserve some cabins.

lic-use cabin if they are available, which means nixing the tent as well.

USE WHAT YOU KNOW Do you always hunt grouse with a .22 or a shotgun? Pack the gun you are most familiar with and a way to transport grouse. There is nothing worse than trying to carry out a grouse with your hands 15 miles!

PLAN AHEAD

WHERE THE BIRDS HANG OUT

To secure public-use cabins, try and reserve them six months in advance (877-444-6777; recreation.gov). Cabins along Resurrection Pass are popular year-round and ďŹ ll up fast. Worst case: if you canâ€™t get a cabin, you can always camp.

All long trails have sections where it appears only a handful of backpackers have passed through. Look for brushier, narrower and rockier sections of trail. These are the hot spots for grouse.

LIGHTEN UP

EXPECT A HEAVY RETURN

Try to pack as lightly as possible. We use Mountain House dehydrated food to cut weight and cut unnecessary camping gear. Depending on your trip, you may be able to rent a pub-

If you are successful, anticipate carrying a heavy pack on the way back. If going with a hunting buddy, split the load evenly as you hike out. KM

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and as we rounded a corner about 8 miles in, Bixler spotted his first grouse just off the trail. Eagerly, he shot the bird while I fished out a bag to put it in and tie it to the top of his pack. This seemed promising, but when we arrived at the cabin sopping wet and realized there was no wood to be found, our spirits dropped. We had only one bird and now had to nurse a wet wood fire to life as the sleet pelted the metal roof of the cabin. We were hoping that this trip wouldn’t become one of our classic misadventures. Thankfully, the wet weather blew itself out overnight and we woke up to a toasty cabin. Fresh snow lined the mountaintops and we started the hike up to Resurrection Pass under bluebird skies. Bixler spotted two grouse in the trail and we watched each as they flew high in the spruce trees. He picked off both of them and I added them to our bag tied to the top of his pack. As we climbed above the treeline, we stumbled upon a flock of changing ptarmigan tinted half-brown and half-white. We dropped our packs and started pursuing them through the willows right near the Resurrection Pass sign. Again, Bixler shot two of the birds, so I placed the bag of grouse inside his pack, since it was now getting too heavy to be on top. I looked at my fishing rod wishing it was a .22 rifle instead. I hope the lakes on the other side of the pass hold some fish, I thought.

BY THE TIME WE reached the second cabin at Devils Pass, Bixler was both talking about reaching the 20-grouse-in-possession limit and complaining about the extra weight. I was enjoying a slightly lighter pack, knowing that I would soon be carrying Bixler’s birds on the third leg of the trip. The section of trail from Devils Pass down to the third cabin at Juneau Lake is a no-man’s land, as evidenced by the narrowing trail heading downhill in front of the cabin – the best sections of trail for grouse hunting. The following morning we headed down this section, a long winding grade toward Juneau Lake, which I was hoping to fish. Immediately, Bixler spooked two grouse off the trail. Allowing him to try to reach his limit, I helped locate the grouse in the thick alder brush. One grouse quickly became three and his bag was soon full of birds. I pulled out a second bag to begrudgingly carry the next grouse. We dropped down the grade and entered into what we called “grouse row.” We could see five grouse sitting in the middle of the trail ahead of us on a small straight section. One by one Bixler shot each grouse as it flew off the trail into a tree and I loaded up my bag. When we cleared that area, we rounded a corner and spotted two more grouse in a tree that ended up in my pack. I was starting to feel the weight of the birds and was tiring by the time we reached our last cabin for the night. Bixler was just shy of his limit, but we knew that we probably would not see any more grouse on our trek out the following day. Already we were seeing day hikers as we approached Juneau Lake. That night I fished in the lake and caught nothing with my faithful rod, which I had carried some 30 miles. Ironically, Bixler caught

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It was a grueling hike, but in the end Bixler and Krystin brought home birds, which made the journey more than well worthwhile. (KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

a nice grayling that we fried up for dinner. I opted to carry the .22 on the way out the following day as we headed back to the car. We saw plenty of people, but unfortunately no birds. Our backs ached from the added weight, despite eating down our food supply. By the time we reached our car, we stiffly pulled out the

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bags of birds, relishing our success. This trail is just one of many on which we have carried out numerous grouse from. Our best success always comes from these backpacking trips, be it a long four-day trek or a short overnighter. We always forget that once you shoot them, you need to carry them out, with all of your gear included! ASJ

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GRAYLING OVER BIG GAME AS FALL AND HUNTING SEASONS APPROACH, DON’T FORGET FISHING IN THE INTERIOR CAN STILL BE HOT

Grayling can’t resist ﬂy presentations, especially Egg-sucking Leech patterns, which combine the body features of a Woolly Bugger with a salmon egg. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES

utdoor adventures in Alaska’s Interior region usually rotate towards shooting sports in fall. And it makes sense, given that big game animals are the preferred choice for many; moose, caribou and bear hunting take priority when birch leaves turn yellowish-orange

and shrubs fade brown. But while most people are busy setting up moose camp or hiking to a remote spot to stalk caribou, my idea of a fall adventure keeps me waist-deep in the water. Pursuing Arctic grayling with a lightweight fly rod is my passion this time of the year. Since seasonal changes do not affect the iconic resident sailfish of the north, they remain active and willing to bite. It’s the last chance for open water fishing before snow blankets the landscape and the waterways freeze over. Fly fishermen are wise to switch from floating to sink-tip lines and think deep, since the dry fly bite almost disappears with changing seasons. Sportfishing for grayling just prior to whiteout does bring on certain feeding changes in the fish. Lower temperatures from cooling weather fronts reduce insect activity, a common food source for grayling in summer. But the presence of spawning salmon provides a river load of happy meals for the Arctic species. aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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Fall in the Interior means winter is on the way, but before the ﬁsh-ﬁlled waters freeze up, they host one last chance for anglers to catch beautiful grayling. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

STOCK YOUR ARSENAL Like the changing season, your fly box should reflect the changing availibility of forage. Include a varied selection of subsurface presentations, as having a stockpile of certain wet flies will definitely help put more fish in the landing net. A main staple for most experienced anglers targeting Interior grayling during the short fall is the famous Egg-sucking Leech, commonly called an ESL for short. The fly combines the body features of a Woolly Bugger, while at the same time replicates a salmon egg. The attractiveness of the double feature creates the ultimate enticement for a hungry grayling. Saddle hackle is used to hold the marabou tail against the shaft of the hook, and then matching-colored chenille is wrapped to form the body. Additional egg-colored chenille is wrapped at the opposing end of the marabou tail, forming what appears to be an “egg” from a salmon. The cylindrical body and pulsating tail gives the fly life in the current as it drifts near the riverbed, imitating a leech latched onto a fish egg perfectly. Black and purple materials are very popular for tying the body, with the egg portion usually various shades of pink, chartreuse or roe-tinted orange. Dark-purple bodied and orange-egg combos are always plentiful in my grayling fly box.

CASTING IN THE CURRENT Good presentation is accomplished by casting upstream and allowing the leech to sink and naturally drift in the current. Occasional stripping of line will assist in moving the fly along a gravel bottom. Sometimes I find the need to use a small piece of split shot just about 18 inches above the fly in order to get deep in faster water. The key is to have it near the bottom. Using a swinging or stripping technique with an ESL can also be very effective. Arctic grayling are one of the most unique species of fish found in Alaska. They are beautiful, aggressive and scrappy, fun to catch for any level of angler and easy to 74

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FALLING FOR GRAYLING Arctic grayling inhabit many rivers and sloughs throughout Interior Alaska. The cool waterways provide ideal habitat for them to thrive. Fall marks a period when anglers can find them eating more and more “under the table.” That’s because cooler temperatures limit bug activity on the water’s surface, but the presence of salmon in many systems kicks subsurface feeding patterns into high gear. Late-season grayling fishing can be phenomenal in the heart of Alaska. Fish can be found in good numbers and provide great sport for anglers at any level. Their unique large, colorful and oversized dorsal fin – plus a seemingly never-ending appetite – make them easy to admire and also easy to catch. The fish are everything an angler could want from a day spent fishing, except maybe a meal. Since grayling are so eager to feed, it also makes them vulnerable to overfishing. In order to allow the majestic fish to remain plentiful, strict bag limits are in place for most locations. Most Interior rivers along the road system are catch-and-release only or harvest is limited to only one fish per day.

