Volume 17 • Issue 5 • May 2017

60 © Nicholas Jacobs/FCVB

Departments Features Fish Alaska Traveler 6 Southeast Hot Spots for Kings by Terry W. Sheely 34 Fish Alaska Creel 8 The 500 miles between Cape Chacon on the southern tip of Prince of Wales north to Cape Suckling at Yakutat Fish Alaska Online 10 encompass a vast complex of fertile king salmon water. Terry Fish Alaska Gear Bag 12 Sheely guides us through it all, noting the peak-producing Fishing for a Compliment 14 waters for Alaska kings this year. © Terry W. Sheely W. © Terry 34 Fish Alaska Families 16 Casting Plugs for Kings Salmon Sense 18 by JD Richey 42 Fish Alaska Fly 20 It started as a quick-fix to get a few pesky slow-water kings Fish Alaska Boats 22 to bite but now JD Richey has found kings all across Alaska very receptive to plugs cast-and-retrieved. In this feature he Fish Alaska Saltwater 30 explains how to do it and where. Fish Alaska Stillwater 32 Caring for your Catch by Conor Sullivan 48 Fish Alaska Recipe 94 Alaska is blessed with the best seafood in the world, but Advertiser Index 97 with this gift comes responsibility. Once the decision to Final Drift 98 harvest a fish has been made, you owe it to both yourself and the fish to take the proper steps to ensure its peak freshness. The process starts the moment the fish is hooked, and each subsequent step is thoroughly discussed in this handy feature. © JD Richey 42 Saltwater Rod & Reel Maintenance by George Dennis 56 Saltwater anglers can spend a substantial amount of hard-earned money on rods, reels and exotic fishing line, but surprisingly, very few anglers give the attention they need to their equipment to keep it in tip-top shape. Here saltwater skipper George Dennis relays some good habits he’s developed to help extend the life of rods and reels on his charter boat. Destination Fairbanks by Troy Letherman 60 Overshadowed by the famous coastal fisheries, Alaska’s Interior doesn’t always get the attention it deserves within the sport-fishing realm. But as visitors to Fairbanks already know, the Interior offers some fine fishing adventures as well, some of which might suit your style perfectly. Read here to learn about it all. Alaska’s Kings by Marcus Weiner 72 Fish Alaska Publisher Marcus Weiner presents a comprehensive primer on Alaska’s top king fisheries, including when to go to ensure the best chance at taking down a big, bright Alaska king salmon. Totally Tubular for Kings by Mike Lunde 86 With modern materials opening up new worlds for fly-tiers, Mike Lunde walks us through the range © Brian Woobank 72 of tube flies that are proving effective for Chinook salmon. COVER / Captain Chad Matthews of O’Fish’ial Charters and his son Austin caught this notable winter king from Homer. © O’Fish’ial Charters May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 3 2 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 3 PUBLISHERS Marcus Weiner Melissa Norris ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Patrick Speranza Kathy Anderson EDITOR Troy Letherman OPERATIONS MANAGER Wayne Norris EFFICIENCY MANAGER Ana Taylor ART DIRECTOR Bailey Anderson PRODUCTION MANAGER Russell K Porsley III GRAPHIC DESIGNER Melissa Wong

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Greg Brush, Troy Buzalsky, Andrew Cremata, Les Gara, Scott Haugen, Pudge Kleinkauf, George Krumm, J.D. Richey, Terry Sheely, E. Donnall Thomas Jr., Jeremy Anderson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Hastings A. Franks, Ken Baldwin, Anthony Madden, Tony Davis, Kristin Dunn, Brian Woobank REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS George Krumm (907) 529-6172 Rick Birch (907) 394-1763 SALES REPRESENTATIVE Alan Mariner (907) 345-4337 Fish Alaska Magazine PO Box 772424 Eagle River, Alaska 99577 Toll Free 1-877-220-0787 (907) 345-4337 main (907) 223-8497 advertising www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com ISSN 2475-5710 (print) ISSN 2475-5729 (online) SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Check out our specials at www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com Already a Subscriber? Call for our renewal specials! (907)-345-4337 Toll Free: 1-877-220-0787

Fish Alaska magazine is published ten times annually in January-July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov and December by Fish Alaska Publications, LLC, P.O. Box 772424, Eagle River, Alaska 99577. Send all address changes to P.O. Box 772424, Eagle River, Alaska 99577. One year subscriptions are $30 U.S. dollars for subscriptions in the U.S., $50 U.S in Canada, and $80 U.S. in all other countries.The single copy price is $6.99 in U.S. dollars. To subscribe by phone please call 907-345-4337. Editorial correspondence should be sent to Attn: Editor, Fish Alaska magazine, P.O. Box 772424, Eagle River, Alaska 99577. Unsolicited manuscripts and photos will be considered, but must be accompanied by a self- addressed stamped envelope. Although we will take care, Fish Alaska is not responsible for the loss or return of unsolicited materials. The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the opinions of Fish Alaska magazine publishers and editors.

©2017 by Fish Alaska Publications, LLC. All rights reserved.

4 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 5 fishing enthusiasts. They are extremely comfortable and the patterns are fantastic. New this year is Fishewear’s wool line, including skirted leggings, a quarter-zip 8 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas pullover and neck tube. They’ve also for Alaskan Moms released their Troutrageous design on by Melissa Norris leggings, dry bag and neck tube, as well Are you looking for ideas to spoil your as a new Fly Pheasant legging and the amazing Mom for Mother’s Day? Then Hooked on Grayling legging that are consider these Alaska-style gifts that are gorgeous. You can shop for FisheWear in sure to be useful and memorable for the their Anchorage show room from 10 to Moms in your life. 5 on weekdays at 511 W. 41st Ave., Suite 101, or online at www.fishewear.com. 1. Xtratuf X 3. Caddis Deluxe Salmon Sister Boots Everyone loves the Alaskan Breathable sneaker also known as the Stockingfoot Xtratuf boot, but even Women’s cooler are the newer styles from Xtratuf that fold Waders down, showing off If Mom needs a new a colorful ocean- pair of waders or wading themed pattern boots, check out Caddis on the inside liner of the famed Legacy for their comfortable and boot. This spring Xtratuf is partnering affordable women’s designs. with Homer-based commercial fishermen In addition to their stand- who have successfully launched an ocean- out teal or pink waders life-themed apparel, accessory and home in the Deluxe Breathable goods brand called Salmon Sisters. Sibling style, Caddis also makes a entrepreneurs from Homer, AK, Claire Natural Ensemble that is a Neaton and Emma Teal Laukitis created traditional olive green color. Caddis Salmon Sisters several years ago as a way waders are widely available across the to express their love of the ocean in an state at retailers such as Fred Meyer, Three artistic way and their brand has grown to Bears, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Soldotna nationwide recognition. This year they are Hardware and Fishing, Western Auto collaborating with Xtratuf boots to feature Juneau and more. two Salmon Sisters styles; Octopus and Fish prints. The Xtratuf Salmon Sisters 4. Okuma Coldwater Ladies edition boots are found at Sweeney’s in Edition Conventional Reel Soldotna; Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware This is a premium line-counter reel at or LFS Kachemak Gear Shed in Homer; an affordable price. We’ve had good Big Ray’s in Anchorage, Kodiak and experiences with Okuma’s Coldwater reels Fairbanks; B&J’s Sporting Goods and LFS and think the style of the ladies edition is Donalson’s in Anchorage; The Fish House really sharp. It is gray with pink accents in Seward; The Prospector Outfitters and is subtle but stylish for ladies who in Fairbanks and Valdez; Western Auto like pink. It is lightweight and corrosion- Juneau; and Alaska Sport Shop in Haines. resistant, has a 5.1:1 gear ratio, two ball bearings and one roller bearing, and a 2.Fishewear multi-disc, Carbonite drag system. One great feature is the ability to completely Leggings or dry the interior if it gets wet. Mom will Dry Bag love her own lucky reel in a feminine style If you read our without sacrificing the durability needed magazine often then for Alaska’s big fish. you have heard about FisheWear, which was founded by Alaska resident Linda Leary. The moms in your life would undoubtedly love a pair of FisheWear leggings designed by artistic 6 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 7 5. Trip to Valdez Women’s and passionate female fly fisherman as well as an accomplished author. Fishing Derby Visit womensflyfishing.net for more Mom needs a day in May and another information. Add on a gift card to Mossy’s one in August! Try August 12 to be exact, Fly Shop for Mom to begin getting the the day of the 2017 Valdez Women’s gear she’ll need. Derby. Mom can fish for silvers on a charter you book for her through Fish Central in Valdez. Drive the RV down or rent a cabin at Eagle’s Rest RV Park and Cabins. Tow the boat or book a trip for Mom and get her lined-up with a ticket into the Women’s Derby for a chance to win $1,000 cash and $1,000 in prizes from The Prospector in Valdez.

8. Women’s Rain Gear Check out some women’s specific rain gear for Mom. Grundéns has long been revered 6. Oomingmak Smokering for their hard-core, weather-proof gear. If To me no fiber is more classically Alaskan Mom spends a lot of time on the saltwater, than qiviut, and the Alaskan artists from then consider the Sedna Bibs and Jacket Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers’ Co- by Grundéns. She will always stay dry and operative hand knit some of the most warm in this commercial-grade set and delicate and intricate, functional pieces of it will last for years and years if properly art that scream Alaska and yet are highly- cared for. Now she can be comfortable functional for the outdoors. My favorite in saltwater gear that fits her height and piece is the Nelson Island’s Diamond pattern arm length properly. Grundéns are widely Nachaq, also known as a smokering. available throughout the state’s retailers. You can wear it a couple of ways but I Another option is the Women’s primarily use it as a neck warmer and for Granyte Newport Rain Jacket and Pants style. It is an heirloom piece that Mom by DryAngler which is lightweight, will get tons of use from as well as be able waterproof and abrasion-resistant. It is to hand down through the family. Shop comfortable to wear with stretch in the online at qivuit.com or go in person to material. their downtown Anchorage store location at 604 H Street. Alaskan Moms are fishers and hunters and hopefully this short list of ideas will be helpful in your quest to please the Moms 7. Fly Fishing Lessons in your life this Mother’s Day. Is Mom showing interest in fly fishing? Sign her up for a fly-fishing class with Pudge Kleinkauf, who started Women’s Flyfishing almost 30 years ago. In addition Melissa Norris is Publisher of Fish Alaska to fly-fishing and fly-tying classes, Pudge magazine. She is mother of a little girl who has guided women in Alaska for several has angling in her blood and the daughter of decades. She is an expert instructor a woman who loves to fish.

8 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 9 Winter is long in Alaska, and our summer fishing season is short. May brings the first true signs of summer and as a result, the anglers who have been eagerly awaiting the season’s bounty. When you’re not on the water, go online to check out Fish Alaska’s seemingly endless supply of Alaska- fishing knowledge.

May 2017 Highlights: Mantus Anchors is giving away $1,000 in free gear plus five 50%-off coupons to Fish Alaska readers! Go online to enter to win and view details on this month’s Angler’s Special from Mantus Anchors! Taking care of your boat is vital for protecting your investment and ensuring your days spent on the water go smoothly. Go online to read and watch this month’s boat maintenance blog and check out the video provided by Jeremy Anderson of Alaska Drift Away Fishing. Bear safety is an important topic for all Alaska anglers. Check out this month’s tips for bear safety online with advice for outdoorsmen in bear country. Unsure of your tippet tactics? Check out some tips, tricks and guidance on our website for matching the size of your tippet material to the Alaska fish you’re trying to target. Bonus Online Only Content Check out this month’s featured video, Luhr-Jensen® TECH TIPS: How to Sharpen a Treble Hook. A strike is an opportunity. Sharp hooks help you capitalize on every opportunity. Learn how to maintain a sticky-sharp hook point to increase your number of landed fish. For information on the right terminal tackle setups and techniques, as well as mastering the tides, moon phase and art of depth management to aid in salmon-season success, visit our website, where Contributing Editor Troy Buzalsky expands on each topic in an exclusive feature this month.

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10 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 11 Frontiersman Bear Attack Deterrent with Practice Spray www.sabrered.com This new package enhances familiarity and confidence for bear spray users, providing a chance to practice before needing to deploy their bear spray in a high-stress situation. It comes with a 7.9-ounce practice spray, which features the exact same deployment style and firing mechanism as its bear spray counterpart (available in 7.9- or 9.2-ounce canisters) to help you gain muscle memory and confidence that better prepares you to protect yourself and your family during a high-stress encounter. Frontiersman Bear Attack Deterrent is the maximum strength formula allowed by the EPA, has a 35-foot range (practice spray has a 30-foot range), and a glow- in-the-dark safety, which helps you locate the bear spray immediately. Pro-Cure Bait Waxx www.pro-cure.com Eppinger Dardevle Bait Waxx is a formulation for Salmon Kit enhancing any lure with a potent trail www.eppinger.net of amino acids that trigger strikes. It’s The Dardevle salmon kit has a selection of spoons UV-enhanced to add extra attraction with unique action and vibrant colors that have to your lures. Bait Waxx is available in proven to produce aggressive strikes from both seven fish-catching formulas: Shrimp, salmon and steelhead, making them a favorite of Monster Bass, Real Crawfish, Trophy fishermen from the Northwest coastal rivers to Alaska. Trout, Minnow Blend, Nightcrawler They are available in over 100 colors, including and Trophy Walleye. extended glow and in 1/3-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce sizes.

Quantum Monster PT shop.zebcobrands.com This reel is built to tame high-powered species such as king salmon, and it gets its name from the very large spool that proves substantial line capacity. It’s built of tough aluminum and protected by Saltguard 2.0, which contains a Quantum- Wicked King Killers exclusive SCR Alloy that is free of impurities that lead to www.wickedlures.com rust in lesser-built reels. The SCR Alloy is then covered in Wicked King Killers are an innovative Quantum’s proprietary coating process to further prevent product specifically designed to cast, troll, rust and increase long-term performance. The Monster series features their Performance Tuned back-bounce, plunk, float-fish and run Carbon Stainless Ceramic Drag System with a max drag of 23- to 26 pounds; right- and left-hand behind divers. They come in a variety models are available in gear ratios of 6.4:1 or 7.1:1, promoting fast line pickup. of colors and combine a #6 brass blade, with a 2/0 Gamakatsu red octopus hook CE Smith Stainless Steel Adjustable tied on a 6-foot, 30-pound Platinum Clamp-On Rod Holder Moss Green Izorline leader. Wicked Lures www.cesmith.com have proven to be especially effective for Smith’s adjustable clamp-on rod holder is ideal for catching salmon. Try them when targeting anyone wanting to add an easy-to-install functional king and coho salmon, lake and rainbow rod holder with a smart design to their boat. This trout, Dolly Varden and Arctic char, as saltwater-proven rod holder crafted of 316L stainless well as northern pike. steel can be mounted either vertically or horizontally on aluminum or stainless railings, towers or arches to allow for a variety of configurations. These rod holders feature a unique hidden adjustment system that allows the rod holder to be pointed at any angle desired for even more customizable mounting positions.

Acme UV/Glow Side-Winder Penn Battle II Spinning Reel www.acmetackle.com www.pennfishing.com This spoon has proven deadly on many species of fish. Battle II Spinning reels feature a full metal When jigged with quick, short lifts of the rod, the lure body, sideplate and rotor, as well as HT-100 darts upward and then flutters through the fall, imitating carbon fiber drag washers, five stainless steel a wounded baitfish. It can also be fished with longer, ball bearings, a heavy-duty aluminum bail wire, slower jigging strokes to produce a rocking motion that and a superline spool that includes a rubber also entices fish to bite. Now this spoon will be even gasket so superlines don't slip and no backing is more effective with the addition of UV/Glow colors to needed. There are eight models in the series that the series. Daylight will energize the spoon, and shining span the needs of most anglers in Alaska. artificial light on them will speed up the process. They are available in four colors in 1/8-, 1/5- and 1/3-ounce sizes.

