Alaska Sporting Journal - March 2023

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker

GENERAL MANAGER

John Rusnak

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andy Walgamott

EDITOR

Chris Cocoles

WRITERS

Eric Booton, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Brian Kelly

SALES MANAGER

Paul Yarnold

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Colleen Chittick, Mike Smith

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

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ON THE COVER Brothers Weston Marley (with fish) and Andrew Marley have won the last two Homer Winter King Salmon Tournaments and won a combined $130,000 of prize money and side bets. The 2023 event will take place on March 18. (LB PHOTOGRAPHY)

FEATURES

19 A HUGE WEEK FOR CONSERVATION

Over the space of about a week in late January and early February, federal agencies announced conservation mandates to protect two beloved and critical Alaska ecosystems, Bristol Bay and the Tongass National Forest. With the former fighting a decades’ long battle against the proposed Pebble Mine and the latter’s 2020 removal of Roadless Rule protections from logging projects, reaction to the news was of relief and joy. Conservationists share their thoughts.

39 HOMER WINTER SALMON CONTEST

Despite two successful Covidimpacted Homer Winter Salmon Tournaments staged in April, event organizers always thought the popular Kenai Peninsula derby’s best calendar date was the third Saturday in March. And with the 29th edition set for March 18, we caught up with Homer Chamber of Commerce executive director Brad Anderson for a preview of an event that awarded over $84,000 in winnings to its 2022 winner and is looking pretty promising this year, if recent king catches are any indication!

55 THE BIGGEST, BADDEST AND SCARIEST

BEARS

SET SAIL FOR COHO IN CRUISE SHIP ALLEY

Southeast Alaska is a popular destination for the cruise ship crowd. And what better way for a Lower 48er to sample some of the outstanding salmon fishing in some of the ports of call these floating resorts anchor up in. Brian Kelly, who targets coho and other species in the region, breaks down the options in Ketchikan, Petersburg and Juneau. Come aboard!

(BRIAN KELLY)

Scott Haugen has a history of close confrontations with Alaska’s apex predators – bears. In the first of a two-part series, Scott shares terrifying stories of deadly polar bear attacks in the long Arctic night, as well as tales of marauding grizzlies that will make your hair stand up. If you’re hungry after reading these close calls, try Tiffany Haugen’s big game corned beef sandwich for your Saint Patrick’s Day party.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

11 The Editor’s Note: Kids taking over Homer winter Chinook derby

13 The Alaska Beat

17 Outdoor calendar

27 Organizations hard at work to bring Eklutna River salmon home

Despite some great experiences on the water in the past decade or so on the job here at Alaska Sporting Journal – I’ve caught fish in New Zealand and Slovenia and had a memorable rockfishing charter with family members off the coast of Northern California just a few months ago – nothing compares to the joy I had for fishing as a kid.

I used to pester my dad or mom to take me or my friends and I to the local lake near our home in suburban San Francisco. And on at least one day of our family’s annual summer vacations to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I’d wake my dad up early to either rent a boat to troll in massive Tahoe or cast some nightcrawlers or salmon eggs in the nearby Truckee River. But I’m sure I pestered him every single day to get out and fish! I was a big sports fan back then too, but there

were times when all I’d think about was fishing.

So in the last couple years I’ve become so jealous that two young kids had the kind of epic fishing experiences that I never came close to.

Brothers Andrew, then 10 and Weston Marley, 15, just happen to be the last two champions of the popular Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament (see our preview of the March 18, 2023 event on page 39). The kids’ prize money for catching the biggest Chinook in the one-day event – including the sometimes lucrative side bets anglers wager on –totaled a mind-boggling $129,136.

My only history of entering any kind of fishing contest was when my sixth-grade class went fishing at the aforementioned San Francisco stocker trout fishery, Lake Merced. I was skunked and, needless to say, didn’t win the prize that day.

Still, I’m so inspired by Weston’s and

Andrew’s big wins the last two years in Homer. We should all want kids to experience the thrills and joys of fishing, and I’m all for their big prize money hauls that will go towards college tuition or whatever they and their families plan to do with it.

I asked Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, if more and more kids are entering his city’s signature winter event.

“I  believe we get around 15 youth anglers and those are for 12 and under. Weston actually had to enter as an adult angler,” Anderson said. “We have a few more that would be between 13 and 16 years of age, and I would guess that would be another 15 or so.”

Still, how cool is it that the youngsters have outfished the adults in Homer for two years running? My childhood self would approve of this trend. -Chris Cocoles

Andrew Marley (right), then just 10 years old, outfished all the grown-ups to win the 2021 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament. His older brother Weston, then 15, caught the biggest Chinook at last year’s event. (LB PHOTOGRAPHY)

Environmental groups fear drilling on Alaska’s North Slope could affect migrating caribou and other Arctic wildlife.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ADVANCES CONTROVERSIAL ARCTIC DRILLING PLAN

As Alaskans celebrated two critical conservation wins for Bristol Bay (the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act safeguards all but killed the Pebble Mine) and the Tongass National Forest (the return of Roadless Rule protections; see page 19 for news on both), another debated project is for the time being still alive.

In early February, the Bureau of Land Management released an environmental impact statement that, if approved by the Biden administration, would permit a controversial drilling project along Alaska’s North Slope proposed by petroleum giant ConocoPhillips.

Alaska’s U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, have been pushing to get the Willow Project moving forward, and Sullivan offered rare praise of Biden when the EIS, which recommends approval of a smaller project than ConocoPhillips’ original plan, was made public. Sullivan, one of many Republicans who have been critical of Biden’s agenda, was in rare complimentary mode in a tweet – albeit after referring to the President’s energy policies as “a disaster.”

“’I’ve called on the President to make a course correction. Approving the Willow Project would be an important first step,” Sullivan’s tweet concluded.

Still, Biden’s Department of the Interior voiced concerns about the pollution emissions the project could create. Both Earthjustice and Environment Alaska were among those groups that questioned the project’s potential effects on North Slope wildlife.

