AK Sporting Journal May 2019

FISHING • HUNTING • ADVENTURE

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Volume 10 • Issue 12 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Christopher Batin, Tony Ensalaco, Amy Gulick, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Jenny Weis SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Kayla Mehring, Jake Weipert

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MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com www.media-inc.com CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

CONTENTS

VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 12

FEATURES

73 WHERE ARCTIC

17

THE STATE OF SALMON What lobsters are to Maine, apples to Washington and green chiles to New Mexico, salmon are what makes Alaska’s culinary scene pulsate. Even deeper are the connections these migratory fish have with all walks of life in the Last Frontier. Author Amy Gulick has written her second book about the state’s salmonid culture.

Check out an excerpt of The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind, as well as our Q&A with her.

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THE FUSS ABOUT THE NUSH After we whet your appetite with salmon, let’s go fish one of Alaska’s most hallowed spots for trophy kings.

Our Scott and Tiffany Haugen annually hit Bristol Bay’s Nushagak River, and while Scott breaks down the best times to hit the Nush’s Chinook run – hint: make your plans now if you want to catch them during peak season – Tiffany also offers up a ceviche appetizer to die for.

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JIGS OR BEADS: A STEELIE DEBATE Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

Game of Thrones or This is Us? NHL Stanley Cup or NBA playoffs? These days, everything is up for debate about what’s best, right? Well, here’s one more argument for you, courtesy of steelhead guru Tony Ensalaco, who found inspiration on a Yakutat bar stool one night during an argument between two fellow Situk anglers, one who favored fishing jigs, the other beads to coax a spring to bite. So, which method is the best?

DREAMS ARE MADE

Paul Atkins has roots in Oklahoma and the Midwest but he’s also called Arctic Alaska home for the last 20 years. This diehard outdoorsman has made many a memory in the far north, and to him nothing compares with hunting grizzly bears in the wilds outside Kotzebue. Take a trip down memory lane as Atkins talks – and stalks – bruins.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 41

55

Yakutat an underrated halibut, coho fishing destination Salmon State: Low pink returns a concern to Panhandle

DEPARTMENTS

(LEW PAGEL)

15 33 87

The Editor’s Note Outdoor calendar Gear guy: Camp comfort items for hunters and anglers

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 $49.95 (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 © 2019 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 10

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DRIFT BOAT RENTALS Live lobsters sit in a fresh seafood stall, one of many the editor saw during his recent trip to Japan. Like Alaskans, the Japanese revere the role fish and fishing have in their lives. (CHARLENE KING)

EDITOR’S NOTE

E

NOSHIMA ISLAND, Japan–My recent trip to Japan was just about everything I was told the country would be: vibrant; congested; a little weird; traditional; clean; and some friendly locals.

But what I really wanted to do was try the sushi. Mind you, I’m not much of a fan of eating raw anything. Yes, I do occasionally partake in sharing some raw oysters at the table when they’re ordered, and because I knew what kind of connection the Japanese have with sushi, I knew I had to conquer whatever fears I might have and belly up to the bar.

I bring this up because our book excerpt from Amy Gulick’s excellent The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind (page 17), had me thinking about how integral fish, fishing and seafood can be to people. From her travels around Alaska – the Seattle-area resident has now written two books about the Last Frontier’s salmon culture – she was able to capture the essence of the importance of fish to anglers, residents, the environment and economy.

“Regardless of whether people fish for their food, livelihood or fun, I found that when I asked people what salmon meant to them, everyone said the same thing: family, community, culture, and connection to the land and a valued way of life,” Gulick told me as part of a Q&A we did with the author.

The Japanese also love all things fish, and we had so much on our itinerary I regret that we didn’t go to the restaurant I’d read about, the one where diners can actually drop a baited hook in a fish tank and literally catch their dinner.

So I wasn’t about to skip hitting a sushi joint to try the local delicacies. On Enoshima, a quaint but crowded resort area about two hours south of Tokyo, my sister and I were walking around the town, which featured no shortage of fresh fish stalls and markets.

We saw a sushi sign pointing upstairs in a food court.

We looked at each other and nodded (she too was very leery about it, but her daughter back home – an unabashed sushi lover – demanded that we try). So we went upstairs, sat at the round bar and spied all the fresh fish rotating around it.

And you know what happened next? The three different kinds of tuna that our chef prepared for us were delicious. As I ate and sipped my cold beer, I kept thinking about Alaska’s obsession with the water and those creatures that swim in it. -Chris Cocoles

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WHERE THE FISH TAKE YOU

Sockeye salmon spawn in Nanuktuk Creek inside Katmai National Preserve. The relationship between these fish and Alaskans is chronicled in Amy Gulick’s new book. (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

BOOK EXCERPT: IN A NEW BOOK ABOUT ALASKA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH SALMON, THE AUTHOR SHARES THE RIVER WITH TERRITORIAL BEARS Editor’s note: “Throughout my Alaska travels, I posed the question, ‘What would your life be like without salmon?’” Amy Gulick writes in her new book, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind. It’s a question with a lot of different, if not complex answers. And it’s at the heart of Gulick’s look at Pacific salmon and how the fish and the fishing industry affect so many in the Last Frontier. Tagging along with recreational anglers, guides and commercial fishermen, Gulick explains why the fish and the residents of the 49th state are kindred spirits.

The following is excerpted with permission from The Salmon Way: An Alaska State of Mind (Braided River, May 2019) by Amy Gulick.

BY AMY GULICK

S

queezed between two companions in the back of a Cessna seaplane, I feel small. Not because of our cramped quarters but because of the grandeur we are soaring over.

The vast tundra below is beginning

its fall transformation to a luxurious carpet of orange and red. Rays of light bend and extend over mountaintops as the rising sun pierces the dawn. Everywhere there is water – inkblot ponds, curlicue creeks, and oblong lakes. What I can’t see are the millions of fish in all that water amid all that beauty.

It’s not so much about the fish; it’s about where the fish take you. These words have been spoken to me many times by my longtime friend Ed, a 73-year-old retired motorcycle-riding preacher who wields a fly rod as his instrument to enlightenment.

Although Ed is not with me in the plane, his words are. Never having been much into sportfishing, yet surrounded by many people in my life who are, I’ve often scratched my head over the appeal. But as I gaze out the window at a view of perpetual glory, I start to get it. I begin to understand Ed and the legions seduced by the allure of fishing.

The pilot skims a lake in the mid-

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For the freshwater phase of salmon lifecycles, there are five key C’s – cool, clear, clean, connected and complex waters. (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

dle of nowhere Alaska and deposits our group of four on the shore. Clad in chest waders and carrying fly rods and camera equipment, we set off across the tundra, a living mosaic of lowbush cranberry, reindeer lichen, and the ever pungent Labrador tea plant.

The spongy ground and our clunky boots make for slow going, giving us time to enjoy our stunning surroundings of nothing but wild country. After

a wobbly 45-minute trek, we arrive at a high ridge overlooking Nanuktuk Creek, also known as Little Ku, in Katmai National Preserve.

It’s spawning season, and this stretch of the creek is shallow, narrow, and jammed with tomato-red sockeye salmon. Katmai National Preserve is part of the Bristol Bay watershed, an enormous and rich system of rivers and lakes that boasts the world’s largest run

of wild sockeye.

Every year, tens of millions of sockeye stream into nine major rivers, some of the state’s largest lakes, and countless tributaries to spawn the next generation. But we are not here for salmon.

We are here because of salmon. Of the many species that feast on this plethora of protein, none seduce more sport fishermen to this part of the world than rainbow trout. And nowhere in Alaska are the rainbows as abundant and large as they are here. It’s easy to see why.

Salmon provide a plentiful diet: nutrient-rich eggs, spawned carcasses of the adults and young salmon that emerge in the spring. Rainbows here can reach monster size – a mind-boggling 30 inches in length. These “trophy” trout are the reason that Bristol Bay fishing is deemed world-class and tops every serious fly fisherman’s bucket list. They are also the reason that another fishing friend of mine has christened the region “The Holy Water.”

ALTHOUGH WE’RE HERE IN pursuit of trout, we learn that trout aren’t the only beings in pursuit of salmon. From our vantagepoint above the creek we spot a big brown bear immersed in a pool upstream. He’s gorging on easy pickings –

Fishing the Brooks River at Katmai is just one way to experience the majesty of the Last Frontier. Gulick had a chance to observe both commercial and recreational fishing and their impact on the state. (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY) 18

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AN OBSESSION WITH SALMON HOW AN ILLINOIS FARM GIRL BECAME FASCINATED WITH FISH

The salmon-rich waters of Bristol Bay – and the other corners of Alaska she visited – made a lasting memory on Amy Gulick as she traveled on the trail of the state’s fish. (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

BY CHRIS COCOLES

around these remarkable fish.

he grew up in the Heartland of America, but Amy Gulick’s heart now belongs to the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and salmon.

Gulick hails from Illinois farm country, but after relocating to Washington state, Gulick began to understand how coveted these remarkable fish are along the Pacific Coast.