TACKLE BOX ESSENTIALS Fly anglers will find rods in sizes 3- to 4-weight good choices for Arctic grayling. Fall will have fish primarily feeding below the water surface. Having a handful of Egg-sucking Leech (ESL) patterns or a variety of beads to peg should be all it takes to convince a hungry fish to bite. Most of my success catching late-season grayling has been while using dark-colored ESLs in purple or black body with an orange color for the egg portion – it’s almost irresistible for even the most sluggish of grayling. Light-action conventional fishing gear also works well; try using spinners in sizes 1 to 3 for best results. DM target in the late open-water season – especially if you have an Egg-sucking Leech tied on at the end of your tippet. If you’re planning any fishing in order to feed yourself during a big game hunt in the remote bush, make sure to bring a couple of

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ESLs to increase your odds at catching riverside lunch.

IT’S STILL ALASKA Grayling ﬁshing during the hunting-crazed fall certainly won’t

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Fighting grayling on a 3- or 4-weight ﬂy rod makes for a sportier matchup for anglers. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

Using a sink-tip line and working your ﬂies through deeper waters should put you in the right spot to catch plenty of grayling in fall. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

allow me to fill my freezer with moose steaks, nor will it put a trophy set of caribou antlers on my wall. But it’s not like I feel as if I am missing out. The opportunity to spend quality time in the wilds of Alaska catching and releasing feisty Arctic grayling by the dozens is more than enough to satisfy this angler’s hungry outdoor spirit. With a majority of outdoor enthusiasts trying to harvest Alaska’s big game during the fall, that only makes for less fishing competition for me and my friends on any of our favorite rivers flowing through the Interior of the 49th state. ASJ Editor’s note: To see more of Dennis Musgraves’ Alaskan adventures, check out alaskansalmonslayers.com. 80

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REDEMPTION

ON THE KELLY AFTER RAIN SABOTAGED A NORTHWEST ALASKA DOLLY VARDEN TRIP, TWO ANGLERS RETURNED FOR ANOTHER TRY

Chris Cox and Chris Dankmeyer endured a rain-soaked ﬂoat down Northwest Alaska’s Kelly River in 2015, then stubbornly returned this year. Their persistence paid off with drier weather and a bounty of ﬁsh, mostly Dolly Varden. (CHRIS COX) aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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The Kelly ﬂows through the Noatak National Preserve before emptying into the Chukchi Sea near Kotzebue. (CHRIS COX)

BY CHRIS COX

edemption. There is a longing in every angler to replace a subpar fishing experience with one that far exceeds expectations. My story about seeking angler’s redemption began over two years ago, during a float trip on the Kelly River in Alaska’s remote Northwest Arctic. The Kelly boasts healthy runs of multiple species of wild salmon, majestic Arctic grayling and, most notably to us, legendary sea-run Dolly Varden, famous in this corner of Alaska for their size, color and beauty. Dollies are widespread throughout the state’s waterways. Some spend their entire lives in freshwater streams or lakes, while sea-run fish take up home in the ocean and migrate to their freshwater spawning grounds healthier and even bigger than when they departed. In fact, the current state-record Dolly Varden came from a river in Northwest Alaska. Although the Kelly is not where that fish came from, choos-

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ing this river seemed like a logical one after using a combination of factors. We plucked evidence from several Alaska Department of Fish and Game research articles, listened to local folklore and debated river selections for several weeks over coffee in the mornings and homebrews in the evenings. The Kelly River was the clear choice! We chose August in particular to make the trek. We expected that by then the large run of spawning chums would entice the Dollies into a feeding frenzy on salmon roe. However, our best fishing intentions came to a screaming halt; shortly after we landed the rain began pouring endlessly. So much water fell from the sky that the river washed out, turned to chocolate milk and was rendered unfishable. Water levels rose 5 feet in some places. All we were able to do was listen to the flood warnings on NOAA weather radio while floating down to the community of Noatak, battered by weather and defeated. Fast forward to 2016: a new year and new fishing season. My fishing buddy Chris Dankmeyer and I decided we wanted

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The anglers knew what they were seeking on this trip. (CHRIS COX)

to ﬂoat-ﬁsh a river again. We both agreed we needed a redo on the rainy bust in 2015. Once again, we were Kelly River dreamers.

“THE GREAT WASHOUT OF 2015.” That’s how as we like to refer to last year’s Kelly River experience. But Chris and I were able to fish a few days on the Kelly on that trip, landing a few nice fish before the deluge ruined the remaining days. We caught some trophy-sized grayling but very few Dollies. Those we did land had some respectable size to them, but weren’t the memory-making fish this river has a reputation of producing. During last year’s planning, our pilots had told us the best time to chase Dolly Varden was July. We obviously hadn’t listened to them, but this time we heeded their advice. We prepped our gear in the weeks leading up to the departure date to ensure that we had everything necessary

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The two Chris’s spent more than a week ﬂoating the Kelly. (CHRIS COX)

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to complete the eight-to-nine-day float. Our mid-July departure finally arrived and we were stoked to head back to the Kelly for a chance at redemption. We were excited to get the raft and gear into the Cessna 206, securely fasten our seatbelts and take to the sky. The Kelly is about a one-hour flight north from Kotzebue. Our pilot from Golden Eagle Outfitters (907-388-5968; alaskawildernessexpeditions.com) planned a route that followed the river’s course. As we flew over the river, we could see pods of salmon, Dollies and grayling holding in various spots along the river. Excitement poured in! After taking an hour or so to set up the raft and tent where we landed, we couldn’t take it anymore. We had to wet a line to see what was close to us. As we walked upstream above a creek aptly named No Name, there was something about the hole that drew my attention – fish! Not sure if I was seeing grayling or Dollies, I threw out the strange pattern my trusted fly shop had thrown in with my pretrip order as a gift. The fly was called an AKGurgler and had action similar to a mouse in that it skated the surface of the water to entice fish. As I cast an orange fly made primarily of foam, a fish rose from the depths and quickly latched onto it. Fish on! After playing it for a few seconds, I quickly realized it was an Arctic grayling, and a big one. Grayling typically can’t fit their mouths around a fly this size, so I knew it was something quite large. After yelling for Chris, who was upstream

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

100 yards, he quickly ran down to take a photo of the beauty – 18½ inches of trophy-size grayling on the first cast; we were off to a terrific start on the trip. The next four casts of the “gurgler” produced fish too, with each one being the species we’d come for: Dolly Varden. I was told that the big ones can’t resist this fly, and I thought I had caught most of the large ones out of the hole we were fishing. The time was creeping close to midnight as I told myself this would be my last cast, one that concluded with one big hit. A fish slammed the fly so hard I barely had time to react to the takedown before it peeled off 80 feet of fly line and almost got into the backing of my 6-weight reel.

Chris Cox shows off a Kelly River Dolly. (CHRIS DANKMEYER)

After some cautious reeling, I had her to the bank, not the biggest ﬁsh but a personal-best 26-incher. At this point, within a couple hours of beginning to ﬁsh, Chris and I had pulled out as many Dollies from the No Name hole as we had during

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last year’s entire trip. We were on cloud nine – and with no rain in sight.