“The Willow project presents us with a lose-lose-lose-lose situation: The proposed project is a loss for people, the climate and majestic animals such as caribou and polar bears,” said Ellen Montgomery, Environment America’s research and policy center public lands campaign director. “This year alone, the Biden administration has made great progress toward protecting nature and the climate. It would be a shame to undo some of that progress by allowing ConocoPhillips to break ground on this truly terrible project.”

Final approval or rejection could be announced early this month.

AL ASKA BEAT

TWEET OF THE MONTH

This was a clever idea for a great cause – and great timing to “boot!”

DNA analysis on a human skull found in 1997 finally identified the remains of Gary Frank Sotherden, a hunter from New York who went missing in 1976.

NOTABLE NUMBER

$62,000

Prize value of a 10-day caribou and moose hunt for two in Canada’s Northwest Territories to be raffled off at Safari Club International Alaska’s Sportsman’s Banquet on April 22. Go to aksafariclub.org for more information.

”-Kristen Miller, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, after members of Congress introduced the Arctic Refuge Protection Bill, which would bar gas and oil exploration, leasing and drilling in sections of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

FROM THE ASJ ARCHIVES –MARCH 2019

A STEELHEADER ANGLER’S MUSINGS

Steelie anglers will fish at a high level from start to finish and will be the most persistent people on the river. This is something that I try to preach to anyone who fishes with me.

I have learned that you will only get a finite number of chances (bites) when you are fishing, so it’s imperative that you make the most out of your limited opportunities. This means being dialed in from your very first cast until you put away your rods in the vehicle.

It’s a poor excuse to miss a fish because you weren’t “ready.” One of my biggest steelhead that I have ever landed in Alaska was a massive fall-run male that weighed well over 20 pounds. It was hooked within the first minute of the first day of a trip. Talk about an icebreaker.

This happened so fast that I really don’t remember much of the fight, but I do recall that my buddy Danny Kozlow and I were ready from the moment we dropped the boat in. The fish was holding in the first hole that was located within 200 yards below the boat launch.

If Danny and I weren’t both on point that morning, we would have probably passed by that hole without dropping a bait through it. You never know when you’re going to encounter that fish of a lifetime, so you need to be at your best as soon as you step into the river. Good steelheaders do everything

with a purpose. They know that when things are going well you stick with it. When something stops working they won’t hesitate to search for something that does work.

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising to see so many anglers refuse to follow this simple rule.

-Tony Ensalaco

“ THEY SAID IT

“It’s vital that Congress restore protections to this national treasure and halt a drilling scheme that threatens the culture and survival of the Gwich’in people, and that is deeply unpopular with the American public. We cannot afford to create more climate disasters when scientists agree that an urgent transition is needed to cleaner energy sources.”

Steelhead fanatic Tony Ensalaco knows that bringing your A game is one of the best ways to land one of these sea-run beauties.

(TONY ENSALACO)

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

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March 4 Scheduled ceremonial start of Iditarod sled dog race, downtown Anchorage (iditarod.com)

March 15 Spring brown bear season opens in Game Management Unit 4 (Admiralty-BaranofChichagof Islands)

March 15 Spring brown bear season opens in GMU 1 (Southeast Mainland)

March 15 Resident spring brown bear hunting season opens in GMU 3 (Petersburg/Wrangell)

March 15 Nonresident moose season ends in GMU 18 (Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta)

March 16 Early resident caribou season opens in GMU 26A (Arctic Slope)

March 18 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament (homerwinterking.com)

March 24-26 Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show, Menard Center, Wasilla (matsuoutdoorsmanshow.com)

March 29-April 3 Bart Hall Shows, Long Beach Center, Long Beach, California (hallshows.com)

April 14-16 Great Alaska Sportsman Show, Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, Anchorage (greatalaskasportsmanshow.com)

April 21-22 Safari Club International Alaska Chapter Alaskan Hunting Expo and Sportsman’s Banquet, Dena’ina Center (907-903-8329; aksafariclub.org)

April 21-23 Fairbanks Outdoor Show, Carlson Center (fairbanksevents.com/outdoor-show)

For more information and season dates for Alaska hunts, go to adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.main.

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The Crab Cracker is a unique tool made from solid aluminum, and comes in handy for cleaning Dungeness crabs.

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Wasilla’s Menard Center is hosting the Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show from March 24-26. (MAT-SU OUTDOORSMAN SHOW)

CONSERVATION WINS OUT

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST, BRISTOL BAY GET PROTECTIVE MANDATES WITHIN A WEEK OF EACH OTHER

BY CHRIS COCOLES

Within a span of about a week at the end of January and the beginning of February, two of the more significant victories for conservation affected two different corners of Alaska.

Both Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska and the Tongass National Forest, making up a big chunk of the state’s southeastern panhandle, are home to critical salmon spawning grounds and abundant wildlife. Each region also

contains the kinds of natural resources that have them under siege from outside interests looking to cash in.

Developing Bristol Bay’s mineral deposits was the subject of a decadeslong struggle for those concerned that mining could threaten the salmon runs if the proposed Pebble Mine and its tailing ponds suffered failures.

In the Tongass, the forest’s tall timber has been coveted by the logging industry, but the nation’s largest national

forest had been protected through the Roadless Rule, until that safeguard was removed by former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2020. That same year, the Army Corps of Engineers tentatively approved a version of the Pebble Mine and briefly planned to OK the Pebble Partnership’s permit, which would have greenlighted the project.

But oh, how times have changed. A newly elected president who vowed to restore protection mandates to the

In a reversal by the Biden administration, the Tongass National Forest is now back under Roadless Rule protections. Former President Donald Trump had removed those restrictions, which had potentially set the stage for large-scale logging and other projects. (DON MACDOUGALL/U.S. FOREST SERVICE)

Tongass. An about face by the Corps of Engineers and permit request denial. An embarrassing scandal inside the Pebble Partnership. The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to essentially kill the gold and copper mine.

Here’s how these two sagas unfolded last month and what the reaction was.