“Intrigued that there are still places where people are an integral part of a salmonscape, I set to explore the web of human relationships that revolve around salmon in Alaska,” Gulick writes in her second book about the Last Frontier, The Salmon Way: An Alaska State Of Mind.

We caught up with Gulick to get a little more details on her fascination with salmon.

CC You touched on this in the book, but

S

Chris Cocoles Congratulations on a fantas-

tic book. I know you’ve previously written a book about Alaska, but what was your motivation to take on this project?

Amy Gulick I live in Washington state, where there were once staggering runs of salmon, but today we have less than 10 percent of our historical abundance. And so I’ve always been intrigued that Alaska is still a place – probably the last place in the world –where the lives of people and salmon are linked. I wanted to know what it’s like for people whose lives revolve 20

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what attracted you to your fascination with salmon considering you grew up in Illinois?

AG There is something about salmon that makes me reflect on my own life. The fish face obstacles at every stage of their life cycle, and yet against all odds they persist. Even those that don’t make it to spawn serve a purpose, passing on their life force to bears, birds, marine mammals and people. Salmon teach us that life is temporary and to make the best of it while we’re here.

being your first project from up there.

Do you learn something new about the state and maybe about yourself every time you’re there?

AG Every time I’m in Alaska, I am reminded just how enormous and diverse the state is. And how Alaska Natives, as well as newcomers, have adapted to live in temperate rainforest, boreal forest, tundra, the Arctic, and coastal environments.

I am constantly humbled by the raw beauty, the harshness of the wild, and the graciousness of the people I meet.

CC What was your first experience like in Alaska?

AG My first time in Alaska was life alter-

ing. In my late 20s, I drove from Puget Sound in Washington through British Columbia, took the Alaska ferry to Haines, drove through the Yukon to Tok, and down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer. I had never seen so much wild country.

It was September, and I watched brown and black bears, the Nelchina caribou herd, beluga whales, and spawning salmon all functioning pretty much as they have for millennia.

CC This is your second book about Alaska now – Salmon In The Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest in 2010

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Gulick has now written two books about Alaska’s relationship with salmon. Once she left the Midwest the Pacific Northwest, she understood how much these fish shape the lives of so many residents on the coast. (AMY GULICK)

Meeting Alaskans like guide Heidi Wild (left, with her 14-year-old son, Lane) was an eye-opening experience for the author. “If you have a relationship with salmon, then you also have a relationship to a river, a home stream and the ocean,” she says.

(AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

CC In my job as editor of this magazine, so

many Lower 48ers I’ve encountered have been mesmerized by the lure of Alaska.

Why do you think that is?

AG In much of the Lower 48, we’ve created living environments where most people are disconnected from what’s real, where we don’t have to think much about where our food or water comes from.

We control our temperature, our sound, our scenery by pressing a button. Alaska shows us what is real and helps us connect to our true nature.

CC Your husband Chris was raised in a

commercial fishing atmosphere and you wrote about both the commercial fish industry and sportfishing in The Salmon Way. Were you able to get a lot of perspective about the similarities and differences between both industries?

AG When I was working on The Salmon Way, I spent time with a diversity of salmon people to understand the similarities and differences among commercial fishermen, sport fishermen, Alaska Natives, subsistence folks, and people who fish for personal use. And you know what? Regardless of whether people fish for their food, livelihood or fun, I found that when I asked people what salmon meant to them, everyone said the same thing: Family, community, culture, and connection to the land and a valued way of life.

CC From what I read you were able to re-

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ally capture the essence of why salmon are such a critical natural resource in Alaska. Given the political climate right now and the controversy of salmon conservationists fighting against projects like the Pebble Mine, how important is it for Alaskans and others to keep fighting for salmon?

AG Because I live in a region that has decimated its salmon by degrading their habitat, I see how difficult it is to bring the fish back. And once they’re gone, people move on and pretty soon they don’t even know what they lost. Alaska is the last place in the world where we have an opportunity to get it right. It’s why I made my book: To celebrate that the salmon way is still a way of life.

But there is a cautionary tale to tell too. We live in a time where salmon won’t be around if people don’t fight for them. Whether it’s a Pebble Mine, Susitna Dam, Chuitna Coal, or who knows what else, we lose salmon one stream at a time, one river at a time. It’s a gradual process, but in a few generations they’re gone. So it’s clear that a salmon-filled future in Alaska depends on people fighting for the fish and for a way of life.

CC Throughout the book you’ve profiled

many different folks who are involved in one way or another with salmon and/or fishing. Was there was one person you met who really had a lasting impact on you?

AG Everyone I met touched me in some

Gulick and her fishing party had to share the river with some hungry and curious bruins. “All we can see is the bear’s face peeking through the brush,” she writes, “but it’s clear he’s enormous, his ears melding into the furry hump behind his head.” (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

way, but if I had to choose one person who made a lasting impact on me I would say it was a Native Tlingit woman in Sitka. She taught me the difference between viewing salmon as a “resource” or viewing them as a “relationship.” The word “resource” implies an end product, a commodity. But “relationship” is so much deeper and multi-faceted. If you have a relationship with salmon, then you also have a relationship to a river, a home stream and the ocean. And you probably have relationships with people in your community connected to each other by way of salmon. We show gratitude for healthy relationships because they make our lives richer.

CC In recent years, Alaska and through-

out the West Coast, from your current home near Seattle all the way down to California, have endured some difficult times with salmon runs. Do you feel good about the health and future of Pacific salmon here on the West Coast?

AG Salmon have survived ice ages, volcanic eruptions, drought, floods, and fire.

They are hardy creatures that can thrive as long as they have what they need.

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And that’s the kicker – salmon are one of those species that needs it all. They need clean, healthy, unobstructed freshwater rivers, streams and lakes to spawn and rear, and they need a productive ocean to mature.

In the Lower 48, their freshwater habitat has been decimated and so the outlook there isn’t good. But in Alaska, the habitat is largely intact. Threats to salmon in Alaska include those that are preventable – overfishing and habitat degradation; and those that are unknown – the effects of a changing climate and acidifying ocean. Maintaining as much healthy habitat as possible will be key to the resiliency of salmon to withstand whatever stressors they’ll face in the future. I have hope for salmon in Alaska because there is still so much habitat for them and many people want their salmon ways of life to continue. Forever.

CC In the book you refer to salmon as “a gift.” Can you expand on that a bit?

AG Throughout my travels while I was

working on the book, no matter where I went or whom I met with, I always seemed to leave with salmon in my

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

the salmon swim past him in a steady stream as if they were on a liquid conveyor belt.

“We need to stick together as a group and keep an eye on our packs at all times,” says Heidi Wild, our guide for the day. “The last thing we want is for a bear to come between us or get into our packs while we’re at the creek.”

So we’re going toward danger? With a can of bear spray clipped to Heidi’s slight frame as our only defense? And we’re how far away from any kind of emergency aid? I keep these thoughts to myself as we begin our steep descent. When we reach the creek, the bear is gone from the pool, but there are bruin freeways along both brushy banks. I surrender my reservations and put my utmost trust in our guide.

With wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that makes you feel all is right with the world – even if a bear suggests otherwise – Heidi looks much younger than her 38 years. She’s been guiding sport fishermen for only a few years, but her background assures me hands. I was so touched by the generosity that the salmon people showed me.

Many Alaskans told me that salmon are a gift – to the land, waters, animals, plants, and people. And when you’re on the receiving end of a gift, you give back. It’s a way to honor, respect and give thanks to the fish. It’s the salmon way, and it’s the Alaska way.

Editor’s note: Writer and photographer Amy Gulick has received numerous honors including a Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, the Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and the Voice of the Wild Award from the Alaska Wilderness League. She is the recipient of both the Mission Award and the Philip Hyde Grant Award from the North American Nature Photography Association.

Her first book, Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest (Braided River, 2010) is both a Nautilus and Independent Publisher Book Award winner.

She lives with her husband on an island in Washington’s Puget Sound. Follow Amy at amygulick.com. For more information on her book visit thesalmonway.org.

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Spawning salmon release their eggs and milt into nests, called redds, in a river’s gravel. Eggs that don’t get buried float off and become food for trout and other fish, birds, and insects. (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

that she’s got this.

Born in western Canada, Heidi grew up in Washington state and Oregon, spending much of her childhood fishing the rivers of the Pacific Northwest. She became a U.S. citizen at age eighteen so that she could join the U.S. Air Force and serve the country she was proud to call home. She was stationed in the Middle East during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Upon returning stateside, Heidi landed in Alaska for the first time, assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.

“It was quite the contrast going from sand to salmon,” she says. “Alaska felt like coming home, but to a home I had not yet known. Returning to streams, rivers, and mountains, which were always the backdrop to my childhood in the Pacific Northwest, rejuvenated my soul.”

After her time in the military, Heidi remained in Alaska and began a career in the financial services industry. But something kept calling her back to her 26

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dual loves of fishing and serving others.

