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Volume 13 • Issue 6 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles WRITERS Ducks Unlimited, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Cal Kellogg, Brian Watkins SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Guy Ricciardulli, Zachary Wheeler DESIGNER Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Aumann INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES media@media-inc.com
ON THE COVER What an experience for first-time Kodiak Island hunter Zach Welch, who not only scored his first Kodiak goat (featured in last month’s issue), but also filled a deer tag along with hunting buddies Brian Watkins and Trevor Embry! (BRIAN WATKINS)
MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120 Renton, WA 98057 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com
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CONTENTS
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VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 6
(PETE ROBBINS/HALF PAST FIRST CAST)
MAKE MINE A COMBO, PLEASE!
Homer is famous for its annual winter king salmon tournament in March, but now is actually the time to head to the Kenai Peninsula port for some underrated combo trips targeting kings, Tanner crabs and more. Cal Kellogg caught up with Homerbased charter skipper Steve Smith and picked his brain about why the arrival of winter in Alaska doesn’t curtail your chances of scoring some great table fare.
FEATURES 20
KODIAK GOAT HUNT, PART II
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HEADING SOUTH FOR BRANT
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DAYS OF THE DUSKY
Last month, our longtime hunting pals Brian Watkins and Trevor Embry assisted newbie Zach Welch on his first-ever mountain goat hunt on Kodiak Island. Now it’s time for Watkins and Embry to fill their own goat tags, and for all the guys to try and bag a deer along the way. Find out if the billies and bucks cooperated for the trio on Kodiak’s weather-lashed slopes. Scott Haugen continues his analysis of Alaska’s famed brant geese. This issue he heads far to the south, to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, where these prized waterfowl are more plentiful compared to their northern breeding grounds. Haugen shares his Mexican hunt, while wife Tiffany whips up a proteinrich wild game and fried rice recipe to complete their From Field to Fire column. More waterfowl conservation talk, here from Ducks Unlimited, which sent a team to the hinterlands of Alaska to help state and federal crews capture and band dusky geese, a Canada goose subspecies that has seen its overall numbers drop to about 15,000. Banders braved “soggy conditions, challenging weather, fluctuating tides, biting mosquitoes and the occasional bear in the name of waterfowl science,” DU reports. Check out a photo essay of their work.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 13 The Editor’s Note 15 Alaska Beat: News and notes from
around the Last Frontier
19 Outdoor calendar 52 Halibut jigging tips
Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $39.95 (12 issues) or $59.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120, Renton, WA 98057 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2023 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 10
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Congress coming together on bipartisan legislation that restored federal funding for school hunter and archery education programs brings some comfort to the editor, who knows how important the outdoors can be for all Americans, rural and urban alike. (MARA KOENIG/USFWS)
I
usually kept busy during my sports reporter stint at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Natural State’s largest newspaper. From Arkansas Razorbacks sports in the Southeastern Conference to minor-league baseball and golf tournaments, I never lacked assignments to tackle. I also covered weekly high school sports, including Friday night prep football games throughout the northwest region of the state, where I was based. The beat took me to smaller rural schools – from the Alma High School Airedales to the Ozark High School Hillbillies (yes, the school, traditionally very successful in football, uses Hillbillies as its mascot). These tiny communities had a lot in common: It seemed like every Arkansas town had a Sonic Drive-In, they loved football and, around this time of year,
game attendance took a hit when deer hunting season was open. At one such school, football powerhouse Greenwood High, the same guys always sat right in front of the press box, and in November when they traded Bulldog gear for camo, I knew they’d be headed straight from the stadium to deer camp. And now as I reminisce about those days and realize the role that hunting and fishing plays in those rural Arkansas cities, it’s appalling how close those communities were to losing federal funding for hunter and archery education programs. Fortunately, Congress came together in a rare moment of bipartisan common sense and restored financial support for those programs. Like Arkansas, Alaskan cities and towns would have been devastated with that funding slashed.
“We sent a very clear message that hunting and archery are critical life skills for countless Americans, especially Alaskans,” said Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R). “Whether you’re learning hunter safety, how to use a bow and arrow, or simply using an ulu knife in a culinary class, our children should have the option of learning these basic skills at school.” I grew up in suburban San Francisco as a diehard angler but wasn’t really interested in hunting, perhaps because hunter ed courses weren’t a priority there. But for those small towns in Alaska and the kids in Alma, Ozark and Greenwood, Arkansas, I’m relieved that learning how to hunt, handle firearms and shoot bows and arrows will be as much of a fall rite of passage as Friday night football. -Chris Cocoles
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HER BLUBBER IS BEST ALASKA BEAT TWEET OF THE MONTH
Bear 128, a massive mama bruin nicknamed Grazer, dominated Fat Bear Week voting to win the annual contest of Katmai National Park’s big-boned beauties. (F. JIMINEZ/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)
T
he people have spoken. Bear 128 was the last bruin standing in Katmai National Park’s March Madness-style contest known as Fat Bear Week. Grazer, a mama bear that has raised two litters of cubs, struck a blow for equality as her girth gifted successful (and convincing) bracket victories over challengers Walker, defending champ and two-time winner 747, fellow female Holly in the semifinals, and then in the championship match, she recorded a resounding defeat of “heavy” favorite Chunk. Grazer’s landslide win (108,321 votes to 23,134) was anything but a fluke. “Grazer is a particularly defensive mother bear who has successfully raised two litters of cubs. She often preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears – even large and dominant adult males – in order to ensure her cubs are safe,” was how Katmai rangers described Grazer. “In summer 2023, many other bears remembered her reputation and Grazer maintained a high level of dominance even though she was single. For example, a large adult male, 151 Walker, regularly avoided her approach. Grazer’s combination of skill and toughness makes her one of Brooks River’s most formidable, successful, and adaptable bears.” Now she’s the queen of Fat Bear Week!
Nothing brightens a day more than a brightly colored steelhead.
A bear cub wandered through a Petersburg grocery store. Sadly, the animal’s emaciated state prompted Alaska Wildlife Troopers to euthanize the bear.
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1
NOTABLE NUMBER Just one member of the House of Representatives voted against the bipartisan Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act to restore federal funding for hunter education and archery programs in schools. The bill was unanimously passed in the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden.
“
THEY SAID IT
“I love the Interior Department, and it has been the greatest honor and responsibility of my career to serve as Secretary Haaland’s deputy in the Biden-Harris administration. I will always cherish the opportunities I’ve had to work with the best career staff in federal service and diverse communities across the United States to help figure out solutions to some of the most challenging problems facing our country.”
”
–Alaskan Tommy Beaudreau, who stepped down from his post as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior on Oct. 5.