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

After former President Trump’s 2020 salvo to remove Roadless Rule protections on Southeast Alaska’s massive Tongass – at 16.7 million acres, it’s the largest national forest in America and roughly the size of West Virginia –opposition became more vocal when it was revealed that 9 million acres would be available for larger-scale logging and other interests.

“This is the wrong call for the Tongass,” Austin Williams, Alaska director of law and policy for Trout Unlimited, said at the time.

In the summer after he was sworn in as Trump’s successor in 2021, the administration of President Joe Biden announced its intentions to restore those same protections.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture,

parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service, made it official in a Jan. 25 announcement.

“Reinstating the Roadless Rule and refocusing agency resources on restoration and recreation is a win for Alaska’s people, as well as its fish and wildlife. Alaskans share a vision for the future where the salmon runs are robust, the wildlife populations are high, and the tourism and fishing industry continue to drive the economy of Southeast Alaska,” Trout Unlimited said in a statement.

“A healthy forest is integral to the local economy, where fishing and tourism support one in four of the region’s jobs and contribute $2 billion annually to the local economy. These jobs depend on the flourishing fish and wildlife and awe-inspiring landscapes that are quintessential to the Tongass.”

SalmonState called the reinforcement of protections for the region a “core element of the U.S. Forest Service’s Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy – a new approach to land management and development that puts Southeast Alaska communities and Tribes squarely in the lead.”

And like those in Bristol Bay, those around the Tongass who rely on its vast natural resources carry around a new sense of optimism.

“Southeast Alaska is in an exciting new era. We look forward to working with the Forest Service as Alaskans figure out how to make tourism, fisheries, and the Tongass National Forest work better for Alaskans,” said Dan Kirkwood, Southeast Futures program manager. “The Sustainability Strategy is where I’m seeing energy and opportunity to develop co-stewardship with Tribes and new ways of doing business that are scaled to our communities. This decision allows working forests and protects the things we love about Southeast.”

Trout Unlimited president and CEO Chris Wood also looked ahead to a “hope for the future,” given climate change effects that have prompted concerns about the long-term sustainability of the Tongass (Alaska Sporting Journal, September 2022).

A summer summit of area hunters and anglers, biologists and conservationists cited subtle changes in the ecosystem – such as smaller sizes of returning king salmon to Tongass streams and rivers and the loss of Dall sheep food sources as red

“We’ve spoken long and hard in this battle to try and protect something that seems so simple to protect,” said Brian Kraft, owner of Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge and one of Bristol Bay’s most vocal opponents of the Pebble Mine, which is dead for now after the Environmental Protection Agency implemented Clean Water Act mandates for the region. (ALASKA SPORTSMAN’S LODGE)

flags. The restoration of protections to the national forest is a start.

“The Tongass’ wild and scenic landscapes are timeless, but its management practices were stuck in the past for far too long,” Wood said. “A future where the national forest that produces more salmon than all others combined is conserved for the incredibly valuable and lasting resource that it is, and a carbon sink that slows the effects of climate change is left standing.”

BRISTOL BAY

When the EPA’s Final Determination was released on Jan. 30, the vibe was equal

parts joy and relief, considering the backand-forth battle that has been waged for the better part of two decades.

“Thousands of Alaskans and over a million Americans from across the political spectrum have called for protection of Bristol Bay’s one-of-kind salmon resource from massive open pit mining and … the EPA delivered,” said Tim Bristol, executive director of SalmonState.

“This is a victory for every single person – from Bristol Bay’s tribal citizens, commercial fisherman, sport anglers, business leaders, chefs, scientists and so many more – who has spoken out over

the years.”

During a press conference a few days after the EPA announcement, Brian Kraft, president of Katmai Service Providers and owner of Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge and Bristol Bay Lodge, called the EPA’s protection mandates “much welcomed and much needed.”

As a local business owner, Kraft has been at the forefront of the opposition to Pebble for years. His livelihood depends on clean water welcoming back Bristol Bay’s salmon. And coming off recordsetting harvests of sockeye, there’s a lot at stake if discharges of dredged or fill material are released into the watershed  – not to mention the risk of an accident, the kinds of which have devastated salmon runs in other mining areas.

“We’ve spoken long and hard in this battle to try and protect something that seems so simple to protect. This is the last great wild fishery left on planet Earth, yet we struggled over 20 years in this battle to get protections that should just come naturally,” Kraft said.

Earlier in the press conference, Alannah Hurley, executive director of United Tribes of Bristol Bay, expressed disappointment that the state of Alaska hasn’t always been supportive of her cause. (Gov. Mike Dunleavy blasted the EPA’s Final Determination.) Kraft reiterated Hurley’s criticism.

“I was dumbfounded that our state did not see that this was a natural need to protect this area. We battled and battled on the local level. And finally it became very obvious that we needed to take it to the national level.”

Indeed, support has come from various sources outside Alaska, including the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Natural Resources Defense Council.

“The wild salmon fishery of Bristol Bay is a national treasure, protected at last from a relentless assault by an underfunded foreign corporation hoping to enrich itself at the expense of the people of Alaska,” said Joel Reynolds, NRDC’s Western director and senior attorney.

“EPA’s decision is a victory for science over politics, people over profits, and biodiversity over extinction. The battle against the Pebble Mine has pitted an

With larger-scale logging projects in the Tongass now prohibited again, Southeast Alaskans who want America’s largest national forest preserved can exhale again. (SHEILA SPORES/U.S. FOREST SERVICE)

essentially eternal supply of food against an essentially eternal threat of irreparable harm – and today the planet won.”

And the Alaskans like Kraft and Hurley and Bristol, who have spoken up for Bristol Bay and Tongass National Forest, finally can say their voices have been heard. For now, they’re on the winning side of a tedious fight.

Ketchikan-based Teague Whalen, who owns and operates Tongass Teague, which organizes hikes and SUV tours into the national forest, said it best when he lauded the Biden administration’s declaration that the Tongass, like Bristol Bay, is worth preserving.

“There are two uncompromising realities for the survival of life on this planet: clean air and clean water,” Whalen said. “My hiking tours into the Tongass begin at the literal end of our road, where the Roadless Rule reinstatement will ensure that the Tongass can continue to be a lasting carbon sink.”