12 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May May2017 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 13 13 Reed Douthit with a rainbow trout on the upper Kenai River in 2016 during his annual birthday fishing trip with friends and family.

The Miller boys land a nice Mat-Su Valley pike. Todd Wonnacott with daughter Chloe during a fishing trip to Kodiak in 2016. Macen Kopec, 8, with a nice Eric Wallis with a very nice silver salmon lingcod he caught on his own. Ronen Woods caught this 35-inch pike in March on the Kenai River in August 2016. 2017 while checking his holes during a cross- country skiing trek near Trapper’s Creek. Alyssa Bolog with a nice silver caught in Willow, AK, in July 2016. Mike Woods of Anchorage, AK, enjoying a beautiful fall Tim Gorham of Anchorage, AK, with a day with a gorgeous rainbow Ron Alderson and Resurrection Bay halibut in July 2016. on the Kenai. his son Michael with their friend John Hee, all of Phoenix, AZ, highlighting their catches on the upper Kenai. Doug Rinko of Baldwinsville, NY, and his guide with a coho on the Situk River. Matt Sugita of Anchorage, AK, with a bright silver caught on the Kenai. Send us Your Fishing Photos! E-mail hi-res .jpeg photos to: [email protected]. Subject Line: FFC. Please include vital caption information in the e-mail. You can also mail photos to: FFC, PO Box 772424, Eagle River, AK 99577. Include a SASE if you want it returned. Include a Wayne Amos of Klamath Falls, OR, with a Normandy Huckins with a solid, separate caption for the photo. Do not write on the back of the photo. We will let you know when your photo will appear in the magazine. Thanksgiving day steelhead on the Buskin chrome-sided silver caught this River in Kodiak, AK, in 2016. past fall on the Kenai River.

14 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 15 Outdoor Kids are A-OK! Story by Troy Letherman Everyone agrees that getting kids outdoors is a good thing. Getting it done is often another matter entirely. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, as the Outdoor Heritage Foundation of Alaska (OHFA) is now offering a range of outdoor skills classes to young Alaskans, helping to introduce kids to the wonders and opportunities provided by an active outdoor lifestyle. Alaska Outdoor Kids! (A-OK!) encompasses a variety of programs that teach children a multitude of outdoor skills and encourages them to get out there and use them. Working in partnership with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, OHFA currently offers​ the National Archery in the Schools Program, youth shooting programs, Outdoor Youth Days and the Youth Leadership Education Program. Overall, the goals of the A-OK! program are to develop an awareness of, appreciation for and familiarity with the natural environment, including natural resource conservation methods; to foster a lifetime awareness and appreciation of hunting, fishing and related outdoor skills and activities; to successfully complete requirements of the ADF&G Basic Hunter Education course; to promote independence and increased confidence in a youth’s outdoor sills, and finally, to foster outdoor leadership skills. Outdoor Youth Days is a three day camp program for youth ages 10- through 14 and is made possible by a cooperative effort between ADF&G and the Outdoor Heritage Foundation of Alaska. Other key supporters include the Safari Club International, the​ Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation​ and community volunteers. The mission is to foster an awareness, respect and enjoyment of Alaska’s natural resources and to promote outdoor activities that include the shooting sports, fishing and other outdoor skills in a safe and ethical manner. Taught by Alaska Department of Fish and Game employees and ​community​ volunteers, this fun and exciting three-day camp includes firearms safety, shotgun shooting, .22-caliber rifle shooting, archery, map and compass, outdoor survival skills, spin-fishing, fly fishing, wildlife identification and tracking, boating safety, watershed ecology and more. The OHFA youth shotgun league introduces kids ages 10- through 15 to lifelong shooting skills that can be used in the field and on the range. Safe firearm handling is the most important skill learned in this league. Two ten-week sessions per year (spring and fall) are offered, with about 100 kids in the program currently. Each team has 2- to 3 volunteer coaches and 5- to 6 shooters, with each participant shooting 50 rounds per week (one night per week). The program operates at the Rabbit Creek Shooting Park, just south of Anchorage near Potter’s Marsh. The Youth Leadership Education program is a partnership program that is supported by the Outdoor Heritage Foundation, the Alaska Chapter of Safari Club International and additional sponsors. The program helps train interested youth so that they will have the knowledge and skills to support fish and wildlife conservation and the important human traditions associated with those resources. The program is primarily for high-school juniors and seniors but is also open to sophomores if there is room. The general outline includes a trip to Juneau with visits to the Governor and Lt. Governor’s offices, some of the Governor’s cabinet members and legislative offices. It also entails working in the legislative process and discussion of timely issues. Each year one student from the group is also chosen to attend the American Wilderness Leadership School in Jackson Hole, WY. Those who would like to be considered for participation in this program can find an application at the link below. Last but certainly not least, the ​National Archery in the Schools Program has been instituted in schools throughout Alaska and has become a winning program teaching archery skills along with improving academic aptitude. To learn more about these outstanding programs, or to register or apply for a particular program, please visit www.ohfak.org/outdoor-kids. Getting your kids started on a lifetime of enjoying the Alaska outdoors is just a click away.

Troy Letherman is the editor for Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines.

16 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 17 great for rivers that are stained or glacial and the wide profile of the lure will catch Oddly enough, a lot of the grabs you’ll in color because of its large profile and the current and pull your gear downstream. get fishing this way will be incredibly loud rattles. Drop the plug into the water and let violent, rip-the-rod-out-of-your-hands Choosing the Right the current slowly pull it back. Lightly type of affairs, so hang on and try not to Salmon Plug Moderate Current, Moderate Depth apply thumb pressure to the spool as it react until line is ripping off the reel! Story and photo by JD Richey As the current speed drops out but you still goes and then stop the lure about every There are, of course, some situations have a reasonable amount of depth—say 10 feet. Wait until the tip starts pulsating that don’t necessarily fit perfectly into these The right plug often means up to 16 feet or so—you enter kind of a and then you can start the descent again. categories, but at least you now have a good the best results. “tweener” zone in which it can be tough It’s a slow process, but stay with it until foundation for picking the right plug for to get the lures down deep and still have you get as deep as you want into the hole. the right kind of water. enough action. Always make sure the lure is working and That’s where a wider plug with good know that a barely noticeable pumping on diving capabilities really shines when you the rod tip is okay in this situation. Once are flat-lining. Some of my favorites for everything is working properly, begin to JD Richey is a contributing editor for Fish these conditions are the good ol’ standard ever-so-slowly slip downstream with the Alaska magazine; he can be reached through Luhr Jensen K15 Kwikfish and the Brad’s boat. Stealth is key here! his website at www.fishwithjd.com. KF15 Killerfish. Those lures have enough surface area to catch current in moderate flow and get down. It all depends on the amount of line you have out, the actual speed of the Banana-shaped plugs like FlatFish, current and the diameter of your line, but Kwikfish and Killerfish are excellent king with 50-pound braid and the lures out 50- salmon producers. While they may all to 70 feet behind the boat, I feel confident look alike at first glance, these lures are fishing 12- to 16 feet of water. actually quite different in action and If you find that the current is slowing diving ability—in fact, just about each down a bit more and the plugs don’t seem lure in an individual brand’s lineup has its to be getting down enough, you can also own unique wiggle. Knowing when and switch out to a back-bouncing rig. I love where to use different brands and models the T-50 and T-55 Flatfish for bouncing is one of the things that helps separate the the bottom with lead. In that case, you really good salmon anglers from the less don’t need the plug to dive—it need only successful ones. wobble. The T-50 and T-55 are not great I know it all sounds a little confusing, flat-line plugs because they have a wider but think of it this way: Each lure is simply wobble and don’t get down as easily as a tool that will help you cover most of the other lures, but they are fantastic when plug-fishing situations you may encounter. fished on a three-way rig and a sinker. To help you get a better feel for this concept, let’s take a peek into my tackle box Slow and Deep Water in a situation by situation basis. On some rivers, you’ll encounter a unique situation in which the salmon will be Deep, Fast Water holding in extremely deep, slow pools. In When I’m flat-lining (back-trolling plugs these spots, you’ll often see fish rolling but with no weight) in spots that feature getting a lure to them can be problematic. current in the 2- to nearly 4 mph range and Typically, the water will be entirely too depths from 8- to 20 feet, the Yakima Bait deep for a flat-lined plug—and yet too slow Co. MagLip’s are my go-to lures. for traditional back-bouncing. That’s where I most often use the 4.5 (4.5-inch) and a modified approach with giant plugs is the 5.0 models because they are remarkably ticket. The idea here is to find a plug with stable in fast water and dive really deep. I enough surface area that it will wobble in have caught kings in 22 feet on these babies slow flows and then match it with the right without any additional weight. They have a amount of lead so that it gets down. tight wiggle to them that the fish also seem It takes awhile to find the right to like. combination for a given hole, but this The MagLip series usually come straight method is deadly when you get it right. out of the package perfectly tuned, but When looking for a slow-water plug, when fishing in this type of water, check you can’t beat the jumbo-sized T-55 and the plugs beside the boat just to make sure. T-60 FlatFish. They feature a wider, slower In really ripping water such as you’d find wobble than do Kwikfish (though the K16 on the Kenai, many plugs get overwhelmed has its moments, too) and work awesome by the current speed and struggle to stay in froggy water. down. That’s where a jumbo plug like the Depending on the lure, depth and HawgNose Flatfish comes in handy. It’s a current, you may only need 3/4-ounce of big beast that can handle water as fast as lead or less to get down to the fish. The you’d ever want to fish for kings. It’s also weight of the sinker will take the lure down,

18 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 19 Blue Suede Shoe Fly pattern & photos by Kevin Foley The Blue Suede Shoe came about in early June 2015 after a day of fishing tributaries of the Step 1: Form a bump of thread approximately Susitna River in search of king salmon. At the ½-inch from the front of the tube. time, reports had suggested that the kings had Step 9: Wrap the dubbing loop rearward to behind the barbell eyes. This requires you to stroke started their migration into the streams and rivers Step 6: Wrap the marabou loop forward and the dubbing loop materials forward. Complete of the Mat-Su Valley. However, my efforts that secure just behind the barbell eyes. Tie a single a single figure-8 wrap around the barbell eyes, day had gone largely unsuccessful as compared to strand of lateral scale flashabou on each side making sure to keep the Ice Dub stroked forward! other gear fishers I observed. That evening back of the fly. Flashabou should extend to the rear Stop behind the barbell eyes and secure the loop at camp, I reflected upon the gear and lures I saw of the fly. with several wraps of thread. being used and pondered how I might adapt the techniques to my own equipment; a one-handed Step 2: Secure barbell eyes behind the 10-weight fly rod. bump using cross wraps. Tie-in a 7 ½-inch I was searching for a fly that would sink quickly, piece of pearl flat braid at the rear of the provide a large profile, lots of flash, movement tube; wind thread forward. and remain durable. Most importantly, the fly had to keep a fish hooked tight to the line. For the latter, I felt a tube platform would be best to Step10: Pick out the ice-dubbed head such that keep a large fish tight to the line. My experience the material sticks out, radiating 360 degrees told me that the Pro Sportfisher Nano tube from the tube. Brush ice-dubbed head rearward system was a very convenient system, and a great using an old toothbrush. Leave approximately 1/8-inch of tube beyond the tip of the fly. Cut the way to add a “hotspot” to a fly with the use of tube with a razor or scissors. Trim excess lengths of different colored attachments. Not only that, Flashabou that may stick out too far past the end but it would easily hold the barbless hooks I so Step 3: Wrap flat braid forward about 1 inch on Step 7: Tie-in two hanks of 8- to 10 strands of of the fly. frequently used for king fishing. When it came to the tube, stopping about 3/8- to 1/2-inch behind blue Flashabou, one on the top, the other on fly color, the choice was easy. I would incorporate the barbell eyes. the bottom. (Fold one hank of Flashabou on the the time-tested and proven king-catching color thread and secure on the top of the tube. Repeat for the bottom.) Advance thread to approximately combination of blue and chartreuse. 1/8-inch ahead of the barbell eyes on the tube. As far as movement and flash, I adopted the lateral scale from the Dolly Llama fly and felt Flashabou would not only add flash but movement as well. The supple strands of Flashabou move and breathe in the current when tied sparsely into a fly. Rabbit and fox are superb materials with amazing breathability and Step11: Choose brightly-colored hook holder. movement in the water and would be a great addition to the fly. However, fox is expensive Step 4: Tie-in a 2 ¼-inch strip of chartreuse relative to rabbit and rabbit is available just about zonker rabbit strip (as measured on the skin). anywhere. I returned to the vise and what emerged was Step 5: Tie-in this fly. The following week I set out to field-test a 3-inch piece of large Step 8: Create a 4-inch dubbing loop of Ice the pattern and had amazing success! In time, chartreuse Dub Steelie Blue. Wet Steelie Blue slightly and this pattern has become my go-to king salmon frizzle chenille. fold the material together to one side of the fly for fishing Susitna River tributaries along the Make two dubbing loop thread. Wind thread to back Parks Highway. Since conceived, I have also tied wraps of behind the barbell eyes. chenille, this fly without the barbell eyes for use with two- Materials: handed and switch rods. It has proven successful making sure to sweep chenille Tube: ProSport Fisher Nano Tube in other color combinations for coho salmon and fibers rearward Thread: Veevus 140, White rainbow trout on the Kenai River as well. with each turn. Eyes: XL Barbell Tie-off and Hook: OPST Swing Hook Offset Bend 1/0 trim excess chenille. Add a marabou collar. Wing: Chartreuse Zonker Strip Kevin Foley is a biologist for the USFWS and fly- I prefer a dubbing loop, although wrapping Inner Collar: Chartreuse Frizzle Chenille, Large tying class instructor for Mossy’s Fly Shop. Kevin has in a long marabou feather by the tip will also Outer Collar: Chartreuse Marabou Flash: Pearl Lateral Scale, and Blue Flashabou a passion for dark beer, a good joke and laughing work. Lightly wet your fingers and stroke all of Step12: Introduce the king to its new with his mouth open. the marabou to one side of the loop. Head: Blue Steelie Ice Dub Blue Suede Shoe!

20 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 21 Salmon Season Success Story and photos by Troy Buzalsky

It wasn’t until I purchased my first boat that the salmon bug started flowing through my veins, and now with over 85 rod and reel combos and four different boats, it’s fair to say salmon season is my season of choice. If you take a look at your local boat ramp during peak salmon season it will quickly confirm that a high percentage of anglers choose to target salmon from a boat, and your boat, whether a sled, forward helm, skiff, drift boat or even inflatable, is at the top of the food chain for effectively pursuing the coveted species. Boat fishing techniques include but are not limited to trolling, back- bouncing, back-trolling and anchor When trolling in deeper water, such as fishing. The intent of this article is to give an estuary, Chinook still prefer to travel you the information needed to raise the in or around the 20-foot water depth. catch rate in your boat.