WE HEADED BACK TO camp and prepared for the ensuing float the next morning with nary a cloud around to bring up memories of yesteryear. We hit a few holes the pilot had pointed out to us on the flight up, producing a catch here and there of both grayling and Dollies. We eventually floated through the braided gauntlet between fishing holes to spy a familiar spot we’d nicknamed Poser Hole, which produced our first Dolly from last year’s trip. Sunshine turned to clouds eventually that evening, triggering a collective uh-oh from both of us. As the rain started to come down, Chris immediately hooked into a solid 27-inch fish. It couldn’t resist the smaller inline spinner he was casting. The colors on this fish were fantastic: green and orange, with huge white-lined fins to boot. At this point I had lost my only gurgler to a fish by my own doing. I had switched it up earlier in the day to a single bead to imitate a salmon egg swept from its nest. After we each landed several beautiful Dollies out of the hole with this method, my indicator went down and I set the hook. Talk about an explosion. A huge Dolly ripped clear out of the water and somersaulted its way downstream. I knew this could be the one I’d come for, considering the tug was unlike the others – fat and heavy, it seemed. After a few tense mo-

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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ments near the bank, my buddy reached down and tailed the giant beast. Thirty inches of Dolly glory was mine! I remember my feeling of shock and awe that I had this precious fish in my hands. After a few quick photos and a measurement to confirm the size, he swam back to join the others we’d released. I’d finally caught the big Dolly Varden that had eluded me in the downpour last season. Redemption never felt so good.

WITH SEVERAL DAYS REMAINING to fish and float on our trip, we felt positive we’d catch a few more giants that waited for us around the bend. It rained all night, soaking us to our cores and concerning us about rising river levels; however, we woke up to partly cloudy skies and warm weather. Talk about relief. We quickly packed up camp and headed downstream again. We knew the spots we wanted to stop at from our previous trip. As we neared a well-known creek known as Wrench, we found out that our first two pilots had flown up for the day to fish it. They had caught a few Dollies before we landed there, and that didn’t stop us from finding some ourselves. As we neared the end of our grand adventure, we beached the raft at the mouth of the Kelly River to find fresh fish that we hadn’t caught. The fishing was so good we ended up staying three nights at the mouth. Each day at this spot was better than the last; we caught and released triple-digit numbers between us.

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

The sun even came out a few times, which made for a much more pleasant (not to mention productive) return to the Kelly River for two determined anglers. (CHRIS COX)

It seemed as if new Dollies were coming into the system each day and I don’t think we ever caught the same ﬁsh twice. We even had action from the many chum and pink salmon also present at the lower end. The next day we ﬁshed the hole hard before pushing down-

stream to our final destination. We landed a few more average-sized Dollies for this river, but we knew there were bigger fish under the surface. Before we departed, Chris rolled over the top of a Dolly that was probably the king of the river. As he came out of the water, no doubt this fish was every bit of 35 or more inches long. We never did land him, and I guess that fish will be the one that keeps us coming back. Eventually, we floated our way downstream to the village of Noatak, completing our nine-day rafting expedition. The fishing had been sensational and set amongst an incredible backdrop in the Noatak National Preserve. Taking a risk and going back for a rewind to float and fish the Kelly River gave me a renewed perspective about second chances with big Dollies. I felt just how rewarding redemption can be when you finally land that fish of a lifetime. ASJ Editor’s note: For more on Chris Cox’s fishing adventures in Alaska, check out alaskansalmonslayers.com.

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AS TIME GOES BY

REKINDLING OLD MEMORIES ON A SOUTHEAST ALASKA FISHING TRIP When author Jeff Lund realized he was going ﬁshing off Southeast Alaska with a good friend’s younger brother, Daniel Peters (gaffing salmon), he realized he was feeling old but also nostalgic. (JEFF LUND)

BY JEFF LUND

Peters is eight years younger than Lund, but he’s become quite the salmon and halibut skipper in his boat he named Clutch. (JEFF LUND)

“

re you really 35?” “Yeah, but I still feel 27.” “Crazy.” Yeah, it is crazy. Not so much that I’m 35, but that I’m ﬁshing with Daniel Peters, the kid who, 2½ feet ago, was my good friend Jessica’s little brother. Now he’s his own man. You know that people are going to get older, yourself included. Everyone says it, but that doesn’t stop you from standing neck deep in a moment and saying, “Wow, time goes fast.” Anyway, on a day off from guiding a charter boat for a local lodge out of Klawock, Daniel took my California buddies JJ and Anthony and I out on his customized work skiff, an 18foot 1989 Boston Whaler named Clutch. The boat was short on comforts but big on character and spunk. No one would mistake us for guided clients. We would look authentically loaksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

cal cruising around the open ocean in that thing. I was stoked.

Drifting turned out to be a better option than trolling to land some salmon on this trip. (JEFF LUND)

THE OCEAN WAS LEVEL, completely dormant, as we pulled away from the dock. We made three turns around a couple islands and cruised toward open water. There, we encountered only gentle, lazy rollers that were polished and docile. The outer shore of Noyes Island can become densely populated with charter boats when the kings are in but not everywhere. Because the weather was good, there was no concern in taking Clutch out there to mix it up with the guided masses. We ﬁshed between two named spots, next to charters and a couple whales. It was one of those days that guides think about leaving for somewhere better, but there is just enough action to make them second-guess going to a spot that doesn’t sound much better. After all, you can’t catch ﬁsh if you’re motoring around all day. After a couple drifts of nothing, we headed to deeper water

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for halibut to get some blood on the deck, which we did. As soon as we dropped back into the boat city, JJ hooked up. It wasn’t a particularly hot or large king salmon, but it was better than what most of the boats were picking up. In his two

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previous trips to Alaska, JJ hadnâ€™t caught a king and was understandably excited. We made a short run down the coast again after 30 minutes of nothing and I was on a hot ďŹ sh immediately. Again, it wasnâ€™t big, maybe 25 pounds, but a king salmon is a king salmon, and you should never complain about catching one. The bite turned off again and we again headed out for bottomďŹ sh. Daniel lived in Sitka for a while, and our run north seemed like Clutch was homesick and on autopilot. We stopped at a couple peaks that had been good for lingcod. Anthony was Third timeâ€™s the charm! After two ďŹ shless trips to Alaska, JJ Ramirez of Manteca, Calif., relished this nice king salmon. (JEFF LUND)

beginning to feel the wrath of the swells. Even if the ocean isnâ€™t rough, there are certain things you canâ€™t really control. One of them is seasickness. If your inner ear betrays you and you get nauseous, thereâ€™s not much you can do. You canâ€™t do exercises to strengthen your ability to not get wobbly. You can either sedate yourself with pills meant to keep you from chumming, or wear patches, stickers and whatever else is out there. But it just is what it is, and what it was for Anthony sucked. As soon as we tucked behind an island Anthony was back in the game, so we trolled for coho and more kings. But when we switched to trolling JJ lost his mojo. His one job was to stare at the rod directly in front of him and pick it up once it started bouncing. It wasnâ€™t until Daniel screamed, hurried over, picked up the rod from the holder, set the hook â€“ handing it to JJ in the process â€“ that JJ moved. By midafternoon we were back at the dock with three limits of king salmon, a brace of halibut and a couple nice lings. We gave Daniel some money for gas and headed home. As per usual, we started a ďŹ re in the pit on the front lawn just up

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from the high-tide mark. The guys retold the king story and I thought about where the years went.