And if Whalen and the others have their way, these two remarkable resources in Alaska will last over the long haul. ASJ

These Brooks River sockeye are the lifeblood of everyone from sportfishing lodge owners to Native subsistence fishermen to commercial operators. “This is a victory for every single person … who has spoken out over the years,” says SalmonState executive director Tim Bristol. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

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RESTORATION DUE THE EKLUTNA

BY ERIC BOOTON

In 1929, a 70-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide concrete dam was built blocking the journey of all five species of wild Alaska salmon to their native spawning grounds. In 1955, a second dam was built on the river roughly 8 miles upstream at the outlet of a lake, so every drop of water could be diverted through a nearby mountain and out a hydroelectric power plant.

This is the brief modern history of the Eklutna River – traditionally known as Idlughetnu – a glacier-fed stream just northeast of Anchorage. It likely comes as little surprise to you, but after losing access to habitat and the flow of water, wild salmon of the Eklutna have suffered immensely. The Dena’ina Eklutna peoples who the river has supported since time immemorial have also lost a significant source of food and cultural tradition.

When the second dam was built on the Eklutna River, the downstream lower dam was abandoned. In 2018, more than 60 years later, Eklutna, Inc., The Conservation Fund and the Native Village of Eklutna successfully removed the defunct dam, knocking down a significant hurdle for wild salmon and setting the stage (Alaska Sporting Journal, April 2021) for fish to return to their upstream home once again.

AS ANCHORAGE, OTHER UTILITIES WORK ON NEW FISH AND WILDLIFE MITIGATION PLAN FOR FLOWSTARVED RIVER, THEY MUST ENSURE SALMON HAVE ACCESS TO ENTIRE SYSTEM IN THE FUTURE

Members of the Technical Working Group assess the Eklutna River at the site of the former lower Eklutna Dam. Its removal gives salmon a chance to return further up the river northeast of Anchorage, but plenty of obstacles remain, not the least of which is largely diverted flows.  (AUSTIN WILLIAMS/TROUT UNLIMITED)

The Eklutna is a small but important river that winds 11 miles from Eklutna Lake downstream to the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. All five species of Alaska wild salmon once spawned in the river (MAP COURTESY OF KYLE ALBERT)

However, since no water is allowed to flow past the dam at the outlet of Eklutna Lake – causing the river to run dry – and even if there was water there would be no way for fish to swim past that remaining dam, Eklutna River salmon still face serious obstacles.

FORTUNATELY FOR FISH, THE utilities that operate the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project are required to make up for their impacts on fish and wildlife. Unfortunately, it’s not clear the utilities are willing to do enough. The mitigation process is in its earliest stages. The Eklutna River Restoration Coalition, which my organization Trout Unlimited contributes to, is committed to ensuring the outcome results in a fish-filled Eklutna River that the Dena’ina Eklutna peoples, and all Alaskans, can be proud of.

Last year was the second and final year of utility-led field studies that are supposed to inform decisions about what mitigation measures will be required to make up for the project’s impact on fish and wildlife.

Although questions remain about whether the studies were adequate, later this year the utilities plan to offer up a draft mitigation plan for public comment and review, before sending the plan off for final consideration by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy in 2024.

Beyond the utilities’ studies, biologists for the Native Village of

Eklutna are also researching the river, including conducting fish population and fish habitat studies. Following the removal of the abandoned lower Eklutna dam, village biologists found salmon are moving further up the river system than they have in the past.

Gravel is being transported throughout the system, improving fish habitat by creating new gravel beds for spawning. New scoured-out pools are providing holding areas for returning adults. New side channel habitat, which is important rearing areas for juveniles, has been created. Streams flowing into the lake – upstream of the remaining dam – likely also provide significant potential salmon spawning and rearing habitat if only fish could migrate in and out of the lake.

Most excitingly, Chinook, chum and coho adults were all observed above the confluence with Thunderbird Creek for the first time in several years, charging their way forward through barely a trickle of water in an otherwise dry riverbed. Following the removal of the abandoned lower Eklutna dam, the river is healing, fish habitat is being rebuilt, and the salmon are responding. But these fish still need adequate water in the river and passage around the remaining dam to truly return home.

After nearly a century, resolution is inching closer for Eklutna River salmon. But it still remains unclear whether the operators of the Eklutna Hydroelectric

Project – the Municipality of Anchorage, Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association –will seize the opportunity to adopt meaningful mitigation measures that will allow wild salmon once again to thrive in the Eklutna River.

TO ILLUSTRATE THE CHALLENGES Eklutna salmon face, as well as demonstrate the commitment of the coalition working to bring salmon back, the CEO of Eklutna Inc., Eklutna Inc. board members, Native Village of Eklutna tribal leaders and other volunteers walked, ran and biked two salmon from Native Village of Eklutna to Eklutna Lake, nearly 11 miles up a winding mountain road.

The arriving salmon were met with the support of more than 100 community members who walked the final leg of the relay and lined up to pass the salmon one-by-one, person-by-person, up and over the dam and into Eklutna Lake where salmon belong.

“This area has been used by our people for well over 1,000 years. It is our hope that one day, within my lifetime, we will see all five species of salmon make it from saltwater up here to the lake,” Native Village of Eklutna president Aaron Leggett stated during a speech at the Return the Salmon relay.

It’s clear the Eklutna River, and the wild salmon attempting to swim home, need water and a way to swim past the

remaining dam. Alaskans have made it clear they expect the utilities to uphold their end of the bargain. Anything less will fail to meet moral and legal obligations.

In September 2022, Anchorage leaders echoed resolutions of support previously passed by the Native Village of Eklutna and the Alaska Federation of Natives. The Anchorage Assembly passed a resolution that commits their support for providing instream flow and fish passage, and requests that utility operators commit as well. This resolution passed with sweeping bipartisan approval.