So she volunteered with Project Healing Waters, an organization dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled military personnel and veterans through fly fishing.

“The time that I spent with these incredible soldiers was both humbling and profound,” she remembers. “Many of them had difficulty talking about their experiences. But casting into a stream in the wild, the silence of nature enveloped them, speaking volumes where words often fell short. They could just be. Be embraced by the beauty of the land and the abundance of the rivers.

Return to something inherent in them, in all of us. I knew with every fiber of my being that I had to bring this sense of purpose, healing, and wonder to people.

To reconnect them with nature and fill the devastation and void that life often leaves in its wake.”

Heidi now guides sport fishermen full-time from May through October through a fishing lodge in the Bristol Bay

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

region. She spends her winters building custom fly rods and volunteering with organizations that promote clean water.

She wants to ensure that her 14-yearold son and the generations that follow have the opportunity to fish and experience thriving wild places.

THE CURRENT GENERATION OF sockeye

before me in Little Ku is ensuring the creation of the next. Paired up and bunched up, the salmon fill this narrow stretch from bank to bank. The trout lurk beneath the salmon, slurping stray eggs floating downstream.

I gingerly walk down the middle of the creek and a wall of fish opens and streams along both sides of me. It’s impossible not to feel like Moses parting the Red Sea. The water sings with the riffles of the shallows and the ripples of the salmon swaying in the current.

The rhythms of this place find us and extend an invitation to go with the flow of what is real.

We accept, casting into the water,

Whether it’s bears or humans, you know you’re in salmon country, something Gulick cherished in her writing. “It’s exhilarating to be in this staggeringly beautiful place.” (AMY GULICK/THE SALMON WAY)

into our minds, fishing for whatever this way comes. Few words are exchanged.

The shared connection to the land, the fish and the crisp air bonds us together better than words ever could. Time slows and becomes irrelevant. What matters is what’s happening now, not what happened years ago or what will happen tomorrow. It’s intoxicating, this business of feeling alive.

“Ooh – is that a bear?” says Heidi, peering toward the willows along the bank.

My inner calm is disrupted by her voice, but I remain hyperfocused in the moment. All that matters is what’s happening now, and what’s happening now is that two of us are downstream of a bear, two of us are upstream, and our packs are in the middle on a small gravel bar in the creek. Exactly the scenario we’ve been so good at avoiding all day. All we can see is the bear’s face peeking through the brush, but it’s clear he’s enormous, his ears melding into the furry hump behind his head.

He creeps into a clearing and turns broadside to us – a polite way of intimidating his neighbors by showing his

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MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

size. It’s effective.

“Let’s slowly wade toward each other and to our packs,” says Heidi, giving a calm command while keeping her eyes on the bear at the water’s edge. As we clump together in the creek and gather our gear, the bear ambles upstream from us and stops. He turns broadside again. I think he’s exercising his patience by not running us off, but I also think he’s telling us that we have overstayed our welcome in his dining room.

“We need to leave the creek now,” Heidi says in a steady voice with a hint of urgency, “but we can’t go back up the bank the way we came down because that’s where the bear is.”

We splash across the creek, salmon bodies thrashing against our legs as they race away from us. When our boots hit the ground on the other side, we pick up the pace, scrambling up a steep bank entangled with a wall of willows. Bashing through the brush, we come into a small clearing, only to discover it’s a bear bed dug into the side of the bank. Fortunately it’s unoccupied. Then we see another bear bed, and another. We keep climb-

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THE GUIDE’S PERSPECTIVE

“The moment that salmon eggs hatch, the fight to survive and thrive is on. The fish make their way to the ocean and face limitless perils. They stay gone until they’re called home. They don’t choose any river, though; they return to the same rivers where they were hatched. No GPS guiding them, just a truth that runs through their blood that they have purpose. They don’t quit swimming in the middle of their return home simply because they face obstacles.”

“They keep moving forward. They keep fighting. Tirelessly. Devoted. Inspiring. Just like most of us. Salmon have taught me to be thankful for the abundance of the Earth coupled with the constant reminder that you should take only what you need. In Alaska, this is a widely shared value. You do not ‘kill to kill.’ You take life to sustain life, and honor the land.” -Heidi Wild, Katmai fishing guide Editor’s note: You can order the book at mountaineers.org/books/books/the-salmon-way-an-alaska-state-of-mind.

ing, announcing our presence with “Hey, bear!” shouts, all the while leery of what might be obstructed just steps in front of us. It’s like we’re on an endless staircase to nowhere.

We push, pull, and grunt our way up and finally reach the top. Flopping onto our backs, blood pumping, hearts racing, no one speaks. The adrenaline subsides and our breathing slows. And

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

then the laughter begins. Laughter at the comical bushwhack up the bank of “bear condos.” Laughter at ourselves for fleeing the scene. And laughter because it’s exhilarating to be in this staggeringly beautiful place sharing this worldclass moment with new friends.

My old friend Ed is right. It’s not so much about the fish; it’s about where the fish take you. ASJ

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aksportingjournal.com | MAY 2019

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

OUTDOOR CALENDAR Most of the state’s spring brown bear seasons will close on May 31, with a May 10 opener set for the Alaska Peninsula. (KRISTINE SOWL/USFWS)

ALASKA FISHING & RAFT ADVENTURES

May 10 Spring brown bear season opens in GMU 9

(Alaska Peninsula) May 15 Start of Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby; homeralaska.org May 18 Start of Valdez Halibut Derby; valdezfishderbies.com May 19 Start of Ketchikan King Salmon Derby; ketchikansalmonfishing.com May 31 Most bear hunting seasons end June 1–30 Seward Halibut Derby; seward.com/ welcome-to-seward-alaska/halibut-tournament-june June 7–16 Valdez Halibut Hullabaloo; valdezfishderbies.com June 8–15 Slam’n Salm’n Derby, Ship Creek, Anchorage; anchorage.net/events/salmon-derby July 4 Mount Marathon Race, Seward; mmr.seward.com July 20–Sept. 1 Valdez Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com July 20 Valdez Kids Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com

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CROWNING KINGS ON THE NUSH

FIELD

SOME OF ALASKA’S BEST CHINOOK FISHING IS ON BRISTOL BAY’S NUSHAGAK RIVER

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

L

ast year, many Alaska rivers struggled when it came to king salmon fishing, though one continued to shine.

It was proof once again why it’s the top-ranked king salmon fishery in the

world when it comes to numbers of these iconic fish.

Bristol Bay’s Nushagak River continues to receive big runs of king salmon.

This is a fishery that kicks off in mid-June and continues into the middle of July. Early in the season, heavy rains and storms can put a damper on the fishing action,

but these high waters are the same ones that move a lot of fish into the system – literally overnight.

“A lot of clients love that first couple weeks of June,” shares Scott Weedman, co-owner of Alaska King Salmon Adventures (alaskakingsalmon.com), which is situated on the banks of the river.

Scott Haugen (left) and Scott Weedman, who co-owns Alaska King Salmon Adventures, have been fishing the Nushagak River together for over a decade. Weedman operates one of the premier and secluded camps on the system.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

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FIELD

PUT SOME ZEST IN YOUR APPETIZERS

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

t doesn’t take much time or effort to come up with an amazing appetizer of ceviche. Whether you have fresh fish or shrimp, or a freezer full of seafood goodies, adding a bit of citrus and a few other ingredients to your catch will surely brighten up everyone’s day.

While just about any semifirm, white, ocean fish will work for ceviche, we prefer halibut. Shellfish is a great addition, as shrimp, scallops and many types of clams will cook quickly in the acid of the citrus. If you are skeptical of this “raw” dish, poach shrimp and fish ahead of time and cool completely before adding the citrus and other recipe ingredients.

I

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HALIBUT AND SHRIMP CEVICHE ½ pound halibut or other bottomfish ½ pound shrimp ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper 1 tablespoon minced red onion Three to four cherry tomatoes, diced One avocado, cut into small chunks Salt and pepper to taste Remove any bones or skin from fish. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Peel and devein shrimp and chop into bitesized pieces if needed. Place fish and shrimp in a medium-sized bowl. Add lime and orange juice. Let sit 20 minutes or until fish begins to turn white

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

Mixing together your fresh or frozen seafood, including spot shrimp like the basketful Tiffany Haugen holds, into a tasty ceviche will provide a great appetizer option. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

and shrimp pinks up.

Gently fold in remaining ingredients.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or over a bed of lettuce.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s best selling cookbook, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489 or order online at scotthaugen.com. Follow Tiffany on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and watch for her on the online series Cook With Cabela’s, The Sporting Chef TV show, and The Hunt, on Amazon Prime.

FIELD

The author has been traveling to the Nush, as it’s also known, for over 15 years, and ranks it atop his “must do” list when it comes to fishing in Alaska. He took this nice king on a back-trolled Mag Lip. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

38

The Haugens show off some nice eating-sized pike taken from a Nushagak slough. There are more than just kings to pursue in this fish-rich watershed.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

“They know they might lose half a day – maybe even a full day – of fishing due to high winds and heavy rain, but they also know that sitting in camp will be worth the wait, because tens of thousands of king salmon can come into the river on one storm this time of year,” he says.

storm, but your numbers will be consistent. Landing and releasing 30 kings a day can be expected later in the season.