FROM THE ASJ ARCHIVES – NOVEMBER 2020
‘FISH DETECTIVE’ WORK: FINDING NEW STEELHEAD/ SALMON WATERS
T
he Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC) lists every stretch of water in Southeast Alaska confirmed to be home to anadromous (migrating from saltwater) species – think salmon and steelhead in the Panhandle, sturgeon, smelt and lamprey elsewhere on the West Coast. In Anadromous Waters, a Trout Unlimited-produced short film by filmmaker Josh Duplechian, a graphic states that the region contains 5,000 salmon streams. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game officially recognizes 325 of that 5,000 as supporting annual runs of steelhead. In the massive Tongass National Forest – 16.7 million acres that represent the nation’s largest such public land – TU Alaska science coordinator Mark Hieronymus must play part fish conservationist, part Sherlock Holmes detective. “It’s all ours and it’s this amazing national treasure,” he says of the Tongass. “It’s loaded with fish streams. We’ve got some really good assumptions and some good monitoring. But we don’t have a full, complete picture of what’s actually out there. That’s what I’m doing – filling in those gaps.” So it seems clear there must be more steelhead runs among the thousands of streams that empty into the North Pacific and Inside Passage waters. “The AWC was designed as at least a guide to what’s in there, and when you can make assumptions on when you can go into an area to work and when there’s going to be fish presence,” Hieronymus said during an Instagram live chat just before the film’s YouTube release in mid-October 2020. “The crux of this thing is that the AWC is nowhere near complete. (ADFG), by their own admission, says probably 50 percent of the water in Southeast is actually accounted (for).” -Chris Cocoles
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Mark Hieronymus, Alaska science coordinator for Trout Unlimited, was part of a research team in search of Southeast Alaska waters to add to the state Anadromous Waters Catalog, which documents where salmon and steelhead occur. (JOSH DUPLECHIAN/TROUT UNLIMITED)
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Application period for 2024-25 hunting draws begins Deer season opens in Game Management Unit 5 (Yakutat) Nov. 1 Resident goat season opens in GMU 8 Resident grizzly bear season opens in GMU 9E (all Nov. 1 drainages into the Pacific Ocean between Cape Kumliun and border of Units 9E and 9D) Resident late caribou season opens in GMUs 9C and Nov. 1 9E (Alaska Peninsula) Nov. 1 Resident antlerless moose season opens in GMUs 14A (Mat-Su Valley) and 14C (Anchorage Management Area) Nov. 1-14 Late goat season dates in GMU 7 (Seward; may be announced) Nov. 1-14 Deer season dates in GMU 8 (Kodiak Road System Management Area; bow and arrow, crossbow or muzzleloader only) Nov. 1-14 Resident goat season dates in GMU 15 (Kenai; may be announced) Nov. 15 Late elk hunting season opens in GMU 3 (Etolin Island) Nov. 16 Youth deer hunt season opens in GMU 8 (Kodiak Road System Management Area; bow and arrow, crossbow or muzzleloader only) Dec. 15 Last day to apply for 2024-25 hunting draws For more information and season dates for Alaska hunts, go to adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.main. aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2023
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FINISHI
KODIAK HUNTERS LOOK TO FILL GOA
BY BRIAN WATKINS Editor’s note: In our October issue, Brian Watkins told the story of a Kodiak mountain goat hunt with friend and longtime hunting partner Trevor Embry. Joining them was their buddy Zach Welch, who was hunting the island for the first time and eventually harvested his first billie. Both Watkins and Embry were also hoping to fill their goat tags and perhaps score a blacktail deer as well, and that’s where we continue the hunt ...
Kodiak Island’s steep mountains, stealthy goats and inclement weather all made for a challenging hunt for three friends hoping to all fill goat tags, and maybe score a deer as well. (BRIAN WATKINS)
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HING THE JOB
LL GOAT AND DEER TAGS – AND THEN GET OFF THE WEATHER-BLASTED ISLAND SECOND OF TWO PARTS
W
e brainstormed and decided to spook the herd of mounttain goats and see where they went. After all, they would either go closer to camp or an area further away that had better stalking opportunities. Since Zach had shot a goat already, we sent him into the open valley below to see what the goats would do. The plan worked! The goats went up and around
Zach and wanted to flee to the nasty country. Unfortunately for them, Trevor and I lay waiting in their path. We watched the goats as they walked straight to us from a quarter-mile away. While hiding in the rocks, the goats disappeared and we thought they’d pop up directly in front of us. Time passed, but something was off. Trevor signaled me to pop up and look for the group. They’d stayed low-
er than we thought they would and had been able to get around us. I took off to chase them down, hiding in the rocky cliffs. I popped out and had a goat at 22 yards, quartering away from me. I drew back and put a shot into his opposite shoulder, right where you want to hit on a quartering-away shot. The goat made it less than 10 feet before piling up and tumbling down the mountain – the
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Ruffed grouse are mainly found in the vast Alaskan Interior, but the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has successfully transplanted some of the birds to other areas of the stature, including the Mat-Su Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. (USER MAD TINMAN/WIKIMEDIA)
Even in the middle of nowhere, a simple camp can represent a comforting place to refresh and rejuvenate. (BRIAN WATKINS)
same one Zach’s goat had rolled down earlier in the trip. We’d face another tough pack out up and over, but what a feeling it was!
WE AWOKE TO A fresh storm rolling in. From prior experience, we knew it would be best to stay in the tent and keep dry. As Trevor said all week, “Make hay when the sun’s shining!” We also needed a day to rest from packing meat. That evening, when the storm broke, I planned to get us closer to deer I had seen a couple days earlier. Since we’d found them lower, I told the boys we needed to hunt that area. There were three points that sat atop the lower brush fields; each of us found a perch on a point. Zach turned up a nice buck immediately and had the right wind to make a move. He sprinted down the mountain and kept an alder bush between the buck and himself. He popped out at 55 yards and let his Exact Archery Broadhead fly. The arrow found 22
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its mark and the buck was down within seconds. Zach sent out an inReach message and we got down to his buck and helped pack it back to camp. Four days in and we had three animals back at camp. There was a pretty big storm front moving in, giving us one more day to hunt. As much as we needed rest, we had our longest day ahead of us. We had hunted the two closest ridges hard and our only intel on more goats was from when we’d flown in five days before. So we set out for new country that we had yet to explore. Along the way we spotted a few deer, but there was nothing worth pursuing. As we made our way to the furthest mountain, we found eight goats along a creek bottom. These goats were well below their typical terrain, making it challenging to get within bow distance. We found ourselves glassing from above yet again as we tried to decipher a plan. It
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was Trevor’s turn to try for a goat.