Trolling This kind of daily salmon success will make anyone a fanatic. behind a powered boat. To be more specific, By definition, trolling could simply be trolling from your boat will generally be described as dragging a fish bait or lure conducted while utilizing a trolling motor, traveling upstream (uphill) or downstream (downhill) either in a straight path, following a known contour, or using a zigzag pattern. Fishing guides differ on their philosophy, but most will prefer to fish for Chinook by trolling downstream in water that is 10- to 25 feet deep. According to my longtime fishing mentor Fred Trowbridge, “You can troll both up- and downstream for salmon, but you’ll typically have more success trolling downstream, motoring back, and then trolling the hole over again, rather than trolling it both directions.” Fred was one of those guys who always caught fish, especially when others were struggling. When trolling in deeper water, Chinook still prefer to travel in or around the 20-foot water depth; my sweet spot is 17 feet. A good fish-finder can help confirm the depth in which fish are suspended, which is influenced by many variables including current, underwater structure, water temperature and water clarity. Effective trolling will put your bait in front of the fish; trolling at the proper speed will make your bait, lure or plug behave correctly. Tide, current and wind all influence effective trolling speeds, so pay close attention to your speed. According to my fishing journal the majority of fish caught trolling last year were taken while trolling between .7 and 1 mph, as measured by the speed-wheel on the fish-finder.

22 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 23 Guides oftentimes judge trolling speed by watching their client’s lines running out at about a 45-degree angle from the rod tip and encourage that the rods get positioned in the rod holders at a slight angle: 10 degrees above parallel to the water. If your rod tip is too high it can affect the way your bait runs and the fish will feel the rod tension before the hook penetrates. Trolling can be effective with bait, plugs or lures. As a rule of thumb, the earlier in the season, and the closer to the ocean, trolling with herring, anchovies or prawn spinners usually have the most success. Once the water temperature starts to rise consider switching over to spinners or plugs. Spinner fishing is a science all its own and Trowbridge always coached us to fish spinners with a thumper-style blade about the size of a quarter in various color combinations of green, chartreuse, yellow, The key to anchor fishing is to be pearl white, and pink on gold blades. positioned in the right spot, which in prime locations means getting there Back-trolling: shortly after the sun rises. The technique of back-trolling is popular for both salmon and steelhead and can motor to control the downstream speed be downright deadly when targeting and direction. The key to effective back- fresh-from-the-salt salmon. When back- trolling is to cover as much good water trolling, the boat is pointed with its bow Back-trolling plugs can be one of the most successful techniques when as possible, and once you find the fish, to into the current and the boat is slowly targeting salmon. stay on top of them. backed downstream, using the trolling Back-trolling is a fairly straightforward technique. A diver, such as the Luhr Jensen Jet Diver, is connected off the mainline, and the bait, lure or plug is attached at the end of the leader. The setup is checked for proper action and then spooled out to the proper depth. From here, the rod is simply placed in the rod holder and you’re fishing. Setting the depth when running divers is more of an art form than science, according to Phil Jensen, former President of Luhr Jensen and Sons. “Even though our technical bulletins advise you to just let out your mainline 100 feet, there’s more to it than that. Current speed, back- trolling speed, line size and the actual lure or bait used all effect the performance of a Jet Diver,” explains Jensen. “I like to call it the art of depth management.” Bait and lure choices for back-trolling include plugs like the Flatfish and Kwikfish, eggs, sand shrimp, prawns or small herring. All can be run by themselves, as a combo meal, with a drift bobber, or even with a spinner blade (i.e., prawn-spinner).

Back-bouncing: Back-bouncing is one of the most lethal techniques, especially when targeting Chinook, but it takes time and practice to master and there is no substitute for time on the water! To back-bounce, you’re

24 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 25 Back-trolling proved effective for this current speed, turbulence and how snaggy Nushagak River king. the river floor is. Back-bouncing is a full contact, hands- on style of fishing, which requires patience and finesse. Because you are fishing with basically doing the same thing as when the rod in your hands it’s a very intuitive you’re back-trolling with diver and bait— method and you often will feel the bite slowly backing your boat downstream, much earlier than if the rod were in the bouncing the bait downstream behind rod holder. When you feel a fish start the boat. Back-bouncing is effective in to take your bait you have two choices: certain fish-holding water based on what Set the hook quickly or lower your rod the water is doing at or near the floor of tip and wait for the tug. A quick hook- the river. River currents are slower on the set should be used when fishing catch- river’s floor and this is where you will find and-release fisheries, when fishing a river the fish holding, especially big fish. You with lots of native fish or when being very want to use a weight that is heavy enough selective in the fish you choose to keep. to bounce bottom but light enough so that The quick hook-set technique helps you can continue to move downstream. reduce the number of deeply hooked fish, There are many approaches to back- thus reducing mortality. bouncing; many guides instruct their clients to keep the reel in free-spool (with Anchor Fishing your thumb on the spool) and let out line Sometimes the term anchor fishing can be as necessary to keep bouncing bottom, used synonymously with “hog-lining.” A reeling up as needed to keep the bait in hog-line will essentially be a series of boats the strike zone while keeping your bait anchored in a row across the river, forming moving. The speed that you back-bounce a line, hoping to intercept fish as they is also important, never let it rest (that move upriver. Anchor fishing and hog- would be called plunking). The amount lining are very popular methods during of rod-lift is important, too; you do not salmon season, which at times can literally need to lift the rod any more than what shut down the flow of boat traffic up and it takes to lift the sinker off the bottom, down the river. The key to anchor fishing and then when you drop the weight back is to be positioned in the right location. to the bottom, pick it right back up and Fish tend to run in distinct underwater set it right back down. Each body of water lanes, so it is important to be in the and subsequent fishing hole changes the right spot. Anchoring in a hog-line and dynamics for back-bouncing specific to fishing with the hot bait or lure does not

26 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 27 guarantee you will see action in your boat. Anybody who has ever fished a hog-line can attest that oftentimes a few boats out- fish the rest. It could be theorized that the boats catching fish are using the best bait, lure or plug. It could also be thought that maybe the folks catching fish have superior fishing abilities. Both could be contributing factors, but having your bait or hardware in front of where the fish travel is by far the most important factor for successful anchor fishing. Hog-line locations generally form because somebody has found an underwater feature, such as a ledge, which tends to funnel fish down a particular route of travel. Other times lines will form next to wing-dams, which will steer fish around the manmade obstruction. Rivers and tributaries are also a good bet for popular hog-line locations, especially if there is a deep slot where the rivers merge. Intersecting tributaries usually provide a location where you will A few more fish like this on the deck find cooler water. Fish tend to congregate and you, too, will find the salmon bug in this cooler water before they continue on flowing through your veins. up the mainstem-river or decide to go up to their natal river. Next time you might want to anchor When anchor fishing always keep a log where most of the fish were caught. denoting your exact location (use your GPS Having your bait or hardware in front of the fish is by far the most important for exactness), tide, water temperature and factor for successful king fishing. Final Thoughts not just how well you are doing, but also When you go fishing, is it your intent how other boats are doing. Who knows? to fish, or to catch fish? To increase your chances of success pay special attention to what’s going on in your local area. What is the weather doing and how will it influence your fishing? Rain could motivate an insurgence of fish. What are the tides doing, and how do they affect your plans? Fish hard during the peak times, especially one hour on each side of tide change How are others doing in the area? Information can be sought out from local tackle shops, friends who fish or from websites specific to the region. What about the commercial fishermen? Knowing when gill-netters have nets in the water, and knowing how this affects your upstream success, can be an important consideration. And finally, be prepared with the correct bait and tackle. Be prepared for the weather and environmental conditions. Be prepared for the unexpected, and most importantly; be prepared to catch some fish.

For more on the right terminal tackle setups for these techniques, as well as mastering the tides, moon phase and art of depth management to aid in salmon-season success, visit www.fishalaskamagazine.com, where Contributing Editor Troy Buzalsky expands on each topic in an exclusive feature this month.

28 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 29 into neutral. The plug-cut spins down the The author face, dropping into the hole, wounded and shows off the results easy prey. The rod bends hard. It’s a solid, of his epic unmoving hookup, more like a rock than a moment. Alone strike. Then it runs. Story and photo by Terry W. Sheely Veer out away from shore, away from grabby rocks and kelp to deeper water, using boat speed to drive the hooks home. Fish for king salmon long enough and sooner Into neutral. Snatch up the rod, tip up, or later you’re likely to find yourself alone in a slack out. Get solid to the fish. This one has small boat tied into a brutishly large Chinook shoulders, real shoulders. It shrugs—once, with a bucket of problems between you and twice, five times, then powers to the bottom. the fish. I can feel it grinding into the gravel. Nose What you do in the next few minutes down, pushing at the hooks. Reel. Not hard, will be the difference between heartache not fast, just enough. Get the fish onto the and hoorah! I’m not sure if my solutions backbone of the rod. Hold on maintain are the best but they worked when I needed tension, let him grind away and pray he gives everything to work. up before something pops. My fishing partner is back in the lodge, Then he’s running. Fast and out. An worn out and catching a nap. The squall explosion of speed planing toward the the gunwale, bag draped over the stern, clear is pretty much on its heels, the barometer surface. Twenty-pound monofilament melts of motor, cleats and tangles. shifting to the good side, and the late off the spool, flowing like there’s no end to The king is on its side now 20 feet off afternoon begs to be fished. I reload with it. Fifty yards, 70, 100, 120 and just before the stern, gills barely moving, two hands fresh herring, square away weights, terminal panic it slows, turns toward the boat, dives wide, thick as an alder trunk, a chrome slab tackle and net and run the 18-foot open skiff and thrashes—left-right-left-right—then of silver that takes my breath away. Pump, through the lumps and chop across the bay makes that classic big king boat run. Straight reel, pump, reel—smack. The weight smacks to a sheltered shoreline. it comes, fast as fire, faster than I can spin into the tip top, stopped. The huge king is A few yards off the kelp and rocks, curds of reel handles, barely under the surface. on its side the length of an 8-foot leader and yellow-white froth drift into a wavering trail Twenty feet, maybe 15, before impact it a 9-foot rod behind the boat—beyond net parallel with the shoreline. It’s a water trail dives, a tactical error that pulls the line tight range. I try to pull it alongside to the gunwale that follows a dramatic change in bottom and gives me precious seconds to recover but can’t and now I can make out frays and contour. On the left the Furuno marks a 50- yards of slack. line nicks above the top hook. foot bottom, on the right a plunge to 127 Again I can feel it grinding the hook So close, so damn close yet…… feet. Small schools of bait come and go. into the bottom, plowing, pushing. Then it Stalemate. It’s a solid king setup. sulks, resting, holding tight and deep almost I got nothing left, the Chinook has The outside rod is loaded with 6 ounces directly under the boat. Then it surges again. nothing left. We’re stuck just out of reach, of lead, an 8-foot leader and a pair of solid- This time when the king runs, I think I’m staring at each other, finished. tie 4/0 red Gammys threaded into a herring ready. But this time it goes even farther, well One more move—an attempt more that’s plug-cut to revolve in slow, looping past 120, makes a wide, slow turn, gets the maybe than certain. wobbles. Thirty pulls off the rod, and into tidal push on its tail and drives for the open Facing the fish, rod angle high, pressure on the holder it goes. bay. The coils remaining on the spool haven’t I slow-walk backwards to the bow, pulling the I point the bow into the foam line, slowly seen daylight since it was wound. I need big king on a dangerously tight line to within motor 20 yards, pop into neutral and coast line but I’m afraid to put more pressure on net range. When I ease forward toward the while the bait falls. When the line-to-water the fish or the strained and possibly frayed net it drifts back out of range. angle hits 45 degrees, I pop the outboard monofilament. Rod tip up to 55 degrees, Stalemate. into gear, bump ahead another 20 yards put some weight on the backbone, pop the I try again, this time with a resolute go-for- and then shift into neutral, coasting into the motor into gear and chase, left hand on the broke plan. When I’m as far forward as I can drop. Repeat. rod, right working wheel and throttle— retreat, I screw down the reel drag to prevent It’s a classic and productive motor- slowly and angling only slightly toward the line slippage and the fish from drifting out mooching tactic. Coast-and-go, pull the bait fish. Maintain constant pressure, constant of net range. All or nothing now. One feeble up, drop it down, pull it up, drop it down. boat control, constant speed. Slowly we close flop and the tether will pop. The technique is a search pattern roller- and line wraps thicken on the spool. A deep breath and go! coasting through water columns high-and- I can feel the king beginning to give way Jam the reel behind a line cleat in the bow, low. The boat moves just enough to keep to the constant rod pressure. Its sprints drop the rod and fly to the stern. the bait working, rising, falling, flashing, are shorter, its power playable. The fight is Snatch up the net, plunge the bag under vulnerable. The first pass is unproductive turning. Twice more it sprints, but the runs the king’s head, sweep to the tail, the leader but reveals a monster school of herring near are quick and weaker. I can stop him now. I snaps, the fish noses down and I pull the a prominent black rock on a slight point off can’t turn him, but I can stop him. Minutes handle straight up. the shoreline. Reposition to the top of the pass but time stalls. He moves, I counter, he It’s a moment beyond description, standing drift and motor-mooch down. At the rock counters, I move. on that stern staring into the water through I turn into shore and the fish-finder packs At 35 yards he’s just under the surface and the mesh at this great king unmoving, spent. solid with bait. The bottom comes up to 20 definitely coming in, but with attitude and We are alone this great king and I, and for feet then drops off a cliff into a 56-foot hole. resistance. I start a slow, rhythmic pull up, that experience I will always be grateful. The bait is too thick for me to pick out reel down, pump up, reel down, moving the salmon images on the locator screen, but if fish in inches. I’ve got enough control now Terry W. Sheely is a contributing editor for Fish ever I saw a Chinook lie this is it. that I dare to reach for the net with one hand Alaska magazine and can be reached through When the bait pulls to the edge I drop pull it free of the holder and position it on his website at www.tnscommunications.net. 30 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 31 A Trifecta Story by George Krumm Alaska is a state known for its quality dry flies in Canoe Lake, the bigger fish deep as 80 feet. It has a good rainbow fisheries. Every year, people travel from take subsurface more often. population and I have seen some very around the globe to fish here. Many After you’ve spent a couple or few large Arctic char in it. Based on the last people are headed for lodges in the more hours on Canoe Lake, you’ll need to six years of stocking data, there doesn’t remote parts of the state, but there are move to another lake to round out the seem to be an established, consistent some incredibly unique opportunities Trifecta. Arctic char are stocked in three Arctic char stocking plan for this lake. on the road system in southcentral lakes in the MLRA: Irene Lake, Echo For instance, in 2016, 215 Arctic char Alaska. In fact, less than an hour from Lake and Matanuska Lake. were planted. 140 of them averaged 19 Anchorage, there is a place where you Irene Lake is right next to Canoe inches in length! In 2015, 1,600 Arctic can catch rainbow trout, Arctic char and Lake—you simply drive about a quarter- char were planted. They averaged about grayling all in the same day, easily. That mile farther up the road to get to it. This nine inches in length. In 2014, 358 place is the Matanuska Lakes Recreation convenience makes it a good choice to try Arctic char were planted. They ranged in Area, formerly known as Kepler-Bradley to round out the Trifecta; however, Irene size from 10.75 inches to over 20 inches. State Park. does not receive Arctic char plants every What is clear, though, is that this lake The MLRA is about 36 miles north year, so the population isn’t all that big. seems to receive quite a few brood stock of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. It didn’t receive any Arctic char plants in Arctic char. The last time I fished this There are several lakes in the park, but if 2016, but 500 were planted in 2015 and lake there was a nice, wide gravel trail you want to catch rainbow trout, Arctic 616 were planted in 2013. About once down to the water’s edge. char and grayling, you’ll need to pick the every five years or so, ADF&G dumps To complete the Trifecta, you can catch right lakes. Rainbow trout are easy as some brood stock Arctic char into Irene rainbows in any of the lakes mentioned they’re stocked in all of the stocked lakes Lake. The last time they did this was above. Grayling can only be found in in the MLRA. The least common species 2011, and those fish averaged about Canoe Lake, but they are relatively easy is grayling. They are only found in one 21 inches. Irene is slightly smaller than to catch. The Arctic char is the most of the lakes in the MLRA. That lake is Canoe Lake. You’ll have to walk down difficult to catch on fly gear because they Canoe Lake. a short trail with your boat to reach the spend more time in rather deep water. If Canoe Lake is popular because access boat launch. I were to attempt the Trifecta tomorrow, is easy, and it is heavily stocked with Echo Lake is much more difficult to I’d start at Canoe Lake and kick down both grayling and rainbow trout. It is get to than Irene. You’ll have to park at towards the far end. I’d fish until I one of the very few Southcentral lakes a small turnout just off the highway and caught both rainbows and grayling. stocked with grayling. It’s a small lake, walk a short distance down a very steep Then I’d head to one of the other lakes at 21 acres or so, and bank access is hill or a much longer distance that isn’t to try to catch an Arctic char. Though somewhat limited. You can easily fish quite as steep in order to get to the water. Echo receives the most consistent the entire lake in a day from a float tube, Float tubes are easiest to get down to the plants of Arctic char, I’d probably go to canoe or pontoon boat. Rainbows are water. Echo is about 22 acres in size, and Irene or Matanuska, as they have easier found throughout the lake. Grayling can it is more exposed to winds than either access. If it was a year in which Irene be, too, but the larger fish seem to have Canoe Lake or Irene Lake. Echo Lake has been stocked, I’d give Irene the nod. preferred areas they call home. Since receives about 500 Arctic char per year, Otherwise, Matanuska would probably the lake is only 21 acres, I’m sure you so it should have more char available be a better bet. can find them. Both the rainbows and than Irene Lake most years. However, grayling respond well to most stillwater there is the difficulty of getting down to patterns. The fish in Canoe aren’t huge, the lake. so I tend to fish smallish Buggers and Matanuska Lake is the second largest George Krumm is a contributing editor for nymphs in this lake. Though both lake in the MLRA at 62 acres. It is Fish Alaska magazine and can be reached rainbows and grayling can be caught on also the deepest, with some spots as at [email protected].

