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ALASKA

SPORTING JOURNAL Volume 5 • Issue 12

www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Reale WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Selah Bauer, Christine Cunningham, Bjorn Dihle, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Jeff Lund, Bixler McClure, Krystin McClure, Steve Meyer, Susan Morse, Dennis Musgraves, Tom Reale SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Becca Ellingsworth, Mamie Grifﬁn, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Beth Harrison, Sonjia Kells, Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum PRODUCTION MANAGER John Rusnak WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford OFFICE MANAGER / ACCOUNTS Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com ON THE COVER Wild salmon are an iconic part of Alaskan culture and a vital food source for residents. But if history’s any guide, it’s a resource that can be lost entirely, warns a new documentary, The Breach. (BRIAN LULL) READER ALERT Our April issue promised the conclusion of former Alaska resident and The Hunt star Hillarie Putnam’s moose hunt this month, but due to deadlines we were unable to get the story in. Our apologies.

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (800) 332-1 736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com 8 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 12

HOUSE OF PAIN

115

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Kenai Peninsula fishing calendar Bristol Bay angling guide Discovery Channel’s polarizing series Alaskan Bush People 37 Recalling a friendship between a DA and SWAT officer 41 From Field to Fire: Fishing with salmon eggs; Salmon swirls recipe 53 Chena River grayling 69 Port profile: Valdez 72 Alcan Highway Guide, part I of IV 91 Kotzebue’s backcountry hunting and fishing camps 101 Gearing up for a trip to Alaska 104 Snapping the perfect photo in the field 129 Alaska’s declining Dall sheep, ram hunter numbers 25 27 29

COLUMNS

Hunting in Alaska is a family tradition for three Juneau brothers. Our correspondent Bjorn Dihle and siblings Luke (pictured) and Reid went for it all last season, following up back-to-back Dall sheep hunts with a trip into the Fortymile caribou herd’s range in hopes of trading – as Bjorn put it – “a few hours of pain for a winter of good eating.” Did the Brothers Dihle ﬁll their freezer? Find out how their epic quest went! (BJORN DIHLE)

143 No Sympathy, with Steve Meyer: Why aren’t hunters willing to pay the price of wildlife management? 146 Loose Ends, with Christine Cunningham: My dog moos

DEPARTMENTS 13 15 23

Editor’s Note Protecting Wild Alaska: Breaching Out To The Public Outdoor Calendar

FEATURES 15

WHERE SALMON ARE SPECIAL The great authors who wrote tales of salmon in his native Northwest inspired Seattle resident Mark Titus to become a fishing guide in Alaska. When he researched the impact that declining salmon runs had on so many different walks of life, the aspiring filmmaker set out to tell the story of these remarkable fish and those who depend on wild salmon in Bristol Bay and other parts of the state. Get an inside look at Titus’ compelling documentary, The Breach.

SHELLFISH, ANYONE? If there’s an Alaskan adventure on the table, count in our husband-and-wife team of Krystin and Bixler McClure. On a sail through Prince William Sound, the McClures’ meet an Australian couple with a freshly pulled pot of shrimp, and the thought of ﬁnding their own shellﬁsh led to an impromptu shrimping expedition. Bring your appetite as Bix and Krystin share how easy shrimping is.

DON’T FORGET THE FLIES! Spring might be that in-between time for anglers obsessed with winter steelhead and summer and fall salmon, but our Jeff Lund knows that where there is water, there are fish. So why not tie some dry flies onto your light rods and go after the hard-fighting trout and Dolly Varden in the rivers and streams this month and next? You may find yourself in a quiet place with all those fish to yourself.

CABIN FEVER Our friends at the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service have the perfect remedy for figuring out where to stay on that trip to the Alaskan backcountry all of us hope to take someday: a USFWS-run cabin in national wildlife refuges like Kenai or Kodiak. The accommodations are affordable, rustic and your backyard features fish-filled lakes and spectacular scenery!

Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues) or $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2015 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.

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EDITOR’S NOTE Director Mark Titus became overcome with emotion several times during the ﬁlming of his wild salmon documentary. (THE BREACH)

hough I don’t expect to ever want to live anywhere near Hollywood again after a seven-year run in Southern California, I’ve always had a secret dream to make a movie and be a part of the Tinseltown scene. I’m still vowing to someday write a screenplay that will never make it to studio poobah Harvey Weinstein’s office or get edited (and hacked) by legendary Martin Scorsese from his director’s chair. My big idea is still what the cool kids call “in development.” But in chatting with director Mark Titus, whose fantastic documentary about wild salmon, The Breach, is profiled this month, he captured the essence of why filmmakers get so obsessed with their project. Of course, Titus has a major case of kindred spirits with this subject, as you’ll see in our report. But it’s a project he’s been very proud of as it’s being shown in various settings. “You make a film to have an audience – period. And it’s really something to see. I have friends who are documentary filmmakers, and they say, ‘Oh, I haven’t watched a show in six months. I introduce it and I walk out and go get something to eat,’” Titus told me during a break in his schedule that took him to Ireland a couple months back and his whirlwind tour throughout the Lower 48 this month. “I haven’t hit that stage yet. I really enjoy being in the audience and observing how people react to the film.” As a longtime sportswriter I’ve interviewed everyone from anonymous high school basketball players to Hall of Fame-level professional coaches and players in various sports. Some at all levels had such compelling stories that I felt a cosmic amount of chemistry during our conversations. I nodded my head when Titus talked about the emotional connections he had in his chats with fellow wild salmon advocates. “In my opinion, a successful interview comes from total engagement with another character. If you’re totally engaged and having a conversation that’s meaningful, the camera falls away, the other (crew) fall away and everything else falls away,” Titus says. “It’s a frozen moment in time.” His movie is full of moments – some big, some more sublime – which captured the essence of how sacred these iconic fish are to so many in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Call it a lesson learned on the art of film to this wannabe screenwriter. -Chris Cocoles

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PROTECTING

WILD ALASKA

OUT TO THE PUBLIC

The Breach’s director of photography Andres Garreton ﬁlms sockeye in a Bristol Bay tributary during production of the documentary, which focuses on the preservation and threats to wild salmon throughout their North Paciﬁc range. (THE BREACH)

DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES ALASKA’S WILD SALMON PRESERVATION “If you look 100 years down the road, which, to a geologist, is not much time at all, and you think about how will people look at salmon, it’s going to be viewed as one of the most incredible food sources on the planet. And it grows itself; throwing away a resource like that for short-term interests makes no sense.” –Geomorphology professor and author David Montgomery, in The Breach BY CHRIS COCOLES n his mind, aspiring filmmaker Mark Titus wanted to make a “love story.” Except in this project, Titus’s idea wasn’t to pen a romantic comedy with a sappy feel-good story starring the Drew Barrymores of the genre; nor was it a more gritty drama with the classic Hollywood tragic-ending screenplay. In fact, the object of his affection wasn’t a human being. It was a salmon. “This (is a) fish that’s revered, not only here,” says Titus, a Seattle resident with sentimental ties to Alaska and the salmon fishing industry, “but as I’ve come to find out, in lots of parts of the world where they’re no longer around.” With that, Titus’s first feature-length documentary, The Breach, was born. It’s his tribute to the dwindling population of salmon, which once roamed the At-

lantic Ocean in massive numbers but is all but extinct from the Eastern seaboard of North America to the European continent. The Pacific Northwest and Alaska are some of the last few regions on earth where large numbers of salmon continue to make their anadromous journey from the sea to coastal rivers for spawning. Despite the obstacles, red flags and warning signs that seem to threaten the ongoing cycle of life and death, the fish keep coming back. Yet those who rely on these iconic and wild salmon in this part of the world wonder if it all go away in their lifetime, or at least for future generations. Titus has worked for around four years to get his finished product done, and it clocks in a little shy of one hour, 30 minutes. “It’s such a vast topic and there are passionate, passionate people at every

turn on this topic; you can’t possibly cover it all in 90 minutes,” Titus says. “But we wanted to try and create a narrative that at least brought people in the door and gave them an emotional experience and a reason to learn more about wild salmon.” “We’re blessed with an ecosystem that provides an abundance. And we have the ability to go in and responsibly harvest.” –Bristol Bay fisherman Jason Kohlase As a young college student in the Northwest 20-something years ago, Mark Titus began spending his summers working in the Last Frontier’s fish-heavy culture, first at a salmon-processing plant in Bristol Bay, then for the better part of a decade as a wilderness fishing guide in Southeast Alaska. Part of his inspiration to head north was through the writings of David James Duncan, whose homage to fly fishing, the novel The River Why, was the basis of a 2010 feature film. MAY 2015

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“I was just head over heels in love with the land and the people; and most definitely with the salmon, especially the Chinook. As we all know, they were the most elusive, the most prized (fish),” Titus says. “It’s something that I took seriously and sacredly.” By 2004, after studying acting and directing at the University of Oregon and the Vancouver (British Columbia) Film School, respectively, Titus began a career in the film production industry. He produced commercials for Seattle-based companies like Boeing and Starbucks, and one of his first projects was directing a six-minute documentary short called Fins, about the lore of killer whales around Puget Sound. In April 2011, Titus traveled to Southern California for a commercial shoot and, “knowing how enraptured with salmon I was,” was reading a book recommended by a friend. Author Bruce Brown’s Mountain in the Clouds: A Search for the Wild Salmon was a major turning point. Brown’s work detailed the factors that were diminishing salmon runs around Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. “I’m reading this book and going, ‘Why is this the first time I’ve read this?’ It’s something that was published in 1983,” Titus says. “And No. 2, I ran across the name of an attorney who had instant connectivity.” The lawyer’s name was Russ Busch,

whose son was a friend of Titus’s. One of Busch’s lifelong crusades was joining forces with Native American Elwha tribal leaders on the Olympic Peninsula to remove dams on the Elwha River. The damming had all but snuffed out the stream’s legendary salmon runs. Finally, a nearly 40-year fight to get rid of the two dams was coming to fruition. But by then, Busch was dying of stage IV brain cancer. “This was April, and the dams were supposed to come out in September. And I thought, ‘I should start interviewing him immediately and maybe he’ll get a chance to see these dams come out.’ And he did,” Titus recalled. “Russ was the catalyst.” Busch’s appearance in the film is among its most compelling moments. He was there when the lower dam was detonated shortly before his death in April 2012. “As more and more people got involved and Congress got involved, I began to see what was going on,” Busch says in the film, recalling his involvement in the case dated back to 1976. “The tribe always knew how important the dams were. I kind of realized there’s a lot of people who wanted these dams out of there.” While Titus’s film’s name is a reference to the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams, the largest such project in history and completed in 2014, it is more about a breach in the contract between man and nature, and more spe-

cifically, between man and wild salmon and their needs. In a sense, taking out the Elwha dams is a step towards patching the breach. As the river clears, salmon as well as steelhead have slowly begun to make their way back from the Pacific. While dams built along the mighty Columbia River, which flows through Washington and Oregon, have resulted in decreasing salmon numbers, as Titus says, “the Elwha is a very interesting story of promise.” “More than had been seen in decades, but still a fraction of the over 400,000 salmon a year that used to return to the river before the dams had been built,” Titus narrates in the movie. By the time he’d interviewed Busch and done more research, Titus was hooked and set out to make his documentary. He picked the brains of several of the Pacific Northwest’s and Alaska’s heavyweights of wild salmon conservation. Among 82 interview subjects – 22 of whom got into the finished product – is noted activist Alexandra Morton, a key source in Sara Pozonsky’s fine wild salmon documentary, A Fishy Tale (ASJ, June 2014). Also contributing were authors Brown, David Montgomery – whose work includes King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon – and Duncan, artist Ray Troll, chef Tom Douglas, former Environmental Protection Agency head Bill Ruckelshaus, and several others. They’ve all endured highs and lows on their jour-

Writer/director Mark Titus (right) interviews Elsa Sebastian, who commercial ﬁshes the Southeast Alaska coast around the Tongass National Forest. In the ﬁlm, Sebastian talks about the importance of salmon throughout her life in Alaska. (THE BREACH) 16 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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Bristol Bay ﬁshermen work for their catch during a gorgeous sunset. But as the movie explains, the world’s largest sockeye ﬁshery could be at risk if the proposed Pebble Mine project begins in the region. A breach of tailings ponds could threaten the native salmon population. (THE BREACH)

neys to preserve one of the planet’s great ecosystems, where in a perfect world Pacific salmon would thrive for generations as they always have. “The common thread was, everybody loves these fish, and a lot of people felt frustrated about what’s happened,” Titus says. “What I kept coming back to was, ‘Yeah, there has been a lot of bad stuff that’s happened.’” “The thing about Bristol Bay that makes it so one of a kind is these large systems up here that are nonpolluted, are able to create an environment that could not be recreated by man.” –Bear Trail Lodge owner Nanci Morris Lyon Returning to Alaska was a sentimental reunion for Titus. He learned so much about himself guiding clients for trophy salmon on the Panhandle. The filming locations in the Northwest and Alaska were near and dear to his heart. Titus was the caretaker of a wilderness fishing lodge 60 miles north of Ketchikan. One day, as a 25-year-old, he was shoveling snow and looking out over the bay. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. This is my home.’ How many Americans have that sense of place? The Pacific Northwest, these islands; this is my root source. I don’t have any desire to live anywhere else. Here I am in a place that I was in love with and where I want to fight for. I consider it my home.” Part of that home is being threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine, which has its sights on set on Bristol Bay’s rich minerals in the form of copper ore. That the Pebble Limited Partnership’s planned 18 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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the 40 cases of jarred salmon that inopen-pit mine shares clude king salmon hearts, bellies, livers the same ecosystem – the whole thing. That’s what they eat in as the waters conthe winter. This was no BS, man; this is taining roughly half of the real deal. When they say they subsist the world’s wild sockon this fish – they subsist on this fish all eye salmon has had year long.” both sides dug in for Throughout The Breach’s social mea lengthy and highly dia pages, the hashtag #eatwildsavepublicized battle. wild is prominent. Interviews with “I think it’s a very important question: Bristol Bay locals are Why would I eat wild salmon when I among the heart and want to save them? Why wouldn’t I want soul of The Breach. to just leave them alone?” Titus says. “It’s One fisherman, hard to understand without a little knowlCuryung Tribal Council chief and former edge. If you’re a consumer and salmon Dillingham mayor Tommy Tilden, was is the third most consumed fish in this Titus’s first interview subject in Alaska. country, 91 percent of that is farmed. But Tilden shared with Titus of taking the if you’re demanding wild salmon, you’re season’s first salmon harvested to his ill demanding a product that by its nature sister, who also would succumb to canneeds clean, well-preserved habitat in cer. A tradition among Native subsisorder to keep coming back.” tence fishermen is to share the first fish In the debate over farmed salmon in caught that season. This one had even open-water pens that dot the British Comore meaning. lumbia coast and threaten Canada’s run “I offered her the first part of it, and of wild fish, The Breach points out how the look in her eyes – that gave her life, self-sustaining salmon runs have been although brief that it was,” Tilden says in over the course of time until many facthe film. “But it was very moving. How do tors, most caused by man, have jeopyou describe that spiritual feeling that we ardized the cycle. felt? This is who we are.” Tilden chokes up during the interview. Titus also admitted to getting tears in his eyes. “In all the folks I interviewed and was fortunate enough to spend time with, they were not telling me because it was cute or politically correct or sounds good,” Titus says. Renowned author David Duncan’s (right) book, The River Why, “They’re telling me inspired Mark Titus to take his passion for catching salmon in his native Washington to Southeast Alaska, where as a this because this is younger man he spent his summers as a guide. (THE BREACH) who they are. The “Farmed salmon need continual salmon is in their blood, in their fiber, in care and management by human betheir stories and in their culture.” ings,” Titus says. “Wild salmon don’t “Every single thing about it was auneed any of that. They not only surthentic and that sense of authenticity vived but thrive on their own when was overwhelming to me. The words they have sufficient habitat to make were one thing, but then when they bring babies and keep going out to the ocean you into their home and they show you

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IRISH EYES ARE WEEPING Ireland’s connection with salmon is well documented. But runs of wild ﬁsh throughout the Atlantic Ocean, including the Emerald Isle, have been decimated over the centuries. “We used to swim wild in great numbers in the currents of the Atlantic,” an Irish voice explains in The Breach’s introduction as the voice of salmon themselves. “You blocked our rivers so we couldn’t return to spawn, fouled them and netted too many of us. Soon we were all but gone.” So when the ﬁlm made its worldwide premiere in the summer of 2014 in the city of Galway, on Ireland’s western coast, it created an emotional reaction for the locals.