WE TRIED TO REPOSITION ourselves multiple times throughout the day as the goats fed, but we couldn’t get closer than 200 yards. Knowing we were running out of time, Trevor decided to push the envelope and get in front of the now bedded goats. He went downwind and made a move to get as close as he could. While he was along the way, the goats got up to feed. Trevor didn’t know that at the time, but I watched as he closed to within 100 yards. Knowing he had no idea that the goats were headed in his direction, I used my binocular glass to “flash” to get his attention. He caught the flickering and looked up at me. I attempted to give him hand signals about where the goats were, but the frustration grew as he couldn’t figure out what I was doing. Luckily, he moved ahead cautiously knowing that I was trying to communicate with him about where the goats were.
“Knowing he had no idea that the goats were headed in his direction, I used my binocular glass to ‘flash’ to get his attention,” author Brian Watkins writes about buddy Trevor Embry’s stalk on a herd. “He caught the flickering and looked up at me. I attempted to give him hand signals about where the goats were, but the frustration grew as he couldn’t figure out what I was doing.” (BRIAN WATKINS) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2023
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Though he’s harvested plenty of big game critters in Alaska, Watkins is always thrilled to use his bow to fill his freezer with delicious meat. A portion of Kodiak is open for hunters to take two goats, but only one billy, by permit. (BRIAN WATKINS) The newbie of the crew, Zach Welch, had reason to be excited – he not only bagged a Kodiak goat, but also this buck, both on his first island hunt. (BRIAN WATKINS)
…And the newbie of the crew, Zach Welch, had reason to be excited to not only score a Kodiak goat but also this buck on his first island hunt. (BRIAN WATKINS) 24
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Trevor popped up on a ridge and had a goat at 41 yards. He sailed an arrow over the goat’s back. But luck was still on his side. The other goats, confused, edged closer to him. Now he had a shot at a mere 5 yards. Goat down! Now the other goats headed for higher country, right where I was ready to ambush. I ranged a rock at 30 yards and the goats came directly to that spot. When a goat stood broadside there, I let an arrow go. It was the same goat Trevor had missed. That nanny must have nine lives because I gave her a nice haircut. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I assume she was a bit further out than I thought. I should have taken my time and reranged her. Thankfully, she only got that haircut and wasn’t wounded. We had a long pack out ahead of us with Trevor’s goat. We were 4.5 miles from camp and three mountain passes away. By the time we got the goat cut up and ready to pack, it was 9:30 p.m. We weren’t very familiar with the area
we were in, so we took a safer route and side-skirted the mountains. Still, the terrain was steep and unforgiving. Couple that with not knowing the area and we had our work cut out for us. Rain, fog and wind also set in. We had to use BaseMap on our phones to navigate the terrain and find areas without steep cliffs. We ended up getting back to camp at 2:30 a.m.
OUR PICKUP DATE WAS set for four days
later. With four animals worth of meat in camp already and knowing that perfect conditions were required for the floatplane to land at the lake we were on, we sent a message to the pilot that we were ready to fly out at any time. But the weather that came in – wind, rain and fog – would keep us hunkered down and recovering from all of the work we had put in. Time dragged on as we read books, told stories that we’ve each heard 100 times and napped. One day turned into four and we were suddenly past our
When hard work pays off, there’s always time for a fun selfie. (BRIAN WATKINS)
Harvesting an elusive billy or buck is just the beginning on hunts like this. The extended stormy conditions forced the guys to transport their game meat and gear to an impromptu pickup spot at sea level. “Grueling is an understatement to describe that journey,” the author writes. (BRIAN WATKINS) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2023
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original pickup date. Again, you need to be flexible on Kodiak. We got weather updates daily and it looked like we wouldn’t have a chance to get out for a few more days. We had two options: Replay Groundhog Day by staying in the tent, or get to work and hike off the mountain to saltwater.
Between meat and our camp, we had about 500 pounds to pack. Our preplanned secondary pickup spot was 4 miles away and 2,100 feet in elevation downhill. It took a day and a half to haul all our stuff through mountains, alders, raspberry bushes and across a river. Grueling is an understatement to
This was a satisfying adventure for (from left) Embry, Watkins and especially Welch, considering it was his first time. The author says he lost 14 pounds. “But it’s work that we will always remember.” (BRIAN WATKINS) 26
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describe that journey. It was among the top three worst packouts I’ve ever had. When we finally got home, I weighed 14 pounds lighter than when I’d left. But it’s work that we will always remember. After some time passes, we’ll even laugh about it. Next time we are going to plan a lighter camp, just in case. ASJ
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FIELD
Alaska remains author Scott Haugen’s favorite place to pursue brant geese, but they can also be hunted in Mexico, where this flock piled into the decoys for him. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
HUNTING BRANT WAY SOUTH
WITH NUMBERS DECLINING IN ALASKA, PRIZED GEESE MORE PLENTIFUL IN MEXICO SECOND OF TWO PARTS BY SCOTT HAUGEN
I
n brant-like fashion the flock came in low. Their streamlined silhouettes stood out just as I'd seen so many times before, but in other places. When they cupped into the decoys, my buddy and I raised up and shot. I fired twice and killed two brant; my friend also doubled. Then I took my camera, backed up 30 yards behind the blind and took pictures of Gary Kramer
as he finished his limit. Looking through the telephoto lens at these magnificent birds against the sandy dunes in the background, a sea of blue shimmering beneath them and a warming sun ascending the horizon, I was spellbound. Snapping shots of the rudimentary blind made of palm leaves was when it hit me: I was finally hunting brant in Mexico. As a kid I’d read about this place, but I
never thought I'd get there. The fact I was hunting with the great Gary Kramer, a reknowned wildlife photographer and author, made it even more special.
PROFESSOR OF BRANT-OLOGY In 1976, Kramer completed his master’s thesis on winter ecology of black brant in San Quintin Bay, Mexico. In 1974, while studying brant in the Baja,
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FIELD
If you’ve got game in your freezer – anything from moose to waterfowl – combining that meat with fried rice creates a hardy, protein-packed dish for a cold fall or winter night. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
SAVOR THIS PROTEIN-PACKED FRIED RICE BY TIFFANY HAUGEN
W
ith winter closing in throughout Alaska, don’t forget about what meat you may have put in the freezer. Ideally, wild game should be used up within a year of harvest, and that’s especially the case with game birds. Items made from wild game, like Thuringer, summer sausage, pepperoni and jerky, should also be used before the possibility of freezer burn. Although vacuum sealing may extend freezer life a few additional months, use up that game to enjoy optimal flavors and textures. This is a quick meal to whip up for lunch, dinner or anytime. Use your imagination and add what you like; a few eggs, more vegetables, kimchi or even crushed potato chips can create a tasty twist to the fried rice. 2 cups chopped Thuringer or summer sausage 2 cups cooked, cooled, long- or
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medium-grain rice 1 cup cooked, cooled wild rice 2 to 3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil ½ onion, minced 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 inch fresh ginger, minced 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon fish sauce, optional ¼ cup chopped green onion or chives 1 cup chopped pineapple One sheet or packet nori Fresh lime for garnish In a small bowl mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and optional fish sauce until thoroughly combined. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola or coconut oil on medium-high heat. Sauté Thuringer or summer sausage until it begins to brown, then remove from skillet and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté
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the onion, garlic and ginger until soft. Push vegetable mixture to the edges of the pan and add another tablespoon of oil, then turn heat to high. Add cooked rice to the skillet and break up any clumps. Fry one to two minutes until the rice is hot. Mix onion mixture into the rice and stir in browned Thuringer or summer sausage. Sauté one to two more minutes. Stir in green onion or chives, pineapple and nori and continue to sauté another minute. Serve immediately with a squeeze of fresh lime if desired. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other best-selling titles, tiffanyhaugen.com.