32 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 33 King salmon have a million places to hide in Southeast: a thousand islands, hundreds of channels, straits and passes, countless kelp beds and miles of ghostly rip lines dimpled with baitfish that vanish with the turn of every tide. The 500 miles between Cape Chacon on the southern tip of Prince of Wales north to Cape Suckling at Yakutat encompass a vast complex of fjords, bays and open water wrapping around irregularly-shaped lands and calving ice fields. It’s a vastness that I’m grabbing onto as the explanation for why I’m having a booger of a time cajoling up a king today. They were here yesterday—we put four in the boat on the tide change, and two had pushed well past 25 pounds. Today? The remote and landlocked Southeast encompasses some of, if not the, best saltwater Chinook fishing in the state, according to ADF&G, and for good reasons. People are few, wilderness is everywhere, access is limited, miles of protected water invites fishermen in small boats, fishing pressure is localized and king salmon migrate through here from some of the biggest runs in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. The salmon fishing in Southeast is justifiably famous, but extremely concentrated. Anglers fan outward from harbor communities such as Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan, Craig, Wrangell and Elfin Cove, and from isolated lodges that are sprinkled like upscale oasis’ in choice locations on the wild edge of Tongass National Forest. Most of these hubs are in or near prime salmon zones. Beyond these hubs, however, is an amazing amount of unfished salmon water. I’ve spent quite a few nights anchored out in Southeast salmon water, moving from fish-place to fish-place for days at a time, and the fact that always strikes me is the lack of fishing pressure. Beyond the comfortable small-boat range of fish towns and lodges there is no one on the water, fishing pressure is nil and the salmon un- hammered. But even in Southeast, where the state fish is king and the kings number in the hundreds of thousands, there’s always the challenge to hunt and find that single troll- or drift-line that holds Chinook today. Top: Jim Goerg happily displays kings he and the author Yesterday afternoon I was confident we had this found by mooching beyond the fleet. Bottom: Dropping morning dialed in, a wad of big kings hanging on the trolling gear below a layer of glacier flour pouring the inside of POW’s Kasaan Peninsula. We nailed out of the Stikine River produced this fat king for Wrangell ’em and left a bunch showing on the electronics Charter Guide John Yeager and Kim Boyce. for this morning. Our king salmon dreams turned into five arrowtooth flounders and a small halibut. Not a single Chinook showed on the Furuno 187. That’s the thing about Southeast—if the fish aren’t here, move. Don’t wait for fish to come to

34 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 35 you; go to where they want to be caught. about location. Facing the ocean on the kings headed down Dixon Entrance to Forty minutes later we’re trolling a west side of Baranof Island, Sitka anglers B.C. rivers. ragged drop adjacent to a long, bare rock pick at hundreds of pass-by king runs, From mid-June through July, a rare on Clarence Strait. Clarence is the major many destined for British Columbia and shoreline fishery develops in Ketchikan for king highway between Prince of Wales and Washington. The migrations produce two hatchery fish, casting from the beaches at Ketchikan and the Furuno is now glowing Chinook peaks. From the last week in Herring Cove and Thomas Basin at the with stacks of bait surrounded by the arches April to the first week in May and again outlet of Ketchikan Creek. Hatchery fish of feeding Chinook. Boom! the second and third week in June, Sitka also return to remote Neets Bay Hatchery Southeast can be like that: unimaginably has the best catch-per-hour rate in the in mid-June and the run continues through thick with kings or desert barren. state—3.6 hours from the last of April to July. Terminal harvest areas with bonus Experienced king fishers are always ready to the middle of July. limits include Nichols Pass, north side move. If kings aren’t here, they’re probably Kings are spread over a wide area, up of Driest Point; Revillagigedo Channel, over there. The trick is knowing where north to Salisbury Sound or right out A boat prowls the rocks, reefs, kelp and rips on the Cross Sound side of Yakobi Island, north of the latitude of Harbor Point; and over-there is. front in Sitka Sound, Cape Edgecumb and a salmon funnel that feeds most of northern Southeast. Tongass Narrows, south of the latitude of In all of Southeast, king salmon fishers Shelikof. Other prime prospects include the Lewis Reef Light. hit the peak of spawner kings in May and Peril and Lower Chatham straits, Khaz, According to ADF&G, the west coast Protection, Colder Bay and any number of Juneau: From July 7-13 it takes an average June, targeting sag-bellied adults migrating Branch and Whale bays. Wherever a point centering on Craig is best for Chinook smaller points and bays. of 8 hours to catch a Chinook in the Juneau in from the ocean and Gulf of Alaska. protrudes from Baranof into the migration mid-May to mid-July, starting on the Ketchikan: King action starts in mid- area and while that sounds disheartening, Mixed into the ocean schools are feeder path it’s possible to be eaten by a king. outlying islands and moving steadily May and soars to a peak between the end it’s actually a high rate compared to most kings, immature resident fish, that abound Prince of Wales: From May-July POW inshore. Don’t pass up Dall Island, Bucareli of May and mid-June. By mid-July king areas of the state. The Chinook bite fueled in Southeast. Unlike transient spawners, is an island surrounded by feeder and and San Alberto bays, the Gulf of Esquibel success is plummeting. The week to fish by local hatchery stocks starts to upswing feeders are available year-round, average a migrating king salmon. Craig/Klawock and Noyes Island. with the fewest hours between Chinook is in mid-May and is most productive from respectable 10- to 20 pounds, are wickedly dominate the western ocean side, Clarence On the east side, kings migrate down June 23. mid-June to mid-July, peaking in early July. aggressive and eat oh-so-sweet. Strait the eastern. Chinook peak in June Clarence Strait past Hollis, Coffman Cove, From May through July, anglers target There’s a lot of big and productive king Couple the double-digit feeders to a on both sides of the island but success runs Whale Pass, Thorne Bay and Kasaan Bay. kings north and south of Ketchikan. water accessible from Juneau thanks largely summer-long stream of spawners and exceptionally high in May and July. The It’s been my experience that in June and Going south try Mountain Point, to returns to DIPAC’s Macaulay Hatchery stragglers and there’s plenty of reason to first week in June anglers can expect to early July every chunk of likely-looking Herring Cove, Dall Head, Cone Island, on Gastineau Channel in Juneau. Some continue fishing these hot king spots well catch one king every four hours, one of the Chinook habitat in Clarence Strait will Alava Point and Mary Islands. To the north of the most distant hotspots include Taku beyond the May-June peak. fastest times in the state. The slowest period The author’s son Brandon has a big hold kings—mixes of feeders and spawners. fish Survey Point, Vallenar Bay, Grant Inlet, Angoon on west Admiralty Island, Sitka: By any measure Sitka is the is the third week in August, but by then reason for a bigger smile after pulling The north end of POW touches Sumner Island, Camano Point and Pup Island to Icy Strait, Tenakee, Stephens Pass and king of kings, producing from the end of there are so many big silvers in the water this bright Chinook from under a packed Strait, another Chinook freeway, where Tatoosh Rocks. Some charter boats will Lynn Canal. April to the middle of September. It’s all few anglers miss the kings. herring ball. knowing anglers target Point Baker, Port make the long run to Cape Chacon to hit April-June finds productive casting for

36 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 37 major salmon migration route for all of northern Southeast. Big feeders are available all year and spawners move from the ocean into the strait in May and June. This is remote water, 75 miles west of Juneau, and it can be smoking hot for early kings. If you get a chance to fish Elfin Cove, Gustavus or Pelican at the west end of Icy Strait, jump on it. This is a special fishery and one of my favorite places—especially if you don’t mind adding a few halibut, lingcod or yelloweye to your salmon box. In June kings will be spread out from Cross Sound at Elfin Cove east to Pleasant Island off Gustavus near the entrance to spectacular Glacier Bay National Park. Inside Icy Strait there are almost always kings hanging out in the bait schools at Lemesurier and Inian islands and Point Adolphus. These salmon move steadily toward Juneau and by mid-June will be lighting up Juneau’s doorstep with small- boat action in Upper Stephens Pass and Favorite and Saginaw channels. Wrangell-Petersburg: The monstrous Stikine River at Wrangell and the hatchery at Blind Slough south of Petersburg pack a double-fisted opportunity for king fishermen, but unfortunately success has been sliding downhill for the last two years. The best time to challenge a king here is on the Fourth of July. Another king peak occurs in the middle of May and is almost as good as the holiday fishery. Top: Clarence Strait on the east side But king action tapers quickly and by of Prince of Wales Island is where the middle of July it takes longer to catch Sportsman’s Cove Lodge Owner Larry a king than it did in the nasty weather of McQuarrie finds big kings in June. late April. Shoreline king salmon fishing is Bottom: Remote king water at Cape popular at Blind Slough on Mitkof Island Chacon, south end of Prince of Wales for hatchery kings returning to Crystal Lake Island, is a long run from everywhere but Hatchery. This return also feeds boating worth it to this Ketchikan angler. anglers fishing in the Wrangell Narrows at saltwater kings along the urban shorelines the mouth of Blind Slough. of Juneau and Douglas Island. Hotspots Wrangell anglers concentrate on the include False Outer Point (Douglas Island), Stikine Strait, Earl West Cove, East Pass, Point Louisa, the Breadline and Gastineau Zimovia Strait, Ernest Sound and Sumner Channel. Concentrations of hatchery kings Strait. Stikine Strait divides Etolin and follow the Juneau road system near Auke Zarembo islands and is the main route for Bay, Fritz Cove and Macaulay Hatchery. kings headed into the Stikine River. Late These fish return to their release sites spring into early July is when spawner kings around the first week of June, where they’re hit this reach. targeted by boat- and shoreline anglers On the upside, in addition to the Stikine, through August. Blind Slough and Zimovia Strait spawners, Cross Sound/Gustavus: The west end of the islands, points and protected tidal swirls Icy Strait from Gustavus to Cross Sound is a around Wrangell have high numbers of king salmon stronghold. Hundreds of runs exceptionally large feeder kings. concentrate in Cross Sound off Elfin Cove, Yakutat: Silvers, steelhead and halibut sorting out migration routes from the Gulf are still major players in the Yakutat area of Alaska to inland waters. The outside of but kings have been taking their lumps of Yakobi Island is outstanding king water. Try late. According to ADF&G, king fishing Deer Harbor, Surge Bay, Graves Harbor has been in a slump since 2011, except and Hocktaheen and Bingham coves. for a super surge in 2014 when there were Cross Sound just north of Yakobi inexplicable spikes in mid-June and mid- leads to Icy Strait, and Icy Strait is the July. Those spikes were not seen before or

38 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 39 after 2014. King success rises and falls as anglers target passing runs. Typically the best action occurs in Yakutat Bay the first two weeks in May, with a second peak in the middle of June. During both periods success varies from 3- to 6 hours per king, which is good comparatively. There’s decent fishing, sometimes great, from April 28 to the end of July targeting passing migrations. But in August it’s over—the hours between kings spikes to 123 hours of non-action. Most Chinook in Yakutat Bay are caught in May and June, often close into the protected areas of the inner bay. Some shoreline fishing for Chinook takes place on the Yakutat road system in Monti Bay and Ankau Lagoon. There is exceptionally good, but barely touched, winter action on big feeder kings inside the inner coves. Weather can be nasty, though. Haines/Skagway: Located at the north end of Lynn Canal, squeezed between the dramatic Chilkat and Kakuhan mountains, Haines and Skagway are spectacular places to fish, but tough places to find a king salmon. A hatchery enhancement program at Skagway has pretty much faltered, shuttling any hope of a king catch south to Haines where there is still a decent mix of wild and hatchery Chinook. In May and June, Haines anglers primarily troll Chilkat Inlet, targeting Chilkat River kings, and later in the summer move to Chilkoot Inlet, Lutak Inlet and Taiya Inlet for both wild and hatchery kings. The best catches are taken in mid-June but it still takes 18 hours to catch a king, and then it falls off sharply. By July anglers are fishing 150 hours between kings, according to ADF&G fish managers. Almost all of the Chinook fishing in this area takes place in the Haines area. Around Skagway, kings are few, far apart and rarely caught. Best of the Skagway-worst takes place during the first week in July and the first two weeks in August, but even those peaks are slim. The big advantage of Haines is that it’s the only king option in Southeast that’s connected by highway to the outside. Seaworthy trailered boats capable of making the long-run south down Lynn Canal will run into some pretty good king areas north of Juneau.

Terry W. Sheely is a contributing editor for Fish Alaska magazine and can be reached through his website at www.tnscommunications.net.

40 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 41 Some of my favorite casting plugs, from top to bottom, MagLip 5.0, 2 Brad’s Wigglers, MagLip 4.5, K15 Kwikfish.