ITâ€™S WEIRD HOW THINGS come full circle â€“ or maybe not full circle; maybe itâ€™s just ďŹ nishing the stretch before adulthood. At that point, all bets are off. You get to the point where the only thing that matters is sharing experiences with good people. Some of those good people you only know as what they were until you are around them to see what they are. Itâ€™s impossible not to look back and wonder what you did in all those days between then and now. To paraphrase author Donald Miller, if youâ€™ve forgotten things, itâ€™s like they never happened. Which, of course, means that if you donâ€™t have a couple things washing onto the shore of your memory, life can seem pretty depressing. But if in an instant, you know the years have been ďŹ lled with living, not existing, you can smile and be OK with it. You look back at the years, point out little things, wonder if you remembered them as they actually happened, or recall facts. â€œDid you ever date my sister?â€? â€œNope. Just good friends.â€? ASJ Editorâ€™s note: Jeff Lund is the author of Going Home, a memoir about ďŹ shing and hunting in Alaska and California. For more, check out Jeffâ€™s website, JeffLundBooks.com.

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THEY DIG JIGS ALASKAN STEELHEAD AND SALMON CAN’T RESIST THESE

FIELD

SIMPLE PRESENTATIONS Working tiny jigs on a ﬂy rod is a great way to target water that’s tough to get a ﬂy into. Here, an angler prepares to land a fat coho that fell for a 1 /16-ounce pink and white jig. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

quicker than the 1/32-ouncers, but the latter jigs can get down fast with the addition of split shots. Because jigs have the ability to quickly sink, they allow ﬂy anglers to work water heavy in hydraulics. Suction pools and boils commonly associated with fast-moving steelhead and coho water can efficiently be accessed. White water that quickly pushes an uncontrolled ﬂy through it can now be drifted with a jig.

CHOOSE YOUR PAINT

rom a high point along the riverbank, I could see steelhead holding in the upper section of the hole. I was stealthily easing within casting range and stripped a leech through the slot without so much as a glance from the fish. A weighted bunny hair pattern was next, and again, nothing. I slipped a strike indicator, small split shot and a 1/32-ounce jig on the 9-foot leader and ran it through the same hole. Before the first mend was made a chrome steelhead hammered it. Water flew from the Ninilchik River and soon I was reviving a stunning steelhead for release. Four casts later, two more steelies were caught and released back into the same hole.

When it comes to selecting a jig color, it often boils down to personal preference. Peach, pink, chartreuse and white color combinations are great for steelhead and coho. Black or purple jigs do very well on overcast days and in deeper holes, while bright red, orange, green, pink or chartreuse produce on bright, sunny days and in shallower stretches. A floating line and 2X 9-foot tapered leader are ideal. A couple feet above the jig is where shot should be placed (check current, local regs for details on weight placement). When selecting a strike indicator, choose one that rides high in the water and can be monitored in turbulent conditions. Because jigs are largely fished in unstable waters, using a buoyant indicator that can be read is a must. A lightweight, streamlined indicator will also allow for easier casting when dead-drifting through larger holes. Fishing depth is determined by where the strike indicator is secured, which is based on the water being fished. I’ve caught fish with the indicator snugged down 4 inches above my jig. Because so much mending can take place during the course of a day, especially on big rivers where great lengths of line lay on the water, I prefer using a 7- to 9-weight rod for steelhead. As in nymphing, repeated line mending is the key to creating the most natural drift possible when fishing jigs.

A WINNING FORMULA

LOTS OF SPACE

Not only has this presentation worked great on multiple steelhead streams in Alaska, but coho love it too. In fact, the best small-stream coho action I’ve ever had – accomplished in numerous streams around the state – has come on micro jigs. With 1/16- and 1/32-ounce jigs available to fly anglers, the technique is intriguing and makes sense. Fly aficionados quickly learn how effective the weighted presentations can be in certain situations, ultimately allowing them to cover more water and catch more fish. Due to their lead head, jigs have a fast sink rate. The 1/16-ounce jig drops into the strike zone

The beauty of fishing the jig is the diversity of water it allows anglers to cover. Streams that are typically tough to fish due to incompatible water flows can now be worked with improved control and accuracy. Fast-flowing riffles, turbulent rock gardens, sheer ledges, cut banks and deep slots constitute ideal jig water. Roll casting the jig into position is common practice in small streams laden with brushy shorelines. On larger streams, casting is the norm. In swift tailouts and along extended stretches of fast-moving water, the set-up can often

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

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FIELD

Tiffany Haugen says smoking ﬁsh like coho doesn’t require a lot of ingredients to still burst with ﬂavor. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

SEND SOME SMOKE SALMON SIGNALS BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

ith winter approaching, now is a good time to fire up that smoker. If you’ve been out catching loads of silver salmon, there are many ways to prepare and preserve them, and smoking tops the list of favorites for many people. The process of smoking meat is simple and requires very few ingredients. Creating a balance between salt, sugar, heat and smoke is key to attaining success. But there are many factors to consider when smoking fish: quality of the meat, smoker type, outdoor environment and taste/texture preference. It usually only takes a few attempts to find your go-to smoked salmon recipe. Our family favorite has been passed down through four generations and is still the recipe we reach for when that first salmon of the season goes into the smoker. All salmon – coho, king, sockeye and early-season chum and pink – taste great with this recipe. INGREDIENTS 4 pounds salmon 1½ quarts water ½ cup canning salt, kosher salt or Morton Tender Quick 1 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, optional 1 tablespoon granulated garlic 1 tablespoon granulated onion 1 tablespoon white or black pepper

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PREPARATION Cut salmon to desired smoking pieces, about 2 inches by 4 inches. In a large glass or ceramic container mix water with remaining ingredients and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Submerge fish in brine – skin side down on the bottom layer, meat side down on the next layer. Repeat layering skin to skin and meat to meat. Place a weighted plate on top of fish to keep fillets fully submerged in brine and soak fish three to four hours. Place fish on racks and air dry two hours or until a pellicle forms (salmon should feel almost dry to the touch). Smoke five to eight hours at 170 to 180 degrees. Replenish chips as often as needed to keep a constant smoke for at least two to three hours of smoking time. Smoke times vary according to smoker brands, fish thickness and outdoor temperatures. Check fish often and finish cooking to desired texture in a 160-degree oven if necessary. Cover and refrigerate fish until ready to serve. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489.

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The author has had great success catching small-stream steelhead and coho on small jigs ﬁshed off ﬂy rods throughout Alaska. After an impressive battle, he released this bright September steelhead that couldn’t resist a 1/32-ounce jig. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

be swung at the end of the drift. The first few casts are the most important when working a jig, especially in unfamiliar water. It’s within the initial casts where anglers must determine the exact depth to be fished, adjusting the indicator and perhaps the attached weight so that the jig rides anywhere from 3 to 12 inches off the bottom. Though steelhead and coho may move considerable distances to strike a jig, this is not always the case. The goal is to place the jig smack on the nose of the fish or directly in its line of sight. Introducing a jig is effective from a boat and the bank. In both scenarios, work the jig from the upstream side, feeding out enough line to allow a natural drift that mimics the rate of the stream flow. Whether you’re a budding or veteran fly angler looking for new ways to approach the sport we love, there’s no disputing the effectiveness of a jig. Once you see how effective this approach is for steelhead and coho in small Alaskan streams, you’ll be rushing to tell your friends about it. ASJ Editor’s note: Signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, A Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, can be obtained by sending $37 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, PO Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489 or online at scotthaugen.com. The 835-page book contains over 120 photos, more than 110 maps from around the state and is one of the most complete travel guides ever written for anglers heading to Alaska. 112

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SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