I’ve also had days this time of year where boats average 70 kings a day. It just comes down to how quickly the fish are moving upstream.

STORMING TO SALMON

SALMON, FISH VARIETY

Just as Weedman says, mid-June is my favorite time to fish king salmon on the Nushagak. Many times over my more than 15 years of fishing this river, I’ve sat by the fire in camp, hoping the dining hall tent wouldn’t blow over in the incessant storm. But the day after those storms, the king salmon fishing was spectacular – some of the best I’ve ever experienced anywhere in Alaska.

One day after a storm, my wife Tiffany and I landed and released over 100 Chinook. Another day after heavy rain, two buddies and I landed and released 143 kings in a day. So there’s no doubt that big numbers can happen on this river.

If you’re more of a fair-weather fisherman, think late June and into July for fishing the Nush. At this time of year there are more salmon spread out throughout the river, and the weather is nicer; you also have more daylight hours in which to fish. True, you won’t likely catch as many king salmon as you would following a big

Chum and sockeye salmon also make their way into the Nushagak, adding to the buffet of fresh fish you can take home. The last two summers have seen record numbers of sockeye returning to the river, with lots of anglers catching these bank-running fish from shore.

“We had people in camp fishing king salmon early in the morning, then spending the rest of the day fishing for sockeyes, right from camp off the shore,” notes Weedman. “A lot people like taking sockeye salmon home to eat, ranking it as their top-tasting salmon.”

The Nushagak also offers good fishing opportunities for Arctic grayling, as well as northern pike. While neither species may be big compared to those in other remote waters in the state where they can be targeted, they’re in the river in good numbers, adding to the list of species you can pursue. Fresh grayling makes excellent tablefare, and pike is also delicious. Pickled pike from the Nush

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

is a favorite of many.

Rainbow trout can also be caught with consistency in the Nushagak. Many of the biggest trout are lurking in deep holes, where fishing on the bottom will produce bites.

Dolly Varden also abound, and the more salmon that make their way into the river, the more prevalent and aggressive the Dollies become.

MYRIAD METHODS

As if multiple fish species lurking in the Nushagak isn’t enough to convince you to visit this amazing fishery, consider the approaches. Whether you’re a bait angler or a fly fishing fan, a spey casting person or one who likes to plunk from the beach, there’s no shortage of ways to fish the river.

Of course, king salmon that can be fished for multiple ways on the river are what draws people here from all over the world. But if you’re searching for a true Alaskan experience, consider going after more than just the royalty that exists on the Nushagak River this summer. ASJ Editor’s note: To book a fishing adventure on the Nushagak River and maybe even fish with Scott Haugen, who goes here every year, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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YAKETY-YAK: YOU GOTTA GO BACK YAKUTAT A BIT ISOLATED, BUT HALIBUT, COHO, SCENERY MAKE IT A SUMMER FISHING/GETAWAY HUB

With good halibut fishing not far from port, nearby flyout fisheries like Tsiu River coho – Pete Thompson battles one here – and stunning scenery, the fishing and sightseeing can be epic in and around the Southeast Alaska destination town of Yakutat. (CHRISTOPHER BATIN)

BY CHRISTOPHER BATIN

A

s she loomed into view, Yakutat Bay seemed without highlight and homely, like a high school prom queen appearing at the event with neither makeup nor adornment. But sometimes true beauty is always best in its natural state.

I was likewise trying not to prejudge this halibut fishery. It seemed to lack the deepwater tidal rips that I had experienced while fishing out of Dutch Harbor.

There seemed to be no evidence of Cook Inlet’s extreme tidal fluctuations or sign of heavy-duty rods ready to bottom bounce 48 ounces of weight in 240 feet of water.

Nor was it the long, delirious boat ride for three hours from a Southcentral seaport to fish the outer waters of Prince

William Sound. The bay seemed as flat as the Earth must have seemed flat to the cartographers before Columbus’ time.

But as their reason was based on ignorance, so were my observations equally flawed. The flatness was the result of eons of the Hubbard Glacier and its offspring chewing up the coastal foothills of the Wrangell Mountains, then regurgitating the silty remnants into a fat, sprawling, tidewater bay, complete with saltwater flats, sandy beaches and deepwater marine canyons. As repulsive as regurgitation may sound to humans, for halibut and other species it’s a marine smorgasbord that is as bountiful as they come.

The reason is obvious.

MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF glacier water empty into the bay each day. That wa-

ter is rich in nutrients and mixes with upwelling currents from the continental shelf running the Gulf of Alaska’s outer shoreline. Forage is abundant and diverse, and as a result the sportfish here grow big and plentiful.

Mark Sappington of Yakutat Charter Boat Company (alaska-charter.com) believed we’d have good luck as we left the harbor. He took a compass heading to a spot offering prime feeding grounds near deepwater migration and holding corridors.

“The halibut fishing out of Yakutat is really good,” he said. “It’s obvious to see that with the implementation of halibut restrictions and good management in general, the stocks seem to be in good shape. Yakutat is positioned on the coast to really take advantage of any increase

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41

TAKING A TRIP TO YAKUTAT

Y

akutat has a variety of lodging for all budgets and tastes. There are no official hotel chains, with most accommodations consisting of lodges, cabin rentals or B&Bs, which are warm and friendly. Reserve a room early, especially during the peak fishing season.

Yakutat Lodge (yakutatlodge.com) is conveniently located at the airport. With two Alaska Air flights a day, there’s no need to worry about air traffic keeping you awake at night. Yakutat Lodge is a good watering hole for drinks and meeting locals to find out what’s going on around town and research fishing spots worth checking out.

Yakutat Lodge, Leonard’s Landing Lodge (leonardslanding.com) and Glacier Bear Lodge (glacierbearlodge.com) have saltwater charter operations or operators they use. All provide guiding on the river for various species. Blue Heron Inn (johnlatham.com/lodging) is the bed and breakfast of choice if you want a spectacular view of the Wrangells, not to mention some of the best breakfasts in town.

Anyone who wets a fly or has an interest in vintage Alaska aircraft, should

visit the Situk River Fly Shop and request a tour of the old World War II hangar.

Jim Capra, Yakutat District Ranger for the Wrangell-St.Elias National Park & Preserve, advised me by email that for the do-it-yourselfer Yakutat’s only air-taxi operator is able to target short-duration coho runs for day anglers on the small streams of the Malaspina Forelands.

Run timing is not as reliable as it was in the past, but the variety of streams usually means some creek “has a fresh run” at any given time. The East Alsek and Doame Rivers are main attractions for anglers. Sockeye are there in a run of 12,000 to 25,000, but they are rarely fished because of slow currents. Coho are present in large numbers and the flat sandy rivers like the Tsiu and Kiklukh are perfect for top-water wogging and large dry flies.

“There is also world-class sea kayaking in Russell Fjord, Yakutat Bay and Icy Bay,” Capra says. “There are several bear-viewing spots that are only managed by the 3- to 6-mile hike in to them.

Close encounters with icebergs are a short hike or canoe paddle from the end of the road at Harlequin Lake.”

For the DIY set, the Forest Service

offers several cabins available for rent.

“Yakutat is one of those cities that doesn’t get a lot of traffic but really has a lot to offer the recreational angler and sportsman,” says Danielle Doyle, marketing manager with the State of Alaska Marine Highway. “It’s a deepwater port that can accommodate the state ferry, which supplies freight, construction supplies, perishable goods, and other necessities, including anglers who want a great fishing experience.”

If you plan to fish Yakutat’s marine waters, get acquainted with Erving Grass, the local harbormaster. He oversees a handful of boats dedicated to sightseeing, charter and commercial fishing, and he is a wealth of knowledge on where to go and how to fish the salt.

If you haul your own boat to Yakutat on the state ferry, a 16- to 18-foot boat will handle the waters of Yakutat Bay and nearby islands in reasonable weather. With nautical charts, it’s a relatively simple task to safely enter and exit the harbor. Halibut, rockfish, and lingcod fishing is always good to excellent in Yakutat Bay. CB

in abundance, due to our proximity to the spawning banks nearby. We enjoy good halibut fishing in water between 100 and 200 feet that border deep channels of 500 or more feet. It’s some of the most perfect halibut fishing water you’ll

find in Alaska.”

That perked me up, as there’s nothing finer than fighting big halibut in shallow water.

The trip to the fishing grounds took about an hour, a wink in time compared to

some charters farther to the west, where travel time is three hours, one way, to reach the halibut grounds.