“There were a lot of older guys in the audience who were weeping,” says director and writer Mark Titus. “It was a very powerful experience. Their wild salmon are gone, for the most part, and they are still struggling (with it). There are salmon cages in Galway Bay that the folks, all they have to do is look out to the bay and be reminded every day that their wild fish are gone (and farmed fish) are the substitute that remain.” Titus returned to Ireland in March for the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. “It was a very emotionally charged issue there,” Titus says of his appearances with Irish audiences. “It has been like a death in the family, and they’re not going to have it again.” Titus gave his film an Irish twist in some of the voiceover work from the salmon’s point of view. He recruited a Seattle-based actress, Alyson Scadron

Branner, who narrated from the fish’s perspective in a perfect Irish accent. “Once, we were so many, we couldn’t be counted,” the voice says. “We follow the cool trickles that become creeks that grow to great rivers and run out to the sea.” Titus does much of the other narration, but “got tired of hearing my own voice” in the editing room. So Scadron Branner’s addition brought a mystical touch to the project. She beautifully lends her voice to close out the film speaking for the A-lister of this film: “the salmon of wisdom,” which takes its name from Irish folklore. “We sat around a round table and one of the team members (said), ‘I feel like we should have a woman’s voice in here,’” Titus says. “At some point, I said what this really feels like is a fable. And so we wanted to bookend the picture in the structure of a fable.” -CC

Duncan, Brown and Montgomery; was affected by the years of hard work that paid off for the dying Elwha River attorney Busch; marveled at the tireless crusade of British Columbia-based activist Morton; soaked in the ebb and flow of emotions for concerned commercial fishing boat crews and lodge owners in Alaska; and was inspired by tales of tribal elders and subsistence fishermen in the Northwest and Bristol Bay. “I thought I knew everything there is to know about salmon. The vast amount of knowledge that I consumed over the course of this project, I couldn’t possibly have planned for,” Titus says. “It was almost overwhelming – there’s so much history, so much biology, historical and legal precedent. I was astonished. For me, this was like a football player interviewing Joe Namath. These were my heroes.” Titus bought his first print designed by Troll – called Midnight Run – when he was just 19 and working a cannery in Dillingham. Years later, the two men’s worlds collided again. Troll’s artwork once told a story to its buyer. Now, that buyer was telling the artist’s story. “It was a tremendous honor,” Titus

says of filming Troll at work in his studio and showing time-lapsed shots of his art in the film. The Breach returned to Ireland to be screened at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in March months after an earlier version was shown in Galway, Ireland (see sidebar), where it was among the top 10 picks in the Audience Award Winners category. It played the Portland Ecofilm Festival in mid-April, and by the end of last month Titus was to begin a barnstorming tour through most of May that started in New York and will end on the 20th in Los Angeles. Titus hopes he’s told a human story about a wildlife issue and tried to keep politics away from the main arguments, as difficult as that can be in this age of Twitter feuds and toeing the party line. “As an overarching goal, I wanted to create a story that is accessible by anybody across the political spectrum,” Titus says. “A person who gets engaged and involved in a story just because they are a human being. They want to learn more about salmon.” ASJ

“I had a fantastic producer named Susan La Salle who believed in this story and in wild salmon enough to go the distance on this thing,” says Titus, left, in praising his crew and ﬁnancial backers who helped fund this project. “The reason to do it is that you really believe in the subject of the story.” (THE BREACH)

and back. That’s a resource that can be sustained forever if you simply let it do what nature intended.” “These salmon have been feeding us, and there’s more and more and more of us on this planet, and we can’t get that in control; we better start paying attention to the refrigerator.” –Alaska artist Ray Troll This has been an eye-opening odyssey for Titus, who was hardly a novice about salmon and their importance to the culture, diet and livelihood of his corner of the world. Even he looks at these ﬁsh differently than he did all those years in Southeast Alaska, before marriage and a new career in making movies prompted a change. But Titus dug deeper and appreciated more about the exquisite salmon-themed art of Ketchikan-based Troll; found new meaning in the writings of 20 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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Editor’s note: For more on where you can see The Breach during its film festival tour this month, go to thebreachfilm.com and sign up to the mailing list for details. You can also check out its Facebook page (facebook.com/ thebreachfilm) and follow on Twitter (@ thebreachfilm).

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Valdez is hosting several derbies this summer, including silver salmon events in July and August. Jim and Paula Rothen caught these beauties in a past derby held out of this Alaska port on one of ﬁshy Prince William Sound’s arms. (VALDEZ FISH DERBIES)

OUTDOOR CALENDAR For upcoming events on the Kenai Peninsula and Bristol Bay, see pages 25 and 27. Juneau Spring King Salmon Derby; springkingderby.com May 1-Aug. 1 Kodiak Association of Charterboat Operators King Salmon Derby; kodiakaco.com May 9-June 7 Wrangell King Salmon Derby; wrangellchamber.org May 10 Opening of spring bear season GMU 10 (Aleutians) May 23 Start of Mat-Su King Salmon Derby, Little Susitna River; wasillachamber.org/ king-derby.htm May 23-June 6 Valdez Halibut Derby; valdezfishderbies.com May 23-25, May 30-31, June 6-7 Ketchikan CHARR King Salmon Derby; ketchikankingsalmonderby.com May 31 Close of brown bear season in several GMUs June 12-21 Anchorage Downtown Soup Kitchen Slam’n Salm’n Derby; shipcreeksalmonderby.com July 18-Sept. 6 Valdez Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com July 18 Valdez Kids Pink Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com Aug. 8 Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com Aug. 14-16 Golden North Salmon Derby, Juneau; goldennorthsalmonderby.org May 1-31

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KENAI PENINSULA

Halibut derbies this month in Homer and June in Seward mean potential big paydays if you catch a tagged ﬁsh. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

When To Catch ’Em On The Kenai Peninsula From its rivers and lakes to the seaports on Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula offers great access to lots of ﬁnny species. Of course, catching one is never a guarantee, but this chart provides a glimpse at the best months on salt- and freshwaters:

FISHING CALENDAR

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

King salmon Sockeye salmon The Kenai River’s run of silver salmon is traditionally strongest in August and September.

Silver salmon Halibut Rainbow trout

(STEVE MEYER)

Upcoming Kenai Peninsula Events May 1-Sept. 7 May 2-3 May 16-Aug. 15 June 1-30 July 15-Aug. 15

Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby; homeralaska.org/visit-homer/events-homer/homer-jackpot-halibut-derby Kenai Peninsula Sport, Rec and Trade Show; kenaisportshow.com Goodnight Inn Lodge King Salmon Derby, Kenai River Seward Halibut Derby; seward.com Hope Pink Salmon Derby; (907) 782-3268

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Photo: Ed Sozinho

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BRISTOL BAY

Though most famous for its large run of sockeye salmon – this year’s is forecast to be a record – kings like this beauty caught on the Nushagak are still royalty for anglers heading to Bristol Bay’s rivers. (BRIAN LULL)

Sunset on Lake Aleknagik in the Bristol Bay watershed makes for quite the gorgeous setting for the center of Alaska’s salmon-ﬁshing universe. (MARK TITUS/THE BREACH FILM)

Fish-run Timing Bristol Bay’s maze of tributaries include the Nushagak, Togiak, Egegik, Kvichak, Naknek and Ugashik Rivers. The following table lists general salmon-run timing for the Bristol Bay region as a whole, as well as prime months for nonocean-migrating species. There’s no guarantee you’ll limit, of course, but follow these guidelines for the best opportunity to catch your Alaskan trophy.

Huge Sockeye Salmon Run Expected

FISHING CALENDAR

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has forecasted a massive 2015 summer salmon run to Bristol Bay. A record total of 53.98 million sockeye are expected, with roughly 14.39 million of those predicted to escape commercial fishing harvest and head upriver to spawn throughout the pristine watershed. “This prediction is 40 percent greater than the previous 10-year mean of total runs, and 51 percent greater than the long-term mean of 32.43 million,” ADFG said in its projection report for 2015. “All systems are expected to meet their spawning escapement goals.”

King salmon

Brought To You By:

Lake trout

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Sockeye salmon Coho salmon Pink salmon Chum salmon Dolly Varden/Arctic char Steelhead Rainbow trout

Northern pike Burbot Grayling

- Fishing peak

- Fish present

Whitefish

MAY 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

28 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2015

PIONEERS OR ACTORS? -

Billy and Ami Brown (center), along with their children Matt, Bam Bam, Solomon, Gabe, Noah, Snowbird and Raindrop, photographed here on an island in the Tongass National Forest, have been accused of embellishing their story for the Discovery Channel cameras. (THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

MATRIARCH OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE TAKES ON DOUBTERS BY CHRIS COCOLES he reality is, our fascination with “reality shows” isn’t necessarily based on the idea that everything you’ll watch when tuning into The Bachelor, Mob Wives or – gulp – Total Divas is 100 percent accurate. It’s entertainment, first and foremost; nothing more and nothing less. Whether you believe everything you’re seeing on TV is gospel and not a little embellished for when the cameras are rolling is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, don’t take it too seriously from a viewer’s perspective. Alaska has become the ground floor of the live-action series building block. Whether it’s crab fishing, gold mining or railroading, TV suits have concluded that viewers outside the state are obsessed with inside looks at the Last Frontier. Questions inevitably borne with each episode: Is it legit? Is it a fraud? Answers surely vary, depending

on your point of view. The real or fake question allows loyal watchers from all of that Alaska-based programming to duke it out on Twitter and Facebook with the skeptics who cry foul on the authenticity of probably every single show we’ve featured in this magazine. And then there’s Alaskan Bush People. Many question how sincere the Brown family is on their Discovery Channel series chronicling the off-thegrid adventures of Alaska transplant Billy Brown, his wife Ami, and their children Gabe, Noah, “Bam Bam,” Matt, Rain, “Bear” and “Snowbird,” plus their canine pal Mr. Cupcake. In the spirit of talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel, whose famous guests read their “mean tweets” on air, an episode of Alaskan Bush People showed a montage of social media complaints about the show being a fraud. The Internet lives for such contro-

versy, so Google “Alaskan Bush People fake” and it’s an online feeding frenzy of columns outing the series as complete ﬁction. A personal favorite meme was a group picture of the family with Photoshopped images of the Mount Rushmore of such urban legends: Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Santa Claus and an alien. But the Browns don’t care if you don’t believe they’re the real deal. They stand by what you see for an hour every week. “We live such a simple life, we can’t understand which part is so hard to believe,” says the family’s matriarch, Ami Brown. “Is it that we hunt and ﬁsh and food? Is it that we’re a happy family that sticks together? Is it that we’re independent and depend mainly on each other?” Billy’s backstory doesn’t lack unspeakable tragedy. As a teenager growing up near Fort Texas, a plane crash killed his sister and parents, prompting him to take to the American backroads. Soon after, he met Ami and eventually landed in Alaska with her. And the Browns have endured a very real crisis over the last year. Six family members were charged with falsifying MAY 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

documents regarding Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend annual payments for residents (the cases are pending). So while the show has its fans and its unabashed detractors, there’s no doubt it’s one of Discovery Channel’s most talked-about series. We chatted with Ami, who talked about raising a family to subsistence hunt and ﬁsh, and dealing with the real or fake questions that always make for spirited online sparring.

Chris Cocoles The family’s patriarch, Billy Brown, came to Alaska from Texas. I believe that Texans and Alaskans have a lot in common in their approach to life, so was that a similar move in many ways? Ami Brown Coming from Texas to Alaska was deﬁnitely going from one that’s larger than life to another that was the same.

CC Can you reﬂect on how difficult Billy’s life must have been when he suffered the family tragedy of the plane crash when he was younger? AB Just the thought of losing your family at one time would be hard for most people to even imagine, and then losing them at the young age of 16 – it’s something I don’t think can be put into words.

I know it’s bestowed in Billy a deep understanding of how important family, faith in God and living for today is.

CC Are you most proud of the idea that your family is living life on your terms and you relish that sense of freedom of being in remote areas where there are so few other people around? AB There is no doubt that the whole family is proud that we live our life our way. We, of course, relish the sense of freedom living in remote areas away from most people, and it gives us freedom of choice. A dependence on only ourselves is what the Brown family is, and it is us.

CC Before we were introduced to the family on TV, how much deﬁance did the kids have to want to live a more “normal” childhood? AB Before the TV show, the kids all thought their childhood was normal childhood. It was all they knew. Since the show and all of them growing up,

Gabe Brown looks for wildlife to hunt as part of the family’s “bartering” for the supplies they need to prepare for winter in the bush. (THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

they all say they couldn’t imagine living any other way.

CC Did the boys and girls catch on pretty quickly as skilled outdoorsmen and –women, or was it a learning curve for them? AB All the kids – boys and girls – caught on quickly and became outdoorsmen and –women early. They’re no different than all Alaskan kids who grew up their entire lives hunting and ﬁshing.

CC How great of a mom has Ami been to raise such a large and eccentric family?

Billy Brown I think you would have to look long and hard to ﬁnd a mom

Ami (left) and her husband Billy Brown raised their seven children to live off the grid in the Last Frontier, and their story is chronicled on the Discovery Channel series Alaskan Bush People. (THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

30 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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MAY 2015 MA

ALASKA SPORTING G JJOURNAL OURNAL

to top Ami. Her patience and understanding knows no bounds. She is the rock that holds the Browns together. Her attitude, faith in God and family is what has made it possible for the kids to be so well-rounded and develop their unique personalities with the conﬁdence she will stand with them in whatever they do.

CC Is there a best and worst

authenticity of what we see on air?

AB We have earned our right to live our lives the way we do. We have faced snow, wind, predators, hardships, the

satisfaction that we and all of our kids have the knowledge and skill to live off the forest and the sea.

CC I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, but what’s it like sleeping in that one-room cabin? AB Sleeping in a oneroom cabin gives you great motivation to build something bigger.

moment you can share CC Has it been benefiabout your experiences livcial to the family to get ing in the Alaskan bush? perspective of spending so much time in AB When you live in a place Ketchikan due to the like Alaska with a family circumstances you’ve so blessed as ours, how endured? could you possibly pick a “We, of course, relish the sense of freedom living in remote areas away from most people, and it gives us freedom of choice,” Ami (right, with best moment? Our best AB Yes, Ketchikan gave Billy) says of her family’s choices. (THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL) moment is that every day the family great perwe get to live on this great spective of our life in land. Our worst moment was more than forest and the sea. We have fought the bush. Even as great of a town that just a (single) moment. It was what we them all together as a family and made Ketchikan is, any town makes you realcalled “the dreaded winter of 1995,” a home in this great land, like many ize how great it is to live without conwhen we were deep in the bush with other Alaskans have done. The spirit straints of time and crowds. no way out. The snow was so deep and of adventure that’s in us was in the pinights so cold we burned our furniture, oneers, the explorers and anyone else CC Do you see every one of the Brown cabinets and even stairs to stay warm. who chooses to live their lives on their kids continuing to live off the grid as We ate small game that took days to own terms. they get older? catch. For months, we all fought to stay (We’re) not complying with the AB When the kids were younger, we alive until spring finally came. opinion of ideas of others; our spirit thought at least a few of them would is the same that was in the folks who someday move to town. But as they grew made America the great land we live in older, it became more and more evident CC Even though they were kind of all today. What would I say to the skeptics how happy they were with our world. thrown in this together, the kids have to try to convince them about the auToday, we would be surprised if any managed to develop their own unique thenticity of our show? Nothing. If their of them chose to permanently move personalities and quirks. But are they lives are so small that they can find fault from the bush. They have told us, “Why pretty alike too? with a God-fearing, close-knit family would we leave a life of freedom that we AB Ever since the kids were very young, living a simple, happy life, I feel sorry for can’t have anywhere else?” I think they they have all had unique personalities. them. And I don’t think there’s anything summed it up pretty well with that. We think that’s because they were able I could say to change their minds. to develop without any pressure to be I will say they’re welcome to come anything but themselves. They are all CC Has Mr. Cupcake embraced his cesit at our fire and see for themselves, alike in the things they like to do and lebrity status? anytime they like. in what makes them happy. We think AB There’s no doubt in any of our minds that’s what makes our family so strong; that Mr. Cupcake is truly the star of the we all love our life. show. ASJ CC How much pride do you take in the subsistence hunting and fishing that you do, especially with so much emphasis on CC This show has a lot of loyal fans for Editor’s note: New episodes of Alaskan “going organic” among Americans? good reason, as it’s a very fascinating Bush People can be seen on Fridays at look at a unique and foreign way of life 10 p.m. Pacific on the Discovery Channel AB We didn’t know “going organic” was to a lot of us. But there are lots of critics (check local listings). For more informawhat we were doing. We hunt and fish and skeptics, as well. What do you say tion, go to discovery.com/tv-shows/alasbecause it’s how we eat and they’re to convince those skeptics about the kan-bush-people. things we love to do. Yes, it does give us 32 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2015

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DISTRICT ATTY. SERVED ALASKANS RECALLING A FORMER COWORKER IN LAW ENFORCEMENT BY STEVE MEYER

“

orry, the district attorney won’t prosecute the case.” These words ring of disappointment to those who have been wronged by criminal behavior and just want some sort of satisfaction that something is being done. The public is not always aware of the critical relationship the DA has with law enforcement officers and how astonishing the differences from one prosecutor to another can be. They also may not be aware that every criminal case is examined by the DA before prosecution is pressed forward. There are many reasons why cases are not prosecuted. Insigniﬁcant evidence, procedural issues that would be grounds for dismissal in court, witnesses critical to the case that will not cooperate, etc., are all reasons a case may simply go away. DAs are not all created equal for a variety of reasons that may not always be known. A DA who has a deep conviction for resolving criminal issues in a way that ﬁnds some form of satisfaction to the public will be amongst the hardest working public employees there is. District attorney offices around the country are constantly overworked with caseloads that boggle the mind. It is the drive and the leadership presented by the DA that accounts for cases getting handled instead of dismissed. A DA who is dedicated to the job is