42 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 43 43 I love it when fishing makes me do or crawfish-pattern plugs, the motor to slowly slip combo. Some plugs dive too deep for some outside-the-box thinking, when I simply started throwing downhill, transom first. a given spot while others may not get a situation challenges conventional around the lures we already I’ll keep the boat off to down far enough. Some have rattles and methods and requires a creative used for salmon: FlatFish, the side of the preferred that can be the ticket in off-color water solution. That’s exactly how casting Kwikfish, MagLips and holding water and have but you may want a quieter lure in low, plugs for kings came about for me. Brad’s Magnum Wigglers. my guys cast straight clear water. It all started with a spot we call the In short: It worked! Really across. As they crank the To get you started, I’ll give you a look Reindeer Hole on a favorite king river well. The technique was so plugs along the bottom, at my arsenal. My all-time favorite, go- in Southwest. The kings always pile by effective that I started trying the current will sweep the to lure for this technique is the Yakima the hundreds—heck, maybe even by it elsewhere. I wanted to lures in a downstream arc. Bait Co. MagLip 4.5. This thing has the thousands—into that spot. They’d know if it was just something Instead of back-trolling caught me more kings while casting roll and splash around like crazy in that worked on that particular down one specific lane, than any other lure. I think its ability there but were always very difficult to stream or would fish bite cast this sweeping approach, to dive quickly, combined with its catch because the hole has essentially plugs everywhere? Well, the combined with slowly good action, is what makes the 4.5 so no flow. It’s a deep, frog-water pond CliffsNotes version of the sliding downstream, deadly. Its larger brother, the MagLip seemingly better suited to largemouth tale is I have found kings One cool thing about casting plugs is you often Casting plugs allows you to reach kings holding gives you a lot more 5.0, gets bit a lot, too. And if I really bass than fresh-from-the-sea Chinook, from Alaska to California catch a wide range of other species as well, in slow, deep pools that are hard to catch with bottom coverage. And need to get down, I’ve been known to including chum salmon. traditional methods. and it’s hard to effectively fish. and back very receptive to fishing often boils down throw some HawgNose Flatfish from With no current with which to work, this technique. In fact, what started fish a bunch of spots you previously Searching Tool to a simple math problem. The more time to time. back-trolling plugs is out and fishing out as a quick fix to get those pesky just passed by! After I got confidence in casting ground you cover, the more fish you I have also fared well with the K15 bobbers-and-eggs is also tough because slow-water kings of the Reindeer Hole I like to get off to the side of the pool plugs for kings, I started adapting the are likely to get your lure in front of. Kwikfish in shallower spots. Brad’s your gear doesn’t move downstream. to bite now has morphed into a family (either in an anchored boat or on the technique to other situations. As it In addition to being effective, Magnum Wiggler is another must- Trolling is no bueno either because you of techniques that I use almost daily in bank) and toss plugs in all directions turns out, it’s an excellent “searching” casting plugs is oh-so-fun! It’s just like have lure that will cover you in a lot of end up spooking the fish by driving my salmon guiding. when there is absolutely no flow. I’ll technique that allows you to quickly bass fishing—only the fish in this case situations. your boat over them in the clear water. Let’s take a look at where and how to start with a few casts upstream of my cover a lot of water. I particularly like are much bigger and shinier! As far as colors go, I usually don’t You can catch a few on spinners cast plugs for kings: position and then make some straight it on long, wide flats on which the get too fancy. Good ol’ chrome/ but we never really had any good days out and then a few below me. kings can kind of be here, there and Plugs chartreuse bill is my number-one king in there until I started casting plugs. Frog Water If there’s even the fairest bit of everywhere. There’s a wide variety of plugs that getter. I also like chartreuse/lime and The fact that the hole looks like a bass From the above story, it’s obvious that current, I normally cast straight across Searching works best from a moving work well for this method. The right chartreuse/metallic blue patterns. It pond got me thinking about casting plug casting really shines in all those or slightly downstream. boat but you can also cast from shore. one for you depends on the situation, doesn’t hurt, however, to have some crankbaits to bucketmouths—and slow spots that are hard to fish with In either case, the trick is to make What I like to do is point the bow and you sometimes just have to tinker other plugs on hand, too—just in case that’s essentially where the concept more traditional methods. What’s cool several fast turns of the reel handle as of the boat upstream and then use around until you get the correct the fish are playing hard to get on a came from. But instead of tossing shad- about that is now you’ll have a way to soon as the plug hits the water. That helps get the plug down deep, at which point you can slow the retrieve to a crawl. The idea is to get the lure down as far as you can and then work it just fast enough to keep it in the zone. Since plugs float, keep reeling until you are finished with the cast—otherwise the lure will rise up towards the surface. Speaking of that, kings in deep holes aren’t always on the bottom. So it makes sense to cover a few different parts of the water column. To do that, I’ll cast my shallowest diver first to try to pick-off fish hanging closer to the surface. Then, I’ll use a medium diver to work the mid-depths, and finally, a deep lure to probe the bottom. When you get bit, a king will often nudge the plug before he inhales it. You might feel a “thump” in the rod tip, followed by some heavy pumping. At that point you should do…nothing. Set too soon and you will jerk the plug away from the fish. Trust me, it’s extremely hard because the stick is in your hand and not a rod holder and it feels like the fish is going to relieve you of your rod. But if you can delay your strike for a bit until the fish really loads up the rod, you will convert a lot more bites into salmon in the net.

44 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 45 Having a big, chrome king latch onto a plug while you are cranking it in is about as fun as it gets!

given day. Metallic pink is another barrel swivel. Just something to replace solid choice, as are straight chrome, the weight of the hook you took off. chrome/fluorescent orange and copper. Where legal, I always spice my plugs Other Species up with some sort of bait wrap on the Now, here’s where things get really cool! belly. Sardine or herring fillets work Kings are just the tip of the iceberg. well, but you can also wrap canned All salmon species (except sockeye) oil packed tuna—or even cured roe— can be readily caught by casting plugs. onto the lure. Affix the bait to the And since coho, chums and pinks are plug by wrapping it on tightly with often found in slow water, they make Miracle Thread. If bait’s not available, perfect targets for this method. You try smearing the lure with something can occasionally catch some reds too, like Pro-Cure’s Super Gel in sardine or but I haven’t been able to consistently shrimp flavors. score with plugs yet. The key to catching these other Tackle species is to scale down your offerings. When casting for kings, I prefer The plugs listed above will catch fish baitcasting gear, but you can do it with but you will get a lot more grabs by spinning tackle, too. Either way you’ll customizing your lure selection to need a rod that’s somewhere between match your target fish. 7 feet, 9 inches and 8 feet 6 inches in When chums and silvers are on the length. The tip needs to be soft so that menu, the 3.5 MagLip is about as a fish can slurp down the plug without effective as it gets. Brad’s Wigglers are feeling a lot of resistance but you also also good and I have caught quite a few need power in the bottom end to turn fish on K11X Kwikfish, too. rampaging fish—or to lift them up off Metallic pink, hot orange and the bottom. chrome/chartreuse are my top three A nice, smooth reel with a buttery colors for silvers and chums but there drag is essential as well. Spool up with are also times when metallic purple 30- to 50-pound braid and then run also works. Humpies are pushovers on a 4- to 10-foot section of clear 25- to small pink plugs such as Brad’s Wee 40-pound mono for a leader. Wigglers and the 2.5 size MagLip. You may also want to look at the Of course, you’re also probably hooks on your plugs. Sometimes encounter some willing Dollies, factory trebles won’t hold up to rainbows, cutthroat and even grayling big, bruising Alaska kings, so I when using the smaller-sized plugs. normally replace them with 3x-strong Get out there this summer and cast aftermarket upgrades. plugs for salmon—it’s highly addictive For casting, I like to run just one and will help you catch fish in spots hook on my plug. With two trebles you previously had to bypass. on there, you can get some mid-air tangling on the cast. Each lure has its own balance point, but when possible, I like to run either a single treble or siwash hook off the back of the lure. Sometimes, to get the lure to run true, you’ll need to add a little weight to the JD Richey is a Contributing Editor belly hook attachment eye when that for Fish Alaska magazine and can hook is removed—something like a be reached through his website at couple split rings or a split ring and a www.fishwithjd.com.

46 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 47 Top left: A good day of red salmon fishing. Next stop is the vacuum-sealer. Top right: Rory Sullivan (right) and the author with a feisty 85-pound halibut caught by Patrick Sullivan (not pictured). Note the harpoon line through the fish and the author’s favorite gaff, made from a hockey stick.

Alaska is blessed with some of the best seafood in the world. From the flowing rivers to the 100-fathom curve, this state is indisputably top-shelf when it comes to fresh fish for the plate. However, with this gift comes responsibility. There are few sights more disheartening to a fishermen than to see salmon laying on the bank, baking in the July sun, or to come across a fellow angler’s cooler full of halibut without a cube of ice to be found. Once the decision to harvest a fish has been made, you owe it to both yourself and the fish to take the proper steps to ensure its peak freshness. Starting with the moment the fish is hooked, let’s take a deep dive into ensuring Alaska’s world-class seafood tastes as good as it should.

Don’t Play With Your Food When a fish is hooked, it is literally fighting for its life. At the molecular level, its body is pouring every bit of performance- enhancing hormones into the fight and using all of its muscles to the point of failure. For an in-depth explanation, I discussed the topic with my brother, Dr. Patrick Sullivan, DPT, who has landed more than a few salmon in Alaska. In his words, “The byproduct of those drag-searing runs is lactate and hydrogen, more commonly referred to as lactic acid, and when a fish is sprinting and then dies, there is no more muscle-pump to drive the metabolites/acid back out of their meat.” Essentially, the longer the fight goes, the more the buildup of the lactic acid. Due to the colder temperatures in Alaska waters, there is not as much of a concern of the fish literally heating up like a tuna would in warmer seas, but a drawn-out fight will negatively impact the taste of the fish. My advice would be to use tackle that matches your targeted species and efficiently get that fish to the boat or beach.

End Game Once you land the fish, try not to let it flop around. This is easier said than done in the case of salmon, as they will go wild once they are out of the water, but look to control the fish as much as you can. All that flopping around will bruise the meat, as evidenced by the loss of scales. To counteract this, I always carry a short billy club. Once I land a fish, I give it a quick pop between the eyes to stun it. From there I bleed the fish and then hold the fish in the water. The fish’s heart is still pumping and it will push all that hormone- laced blood out of the fillets. Similar to pulling the oil plug on an engine and letting it run to failure, the circulatory system of the fish is what carries away the lactic acid, and by getting the blood out, you are greatly increasing the taste of the fish. For halibut, I am a firm believer in harpooning any fish over 40 pounds. A well-placed shot just behind the gills will help bleed out the fish and keep everyone safe. Anyone who has pulled a feisty halibut over the rail knows how dangerous a fish can be. Rods and bones can be broken when it goes berserk. From experience, those teenager fish in the 40- to 90-pound range are crazier than the big ones. Once a fish has been harpooned, I allow time for it to settle down and then gaff it forward of the gills. From there, I will hoist

Center: The Sullivan brothers, Conor, Rory and Patrick, limit-out on red salmon. © Jake Smith Bottom: The end result of salmon properly cared for: red gold.

48 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 49 it up to the railing, give it a pop in docks, flake ice is the best but cube the head with a club, and then bleed it. ice is fine. Ideally you want as much One safety point—always wear a glove ice as you have pounds of fish, but for when bleeding decent-size fish. I have some boats, packing a couple hundred a big scar across my hand from getting pounds of ice is just a non-starter. into a knife fight with a bluefin tuna. Borrowing a trick from Hawaiian fishermen, a quick way to cool fish with Ice Queen less ice is to make a brine, mixing ice For river fishing, once a fish has and saltwater until it is the consistency been bled, do your best to keep some of a slurpee. The saltwater will lower flowing water over it and strive to the temperature below freezing and have the fish completely submerged. I keep your catch perfect. One word carry with me a simple 4-foot stringer of caution when brining—don’t leave made of parachute cord, with a small small fish in the brine for more than carabineer on one end. This makes a few hours as they can literally freeze it easy to tie-off to an overhanging solid. branch or figure-eight it around the As for storing fish on a boat, one rock. Generally, most Alaska rivers option to look at is a fish bag. These are cold enough to keep salmon fresh. insulated bags come in various sizes Also, fully submerging your salmon and hold ice nicely. Best of all, they keeps the scent trail down when bears don’t take up precious deck space and are in the area. Once you are done for can conform to less-used spots on a the day, be sure to pack those fish in boat. I have a 5-foot fish bag and keep ice for the ride home. it up on the bow of my 20-foot boat. On the boat side, you have to pack It is out of the way and can hold a ton your catch in ice once it’s on the deck. of fish. If you can get it from commercial

The author standing by to harpoon a The author and his brother Patrick with a good-size halibut. bled-out sockeye salmon. © Nick Beheler

50 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 51 The author with a 180-pound halibut, the only bite of the day. Note the harpoon in the background, which ensured the fish didn’t get away at the boat.

Knife Work vacuum-sealer is worth the investment. Once you’re back at the fillet table It took me a while to recoup the initial turning that trophy fish into fillets, be price, but the smaller sealers just were mindful of your knife work. Except for not doing the trick. I tend to pack my halibut, I generally head and gut my vacuum bags in one-meal increments fish first. This takes the contaminants and use fillets of equal size so the out of the picture so I don’t have to cooking time will be consistent. Just worry about getting bile or any other be sure to pat dry the fillets with a nasty stuff in the meat. From here it paper towel before sealing to prevent is like slicing a loaf of French bread, any freezer burn. the fewer cuts, the better it looks. One word of caution—try not to get The Long, Cold Nap freshwater on saltwater fish fillets. From here it’s time to pack the freezer. Due to the salt-retention of fish, the Space out the fillets to maximize air application of freshwater will cause flow. Stacking all the fillets on each the meat to turn off-white and washed other with no air between will cause out; this is the flavor washing away. a long delay in actual freezing. Try to Try to just wipe away or spot-clean spread them around the freezer and any issues. then stack them once they are frozen hard. It is always a good practice to Lock It Up label each bag with the species and the With the filleting over, it’s time to date. It keeps you eating the first-in pack your fish. A quality piston-driven bags first. From my completely un-

52 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 53 The Health Benefits of Alaska’s Seafood Besides the fun of a successful day on the water, fishing in Alaska also means that you get to treat yourself, your family and your friends to some of the best, freshest seafood to be found anywhere in the world—seafood that’s not only delicious but that is also heavy in health benefits. Alaska seafood is high in protein and essential nutrients, low in saturated fat and a natural source of the “good fats,” which are called Omega-3 fatty acids. Alaska Seafood is likewise naturally high in many essential vitamins, including vitamins E, C, D and A. Some varieties are also very high in antioxidant E, which has proven to strengthen the immune system and lower the risk of heart disease by reducing buildup of plaque in coronary arteries. In addition, Alaska seafood contains a wide variety of minerals, including zinc, iron, calcium and selenium. The high nutritional value along with a lean, firm The author and his brother Rory, work on texture and superior flavor makes Alaska turning their halibut into prized fillets for the freezer. Note that both are wearing a seafood a great, healthy meal alternative. stainless steel fillet glove. The added security The quality of Alaska seafood is also makes the job go quicker. determined by what it doesn’t contain. Feeding on organic marine organisms, scientific observations, salmon will Alaska gamefish are additive-free and retain its taste for about ten months provide healthful, natural vitamins, and then starts to need some fancy minerals, nutrients and heart-healthy sauces to mask the difference in taste. polyunsaturated fats. This is due to the lipids (fats) in the In short, and in contrast to the fish, which don’t fully freeze in most potential harm from mercury, the great of our freezers. Less fatty fish such majority of scientific evidence suggests as rockfish, lingcod and halibut last that eating fish does much more for about a year but usually don’t make it your health than against it. Seafood that far in most of our houses. consumption has net health benefits in Alaska seafood is in a class of its cardiovascular, neurologic, immune, own. I love catching it, and I take behavioral and mental health outcomes. pride in my care of it. Just remember, Moreover, seafood carries a protective nobody cares more about your food factor against mercury toxicity. sanitation and preparation than you, Examples include fresh and frozen and it is fulfilling to know that of all Alaska salmon, which offer high this bountiful seafood, yours is the concentrations of Omega 3 oils that are freshest. proven to reduce the risk of coronary disease. Omega 3 has also proven to be beneficial in the treatment and prevention Conor Sullivan learned to fish at a of many other diseases such as cancer, young age in Hawaii and considers ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, arthritis, himself fortunate to have applied many asthma, certain kinds of mental illness, of those lessons to Alaska fishing. A son of depression and lupus. Canned salmon a military officer, Conor has experienced works, too, as the soft, edible bones are a nearly every major fishery in the country, rich source of calcium. a benefit from living in 12 different With a multitude of species from states. He has a B.S. in Marine Science which to choose, Alaska is a one-stop from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy source for natural, healthy seafood. From and a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs five salmon varieties to halibut, lingcod from the University of Rhode Island, and rockfish, as well as shellfish, nearly while also holding a 200-ton Mariner’s everyone can be certain to meet their taste License. He can be followed on social preferences while also eating healthier. media at “Sullivan Lures.”