Still, at the time this piece was being written, the Municipality of Anchorage, Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association continue to drag their feet and remain unclear about their commitment to restoring the river and its salmon. Ideas such as piping water miles downstream before releasing it into the dry channel, “trapping” returning salmon downstream of the dry river and trucking them around the dam, and other inadequate proposals from the utilities would barely be Band-Aids compared to more meaningful solutions, such as allowing a fraction of

the available water to flow naturally and bypass channels around the dam that have proven effective elsewhere and deserve study here.

The impact of dams and hydroelectric development on the Eklutna River is

plain as day. Blocking fish passage and dewatering the river have diminished formerly flourishing salmon populations. The basic requirements to repair the harm are equally clear: return flowing water to the Eklutna River and construct

Supporters passed two real and many symbolic salmon over the diversion dam at Eklutna Lake at the Return the Salmon Relay. For now, no water is allowed to flow past the dam at the lake outlet, causing the river to run dry. (TANNER JOHNSON/THE ALASKA CENTER)

Whether it’s Dolly Varden or other anadromous fish like salmon, the locals around the Eklutna River want them back.

“This area has been used by our people for well over 1,000 years. It is our hope that one day, within my lifetime, we will see all five species of salmon make it from saltwater up here to the lake,” says Native Village of Eklutna president Aaron Leggett. (MICHELLE BEADLE/NATIVE VILLAGE OF EKLUTNA)

a mechanism to allow salmon to migrate up and down past the dam. Now is the time for the Municipality of Anchorage, Chugach Electric and Matanuska Electric Association to show leadership, own their impact in earnest and adopt a meaningful mitigation plan that makes up for the decades of impacts.

For Eklutna salmon advocates, 2023 will culminate with the release of a much-anticipated draft fish and wildlife plan outlining the utilities’ proposal for how salmon may one day return to the Eklutna. Alaskans will get the chance to comment on and provide input into the plan. I’ll be there in support of fish passage and water for the Eklutna River, and I know I won’t be alone. ASJ

Editor’s note: Eric Booton is the Eklutna project manager for Trout Unlimited’s Alaska Program. Conserving and restoring fish habitat is his 9 to 5 gig; chasing wild fish is his summer and fall pastime. The Eklutna River Restoration Coalition is comprised of Native Village of Eklutna, Eklutna Inc., Trout Unlimited, The Conservation Fund and The Alaska Center. Learn more at EklutnaRiver.org .

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MARCH MADNESS RETURNS TO HOMER

AFTER BEING HELD IN APRIL FOR TWO YEARS, WINTER KING SALMON TOURNEY IS BACK IN ITS USUAL MIDMONTH SATURDAY, AND FISHING PROSPECTS LOOK GOOD

BY CHRIS COCOLES

After the Covid pandemic wiped out the 2020 event, the Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament’s braintrust found success during difficult times.

“The last two years have drawn record amounts of anglers and boats to this tournament. With the cash prize amounts averaging over $220,000, anglers can earn large cash prizes and

enjoy fishing in the beautiful waters of Kachemak Bay,” says Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center, which stages the annual event that dates back almost three decades. March 18 marks the event’s 29th anniversary.

“We expect that trend to continue once again for this year’s tournament and we’d love to see some new anglers

this year,” Anderson adds.

BACK TO MARCH MADNESS

Pandemic issues prompted both the 2021 and 2022 events to move to an April Saturday. While a later start to the tournament potentially offered better weather as the calendar approached spring, the change also brought more logistical issues, as a press release last

The last two Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament winners, brothers Weston Marley (holding king) and Andrew Marley (center), won a combined $130,000 of prize money and side bets. After being held in April in 2021 and 2022, the tournament returns to a March 18 date this year. (LB PHOTOGRAPHY)

Scott Ulmer, one of the founders of the Winter King Tournament, addresses the crowd during the awards’ ceremony. Event organizers hand out an award each year in Ulmer’s name to recognize someone who has contributed to the success of the tournament. (SERGIUS HANNAN)

Harbormaster’s office to donate for the free overnight mooring that our anglers receive,” Anderson says. “Easter also starts impacting the available dates. So, March has less conflicts and we are also hoping we will find better winter king fishing with the earlier date.”

The regulation change starting in April made this return to this month a no-brainer decision.

“During the winter fishery of September 1 to March 31, there is no annual limit for king salmon in the Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay; just a limit of two per day, two in possession of any size,” Anderson says.

summer stated in announcing that the tournament would return to its traditional third Saturday in March.

“We surveyed our tournament anglers after this last tournament, and the overwhelming response was to move it back to March, its original month for the previous 26 years,” Anderson said in the press release.

Other issues identified included more restrictions for April Chinook fishing –mostly pertaining to changing bag limits and fish in possession – plus potential

holiday conflicts and other events that start becoming the norm as Alaska slowly awakens from its winter slumber.

“March is just the best overall fit for this tournament,” Anderson added in the release.

Survey participants favored March to April despite the success of the two-year switch, which was especially helpful in 2021 when Covid vaccines were in their infancy.

“The harbor gets a lot busier in April, so there are fewer spaces for the

HOMER HALIBUT DERBY RETURNING IN JUNE

Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center executive director Brad Anderson reports the Kenai Peninsula community’s halibut derby is returning this year. Competition runs from June 1 to 30.

“Homer is known as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, so during the month of June, we will be celebrating everything halibut, including bringing back the Homer Halibut Derby,” Anderson says.

More info can be found at homerhalibuttournament.com and homeralaska.org.

“The daily tickets can be purchased online by 8 a.m. (on June 1) and anglers can win cash prizes for the largest halibut,” Anderson adds.

Anglers catching one of several tagged halibut can also win prizes.

“We are kicking off the month with the Big ’But Ball on June 3 and a Solstice Festival on June 21, and that will include a deckhands’ competition,” Anderson states. ASJ

“Currently, we’ve been experiencing some outstanding fishing this winter with a warmer ocean current bringing in more baitfish to the bay. We’re really hoping that will continue into March for our anglers. With over 400 boats participating in the tournament, March is a much quieter time in Homer Harbor, so it is a lot safer and easier to navigate everyone through that area in March.”

Early indications suggest that going back to a March date could indeed make for a productive salmon haul.