Alaska’s new Gov. Bill Walker’s decision to ﬁre June Stein from

a gift for law her post as Bethel’s district attorney earlier this year did not sit well with the author. (JAMES BROOKS/WIKIMEDIA) enforcement officers. A less work schedule would be Monday-Frithan dedicated prosecutor or one who day, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is rather disinterested in making a lot Well, I never listened all that well of cases is a nightmare for officers, and when it came to law enforcement can be for the public as well. Going work, perhaps because I loved it and from a hard-charging, dedicated DA was perhaps more driven than most. to one who is less so can quite literally So I would be at the office by 4:30 a.m. change the face of a community. That and might leave by 9 p.m., dependdoesn’t necessarily mean a less-driven ing on who needed to be tuned up in DA is a bad person or employee. the field. The only person I knew who The reality is, to prosecute every matched my love for the work to that case that justifies prosecution takes an point was Sgt. Dan Donaldson, my old incredible amount of work – the kind of Special Emergency Response Team work that finds one in the office from 4 mate. That is, until I met June Stein, a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. District attorthe DA for the Kenai office. neys in Alaska, in average terms, are paid That office was a couple of doors reasonably well; but it’s nowhere near down from my office, but June was what a good private attorney can make away at a conference the first week I with a leading law firm. was there. An empty parking lot, except DAs are not paid overtime, and while for a stray cat that would occasionally there is some expectation that he or she hang out in the area, greeted my arrival will work more than 40 hours a week, each day until the first Saturday. After there is certainly no expectation the that, it was a toss-up if June’s silver prosecuting lawyer will work over 100 SUV or my black Silverado SS would be hours a week, 365 days a year. in the parking lot first, and which would Yep, there are DAs who do that, and disappear first in the evening. I had the good fortune of working with As we developed our working rethe best. lationship, it became sort of a joke between us: who would send the first WHEN I TRANSFERRED to field probaemail greeting of the morning? Over tion, I was welcomed with a caseload 365 days, neither of us missed a beat. of parole and probationers to supervise, June was always available to law as well as between 25 and 30 presenenforcement officers. It never mattence reports per month for the superitered what time of the day or night, or court (the curse of being somewhat your call would get answered. Even competent at writing). I was told my MAY 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

more important, June was the champion for victims of crimes. She would take prosecution to the wall to see that victims saw some real action to those who had wronged them. June was a hard-line prosecutor and some (particularly defense attorneys) would suggest too hard. June did what the state asked her to do, prosecute criminals, with a fervor that was awe inspiring for law enforcement officers. As a presentence writer, I had lots of interaction with June in terms of what seemed appropriate for sentencing. We were rarely at odds, and on the occasions where there was some question, we would talk and work things out. June was always reasonable; there were many cases that were pleaded out to facilitate the process to gain relatively quick closure for victims and save resources for other cases. June rarely pleaded out the worst cases, though doing so would have saved her and her staff an astonishing amount of work. She didn’t believe in cutting the worst-case offenders any slack if there was a decent chance of a guilty verdict in the courtroom.

ONE OF THE most gratifying times to have June as the prosecutor came when a Kenai police officer was murdered in the line of duty. June did a masterful job in the courtroom during the trial; I was honored in being an expert witness for the case that resulted in the individual being found guilty and sentenced to a very long time in prison. I can say without reservation that the years I spent working with June were the very best years of my law enforcement career. June eventually left the Kenai office for a position with the attorney general’s office. Her going-away party was all one needed to see how much she was appreciated: Law enforcement officers, who are not always that big on attending such events, showed up from all over. When June left and other DAs came in, the wind was taken right out of my sails. It was just never the same. June took the thankless task of being the district attorney in Bethel in 2011. We stayed in touch and still shared the wee hours of the morning emails, as she continued her relentless pursuit of justice in Bethel. For me, the highest honor of my law enforcement career was hav-

ing June show up clear from Bethel for my retirement party in 2014. Recently, Gov. Bill Walker ﬁred June Stein. June’s reward for 15 years of incredible service to the people, the victims and the state of Alaska ended on a political whim. If there was ever a place that needed June Stein or her equal, it was Bethel. I’ve been there, I’ve seen what happens there, and it isn’t pretty. But it seems that Bethel isn’t really interested in tough law enforcement, and evidently someone with some political stroke was able to see this travesty through. The article in the paper was clear; she was removed for doing her job the best possible way it can be done. Therein lies the reason so many law enforcement folks become disgruntled with the system, myself included. It isn’t really about justice; it is more about appeasing the folks who sit behind desks and pacify the political appointees whose sole mission in life is assuring their own lofty position. It’s a damn shame when mediocrity is rewarded over performance, but it is the way of politics in Alaska. We lost one of the best of the best with this move; Gov. Walker should be proud. ASJ

The author’s job as a presentence writer meant he did a lot of work with then-district attorney June Stein at the Alaska Court System’s Kenai Courthouse. (STEVE MEYER)

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From

EGGS, OVERLY EASY

FIELD FIRE To

THIS BAIT IS A NATURAL FIT FOR SALMON FISHING

When it comes to targeting salmon in rivers, eggs are the best natural bait to ﬁsh with. Start with clean, blood-free skeins and experiment with dyes, texture and scent to expand your egg-curing horizons and catch more ﬁsh. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

and how they are ﬁshed.

WHEN AND WHERE TO EGG IT ON

hen it comes to river fishing for king, coho and chum salmon, many anglers would agree the best natural bait is salmon eggs. When properly handled and cured, salmon eggs take on an appeal salmon can’t resist. Combine the ideal color, texture and scent in a cured egg, and you have the optimal salmon bait. No matter the size of a given stream, once salmon scoot through its estuaries into freshwater habitats, egg fishing can bring success. There’s a wide range of habitats throughout Alaska’s numerous salmon streams where eggs can be fished, but just as important can be the eggs themselves,

For salmon, anglers usually go with a firm egg for drifting in rough water, or a soft, wet egg for fishing under a float or backtrolling behind a diver. In some scenarios, it may be best to have both types of eggs on hand in order to meet changing water conditions. In faster-flowing rivers and streams where drift fishing is the sensible approach, use a firm egg that won’t milk out too quickly or get pounded and broken down in heavy water. If fishing deep, slow-moving holes, then wet eggs are a good choice. With eggs fished beneath a float, the bite can be aggressive, but is usually quite subtle.

The key with any egg cure is giving salmon something they like the smell and look of. Once these two factors have enticed them into biting, then texture is the next most important quality. Because salmon have a tendency to mouth bait, it’s important to give them something they like the feel of. In slow, still water, a salmon is more likely to hold on to soft bait versus a firmer one. When fishing wet eggs under a float, where the rigging may remain in the water for extended periods, it’s a good idea to frequently change the bait. Changing bait every five to 15 minutes is not overkill. Rather than throw away a used bait, put it back into the bag of cured eggs so it can reabsorb color and scent into the surrounding tissues, alMAY 2015

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

OPTIMIZE YOUR FISH’S FLAVOR Getting the most out of your fish starts the minute it’s landed. In order to optimize the flavor and texture of the meat, follow these steps: 1) Kill your fish with a quick blow to the head. 2) Snap the gill rakers so it can bleed out. 3) Get the fish on ice or in a cool place as soon as possible. 4) Gently handle your catch, being careful not to drop, toss and potentially bruise the meat. 5) Once you arrive home, take what portions you’ll be eating soon, then rinse, clean, securely wrap and freeze the rest of the meat in serving-size portions for later use. –Tiffany Haugen

lowing it to be reused.

PRO TEGG-NIQUES As for egg cure colors, when it comes to Alaska’s salmon there are many options. Some rivers may fish best with red-, orange- or deep purple-colored eggs. In other systems the fish may react more readily to eggs of natural color. Then again, on certain days the bite may switch from red to purple eggs. What works great one day may not produce quite so well the next, so have a variety of cured eggs on hand. How a soft versus a dry egg is achieved in the curing process comes down to air-drying times. For soft eggs, once they are cured, they can be stored in their own juices or frozen while wet, without any air-drying time. If wishing to achieve firm eggs, air-dry them in a cool, shady place to your desired texture. For best results, place the eggs on a plastic grid-rack where air can circulate around them, and periodically rotate the eggs. Rotating the eggs will ensure they

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get uniformly dried. The longer you dry them, the harder they’ll become. When picking the best eggs to cure for salmon fishing, it comes down to personal preference. When fishing eggs under a float, I like large berries making up the egg cluster. This means mature eggs are ideal. The key is getting a soft piece of bait the fish will hang onto once it’s in their mouth, and mature eggs work well for this. When drifting eggs, it’s not necessary to have as big of berries or baits. The larger the cells, the more delicate they are – the smaller the cells, the tougher. This is why it’s important to have younger, less developed eggs for drifting. That way they stay in place and can be fished longer. My drift-fishing egg of choice comes from silver salmon, or early-season kings, as they cure nicely. When taken at the right time of season, these eggs are the perfect size. The early runs of red salmon and chums also put up nice eggs.

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POPEYE’S FAVORITE SALMON FEAST BY TIFFANY HAUGEN The versatility of salmon is amazing. Because it is a firm, fatty fish, it holds up to different preparations and easily retains moisture. Salmon can be steaked, filleted, stuffed, smoked, cubed, flaked and, as this recipe demonstrates, swirled. Salmon swirls stuffed with spinach offer a method of preparation that can be made up ahead of time and cooked right before serving (always refrigerate fish prior to cooking). They can be made larger or smaller, depending on size preference. When served in individual servings like this, there is no worry of running out of fish. Salmon swirls can also be fully cooked, cooled

and served on top of a bed of fresh greens for a unique salad. 1 ﬁllet of salmon (three to six servings) 2 cups fresh spinach leaves ½ cup dried cranberries or cherries ½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, pureed Salt and pepper to taste Additional olive oil for frying or grilling Slice salmon ﬁllet lengthwise into three to six strips. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Brush olive oil mixture on salmon strips. Press fruit and nuts into strips. Layer with spinach and roll into a swirl, securing with a toothpick. Salmon swirls can be cooked on the stove in a medium-hot pan and greased with olive oil or on a well-oiled grill. Cook two to four min-

utes per side or until salmon reaches desired doneness. Serve over wholewheat couscous or rice. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany and Scott Haugen’s popular book, Smoking Salmon & Steelhead, send a check for $20 (includes S&H), to P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

When back-trolling big rivers, large, wet baits can be used rather than smaller, firmer ones. Though the turbulence of large rivers can be hard on eggs, frequently changing them out for fresh ones ensures good scent and that colored baits remain in the water. No matter how you fish eggs this season, have a variety of cures on hand, not only in color, but in size and flavor. Don’t be afraid to experiment with various curing recipes, as variety can be the key to success. Before heading to any of Alaska’s rivers, check current regulations to make sure no bait or scent-use restrictions are in place. From that point, it’s a matter of getting out and catching fish. ASJ Editor’s notes: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Egg Cures: Proven Recipes & Techniques, send a check for $15 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. The author is also the new host of Alaska Outdoors TV, on the Outdoor Channel. 44 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2015

Eggs can be ﬁshed in a variety of ways, and work well on kings, chum and coho, as the author can attest to here with these Egegik River silvers. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

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FLYING ALASKA ON A 3-WEIGHT BEFORE SALMON HIT THE RIVERS, THERE ARE TROUT AND DOLLIES TO BE CAUGHT IN PANHANDLE STREAMS BY JEFF LUND

y cast unfolded over the water. It wasn’t necessarily a thing of beauty, but you tend to forget how pretty the toss is if it ends in a fish. The fly line slowly coiled as the current brought it toward me, but the fly still sat high in the water and approached the rising fish. It vanished behind a dark obstruction, which rose quickly from the water. I pulled backward. The line hardened and the fish thrashed. It’s almost impossible to describe the subsequent events in a new and meaningful way, so I’ll leave it simply: the fish fought; I won. I released it and it swam off. I took a breath, then made another cast. May and June are the between months. Steelhead still in the rivers in late May have been there a while and should probably be left alone. The available salmon are still in the salt and require a boat. But that doesn’t mean a river angler is without legitimate quarry. Southeast Alaska has fantastic trout fishing, and while the expected sizes are not what they are on the Kenai Peninsula or Bristol Bay systems, they are a perfect compliment to charter fishing on the ocean.

FRAME OF MY MIND When I was a kid, I cursed those dreaded Dolly Varden.

The author loves winter steelheading and summer salmon ﬁshing in his Southeast Alaska backyard, but May and June are underrated months to hit the rivers with a ﬂy rod and cast for trout and Dolly Varden. (JEFF LUND)

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They attacked my No. 4 and 5 spinners with enough ferocity to make me set the hook like it was a salmon. When I discovered the lightness of their desperate flailing, I wasted no time bringing them in and releasing them, all the while fuming at the time which was wasted reeling them in. This was especially loathed if my brother hooked up with a chrome coho, fresh from the ocean. But I’ve since learned. During the decade I lived in California, my passion for fishing was fulfilled in taking to cold, clear water that tumbled down the Sierra Nevada. It traversed the Central Valley and ultimately spilled into the San Francisco Bay after absorbing miles of agricultural runoff on its way through the maze of waterways known there as the Delta. I started with a 5-weight, but found great pleasure in a 7-foot, 6-inch, 1-weight fly rod. Six-inch brown trout felt like salmon, not bait. When I moved back to Alaska, I

Light ﬂy rods like 3-weights are perfect tools to cast for feisty Southeast Alaska Dolly Varden. (JEFF LUND)

brought with me the light-tackle approach. This time of year there’s a chance to be poetic about fly fishing. Throwing No. 18 Griffith’s Gnats or Elk Hair Caddis with my 3-weight fly rod is something I look forward to, and not just as something to get me through until the salmon show up. When the salmon are in, things are ruthless and almost

The rugged beauty of Southeast Alaska makes for an easy-on-the-eyes view even if the ﬁsh aren’t gobbling up your ﬂies. (JEFF LUND)

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predictable. The fish are of consistent size, you know you’re going to get more than a couple, and if you’re going for trout, you’re chucking ugly flesh flies or egg patterns.

FLIES AND METHODS Dry fly action can be fantastic in the same spots you’d expect them to be in the Lower 48. Work edges, behind rocks and in front of rocks, especially where water dumps into lakes. Ask the lodge owner or guides where you can pick up some fish and what patterns to use. For more Southeast Alaska rivers, Elk Hair Caddis and stimulators work great on top. I always have a couple different shades of caddis imitations, but usually use a black dubbed body with copper wire ribbing in a No. 14 to 16. They don’t have to be fished on a dead drift. Twitching, swinging and even short strips can get cutthroats and rainbows to take. In some areas, you can change fish like you change the channel. Put on small orange or red scud patterns, and the Dollies will come. If trout sip dry flies and take nymphs with poetic yet determined takes, Dolly Varden attack anything that’s shiny or red with carnivorous brutality. They are mean, and while a photo of one won’t get the reaction of an image of yourself with a cutthroat or rainbow, the memory of the tussle will be imprinted in your radius and ulna.

BEST OF ALASKA LODGES CROOKED CREEK RETREAT & OUTFITTERS Dorothy Baker is your owner-host and makes the Kenai Peninsula her year-round home. She will welcome you to her handcrafted log lodge that has earned the distinction of receiving the Sportsman’s News Platinum Outfitter and Cabela’s Outdoor Adventure Lodge designations. From the moment you arrive, Dorothy and her staff will make sure you have the fishing adventure of a lifetime. Whether you are after halibut, salmon, steelhead, grayling, Arctic char, want to fly fish those giant rainbows or fly out for some more fishing and bear viewing, they will put you on the fish. The lodge is a unique experience with chef-prepared meals featuring Alaska seafood, fresh greens and vegetables from the kitchen garden, homemade breads and smoked salmon, plus dinner with your guides. After breakfast they will pull the boat up in front of the lodge and take you to your fishing location – none of that trying to find the launch, parking and wondering which boat and guide you are suppose to meet. Crooked Creek’s staff takes care of everything for you. You fish and relax! Crooked Creek Retreat and Outfitters offers all-inclusive packages, including lodging, meals, guided fishing, fly-outs, all gear, boots, rain gear, fish processing and even throw in your fishing license and king stamps. They fish from the early season (May) through the late season (October), and offer spin and fly fishing gear. Give Dorothy a call at (907) 260-9014 and she will put just the right fishing adventure together for you. The best is you come a guest and leave family.