54 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 55 Saltwater anglers can spend a substantial knows that ocean conditions aren’t always of Sportsman’s Cove Lodge in southeast amount of hard-earned money on rods, reels gentle on equipment. Nearly all rods and Alaska, instructs captains and deckhands and exotic fishing line, but surprisingly, very reels left on deck are going to get wet with to do a freshwater reel dunk several times few anglers give the attention they need to ocean water. A reel soaked in saltwater a week with his level-wind Penn reels their equipment to keep it in tip-top shape. that goes unattended for days or weeks is throughout the season. Larry keeps a rain Anyone who spends serious money on a in jeopardy of failing. So, how does the barrel below the gutter downspout of the fancy truck isn’t going to ignore doing oil angler properly wash a reel after use? I’ve fish house, so it’s generally full of freshwater changes and routine maintenance. So why operated charter boats for several different every day of the summer. Letting the rods would someone who shells out $500 for a lodge owners and have picked up tips for and reels sit submerged for several minutes top-flight fishing reel neglect it throughout how to keep scarce resources functioning is all it takes to purge the salt crystals out of the fishing season, or worse yet, leave it effectively. the working mechanisms of the reel. Each in the gunwales of the boat after the last Most would agree that the best way captain is issued a container of reel lube fishing trip of the year unattended until to get the salt out of a reel is to flush it and is instructed to sparingly lubricate the next year’s first outing? with freshwater immediately after use. level-wind worm drive and handle after the Most of my sea service as a charter Most would also agree to have their reels freshwater wash. The reels are then dried captain over the past decade has been in professionally maintained to keep them with a lint-free cloth and stowed for the southeast Alaska at remote lodges where in top working order at the end of the next day’s fishing. At the end of the season, resources are not only expensive, but scarce. fishing season. Larry McQuarrie, owner Larry has all his level-wind reels torn down Also consider that most lodge owners aren’t going to spend $500 on each reel and $300 on a high-end composite rod. Most saltwater tackle that is issued on a charter boat will get used between 70 and 90 consecutive days and go through the ultimate in abuse from negligent, careless or inexperienced guests, who in the heat of battle will do the unthinkable to rods and reels. Keeping a rod and reel functional at a remote area is critical for any angler. Over the 40 years I’ve been saltwater fishing on the West Coast, I’ve picked up some good habits that tend to extend the life of rods and reels on my charter boat. Anglers who practice these suggestions can feel confident that their equipment won’t fail them when they set the hook on their trophy fish. Since spinning reels have many working parts that are affected by salt buildup, they First and foremost, I’ve learned not to can often lose their smooth glide when reeling due to salt buildup and corrosion. For let saltwater sit on a reel after a fishing trip. better long-term results, try removing the spool and submerging the body of the reel in Anyone who fishes in the North Pacific a container of WD-40. 56 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 57 and professionally cleaned, and he contends Since spinning reels have many working the damaged tip. I then apply a five-minute he can tell which captains neglected to do parts that are affected by salt buildup, they epoxy and insert a new tip and the rod is the freshwater reel wash throughout the can often lose their smooth glide when ready for use in minutes. season because those reels are the ones reeling due to salt buildup and corrosion. When it comes to extending the life of that often need the most attention. Other Scott Jorgensen, owner of Pybus Point a fishing rod, paying attention to how it’s charter captains prefer to lightly rinse their Lodge, will often remove the spool of line handled can save a rod from being added reels with freshwater and then dry them from a spin-caster reel that is beginning to to the scrap heap of dead rods. It’s very easy immediately. I know of one captain who fail and submerge the body of the reel in to leave a 16-ounce lead-head jig attached regularly rinses his reels with freshwater, a container of WD-40. After several hours to the line when moving from one halibut sprays them with Lemon Pledge, and dries of soaking, the reel is allowed to drain, is hole to another. If this jig gets jostled when them with a lint-free rag. He claims the wiped down and is ready for fishing. It goes running in rough seas, it can nick the skin of Pledge polishes the reel and helps repel without saying that these spin-caster reels the rod causing small micro-chips or nicks water. take an inordinate amount of punishment in the rod. If they appear at critical places It’s generally accepted that pressure- for nearly 90 consecutive days of fishing. on the rod, they can completely destroy a washing or spraying a reel with a high- For daily maintenance, I gently rinse the valuable rod. Before I begin to make a run pressure garden hose can lead to getting reel with freshwater by holding the reel to another fishing spot, I’m particular about debris lodged into the working mechanisms upside-down (drag toward the ground) keeping my rods separated and making of the reel and should be avoided. Since to keep water from invading the body of certain a heavy lure isn’t permitted to bang- grease holds dirt, I never apply it to the the reel. It’s surprising to me that nearly all up against a rod. I also stow them either outer working parts of a reel. If I apply a of the spin-casting reels I start the season in a rod-holder above the cabin or in the lubricant, it’s generally a product sold by with continue to operate effectively after side galley of the boat so they can’t drop or Abu Garcia or Shimano and I generally use daily rinsing along with repeated WD-40 get stepped on in heavy seas. After fishing, it sparingly on all exterior working parts of treatments. At the end of the season, Scott I do a careful inspection of the rod, along the reel several times a week. also has his reels professionally cleaned with its tip and eyes to ensure it’s ready for so that internal gears are another fishing trip. properly cleaned and greased. After the boat’s been fueled and washed By far the most frequent and the fish have been filleted, I know damage done to my fishing how tempting it is to park the boat, take rods is to the eye at the tip a long shower, eat a warm meal and then of the rod. Most lodge hit the sack. Over the years I’ve disciplined owners, when purchasing myself to doing several minutes of rod and rods, will purchase a dozen reel maintenance before I leave the boat. or more eyes that are the For a charter captain, there’s nothing more same diameter as the tip of embarrassing than to apologize to paying the rod. I make sure I keep guests for rods and reels that I neglected to aboard a Bic lighter and get repaired the previous day. A good lesson epoxy made for gluing new for any angler to learn who has laid out tips. If the eye at the tip serious money for fishing equipment is that has lost its porcelain insert it’s more prudent to put a fence around the or the tip has been crushed cliff instead of an ambulance in the valley. by someone stepping on it, Routine maintenance is a good habit. heating the tip with a Bic Practice it. lighter enables me to remove If you want to keep your saltwater Captain George has operated charter boats out gear in top working order, listen to the of the Columbia River and Southeast Alaska advice of the experts who are out for over four decades. He currently operates a there with their gear on the salt more 30 foot Koffler boat out of Pybus Point Lodge. than 90 days a year. See his full biography on LinkedIn.

58 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 59 Adryahn Bodyfelt with a pretty grayling from the Fairbanks area. © Cory Bodyfelt. Background: The Aurora Borealis is one of the top reasons to visit Fairbanks in the winter. © Sherman Hogue/Explore Fairbanks

6060 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 61 Big Ray’s is the place to shop in Fairbanks for the quality gear needed to enjoy time in the outdoors. The fishing around Fairbanks begins downtown Fairbanks before finally with the Chena River, a stream that gets emptying into the Tanana River. its start as a trickle deep in the Interior Another easy option for Fairbanks wilderness near Chena Hot Springs, anglers is to spend anything from a growing in size and stature as it nears few hours to a day in the Chena Lakes town. The North Fork of the Chena Recreational Area, where the Alaska and the mainstem Chena both serve as Department of Fish and Game has primary spawning grounds for the river’s stocked rainbow trout, silver salmon and salmon, and the river’s upper waters also Arctic char. Another good option less than feature outstanding grayling fishing. The an hour from town is the Nenana River, lower Chena, from the Nordale Road which offers some of the best sight-fishing Bridge to the mouth, flows much slower for king salmon in all of Alaska, as well and features long, deep pools. This section as clearwater tributary action for both is even capable of handling motor boats. silver and chum salmon. Grayling are also The upper Chena encompasses a steeper present in the Nenana tributaries. gradient with more riffle/pool character However, the primary river in this part and a much faster flow. Fallen trees, root of the state is the Tanana, which has its wads and other natural debris scattered source high in the Wrangell Mountains throughout the upper Chena add further and flows some 570 miles to rendezvous distinction between the two sections. with the Yukon River near Manley. After Lightweight rafts and canoes are necessary the Porcupine River drainage, the Tanana for navigation on this portion of the river. River drainage is the second largest Although the river is not always visible tributary system of the Yukon, and in all, from the highway, much of the Chena the Tanana River basin drains an area of River parallels the Chena Hot Springs approximately 45,918 square miles. The Road from Fairbanks to Chena Hot majority of the interior Alaska population Springs. The Chena flows directly through is located within the Tanana River

Riverboat Discovery docked at Steamboat Landing, Fairbanks. © Riverboat Discovery.

62 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 63 World Ice sculptures drainage along the Alaska, Richardson and September to the middle of November, A trip to the Morris Thompson feature amazing ice art. Parks highways, and along the road system with a peak around the first weekend in Cultural and Visitors Center © Craig Cheledinas around Fairbanks. These highways and October. will enlighten you on the area’s their secondary roads provide much of the Access the Delta Clearwater River at rich history. © Angie Cerny/ access to sport fisheries. The highly-varied the Clearwater State Recreation Site on Explore Fairbanks fishing opportunities range from lake Remington Road just outside of Delta trout and Dolly Varden in the alpine lakes Junction. Turn east off the Richardson along the Denali Highway to some quality Highway onto Jack Warren Road and Arctic grayling and coho salmon fisheries follow to Remington. It’s only a two-hour in clear, spring-fed rivers. Rainbow trout drive from Fairbanks, but a day’s travel are not native to the drainage but have from Anchorage. For those wishing to been stocked in many lakes. Arctic char, fish the river by canoe, a popular way to coho, kings and Arctic grayling are also cover this slow-moving stream, put-in at stocked in select lakes of the Tanana River the state recreation area and pull out at drainage. Clearwater Lake, which is accessed from Specifically, the foremost silver salmon Jack Warren Road. It is a 12-mile trip fishery in this region occurs in the and takes about six hours. Paddle down Delta Clearwater River, an otherwise the Clearwater and onto a branch of the insignificant 23-mile-long tributary of Tanana River. Turn into the first decent the Tanana. The Delta Clearwater has sized slough you encounter on your left The Trans-Alaska Pipeline averaged returns of tens of thousands of after exiting the Clearwater and paddle Chena Hot Springs outdoor rock meanders 800 miles from fish for the last decade or so, its spring- through the still water to Clearwater Lake. lake. © Chena Hot Springs Resort Prudoe Bay to Valdez. like, oxygen-rich flows remaining open Carry a good map as there are many other © Willi Lundquist throughout the early winter and providing sloughs along the way. Stay in the largest, excellent spawning and overwintering deepest channel and you’ll slide right into habitat. But because the river’s coho run the lake’s western arm. Aim for the houses doesn’t typically peak until the middle of and the boat launch. frostbitten October, with the fish having For kings, sport fishing in the Tanana is traveled a good thousand miles from the chiefly accomplished in clear tributaries of sea, pressure remains light, even in years the braided, glacial mainstem river. Most with big returns. Overall, good silver of the king salmon angling has historically fishing can be had from the last week in taken place in the Salcha River, followed by

64 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 65 the Chena and Chatanika rivers. All three are accessible by car from Fairbanks, with Pike fishing is prolific near the peak of the king season for the Salcha Fairbanks and taking usually occurring in mid-July. Late July them on the fly is a hoot. brings the best Chinook concentrations to © Trevor Smith. the Chena and Chatanika rivers. The best king salmon angling to be had in the Interior, however, occurs farther south in the region dominated by the massive Copper River. The Copper supports a large and commercially important run of Chinook, but as with many of Alaska’s other large systems, the glacial nature of the river diverts much of the angling opportunity to the drainage’s clearwater tributary streams. A total of 40 Chinook salmon spawning streams have been identified throughout the Copper River drainage, with the Gulkana River receiving the most fish and thus, the most attention. The Gulkana begins with headwaters at the foot of the Alaska Range and flows through rolling hills on its way to meet the Copper River. A National Wild and Scenic River, the Gulkana supports the drainage’s most significant Chinook salmon sport fishery, with most of the action taking place from the Middle Fork confluence down. Also of note, the Chinook sport fishery on the Klutina has dramatically increased over the years as well, with most of the best angling found near the mouths of several clearwater confluences with the river. Klutina kings are larger than average, with fish over 50 pounds not beyond the realm of possibility. Beyond the salmon and the grayling, anglers bound for Fairbanks will want to take note of the world-class pike opportunities of the Minto Flats area, located west of town. Wading anglers can work their way into the pike grounds in this 800-square-mile wetland complex in the Tolvana River drainage, but anglers fishing from a boat will gain access to a wider range of the best pike habitat in the

Learn More: Explore Fairbanks www.explorefairbanks.com For all the information you’ll need to plan your trip to Fairbanks, visit explorefairbanks.com, where you’ll find area information, a calendar of local events, trip-planning guides and services, plus a list of all the local amenities, including lodges, hotels, restaurants and more.

66 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 67 Minto Flats. The area typically ranks as one of Alaska’s best fisheries for producing trophy pike (15 pounds or larger). Another productive drainage is that of the Kantishna River, which hosts abundant northern pike populations in East Twin, West Twin, Mucha and Wein lakes. Lake Minchumina and many smaller waters, including more than a few within Denali National Park, are also noted producers, as is George Lake near Delta Junction, Fish Creek and the oxbow lakes and sloughs of the Goodpaster Flats area. For the most adventurous anglers, a journey into the massive Yukon River drainage can yield some of the planet’s best fishing for trophy pike—this is wild and remote country, however, and access is not easy. The fun in Fairbanks doesn’t end with the summer’s midnight sun, either. The winter landscape in this region of Alaska is glorious, and there’s lots of ice fishing, snowmachining, cross-country skiing, ice skating and more to be had in this vibrant city, which remains busy and bustling even as steam plumes rise in the frigid temperatures. Plenty of travelers plan visits to the city just to watch the aurora dance in the sky throughout the late fall and winter, and while in town, there is Feisty chum salmon are around to excite the local anglers and visitors of plenty of fishing still to be had. Fairbanks. © Trevor Smith Interior Alaska hosts some of the best

68 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 69 Events like the Midnight Sun Festival are good to time your trip with. © Nicholas Jacobs/Explore Fairbanks ice-fishing opportunities in Alaska, in fact, with winter anglers having dozens of lakes to choose from. There are any number of quality fisheries within a short drive of town, but the three most well- known are Harding, Birch and Quartz lakes, located off the highway between Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Like many of the stillwaters in this area, the lakes are stocked by Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Anglers willing to endure freezing conditions will find several species of fish to catch, including rainbow trout, Arctic char, landlocked salmon, Arctic grayling, burbot and lake trout. Quartz Lake is the farthest from Fairbanks and is accessed via a three-mile winding road that starts at MP 277.8 on the Richardson Highway and that ends at a State Recreational Area and boat launch. Birch Lake offers a shorter drive, features easy access and offers dependable winter fishing. Located 59 miles southeast of Fairbanks at MP 305.3, the lake is only about 800 acres in size, and offers rainbow trout, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, Arctic char and grayling. Located only about 45 miles from Fairbanks, Harding Lake can be accessed at two different locations—by following the signs from MP 321.5 to the Alaska State Park Recreational Area boat launch or by traveling down the Richardson Highway to the lake perimeter road turnoff, which leads to a community boat launch. In the end, whether visiting in summer or winter, or in between either, Fairbanks is a modern, vibrant city with a plethora of activities on offer for the traveling outdoorsman. The city is rich in history and culture, and once off the beaten path, the wilderness adventures available in this region are unlike any of those found elsewhere in the state. Just point your compass towards 64 degrees north—you’ll be glad you did.