FIELD
Kramer became the first to document the nonstop brant migration from Cold Bay, Alaska to San Quintin. “At sunrise on Nov. 5, 1974, the first significant departure of brant at Cold Bay occurred,” Kramer recalls. “The refuge manager in Cold Bay sent me a telegram the minute the birds left. I watched closely for the brant to arrive, and they did, on Nov. 8. It took the brant 60 hours to travel 3,000 air miles. That's an average of 50 mph.” Over the years, this impressive migration has been confirmed with modern technology multiple times. “Brant arrive in San Quintin in November, then spread out into six other bays, the farthest being about 200 miles south down the Baja,” continues Kramer. “Then in January, they start moving north back into San Quintin Bay, which is the best time to hunt them, as you’re targeting fresh brant that haven’t been pressured.” Haugen with a pair of brant taken on the Baja Peninsula’s San Quintin Bay, a place he never thought he’d get to hunt for these grand little geese. “Even as the brant hunting in Mexico was good, it’s nothing like I’ve experienced over the years in Alaska,” he writes. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
Gary Kramer waits for a flock of brant to separate before pulling the trigger. (SCOTT HAUGEN) 32
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HEADING NORTH By mid-March, brant numbers at San Quintin peak, and soon the birds begin a slow migration back to their nesting grounds in Alaska, Canada and Russia. “The brant travel slowly on their move north, stopping in multiple bays in California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to feed on eelgrass,”
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FIELD says Kramer. “They move slowly to conserve energy, retaining the highest amount of fat possible for nesting.” Chris Nicolai was also on the brant hunt with us in San Quintin. “When brant arrive on their northern nesting grounds, the weather can be terrible, and nesting delayed for days – even weeks,” adds Nicolai, a waterfowl scientist at Delta Waterfowl. He completed both his master’s and PhD on Pacific black brant. One morning I hunted with Nicolai. There are few people I’ve yearned to hunt with; Nicolai was one of them. With a couple dozen floating decoys set, we hunkered behind a pile of volcanic rock. Nicolai was calling with impressive realism, and turned just about every flock of brant into our spread. We were done in 20 minutes. The last brant we shot was a double. I shot the bird on the right, Nicolai the one on the left. When Nicolai waded out to get the dead birds, he held them up and shouted, “Look at that, they folded right into the hand-carved decoys!” In addition to being a world-renowned waterfowl authority, Nicolai is also an avid hunter and accomplished decoy carver. He carved some brant decoys just for this trip.
good tides, so our brant season is short and our harvest is closely monitored," Malo confirms. But even as the brant hunting in Mexico was good, it’s nothing like I've experienced over the years in Alaska, especially with noted guide Jeff Wasley of Four Flyways Outfitters (fourflywaysoutfitters.com) in Cold Bay. No brant hunting in the world comes close to that.
A SPECIAL DECOY Soon after Nicolai and I gathered our brant we were in the boat, heading back to camp for breakfast. As Nicolai shuffled his feet about, he paused. Reaching down through the pile of brant decoys in the bottom of the boat, he pulled up an old one that was pockmarked with holes. Looking closely at it, he smiled. It was an awkward silence. Then he looked at me. Chris Nicolai with a brant decoy he carved 17 years ago and took to the Baja Peninsula on his first hunt for the species. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
FIVE-BIRD LIMIT When I told friends I was going brant hunting in Mexico, most assumed there were no limits. Wrong. Our daily bag limit was five brant. “In the old days, we ran 15 blinds and hunted most days of the week,” recalls Arturo Malo, our guide and outfitter. “But our management plan changed as we realized we needed to take the pressure off the birds and provide better quality experiences for hunters.” Malo is the sole concession owner in San Quintin, and all brant hunting is run through him. There is a union of locals who help advise Malo. “We only have a limited number of 34
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“This is the first brant decoy I ever made,” Nicolai hollered over the noise of the boat's motor. “I brought it here on my first hunt, 17 years ago, and left it with the guide!” Nicolai's initials were still clearly etched in the wooden keel. Come to find out, the guide had retired and passed along his brant decoys to a younger upand-coming guide, whom Nicolai and I hunted with. If you’ve never experienced brant hunting, either in Alaska, Mexico or along the West Coast, it’s worth it. Not only are these birds some of the most aggressive geese to decoy, they’re likely the best eating of all waterfowl. ASJ Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Bank Fishing for Salmon & Steelhead, visit scotthaugen. com. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram.
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ON THE OL’ DUSK
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SKY TRAIL “Super, super wet” conditions last spring on the Copper River Delta “made it a little difficult to try to identify good spots for banding” geese, said Kelly Warren, a Ducks Unlimited biologist. (DUCKS UNLIMITED)
CREWS CAPTURE, BAND STRUGGLING CANADA GOOSE SUBSPECIES IN REMOTE ALASKA BY DUCKS UNLIMITED
I
Dusky Canada geese captured by banding crews near Cordova, Alaska. Each bird received a leg band and collar, and their gender, health and approximate age were recorded. The data will help biologists better understand this unique subspecies that winters in the Pacific Northwest and requires special hunting restrictions there. (DUCKS UNLIMITED)
f you live in the Pacific Northwest and you’re lucky enough to spot a medium-sized, chocolate-brown goose with a red collar around its neck, there’s a decent chance that bird is a dusky Canada goose. Duskys are a subspecies of Canada geese whose small population breeds on Alaska’s Copper River Delta. Every two years, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service capture, collar and band hundreds of dusky Canada geese on their primary breeding grounds near Cordova. Ducks Unlimited assisted with the last several banding efforts. Capturing skittish geese in this remote region is an adventure that requires the use of airboats and a helicopter. The banding team braves soggy conditions, challenging weather, fluctuating tides, biting mosquitoes and the occasional bear in the name of waterfowl science. The band data is important, since the dusky population hovers at only around 15,000 birds, requiring special management and hunting restrictions in the
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The banding crew, which included staffers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and DU, met often to discuss the day’s strategies and objectives. (U.S. FOREST SERVICE)
Banders and all their gear were ferried by airboats to where the day’s activities would take place. (U.S. FOREST SERVICE) 38
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The team used a helicopter to locate geese and push them toward a capture pen. The pilot hovered above the flocks, carefully herding them up to a mile and a half to where the ground crew had set up temporary fenced enclosures. The effort is performed before the birds have fully regrown their flight feathers after molting, preventing the geese from just flying away. (U.S. FOREST SERVICE)
Willamette Valley, lower Columbia River and coastal Oregon and Washington. State and federal biologists in the Pacific Northwest look for the collars and record the numbers on them to analyze population, longevity, distribution and other important information.