Rhonda Coston works as the Yakutat Borough Planner and serves as its tourism coordinator. The words she’d spoken

Yakutat Harbor’s launch ramp doesn’t get as busy as you might think, given the fishing and scenery. Batin says even in mid-August the angling pressure is remarkably light around the islands that dot the saltwater. (CHRISTOPHER BATIN) 42

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

Yakutat Capt. Mark Sappington describes his home angling grounds as “some of the most perfect halibut fishing water you’ll find in Alaska.” (CHRISTOPHER BATIN)

to me earlier about the size of the Yakutat Borough were replayed over and over again in my head.

“The Yakutat Borough itself is almost 10,000 square miles in area and covers a lot of spectacular coastline,” she said.

“And in all of that, Yakutat, with its 400 full-time residents, is the area’s only year-round community.”

“You have some super halibut fishing directly in your front yard,” I said Mark, keeping Rhonda’s comment in mind. “It’s a little out of the way to get here, but it’s worth the effort, just for the scenery.”

At our first stop we dropped lines in 128 feet of water. My friend Pete Thompson fished a ultraviolet squid, while I tied on a leadhead jig with a white twister tail. On my fifth jig-jump off the bottom, an effort to kick up a mud cloud to attract halibut, my jig seemed to bury into the granite hull of the continental shelf.

My arm and back muscles held firm but quivered slightly as I held a hefty bend in my stiff-spined halibut rod.

There was no movement.

One seconds. Two seconds.

I was about to call out “Snag!” when my rod tip lunged down and stabbed the water’s surface. The front rod section flipped and doubled in a convoluted dance. It felt much as a baker twists and spins dough to make a soft pretzel, which is what my legs were feeling like after the fish’s first run. It was definitely a “hurts so good” moment that lasted for nearly 20 minutes.

After the give-and-take battle and sizzling runs, and a meanness that only wild, deep-shelf halibut can dish out, Mark put 44

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

a round into the hefty slab, and we hauled a 100-plus-pounder onboard. Before long, Pete was into a larger halibut.

The highlight of the day was not only the slab halibut and cod we were catching, but also watching Mark’s daughter, Cassie Spring Sappington, fish for these

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

big flatfish. She was in Yakutat on summer break and onboard for the day to work as a deckhand. I took Mark aside and said Pete and I could handle our own rigs, so we invited her to fish with us. It’s always good to watch a man or woman who knows how to fish, especially a younger, college-aged woman who can get in there with the guys, kick some butt, and show us how it’s done, much to the delight of a proud father.

For the most part, Carrie was silent as she fought her fish, focusing on carefully working the rod and leading the fish to gaff as it neared the boat. When the prize was onboard, she flashed a smile that didn’t quit. It was a testimonial to show the love she had toward fish and fishing.

We caught eight halibut that day, all over 100 pounds, and were back at port before midafternoon.

I was a believer.

YAKUTAT IS A LITTLE TOWN with a big fish

The local skipper was able to put Batin (below) and friend Pete Thompson on a few big flatfish.

(CHRISTOPHER BATIN)

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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

45

The river fishing is just as strong in these parts. Check out the fly patterns at the Situk River Fly Shop to cast for summer salmon, trout and char. (CHRISTOPHER BATIN)

problem. There are too many big fish and too few anglers. Yakutat is world-renowned for its spring steelheading and receives a swarm of anglers. At other times of the year the fishing is hot, but the anglers are few and far between.

“We’re off the main route for cruise

ship travel, and anglers often fly to other portions of the state rather than Yakutat for halibut and salmon,” says Coston.

“The state’s largest fisheries are usually located on the state’s main road system, or out of cities served by cruise ships.

Both help create greater fishing and tourism infrastructures, which gets more attention among visitors wanting to visit Alaska. We don’t have any of these but have outstanding fishing on par with other areas throughout Alaska, and all of it is close to town.”

It seemed impossible, yet her observations were spot on. Indeed, it seemed Yakutat’s marine sportfishing is the state’s abandoned child, off the beaten path where few can find it.

The secret here is for anglers to duplicate our adventure: We were able to fit our fishing gear, boat, motor, all fishing gear and equipment in the back of my Tacoma pickup. We drove from Anchorage to the ferry terminal in Whitter, and after a stop in Cordova continued on to Yakutat. After a relaxing trip, we arrived in Yakutat rested and ready to fish, with all of our gear and fish processing equip-

ment with us.

Being self-sufficient allowed Pete and I to explore a wealth of fishing opportunities available on the road system that offered few if any anglers during our visit in mid-August. Anglers can also take the fast and easy route on a once-a-day Alaska Airlines flight into and out of this coastal city.

According to Matt Catterson, a fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Yakutat, sportsmen can find a wealth of fishing adventure here throughout the season.

“Besides the obvious salmon and halibut fishing, there are great opportunities for cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden in the many side sloughs and tributaries throughout the area and along the road system,” he says. “Our beach access is some of the best in the state.”

If you are looking for remote, fly-out adventure, Yakutat also doesn’t disappoint. Rhonda, Pete and I booked a flight with Yakutat Coastal Air (flyyca.com), the only air taxi operator based in Yakutat. Owner Hans Munich’s resume as an Alaska bush pilot would take volumes to describe. He is a direct, no-nonsense type of pilot – gruff and focused on the business at hand. You are there for a service. He provides it. End of discussion.

It may appear that it would take an act of God to break through that snapping-turtle-tough exterior, and eke out a smile from his dour expressions. But here’s a tip: Make a humorous remark or give the ol’ boy some praise that he can overhear. If you’re lucky, you’ll see an ever-so-slight grin flash across his face that shows he’s not a machine after all.

He’s an Alaska bush pilot, words that describe this often eccentric yet confident breed. Whatever it takes to keep him and his passengers safe when flying in the Yakutat and Wrangell coastal environment, which offers some of the most hostile flying conditions in Alaska.

Here, focus is the key to survival; as far as I’m concerned, he can snarl, bare his teeth and fly the plane upside down. If you want to talk fishing fun, ask for Tanya. She’s the YCA office contact for help and information.

HANS FLEW US TO the Tsiu River, a silver salmon hotspot 100 air miles from Yaku46

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tat that is about as good as it gets for fly fishing these acrobatic wonders I covered in the August 2018 issue of Alaska Sporting Journal.

Once there, I met with Greg Dierick, a lifelong Alaskan who owns Dierick’s Tsiu River Lodge. Several other lodges are located nearby, and each markets to a select clientele. Greg caters to all clients with a price that is a bargain for the services rendered. He says the fishing is good from mid-August through October.

Pete and I would never guess that once we walked a bit upstream, we would have the entire river to ourselves.

This was unheard of on Alaska’s main road system for a mid-August coho fishery. But here we were.

My friend was eager to catch his first-ever Tsiu silver. Our first day’s weather was heaven-sent, with mostly cloudy skies and the Wrangell Mountains looming in the background. It seemed that early-run coho often don’t jump when they migrate upriver.

I humorously speculated that Tsiu coho know that bears are numerous on the river, and thus wary not to make

a splash or porpoise to reveal their location. Yet our flies seldom made it through a run or a hole without getting hammered. The coho were mega-large fish in the 12- to 18-pound range.

Fish are constantly entering or swimming up the Tsiu from the lower tidal sections. The Tsiu is mostly wadable, and at times we would wade and fish for 10 minutes without a strike, when wham! an inmigrating fish zipping upstream would nail our flies. Then we’d have nonstop action until the next wave. In between schools, we’d target fish holding in holes and runs, which required a bit more fishing finesse.

We were always on the lookout for bears, because they are not as spooked by a couple of anglers fishing in solitude.

The first day we counted 11 bears walking the river banks without the caution they exhibited farther downstream, when anglers are fishing together.

Two got too close for comfort, probably conditioned by anglers who were landing or fighting fish, which draw them in like honey to an ant. Both times, Pete and I moved into midriver – cans of pep-

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per spray at the ready – and when several emerged and began fishing our waters, we picked up and fished elsewhere.

My advice regarding bears: Fish in the river, and when on shore, be especially vigilant, especially if you are taking a salmon back for supper. The lodges do a good job of keeping curious anglers away from bears and, more importantly, bears away from anglers.

THE NEXT MORNING, WE were besieged

by nearly gale-force winds that kept the other anglers huddled for warmth and shelter in their respective lodges.

The wind was blowing so hard at times that it would send waves pulsing upriver against the current. I switched to weighted flies and kept my forward and backward casts a couple of feet off the water. I couldn’t hear Pete above the howling wind, so for safety purposes I’d fish facing him, which meant I always had to fish downstream from him to keep the wind at my back!

By midday, the rain had soaked our arms, dribbled down our backs and drenched us. But even wet, our layered

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MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

Thompson braved gusty winds, rain and a sore casting arm for this nice Tsiu silver. Batin says he hopes to spend 20 days instead of 10 the next time he visits to take in everything the Yakutat region has to offer. (CHRISTOPHER BATIN)

synthetic clothes kept us mostly warm, with a shiver here and there. We kept looking at each other as to who would stop first. Neither of us gave in, and I realized that fishing friends like Pete are rare.