BY DAVID ZOBY

ontague Island appeared in glimpses, broken by rough surf and headlands, scoured by waves and wind. We trolled long wavering lines a half-mile out from the kelp beds. No other boats were in sight. Capt. Gregg Tanji flipped on the Furuno and it immediately began its weird sound – spup-spup-spup – like a card dealer flipping out the deck. The sonar found stacks of baitfish. Within moments of setting out downriggers, one of my fellow boatmates was into his first king. When the line popped out of the clip and went slack, he froze. But the deckhands directed him to the right rod and the fight was on. He had never caught a salmon in his life, and now he was slowly working a wild king to the boat in one of the most pristine fisheries in the world. The fish made a second run, as kings do, but this time it came to the surface and wagged its head back and forth, desperate to throw the hook. When the big fish hit the net, a cascade of silver scales burst loose like confetti. This was my second time trolling for kings off Montague. I had been lucky enough to do an overnight trip to nearby Port Ashton some years before, and I was eager to get back. The coastline was as indifferent as I remembered it, foreboding and enigmatic. The Gulf of Alaska seemed so immense, so daunting, I tried to think of other things: king salmon on the grill; taking some nice photos; the sushi restaurant in Seward where I had had a great meal the night before. I tried to ignore the fact that we were the only boat within sight. On this type of long-range trip, you are essentially, profoundly alone at sea. Someone asked about facilities on Montague Island. “Nobody lives there,” said one of the deckhands, Chase, a likable Baylor University grad student who fishes Alaska in the summer to cover his tuition payments. “There’s a few hunters’ cabins there for deer and bear hunters. But it’s uninhabited. Ninety miles long.” “Are there roads?” asked one of the clients. “No roads. The closest towns are Whittier and Seward,” on the mainland, said Chase as he busily reset the gold spoon and the sonar continued marking bait – spup-spup-spup-spup – in crescendo. The king went in the fish box and I heard him in there, thrashing. The salmon bite fizzled after just three kings, possibly because the tide swung and the gear wasn’t working quite right, or possibly because a solitary bull orca cruised right through our best spots. Capt. Gregg told us to reel up the lines. We were going for halibut.

OUR VESSEL, THE TAIL WATCHER, was like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s a 40-foot Armstrong Marina Catamaran with twin Volvo Penta inboard diesel engines. It can break 30 knots, even in chop. On this trip, there were eight clients, though the deck space on the Tail Watcher gave us plenty of room to ﬁsh and keep our lines from tangling. The equipment on board was top of the line: Avet reels and Loomis rods, all kinds of bright jigs and spoons, fresh bait and a mesh chum bag the size of a bean bag chair. Moreover, the Tail aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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Watcher has attitude. It seems like a hybrid – a cross between a military amphibious lander, and a souped-up Humvee. The welds are as thick as my pinky. Inside the wheelhouse, there’s enough electronics to make you dizzy. We all sat in the galley exchanging ﬁsh stories while Capt. Gregg positioned the boat on a pinnacle. There was a science to it, and he wasn’t satisﬁed until he pegged the boat right

WE HAD MOVED OFFSHORE enough to where you could just barely see Montague and its sea-battered headlands. I used a somewhat lighter rod than the others who dropped circle hooks baited with herring, sockeye carcasses and octopus. I lowered a 16-ounce jig with a white twister tail until I felt the obvious thud of the bottom. I pumped the rod only six or seven times before I felt a jolt. The ﬁsh held tight to the bottom. I

Scenes from Port Ashton, located on Evans Island’s Sawmill Bay to the northwest of Montague Island. Once the site of a cannery, it now hosts a ﬁshing lodge, which includes a wood-ﬁred hot tub near the beach, and lots of scenery and seclusion. (DAVID ZOBY)

atop a shelf where the structure fell away to deeper water. The skipper said he hadn’t tried this particular spot in years but felt good about it. A bulging chum bag of chopped herring and various ﬁshy morsels was lowered to soak. The two deckhands, both Texans themselves, scrambled to set the anchor and replace the salmon gear with stout halibut rods. I asked if I could jig, rather than soak herring and salmon carcasses. “We always keep at least one jig in the water,” said Matt, the deckhand and a Texas A&M graduate. He explained that we were targeting large halibut – 40 to 100 pounds or more. “It makes no sense to go running around the ocean looking for ‘chickens.’ We’re after quality ﬁsh here, so be patient.” 118

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strained to move it. Finally, the fish began to come up. Halfway through the fight, the fish sort of stopped struggling. “It’s a big yelloweye,” said Capt. Gregg, who had appeared over my shoulder with a bamboo-handled gaff in hand. He was right; it was a yelloweye and the biggest I had ever seen. Jigging seemed to be the ticket that day. We took turns until we had limited out on the rockfish. They were huge, with one topping 20 pounds. A few small halibut also fell to herring, but mostly it was a yelloweye bite. “We’ve found the pumpkin patch,” said Matt, as he gaffed another trophy yelloweye. John, an angler from California who was fishing with his

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The kings were biting on this trip… (DAVID ZOBY)

had hooked. It took him over 30 minutes to raise the fish, a beautiful 100-plus-pound halibut with astonishing markings on its back. The boat’s crew, all three of them, handled the fish in a scrum of gaffs and clubs. We all stood back out of the way of the huge tail that was thumping the deck of the boat, and I could feel the raw power through the steel as the fish made its last struggles. John seemed dazed and awed by what had just happened. He told me later he had never caught a fish like this one. “That flounder did not want to come on board,” said Matt. My halibut, a 50-pound fish with a greenish hue, bit a jig. I ‘d been talking about elk hunting with one of my boatmates when I felt a solid hit. The drag ran for 30 seconds and the jigging gear is so much lighter than bottomfishing gear that you get to feel it all. You are in the fight in a way that you can hardly imagine. When the fish finally came alongside the boat, Capt. Gregg, gaff in hand, asked if I wanted to keep it. I peered over the gunnels to see a fine manhole cover of a halibut in the clear water. I hadn’t caught a nice halibut like this one in years. “Absolutely,” I said.

nephew, suddenly groaned as his rod doubled over, the last eyelets of his rod touching the sea’s surface. Others had halibut on at the same moment, but none seemed to be dragging them around the deck of the Tail Watcher like the beast John

AFTER WE’D ALL CAUGHT a halibut, we stopped at a rocky pin-

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SEPTEMBER 2016 | aksportingjournal.com

nacle for black rockﬁsh. I tangled with a 30-pound lingcod that had to go back into the sea because season wasn’t open yet. The others quickly limited on “black beauties” before we

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... as were the halibut, and yelloweye and black rockﬁsh. (DAVID ZOBY)

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returned to the stoic kelp beds to look for a few kings and called it a day. Our pal, the orca, was nowhere around. The Tail Watcher’s sister boat, the Predator, was there, though. The captain, a Wyoming native turned Alaska charter captain, was on the radio. “We just hooked one – one seagull,” he said. “They’re aggressive today.” I noticed the same thing. The glaucous gulls off Montague are a wild-eyed, mean strain of birds. They have to be to live out here where everything eats everything else. Gulls plagued us all day, dodging in to grab a bite of herring, quarreling among themselves, dive-bombing the bait table. While the deckhands set the gear, gulls dove at the battered gold spoons. Matt explained to us that the king bite was not a guarantee, that many boats out of Seward were not catching any this year. But even with these daunting words, I was all for trolling. I love trolling for king salmon, even on a full charter where you have to wait your turn as others fight and lose fish. I just wanted a shot at one king. One by one, the kings began to come to the net and my turn was approaching. These are not the same fish that run up Alaska streams, rather “feeder” kings that gather off Montague to fatten up before returning to British Columbia waters to spawn. The limit is two per day, but with the slow bite, it would be a feat for each of us to get a chance at a single king. Most of these anglers had never caught a king, and it was