This summer, Kelly Warren, Ducks Unlimited’s regional biologist for western Oregon, and Dr. Mark Petrie, director of conservation planning for DU’s Western Region, joined the banding crew for a week in the Alaskan backcountry. This year, the banding crew
Once the chopper got the geese close to the portable pens, it was up to the ground crew to carefully shoo the birds deeper inside the enclosures, which are designed to gradually funnel geese into close confinement so they’re easier to catch and band. (DUCKS UNLIMITED) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2023
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documented the scientific adventure with their cameras. ASJ Editor’s note: Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetland and grassland habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 16 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign (ducks.org/ get-involved/conservation-for-a-continent). Learn more at ducks.org. Warren and Dr. Mark Petrie, director of conservation planning for DU’s Western Region, hold freshly banded duskys before the geese were released. (DUCKS UNLIMITED)
The team successfully put leg bands and neck collars on 418 duskys this summer before releasing them back into the wild. (U.S. FOREST SERVICE) 40
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Banding geese can be demanding, physical work in the best of conditions, but in Alaska there’s also rain and swarms of mosquitoes to deal with. Canada geese are also surprisingly strong, and their sharp claws can leave a bander’s bare arms covered in scratches. (U.S. FOREST SERVICE)
It is illegal to kill duskys in certain goose management zones in Oregon and Washington due to their limited population size, but anyone can be a part of their conservation and management by recording or photographing collared dusky geese and reporting them to ADFG’s Tasha DiMarzio at tasha.dimarzio@alaska.gov. (DUCKS UNLIMITED)
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KINGS, CRABS & COMBOS A TRANSPLANTED CALIFORNIAN TALKS HOMER WINTER FISHING OPPORTUNITIES
BY CAL KELLOGG
I
n Northern California, where I reside, rockfish and crab combination trips are a staple for charter boat anglers during the late fall and winter months. I thought we had a monopoly on this sort of action until I talked to my buddy Steve Smith in Ninilchik, on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Steve operates Captain Steve’s Fishing Lodge. On a slow afternoon a few days ago, I gave Steve a ring to hear his latest moose or bear hunting story, but I soon found myself talking fishing and taking notes. Instead of hunting, Steve was fileting king salmon. As far as I knew, the fishing season was over in Alaska. What the heck was Steve doing fileting salmon? I thought my friend might be delirious and suffering from some sort of early onset cabin fever. Down in California, we know winter in Alaska is all about ice and darkness. I was certain Alaskan charter skippers fished for halibut and salmon all summer, killed a moose in the fall and then hibernated until the following spring. So I was shocked to learn that instead of hibernating, Steve planned to spend his
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winter chasing crabs and king salmon. It sounded like the ultimate saltwater winter combo trip. Instead of pulling up Dungeness crabs and lowly rockfish, Steve’s anglers would be targeting exotic Tanner crabs and regal king salmon! We caught up with Captain Steve, who provided the scoop on the winter salmon fishing scene, plus combo trip ops for Tanner crabs and halibut.
Cal Kellogg What is winter fishing like in Homer, Alaska?
Steve Smith What winters are like up here
is one of the biggest misconceptions. Obviously Alaska is a big place, but here on the Kenai Peninsula and in Homer specifically, the shortest days of the year feature just under seven hours of daylight. In January, for example, sunrise is around 10 in the morning and sunset takes place around 4:30. It’s cold in the middle of winter but actually warmer than a lot of places in the Lower 48. Since we are near the ocean, we typically are not getting a huge temperature swing. In January the high is typically somewhere near freezing, while the low is only 6 or 8 degrees lower. The
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A catch of kings, Tanner crabs and a stray black rockfish represent a true Alaskan saltwater combo. Despite winter’s pending arrival, the port of Homer offers plenty of fishing opportunities for hearty anglers. (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
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humidity is typically fairly high, so the temperature feels colder than it might in a place like Nevada, but all in all, it’s not that cold in my area.
CK You and I both have similar roots in the far more temperate climates around California, but did your move to the Last
Frontier offer a whole new perspective? SS I grew up in the northeastern part of the (San Francisco) Bay Area, just like you did, so I know king salmon fishing in the dead of winter in Alaska sounds pretty remarkable to a Californian. Here on the Kenai, it’s a common fishery. Homer actually has a huge winter
salmon derby every year. It’s a real userfriendly fishery. You can jump on a charter boat like mine, or if you’re a local with a boat, you can get after the kings yourself. The fish are right here. At times they are literally just beyond the harbor.
CK Can you share some details about the winter king salmon fishing available out of Homer? SS In the summer, the fishing for kings is very limited outside of Homer and in the Cook Inlet. From April through August 31, you can only harvest one king per day and only five kings total. During the summer, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game figures the kings in the inlet are there preparing to run up the rivers and creeks to spawn, and they want to protect those spawners. From September 1 to March 31, the daily limit on kings expands to two fish per day and there is no cap limit during that period. CK Are the kings you get in the winter native to the Kenai Peninsula? SS Nope. Surprisingly, most of them are from British Columbia, and a lot of them are hatchery fish. They are up here to feed. The primary forage is herring and candlefish, but we also have the pile worm spawn that takes place in the winter. Apparently, to spawn the worms have to come out of the mud. When they do, the kings gorge on them. Sometimes we’ll catch salmon with dozens of pile worms in their stomachs.
Homer-based Capt. Steve Smith nailed himself a brace of dandy winter kings during a recent trolling adventure. “It’s a real user-friendly fishery,” he says. “The fish are right here. At times they are literally just beyond the harbor.” (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
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CK Is there a wide size range of fish anglers will encounter this time of year? SS We seem to encounter three distinct sizes of kings and it can vary from day to day. Sometimes the fish are all 3 to 5 pounds. At other times we’ll get almost all 12- to 15-pounders, and some days we’ll get into 20-plus-pound fish. Because of the number of candlefish the kings consume, most of the salmon are very rich in oil and are great to eat. Approximately one salmon in eight will have white flesh. I’m told those fish lack the ability to digest shrimp, so their meat never acquires the red tint that salmon able to digest shrimp get. The flavor of the white kings is very mild, and they are even more oily than the normal fish.