Troy Letherman is editor of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines.

70 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 71 story by Marcus Weiner

The author with a Kodiak saltwater Chinook. © Wayne Norris

The least abundant of all the Pacific salmon, the Chinook remains a fish of great importance to Native Alaskans and to sport and commercial anglers across the state. King returns occur along most of the southern and western coasts of Alaska, from Dixon Entrance to Point Hope. The most popular fisheries are undoubtedly those found along the road system in the southcentral region of the state. The Kenai River, paralleled by the Sterling Highway for much of its length, receives by far the most angling pressure of any king salmon river, while the tributaries of the Susitna River, most of which intersect the Parks Charlie Weiner likes king fishing on the Nushagak as Highway north of Anchorage, also much as his dad. garner significant angling interest. © Brian Woobank Kodiak Island boasts a handful of solid bets for freshwater Chinook angling, while the inshore saltwater fishing near the island is top-notch. On the other side of the Alaska Range on the mainland, outstanding fisheries occur in the streams of the Bristol Bay region and across the Alaska Peninsula, as well as the many tributaries of the lower and middle Kuskokwim River. Though king salmon fishing is s restricted in much of the freshwater angling environment in Southeast, the Th e of coastal streams near Yakutat are home to a few good to excellent returns, but King the king take in this region is almost entirely drawn from the significant saltwater fisheries. In the Interior, king salmon can be found in and below just about every clearwater confluence of the Yukon. The Gulkana, the Klutina and most of the other tributaries of the Copper River also host significant Chinook fisheries. And finally, near the northern end of the Chinook’s range, a 72 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.comAlaska May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 73 when a season coincides with drastically altered environmental conditions such as unseasonably warm weather or flooding. In the end, close study of the historical run-timing data for a drainage should put an angler close to a return’s peak dates, but unfortunately, an element of luck plays at least a small part in even the most well-planned trips. In southcentral Alaska, king runs usually occur from late May through late July. The Cook Inlet area generally begins to see the first fish in about mid- May, with scattered reports of fish being taken from the lower reaches of the Little Susitna River, the Kenai and the hatchery-enhanced Kasilof River during the month. Most runs peak in mid- to late June, continuing on into July. The second return of Kenai River kings typically reaches its peak in late July.

George Large was delighted with this beefy Togiak king salmon. © Marcus Weiner

few noteworthy returns can be found in drainages spilling into either Kotzebue or Norton sounds. All of these regions are of colossal size on their own, and each plays host to several quality king salmon returns. Access varies, as does run timing.

The Returns Timing is the most critical ingredient to successful king salmon angling. Upon entering saltwater, the majority of Chinook salmon stocks undertake extensive migrations, roaming over thousands of miles in the North Pacific and Bering Sea, while others, particularly some of the southeast Alaska populations and fish in the Homer and Four Sitka saltwater brights. © Marcus Kodiak areas, remain inshore for the Weiner duration. These so-called “feeder” kings For southwest Alaska, the first kings can provide for year-round fisheries. are customarily seen in early- to mid- The fish will reach sexual maturity June, with the run picking up steam anywhere from two- to nine years of by the first two weeks of July and then age, though the majority of Alaska fish tapering off by the end of the month. return from three- to five years after Most years, for instance, the height of leaving freshwater. Most streams receive the large Nushagak River return occurs a single run of king salmon in the period in the last week of June or first week of from May through late July. July. The returns to the Ayakulik river However, salmon run times are not on Kodiak Island usually show peaks static events. The peak of a run can from mid-June through early July and change from year to year, sometimes in the first half of June, respectively. differing by as much as two weeks In the northernmost extreme of the from previous years’ returns, especially Chinook’s range, runs begin in mid-

74 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 75 June and continue through mid-July, typically peaking somewhere near the first of the month. In the Interior, kings enter the Yukon River in June and reach the Canadian border by mid- to late July. The tributaries of the Copper River see their best Chinook angling from early- to late July. In southeast Alaska—not counting feeder kings— Chinook salmon in the saltwater intercept fisheries are typically present in catchable numbers from mid- to late April through mid-July, with the months of May and June representing the prime fishing These Lake Creek kings were two of many hooked that day. © Marcus Weiner times. Where king fishing is permitted in freshwater, namely the Gulf Coast streams near between the community of Yakutat and Skagway, Blind Slough near Petersburg, Yakutat, peak times usually occur Cross Sound—is restricted to fishing Sawmill Creek near Sitka and a few of during June. for king salmon in freshwater, though the roadside streams around Juneau. there are sporadic opportunities for The area from Cape Fairweather The Major Fisheries freshwater anglers to chase kings; these northwest to Cape Suckling, which Southeast Alaska occur when the Alaska Department of includes the Yakutat Forelands, is Most of the Southeast panhandle— Fish & Game uses emergency orders open to freshwater sport-fishing for from Dixon Entrance south of to open select areas to the harvest of king salmon, and several clearwater Ketchikan to Cape Fairweather, which hatchery fish. Some of the more typical systems—the Situk, East Alsek, sits along the Gulf of Alaska coast openings include Pullen Creek near Italio and Akwe rivers being the most

76 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May May2017 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 77 77 This brawny Nushagak Chinook was prominent—present good opportunity caught while boon-dogging with eggs. to find fish in a remote setting. © Brian Woobank Most of Southeast saltwater salmon- fishing centers are conveniently located next to international airports, and are the hot months when Chinook are packed with plenty of charter and lodge thickest, but July and August can also options. To begin, the state capital has produce very well. leaped into the forefront as a Southeast Another famous king-fishing king fishery, led by a surge of hatchery destination, Prince of Wales Island is the Chinook from the Macaulay Salmon third largest island in the United States, Hatchery on Gastineau Channel. and here anglers target either the east Juneau anglers can take kings virtually side in Clarence Strait, the west side out from the sidewalks in downtown, or of Craig/Klawock or the north end at they can head into the bay and fish Point Baker. The island is a 30-minute hotspots throughout upper Taku Inlet. floatplane flight from Ketchikan. Sitka needs no introduction as a The fifth-most populous city in king salmon hotspot, as this is one of Alaska, Ketchikan offers its own chance the best places in all of Alaska for king for hot king fishing each season, with fishing. At times it is the best in Alaska, some of the best fishing near town; according to ADF&G. May and June north in Clover Pass, off Ward Cove

78 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 79 Anchorage—Ship Creek, which flows through downtown, and Eklutna Tailrace, a hatchery return just up the Glenn Highway. Continuing north along the Glenn and then Parks from Anchorage one finds the king fisheries of the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area, covering some 23,000 The king run on Ship Creek has been square miles of southcentral good the last few years. © The Bait Shack Alaska and dominated by the Susitna River watershed. each offers fair to good opportunity, Eighty-eight streams in this depending on the year. region are known to contain For Southcentral’s saltwater anglers, spawning populations of the highlights are Homer and Seward, Chinook salmon, but just and at either port visiting anglers can 17 of these drainages are find great charter operators in our responsible for over half of magazine ready and willing to put them the production. Highlights on the fish. include the Talkeetna River and Clear Creek, Montana Kodiak Island Creek, which is intersected On Kodiak Island, the Karluk (currently Ryan Woobank enjoyed quality time with his dad when fishing the Nushagak closed to sport fishing for Chinook) at Bristol Bay Adventures. © Brian Woobank by the Parks Highway and is followed by Willow and and Ayakulik rivers support the only and especially Knudson Cove. Eight to Alaska’s largest city, its most extensive Sheep creeks and the Little Susitna populations of native Chinook, with the miles south of town there’s a king return road system and more than half the River as the road continues towards kings returning to the rivers from late that packs into Herring Cove as well. state’s total population, there are plenty Anchorage. May through mid-July, while hatchery- of quality king fisheries. Off the Parks, a significant Chinook enhanced runs on two road-system Southcentral Alaska Two notable urban fisheries soak fishery occurs in the Deshka River, while streams, American and Olds rivers, Moving into southcentral Alaska, home up most of the pressure in or near Lake Creek and the Talachulitna Rivers have only gained in popularity in recent years. The American is one of Kodiak Island’s most popular king fisheries in that it is close to town and features great access. Most of the fishing here takes place from the highway bridge down to the salt, where anglers toss spinners and spoons and drift roe and shrimp. When the fish are really fresh, herring suspended under a float is another good option. Kodiak also offers anglers superb saltwater fishing for a multitude of species—including kings. Favorite areas include but are not limited to Buoy 4, Williams Reef, Chiniak, Whale Pass,

Togiak kings are abundant and powerful. © Marcus Weiner

80 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 81 Uganik, Marmot and Alitak bays. that’s protected from the weather. Another significant saltwater fishery There are plenty of charters running occurs near the Native village of Old out of Kodiak’s harbor, and the island Harbor, which sits on Sitkalidak Strait has several remote lodges that feature in the southcentral portion of the island. saltwater angling. Feeder kings prowl the strait all year, as its baitfish-rich waters are a corridor for Southwest Alaska traveling bait and feeding salmon. May In southwest Alaska, the Chinook brings the return of the big fish destined fishing is a freshwater game, with the for other watersheds, as they venture largest of all Pacific salmon returning near Old Harbor through feeding lanes, to these wilderness rivers each summer and the largest Chinook of the year, and bringing plenty of action along fish in the 50- to 70-pound-class, are with them. traditionally caught in May and June, The Nushagak River hosts one of with quality fish available throughout Alaska’s largest Chinook runs, with the summer. several lodges and tent operations set For any Kodiak saltwater fishery, up to cater to the visiting angler. There’s it’s rare for boats to have to run more also a king run or two of note in Katmai than two hours to the fishing grounds. country, with the best combination of The island also fishes nearly all year, as numbers of fish and fishing opportunity on any given day, you can find a spot existing in the Naknek and Alagnak This king was caught trolling herring near The state of Alaska’s king salmon fisheries has been a hot topic Viscary Rocks near Sitka. © Wayne Norris over the past decade, as Chinook salmon have been returning in fewer numbers to many areas of Alaska since about 2007, in many cases requiring restrictions on the fisheries that harvest these stocks. rivers. Boasting up to a fifth of the Implementation by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game of angling effort in southwest Alaska, strict fishery-management actions have been necessary to meet the large, powerful Naknek supports a escapement objectives, and many fisheries have been curtailed to solid run of kings in late June and early protect the kings that did return. July, with the peak of the run typically occurring near the last week of July. In 2016, runs improved for the western Alaska stocks in the Yukon, Effort is greatest in the lower river, from Kuskokwim and Nushagak drainages, but according to ADF&G, these the mouth of Big Creek to Pauls Creek, runs are still below the long-term average overall. Runs also improved where anglers use jet boats to access in Kodiak and Cook Inlet in 2016, but still, compared to the long-term salmon migration lanes and the best average, their overall runs are still below par. Unfortunately, Chinook Chinook holding water. salmon runs from the Copper River to southeast Alaska took a turn for Another sure highlight of the region the worse and in 2016 the runs there were the lowest on record. is the Togiak River, an exceptionally Fish scientists expect runs to continue to improve in Kodiak, Cook scenic tundra river flowing through Inlet and in the Yukon/Kuskokwim/Nushagak fisheries; however, the the heart of the over four million acres outlook in 2017 is not ideal for Southeast as very few jacks, typically contained within the Togiak National a strong indicator of future production, were seen in 2016. You’ll still Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. The catch kings in southeast Alaska, don’t take this the wrong way, but sport fishery commences about the in some places it will be tougher to find kings. They are anticipating third week of June with the arrival of the low numbers of early-returning Taku River king salmon this spring, so first sea-bright Chinook and is usually ADF&G has issued an emergency closure of Chinook salmon sport- concentrated in the lower 20 miles of fishing through June 14. The closed area extends from south of the river. Also of note are the Kanektok and Taku River at Point Hugh, north up Stephens Pass through the Juneau/ Goodnews rivers, both of which present Douglas Island region to Sherman Rock at the south end of Lynn solid numbers of fish in extremely user- Canal. The closure includes the lower section of Lynn Canal on the friendly water conditions (particularly northwest side of Admiralty Island west to Point Couverden.Chatham and Icy straits remain open to sport-fishing for kings. for fly anglers).

In southcentral Alaska, along with the good news of improving returns Interior Alaska for the Cook Inlet fisheries and recent regulations meant to further The fifth largest watershed on the improve the outlook, the winter king salmon fishery near Homer continent, the Yukon, dominates the remains stable and strong. interior section of Alaska, but due to the remote nature of most clearwater It isn’t all gloom and doom and there is good fishing for multiple spawning tributaries and the long species to be coupled with king fishing opportunity here in Alaska. migrations the salmon undertake, less There’s no other place like it in the world. And while the conservation Chinook angling than one might think groups and fisheries boards and other influencers are trying to fix a actually occurs in this region. Only in major problem, the continued effort and hard work of citizens and the Tanana Valley is there sufficient volunteers is what will turn it around in the long run. There are places where it is okay to take king salmon home to the freezer and others road access to allow noteworthy sport- where the mentality must change to protect the long term resource. fishing effort. The best king salmon angling to be

82 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 83 Big, bright Nushagak kings like this are turbo-charged. © Brian Woobank had in the interior area of the state, however, occurs farther south in the region dominated by the massive Copper River. A total of 40 king salmon spawning streams have been identified throughout the Copper River drainage, with the Gulkana River supporting the most significant sport fishery. Over the past few years, the Chinook sport fishery on the Klutina has dramatically increased and it now rivals the Gulkana.

Northwest/Arctic Alaska North of the Yukon River, there is still plenty of opportunity to hunt Chinook salmon in their native waters, but beyond some effort expended in the Unalakleet River drainage, sport fishing for the species is fairly rare. King salmon streams in the area begin in Norton Sound and range north, generally thinning along the Seward Peninsula, which almost touches Siberia, until they end in the Chukchi Sea and Kotzebue Sound.

In the end, fishing kings in Alaska is about the fish. The destinations are almost endless—from sparkling clearwater fisheries such as the Togiak or Kanektok to the big, open tundra waters of the Naknek or Nushagak and on through the prolific saltwater fisheries of Kodiak and southeast Alaska. The first of the salmon to return to Alaska each year, it’s hard to argue the kings aren’t also the best.

Marcus Weiner is publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazine and can be reached at [email protected].

84 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 85 Totally Tubular for kings Story & photos by Mike Lunde A 3-inch cylindrically-shaped tube dressed with skirts built from midnight blue flash and accented with a plethora of ostrich plumes arrives onto the water’s surface and quickly descends. A minute passes and the flashy tube fly swings broadside through the river’s depths until it arrives in proximity to the three kings. The 40-pound hen sees the blue menace and strikes and suddenly she’s off into the abyss downstream at roadrunner-like speed. The yodeling of the large-arbor reel echoes through the mountain air. The king suddenly reverses direction downstream. She goes Quality Chinook like this one are a blast airborne and then disappears in a thudding splash. to catch on fly gear. The ongoing tug-of-war between angler and king continues for 35 excruciating minutes with both nearly fatigued to exhaustion. Line is retrieved yards by the minute and the battle is almost over. And then it is over—the king is dethroned.