The most miserable variable for both of us was the nonstop horizontal rain that drenched our eyeglasses, and created a nonstop, blurry sight picture that actually caused me a visual migraine for a half hour. Our hankies were wet, even our toilet tissue became soggy blobs in our rain jackets, with nothing dry in our packs to occasionally dry them off.

In the deepening darkness of late afternoon, with bulbous rain clouds dropping down upon us as if to hint this was the final curtain call, I finally fished without eyeglasses so I could see where to cast.

My arm could barely cast and my legs were wobbly from fighting river current all day. Pete’s casting arc was shot to hell, and I was laying my backcast on the water to load the rod for my forward cast. That’s because my casting arm was shot as well, having cast a 10-weight the entire day. We were famished and soaked deep into our waders, a nagging

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hypothermic shiver here and there.

It wasn’t until it was almost headlamp-required dark when we each landed and released our last fish. We nodded to each other, signalling we’d each had our fill, and climbed aboard the four-wheeler for the long ride back to the cabin.

My return path veered wide at times going through the flats as the heavy rain had created huge coastal lagoons that covered our tire tracks.

Getting off the trail could have bogged us down in quicksand, which we didn’t want at this time. After a mile of standing up and eking out our path from memory, however, I could see the faint glow of a cabin light that beckoned us to turn right and up into the heart of the coastal dunes.

Rhonda had a hot meal ready for us.

Pete unwound with a stiff drink and played a tune on his guitar. I don’t even remember him finishing it before I was asleep.

PETE AND I ENJOYED the stuff of Alaska fishing dreams. No people, few bears – even in the storm. There were loads of fish, often a strike on every cast and a

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partner who knew when it was time to fish and time to quit.

Upon a return to Yakutat, we spent the remainder of our time exploring the area and realized our outings were just the tip of a huge iceberg that entails the region’s outdoor adventure. However long you plan your trip, add a few more days. You won’t regret it. Locals will often invite you out for an evening of socialization. We received several, with the last being Rhonda’s boss Jon Erickson, who invited us to his place for a beer and to hang out, talk Yakutat and watch his huge pink plastic flamingo gently bob on the offshore waves against a backdrop of Wrangell Mountain wilderness.

Few things can wow me more than fishing, but Yakutat harbormaster Erving Grass gave me an up-close-and-personal tour of the Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Erving was able to motor us up close – yet safely – to the face of Hubbard, which is as an intimidating an experience as I’ll encounter in my lifetime.

Even at a distance, I could feel the raw

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

power of the calving ice and the brooding countenance of a power beyond my imagination. I lost count enumerating the stories of layered ice laid down over thousands of years.

Whatever you need to do in terms of time and finances, sacrifice half a day of fishing and schedule a seat on a charter to see this glacier. It’s an experience that will burn itself into your mind forever.

I plan to return to Yakutat this year, and hopefully will spend 20 days instead of 10, which zipped by as fast as a threeday weekend. But when you are catching fish and having fun in what is one of the most scenic fishing locations in all of Alaska, time takes a back seat to fishing, having fun and making memories that last a lifetime. ASJ Editor’s note: Chris Batin is editor of The Alaska Angler and author of numerous books on Alaska fishing, including his classic work, Advanced Alaska Fly fishing Techniques: An Underwater Look at How Salmon See Flies, and Why They Strike Them.” Autographed, postpaid copies are available from the author at AlaskaAngler.com.

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This year’s forecast of just 18 million harvestable pink salmon in Southeast Alaska is “alarming” for some. (JOE SERIO/U.S. FOREST SERVICE)

TOUGH RUN SOUTHEAST ALASKA PINK FORECAST CAUSE FOR CONCERN AND CONSERVATION

BY JENNY WEIS

A

s the days grow longer and summer plans start to materialize, “18 million” is a number on the minds of many across Southeast Alaska, especially those in the numerous industries that rely on salmon fishing.

Eighteen million is the number of pink salmon that fishery managers’ forecasts show could be harvested in the 2019 commercial season. The Southeast pink salmon harvest follows an every-other-year pattern, with the odd years usually being more productive.

However, models by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put this year’s harvest at about half of the recent ten-year average.

“Salmon is the biggest portion of my income for sure,” said Stan Savland, commercial fisherman out of Hoonah and a 20-year seiner. “The forecast is very alarming. I’m worried about this

season because our recent odd-year cycles are really what’s been carrying the seine fleet to make it.”

For seiners, low pink forecasts mean the fleet depends most heavily on hatchery returns of chum, often resulting in many fishermen huddled in a small area and waiting their turn.

“You can equate it to waitin’ in line for lunch. You’ve got to wait for 50 people in front of you,” Savland said. “Or, would you rather just go out to a place where there’s 25 people selling lunch and you can take your choice? Being able to go to standard corridors allows the fleet to spread out and allows for enjoyable, productive fishing.”

THINK PINK For tourism operators like Matt Boline, manager of Bear Creek Outfitters, a catch-and-release fly fishing and wildlife viewing operation out of Juneau, low pink years can mean less enjoyable and less productive experiences for their

fishing and bear-viewing clients. It can also result in delayed or cancelled trips and adds more stress on other species.

“We’re used to seeing bears come out at a certain date, but last season we had to push everything back because there were no fish to be eaten,” Boline said in anticipation of back-to-back low pink years. “It also takes a toll on Dolly Varden since we’re targeting them more.”

The low return of other salmon species is a concern across the board.

“I know for some of the lodges that focus more on kings, they’re experiencing a lot of cancellations. Last year at this time, most were completely booked up for summer. But after last summer’s poor fishing and people seeing the news about a worse one this year, people are not coming back,” said Boline.

Savland echoed the snowball effect.

“People don’t spend money on their fishing boats, at the stores or at the shipwrights,” he said. “We might be put-

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55

Though for catch-and-release anglers it can still feel like there are plenty of pinks around even in years of low returns, guides hope that the runs increase to avoid the snowballing effect that poor salmon news can have on the region. (JENNY WEIS)

ting off major projects that need to be done for safety and maintenance. Now we’re coming into another poor year, so we have to put off maintenance again.”

For Boline and his guides, seeing the change is obvious, but the practical implications are less dramatic, at least for now.

“Our guests don’t notice a big difference in numbers for the most part, be-

cause we’re all catch and release and to them it still seems like there’s more fish than they can ever imagine,” he said. “On a good year, we have to try to not catch fish because there’s so many of them.”

KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED Regardless, both Boline and Savland, and many others in their respective in-

“We’re used to seeing bears come out at a certain date, but last season we had to push everything back because there were no fish to be eaten,” local bruin-viewing guide Matt Boline said.

(BEAR CREEK OUTFITTERS)

dustries, remain hopeful that the trend changes sometime soon. According to Lowell Fair, ADFG Southeast regional supervisor, the department will manage conservatively to keep that hope alive.

“Our number one concern is to make sure we get fish in the streams,” he said.

Both Savland and Boline cited the warm “blob” in the Gulf of Alaska, increased predation, as well as recent drought as possible reasons for low returns.

“From what I understand, there are many factors beyond our control impacting our pink and king runs in Southeast,” Boline said. “But of the many variables that impact wild fish production, about the only one that humans can affect is not messing up spawning streams and adjacent habitat, which the Tongass is known for. Fighting to keep that intact keeps me optimistic,” he said. ASJ Editor’s note: Jenny Weis is the communications and digital advocacy specialist for Trout Unlimited’s Alaska program.

SalmonState is a nonprofit initiative that works to ensure Alaska remains a place wild salmon thrive. Go to salmonstate.org for more.

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THE GREAT DEBATE

Some jigs in the jigs-versus-beads debate feature a little bit of both worlds, but also the undulating allure of marabou feathers. (TONY ENSALACO)

JIGS OR BEADS? STEELHEADERS ARGUE WHICH PRESENTATION WORKS BETTER

BY TONY ENSALACO

T

his country is being torn apart, and it appears that our differences won’t be resolved anytime soon.

No, this isn’t about politics. Both sides of the aisle have been acting like stubborn, immature siblings who are fighting over the last scoop of ice cream, and I want no part of that toxic dialogue.

The subject I’m referring to hits closer to my home and is much more relevant for the readers of Alaska Sporting Journal. It’s the long-running debate about what’s the best bait to use for spring steelhead: jigs or beads.

This has become a hot topic among

river rats lately, a debate that doesn’t seem like it’s going to be resolved anytime soon. I recently sat through a heated discussion between two hardcore metalheaders who saw eye to eye on just about everything that has to do with the sport – until this particular question came up. That is when the camaraderie went south and the gloves came off.

One of the guys who happened to be a huge jig fanatic swore up and down that a properly presented jig dangled beneath a bobber was the perfect weapon to entice an Alaskan steelhead.

The other dude was a devout bead junkie and stringently professed his loyalty to those tiny round devices. He wanted

no part of the opposing testimony of the jig fan. It was fun listening to how passionately they defended their choices, and they were even more adamant about not giving in to the either’s opinion.

Of course, bar stools and an abundance of libations were mixed into the fray, which didn’t affect the validity of the conversation. But it did make the verbal sparring quite fascinating throughout the bout.