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As always, it’s important to pay attention to the strikes. A few friends and I were fishing the edge of where a creek dumped into a lake and I was having much more success. My buddies were casting parallel to the drop and stripping it in in front of the fish. Cool. However, if their rod tip was down and they were stripping in to the right, a hook set to the right would pull the fly out of the mouth of a fish unless the fish hit and turned its head. My buddies could feel the take, but weren’t hooking up. But lifting up did the trick. The lesson was to read the water, direction, location and to set the hook accordingly. It’s a simple consideration that will increase hookups. So if you’re heading up this summer and you want to really get your money’s worth, pack a lightweight rod, and after you’re done with hero shots of limits of kings, halibut and yelloweye, unwind on the river. There’ll certainly be plenty of daylight to stay out late into the evening. ASJ

To catch trout like these swimming in Alaskan creeks and rivers, be careful with your rod tip when setting the hook. Read the water, and watch which direction you pull up when feeling a strike. (JEFF LUND)

With daylight increasing and salmon still at sea, get out on a Southeast river with your best dry flies and light rods to find great rainbow and cutthroat fishing. (JEFF LUND)

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Arctic grayling might not carry the same cachet across the Alaskan Interior as other game ﬁsh, but they are majestic and feisty ﬁghters. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

THOSE FEISTY LITTLE FISH CASTING FOR CHENA RIVER’S ARCTIC GRAYLING

BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES

he sharp tug of a fish aggressively taking my Prince Nymph triggered an instant reaction from me, just like it had all day long – I sharply raisied the tip of my fly rod, setting the hook and played yet another fish to my open hand. It’s something I thoroughly enjoy repeating, and this trip in early May on the upper Chena River east of Fairbanks seemed to be made of all the right ingredients. I had caught and released so many fish that I lost count. Even before I had corralled this spirited fish I’d decided that it would be the last one on the day. Patiently gaining

line on my reel, I brought the fish closer, then kneeled in the water and reached out and gently secured the scrappy fighter. A beefy one it was, going about 15 inches in length. Cradling the slate gray-colored fish sideways, just below the water’s surface, allowed me to admire its beautiful shimmering dorsal fin as the water’s current helped to spread it open for a grand display. I paused for a moment, studying the different shades of color found among various patterns and along the fringe of the fin. I then carefully unhooked and released the feisty grayling. Arctic grayling can easily mesmerize me with their mystical appearance, and

taking some time to appreciate their inspiring looks is not an uncommon event for most ﬁshermen.

AN UNDERRATED EXPERIENCE Although the heartland of Alaska lacks the better known shiny salmon and barn door-sized halibut found in the Southcentral and Southeast regions, Interior waterways provide a great option for sportfishing. Anglers can catch native grayling in just about any flowing body of water. Grayling are widely dispersed all over the state. The fish are well known for having a never-ending appetite, and rarely do they pass up a meal. Small in stature when compared to a salmon, MAY 2015

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generally a mature fish weighs less than 2 pounds and grows to between 10 to 14 inches. Some Arctic grayling grow to over 18 inches, which is considered a trophy in Alaska. The fish have easily recognizable characteristics, the first of which is an oversized dorsal fin. The huge fin appears like a large sail above their sleek, dull-gray bodies, which is why they are often referred to by anglers as the “sailfish of the North.” Their fins are full of iridescent colorful and irregularly shaped spots in an assortment of various shades of purples, blues, reds and greens. The remaining fins are all gray except the pelvic fins, which display bold stripes in colorful hues of pink, red, and orange. Their body scale pattern appears like armor plating, with tones of blue, silver, black and gray. Arctic grayling are absolutely and uniquely Alaskan. Spinning or spincast rod-and-reel combos work terrific for catching grayling. Light and ultralight rods with medi-

In a unique, vast state like Alaska, there aren’t a lot of areas that can be considered urban ﬁshing, but the Chena River ﬂows right through the heart of the state’s second largest city, Fairbanks. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

um-fast action are a perfect choice for the small-bodied ﬁsh. You will also want to downsize your line and lure sizes. Spinning lures, spoons and small plastic tube jigs in sizes 0 to 3 all work well. A favorite

of mine is casting a small, solid-white single-hook crappie jig. I’ll let it sink to middepth and give it a swim motion while retrieving. Fly ﬁshermen will also ﬁnd Arctic grayling a perfect target on both dry

CHENA RIVER PRIMER The Chena River originates from five tributaries which stream out of Alaska’s rugged White Mountains east of Fairbanks. The North, South and West Forks and Little Chena all eventually converge into the Middle, or east, Fork, which serves as the river’s mainstem. The spring-fed Chena travels a winding course approximately 100 miles across the Interior through a unique and diverse landscape, most of which is a scenic designated state recreation area, which has the same namesake as the river. After passing a flood-control project, the Class II water continues moving through a portion of a military reservation, and then divides Fairbanks city center in half before flowing into the Tanana. The Chena is divided in two distinct sections thanks to a dam, which is used to divert the river in times of high water and thus prevent Fairbanks from being flooded. The “upper river” makes up 54 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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most of the length, and the “lower river” runs from the dam about 40 miles to the conﬂuence with the Tanana River. The Chena is one of the most actively used waterways in Interior Alaska for recreational boating and sportﬁshing because of the close proximity to populated Fairbanks and the convenience of a paved road system to several public access points along the river.

THE SPECIES Although resident sport fish like northern pike, humpback whitefish and burbot are present in the Chena, it’s the Arctic grayling that gets all the glory. Grayling exist throughout the river in good numbers and provide great sport for anglers of all levels. Their unique large, colorful oversized dorsal fin and a seemingly never-ending appetite make them easy to admire and also easy to catch. The fish are everything an angler could want from sportfishing,

except maybe a meal. Since grayling are eager to feed, it also makes them vulnerable to overfishing, which is what almost happened in the past. In order to allow the majestic fish to make a comeback, the Chena became strictly managed as a catch-andrelease-only fishery for Arctic grayling.

TACKLE BOX Light-action conventional fishing gear and small spinner lures will catch lots of fish. Try using lures in sizes 1 to 3 for best results. Fly fishermen will find rods in sizes 3- to 4-weight perfect for Chena grayling. Having a variety of both dry and wet flies will cover any condition encountered. The fish respond well to just about anything and everything thrown in their direction. I prefer to cast blue duns as my choice of a dry fly, and I also like using bead-headed nymph patterns to try and entice a bite below the surface. –DM

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The author carefully releases a Chena grayling. Due to overﬁshing, the river is open on a catch-and-release basis for the species. Only lures with single hooks are allowed. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

and wet fly presentations. The fish are sporty topwater feeders, and fishing with dries is my favorite method. Grayling are tenacious surface feeders, so much so that I have often thought I could simply entice a fish to rise and strike by using nothing more than a plain cotton ball. But when the topwater bite is off, going subsurface with streamers, leech patterns or nymphs is a good bet. I like using bead-headed Prince Nymphs and Copper Johns in hook sizes 12 to 16.

FAIRBANKS’ GRAYLING FISHERY Anglers looking to target Arctic grayling need to look no further than Fairbanks and the Chena River. It is the most actively used waterway of the Interior for recreational boating and sport ﬁshing because of its close proximity to the populated area and the convenience of a paved road system. Most importantly, the Chena hosts an abundant population of Arctic grayling. The river is a moderately sized springfed system that begins east of Fairbanks in the White Mountains. Five tributaries from the range eventually converge to create the river’s mainstem. The Chena tracks some 100 miles in total across the Interior, through the forested landscape of Chena River State Recreational Area 56 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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and the Tanana Valley Forest until it reaches a portion of military reservation land. The river cuts right into the heart of Fairbanks’ Golden Heart City Center, and ends its course a short distance away by flowing into the Tanana River. Arctic grayling inhabit the entire length of the Chena, and fishing access is at numerous bridges and public access points. Most fishermen look to get away from the urban area and travel east to find the upper river. The upper portion, which runs through the state recreational area, is reached by traveling Chena Hot Springs Road from Fairbanks. Good spots for wading and fishing wayside are easily found, as several campground areas and trailheads adjacent to the river are present, which also provide additional recreational activities. Floating the river in a raft or canoe is also popular and a great way to cover lots of water while fishing numerous hot spots. It also allows anglers to get away from the roadside, enjoy the forested landscaped and experience potential wildlife viewing. Since there are several put-in and take-out points, you can plan trips of various lengths and degrees of difficulty. Those wanting to float the upper river to Fairbanks – about 50 miles –

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Grayling arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t particularly big, but they can provide lots of enjoyment and eye candy for Chena River anglers. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)

ingly bite at everything in the open water, since they spend almost half the year with the river covered by ice. Their ability to survive in the extreme cold weather conditions of Interior Alaska creates a fondness in me for them.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

should allow a minimum of ďŹ ve days. Visiting anglers should note that the Chena River is designated as solely a catch-and-release ďŹ shery for Arctic grayling. Since numbers declined signiďŹ cantly in the 1970s from overharvesting, Alaska Department of Fish and Game established regulations to protect the

ďŹ sh. The rules allow just lures with single hooks and no bait. I was not living in Alaska when harvesting grayling from the Chena was not of concern. Firsthand experience in the last 10 years of ďŹ shing the river, however, has shown me just how easy it would be to clean out the species. The ďŹ sh seem-

After watching that ďŹ nal grayling of the day quickly swim away, I broke down my ďŹ&#x201A;y rod and packed up for the short drive home. I reďŹ&#x201A;ected on my experience and a day ďŹ lled with wild action from these eager ďŹ sh. Looking at the plentiful number of ďŹ sh in the river today, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to believe that the grayling were almost wiped out of the system a couple decades ago. The grayling of the Chena have certainly made a remarkable comeback. I for one am very pleased they did. ASJ Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: For more on Dennis Musgravesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ďŹ shing obsession in Alaska, check out his organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, alaskansalmonslayers.com.

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ÍĄÍ&#x2DC;Í&#x;ÇŚÍ&#x153;Í Í&#x17E;ÇŚÍ?ÍĄÍĄÍĄ Â&#x192;Â&#x203A;Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2014;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;ĚťÂ&#x203A;Â&#x192;Â&#x160;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2018;Ç¤Â&#x2026;Â&#x2018;Â? Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122;Ç¤Â&#x192;Â&#x203A;Â&#x192;Â?Â&#x2014;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2039;Â?Â&#x192;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021;Â?Â&#x2013;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2021;Â&#x2022;Ç¤Â&#x2026;Â&#x2018;Â? 58 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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Sometimes, pulling up a pot results in just a measly portion of a gallon, how shrimp hauls are measured in Alaska. But while shrimping in Prince William Sound the authors found one of their pots to be extra-heavy, as the sea delivered a massive catch. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

A POT OFSHELLFISHING SHRIMP THE DEPTHS OF FOR SUE PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND BY KRYSTIN MCCLURE AND BIXLER MCCLURE

very great adventure includes that special person who takes care of everything while you are gone. You never hear about them as they sit quietly in the background, gathering your mail, checking on your house, feeding your cats. This person is essential to the great Alaskan adventure since cell service is sparse and one may be gone for a month at a time. We have

that person, and her name is Sue. Sue is Bixler’s mom and my motherin-law. She is an undisclosed number of years young, born and raised in Seward, and ﬂexes her political arm representing the eastern Kenai Peninsula on the borough assembly. She is the lucky person who manages our day-to-day activities while we are gone. Sometimes, she is happy with it since she gets full use of our hot tub; at other times reluctant, like that weekend she needed to come out to our house three times a day to apply an-

tibiotics into our cats’ eyes. Regardless, she is reliable, and, like Saul Goodman’s famous tagline in Breaking Bad, when something goes amiss or something is required, we “better call Sue.”

LAST SUMMER, ON our annual Prince William Sound sailing trip, we dropped anchor in a small cove to wait out a passing storm. We grumbled when another sailboat joined us, but immediately they came over with a friendly hello. The young Australian couple who owned the MAY 2015

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boat said they had just completed the Northwest Passage, the sea route over the top of Canada and Alaska. During the pouring rain of the storm, we talked about their trip, but became more intrigued when they decided to pull their shrimp pot before the winds kicked up. Using their dinghy, they simply handpulled the pot and gathered the delicious deep-water shrimp trapped inside. It was surprisingly simple; for years we had been turned off of the idea of shrimp pots because of the hardware, like a pot puller, that would be required. The Australians proved us wrong. Immediately, the gears started turning in our heads. How can we get a shrimp pot in the middle of our vacation? Better call Sue. Prince William Sound has sparse cell service, but as soon as Bixler saw a bar appear on his phone he called Sue. After listening about the cats, the house, local politics, and the latest Seward gossip, Bixler coolly dropped the question. “Are you going to Anchorage any time soon?”

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The port of Cordova, in Prince William Sound, is one of many launching points in Southcentral Alaska to chase delicious shrimp in deep water. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

“Nooo,” Sue replied sounding skeptical. “Why?” “We were wondering if you could pick up a shrimp pot and all the gear in Anchorage and send it general delivery to us in Cordova?”

Sue sighed. Bixler promised her a gift from Cordova and a bag of shrimp in exchange. After much convincing, Sue agreed to make the 240-mile round trip from Seward to Anchorage to pick up a set of shrimping gear, repack it for the

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post office, and mail it general delivery to Cordova – all while we were soaking up the sights of Prince William Sound, likely with a beer in hand. On a stormy day, we called Sue on our satellite phone. After going through the same round of conversations (cats, house, politics, gossip), Sue updated us on the status of our shrimp gear. “Well, the nice young man at the post office said the line and buoy would arrive on time, but I couldn’t send the pot priority, so it may not come there in time. I called the post office in Cordova and they said they would just send the pot back after seven days.” We sighed. Sue had done well, but it was out of our control now. Cordova is off the road system, so mail that is not on the next plane is on the next ferry.

WE ARRIVED IN Cordova and immediately picked up the line and buoy at the post office and our shrimp permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office. In our three-day stay, the shrimp pot never arrived, so Bixler started to ask around. The harbormaster’s office recommended a commercial fishing store behind the harbor buildings, and sure enough, we picked up the last shrimp pot in town. We spent an afternoon tagging the line in 100-foot sections along the dock. An attractive young woman walked by, and Bixler, who had been engaged in conversation for the last hour, paused at the moment she walked down the dock. I called him on it and we had a good laugh. We updated Sue before leaving Cordova and told her to watch for the pot since it might return to Seward while we were still on vacation. She sighed again after telling us our house looked fine, though the garden was overrun with weeds. After leaving Cordova we were soon out of cell range. Our baited pot with its 600 feet of weighted line and a buoy stating our vessel name was ready for the first drop. The general consensus on locating shrimp territory is “deep and steep.” A steep dropoff into the abyss is the favorite location of shrimp. We 64 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2015

The authors were pleased to pull up some shrimp that were the size of baby lobsters, ensuring some great meals back home in Seward. (KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

would soon learn a few other pointers too. Shrimp love the terminal moraines of glaciers, of which there are many in Prince William Sound. Our ﬁrst drop did not go smoothly. We neglected to properly unspool the line beforehand, resulting in giant tangles as the pot dropped off the side of our boat. A sailboat is not exactly the most ideal boat for shrimping because of the many underwater obstructions such as the keel and the fact they are unwieldy at low speeds. While I was on the bow trying to untangle a bird’s nest the size of a basketball, Bixler was trying to station-keep the boat without wrapping the prop in our brand new line. In the end, we

Shrimp pots are often baited with ﬁsh carcasses, punctured cans of cat food as well as commercial mixes. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

dropped the pot and our hard work earned us zero shrimp. As we pulled the pot, I suggested that we carefully lay the line in the cockpit of the Carpe Ventos, much like a longliner ﬁsherman lays line in a bucket. The trick worked and the second drop was much smoother. The only drag about this location was that a quick-moving storm rolled in; we found ourselves pulling our pot in 30 knots of wind at 5 a.m. as we tried to ﬁnd a more secure anchorage. We did end up with 20 shrimp in our pot.

WE SPENT THE rest of the trip practicing and learning the different types of shrimp present in Prince William Sound.

SHRIMPING 101 Want to head out shrimping? There are many types of gear conﬁgurations that people advocate. Since we don’t have an electric, gas or hydraulic pot puller, we cannot link together multiple pots on the same line and buoy. However, a Google search will provide many ideas and techniques for this. We use a 600-foot spool of weighted, sinking line attached with longlining clips to a mesh shrimp pot. Inside, we use commercial shrimp bait, any carcasses we have, and some cans of cat food with holes punched in the tops and bottoms. Attach this to an A-1 buoy properly marked, drop it, let the pot soak awhile and retrieve. A couple key notes to remember: Because of drift, be sure to drop in a conservative depth range with extra line available. For example, do not drop

a 600-foot line in 590 feet of water. Simply, the best advice is to go deep and steep. The best depths that we have had are between 400 and 600 feet. However, shrimp can be found shallower and deeper. Experiment. We actually have found shrimp in 300 feet on completely ﬂat bottoms. Have multiple pots, buoys and line set-ups. That way you can spread out your gear and try different areas. If you know – or think – you are in a good area, then you can attach multiple pots to a bottom line, which is connected to the line which attaches to your buoy. Know you regulations! Certain areas in Alaska are open to Alaska residents only. Check the ADFG ﬁshing regulations to know open areas, buoy requirements, etc. –BM

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SHELLFISH RECIPES TO REMEMBER While there are many ways to cook shrimp – see Forrest Gump for a list – the key is to not overcook them. We use the technique of introducing them to heat for a minute or several, then removing them (for sushi, use boiling water). For tacos or similar, a couple minutes in a skilled is all you need. The other key is not to make the dish or seasonings too complicated. Shrimp has a very delicate ﬂavor, and you don’t need to overpower it. You may think you know good shrimp, but not so until you’ve had Alaskan shrimp! Shrimp Tacos Tortillas Avocado, diced Tomato, diced Cilantro, chopped Sour cream Hot sauce

(BIXLER MCCLURE)

Cheese Bell pepper, diced Olive oil Chipotle seasoning, dried Garlic salt Assemble whatever you would like to put on a taco (see above; but salsa, mole sauce, guacamole, etc., are also great toppings). Remove body from

Spot shrimp were the most common, but we also pulled up side stripe, coon stripe and the occasional humpy. We had yet to pull up one of those legendary pots where you fill an entire 5-gallon bucket with shrimp. The Prince William Sound shrimp permit has you list your catch in gallons and we found there was only enough room to list “0.1” gallons; not any less. As our trip came to a close, we approached a spot given to us by a fellow fishing friend. He never fished the spot for shrimp, but it had all the ideal characteristics: deep and steep, near the terminal moraine of a glacier, and in a known shrimping area of Prince William Sound. We decided to try it out. We stationed the boat in 450 feet of water and, like experts, dropped the pot with ease. We went and anchored up for the night, dreaming of shrimp. Someday, we will have enough shrimp for more than just tacos. The next morning, we motored out on glassy, milky-blue seas. I stood on the bow with the gaff ready and instructed 66 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

Alaskan shrimp taco.