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Tanner crabs like these run about 4 pounds and provide outstanding table fare. The daily limit is three crabs per angler. “To folks used to catching Dungeness crabs, they look a little alien,” Steve Smith says. “They have really long legs and relatively small claws.” (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
CK How far do you typically have to travel to find the fish, and how do you catch them? SS The fish are right off Homer in Kachemak Bay. Some days we start fishing right outside the harbor and typically we have to run no more than 4 miles to get into the fish. One of the nice things about fishing Kachemak Bay is that no matter which way the wind blows, you can almost always find a sheltered area where you can fish out of the weather. We hook the kings while trolling using downriggers and light steelhead-style gear. The fish are often down about 100 feet, but it’s pretty amazing how much they will elevate in the water column to strike. I’ve seen them on the sonar come up 40 or 50 feet to hit the gear. Rigged bait in the form of herring is a staple of most of the salmon trollers here, but you can do really well on spoons and hoochies teamed with flashers. Winter 46
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Capt. Hunter Smith displays a quality Homer winter king.
(CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
NOVEMBER 2023 | aksportingjournal.com
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salmon fishing here is just like salmon fishing anywhere. The key ingredient to hooking up is having salmon in the area, and we have them in big numbers.
CK Since I hadn’t heard a lot about Homer’s winter king scene, I was curious to know if most of your anglers/clients are Alaskan residents or if people traveled up from the Lower 48 to get in on the action? SS For a long time, it was almost exclusively an Alaskan thing, but as more people have learned how good the salmon fishing can be, we are just starting to get
folks coming up and planning fishing trips specifically to target the salmon. It’s actually a great time to come up. Being the offseason, both fishing and lodging are less costly than during the peak summer season. In addition to folks who come up to fish with me, I’m also seeing more and more winter tourists visiting the Kenai Peninsula. They didn’t come to fish, but when they find out they can make a short run out to catch king salmon, they jump at the opportunity.
CK What kind of crabbing and other combo trips do you offer?
SS We target Tanner crabs. Tanners are
known as snow crabs down in the Lower 48. Adult crabs can be 10 years old and they weigh up to 4 pounds or so. To folks used to catching Dungeness crabs, they look a little alien. They have really long legs and relatively small claws. We are limited to one crab pot per boat and the daily limit is three (male) crabs per person, with a seasonal quota of 20 crabs per angler. Very often we’ll score full limits for our six anglers aboard. When you add two or three crabs to a limit of two salmon, that’s a pretty good day. Sometimes we’ll even toss in a
This group went to Alaska to target steelhead with their fly rods, but took time out to crank up some king salmon and halibut. (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE) 48
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little halibut fishing. We aren’t targeting the big monster halibut we get in the summer, but it’s not very hard to hit a sandbar and pick up a quality keeper halibut for each angler. This fall I took out quite a few fly anglers. They’d come up to catch steelhead in the coastal rivers. When they found out both kings and halibut were available offshore, they hooked up with me. They had a great time getting some salmon and halibut, and my deckhand and I had fun watching those fly anglers try to fish with conventional ocean gear. Everybody had some laughs and they took home some good stuff for the table. ASJ
King and crab combos out of Homer are a great way to introduce young anglers to saltwater fishing, since there tends to be lots of action and the run to the fishing grounds is short. (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
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The results of a successful winter day spent working the rich waters of Kachemak Bay. “It’s actually a great time to come up. Being the offseason, both fishing and lodging are less costly than during the peak summer season,” Smith says. (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
NOVEMBER 2023 | aksportingjournal.com
Editor’s note: To learn more about the Kenai Peninsula fishing trips that Capt. Steve Smith offers, check out his operation online at captainstevesfishinglodge.com. Author Cal Kellogg is a longtime Northern California outdoors writer who contributes to Alaska Sporting Journal’s sister magazine, California Sportsman. Subscribe to his YouTube channel Fish Hunt Shoot Productions at youtube.com/user/KelloggOutdoors.
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This huge Alaskan halibut weighed in at well over 100 pounds and enthusiastically gobbled an octopus jig worked along a submerged reef. Whether you’re using bait or jigging, your arms will get a good workout battling these famed flatfish. (CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
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NOVEMBER 2023 | aksportingjournal.com
THE HALIBUT HOW-TO GUIDE TIPS FOR CATCHING FLATFISH WITH BAIT OR JIGS BY CAL KELLOGG
I
t was the fourth and final day of my annual Cook Inlet fishing odyssey. It had been a great trip so far – we’d caught silver, sockeye and pink salmon, limits of big black rockfish, limits of lingcod ranging from 30- to 50-plus pounds and lots of Pacific halibut. We hadn’t landed any flatties beyond the 100-pound mark, but quality fish in the 30- to 70-pound class had kept us busy by day and sore by night. There was zero wind and the surface of the inlet looked like a sheet of black glass beneath the overcast sky. We’d been pulling a parade of keeper and subkeeper halibut off the bottom, 180 feet beneath the boat. When we’d started dropping herring baits teamed with 4-pound sinkers, the outgoing tide had been running strong, but now 90 minutes later the tide was ebbing and would soon go slack before the flood began. “Reel up, Cal,” Capt. Steve Smith of Captain Steve’s Fishing Lodge instructed. “I want you to try something different.” A couple minutes later he traded my stout baitfishing rod for a rod with a lighter tip and armed with a 16-ounce jighead. It was the same jigging gear we’d used at the lingcod grounds. A huge white grub was pinned on the jig, but it was pretty chewed up and missing its tail. “Drop it to the bottom, lift it up a couple feet and drop it down. When you feel a tick, set the hook and reel,” Steve said. I asked if they’d hit the jig without a tail.
“They actually seem to like the ones with missing tails better. You aren’t trying to imitate anything in particular. It’s the movement that triggers the strike,” Steve told me. Lift, drop, repeat … Lift, drop, repeat. I’d been jigging for a minute or two when
the first strike came. It consisted of three sharp taps. I froze for a second, then set the hook and missed. Steve is one of those skippers who seems to have eyes in the back of his head. I didn’t think he was watching, but he’d seen everything.