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL FOR anglers to be-

come overprotective about their personal preferences. It’s also a fair bet to assume that beads and jigs account for the majority of steelhead landed by gear

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There was a period of time when a single plastic egg or a yarn fly secured to a tiny hook – forerunners of beads – were author Tony Ensalaco’s “go to” baits of choice. And though he is a devout jig user, he still has pretied drift fishing leaders for use “in low water or heavy fishing pressure,” he says. (TONY ENSALACO)

anglers throughout the Last Frontier, and there is no denying that either of them can be deadly at any given time.

The bead guy made a compelling argument that salmon eggs make up a large

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part of a juvenile steelhead’s diet while they are still living in their parent streams, and they will spend months gorging on them before heading out to sea.

When the fish return as adults, they

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

will recognize something that resembles an egg, which automatically triggers a learned feeding response.

Then, it was the jig man’s turn to chime in. He claimed that since steelhead feed on squid, crustaceans and small fish in the saltwater, the most effective presentation would have to be a jig. He attributed the jig’s success to the undulating action created by the marabou body, which mimics food found in their ocean diet.

Steelhead will actively feed up to the time they enter the streams, and it would make sense for them to continue attacking something that they have been recently foraging on.

When the clash ceased to make progress, they looked to see what I had to say.

And that is when I purposely chose diplomacy by replying that both of them made convincing arguments and had interesting theories on why those baits are so effective. I added something about each method having its place in a steelheader’s arsenal, and neither of them should be fished exclusively or be overlooked.

That wasn’t quite the answer that

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Ensalaco fights and lands one of the many Alaska chromers he’s hooked on jigs. This one was holding under the shadows of the trees on the far bank. (TONY ENSALACO)

either one was looking for and I knew that, but I also realized that ambiguity was the best way to step away from a conversation between two mooned-up steelheaders who had just completed 12-hour shifts on the river.

Besides, whatever I came up with would have been long forgotten by the time they woke up, bleary-eyed with pounding headaches, unfortunate derivatives from their inevitable hangovers. I also knew that if I shared my thoughts, it would have prolonged the conversation until last call, and I wasn’t really looking to start a two-front war with either one of them.

TRUTH BE TOLD: I’M always apprehensive about expressing my opinions when the subject of adult steelhead feeding in freshwater comes up. There are a lot of fishermen who believe the fish will continue to feed once they have entered a

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river. But from my experience, I haven’t found that to be true.

I have performed countless makeshift autopsies on hatchery steelhead that were taken home for the grill or the smoker and haven’t found any definitive evidence that steelhead feed in streams.

Can it, or does it happen from time to time? Probably, but I don’t believe they enter a river with that intention, as much as they are instinctual creatures that will bite something that happens to float past them.

I have found an occasional egg or two in the stomach of steelhead, but that was a rarity, even when the river was teeming with spawning salmon. I’ve also found bits of twigs and leaves, along with unidentified river gunk, which tells me they’re picking up whatever that comes at them.

Besides that, on several occasions I have observed steelhead holding along a current seam that appeared to be mouthing and rejecting various debris that drifted past, telling me that it’s their way of defending their space. The fact of the matter is that we will never know the true reason why a steelhead hits a bait until we find a way to communicate with animals. The

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

most important takeaway is knowing how to get fish to bite and not be too concerned about why they do it.

When re-examining that night at the bar, I don’t know if anyone was trying to imply that spring steelhead actively feed once they enter the streams, as much as they believe a steelhead will hit something because it resembles a past food source. My perspective is that although steelhead have no intellectual abilities, they are certainly territorial and will instinctively respond to objects that approaches them.

It doesn’t matter if an offering appears to be an exact facsimile of something found in a stream or happens to look like it has been fabricated by a flamboyant circus clown. Steelhead respond to various presentations because they are predators.

There is nothing in the wild that resembles an erratically vibrating plug, yet a steelhead will often pulverize the lure if it comes within 10 feet of the fish.

Why? Because it instinctively knows that it has to protect its space. Anglers call that a reaction bite and it’s possible to trigger a response from a fish even when you present something that looks nothing like anything found in nature.

That example seems to prove that steelhead will react to or ignore different presentations because they are territorial, and not because it was a past food source.

SO, WHICH BAIT DESERVES the top honors in the aforementioned debate? I can say without hesitation that it depends.

I’m sorry about the evasiveness, but I have to analyze the conditions before I can determine what I’m going to use.

I will consider several factors, such as how long the fish have been in the river (stage of the run), fishing pressure, water clarity, current speed and the depth of the holding water. All of these things influence my decision about what I attach to the business end of my leader.

What I can tell you is that I have been using some sort of egg imitation since I started pursuing salmonids back in the early 1980s with fantastic results, and I don’t think it’s ever a mistake to try faux eggs in any condition.

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There was a period of time when a plastic single egg or a yarn fly secured to a tiny hook were my “go-to” baits of choice whenever I wasn’t able to get my hands on the real thing. I have always fished them with complete confidence.

I would use an imitation almost exclusively, even on rivers that didn’t enforce a bait ban. A lot of the guys around me were using fresh eggs, but their catch rate didn’t seem to be significantly higher or lower than mine, so there was no reason for me to change my style.

Fast forward 30-some years and now beads are the “glamour bait” in the steelheading community, which doesn’t surprise me. They’re inexpensive, simple to use, and most importantly, they’re super effective. You can fish them under a plethora of conditions and remain confident that you are fishing at a high level.

What I like about beads is that they can persuade a neutral or negative fish into hitting, which can be a difficult task when the fish have been in the river for a while or there is heavy fishing pressure on the stream. There are days late in the

season when small beads and light tackle are the only way to get a response.

Beads are also hard to beat when fishing in clear, shallow water, especially when you can see the fish holding in front of you. Beads are the perfect size to get a steelie’s attention, but subtle enough so they will not spook the fish.

Another productive way to present a bead is to remove the bobber, add some weight to the mainline and roll them along the bottom. This allows you to change and control the route the bead is traveling downstream, which can help entice a finicky steelhead to bite.

If there are any disadvantages to bead fishing, the most obvious one would be that beads might not be the best choice in off-colored water due to their small size. When the river is running high and dirty, you will be better off using a bait that has a large profile, or better yet, something that creates some flash and gives off a vibration, such as spinners or spoons.

Besides the problem with the visibility issue, beads aren’t very intimidating

One of the many piles of jigs the author tied in preparation for his April spring steelhead trip to Alaska. These are some of his favorite color schemes. (TONY ENSALACO)

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to a steelhead in heavier current flows.

Oftentimes, a steelhead will ignore an offering and/or move out of its way if it doesn’t appear to be threatening.

If you insist on drifting beads in excessive river flows, then I recommend trying to compensate for the poor visibility by using fluorescent, supersized beads that could help increase your chances of a hook-up. But in my opinion, there are better options when faced with high-water conditions.

So, it sounds like I’m a dedicated bead disciple, right? Wrong. I’m a hardcore jig man. I love fishing painted lead and colored feathers whenever I can, but I didn’t initially embrace the jig revolution the first time I tried the method. It took some time.

I WAS INTRODUCED TO jigs by a well-

known guide on the Skykomish River, near Seattle, Washington, back when the method was just starting to gain momentum. My guide anchored the driftboat over an uninviting, slow-water side pool, and he handed me a long spinning rod rigged up with a bobber and some sort of pink, fluffy concoction attached to the end of my line.

He instructed me to let the rig float downstream until I lost sight of the bobber – then do it again and again. The time it took to finish a drift could have been measured in minutes, which doesn’t really hold the attention of someone who suffers from ADHD, like myself.

The guide didn’t fully grasp the concept at the time and thought jigs were only used in slow currents because of the expanding and contracting motion of the marabou. After going fishless for about 20 minutes, I wasn’t all that impressed by the new sensation, so I asked him if we could scrap the plan and go back to plugging. In the guide’s defense, he admitted that he’d just started experimenting with jigs and hadn’t figured out all the nuances.

It wouldn’t be until several years later that jig fishing became a regular fit into my steelheading regimen. I learned how effective the technique could be while I was fishing with my buddy Danny Kozlow on a less-than-average week of steelheading on Alaska’s Situk River about a dozen years ago.

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ALASKA

The spring run was late that year because the river’s water temperature was averaging in the low to mid-30s during the week we were there. Due to the frigid water temps, there was only a trickle of fresh steelies that were willing to leave the saltwater and ascend the stream.

The fall-run holdovers hadn’t flushed back downstream out of Situk Lake and the few ocean fish in were bright. Despite the icy water, they were more than willing to play if you happened to find them.

We did have some sporadic action, but unfortunately, there weren’t very many fish congregated in any one area.

Danny elected to use a bobber and jig, while I chose to stick with a traditional drift-fishing presentation. I would start at the top of the run and systematically work my way downstream, making several repeated casts through the holding water. It would take me several minutes to thoroughly cover a run.