“The local charter boats that have been fishing this winter have been reporting some very strong numbers of winter king salmon in Kachemak Bay –mainly due to the increased amount of baitfish that have shown up,” Anderson says. “And we certainly hope that will continue during our event.”

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

What makes these one-day fishing derbies so fun is how wonderfully unpredictable they can be. Of course, everyone is hoping for a lot of anglers catching a lot of fish for significant cash prizes, but you just never know who is going to weigh in the biggest king.

Take the last two tournament champions, both of whom took home five-figure cash prizes. Not only were those winners 10 and 15 years old, respectively, at the time, but they’re brothers. In 2021, Andrew Marley caught a 25-pound, 6-ounce Chinook aboard the Fly Dough, a fish worth $44,517. Then last year, Andrew’s older sibling Weston Marley won a record first-prize purse of $84,619 (including side bet money) for

2.8L

The

Nearly

Salmon anglers aren’t the only ones who win big during the derby. “This tournament has become a large boost to the Homer economy during a time of the year that Homer is usually much slower,” says Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center.

(SERGIUS HANNAN)

his king, a 27.38-pounder.

“Anyone who fishes for these kings knows how difficult it can be to first find them, then successfully reel in these very active fish. The Marley family has been fishing these waters for many years, and the two boys have learned a lot from their grandfather and father on how to fish this area,” Anderson says. “They have certainly shown that kids and any angler have the opportunity to be successful. You just have to get out there and participate.”

HOW IT WORKS

Registering for the tournament costs anglers $150.

“The total amount of prize money is dependent upon the number of anglers registering in the tournament and those that have entered the side tourney,” Anderson says of different local charter boats offering up their own pools.

(For more information on side bets, go

to homerwinterking.com/tournament .php?id=3060.)

“The tournament pays out 65 percent of the total revenue in prizes. The last couple of years has averaged over $220,000 in total cash awards,” Anderson says.

“For the side tourney prizes, each team can enter up to five of the 12 cash categories, ranging in price from $25 to $500. The team that has the largest fish in each of those categories wins 65 percent of that pot. Last year’s winner (Weston Marley) had also entered five side tourney categories, so that is how he got up to $84,619 in total winnings for his fish.”

WELCOME TO HOMER

The record attendance the past two years brought together plenty of Alaskan locals besides out-of-towners who made it. And the hope is that even more visitors will head to Homer and

be a part of what’s become one of the first marquee fishing events leading into spring and summer.

“This tournament has become a large boost to the Homer economy during a time of the year that Homer is usually much slower. Most of the lodging fills up and our restaurants are packed, plus (you have) all the tackle and gas that gets purchased,” Anderson says.

“It creates a lot of employment opportunities for our local residents. Visitors to Homer also get to enjoy a visit that still has significantly fewer people than during our peak summer months, so they can really enjoy all the beauty of Homer at a quieter pace.” ASJ

Editor’s note: For more information and how to register for the Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament, go to homerwinterking.com. The Homer Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center website is homeralaska.org.

CRUISE SHIP ALLEY COHO

SOUTHEAST ALASKA PORT COMMUNITIES PROVIDE ACCESS TO GREAT SALMON FISHING OPS FOR TRAVELING ANGLERS LOOKING TO GET IN A FEW CASTS

BY BRIAN KELLY

Every year the panhandle of Southeast Alaska buzzes with tourist activity, thanks to the many cruise ships that sail through this region.

While the cruise ship scene isn’t something most hardcore salmon anglers have their heart set on, the many stops these behemoth floating people carriers make can provide visitors a taste of the world-class salmon fishing that is available in Cruise Ship Alley. Here we will take a look at three ports that, depending on the calendar, can provide access to several of the five species of Pacific salmon, with a focus on timing and tackle to pack for Chinook and coho.

KETCHIKAN

The first stop on the cruise ship tour usually begins with Ketchikan. This town

makes its living on cruise ship tourism and stopping by Ray Troll’s Soho Coho Art Gallery on Creek Street is a must when in town. The creator of “Spawn Till You Die” – along with many other Alaskan fishthemed artworks – is a true gem.

The best fishing opportunity for a daytripping tourist takes place at Whitman Lake, which is about 8 miles from town. The folks at the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association operate a hatchery below the lake and annually plant 700,000 Chinook and 400,000 silver smolts in the facility’s outflow on Herring Cove.

Parking is available roadside and the area is open to fishing below the highway bridge. Follow the well-worn footpaths and other anglers will guide you to the place to wet a line. Since this area is in

Southeast Alaska salmon anglers share the waters with the giant floating hotels that bring passengers to ports of call along what’s known as Cruise Ship Alley, where the coho fishing can be fantastic. (BRIAN KELLY)

saltwater, it is tidally influenced, so check the tide charts to try and time the incoming tide for the best action.

The Chinook run typically starts in late May and lasts right through July. Even though these are hatchery fish, they are heavily managed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, so check the website for the latest emergency orders and regulations.

Coho tend to show up mid-August and go right on through the month of September. As with the Chinook, check the latest EOs and regs, but coho returns tend to be strong in this area, with a typical daily limit of six fish per angler.

PETERSBURG

While the town of Petersburg does not host the big ships directly, many of the

cruise lines anchor offshore and tender willing tourists into town. I would highly recommend this adventure! I spent a week in Petersburg this past September (Alaska Sporting Journal, December 2022) and loved every minute of it.

As with Ketchikan, salmon runs are enhanced with fish from an SSRAA hatchery at Crystal Lake. Annual plants include 600,000 Chinook and 150,000 coho, which have similar run timing as the Whitman Lake fish.

The place to focus your salmon-fishing efforts is at the Blind River Rapids, which is a short 13-mile drive from town. There is a well-maintained U.S. Forest Service parking lot just off Mitkof Highway and a raised wooden trail that will take you to the river.