Cal Kellogg (right) and Capt. Steve Smith have shared many hours on the water chasing big Alaskan halibut both inside and beyond Cook Inlet. (CAL KELLOGG) aksportingjournal.com | NOVEMBER 2023
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When jigging for big halibut, few offerings are as effective as a large white Kalin’s Grub pinned on a 16-ounce jighead. (CAL KELLOGG)
“That was a little fish, but you’ve gotta be quicker on the hookset,” he told me. “Don’t hesitate and when you hook up, get on the reel immediately.” I was ready for the next strike and drilled the hook home. I could tell it was a small fish immediately because I’d felt it move up in the water when I set the hook. I cranked the 20-pounder up, Steve released it with a practiced
flick of the hook and I was jigging again in short order. When the third strike came, I could tell instantly it was a substantial fish. There was a single hard tug and the rod tip started to pull down against the weight of a halibut intent on swimming off with its prize. I was running on autopilot. I drilled the hook home with a short, hard jab
and immediately started cranking on the reel. The fish was heavy and determined to stay on the bottom. Initially, all my cranking of the reel did nothing but draw the rod down into a satisfying bow. For a few minutes the fight was a stalemate, but in the end the fish was no match for the resilient backbone of the rod. When the handsome halibut came to the boat, I worked it into position just below the surface and Steve drove the gaff home. It wasn’t a 100-plus-pound barn door, but it was a perfect eatingsize fish that weighed 45 to 50 pounds and provided many memorable meals back at my California home.
DON’T FORGET THE BAIT METHOD
Soft plastic octopus imitations teamed with heavy jigheads have become a popular offering among the Alaskan halibut fishing community in recent years. (CAL KELLOGG) 54
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Before we get into halibut jigging and its benefits, let’s consider the triedand-true bait fishing approach just for comparison purposes, and to give anyone reading this who has yet to target Pacific halibut in Alaskan waters a feel for what Alaskan-style halibut fishing is all about. The day-in, day-out most consistent way to hook Pacific halibut is by soaking bait. The typical bait rig looks like this: The angler employs a stout rod fitted with a large reel spooled with 100-plus-pound braided line. On the business end of the rig, a large
BEST OF
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This big Alaskan halibut was caught soaking herring chunks on traditional bait fishing tackle. (CAL KELLOGG)
weight – weighing from 2 to 8 pounds – is attached, usually in a manner that allows the weight to slide to some degree. Below the weight is a leader, generally constructed of paracord and sporting two 16/0 circle hooks. No, that wasn’t a typo. Sixteen-aught hooks are the standard, and for reference they are about the size of your palm! Herring chunks are the most common bait, but salmon heads, octopus and even poultry guts are used at times. Once your hooks are baited, you lower the rig to the bottom, but you just don’t sit and wait for a bite. To discourage trash fish, spread scent and make your baits more noticeable to the halibut, you lift the rig approximately twice per minute and set it back down on the bottom. A bite is telegraphed up the line as a series of taps. Since you’re using circle hooks, a standard hookset won’t work. Instead, you need to let the halibut gnaw 56
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on the bait as you stand statue-still holding the rod. When the rod tip starts pulling down, you elevate the rod tip slightly while steadily cranking the reel. If you execute the operation correctly, the hook will be drawn into the corner of the halibut’s mouth, and you’ll be hooked up. I’d like to tell you that once the hooks sink home you’ve got the fish, but such is not the case. It is absolutely critical that you keep the line tight during the entire fight. Given slackline, halibut – particularly large halibut – have an uncanny ability to shake a circle hook free. The bait fishing method I’ve just described is rewarding and produces halibut of all sizes. It’s also physically demanding and there is a definite learning curve when it comes to executing the proper hookset and fighting the fish.
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THE JIGGING WAY In contrast, jigging is a breath of fresh air, and for a few reasons. First and foremost, jigging tackle is either somewhat or a lot lighter than the poolcue rods and huge reels used when soaking bait. Second, while there is still technique required to sink the steel into a halibut while jigging, a standard hookset is employed that most people find easier than executing the lift-and-reel method used while soaking bait. A lot of people have a hard time holding still from 15 to 30 seconds while a halibut chomps on their bait. With the jig, when you feel a bite, swing immediately. The challenge with jigging is instantly reeling when you swing. A common mistake you see goes like this: The angler gets a bite; angler then swings and then looks up and stares at the rod tip before reeling. That
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CHARTERS
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hesitation will cost you a fish, particularly with big fish. When a big halibut gets stuck, often its first reaction is a headshake. The jig hanging out of their mouth gives them tremendous leverage and given slack, it’s often bye-bye fish and chips.
HEAVY AND LIGHT There are two types of halibut jigging employed in Alaska. There is heavy jigging, which is focused on hooking
big halibut, and light jigging, focused on hooking medium and small halibut – say, fish in the 15- to 40-pound class. Heavy jigging uses the same heavy, typically 1-pound jigheads used for tempting lingcod. The most common offering pinned on the head is a jumbo white Kalin’s Grub, but in recent years several different octopus imitations have gained popularity. Speaking of lingcod fishing, very often big 60- to 150-pound halibut are
a bycatch of ling jiggers. While lingcod inhabit craggy, rocky reefs, there are flat spots and areas of packed gravel punctuating the reefs. Big halibut will post up in these locations, and when your jig dances by, wham-o, fish on! When you incidentally stick a halibut while jigging for lings, the boat is typically drifting. When heavy jigging at traditional sand- and gravelbottom halibut areas, such as fabled Cook Inlet, the boat is almost always anchored and there are generally other anglers on the boat soaking bait. Having a jig or two in the water when fishing bait benefits everyone because it adds more movement and vibration to your spread, plus it draws more fish to the boat. This is a point many people don’t grasp about halibut fishing while anchored. The skipper sets up in a promising location and halibut are typically scattered over a broad area. The scent and movement of your baits, combined with the thrashing of hooked fish causes the halibut to move to your boat. It’s like ringing a dinner bell. This is why boats with physically fit, attentive anglers typically outfish crews of more complacent anglers fishing in virtually the same location.
JIGGING PRESENTATION
This quality halibut inhaled a jig and was landed on light tackle.
(CAPTAIN STEVE’S FISHING LODGE)
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Back to the jigs. When jigging from an anchored boat, the added movement and sound created by the jigs acts as a powerful enticement that can pull in halibut from a good distance away. The presentation is simple. During slack-water periods, you can drop straight down below the boat and vertical jig, lifting and dropping the jig just like I described in the beginning of this piece. If the current is moving, the presentation is pretty much the same, but you’ll be positioned at the transom of the boat because the current is going to carry the jig away from you. You’ll still be executing the lift-and-drop technique, but your jig may be 100 to 200 feet beyond the boat. Light jigging is exceptionally fun and is generally done from a drifting boat. If I lived in Alaska and had my own boat, light jigging would be my method of
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The author landed this dandy 50-pound beauty while working a jig from an anchored boat in Cook Inlet. (CAL KELLOGG)
Working small jigs on light tackle is a great way to quickly top off your fish box with keeper-size halibut at the end of the day. “Regardless of how you hook your Pacific halibut,” the author writes, “you’ll be taking home some of the finest meat available to the North American angler.” (CAL KELLOGG)
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choice for putting halibut filets into the cooler. In fact, my first-ever Alaskan halibut came as a bycatch while working a 3-ounce Gibbs Minnow for silver salmon. While the 30-pounder looked huge to me, the skipper quickly released it and admonished me for dropping down too deep. “That halibut is too small to keep,” he said. I haven’t done a lot of light jigging from charter boats or guide boats, because those operations are generally focused on hooking big halibut, not playing with little 30- and 40-pounders. However, there are times after you’ve been chasing salmon or lingcod all day and the skipper wants to pad the fish box with limits of keeper halibut. This is when the steelhead- and striped-bassweight rods armed with metal jigs in the 3- to 6-ounce class come out. Typically, the skipper will line up a drift over a shallow sandbar in 25 to 50 feet of water. You drop your jig to the bottom, yo-yo and reel it up 10 feet or so, drop back down and repeat. Generally, your jig will get hammered immediately and soon the fish box will be full of
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chicken-sized halibut. These fish provide exceptional table fare and on light gear the fight is incredible.