MAY 2015

Bixler toward the buoy. With careful timing, I grabbed the buoy with the gaff and walked it towards the stern, where Bixler grabbed it and began to pull. “It feels heavy,” Bixler said. I had a sense of déjà vu since he said basically the same thing each time we’d pulled the pot. One time it felt heavy because we put an entire lingcod carcass in the pot and shrimp ignored it. As he pulled it up hand-over-hand, I coiled the line in the cockpit. We switched off when he grew tired. I did not last long and soon passed it back to Bixler. Slowly, the pot emerged through the cloudy water. It did not look completely black as usual. Instead, the entire bottom of the pot was pink. Shrimp! And lots of them! The cat food can and cod carcass we had placed in the pot had been picked clean. We both dropped our jaws in awe. The shrimp were giant spot shrimp the size of small lobsters. Bixler dumped the contents of the pot out in the cockpit and shrimp went everywhere. He counted 76 total, which ﬁlled the three

shrimp and rinse tails. Cook tails in skillet with olive oil, chipotle and garlic salt until bright pink (around one to two minutes). Remember to not overcook! Remove from skillet and peel tail. Now assemble your tacos, and that’s it. This is a great way to dine on an amazing shellﬁsh! You don’t need to catch gallons of shrimp to feast like a king with this recipe. –BM

gallon-sized bags. Finally, we were able to mark more than “0.1 gallons” on our shrimp permit.

OUR TRIP WAS coming to an end and we planned to make a crossing back to Seward a day early to avoid another storm. We put the shrimp in our small DC-powered freezer. As we rounded Cape Resurrection towards home, cell service reappeared. Bixler called Sue to inform her of our impending return and she immediately brought up the topic of shrimp. Our other pot had arrived back in Seward and was now sitting in our garage; Sue was having a shrimp craving after carting it to and from the post office. A few days later I spent a few hours making shrimp tempura and sushi for dinner. I had six rolls and a pile of shrimp tempura with dipping sauces laid out on the table and was working on the ﬁnal roll. It was a feast and I told Bixler as I was ﬁnishing up, “Dinner’s almost ready. Lots of shrimp for your mom. Better call Sue.” ASJ

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Port

PROFILE

SOUNDING OFF IN VALDEZ

CITY’S PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, LAKES ARE FULL OF FISH

The Valdez small boat harbor is the port of call for anglers in search of the salmon, halibut and rockﬁsh of Prince William Sound. (VALDEZ CONVENTION AND VISITOR’S BUREAU)

BY SELAH BAUER

magine fishing in a beautiful setting, where the ocean meets the mountains; where glaciers hang out nearby; where breathtaking waterfalls drape off nearly every mountainside and incredible wildlife abound. Valdez, Alaska, creates a picture-perfect backdrop for abundant activities and adventure throughout the year. The city is located on Prince William Sound, a premier year-round fishing destination for wild Alaskan salmon, rockfish, lingcod and some of the most accessible halibut in Alaska. Anglers can drop a line from shore, take their own boat out into the beautiful sound, or hire a professional fishing charter to take them onto the water. Regardless of what fishing adventure you choose, you’re likely to catch enough fish to eat for dinner or to fill up your freezer with. There are various ponds and lakes located in and around Valdez that are stocked with fish. Centrally located in Valdez, Ruth Pond is a great place for families with kids to cast a line. Each year the Alaska Department of Fish and Game plants Ruth Pond with trout. Blueberry Lake, located in Thompson Pass, is stocked with rainbows. Both locations are surrounded by beautiful scenery that’s sure to create a stunning backdrop to any fishing adventure. Or you can also try your hand at fly fishing in local rivers and streams for trout, grayling and Dolly Varden. Valdez is home to the oldest fish derbies in Alaska. We encourage anyone, regardless of age, gender or skill level, to enter the fishing derby and potentially win thousands of dollars in prize money each year. The thrill of reeling in a re-

The Valdez Silver Salmon Derby is a popular event to chase the area’s salmon bounty. This year’s begins on July 18. In the meanwhile, colorful rockﬁsh as well as lingcod, halibut and Chinook are among the species Valdez anglers can target. (VALDEZ FISH DERBIES; VALDEZ CONVENTION AND VISITOR’S BUREAU)

cord-breaking fish is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s no accident that fish are bountiful in Valdez, and why so many people choose it as their fishing destination. A concerted effort has been made between the Solomon Gulch Hatchery (located on Dayville Road in Valdez), ADFG, the City of Valdez and the commercial fishing industry in the Prince William Sound to ensure sufficient numbers of salmon return each year. Working together in a variety of ways, these entities help with the rearing and release of millions of wild pink and coho salmon smolts every year. And from July through September, visitors have a unique opportunity to view adult salmon returning to the hatchery by the thousands. Come visit Valdez and experience your own fishing adventure. ASJ Editor’s note: Selah Bauer is the events coordinator for the Valdez Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. For more on Valdez, call (907) 835-2984, or go to valdezalaska.org. MAY 2015

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ALCAN HIGHWAY TRAVEL GUIDE WHAT TO DO AND SEE ON THE 1,390-MILE JOURNEY FROM DAWSON CREEK, B.C., TO DELTA JUNCTION, ALASKA Part I of IV: British Columbia

On this leg of the journey north, you’ll be driving through some rugged, spectacular British Columbia country on the way to the Yukon Territory border. (ALBERT NORMANDIN/DESTINATION BC) 72 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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he numbers say Americans drive a lot of cars a lot of miles. The Department of Transportation reports 74.4 million registered highway vehicles in 1960, with that number up to 153 million and change by 2011. And while getting behind the wheel is usually a necessary evil – driving to work, to school, to the grocery store – it’s also a way to see the country for those who have the time and patience to drive long stretches of American roads. There are patches of pavement that are sacred to that end: Route 66; Monterey’s 17-mile drive; the Las Vegas Strip. And then there’s the Alaska-Canadian Highway. The Alcan isn’t known for iconic diners, waves breaking off of the famed 18th Hole at Pebble Beach, or fool drivers into thinking they’re speeding though Egypt, Camelot, New York City, the Roman Empire, Paris and that world superpower, Steve Wynn-istan, anytime soon. But its 1,390 miles, covering a sometimes quirky, sometimes lonely, always paved stretch from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Milepost 1,390 in Delta Junction, Alaska, is a remarkable stretch of pavement with a lot of history that begins with the outbreak of World War II. As early as 1930, a joint American-Canadian contingent began to study the feasibility and logistics of erecting a drivable road from British Columbia all the way to Alaska. But the Wall Street crash and ensuing Great Depression was the main reason why those plans seemed to fall through over the ensuing and very trying decade throughout North America. Then along came the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and it became a priority to create a safe land route from the Lower 48 north to Alaska. “An agreement was made: the U.S. would pay for the construction, with the sections on Canadian soil to be turned over to Canada six months after the end of the war,” writes the fantastic Alaska Highway website, ouralaskahighway. com. “Canada, in turn, would provide the right-of-way, waive import duties and other taxes, offer special arrangements for incoming American workers and permit the free use of timber and gravel

where required.” Construction began in March 1942, the highway opened that November, and the U.S. Army completed work on the road by November of 1943. The Alcan now connects the 49th state with its Lower 48 brothers, with two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and the Yukon Territory) as the links. Over this and the next three issues of Alaska Sporting Journal, come along with us as we head for the Last Frontier via the Alcan Highway. Part I, below, covers the road from Dawson Creek, B.C., roughly 700 to 900 miles north of Canadian entry ports in

There’s a long stretch of road between miles 47 and 283 with very few services. Assuming you’ve stocked up on snacks and drinks – not to mention Tim Horton’s donuts – your best bet might just be to pull off the highway and enjoy Canada’s wilderness along with some refreshments. (ALBERT NOMANDIN/ DESTINATION BC

Washington, Idaho and Montana, to the Yukon border.

Mile Zero “The Sign” is among Dawson Creek’s sights The Dawson Creek Tourism Office (tourismdawsoncreek.com) touts itself as “Start Your Alaska Highway Journey Here,” and of course you have to start out your trip at the town’s famous sign. Everyone loves to find a good photo op, and expect to be plenty on a trip like this. So you might as well bag the first one right away. The “Mile O Cairn” features flags of British Columbia, the Canadian Maple Leaf and the Stars and Stripes. “Become part of the highway’s history, where over one million people have started their journey with a photograph at this iconic location,” a Dawson Creek visitor’s guide says. “This is your Facebook moment.” Since we’re already snapping selfies, let’s head across town and check out the Surveyor Statue, “a tribute to the tens of thousands of men who built the highway, the Iron Highway Surveyor Statue stands as a ghostly reminder of the building of the Alaska Highway.”

Mile 34 Peace River Bridge and “World’s Largest Golf Ball” If you’re a road tripper, you enjoy the novelties of where you’re

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Mile 283 Fort Nelson, or, The last stoplight you hit in B.C. About 320 miles from the Yukon Territory border, now might be a good place to pull over, ﬁnd a hotel, then get yourself a nice dinner and a glass of wine (or stronger if your kids have gotten on your nerves). Fort Nelson (fortnelsonbc.com) has a population of about 6,100. It is also said to be home to the most northerly stoplight in B.C., on the highway as you enter the city from the south. Mile 373 Summit Lake, highway’s high point A moose cools off in the area around Summit Lake. At around 4,200 feet, it marks the highest point on the Alcan. (DESTINATION BC/ALBERT NORMANDIN)

traveling, whether it’s the biggest this or tallest that; there’s something about knowing you’re in the presence of greatness. OK, that may be a bit extreme. But shortly into your trip on the Alcan, you’ll cross the Peace River, which cuts across northern British Columbia and into neighboring province Alberta before emptying into the Slave River, a tributary of the mighty MacKenzie, which drains into the Arctic Ocean. According to ouralaskahighway.com, the Peace River Bridge was built in 1943 and spanned 2,130 feet, the longest of six major bridges spanning the Alaska. However, nature, in the form of a landslide, proved to be an unbeatable force,” says a story on the website. “In 1957, 14 years after it opened, this magniﬁcent structure collapsed – its north abutment falling over in the landslide, snapping its steel cabling, smashing the roadbed into pieces.” The bridge was rebuilt in 1960, and is certainly worth a stop this time. Just up the road in Taylor (Mile 35), don’t leave town without making a pilgrimage to another site Clark Griswold and Ty Webb (Chevy Chase characters in the Vacation movies and Caddyshack, respectively) would surely ﬂock to. Taylor (Mile 36) is home to the “world’s largest golf ball.” You may not have time to play 18 holes at Taylor’s Lone Wolf Golf Club (1250-789-3711; lonewolfgolf.ca), but 76 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2015

check out the course’s former fuel tank shaped like a ball (this is screaming for partnership between the city of Taylor and golﬁng equipment maker TaylorMade). According to britishcolumbia.com, the “ball” is 12.89 meters in diameter and weighs 37 tons.

You drive over far loftier mountain passes in the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas, but at no point on your Alcan journey will you be at a higher elevation than the 4,250 feet of Summit Pass.

Mile 47 Dunk some donuts in Fort St. John When in Canada, right? Now would be as a good time as any to do what any true Canadian does just about every day: make an appearance at a Tim Horton’s (two locations in town; timhortons. ca), eh. The best donut north of Krispy Kreme, Tim Horton’s locations are ubiquitous once you cross the 49th Parallel. Named for late hockey star Tim Horton (hey, this is Canada, where puckheads even rule the donut world), you owe it to yourself to get a Canadian Maple donut and a cup of coffee to get energized for a lot of driving.

Miles 51 to 283 Enjoy solitude; also, trees Frankly, there isn’t a lot happening for this long stretch of pavement. There are a few blink-or-you’ll-miss-it stops for gas, food or lodging. Stops like Wonowon (Mile 101) and Pink Mountain (140) have basic services available to get some gas or a quick bite to eat. Campgrounds and RV parks also dot the highway heading up to the next major community, Fort Nelson.

At 2,130 feet long, the Peace River Bridge represents the longest span on the Alcan Highway. (OURBC.COM)

Muncho Lake is one of the more beautiful sights you’ll encounter on the highway. (DESTINATION BC/ALBERT NORMANDIN)

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Stone’s sheep meander across the Alcan. Wildlife abounds along the 1,390-mile route through Canada and Alaska. (DESTINATION BC/ALBERT NORMANDIN)

Mile 436 Munchies? Stop by Muncho Lake and catch a trout dinner You’re almost through British Columbia. But, like a lot of other places in this beautiful province, you can’t simply do a drive-by shooting (with a camera) without getting out of the car and taking in the scene at this

pristine mountain setting. Camping around Muncho Lake (env.gov.bc.ca/ bcparks/explore/parkpgs/muncho_ lk) is available at nearby Strawberry Flats or MacDonald campgrounds. If you feel the need to wet your line, the lake is full of lake trout, grayling, bull trout and whiteﬁsh.

Mile 603 Hello, Yukon border! So, you’ve surely broken up the trip thus far into two days, seeing historic bridges, giant Titleists, donuts to die for, and, if you’re lucky, some roadside wildlife. Join us next month as we continue our Alcan Highway trip planner in the Yukon. ASJ

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Chris Ayers caught this Dolly Varden at Uganik Lake in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which offers 22 low-cost cabins for visitors. (USFWS/NATHAN SVOBODA)

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ountains surround you. The ﬂoatplane that brought you has left. Civilization is hours away. The only sounds you hear are the calls of loons on the lake outside your door. What do you do now? Catch Dolly Varden and sockeye salmon until your arms give out. Then spy eagles, fox and brown bears. Shove off for hours – or days – in your pack boat, returning only to feast and cozy

up by the ﬁre. Thank your lucky stars you snagged a week’s stay in a coveted public-use cabin on scenic Kodiak or Kenai National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. But if you’re thinking of reserving, don’t wait. The refuges’ 22 low-cost cabins ($45 a night) typically book up as soon as they become available online, six months in advance. Summer and fall are high season, especially for anglers, photographers and hunters. The easiest-to-reach cabins go ﬁrst.

Even winter offers a unique opportunity to enjoy these remote cabins. Here, USFWS regional interpretive and environmental education specialist Kevin Painter skis past the Engineer Lake cabin at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (USFWS) MAY 2015

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It takes a ﬂoatplane to get to this wild setting, and the amenities are hardly of the ﬁve-star variety, but if you’re willing to rough it, the experience can be memorable. (USFWS)

too. “We’d take the raft across the lake later in the evening when the larger bears came out,” Hartmann says.

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“I’d love to do the same trip again, frankly,” says Steve Hartmann, who along with his brother and a friend, rented Kodiak Refuge’s South Frazer Lake cabin for a week last July. “The ﬁshing was excellent,” adds

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Hartmann, the Bureau of Land Management’s Fairbanks district manager. “We caught Dolly Varden, rainbows and hooked a few king salmon unexpectedly. They gave us quite a ﬁght.” Wildlife spotting lived up to legend

It’s not just Alaskans who make use of refuge cabins. Mississippi State University professors Chris Ayers and Alix Hui joined their friend Nathan Svoboda and his dog, Kio, at Kodiak Refuge’s Uganik Lake cabin last June. It was Ayers’ and Hui’s first trip to Alaska and their first time on a floatplane. They stayed three days at Uganik, fishing and hiking, then scored another first to their memory list. “My favorite part of the trip was that we decided to load our boat and float out of the lake down the river to the bay,” says Ayers. “We had oars to help us work the rapids and rocks. The Dolly Varden and cutthroat fishing on this stretch of the river was outstanding. We used a satellite phone to call the pilot service and arrange to be picked up on an island in the bay.”