This is a unique area in that the stretch below the rapids is heavily influenced

Blind River Rapids is a go-to destination for anglers whose ship docks near Petersburg. (BRIAN KELLY)

Spectacular Glacier Bay National Park is one of the nonfishing perks of a sightseeing trip through the region. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

by the tide and the large pool above the rapids serves as a holding area for the salmon as they make their way back to the Crystal Lake Hatchery. The fish tend to be scattered during the high tide, as they are pushed upriver by the tidal surge, along with hungry seals hot on their tails! Focus on the low tide period and there will be plenty of resting fish to target above the rapids.

The Chinook regulations are more relaxed here than other places in Alaska, with a nonresident angler allowed to harvest two kings over 28 inches per day, as well as two under 28 inches per day. Bait is allowed starting June 1 and the only restriction is that snagging is not allowed. With silver salmon, you are allowed six fish per day, with no size restrictions. A good day at the rapids means a sore back and full freezer!

Coastal Cold Storage is the fish processor in town that will fillet, pack and ship your fish home. They only ask that you gut, gill and wash down the fish cavity before dropping off your catch for processing. Located in the heart of Petersburg, it is a convenient stop on your way back to the boat.

JUNEAU

While Alaska’s capital city isn’t often thought of as a salmon fishing destination, it may very well be the best of the bunch when it comes to Cruise Ship Alley. I first visited the area on a whim in 2016 and was blown away at the quality of the coho available.

The quaint port city of Ketchikan marks the south end of Alaska’s Cruise Ship Alley and is a jumpoff point to a hatchery coho and Chinook fishery at nearby Herring Cove. (BRIAN KELLY)

Sheep Creek near Juneau has been one of Kelly’s hot spots for coho. (BRIAN KELLY)

As with the other stops on the tour, Juneau’s fantastic salmon fishing is thanks to the fish planted by the folks at the Douglas Island Pink and Chum, Inc. hatchery. This hatchery had its beginnings in 1975 and continues today with plants of 117 million chum (commercial focus), 1 million coho and 1 million Chinook at its main facility, along with 7 million sockeye at a remote facility in Snettisham.

The coho raised by DIPAC are a local strain from the Taku River system, which is south of town. These fish tend to grow larger than average, with returning adults weighing well into the teens and sometimes eclipsing the hallowed 20-pound mark!

While there is access directly at the

“While the cruise ship scene isn’t something most hardcore salmon anglers have their heart set on,” Kelly writes, “the many stops these behemoth floating people carriers make can provide visitors a taste of the world-class salmon fishing that is available in Cruise Ship Alley.” (BRIAN KELLY)

side of town, the north side has plenty of access and pull-off spots next to Douglas Highway. Management of these Chinook varies every season, so be sure to check the ADFG website for EOs and the latest regulations before you head out. There is a designated hatchery zone where nonresidents can harvest Chinook without having to register their catch against the annual limit.

While downtown Juneau can get a bit hectic when a cruise boat is in town, the scenery, peace and quiet are something to behold when you get away from the city. I highly recommend three stops in the area: Order a white ale at Alaska Brewing Company, the cold smoked sockeye at Taku Fisheries and the hot smoked coho from Jerry’s Meats (also the best processor in town for your catch).

PACKING LIST

Since you’ll be traveling via cruise ship, packing light is a must. Fortunately, you don’t need a ton of gear for any of the aforementioned stops. Hardware anglers can keep their focus fairly tidy. A handful of ¼-ounce hair jigs in pink, chartreuse or black will do the trick. Pack a box of spinners to include a couple Vibrax, blue or pink bell, plus some skirted Kodiak Customs in the same colors. And don’t leave home without a few pink Arctic Spinners. Multipiece pack rods are the way to go; Okuma makes a nice line of salmon-focused pack rods, or build your own from fly rod blanks.

hatchery, take the drive south out of town along Thane Road until you reach the roadside parking at Sheep Creek. The creek itself is only a short outflow, but the hatchery typically raises smolts in pens here. The fish will hang around this area as they swim through the Gastineau Channel. When the fish are in thick, you can see fish jumping along Thane Road as they move in with the tide. Run timing for these hard-charging coho typically starts in mid-August and goes through September, with a daily limit of six per day.

The Chinook focus typically is out at Fish Creek on Douglas Island. These fish tend to wander in from the north side through Fritz Cove and eventually back to the hatchery. As with the south

Fly fishing is just as easy. Pack streamers, especially Dali Lamas (also spelled Dolly Llamas), in the same colors as the hair jigs. A full floating line with a 6- to 8-foot section of fluorocarbon leader will do the trick for both Chinook and coho. But if you feel the need to have the hottest fly for the upcoming season, check out Alaska Fly Fishing Goods. They are based in Juneau but have a pulse on the fishery in Southeast Alaska, with an excellent selection of flies and tackle.

One last tip from a traveling angler: Try packing oversized gym shoes instead of traditional wading boots. One of my long-time friends uses a pair of classic Converse Chuck Taylors because they don’t take up a lot of space in the bag and grip surprisingly well!

Happy sailing and happy fishing! ASJ

ALASKAN HORROR STORIES

MY TERRIFYING AND SOMETIMES DEADLY ENCOUNTERS WITH POLAR, BROWN BEARS

FIRST OF TWO PARTS

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

Bending down, the beam of my flashlight illuminated the tiny, round indentations left by a man on his knees as he made his way atop the crusted snow.

Blood from his fingers was scraped across the ice crystals. A strand of long hair attached to a piece of scalp frozen to the snow flailed in the wind; that’s where the polar bear had again grabbed him.

I was 75 yards into the solo tracking job. By this point the man had lost nearly half his scalp, which I’d found scattered atop the snow. He’d also wriggled from his bite-mark-riddled jacket. Feeling hot and confined, I removed my down facemask, despite the minus-42-degree temperature on this December morning in Alaska’s high Arctic.

As I continued the search, more blood and hair made it easy to follow. The attack had taken place more than an hour prior from when I got the call to help, at 4 a.m. With so much time having passed since then, my biggest fear was that the man would be killed by the bear or die of exposure.