BAIT, THEN JIGS If you are an Alaska resident who is going for halibut for the first time, or if you’re a visitor from the Lower 48 who has never targeted Alaskan halibut, there is a good chance the rest of the folks on the boat will have zero halibut experience just like you. I suggest you start out fishing bait and do exactly what the skipper tells you to do, but as you gain confidence and get a few halibut under your belt, ask the skipper if it would be appropriate to drop a jig. Do that, and if the situation is conducive to jigging, you might find yourself tempting your fish on a 1-pound jig rather than lifting, dropping and cranking up 4-pound weights that look like miniature loaves of bread. At the end of the day, regardless of how you hook your Pacific halibut, you’ll be taking home some of the finest meat available to the North American angler. ASJ
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Black Hills Ammunition
black-hills.com The 6.5 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) from Black Hills Ammunition pushes modern 6.5 high-BC projectiles another 250 feet per second faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor and with comparable accuracy. Ballistics with these calibers were similar, but the 6.5 PRC has advantages over all of them. For Black Hills’ first loading, they chose to load this cartridge with the Hornady 143-grain ELD-X.
Knives of Alaska knivesofalaska.com The slim drop-point Alpha Wolf coupled with the Cub is specially designed for hunters who need excellent field-dressing capabilities with almost no weight. This set is super light (9.9 ounces) and perfect for hunters who hunt the mountaintops, where every ounce of weight matters.
Holiday Gift Guide
Alaska Family Motorhomes
alaskafamilymotorhomes.com Alaska Family Motorhomes is offering a free bedding package on any motorhome or camper van rental booked prior to January 15, 2024. Just email afmotorhomes@gmail.com with the subject “Holiday Free Bedding” and make your reservation on their website and they will do the rest.
Dead Foot Arms
deadfootarms.com The SCW 2.5 kit is by far the most compact PDW-style stock or brace that the industry has ever seen. While compact, it is very versatile with a collapsed length of 2.5 inches, button-free deployment, and six length-ofpull settings.
AlumaGrips
alumagrips.com The Desert Eagle grips from AlumaGrips have undergone a redesign with improvements that are second to none. First, almost 1/8 inch was removed from the thickness of each grip, then the radius on the back edge of the grip was enlarged to reduce the overall circumference. Finally, AlumaGrips eliminated the need for two screws, as well as the plastic insert that traditionally is needed for mounting the grips. Excellence in design and function, that is the goal of AlumaGrips.
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Holiday Gift Guide
WMD Guns
wmdguns.com Give the gift of long life! The proprietary NiB-X nickelboron-coating process from WMD Guns extends firearm life by permanently defending against wear, abrasion, rust and corrosion. So this year, give NiB-X-coated parts – they just might be the longest-lasting gifts you ever give! (And check out WMD’s Beast NiB-X AR rifles/pistols.)
TactaLoad
tactaload.com TactaLoad is a new company providing quality aftermarket accessories. The FLASH-5 is a unique shotgun stock incorporating an internal magazine that offers the shooter instant access to five additional rounds of ammunition. The FLASH-5 protects your spare ammunition and feeds them out the bottom of the stock fast!
Patrick’s Fly Shop
patricksflyshop.com Patrick’s Fly Shop offers fly casting and fly-tying classes for all experience levels. Fly-tying class schedules are listed on the website and casting lessons are scheduled by appointment. Gift cards for classes or products can be purchased in-store or online!
Eastern Washington Guides
Anglers Edge Sportfishing
anglersedgesportfishing.com At Anglers Edge Sportfishing, a six-person fishing charter out of Westport, Washington, they are passionate about fishing and providing their clients with the best experience possible. If you’re ready to have a great time and make some unforgettable memories, contact them today. Gift certificates are available and make a great Christmas present.
easternwashingtonguides.com The perfect gift: a waterfowl facial! The folks at Eastern Washington Guides love landing birds in your face! They offer fully guided hunting and fishing trips around the greater Columbia Basin, Moses Lake and the Potholes Reservoir. Waterfowl trips target Canada geese, snows and ducks with hunts available throughout the holiday season. Give the one you love the perfect gift, a waterfowl facial from Eastern Washington Guides. Happy holidays! To get $50 off your booked trip, use code NWSGIFT at checkout. 64
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Holiday Gift Guide
Cut Plug Charter
seattlesalmonfishing.com Cut Plug Charter offers Puget Sound fishing trips for salmon and lingcod. They specialize in hands-on fishing experiences with light tackle.
California Wild Sheep Foundation
cawsf.org California Chapter of Wild Sheep Foundation, formed in 2001, has worked with agencies and other conservation groups to combat disease and provide habitat enhancements for the iconic desert sheep in California. CAWSF encourages all who are interested in putting and keeping sheep on the mountains to join them.
Westview Marina
Puget Sound Fly Shop
pugetsoundflyshop.com Christmas is right around the corner. Puget Sound Fly Shop offers gift cards and many items that would make the perfect gift for the avid fly fisherman.
www.westviewmarina.com/ m3dia/promo-video-2021 Epic British Columbia, Canada, fishing/catching adventure. Drive or fly in, four nights lodging, three full days of guided fishing/ catching salmon, halibut, lingcod and much more, with all your meals off a large restaurant menu. $2,100 USD each for a crew of four to six people.
Lazy Bear Outfitters
lazybearoutfitters.com/ products/lazy-bear-gift-card Give the gift of adventure with a Lazy Bear Outfitters Gift Card, redeemable for a dream Montana fly fishing trip or quality merchandise. Make their outdoor wishes come true! 66
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Fly Gyde
flygyde.com Give the gift of adventure and lifelong memories this holiday season with Fly Gyde’s versatile gift cards! Whether it’s chasing a 40-pound Chinook or landing a personal-best steelhead, gift cards can be tailored to any denomination and used for unforgettable guided fishing trips or premium gear from Fly Gyde’s online fly shop.