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THE BENEFITS OF GETTING “CABIN FEVER” What makes refuge cabins so popular? For one thing, sleeping inside four walls has an undeniable appeal in bear country. For another, the warm, dry cabins offer shelter from the coldest and wettest of Alaska’s often cold, wet weather; even families with young kids stay there (Kenai cabins have wood stoves; Kodiak cabins boast oil heaters). The clincher, says Kevin Painter, interpretive specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska region: the cabins give people a safe, affordable way to experience the 49th state’s raw beauty. “Staying in either the Kodiak or Kenai cabins is like having your own piece of real Alaska,” says Painter. “The cabins are in places of solitude that are wild and beautiful. It is what most people think of when they envision that ideal Alaskan experience.” You needn’t take his word for it. Sneak a peek at some random entries in Kodiak cabin logs:

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GETTING THERE Reservations Recreation.gov Kenai Refuge cabins Recreation.gov/camping/kenai-national-wildlife-refuge-cabins/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72337 Kodiak Refuge cabins Recreation.gov/camping/kodiak-national-wildlife-refuge-cabins/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75541 Amenities Bunk beds, outhouse, wood stove or oil heater Cost $45/night plus transportation, gear and food Air transport Seaplane operators, such as Andrew Airways (907-487-2566; .andrewairways.com) charge by cargo weight (generally 800 pounds or 1,200 pounds) and distance Other costs Airfare to Alaska, satellite phone Changes Little River Cabin at Kodiak Refuge is no longer available Other options The U.S. Forest Service also provides cabins to rent in the Tongass (fs.usda.gov/activity/tongass/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=78613&actid=101) and Chugach National Forests (fs.usda.gov/activity/chugach/recreation/ camping-cabins/?recid=4832&actid=101). -SM August 8-11: “Incredible sockeye spawning on the N Fork inlet stream. Pink salmon coming through in waves.” – Dan Murch, Bolinas, Calif. August 11-18 (in all caps): “I can’t imagine anything better than this place.” – James G. Miekel Pruitt

A PLACE FOR ALL SEASONS Some cabin enthusiasts prefer it colder. Every Thanksgiving for the past six years, Simone Owens has rented a Kenai Refuge cabin with her husband, Chris, and their son and daughter. “We sled, we explore and ice ﬁsh on

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the lake,” says the Nikiski, Alaska, resident. “It’s an escape, no matter the time of year you go.” Carmen and Conrad Field look forward to their family’s annual winter visit to Kenai’s Engineer Lake cabin. The Homer couple began the tradition when their daughter Eryn was 1. She’s now 9. “She feels like it’s her cabin,” says Carmen. “We go every January, February or March so we can ski and ice ﬁsh. In a typical year, you can drive across the lake in your car; or pull a pulk (sled) behind skis to the cabin. That way you don’t have to hike a mile in.” Last year the family hitched Eryn to their black Lab and the puppy pulled her on skis across the lake.

GIVE IT A SHOT! Alaska cabins attract hardy souls who are willing to rough it to experience a storied wilderness setting. If you can’t do without indoor plumbing and gas heat, it’s best to look elsewhere. As to the area’s star attractions –

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Kio the dog joined Chris Ayers, Alix Hui, Nathan the bears – not Svoboda for a memorable fishing trip at a cabin everyone spots overlooking Uganik Lake in the Kodiak Refuge. (USFWS) one. But leaf through a cabin logbook and you’ll find plenty of entries from visitors who do. Most are pretty tame, and then there’s this story: A writer recounts how a “magnificent” sow with two cubs charged and backed him into the water, “popping jaws, woofing and bouncing up and down.” Editor’s note: The author is the communiThen she gathered up her cubs and cations officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife continued upriver. Service. For more info on the USFWS and its The writer, “Daddy O,” took it all refuges, go to fws.gov and fws.gov/refuges. in stride. “Five days without a showYou can also contact public affairs specialist er must (have) convinced her I wasn’t Vanessa Kauffman at vanessa_kauffman@ worth eating.” ASJ fws.gov or (703) 358-2138.

EVERTS AIR CARGO Everts Air Cargo prides itself on being an Alaskan-owned and -operated company. To pay tribute to those cultural roots it has so ﬁrmly planted, Everts has several programs that help animals in rural communities, the elderly and Alaska’s environment itself. The Everts Animal Care program (EAC) is designed to create an easier, more affordable way to get animals in the bush the proper care they need. Everts Air Cargo’s “Honor Our Elders” program was developed with the idea in mind that elders are respected, appreciated members of our community who have nurtured and raised those that they love. Through it, any individual over 65 receives a discount of 10 percent on all shipments. And to promote the preservation and beautiﬁcation of Alaska, Everts’ Recycling Today for Tomorrow collects any old materials that could contaminate the ground, air, and water systems. Looking towards the future of Alaska and the well being of its citizens, it is important to initiate positive changes and practices. For more on any these programs, contact Everts Air Cargo at (907) 243-0009 or visit www.evertsair.com.

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CAMPOUTS, Alaska Style BY PAUL D. ATKINS

WHETHER A LEISURELY FISHING TRIP OR SUBSISTENCE HUNTING, IT’S ALL ABOUT LOCATION

’ve camped a lot here in the Arctic. Most times it was in a tent on some no-name river or on a piece of ice-covered tundra, where the snow was too deep and the earth wasn’t too smooth, especially at night.

Most of my camping experiences have had to do with hunting – some solo, some shared with good friends. Simple waypoints were where a tent was easily set up, gear stored and, with a little luck, spent comfortably without rain fall-

ing. All were memorable and beautiful. When people think of camping, the ﬁrst thought that comes to mind is pitching a tent and roasting s’mores. This is true, but in the Arctic it is much more complex than that. Camps are legacies and legendary places where generations of people

Some camps are hard to ﬁnd and harder to get to for good reason. Alaska is big and some of the best hunting can only be found in the backcountry. Wall tents such as this one are ideal for these situations. (PAUL D. ATKINS) MAY 2015

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This lean-to located along the coast makes a perfect base come September’s waterfowl season. Easy access, out of the wind and complete with a portable stove, this camp lets a hunter concentrate on ducks when they come rolling in. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

Most cabins, like the dilapidated one in the background, still have charm. Built many years ago along the river, its rustic appearance doesn’t seem to bother a moose. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

– usually from the same family – have shared their existence and culture for many, many years. Well-known places get designated with simple names like “Jones Camp” and “Snyder’s Camp,” while some get labeled with more detailed names throughout the region.

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THE ESSENTIALS Most Arctic camps include a cabin of some kind and even houses in some instances. Others are simple wall tents or even a plywood shack. All exist for a speciﬁc reason and serve a purpose. Some are summer getaways, where friends and families travel upriver to get

away from town and enjoy the solitude of the outdoors. Others are subsistence camps, where fish racks line the bank and are full of salmon and other delicacies that will sustain the hunters and fishermen and make life more enjoyable. Some camps are designed specifically for hunters who just want to get

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out of the cold, dry off from a wet Alaskan experience, and perhaps get some needed rest before the next day repeats the cycle. These are simple enclosures surrounded by plywood, complete with a wood stove and cache of wood to keep the chill away. A makeshift clothesline usually dangles from the ceiling loaded down with gloves and hats drying off in the warm heat. These simple cabins are not luxurious by any means, but serve their purpose. All are important to Alaskan culture, especially here in the bush.

A PERFECT SPOT If you take a ride up any river here in Northwest Alaska – whether by boat, snowmachine or even a dog sled – you will see a wide variety and assortment of camps. Most are located along riverbanks, and for good reason. Access is key in the Arctic, regardless of whether it’s for fishing or just to get from one point to another; all are chosen for a specific reason. Trails leading up the bank are quite common and they are well-worn paths leading to paradise. Some you can’t see and are built within the trees to keep out of the wind and attain a measure of privacy. Camps aren’t usually that far from towns or villages; a short ride up the river and you’re there. This is very convenient, especially on a weekday when getting out after work is your goal. Fridays are the busiest. Lines at the gas pump, filling barrels and jugs, and then a flurry of boats and/or sno-gos can be seen heading north. If you hear someone say, “We’re going to camp,” it has significant purpose and should be planned with great detail. When the weather is nice it isn’t unusual to see children playing outside and the older kids hunting or fishing near camp. Some have lookout towers placed near the cabin, where hunters can climb up and hopefully locate a caribou or moose that ventures too close. Everyone enjoys camp, taking in all that the experience can offer. Some families have made camp their home full time, only to come to town and get 94 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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supplies when needed.

LIFE IN CAMP My first “camp” experience came by accident during the fall of 1994 when I’d first arrived in Alaska. I came up for a week to visit my uncle and look for caribou. Our hunt was only for a couple of days and took place on a boat owned by a friend. Each day we would cruise up and down the river hoping to find an unexpecting bull close to the bank. It was a bittersweet event. The beauty that surrounded us as we made our way up the river was something to see, but the rain was relentless – a continuous downpour that didn’t let up from the time we left until we got back.

The next day wasn’t much better, but the wind had calmed and we decided to go in another direction down a different river. We had a great time and were able to take a couple of nice bulls. The weather, however, wasn’t so nice and kept us from crossing a big lake that separated us from town. Rolling waves and 7- to 8-foot caps are bad business in an open boat and deﬁnitely something you don’t mess with, even in your worst dreams. My guide and now longtime friend Ron invited us to

For the author (far right), camps in the Arctic are family affairs. Life is simple and having a cabin along a creek or river is the place to be for the adventurous types. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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This campsite is old and the cabin has fallen down, but the area is in the heart of prime moose country, so it might as well be a ﬁve-star resort with all the bells and whistles. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

his camp, which was located on the Kobuk River. It was a modest camp – cozy, dry and full of enough necessities to sustain us for a month. Like most cabins that line the river,

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a Coleman lantern hung from the ceiling and bunks were built into the wall. Out back was an old outhouse that seemingly had been here for ages. Its old, curved sides were slowly seeping

into the tundra and leaned to one side, which left an impression after exiting. It was a warm night and we were happy for that. Ron’s family cabin had been there for many years, and repairs

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and upgrades had been kept up through the generations. It was comfortable and memorable. That night I had my ﬁrst taste of muktuk, or whale blubber, and it was wonderful.

AN ALASKAN EXPERIENCE Camping in the Arctic is special, whether it’s roughing it in a simple tent or taking advantage of the amenities of a five-star log cabin. They can be places just to visit, get away from it all, or maybe recharge your battery and just kick back. They might be work camps, where filling the freezer for the year is its only purpose. Most people who live here need a camp to help bring balance into their lives and make living in the great Last Frontier that much more enjoyable. ASJ

Getting inside after a long day on the snow or water is always the goal in chilly Alaskan tundra weather. Having a wood stove that lights quickly and burns hot is one of the main pleasures of a good camp. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

Editor’s note: Author Paul Atkins has hunted big game throughout North America and Africa. He currently lives in Kotzebue, Alaska.

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that will keep you warm and dry, comfortable and cozy. And most of all, in the Alaskan bush, where weather and wildlife can be unforgiving, you need to be safe, cautious and expect the unexpected. You’ll need to know the regulations about carrying your hunting weapons through customs if you’re driving to Alaska via the Canadian border. You want the boots or shoes that provide your feet with TLC for all the hiking you might do in hunting big game. And having the best insect repellant on the market to combat those mosquito-filled riverbanks will be a godsend when casting flies in hopes of landing a trophy rainbow trout or a beautiful grayling. You’ve waited for so long to catch tons of Chinook salmon in Bristol Bay or harvest a trophy bull moose in the Interior; you must fit yourself with the best equipment on the market that will make this your best outdoor vacation ever. -ASJ

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THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE FIELD

A day on an Alaskan marsh – or woods or tundra – may or may not yield meat, but capturing a sunrise like this provides a keepsake of a special time aﬁeld. (STEVE MEYER) 104 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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BY STEVE MEYER

inchester hunted the snow-covered alpine slope at speed, plumes of snow in his wake as he covered hundreds of yards of the mountain. Four hundred yards up the slope from me he slammed on the brakes into a beautiful point. With a single purpose in mind and snowshoes on my feet it took a bit to get close and out in front of him. As I slowed down covering the gap, I got ready for the shot and took another step before pressing the trigger. At the sound the birds burst from their position 15 feet to the left. I was rewarded when I turned quickly and pressed the trigger several more times. The “trigger” being pressed was on the Canon DSLR camera that was draped down the front of my chest. The 28-gauge over/under shotgun remained parked, hanging from its sling on my shoulder.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SHOT As the years have ticked by, my need to shoot every time a shot is offered has slowly changed from the gun to the camera. While I can’t envision a time when I’ll leave the gun home, it seems my ammunition budget will be a shadow of its former self. Looking at the memories that are now instantly available on the computer screen while Winchester sleeps at my feet at the end of the day have become a priceless addition to enjoying the hunting and fishing trips we take. Taking account of the numerous places one might find to take great photos as a participant, Alaska ranks with the best. It seems safe to speculate that folks visiting the Last Frontier – whatever the reason – will bring some sort of camera and take lots of obligatory photos at the scenic view or wildlife viewing pull outs. I always thought those wildlife viewing signs should be prefaced with “possible,” as it seems rather rare to actually find wildlife hanging out for the photo opportunity. Still, photos are a fabulous way to

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You never know when great photo ops of the powers of nature will arise, making a camera a recommended part of any gear list for ﬁshing or hunting in wild Alaska. (STEVE MEYER)

memorialize a trip to an exotic place, even if one never leaves the roadside. But for those who do it – whether it’s hiking, skiing, rafting, ﬁshing, hunting, or seeking a place to see wildlife that aren’t habituated to humans – the camera is a must-have item. Fortunately, the ability to get some great photos is easier than it ever has been. With digital technology, even cell phones take some pretty decent photographs.

THE DIGITAL AGE Perhaps the most significant aspect of today’s digital cameras over film cameras is the sheer number of photos that can be taken without the costly developing process just to look at them. Professional photographers (which I am not) will tell you to “take lots of photos.” The more you take using different settings, different framings and different zoom for essentially the same image, the more you start to figure out what looks OK and what looks great. When starting out, think in terms of getting maybe one decent photo for 106 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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every 10 taken, one really good one for every 100, and maybe a great one every 500. Digital cameras take a storage card (SD card) that can be had in capacities from 2 to 128 gigabytes. Depending on the megapixels, the camera is capable of taking several hundred photos on the low end and thousands on the high end. Once the photos are downloaded to your computer the SD card can be reformatted – otherwise known as erasing your photo library – and used again. Or, if you are a bit weird about it like

yours truly, just change the SD card and keep the used one in a fireproof safe. My caution about keeping files in a fireproof safe comes from the heartbreaking experience of losing half a lifetime of photographs in a house fire. Even back when film was the only options there was always a decent single-lens reflex camera along with me on outdoor adventures. After 20 years one tends to amass quite a collection. The value in terms of dollars and cents of the thousands of photos lost was consider-

These Canon cameras – which the author has always shot with – run the gamut in terms of price, size, weight and photo quality. From left to right, they include the SD940IS pocket camera ($125); EOS 3Ti , with 18-55mm lens and built-in ﬂash ($600); 6D with Canon 24-105mm F4 lens ($2,500); and 5D MKIII with Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS II lens ($5,000). (STEVE MEYER)

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able; the memories lost were priceless. What they say about being able to replace everything but the photos is true – you can simply never replicate them.

CREATING MEMORIES Capturing fractions of moments in time for eternity is the essence of photography. The pursuit can be as complicated as rocket science or as simple as pressing the shutter button. In simple terms, the images captured and how they look are dependent on the quality of the equipment used and the composition of the image. Digital technology makes it possible to get respectable images with a cell phone. There are hundreds of pocket-sized digital cameras that produce really good images and have built-in ﬂash, video and zoom features. From the smaller models one moves up in size, price, and weight and, generally speaking, image quality. Cameras are assigned a megapixel rating that, without getting into the true technical aspects, generally mean the more megapixels the better the image. As one moves up in size and image quality, the built-in zoom factor is lost to having to purchase zoom lenses. The proof of image quality comes in the reproduction of the image. The pho-

REMEMBER THE WEATHER One important consideration for outdoor photography is weather conditions. Cameras are essentially small computers loaded with electronics that do not fare well when wet. The smaller cameras that can be slipped inside of a pocket and out of the rain make weather less of a problem, and in most light rain or snow, larger cameras can be tucked into the front of a zipped-up vest or jacket. In extremely wet conditions, such

as busting brush in a heavy rain, all cameras should be stowed in a waterproof bag. For ﬂoat trips, a waterproof bag inside another waterproof bag is the best way to go. Experience with a submerging on a ﬂoat trip with my camera in one waterproof bag revealed it wasn’t quite waterproof. That incident ruined the camera, several lenses and, most important, the ability to memorialize the trip with photos. -SM

to you take with your pocket camera or mobile phone may look outstanding in the preview screen of the camera. When it is put on a large screen or reproduced on paper, the quality or lack thereof becomes rather startling. It really comes down to what you want out of the image. Photography can be likened to hunting and fishing. Some hunters and fishermen are content with any fish or animal that is legal; others prefer a “representative” of the species; and, of course, there are those who won’t settle for anything but the biggest and best.

It isn’t particularly surprising that as in hunting or ﬁshing, as one moves up the scale, each step is commensurate with dollars spent and time expended. Just go with what ﬁts your desires.