My pace quickened as I descended a valley created by two towering snowdrifts, each over 50 feet high. It was at the bottom where I found the body, over half of it having been

Author Scott Haugen and the man-eating polar bear he tracked down near Point Lay, Alaska, in 1990 after the bear killed a local resident. Over the decades Haugen has had similar scary encounters with polar and brown bears. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

CREATE A DELICIOUS CORNED-GAME SAMMY

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

Now is a good time to dig through the freezer and make sure none of that great-eating big game meat from last fall gets shoved to the back and forgotten.

Corning big game – whether it be

moose, caribou, deer or even bear – not only adds to the flavor and textures of the meat, it offers a break from making any cooking decisions for three to 10 days.

While Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations this month traditionally bring corned

beef to mind, corning wild game of any kind is a wonderful addition to the table year-round. Corned venison and corned waterfowl may be recipes you’ve tried, and if you haven’t, you should.

Due to the preservatives in Morton’s Tender Quick seasoning or a pink salt cure, meat can brine for an extended period of time. This means you can cook up a bit of your quarry, toss some in the brine for the following week and freeze the rest. This recipe works with any big game and waterfowl.

3 to 4 pounds meat of choice

¼ cup boiling water

6 cups ice-cold water

3 tablespoons Morton’s Tender Quick seasoning

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons pickling spices

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon granulated onion

1 tablespoon black pepper

In a large brining container, mix dry ingredients with boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add ice-cold water and stir well. Add the desired meat to the brine. Be sure all meat is submerged in the brine. Refrigerate for three to 10 days.

Corned meat can be smoked, grilled, sliced and pan-fried, pressure cooked (high pressure for 30 minutes) or slow cooked (three to five hours or until tender). Even a batch of goose or swan wings, legs and thighs can be pressure cooked (high pressure for 50 minutes) or slow cooked (five to six hours) until meat can be removed from bones easily.

Shred or slice corned meat and serve in a traditional Reuben sandwich, fried into hash or served beside eggs (any style) for breakfast. Once corned, the serving options are plenty.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen's popular book, Cooking Big Game, visit scotthaugen.com for this and other titles.

Any big game in your freezer can be turned into aTiffany Haugen-crafted corned meat sandwich that will rival your neighborhood deli sammy (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

FIELD

devoured by the bear. I had no idea who the man was when my search began. The bear had eaten so much of the body, I still had no clue.

Shining my flashlight across the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean, I caught a glimpse of the bear’s glowing eyes. It was in no hurry, and I quickened my walk to close the distance. At 20 yards, I wasn’t sure if my pre-1964 Model 70 .30-06 Winchester would fire or not. It did, and with one shot the 220-grain handload ended the horrific ordeal.

The year was 1990, and this event took place in the tiny village where Tiffany and I worked as school teachers at the time. It marked the first of many bear encounters I’d have in Alaska over the next three decades.

MALE POLAR BEARS ARE active all winter as they follow open leads on the Arctic Ocean in search of seals and walruses.

When these leads in the pack ice occur near coastal villages, polar bears often

wander into town looking for easy food. It happened in Wales – a community located north of Nome – this past winter, the first documented case of a polar bear killing a human since my encounter in 1990. And there have been other moments with these predators of the Alaskan Arctic.

One Christmas Day, a gunshot echoed from a neighbor’s house in Point Lay. Then my phone rang. “Get over here, a polar bear’s been trying to break into our house for the past hour and I just shot at it through the front door as it was breaking it down!” urged my neighbor.

Carrying my flashlight and .30-06, I went to the front of the man’s house and saw a blood trail leading away. The front door, made of thick metal to withstand the harsh Arctic conditions, was bent at a 45-degree angle, the top hinge having been busted from the frame, and there was a single .45-70 hole through the center. I entered the house through another door. That’s

when I found broken glass on the kitchen floor from where the bear had tried getting into the house through a window it shattered. The man’s wife stopped the attack with a skillet to the bear’s nose. We followed the blood trail and found the bear dead.

Another time, in January, I heard the neighbor on the other side of me shoot multiple times. I opened my door to see him beneath the glowing street lights, clad in his underwear, firing through cracks in his elevated porch between his feet. A massive polar bear was below him. The bear had killed the man’s dog that was housed there, and he killed the bear, a specimen that measured over 10 feet from nose to tail.

Two months of total darkness consumes the Arctic in winter, making every polar bear encounter I had nervewracking, especially amid temperatures that always dropped well below zero. There were more encounters, too –many more.

In bear country, you never know how an encounter will unfold. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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FIELD

OVER THE YEARS I’VE been on multiple brown bear and inland grizzly hunts, and I love spending time on the upper Alaska Peninsula. But one hunt based out of the tiny village of Egegik stands out. The excitement began to build upon my arrival.

Once commercial fishermen leave the town in late summer, brown bears move in to scavenge. I walked through part of the town on the north side of the bay and found house after house that had been broken into by hungry brown bears. Bear boards – sheets of plywood

Haugen shot this 10-foot, 9-inch, 23-yearold beast of a brown bear near the village of Egegik, where he’s seen houses torn apart by hungry bruins. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

with long screws drilled through them every few inches – were placed outside most windows and doorways. They didn’t stop the bears. Bloody footprints from the holes in their feet made by the bear boards they walked on to access the homes told the story.

Some bears plowed through plateglass windows, demolishing the insides of houses to get every ounce of food. Other bears busted down doors to gain access, while some simply ripped the siding off and walked in. Though only a couple people occupied this side of town in late fall, the bears were nocturnal and hard to deal with.

I once killed a massive brown bear 7 miles from Egegik. We spotted it early

in the morning, but the wind was never right to make a move. Finally, 11 hours later I killed the brute (there’s a lot of daylight this far north in the month of May). The bear squared 10 feet, 9 inches, and was 23 years old. It had many scars and a couple very old bullet wounds, making me wonder if this was one of the marauding bears the locals had shot at in year’s past.

A few years later in the same area, I was charged by a temperamental brown bear, one that came close; too close. ASJ

Editor’s note: Stay tuned for next month's issue, in which Scott Haugen shares more bear encounters. Scott is a full-time author. Learn more at scotthaugen.com and follow his adventures on Instagram.