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fun to watch them grab the correct rod out of the holders (the crew ran three rods on each side of the boat) and fight these wild fish. When my time came, Matt was just setting the spoon back in the water. He had yet to drop the downrigger when the king slashed across the surface and grabbed the spoon. We all saw it. I slowly worked the fish back to the boat, letting it run when

it needed to and taking what it gave me. A Chinook is my favorite thing in the world to eat, so I was particularly careful not to make any mistakes, considering that I have lost quite a few of them at the boat. But Capt. Gregg appeared again (he seemed to have the unique ability to be where he needed to be at the right time) and deftly netted my ﬁsh. All eight of us now had a king, and it was time to head

WHEN YOU GO Kamell Allaway’s operation, Grande Alaska Lodge and J-Dock Sport Fishing, can do it all for you. There are a few other outfitters in Seward, Valdez and Whittier that offer long-range trips to Port Ashton, but Grande Alaska has it dialed in. The lodge provides food (sandwiches, breakfast burritos, snacks, coffee, soft drinks, and dinner) for your time on the boat and at Port Ashton. Check them out at sewardakfishing.com, or do as I did and call Kam directly. He is easier to reach in the winter than during the busy fishing season. Call him at (907) 224-3300. He can organize day trips, sightseeing tours to Kenai Fjords, and even fly-out adventures for grayling and rainbow trout. If you want a sneak peek at your accommodations at Port Ashton, check them out at portashtonlodge.com. You can read about the Talvi family and look at some of the photos from this gorgeous slice of wilderness. Bring rain gear and a change of clothes. Fishing off Montague is often a windy and wet adventure. Even in late June, I needed a sweater in the mornings and rain gear in the afternoons. Though I don’t get seasick, I took medication just in case. You’d hate to come all that way and ruin it because you overestimated your seaworthiness. The town of Seward has all kinds of appeal. I would recommend doing a few days in town before and after your charter. There’s a world-class sealife center, a hopping brewery and unique and charming gift shops scattered all over the quaint downtown area. The day before my charter, I sat at the sushi bar in Chinook’s overlooking the wharf and had some of the best Alaskan seafood you can imagine. The Alaska Railroad stops downtown and lets travelers off right in the center of the action. Seward is easy on the eyes too, with a picturesque wharf, towering ice-covered fjords and views of distant Resurrection Bay. DZ

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The fjords were veiled in misty shrouds. Seiners were busy working their nets. I saw a young girl “plunging” the water’s surface, striking it with a paddle to scare the salmon back into the net. You could smell the scent of fresh salmon, and wet acres of rainforest. We were met at the dock by Port Ashton’s owner, Lia Talvi. She brought a wheelbarrow for our gear. Our fish box was gaudy – an embarrassment of riches. Lia, who has seen her share of catches, told us we had done extremely well. And you could tell she was being honest. She hopped on a four-wheeler and drove our gear to cabins where we would spend the night. The author gets photobombed showing off one of the kings he caught on this memoraI wish I could say that I celebrated ble reunion with Port Ashton. It’s a special place he’s already dreaming about returning with my fellow fishermen into the wee to. (DAVID ZOBY) hours of the night. I wish I could say I took a dip in the hot tub. But the truth was, after a satisfying meal of chili, salad and cornbread – and a long to the lodge at Port Ashton, which is two islands away from conversation with Lia, who dropped by the cook shack with Montague, on Evans Island’s Sawmill Bay, for dinner and a freshly baked “Mug-up” cookies – I was beat. We talked for good night’s sleep. We would do it all again the next day. a while about the king fishing and how lucky our crew was to each get a king. OUR SHORT RUN INTO Port Ashton was a photographer’s dream.

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LIFE IN THE ROAD LESS (NOT) TRAVELED People have difficulty in realizing how remote Montague Island is and how unique this fishery remains – even today in the era of expensive fish finders and workhorse boats built for Alaskan waters. You don’t get to fish a place this remote every day; it’s not the usual charter experience. Far from it. The island is a 65-mile run from Seward, and only possible if the weather cooperates. It’s a double-edged sword because you get to experience a true long-range adventure. At the same time it crosses your mind that your safety is in the hands of the captain and crew. For me, making the two-day, overnight trip to Port Ashton makes sense. By staying at the remote cabins at Port Ashton, you can stay out longer on Montague’s halibut and salmon grounds, reaching fishing holes that rarely get touched by the day fleet and see a part of Alaska that few get to witness. After arriving at Port Ashton, the following morning your boat is the only one in sight as you drop your lines and hope for the best off Montague Island. In terms of hours fished, the overnight charter is far superior to the day trips. Plus, you get to stay in cabin overlooking beautiful Sawmill Bay, where the pink salmon fleet seines for schools of humpies. Here, an ancient cannery rusts into eternity and you may hear the din of rock music as highliner crews work their nets and get ready to run to the next spot. The hosts at Port Ashton, the Talvi family, are lovely folks. They greet you with smiles and all the hospitality you can imagine. Their Lab mix, possibly the luckiest dog in the universe, wanders the docks with a moldering ball in her mouth. As a guest at the lodge, you are free to stroll the island or just chill out while your crew fillets your fish and ices them down. Port Ashton Lodge even has a wood-fired hot tub set up on the beach when you arrive. But one thing people can’t wrap their heads around is the remoteness of the area. There are no roads, but clients from Houston kept asking how they might drive here. DZ

“That doesn’t happen all of the time,” said Lia. “With kings you never know.” The Talvis live a life on the edge of the wilderness. They literally carved their lodge out of untouched landscape and brought everything in by boat. Lia joked that they still call the

trail up to the main cabin “The Trail of Tears.” Thank god no television producer has discovered them and tried to turn their authentic lives into a reality show. People come to here relax, kayak the calm waters of Sawmill Bay, photograph the wildlife, or, as in my case, enjoy a respite from

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a day of charter ﬁshing. It’s a unique place that you’ll never forget. Being at Port Ashton is the extra special treat you get when you book an overnight trip out of Seward. It might be the reason I continue to dream of Alaska. I went back to my room and read an article about Mardy Murie’s days in Port Ashton. The father of the woman sometimes called “the grandmother of the conservation movement” once owned the cannery here. Who knew? As a girl learning to maneuver skiffs and clean salmon, Murie felt a profound connection to the wilderness at Port Ashton. Perhaps learning to work a tiller and pick salmon from nets is what inspired her to go on to become a literary treasure. The writing was so vivid, so clear, that I drifted off to sleep dreaming of seine haulers and ﬁsh tenders of a bygone era.

THE NEXT MORNING FOUND US in chop just off on Montague. The Tail Watcher shed the confused seas with no difficulty whatsoever. We were so close to the headlands that I could see the shapes of sea lions on the rocks. I could hear the surf crushing miles of shoreline. We were bottomfishing in just 70 feet of water. Still, large halibut came thrashing over the rail. Jigging again, I caught several hoss black beauties. I was reeling up to check my jig when a halibut slammed it and ran back to the bottom. It fought unlike the fish I took the day before. This flatfish ran like a king salmon, peeling off line, sulk-

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ing off the stern of the boat until I was able to coax it back. It was a carbon copy of the fish I had caught the previous day, a solid 40-plus-pound keeper. I nodded to the captain, who gaffed it and hurled it into the box, which was already brimming with black rockfish and halibut worth bragging about. The gulls were back to harassing us, crying and squabbling over lost bits of bait. We trolled for kings before heading back to Seward. When they came, they came in twos and threes – wreaking havoc with our gear and causing us to laugh and shout with excitement. During lulls in the action, I kept looking at Montague Island and wondered how long it would be until I saw its mysterious bights and peaks again. It’s not that easy getting back. For one, many outfitters don’t let a party of one such as myself add on to their overnight trips. Grande Alaska Lodge, who runs the Predator and the Tail Watcher (as well as some other impressive boats), was the only company in Seward willing to book me on an overnight trip. Most outfits require you to book the whole boat. Also, when fishing in Alaska, your plans can change at any moment. There are some days where the charter fleet just can’t go out as far as Montague. A Coast Guard chopper prowled the skies one morning to illustrate this point. A private vessel was overdue at Seward and an alarm had gone out. Luckily, it all turned out OK for the fishing party. But it goes to show that fishing these waters is serious business, and you need a knowledgeable,

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The rusted remains of the cannery are reminders of what a bustling place Port Ashton used to be. (DAVID ZOBY)

well-seasoned captain and crew to make sure your trip is safe and enjoyable. On the Tail Watcher, we were in good hands.

