PEACE IN A PANDEMIC

HOW ICE FISHING SAVED MY SANITY

AN ALASKAN FOUND COVID RELIEF BY SPENDING TIME ON THE HARD WATER

BY ERIKA SMITH

It’s the middle of winter, and signs of cabin fever are showing: restlessness, excess energy, the munchies, lethargy. The confusing set of symptoms are brought on by the lack of daylight and the limits placed on us by Old Man Winter.

We’re dreaming of open water, T-shirts and a local brew at 8 in the evening, when the sun is still hanging out reminding us why we live in Alaska. But this time of year Alaska is asleep – tucked away under a layer of ice and a blanket of white while waiting to thaw out and bring us the summer adventures we live for.

In the meantime, subtly and still covered in slime, the fish are swimming below the hard water, conserving energy and waiting for a lure to drop through a 10-inch hole in the ice.

PASSING THE PANDEMIC TIME Think back to the beginning of the Covid pandemic: You know, the time when the term “quarantine” became standard for being sentenced to work from home, i.e., rolling out of bed at 7:58 a.m. and logging on to the computer only to validate that no one else knows what’s going on all day. Then it was time to log off and make some semblance of dinner because you were relearning how to live your life without all of the regular amenities; then binge-watch the Avengers movies; have too much energy to go to sleep at 9 p.m.; wake up the next day in a fog and do it all over again. It was during this perpetual Groundhog Day that I found ice fishing.

One of my friends called me up and proposed the idea that we get out and try the Upper Midwest pastime, just because. “What else are we going to do?” And, “I know there are some big trout out there.”

Naturally, we rented Grumpy Old Men on Amazon Video and pumped ourselves up for some quarantine fun. (I highly recommend this Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau classic – and its sequel, Grumpier Old Men – just to get yourself in the mood.)

STOCKED AND READY At first we started just going out to lakes marked by the familiar brown Alaska Department of Fish and Game sign,

As the Covid pandemic forced plenty of Alaskans to isolate and quarantine, the opportunity to get outside – even in the winter – and go ice fishing proved cathartic for many locals.

(ERIKA SMITH)

Sometimes it’s not about the size of the trout but the joys of getting outside during a time when everyone has needed a little therapy. (ERIKA SMITH)

“What else are we going to do?” a friend pitched author Erika Smith on an ice fishing outing early in the pandemic. Smith was glad to oblige, as was this nice 28inch lake trout she caught at Lake Louise near Glennallen.

(ERIKA SMITH) “Stocked by ADFG,” where we would drill a couple of our own openings in the ice. And then when our arms got tired from using the $99 hand auger, we’d break through the new ice that had formed on the opening of someone else’s effort in the hopes that some of that Vegas slot machine luck would strike.

We spent the late winter and early spring testing different depths, jigging all colors of lures, and figuring out the morning and evening bite. Before long, we’d added an ice hut, a Buddy Heater and a cooler full of snacks and brews that rivaled the weight of the Jet Sled hauling all of our gear.

Every shiny rainbow or orange-finned Arctic char we pulled out of a little hole in the ice served as encouragement to drop the line for one more nibble and stoke the fire for the next trip.

Sitting in an ice hut out in the middle of a frozen lake with no one around is how we ushered in the longer spring days, shedding thermals and adding sunglasses. We spent hours out on the hard water trying to find the biggest fish prize possible.

The biggest beauty of the year came out of Peterson Lake, a 24-inch chromer that any angler would have been proud to pull out of open water.

DO YOUR RESEARCH If you’ve been thinking about braving the elements and getting out onto the ice, your local ADFG office has a ton of information, plus maybe even some loaner gear to get you started.

Local sporting goods stores are starting to keep up with the growing interest in ice fishing in Alaska, and the gear availability is 10 times better than it was two years ago when I started.

Swing in and grab a shorty ice fishing rod, a couple lures, an auger that fits your budget and your beverage of choice, and then head out onto the hard water, where the fish are waiting for some winter company. ASJ

Editor’s note: Erika Smith is an outdoors writer who grew up on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. Now based in Soldotna, you can find more of her adventures at alaskaoutdoorgirl.com. Follow Erika on Instagram (@alaskaoutdoorgirl).

May is the best month of the season for Halibut, and Winter Chinook (Kings), and you can’t beat Zeballos. 2022 SPECIALS NOW BOOKING FOR MAY

Dates Available for May: 1st-4th, 4th-7th, 7th-10th, 10th-13th, 13th-17th, 17th-20th, 20th-23rd, 23rd-26th, 26th-29th, 29th-31st.

SALMON

The most successful Salmon Hatchery on the Pacific Coast is just 30 miles from Zeballos. For the past several years, over 50,000 Chinook Salmon have returned each fall to the Conuma Creek spawning grounds where the hatchery is located. Most of these migrating Salmon start to come through our waters starting in May. We have non-spawning Chinook Salmon in our waters year-round—Winter Chinook (Kings, or Springs). In May you'll be catching on average 12 to 18 pound Salmon—absolutely the best table fare. HALIBUT

We are located very close to an amazing halibut fishery that seems never ending. We can't remember a trip where we didn't hook into many of these amazing eating fish. Come with us, and we'll show you how to bring up white gold. Be prepared with coolers!

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TRIP LIMITS for Day Tripper Package: 4 Salmon of which 2 can be Kings and two can be Silvers, 1 Halibut up to 70 pounds, 3 Lingcod and 4 Rockcod. We have purchased Halibut Quota from the Commercial Halibut Fleet and if you wish to take extra Halibut, the cost will be about $5 per pound.

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TRIP LIMITS for 3N/4D Halibut Express Package: 8 Salmon of which 4 can be Chinook (Kings), 2 Halibut, 6 Lingcod, and 8 Rockcod. We have have purchased Halibut Quota from the Commercial Halibut Fleet and if you wish to take extra Halibut, the cost will be about $5 per pound.

NOTES: Fishing Licenses required and can be purchased April 1, 2022 Guide and Staff gratuities not included Bring your own coolers ... you’ll need them!