At 6 miles deep into the mountains the camera might seem better left behind, until chances like this occur and you can secure an epic memory for life with a quick snap. (STEVE MEYER)

COMPOSING PHOTOS The composition of photographs is an entirely different matter. The ability to produce great photos can be learned to a degree, but really, one must have a feel for morphing a mundane image into something great. The Internet and social media is loaded with photos with watermarks that identify the copyright owner, but also designate some professional level of photography. Many of them, in terms of image quality, are simply fabulous, but not necessarily particularly interesting. The way the photographer visualizes the image and adjusts accordingly determines the end result. Lots of time behind the camera while letting the imagination run wild will help get the special images you are looking for. When I’m asked what camera to get I don’t have a good answer. My ﬁrst camera was a Canon AE-1 SLR that I purchased back in the 1970s. It was great, and since then every camera I’ve owned has been a Canon. They have always provided great customer service, and the products they put out need no recommendation – they are renowned in the photography world. There are certainly many other brands that are also well thought of, with Nikon being MAY 2015

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the most obvious. The best advice for buying a camera is to talk with others who do a lot of photography and look online at professional reviews and consumer comments. Truthfully I suspect most of the better-known camera manufacturers put out pretty decent products, so it will come down to ﬁnding the one that best suits what you want from the camera. A fair warning: If you get into photography, be prepared to add another addiction to the list. Photography is incredibly rewarding and a great way to add to the pleasure of hunting and ﬁshing or as its own pursuit, and this season never closes. With digital photography the traditional photo albums that many of us grew up with have taken a backseat to simply viewing photos on the computer. Being able to share your favorite images with guests can be rather uncomfortable when everyone has to gather around a small monitor. There are several companies on the Internet that you can down-

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Carrying a Canon 5D with 70-200mm lens on a 13-mile walk-in ﬁshing trip proved well worth the effort to score this photo of Alaskan fauna. (STEVE MEYER)

load your favorite photos to and create your own book complete with captions. It takes some time to download really good images, but in the end these books

become instant heirlooms. There is no better way to memorialize one’s trip to or life in Alaska, and it is all just a shot away. ASJ

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‘A FEW HOURS OF PAIN’ PERFECT CAPPER TO BACKTO-BACK DALL SHEEP HUNTS? PURSUING CARIBOU, OF COURSE

The author’s brother, Luke Dihle, overlooks their camp. It had been his idea last spring to chase caribou after back-to-back walk-in Dall sheep hunts. (BJORN DIHLE)

BY BJORN DIHLE

’ve been obsessed with caribou and the tundra, mountains and forests they inhabit for as long as I can remember. The origin of the word “caribou” comes from Newfoundland’s Micmac, or Mi’kmaq, band. Rendered by French-Canadian into the word we know today, yalipu translates as “snow-shoveler” – caribou shovel through the snow with their sharp hooves to access lichens and other vegetation. Naturally, I took it as a good omen a few years back when my little brother Reid married a Newfoundlander, who happens to be a member of the Yalipu clan. I suggested they honeymoon in the

Arctic, perhaps follow a herd migrating from their winter grounds in the interior of Alaska to their calving grounds on the coastal plain. For some reason, they elected to go to Hawaii. Lucky for me, I was born in Alaska, into a family that doesn’t know how to talk about much other than hunting, ﬁshing and wildlife. In the spring of 2014 my older brother Luke came up with a grand plan of making back-toback walk-in Dall sheep hunts and, if we had time, a caribou hunt as well. Months before, while drinking beers and staring at maps, it seemed almost too easy. By the third beer, it didn’t even seem sporting. I suggested a handicap of some sorts – maybe

attaching 15-pound weights to our ankles or something. Luke and Reid took a more irrational approach, consisting of exercising and eating healthfully. When they encouraged me to do the same, I laughed. “Look at the toughest guys in America: Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington and Liam Neeson. Do any of those guys train? I doubt it. They just go into a room and beat up a dozen or so armed jerks half their age. Neeson once trekked across the frozen Arctic in blue jeans, ﬁst-ﬁghting demon wolves the entire way with zero training,” I argued. They said something about how movies and real life were different, but it was too philosophical and went over my head. MAY 2015

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IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, we’d made two sheep odysseys, covering more than a 120 miles through some of the most beautiful mountain country in the world. At the end of the second hunt, we still had a few days before we had to return home. We left our sheep meat in a friend’s freezer in Tok and drove north into Fortymile country; caribou season opened the next day. Willows and aspens blazed yellow and red. Valleys were ﬁlled with the smell of fermenting cranberries. Snow crept down ancient shale-covered mountains. Reid and Luke shouldered their packs and followed a faint four-wheeler trail into desolate rolling hills. There was none of the excitement I generally felt at the beginning of a hunt. I limped behind, ﬁghting the desire to lie down in the mud and take a nap. “You sure you guys want to do this?” I asked when I caught up. In reply, they grumbled like constipated brown bears just awoken from hibernation. I moped along, considering adding a

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The author and his brothers’ hunt took place in the Alaskan Interior among the Fortymile Herd, which is back on the upswing. The Department of Fish and Game estimates it numbers more than 52,000. (BJORN DIHLE)

little something extra special to Luke’s dinner that night – maybe some caribou pellets or bear poop. Three walk-in hunts with no rest in between had been his idea, after all. Maybe I could ﬁnd some centipedes. Luke gestured toward the hill. “Years ago, I met an old-timer resting there. His head was down and he had a load of meat on his back. He looked utterly spent. I asked if he was all right and he just smiled; he kind of had a twinkle in his eye, saying something

about how a few hours of pain for a winter of good eating was a good deal.” I pushed away my evil scheming and instead recited the mantra “a few hours of pain for a winter of good eating” as we hiked through a forest burnt to charcoal from one of the area’s many forest ﬁres. We crossed a tussock ﬁeld, gained access to an alpine ridge and climbed a scree-covered mountain. At the summit, the bleached antler shed of a large bull lay like a religious icon beneath the cold gray sky.

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Bulls work their way through low vegetation on an Alaskan mountainside. At one point on their hunt, the brothers spotted 12 together. (BJORN DIHLE)

solved to act only as a meatpacker – my freezer was already getting pretty full with fresh salmon, venison and a sheep.

“CARIBOU!” REID HISSED.

That evening we sat around camp, eating instant mashed potatoes and hot dogs. We’d been snowed on a few times during the last sheep hunt, but as the sun set the weather looked about as nice as it could get for September in the Interior. Shadows swept across valleys, the sun bathed the hills in golden light, and distant snow-covered mountains jutted like

eL For Th

a carnivore’s teeth into the blue horizon. We talked of caribou and how lucky we were to be in their country, and able to hunt them. Though we were all meat hunters, Luke wanted a wallhanger and claimed he was going to pass on any small bulls for at least the ﬁrst day. Reid was hoping for a freezer trophy: a young, tender, delicious bull. I was re-

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My brothers quivered as a herd of a dozen massive bulls filed through the yellow, willow-covered valley below. A couple had bloody strips of velvet hanging from their 3-foot-high splayed antlers. A group of cows and calves climbed towards a plateau. All moved steadily to the northwest – they could be 30 miles away by the following morning. A couple years ago when I last made a Fortymile hunt, we’d hunted hard for days and only encountered a few caribou. Luke took a nice meat bull on the second to last day, while my girlfriend and I – 13 miles from the road – lucked out and got a bull with just a few hours left during the last day of the hunt. An adult bull yields around 100 pounds of meat, which made for a long and relatively brutal pack out.

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Before dawn, I awoke to the eerie, beautiful howling of a wolf from the valley. Its wild and plaintive beckoning went unanswered. Soon after the wind picked up and snow began hissing against the nylon walls of our tents. Luke and I crawled out into a blizzard just before dawn. We turned our backs to the weather, boiled a quick cup of tea and set off in the direction the caribou had been moving the night before. Shortly thereafter, we were engulfed in a white-out and plastered in wet snow. We could have been walking by whole herds. We were following a network of caribou trails through the gray when Luke fell to a crouch. Kneeling on a snowy tussock, I stared over his shoulder and saw a group of young bulls, well within range, moving parallel to us through the storm. They were all perfect, the sort of animals I prefer harvesting for maximum taste and tenderness, but there were no massive bulls. A male caribou usually reaches sexual maturity around

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Reid Dihle talked of encountering a giant bull moose earlier in the hunt; but alas, he was without a tag. But he managed to score his caribou bull and ensured a winter of meat like his brothers. (BJORN DIHLE)

6 or 7 years old, which is no small feat considering that everything loves eating them. One bull was larger than the rest; Luke looked back at me and asked in a whisper what I thought. “You’ve wanted a caribou rack for the wall for a long time,” I said. “This is so weird,” Luke said. “I’ve

never passed on an animal like that.” We trudged on in the direction where the big bulls had been heading the night before. A herd of cows and calves wended in and out of willow thickets in the valley below as the weather cleared. We clambered up to the top of a plateau where the icy wind blew ﬁercely.

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Shale-covered mountains dusted with snow rose to the west and the north. Any other species would seek cover, but not caribou. The colder the weather, the happier they seem. A herd of two dozen milled on a nearby plateau. Luke and I descended until we were out of sight and then used a series of ravines to make a stalk. With our hearts thundering, we peered over the edge and studied cows, calves and subadult bulls. We moved on, taking time to glass each bowl and valley. Caribou would emerge from the tundra and mountains like magic, but none were adult bulls. We even crept down on three that were sleeping and nestled in beds on a mountainside.

IN THE EARLY afternoon we sat in a barren saddle 12 miles from where we’d left the truck. This area had always been good to us during past hunts, but both of us were questioning the rationale behind hauling a bull so far from the road, especially when we’d encountered the

The author (left) and his brother, Luke, celebrate a successful

herd of subfamily hunt for a nice bull in the Interior. (BJORN DIHLE) adult males near camp. Luke was second-guessing his decision not to shoot when I saw the red ﬂash of antlers in the willows a half-mile away. “There’s your animal,” I said, squinting through my scope. Amidst a dozen calves the mountains. and subadults, two adult bulls fed and “Looks like they’re gone,” Luke said. thrashed through a willow thicket. We “Leave your pack with me,” I said. “I clambered down a steep ravine for bet you can get within range.” coverage. Luke tumbled and smashed Witnessing Luke making a stalk is a his left hand. His trigger ﬁnger swelled bit like watching the elk-hunting scene up so badly we wondered it was broin The Last of the Mohicans. I have trouken. He shook it off and kept going. ble walking up a mountain, but Luke is By the time we got within view of the able to run without breaking a sweat. In herd they were moving away, up into

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COUNTING ALASKA’S CARIBOU HERDS The most recent estimate of Alaska’s caribou population, conducted by the state Department of Fish and Game, was around 750,000 animals. There are 32 recognized herds in Alaska; the largest include Western Arctic, Porcupine, Central Arctic, Fortymile and the Teshekpuk. All except the Fortymile herd live in the Arctic. The 52,000-member Fortymile herd (an ADFG count from 2011) live in the lonely Interior of the state, though they frequently spend portions of the year in the Yukon. Predation by wolves and people, adverse weather, and disease mean caribou populations are highly dynamic. When reliable counts were

ﬁrst made on the herd in the 1920s, the population was estimated between 260,000 and 568,000. In 1970, there were an estimated 5,000 caribou left. Today, after careful management by the Alaskan and Yukon departments of ﬁsh and game, the Fortymile herd is now thought to have been slowly increasing up from 52,000. ADFG wants hunters to harvest around 3 percent of the population annually. The hunt has been divided into two seasons. The fall season, which opened in early September 2014 in most units, was allotted a harvest of 750 bull caribou for the fall hunt. Usually the quota is met and the season is closed within a couple weeks after the opener. The

other season is a winter hunt beginning December 1. Hunters can take either male or female and are usually allotted around 250 animals. The Fortymile caribou hunt, one we ﬁrst made when Luke and I were based out of Fairbanks, is a registration hunt that’s best accessed from either the Steese or Taylor Highways. In the fall, most hunters use 4X4 vehicles to access hunting grounds, though some use riverboats and a handful of folks utilize nonmotorized corridors for walk-in hunts. There are numerous ATV trails, some fairly crowded, which crisscross Fortymile country. Finding a good vantage point and glassing is the best way to treat yourself to a winter of good eating. –BD

a blizzard, he disappeared out of view, taking a direction he hoped would allow him to cut the herd off. By the time he was at the same elevation, I was feeling a little bad for encouraging him on a

wild-caribou chase. He belly-crawled through snow to the draw he was hoping the animals were following; I waved my jacket over my head and signaled the caribou were

further away. By now the herd knew something was up and the alpha cow was steadily leading the rest higher up the mountain. A moment later, a ﬂock of ptar-

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migan, already in their white winter plumage, exploded into flight at the hooves of the cow. Startled, she ran in the opposite direction, towards Luke. The two big bulls, twice the size of every other caribou, followed. When Luke saw antlers bobbing against the horizon, he stripped off his shirt for a rifle rest. My first thought was, “damn, he’s even whiter than a halibut’s belly,” but as minutes elapsed, I began wondering how long it was possible to lie half-naked in a blizzard without becoming hypothermic. At the crack of the shot, one of the bulls keeled over. Twenty minutes later, sweating and out of breath, I climbed to the bench where Luke sat shivering next to a magnificent caribou. I passed him a couple jackets and gradually he warmed up. “What a beautiful animal,” I said as I rested my hand on its warm body. For more than half a decade, the bull had wandered the Interior wilderness, hunted by wolves and people. He’d survived weeks of minus-60 temperatures

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during the winters and hordes of biting insects during the summer. He was an expression of the land itself. He was perfect.

“THANK YOU, GOD; thank you, caribou,” Luke said. We butchered and began the long haul out. Late in the day, we encountered Reid hiking across a tussock ﬁeld. He relieved us of a significant amount of meat and, together, we busted through a valley of willows and climbed up to the top of a plateau. Still 6 miles from the road and without enough time to get out before dark, we buried the meat in a rockpile. We sat nearby, enjoying a peaceful evening and the pleasant scenery. Reid regaled us with a story of a bull moose he’d encountered; it had antlers wide enough to lie down in. Moose season opened the next day. Thankfully, none of us had a tag. “This couldn’t get any better,” Reid said, watching the sun glow on the tundra. “Yeah. Unless that young bull you

were hoping to get ran by right now,” Luke said. Less than a minute later, the clacking of tendons and thunder of hooves startled us. “You got to be kidding,” I said as three young bulls stopped 40 yards away and stared. Luke and I began laughing, but Reid was all business. He grabbed his riﬂe and in a few seconds assured that he’d have delicious eating for the year to come. “He’s exactly what I was hoping for,” said Reid, kneeling over the caribou. We gutted him, then broke his brisket and pelvis, propping open the rib cage with a stick so he would cool quickly. After covering the caribou in spruce boughs, we hiked across the darkening tundra towards camp. Scattered groups of caribou slowly came in and out of view along ridges and plateaus. That night we feasted on heart and instant mashed potatoes. Tomorrow would be a brutal pack out, but what’s a few hours of pain for a winter of good eating? ASJ

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PULLING THE WOOL OFF EYES AS ALASKA’S SHEEP POPULATION AND NUMBER OF HUNTERS DECLINE, ORGANIZATIONS ARE RALLYING TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM

It’s probably not a coincidence that both sheep numbers and total numbers of resident and nonresident hunters are on a decline. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Board of Game and the University of Alaska have come together to ﬁnd a solution. (TOM REALE)

BY TOM REALE

all sheep hunting has long been the Holy Grail for many big game hunters. Any hunting of mountain sheep demands an extraordinary amount of commitment, and since the Dall species is only found in Alaska and a very small part of Canada, the taking of a trophy ram is considered to be the ultimate achievement by many hunters. The numbers of sheep counted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have been recently in decline, as have the numbers of hunters and animals taken. Why the population has taken such a downturn is the sub-

ject of much speculation and research, and both ADFG and Board of Game are currently looking into the problem and considering ways to address the issue.

DROPPING NUMBERS The decline in numbers of hunters and numbers of sheep taken has been slow but unmistakable. Figures from ADFG show that hunter numbers peaked in 1990, with more than 3,500 resident and nonresident hunters listed. That level had decreased by roughly 1,000 total hunters by the 2012-2013 season. In Alaska, the Board of Game was constituted as an advisory committee to provide guidance to the ADFG.

The game board’s main role is “(T)o conserve and develop Alaska’s wildlife resources. This includes establishing open and closed seasons, areas for taking game, setting bag limits, and regulating methods and means. The board is also involved with setting policy and direction for the management of the state’s wildlife resources.” The board has annual meetings around the state to consider recommendations from board members, from ADFG biologists to members of the general public. They use these ideas and apply scientiﬁc and economic information to formulate changes in the laws. When declining sheep numbers MAY 2015

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During a survey of Alaskan hunters, 74 percent answered yes to the question, “Is there a sheep hunting problem?” Crowding appears to be the main concern; many are dropped in the same areas, as the author has discovered. (TOM REALE)

became a matter of concern, the board decided to take action. A contract was struck with the University of Alaska to survey sectors of the public which were affected by sheep hunting regulations; they included sheep hunters, guides, transporters and air taxi operators. Among the issues under consideration are concerns among hunters about too much pressure in certain areas, plus conﬂicts among guides, transporters, and resident and nonresident hunters. The survey was distributed in the summer of 2014, and it was designed to answer three questions: 1) Is there a sheep hunting problem? 2) Why is there a sheep hunting problem? 3) How might sheep hunting be improved? To the ﬁrst question, 74 percent of resident hunters felt that, yes, there is a problem, and it’s felt that hunter crowd-

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ing was the main issue. If you’re wondering how on earth these remote and relatively inaccessible mountain ranges can feel crowded, a big factor is the use of airplanes to access hunting areas. In the places where the sheep are found, there are relatively few spots to land a plane, and those get a lot of use. For example, when we ﬂew into the Brooks Range for a hunt in 2012, the strip where we were positioned saw numerous other parties dropped in the same spot. We crossed the river and spiked out from there, but once up high, we saw two other strips upstream that also had planes coming and going regularly, and more than a few overﬂights every day. With hunters dispersing from a few spots on the river, you can see how a perception of crowding can affect your hunt.