BACK IN SEWARD, it was all smiles and backslaps as we posed by the fish boards with our incredible haul. Kamell Allaway, owner of Grande Alaska Lodge and J-Dock Sport Fishing, was cruising the wet boards in his rubber boots, checking with his clients and making sure they had enjoyed their trips. He carried a cup of coffee, his telltale laughter booming as he shook hands and visited with folks. He popped into photos and took charge of cameras and cellphones while fishermen scrambled to have their photos taken with the day’s catch. How often do you see the owner of a business involved in every aspect of his operation? Kamell was helping hang fish on the fish boards, directing people to the free coffee in the seafood shop and making sure everyone knew how to get their fish home (J-Dock does it all, from filleting and freezing your fish, to getting it to your doorstep in pristine condition). The whole wharf was buzzing with activity: fishermen hugging their families, tourists taking photos, legions of taciturn men filleting fish. But I kept thinking about Port Ashton, where the silence was interrupted only by the distant sounds of seiners plunging the water, or eagles twaddling in the high branches of trees that overlook the green waters of Sawmill Bay. I was already dreaming of going back. ASJ

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ROADTRIPPIN’ TO ALASKA W

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border in Canada. Beginning in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, the Alaska Highway (affectionately known as the Alcan) goes on for 1,390 miles through B.C., the Yukon Territory and ﬁnally into the Last Frontier, ﬁnishing in the community of Delta Junction. So if you have the urge for an ultramarathon road trip through some of the most rugged, beautiful and unspoiled

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Whitehorse before finally crossing the international border into Alaska to finish off your journey. So much of the joy of travel is getting off the beaten path and getting away from the obvious tourist traps. Driving the Alcan is about as real as it gets. Road tripping is a great way to avoid airports, headphones and unappetizing bags of peanuts. Piling the family into the car and exploring the British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska countryside would be a fantastic bonding experience. There’s a feeling of satisfaction once you complete the journey and reach Delta Junction. What to do now? You can go fishing in any number of nearby lakes or the Tanana River right in town. Or, if you’re still feeling like racking up some more miles on the car odometer, continue on the connecting Richardson Highway and continue your journey through the wild lands of the Last Frontier. ASJ

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THE BUTLER DID IT

Mike Grumet (second from left and inset) sold insurance in Southern California for years, but aspired to help Alaska travelers better experience one of the country’s most magniﬁcent states. (ALASKAN RV BUTLER) 138

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HOW A FORMER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSURANCE AGENT BECAME A PERSONAL, FULL-SERVICE ALASKA TOUR GUIDE BY CHRIS COCOLES

ike Grumet loves to tell a story about how he strives to make your trip to Alaska one to remember. Grumet, a former insurance agent in Southern California’s Orange County, now operates the Alaskan RV Butler (714-292-5777; thealaskanrvbutler.com), which provides clients with a motorhome that Grumet drives, meals and activities. It’s the kind of personal, hands-on service you might not be able to get at even a small Alaskan lodge if there are few other guests. “I had a family from Singapore that was reading a map in downtown Seward, which is a sign you don’t know what to do, they don’t where they are and they don’t know where they’re going,” Grumet says about one of his groups he did a series of day trips with. “And I asked, ‘Do you guys need some help?’ They said, ‘We just got off the cruise trip and we don’t know what to do.’” When he asked about their interests, Grumet was told the family enjoyed hiking and wanted to see wildlife, so he took them to a spot where they spied majestic bald eagles in the wilderness. That’s the kind of off-the-beaten-path adventure Grumet can provide those guests who sign up for either a day trip like the family he chatted with near the cruise terminal, or longer trips in a rented RV that travels to ﬁshing spots or to other locales around the Kenai Peninsula (one of his programs in development – catered to anglers and golfers – is known as “Fish and Chips”). “There’s nobody who has more passion for Alaska than I do,” Grumet says. Grumet says his rates – which include a discount on the RV rental, as well as ﬁshing with a local guide, a cooked-toorder menu and other expenses – save clients a large amount of what it cost for a DIY version of similar services. “I have so many ways to save people money that it’s actually cheaper to go with me than to do it on your own, because I have exclusive discounts and I have tricks that I can save on,” he says. “And I have systems in place that allow you to maximize the amount of time that you can enjoy Alaska. No one can do it as efficiently as I have.” That’s what sets apart this jovial 60-year-old Southern Californian – the personal touch he puts on trips with smaller groups in the motorhome. We sat down with Grumet to get some background on why he does this and how it enhances an Alaska outdoor vacation.

Chris Cocoles What inspired you to do this? Mike Grumet It started about 11 years ago. Me and my friend Rick, who dreamed of having a lodge in Alaska, ﬁnally made a aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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Grumet met this family from Singapore after they had just disembarked their cruise ship and guided them on a hiking adventure. (ALASKAN RV BUTLER)

results and I used to get results typically within two to four hours on everything. Some complicated things could take months and I would spend $5,000 to $10,000 on my own end in costs to ﬁght for a $3,000 claim for a customer because someone had to hold the insurance agencies accountable when they screw up.

CC Essentially, you seem to be a conduit between those who are ﬁred up to experience the outdoors in Alaska but aren’t quite sure how to do it. MG I do it quicker, better and cheaper [laughs].

trip up here with two of his buddies [Rick isn’t involved in Grumet’s business]. They knew Alaska and knew motorhomes and how to fish. They were going to take us around and show us everything. The good news was they took us around; the bad news was, they showed us nothing [laughs]. I was really unhappy with the trip. I vowed to myself, “I’m coming back next year, I’m overcoming my fear of driving the RV and I am going to research Alaska and find everything there is to do, and screw these guys.” That’s what I did and I picked up a book that broke down literally every mile of what there is to do in Alaska. I started taking every tour – kayaking, horseback riding, flying in airplanes to remote lakes – and between my friends and we probably spent about $150,000 spanning several years trying out all these vendors. And it’s my nature to want to serve and plan for other people; I didn’t want them to have the same experience I had, which was someone else who was controlling me and I didn’t get to do anything I wanted to do.

CC What was your life like down in California before this? MG My friend, Rick, was an insurance agent way before me and recruited me into (the business) 24 years ago … In the last two years under Obamacare I got burned out, because the government required that the insurance companies cut back on administrative costs, which means they did two things: they cut the number of people who would serve me when I had a problem with a claim for a client. I would normally get a callback within two hours; now I sometimes won’t get called back for six weeks on a problem. That’s how busy they are. So my clients think I don’t care anymore because I’m not getting 140

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CC What kind of a fishing background do you have and what do you do to get your guests out on the water? MG I know how to fish, but it’s one thing to know how to fish and it’s another thing to be in the river every day and learn every hole and nook and cranny. So while I have a guide license and I’m able to guide in certain areas that I do know well, my guiding is limited to Seward and around the bay. That’s the area where I would consider myself solid in. But I’m not a Kenai or a Russian River guide or a drift boat guide. So I have a guide named Wes Odtinger, and he is quite the character and I just pay the guy because he’s fun to be around [laughs]. With Wes and I, we fish anytime day or night for our customers. In Seward especially, the fishing is tidal-related. So if the tide is coming in 3 a.m., we want to be there at midnight, three hours before the tide comes in. There is no clock we go by; we’re literally 24-7 and it’s whatever the client wants to do. CC When booking a trip with you, what are some of the items included by you? MG The motorhome, the camping fees, the firewood, ice; I have baggies, paper towels, soap, shampoos, razors. It’s like a mobile cruise on wheels. Just come in with your clothes, your camera; and you leave your fishing gear at home. I have everything. When you do Alaska for the first time on your own, you know your airfare, hotel and car (costs), but you have no idea what you’re missing when you get up here; it adds up in a hurry.