The History of Tube Flies The first tube fly appeared in a 1932 book by British writer and fly angler Alexander Wanless Prior. In 1945, Winnie Morawski developed the first tube fly intended specifically for fly fishing. But the widespread popularity of tube flies for Chinook salmon and other anadromous fish began in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Finland and Sweden, where Atlantic salmon fanatics needed alternative, exploratory Advantage of Tube Flies options to the traditional Spey hook. Tubes offer distinct advantages not featured Expansion to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska occurred in the mid-1990s when the forefathers of Skagit realm—Ed Ward, Scott in classic salmon hooks. Although kings, Howell and Jerry French—took fundamental Intruder-style tying principles and incorporated them onto tubes. Initially field-tested on steelhead and other anadromous fish can the noteworthy Kanektok River for ocean-fresh tidewater Chinook, George Cook and Ed Ward, along with other famed Spey crusaders, be caught routinely on dressed Atlantic had consistent action on 20- to 40-pound chrome freight trains fresh-in from the Bering Sea. salmon patterns, Spey- or Dee-style flies, As tube fly popularity skyrocketed, several manufacturers developed tube fly adapter attachments so they could be easily accommodated their length and additional modifications into a standard rotary vise. As time progressed, the development of tube fly vises coming in both pedestal and C-clamp mounted versions are minimized given the constricted tying allowed tube fly tiers to travel to faraway destinations while still allowing them to tie location-specific patterns to be successful. At present, space. This isn’t the scenario when tying new trends in tying tube flies for migratory fish are still in development. materials onto tubes. A tube fly can be tied for all length ranges while the hook of choice is typically centered in the middle region of the fly, allowing for maximum hook penetration on strike impact, yet also reducing damage to the fish’s health and condition. An additional advantage with tube flies The author and fish biologist are that multiple sizes or styles of hooks Jeff Falke with a nice Susitna tributary king that fell to a can be used to match species-specific or Prom Dress Intruder. environmental/water conditions. The preferred tube fly hook choice for kings is a #2 to #2/0, which results in maximum performance of the fly on the swing. Larger hooks will result in a fly over-rotating, thereby inhibiting its movement.

Tube Options A cylindrical, un-weighted, hard- or soft- plastic tube was the traditional foundation for Chinook salmon tube flies. Weight consisted generally of inserting a conehead onto the tube, but then, to reduce bulk on tubes, manufacturers provided weighted tubes of brass or tungsten as primary options. Shapes in cones and discs allowed for adding erratic-like movement on the swing. An excellent example is found in Monster Cones, a company that specializes in this sector of the tube fly craze. In addition to weight and movement options, flex tubes are another significant component worth mentioning. The

86 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 87 Tube Bodies for Chinook Classic Scandinavian tube flies designated for Atlantic salmon and sea-run brown trout utilized a spiral wrap of tinsel or wire to form a rib. Traditional floss or strands of silk were used in some dress-style models. The development of Intruder-style tying techniques led to multiple applications of natural dubbing, which has since transitioned to more synthetics. Since kings go bananas for about any fly dressed or accented with flash, tying in 4- to 6 strands of Flashabou and palmering it forward makes for a deadly body that is visible to the fish’s eye in most water conditions. Another excellent flashy material for building up the body on a tube fly is flat Diamond Braid. If desired, variations in hackle can be used to provide additional color and movement to the body of a tube fly.

Freshwater Patterns Multiple tube fly patterns have been specifically designed for targeting Chinook salmon and other sea-run fish. Initial tube fly patterns consisted of Boss/Comet-style flies used for targeting kings in the warmer water temperatures off Northern California, where fish seldom struck larger flies. The development of Intruder-style flies in the Rotating through color selection and tube late 1990s led to multiple variations of fly profile resulted in these two beauties. Intruders, Practitioners and Prawns. Here we provide a list of tube fly patterns that can be utilized for targeting tackle-busting kings across Alaska. Additional patterns primary purpose of flex tubing is to provide will be discussed in a bonus online feature additional length to a fly. Flex tubing is soft, at www.fishalaskamagazine.com. flexible tubing material that is temperature- resistant and inserted onto the back section Tube-Style Intruders of the tube. They are transparent and come Original Intruders introduced by Scott in multiple color combinations. They were Howell and Ed Ward were tied shank-style initially used on Russian bullet-style tubes, on sacrificial front-hooks and eventually and in some situations, junction tubing is Waddington shanks. Similar tying not necessary as the hook easily inserts into fundamentals—dubbing balls, dubbing the flex tubing. loops, composite loops—were eventually incorporated onto tubes of all material Tube Preparation types. Prior to inserting a tube into the mandrel of As with the original Intruder, #6/0 a tube fly vise or vise-adapter attachment, Uni or equivalent diameter thread is a generic requirement is to have the tube appropriate for creating dubbing loops, initially prepared through a series of steps. as small diameter thread breaks under The type of preparation is dependent on light pressure. Ostrich and rhea remain the material of the tube. For example, hard- fan favorites for Spey hackle, as it is very or soft-plastic tubes require a very close lightweight, features no water absorption encounter with a lighter flame to increase and exhibits high-performance movement the diameter of the hole on the end of on the swing. Lady Amherst fibers or a the tube. Weighted tubes such as tapered schlappen or New Guinea feather palmered aluminum and tungsten bottle tubes, and slightly in front of each section (back and others made of brass, require a liner tube front) adds a realistic aesthetic to enhance to be inserted. The liner tube is specifically the visibility of the pattern. functioned to insert inside the metal tube While there are baseline tying of choice. The majority of today’s tube fly fundamentals for Intruder-style tube flies, manufacturers provide liner tubing already the pattern can still be modified in many prepared. ways.

88 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 89 This Chulitna River tributary king was fooled by a Russian Intruder. Experiment by Brita Fordice, the Flatwing Prawn with profiles to see what fish want. consists of combining East Coast striper fly-tying techniques with Intruder-style fundamentals. A “pillow” is formed at the base of the tail with bucktail. Rooster General Practitioner saddle hackle feather is tied slightly in front. The General Practitioner, or GP, is a classic Strands of flash are tied-in between each steelhead and salmon streamer designed additional feather. A composite dubbing to represent shrimp, an underrated prey loop consisting of EP eyes, goat tinsel and item consumed by kings in the marine natural or blue-eared pheasant forms the environment. Natural fur such as polar main profile of the fly. It is wrapped to bear fur is tied and separated in back to midpoint. form the horns in the rear region of the fly. Eyes are formed with golden pheasant Prom Dress Intruder tippet feathers by cutting the center of the A combination of the Ed Ward’s Intruder feather out, creating a V-shaped feather. and Scott Howell’s Prom Dress resulted A recent version called the GP Intruder is in one effective weapon to entice both highly effective on Chinook. Lady Amherst aggressive and nonaggressive kings to fibers are tied in the back section of the strike. Spinnerbait-like skirts are formed on fly first. Body composition consists of the front and rear regions of the fly. A fair black floss and rib counter-wrapped with distribution of ostrich or rhea is spun in a tinsel or wire. A grey heron or blue-eared dubbing loop and applied to the Flashabou pheasant is used in the middle region of the skirts. The body of the fly is comprised of fly. Additional Lady Amherst fibers are tied multiple strands of flash palmered forward. 360 degrees around the fly. Pheasant tippet Additional Lady Amherst fibers are optional feather is used similarly to form the eyes of and can be applied to both skirts. the fly. Jungle cock eyes are optional. Marabou Tube Fly Flatwing Prawn In this venerable pattern, sparse plumes of A deadly steelhead pattern developed marabou feathers are palmered forward to 90 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May May2017 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 91 91 Tube flies allow for increased hook percentages and successful releases. forage—Pacific herring, candlefish and sandlances. Un-weighted tube fly streamers are preferred, as heavy-density, fast-sinking sink-tips help deliver the fly to the strike zone efficiently and effectively. form a Popsicle-like appearance and are then accented with multiple strands of flash Chinook salmon fanatics may never have tied 360 degrees around the fly. Schlappen assumed a simple plastic tube would can be added as a further accent, while a popularize the anadromous fly-fishing New Guinea or mallard flank collar assists scene, but the proliferation of tube flies in allowing the marabou fibers to achieve has made swinging for king salmon more a “vortex” effect. Multi-colored coneheads effortless and effective than ever. Recent are an excellent option to provide weight statistics have also determined that tube and assist with supplemental color to entice flies are highly efficient at minimizing hook rod-jarring strikes. damage to fish, which essentially means kings have a higher likelihood of surviving Other Patterns after catch-and-release. With Alaskans Look back at the April 2016 issue of Fish investing into the tube fly era, it is apparent Alaska for a comprehensive guide to the top the trend is here to stay for quite some 10 king salmon flies to use in Alaska. While time. So, go grab some materials and keep some of these patterns are tied exclusively it tubular, dude! on hooks or Waddington shanks, they can also be tied on tubes, so exploration and creativity is highly desired here. Mike Lunde is originally from Pewaukee, WI, and received his B.S. in Fisheries from Saltwater Tube Flies for Kings the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Mike In recent years, there have been an works as a fisheries technician for the Alaska increasing number of anglers braving the Cooperative Fisheries and Wildlife Research chilly waters of Cook Inlet in search of Unit and has guided in both Alaska and saltwater kings on the fly. Most anglers Patagonia. EDITOR’S NOTE: Visit use Intruder-style tube flies, specifically www.fishalaskamagazine.com to see more patterns tied with bucktail or lightweight tube fly patterns for king salmon from author synthetics that imitate common pelagic Mike Lunde.

92 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 93 Cut halibut into 5- or 6-ounce fillet, layer caramelized onion on a baking dish pan. Place cut halibut on top of onions Chef Bobby’s Halibut Olympia and then coat it with mayonnaise mix and Alaskan halibut layered on a bed of caramelized onions, topped sprinkle with bread-crumb mix. with parmesan breading and white dill cream sauce Bake at 350 degrees in a conventional Recipe by Chef Roberto (Bobby) Sidro, The Flying Machine Restaurant and oven for 10- to 12 minutes or until meat is flaky and serve. The Fancy Moose Lounge at The Lakefront Anchorage Hotel

1.5 lb. halibut fillet 1/4 tsp. paprika 1 ea. white or yellow onion (sliced or 1/4 cup melted butter julienne cut) 1 tbsp. butter Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large 1/2 cup mayonnaise saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard onion until brown or caramelized, about 1/2 cup sour cream 6- to 8 minutes and cool down. 1 tsp. dill weed Mix mayonnaise, mustard, dill weed, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire The Lakefront Anchorage Hotel 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce sauce, Tabasco sauce, and when all The Flying Machine Restaurant 1/4 tsp. Tabasco together add salt & pepper to taste and set The Fancy Moose Lounge Salt & pepper to taste aside. 4800 Spenard Road 1 cup Japanese bread crumbs (Panko) Mix bread crumbs, shredded parmesan, Anchorage, AK 99517 1/4 cup shredded parmesan chopped parsley, paprika and melted Hotel: (907) 243 2300 1 tsp. chopped parsley butter and set aside. Restaurant & Lounge: (907) 266 2249

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96 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com May 2017 May 2017 www.FishAlaskaMagazine.com 97 A Dose of Wilderness Wisdom Story by Angelo Peluso

It was late and getting dark as I sat alone in the dimly-lit main dining lodge. I was catching up on some after-dinner reading and documenting the day’s events in my journal. I’ve always found that a nice way to unwind after a hectic day of Alaska fishing. The only sound that infiltrated the meditative silence was the distant, resonating drone of a small plane propeller. As I pondered the day’s particularly large trout I heard a faint creak as the massive front door to the lodge opened unexpectedly. Looking up, I saw a large figure totally fill the entranceway. While low light conditions often lead to faulty perspectives of size and distance, the figure framed by the doorway looked to be as big as the lifeless brown bear poised immediately to his left. They could almost pass as twins. The large man spoke. “Hey, young fella. How are you tonight?” “I am great,” I replied a bit tentatively, wondering from where this guy had come. “Well, I just got into camp. Had a floatplane bring us in from Dillingham. Mind if I sit and rest a bit with you?” “Not at all. Take a seat.” Just as the large man crammed into the chair next to me another, much smaller figure appeared in the doorway. The large man saw me look curiously toward the door and explained, “That’s my nephew. He travels with me these days.” “So what’s your name?” I detected a hint of a Southern accent. I guessed one of the Carolinas. I told him my name and we shook hands. His paw was about twice the size of mine. It felt as if my hand was being engulfed by a catcher’s mitt. I squeezed just an extra bit harder to compensate. “They call me John,” he offered. “Nice to meet you, John. Are you up here to fish out the rest of the week?” “How old do you think I am, young fella?” he responded without at all acknowledging my question. I dislike when someone asks me to guess his or her age. While I am reasonably good at reading people’s personalities, speculating about age is best left to carnival tricksters. It’s a no-win situation. I took a shot in the dark but hedged my guess just to be on the safe side. “Not a day over 72.” The grin on his face got much wider. I wasn’t sure whether I’d hit the mark or totally missed the target. “Well, sonny boy, you’re off by twenty years.” Noticing my shocked response, he continued. “That’s right: 92.” Came up here to fish for salmon and trout. A birthday gift to myself. Took my nephew along to keep me out of trouble and lug my gear around. Can’t wade this swift water any more so he’s my personal ghillie and wading staff!” I was stunned. “Is this your first trip to Alaska?” I asked. “Not by a long shot. Been coming up here for more than 25 years. Just stopped over to get something to eat and stay for the night. The lodge manager made some room for us in one of the guide cabins. We head out in the morning to the tent camp. Got a floatplane coming back to get us in there. Can’t wait to get going!” Tent camp, I thought. That could be an extremely demanding wilderness experience regardless of age, and here at 92 this guy was getting ready to enthusiastically jump in with both feet. I thought to myself that I would sign up for 92 right here and now if I could be like John. He appeared healthy, in fine shape and able enough to still do the things he loved. We talked for about an hour. More accurately, he did the talking while I mostly listened. John had a terrific outlook on life and an opinion on just about everything. John volunteered that at times wading could be a bit troublesome—his legs weren’t what they used to be and the knee replacements would act up, but all else considered there was nothing he’d rather be doing at this stage of his life. He told me how he stayed out of the fast water now and tended to fish more in the slower eddies and backwater for the silvers, and in the milder-running riffles for the trout. Not a bad compromise, I thought. He tied his own flies and was very proud of his ability to still cast the entire fly line. The Katmai area was one of his favorites but he made a special point of mentioning there were a few more Alaska fishing destinations that he wanted to explore in the coming years. John was fast becoming my newest hero. A substantial amount of water has flowed around my waders since meeting big John. In the years that have passed since our paths crossed for that brief hour, I’ve often wondered if he continued to take his annual fishing treks into the wilderness of Alaska. I like to think so. I smile at the thought of him out there somewhere casting a full fly line to willing rainbow trout and salmon and pausing occasionally to charm a new and younger listener with his ageless wisdom.

Angelo Peluso is an outdoors author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous regional and national publications. He has authored several fly-fishing books, includingFly Fishing Long Island, Saltwater Flies of the Northeast and Saltwater Flies of the Southeast and Gulf Coast. He is a frequent contributor to Fish Alaska magazine and travels to Alaska often to fish. He can be reached at www.angelopeluso.com.

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