BLAME GAME As to why there’s a problem, the most popular responses from resident hunters placed the blame on guides and

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An Alaska Wildlife Trooper inspects harvested sheep horns during the author’s backcountry hunt. Nonresidents, who in most cases must hire a licensed guide, are taking more sheep per week than resident hunters. (TOM REALE)

transporters, the presence of nonresident hunters, and fewer legal rams. Not at all oddly, resident hunters placed much less blame on other residents than they did on what they perceived as “interlopers” from Outside. In answer to the question of how to improve the hunting experience, hunters suggested giving resident hunters a

Alaskans who either put in for draw tags or choose to hunt an open season area don’t usually have either the time nor the money invested that nonresidents do. So instate residents aren’t having as much success as nonresidents who use guides. (TOM REALE)

uted n’t

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one-week head start on nonresidents, more nonmotorized hunts, trophy (large and old ram) hunts, and more full-curl-or-bigger regulations. The results were available in the fall and were presented in meetings in Anchorage and Fairbanks as a means of communicating the information to the public. Among the most popular recommendations from the survey were changes to reduce permit tags and increase tag fees to nonresidents, prohibit sheep spotting from airplanes during the season, create more drawing hunts, and limit hunters to one permit every three years. Looking through the survey, you can see a deďŹ nite trend of resident hunters feeling that guides and nonresidents constitute a large part of the problem. One thing that has remained constant is the success rates of nonresident compared to resident hunters: Throughout the study period, nonresidents harvest sheep at a rate roughly twice that of the locals. This is in stark contrast to what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all come to expect when engag-

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ADFG estimates that as of 2010, there were 45,000 Dall sheep in Alaska, down from nearly 57,000 just 20 years before. Since peaking in the early 1990s at around 3,500, hunter numbers have also declined to around 2,500 in 2013, most of whom are state residents. (TOM REALE)

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TOPICS UP FOR DISCUSSION

ing in any hunting or ﬁshing – after all, don’t the locals have a leg up on people unfamiliar with the territory? Well, in this case, not so much, and the reason is the guide requirement for Outsiders.

To formulate a ﬁnal plan on how to adjust Dall sheep hunting regulations, the Board of Game will have two more meetings this year, and will consider these potential changes: • Earlier seasons for residents • Change all general-season hunts to registration or draw permits • Shorter seasons for nonresidents • Drawing permits required for nonresidents • Reduce permits for nonresidents • Limit nonresidents’ hunting with a next-of-kin relative • Resident-only hunts • Limit hunters to hunting only one area • Smaller hunt areas with

WHAT ABOUT GUIDES? An unusual aspect in Alaska is the requirement that nonresidents who don’t have a close relative living in the state must hire a licensed guide for their hunts. This is seen by many to be a bit of favoritism supplied by the state legislature as a gift to the guiding industry. The supposed thinking behind this is for the safety of Outsiders who might not be at home in the mountains – “we can’t have a bunch of ﬂatlanders falling off our mountains every year, can we?” That might look bad for the visitor industry. However, if you’re not hunting sheep, you’re perfectly free to wander around the mountains and even climb Denali without a guide if you’re so inclined, but that’s something seldom mentioned.

Add to that the fact that up until the 1980s, nonresidents were allowed to hunt mountain goats without a guide. Seeing as how goats typically live on the cliffs above sheep country, that particular bit of hypocrisy was pointed out and remedied by including goat hunting

limited participation • Require training or orientation for all hunters • Changes to sealing requirement • Changes to full-curl bag limit • Reduce bag limit, (for example: one sheep every three years, etc.) • Changes to same-dayairborne restriction • Restrict transportation used in some areas • Youth, restricted weapons, walk-in-only hunts -TR into the requirement. The upshot of all of this is that there are lots more residents pursuing Dall sheep than there are nonresidents, and the nonresidents pay dearly for the privilege. When you engage the services of a big game guide, you’re paying for the

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The Board of Game has planned two more meeting this year to consider various issues to help improve sheep hunting. (TOM REALE)

guide’s years of experience and for his or her familiarity with the area to be hunted. And you’re paying dearly – a week’s worth of hunting with a registered guide in Alaska can start at around $5,000. Travel into good sheep country usually involves expensive ﬂight time in small

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planes, and if the guide supplies comfortable backcountry lodging and plenty of good, hot food, you can easily spend over 10 grand for the privilege of chasing down these animals. And people who pay that kind of dough expect results, and according to the statistics available, often get them. On the other hand, Alaskans who either put in for drawing tags or choose to hunt an open season area don’t usually have either the time nor the money invested that nonresidents do. It’s seldom the “once-in-a-lifetime” pursuit that many guided hunts are. So while an Alaskan going after sheep might only engage a transporter for a ﬂy-in trip, that’s a much smaller expense than hiring a registered guide.

So if you plan a hunt either by drawing a tag or going to an open area where no tags are required and the weather turns especially snotty or the conditions aren’t to your liking, it’s much easier to bag your hunt and try another time. But if you’ve laid out thousands of dollars and traveled thousands of miles for your dream hunt, you’re much more inclined to stick it out and push a little harder to get that ram. Also, you have the services of an experienced guide who’s also likely to push you to succeed and help you by carrying gear, retrieving a downed animal, ﬁeld dressing and carrying out meat, etc., so your chances of success increase appreciably. Once the possibilities have been narrowed down and the biological and economic concerns have been considered, the Board of Game will issue a new set of regulations for sheep hunting for future years. All one can hope for is that one’s own ox isn’t gored too badly in the process. ASJ

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BEST OF ALASKA LODGES Kvichak Lodge www.kvichaklodge.com The Kvichak Lodge is located approximately 240 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon run, trophy-class rainbow trout, coho salmon, chums, kings, pinks, Arctic char, pike, grayling and Dolly Varden, in addition to indescribeable beauty in one of the most pristine parts of the state. The lodge is situated about half a mile from the mouth of Lake Illiamna, on 12 acres of Kvichak River waterfront. Our lodge was the ﬁrst built and in operation on the river, giving us one of the best locations for convenience to the community, as well as easy access to the best spots on the Kvichak.

Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge www.tsiuriverlodge.com Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge has been family owned and operated since 1997. Greg Dierick has been fishing the Tsiu River since he was a boy. Greg and his father, Ed, built the lodge on the river after over 40 years of fishing here, in this Alaskan wilderness paradise. The Diericks’ experiences fishing on the Tsiu are the same as those that they want to share with you. Their fishing lodge is located 120 miles north of Yakutat, Alaska, and nestled between the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountain Range and the Gulf of Alaska. The Tsiu is home to a world-class run of silver salmon from August into October, and also hosts steelhead, pinks, sockeye and Dolly Varden. Fireweed Lodge www.alaskafishingkingsalmon.com Southeast Alaska is recognized by anglers for having some of the finest salmon and halibut fishing in the world. Mint-bright kings and acrobatic silvers await all anglers who want to enjoy a luxury Alaska fishing lodge experience in a pristine setting. Fireweed Lodge is located directly in the middle of the migratory path that salmon travel during their annual return to the streams and rivers in Alaska. Kings and silvers feed and mature in the pristine waters surrounding our Alaska

fishing lodge. Anglers who visit our lodge also enjoy catching giant Pacific halibut. Halibut fishing is exciting and challenging for anglers looking to try their hand at catching these heavyweights of the ocean. Fireweed Lodge is located on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, in Alaska’s Panhandle. Our fishing lodge is the premier luxury king salmon fishing destination for anglers who want an opportunity to catch trophy fish. Along with ourselves, Bob and Jeanne Anderson, our professional crew welcome all guests to come and enjoy saltwater and freshwater fishing experiences worthy of Southeast Alaska’s stellar reputation as a world-class fishing destination. Join us at Fireweed Lodge & Resort for your next Alaska fishing vacation. Gwin’s Lodge www.gwinslodge.com Historic Gwin’s Lodge is located in the middle of the Kenai Peninsula, known as Alaska’s playground. Gwin’s Lodge is the closest restaurant and lodging to the confluence of two world-class salmon streams – the Kenai and Russian Rivers – and we are a favorite among fishers who frequent these waters. We are nestled at the base of the majestic Kenai Mountains, and across from the Kenai River in the Chugach National Forest bordering the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Our central location on the Kenai Peninsula makes all recreational activities in nearby towns (Seward, Soldotna, Ninilchik, Clam Gulch, Kenai, Homer, etc.) easily accessible. At Gwin’s Lodge, we strive to provide you exceptional service. Kodiak Russian River Lodge www.kodiakrussianriverlodge.com Kodiak Russian River Lodge is located on the edge of the Alaskan wilderness, and boasts incredible mountain views and easy access to a variety of outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting and sight-seeing. The Kodiak Island bed-and-breakfast-style lodge is surrounded on three sides by spectacular mountains and on the fourth by Womens Bay, part of the Gulf of Alaska. The area, locally known as Bells Flats, is located 6 miles from the airport and 4 miles from the U.S. Coast Guard base south of the town of Kodiak. It is also close to fishing and hunting areas. We are half of a block off the Chiniak Highway and within walking distance of the ocean, Sergeant Creek, Russian River and the Rendezvous Bar and Grill. We are approximately 100 yards from the AC store, a small, rural convenience store for gas, liquor and assorted food items you may have forgotten in town. ASJ MAY 2015

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NO SYMPATHY

DON’T SPEAK UP, DON’T COMPLAIN BY STEVE MEYER

unters pay for conservation; just ask us, we’ll tell you. We espouse this with great pride whenever the subject of wildlife management and its attendant costs are discussed. So it was with a huge sigh of relief that Republican state Rep. Dave Talerico of Healy introduced House Bill 137, a call to raise license fees across the board for residents and nonresidents alike. The bill included adding tag fees for residents to take big game species including caribou and moose. Initially, the tags were going to be in the $15 to $20 range for various species, and the bill was intended to offset budget shortfalls that have left wildlife managers struggling to meet the basic needs of management. Hunting licenses and tag fees have not kept up with the cost of management, currently only providing around 70 percent of the cost for that. The balance has come from general fund money and some grants from conservation organizations. Rep. Talerico saw the increases as a way to bolster wildlife management efforts that are increasingly bare-bones, with not enough funding to do proper research that will keep our game species available to Alaskans. Initially, all looked quite promising for the bill’s passage. Sportsmen’s organizations and outdoor industry leaders testiﬁed in favor of the increases. What many of us have said for many

Increasing the costs of ﬁshing and hunting licenses is a touchy subject with sportsmen, but the author was disappointed when a bill in Alaska’s legislature to include a new tag fee for resident big game hunting to deal with the rising cost of management was derailed. (STEVE MEYER)

years is that it’s ridiculous for Alaskans to be able to take nine species of big game, and, in some cases, an aggregate total of over 15 big game animals in a season, for the same $25 cost of a resident hunting license. Good grief. With the increase in the duck stamp fee, a resident duck hunter will pay $55 to hunt waterfowl in Alaska. In the past, when approaching legislators about raising the fees, they wanted nothing to do with raising fees for Alaskans. Evidently, considering that is political suicide. So it was a bold and re-

freshing move on the part of Rep. Talerico to bring the bill forward. Unfortunately, public outcry against the tag fees has already modiﬁed the bill and it will not be considering resident tag fees as it moves through the legislative session. The increases in basic license cost (from $25 to $30 for resident hunting and from $15 to $20 for resident ﬁshing) and increases in nonresident license and tag fees are still up for consideration. It is rather laughable that the one tag increase for residents and nonresidents MAY 2015

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alike that remains is the increase from $5 to $10 to purchase the Alaska waterfowl stamp. I‘ll gladly pay the increase, but seriously, there is virtually no waterfowl management done by the State of Alaska. Waterfowl, given the rich wetland environment they have to propagate in here, do rather

well all by themselves. Perhaps the money will be used for additional enforcement, which would be a step in the right direction.

THE RELUCTANCE OF HUNTERS, compared to those not actively engaged in conservation efforts, to pay the way is disappointing and highlights the harsh reality that we hunters as a group can no longer say “we” pay for conservation. We pay more than the nonhunting citizen, but we are not, by a long shot, footing the entire bill any longer. Across the country, the license, tag and

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stamp fees we pay do not cover the cost of all that is going on in the name of conservation. And the conservation groups we provide funding for are not solely supported by our membership fees and contributions. The administrative costs of such a group that’s well known are twice what membership fees bring in. That same group derives 67 percent of its operating revenue for projects via federal grant money. It’s a similar story with many of the organizations ﬁghting to protect our hunting heritage. There is simply not enough money being dumped into these causes by hunters on their own. Federal grant funding obviously comes from taxpayer dollars. While we hunters pay our taxes (at least most of them do), we are a small segment of the total taxpayer base in this country. In Alaska, we don’t think too much about the issues of cost of habitat such as the Conservation Reserve Program that is literally the lifeblood of hunters in many parts of the country. It costs a pile of money that is not even closely matched by taxpaying hunters. Much as we may not like it, a fair share of the land we have access to hunt is managed by one federal agency or another, and all require funding from the federal tax base. The hunting fees we pay do not go towards federal land management. There are currently projects related to wildlife conservation all across the country and funded out of taxpayer dollars. The Wood Bison Restoration Project – after many years of frustration and a hell of a lot of money – has been funded by conservation groups, like Safari Club International. But it’s certainly not solely hunter dollars that are at work here as well. Hunters have fallen behind the times and we can no longer accurately profess that we alone pay for the conservation of our game species. Everyone does, and it seems sad to me that when we had an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is, instead, we whined and complained. I suppose in the end we will reap what we sow. ASJ

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THE DOG SAYS, BY CHRISTINE CUNNINGHAM

MOO?

inchester let out a long and guttural moo. I don’t even know what a cow means when it moos, much less what an English setter might when he does it.

My best guess is that cows do it to be friendly or to release the excess gas that develops from chewing cud. I’d heard somewhere that the reason a cow moos is so that it can be heard. But dogs are pack animals, not herd animals. And Winchester’s moo had a tinge of a growl to it. The rest of the pack was circling him. His moo seemed to be saying, “Don’t get any closer.” Some people might say that he was growling, but a growl is more sinister than a moo. The dog moo, apparently, is just a pregrowl warning. The pack encircling Winchester was comprised of ﬁve adorable English setter puppies that were just trying to get a closer look at their dad. Their dad, unfortunately, was not entirely convinced of his paternity. “Winchester,” I said in a tone with an implication of “Shame on you for pregrowl-mooing at your children.” He looked at me with a glowering gaze that meant “Shame on you for shaming on me.” One of the things I love about English setters is their inability to be

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shamed. When a Labrador does something bad, such as eat a piece of furniture or chew the heel of a designer shoe, there is a display of shame by the guilty party. A Labrador may even dance around a bit seeming to say, “Aw shucks, will you forgive me? I’m just an adorable little creature with a lack of self control.” And I forgive. An English setter, however, doesn’t feel much remorse. If you choose to be upset at one, they must think it is because you have psychological issues and you probably need to see a therapist. When Winchester has taken occasion to destroy an item belonging to me and I say, “Bad, Winchester. Bad. Bad,” he just looks at me with his lofty gaze. If he could talk, he might say something like, “Perhaps it was bad behavior, but you are speaking to me as if I did not intend to do it.” A friend told me that I anthropomorphize too much, which means I talk about animals as if they are human. Her theory was that the only way a dog can communicate is a bark and they only know one word. Animal lan-

guage is a controversial subject, and it’s entirely possible that I have a creative imagination or a paranormal gift. Either way, I’m talking to my dog and he’s talking back. He does more than moo and bark too. He grunts, snorts, growls, bays and howls. Our language skills are becoming so advanced I’m picking up some French words and he’s taking up Cow. The puppies were inching closer and closer to Winchester and his moo crackled with a few snarls. Being setter puppies, they were as immune to a snarl as they would later be to a reprimand. Just in case Winchester decided to attack one of them, I suggested to the puppies that they disperse. They looked at me quizzically, which meant, “But we want to say hi to our dad.” I didn’t have the heart to tell them that Winchester wasn’t exactly fatherof-the-year material. And I didn’t want to scare them with stories about how grizzly bears eat their children. “Puppies,” I said, “disperse. Disperse.” They cocked their little heads. And then one of them croaked at me. I wanted to call my friend up right away and tell her that one of my puppies was already bilingual. But then I thought better of it. I don’t know the long word for someone who talks about animals as if they are other animals. Instead, I decided to polish up on my ability to speak Frog. ASJ

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