CC Tell me about the cooking aspect of what you do. MG I cook for the U.S. Army Reserves six times a year as a volunteer. I cook for my Kiwanis club 10 times a year for fundraisers. I also donate private chef (service) in the home to charities, where I do a private dinner for the home. I’ve been doing that for about 20 years and I’m known as a chef, even though

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I’m not formally trained. But I’ve been cooking since I was 5. I cook everywhere: at home and charity events; I love cooking, and it’s one of my passions. You can go to a restaurant in Alaska and spend 25 bucks for ﬁsh and chips or $20 for a burger and fries. Instead of that, I can make you prime-grade short ribs with mushrooms, onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers. So you’re going to have so much more enjoyment and so much less work. That’s the real beauty of what I do.

CC So in your case, you really have to be a people person for this to work, because you become, for better or worse, a part of the trip when you’re hosting, cooking and tour guiding. MG [Laughs] I have traveled to over 52 countries and states in America, so for people who travel with me, I have a lot of life experience and travel experience throughout the world that I can share with people.

One of the Alaskan RV Butler’s made-to-order meals. Grumet regularly cooks meals for charitable events back home in Southern California. (ALASKAN RV BUTLER)

CC What plans do you have for the future? MG What I’m working on is to be unique, and

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“The money I saved on side tours and guided ﬁshing made my trip possible.” 142

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•24-30 RV Rental from Anchorage •All Alaskan RV Butler Services •Trip Planning •Chauﬀeuring •Cooking •Sight Seeing •Hiking •Concierge Booking Services: Get discounts of 5-50% oﬀ Side Tours and Guided Fishing. *Valid up to 4 people per RV Call Mike for more details: (714) 292-5777 MikeRVButler@gmail.com www.theAlaskanRVButler.com

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to always offer something exceptional and different. In April, I took my guide, Wes, and my wife fishing in China. We were fishing for what they call goldeneye, which fight like a pitbull. So I want to do tours in places like Mongolia for 100-pound salmon. And I’m going to do research on Cuba since it’s opening up to the U.S. And I just want to do anything that’s unheard of, anything that’s rare and that only a handful of people are aware of. That’s where I want the RV Butler’s services to evolve into, in addition to Alaska. Because I’ve only got four months, I want to fish the world and serve people on tours and make sure they’re good. Everything the RV Butler does has to be unique with high-quality service. That’s my goal: to do that until I die. ASJ Editor’s note: Like the Alaskan RV Butler at facebook.com/The-Alaskan-RV-Butler-1611255055810863. “What I’m working on is to be unique, and to always offer something exceptional and different,” Grumet, 60, says. “Everything the RV Butler does has to be unique with high-quality service.” (ALASKAN RV BUTLER)

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NEW TWIST ON FIRE STARTERS

UNIT COMBINES TINDER STORAGE, DIRECTED SPARK OUTPUT IN COMPACT DESIGN BY DARRELL HOLLAND

n our modern age we seldom think of fire as life-saving. Modern technology has sheltered us from the elements, and with the flick of a switch or the turn of a dial we can be instantly hot or cold. This convenience has dulled our senses, and many outdoorsmen and -women no longer appreciate the importance of fire in our lives. The only time we hear about fire is when a subdivision or an exclusive neighborhood is in jeopardy. But when it comes to outdoor survival, I feel that fire building is the single most important survival skill you can possess. Hikers can survive for days without food and water, but hypothermia can kill in just a few hours.

THERE ARE A MULTITUDE of fire starters out there and many folks still carry a lighter and possibly a few matches with them in the outdoors. People are confident these items will ward off disaster, but will they? Try starting a fire with a wet book of matches, or try lighting those strike-on-box wooden matches against a rock or rough surface. Good luck! At high elevation a lighter often doesn’t work either; get it wet and see how the flint works then. With cold hands and numb fingers, try making that lighter work now. What about a magnesium fire starter, or a flint and steel? In reality you need to be pretty skilled to get a fire going with these items in tough conditions, as they lack tinder. “But wait,” you say, “our TV survival expert always finds a bird’s or rat’s nest to make a fire with.” Really? How many times do you find or see a usable nest in the woods? Are you going to risk climbing a tree when you are cold in order to retrieve a bird’s nest? Sparks alone from a ferro-rod will not ignite wet twigs or larger fuel sources. Magnesium burns hot but only for a few seconds, and it takes a large amount of shavings to do any good. Beware of fire starters that also serve as a flashlight, knife, beer opener and a compass. I worked with the Boy Scouts for decades and taught hunter survival courses around the country. I’ve tried almost every fire starter out there and found them lacking for one reason or another. It was time to bring a little common sense and some thoughtful design features into the goal of constructing a real fire starter. My main desire was a fully functioning, self-contained unit that worked under inclement conditions and allowed the user

The effort it takes to make a roaring ﬁre like this in the great outdoors may look easy, and while there are many gadgets designed to help, the truth is they often fall short when you need them most. But outdoor survival expert Darrell Holland has a few tricks up his sleeve – and inside his Lightning Strike Fire Starter. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

to build a fire with just one hand, in the event of being injured in the field. Most fire starters lack a tinder storage compartment, produce limited spark output and make it very difficult if not impossible to build a fire with one hand and do so in a few seconds.

ENTER, THE LIGHTNING STRIKE Fire Starter. This ingenious design incorporates all of the aforementioned features and is American-made. The large tinder storage compartment allows you to always have a supply of long-burning tinder with you; no more groveling around in the snow and rain trying to aksportingjournal.com | SEPTEMBER 2016

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other tools in their vehicles. Do you? Having an accident, running off the road or running out of gas can all be life-threatening situations under the right circumstances. Dialing 911 does not always bring about a timely rescue in dire situations. Mother Nature shows no favoritism in the wild; you are the responsible party for yourself and family. The Lightning Strike Fire Starter has an ingenious design and can be used with a single hand. Among many of the features, it comes with storage space for dry tinder – not always readily available in the outdoors. (DARRELL HOLLAND)

find something that will burn. The striker is large enough to function well, even with cold hands, and the striker stop and guide make it simple to generate a spark. The spark output is tremendous and unequaled by any ferro-rod on the market. By surrounding the ferro-rod with a tube, the entire spark is concentrated directly onto the tinder. Anytime we leave the security of our vehicle or home, we should always have a means of building a fire at our disposal. You never know when Mother Nature is conspiring against you, and it takes just one little goof-up to become a victim. Use a daypack, a fanny pack or belt pouch to carry some simple survival tools with you. In northern states such as Alaska, savvy residents have a sleeping bag, water, fire starter and

NO MATTER WHAT ﬁre starter you purchase, take

the time to make sure you can get a ﬁre going with it. Don’t put yourself or your family at risk by opening the package of your new whiz-bang gizmo when an emergency arises, only to discover it doesn’t work! Practice under tough realistic conditions, making sure you can generate a roaring ﬁre in the rain, snow or other inclement conditions. In a survival situation, don’t take risks that may result in you being injured, thus complicating your survival situation. A little common sense goes a long way. Why compete with the rest of the civilized world for the coveted Darwin Award; life is tough enough as it is. Be safe and enjoy the great outdoors responsibly! ASJ

Editor’s note: For more information on the Lightning Strike Fire Starter, visit lightningstrikeﬁrestarter.com.

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