Meanwhile, Danny would position himself in the middle of the run and cast as far as he could upstream and let the bobber float to the end of the drift. It only took Danny a handful of casts to cover

the water.

Because he was fishing quickly and efficiently, Danny was able to pick off most of the cooperative steelhead before I got the chance to get my bait in front of the fish. That experience (ass kicking) taught me that a bobber and jig set-up was the perfect tool to search for active fish, and that I needed to re-examine the jig phenomenon if I wanted to keep up with the times.

Since then, I have implemented a jig strategy whenever there is a recent push of fish in the system, and I am sure that the change in tactics has improved my fishing. It’s no secret that when an oceanrun rainbow first enters a tributary and becomes acclimated to the freshwater, it will be at its physical best. There is a definite advantage to tossing jigs.

DON’T GET ME WRONG: A chromed-out steelie that is fresh in from the salt will attack almost anything. However, I prefer to use jigs when the fish are super aggressive. A brightly colored marabou jig with pulsating action seems to challenge the fish to attack.

Steelheaders are an opinionated bunch, but one thing that is for sure is that they’re always looking for info on what works to catch their favorite quarry, even if it might not be their favorite type of lure. (TONY ENSALACO)

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I also dig the larger and stronger hooks found on most steelhead jigs because they increase my landing percentage.

These new arrivals haven’t been subjected to fishing pressure and they’re definitely not line shy, which means you can get away with using heavier equipment.

I enjoy putting the “screws” to a steelhead from all of the years I spent fishing the log-infested tributaries of the Great Lakes. It’s reassuring to know that I can lean back a little harder when I am fighting a hot fish. Bead fishing is more of a delicate presentation, which normally requires lighter line and smaller hooks that matches the size of the bead.

That’s fine if the river is wide open and void of snags or if the steelhead have been in the stream for a long period of time and they are not at their physical best. Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible to land large fish on light tackle. Noodle rod enthusiasts have been proving that for decades.

However, a good fisherman knows that the odds of landing a steelhead are usually stacked against him, so it makes sense to use stout equipment whenever

you can to help balance the playing field.

Another scenario when a bobber and jig might be the best option is when you are fishing from a moving boat and you’re targeting pocket water, the small, relatively shallow areas around or behind rocks, logs, or other obstructions where fish will often rest.

When you pitch a jig into these places, the weight of the lead head will straighten out the line and pull the jig down into the fish zone. Your jig will be fishing shortly after it enters the water.

That’s important when you are floating downstream and you might only get one chance to place a precise cast into the pocket water.

Unfortunately, the reason why a jig works well at times can also be a disadvantage in certain situations. I’m talking about fishing in water about 2 feet or less.

The difference between jigs and beads is where the weight is located. The weight of a jig is attached to the body of the bait, while a bead rig is weighed down by a sinker – usually a split shot – that is secured several inches above the bead.

If an angler misjudges the depth of

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the holding water and has too much line between the jig and the bobber, the jig will dredge the streambed and won’t be very desirable to a steelhead. I have seen steelhead dig a jig out of the gravel, but I wouldn’t recommend fishing that way.

A bobber and bead combination have more room for error. If you run a bead rig too deep, the bead will still drift downstream below the weight while still continuing to fish.

There are times when I am bead fishing and I will purposely hold the bobber back in the current by creating tension on my mainline. This causes the bead to drift in front (downstream) of the bobber instead of letting it suspend directly underneath of the float.

Fly anglers who use indicators have been practicing this technique for years while sight fishing for fish in shallow water. This trick works great when the steelhead are holding in water that can be measured in inches, and there isn’t enough depth to fish the rig the way God intended it to be used.

THESE ARE SOME OF the things that I have

MAY 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

discovered from my past piscatorial experiences in the 49th state. I strongly recommend cataloging some of these ideas in your steelheading archives under the title “Loose Guidelines to Follow” section.

None of these concepts are written in stone anywhere; just ask any veteran steelheader. He will most likely tell you that there is an exception to every rule, and to fish whatever way that gives you the most confidence, which is probably the best advice an angler can receive.

One other thing: Remember the two guys I mentioned at the beginning of the story who were arguing at the bar? Well, I saw one of them on the river the next morning. He appeared to be a little slower than usual, probably due to the residual effects from all of the escapades of the previous night.

I am not going to say which one, but as soon as he caught up to me, he looked over his shoulder and whispered, “Dude, don’t tell ‘so and so,’ but do you have any extra __? I never carry the stuff.”

What can I say? Steelheaders can be opinionated, but they certainly listen to one another! ASJ

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BLESSINGS OF THE FAR NORTH

HOW YEARS IN THE ARCTIC HAVE SHAPED A HUNTER

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

T

he Arctic. I’ve lived here a long time.

This has become my home, and to be honest the last 20 years have flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. Sometimes I think back to the old days when I first arrived and wonder if I’m any different now than I was then. I know more and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve been a part of some of the most incredible adventures, stuff you could only ever imagine. I’ve been lucky in the joys and discomforts. But I have changed and I see it every day.

IN THE EARLY DAYS, I looked at Alaska as one big vacation. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. Each year was different and when I arrived back each fall it felt like I was going on an extended trip of a lifetime. I was able to work, make some money and as a teacher, hopeful-

Author Paul Atkins (top, right) and his hunting partner Lew Pagel (top, left) have come a long way since first starting hunting Alaska’s Arctic for bears 20 years ago (bottom).

“We were novices back then and came home empty-handed most of the time,” writes Atkins. “We learned a lot in our adventures and still do today.” (LEW PAGEL)

ly make a difference to those students who greeted me at the door each day.

The hunting was a byproduct of that, and to be honest it was the reason I came all those years ago. After my first year, there was a writer who wrote a story for an Alaska newspaper that detailed, in his mind, why young teachers come to the state.

The author’s belief was that we came to get residency, then hunt for

a couple years and leave. He didn’t believe it was just to teach school, and for some he was probably right, but not all.

The story was actually a slam job and I was featured in that piece – without my permission, of course. He wrote, How dare we come up here and do this?

Well, like many, I’m still here doing what I love – both at work and play.

It takes time to figure things out when you first come up here. For years,

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Time may have changed Atkins and his feelings about the Arctic, but the opportunity to bear hunt has not. He still loves looking for these guys as much today as he did on this day. There isn’t anything quite like walking up to your fist bear. (LEW PAGEL)

I didn’t understand the resident versus nonresident caribou/moose problem either. The locals didn’t like nonresidents coming up here to hunt and take caribou and moose. They felt those animals belonged to them and them only.

Nowadays I can see it, especially when I come home empty-handed due to the herds going in a different direction or the lack of time or a plane ride and the always-prevalent unpredictable weather. You want to blame it on something, and why not those who don’t live here?

It especially feels that way when you see them hauling in caribou after caribou.

So now, after living here for such a long time, I can see the conflict. Even though I do not condemn those who do come north – not at all – I can see where the locals are coming from.

I see it these days too with the young people. There are those who come north to teach school or work in this part of the world. They remind me of me when I first came. Eager as they are – and I don’t blame them – they just want to be a part of it all and share in those experiences.

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They want to get out every weekend, get their first moose, caribou or bear and do whatever it takes or go wherever they need too in order to get it done.

I was the same way, and, in the end, I guess things don’t change that much.

What goes around eventually seems to come back and start over again, no matter the season.

I REMEMBER MY SECOND year here in the Arctic and the need to buy the latest and greatest in gadgets. Usually it starts with getting that first snowmachine, because to really “enjoy the country,” they said, “you need to have a snowmachine!”

Winters are long here, but all the snow and ice allow you to get out of town. You can hunt, camp, fish, explore – whatever you want to do.

It was sound advice, so I called Nome and ordered that first sno-go. I went and picked it up at Northern Air Cargo, as did other teachers who had ordered theirs as well.

It was like high school all over again as we compared each other’s machines

Big bears, really big bears, are fun to hunt.

They’re majestic to see and chase. Bear hunting isn’t for everyone, but it is in this corner of Alaska. There are too many of them and practicing a little conservation is good for the land and its animals. (LEW PAGEL)

and argued about who had the better sled. I still see this today with the younger guys, but modern machines are a little different. I would say they’re better and a heck of a lot more expensive than those in my early days.

Next on the list was to buy a boat.

Everyone needs a boat, or so you think.

But it really does make sense. To get anywhere from Kotzebue during the summer and fall months you have to cross water, especially if you want to get where the bears, moose and caribou are; that is, if they do decide to show up at all.

But these days I’m a lot more laid back, or maybe I’m just getting old.

I still hunt as much as ever, but I’m not chomping at the bit or discouraged if I don’t score every time out. I’ve done it already. I’ve taken my share and experienced just about everything you can here in the north.

I know this sounds cliché, but it’s more about the experience and the

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adventure these days than anything else.

I find myself looking elsewhere for the thrill and adventure.

And one rush that hasn’t gone away is my desire to chase bears – grizzly bears, that is. No matter whether it’s in the fall or spring, I love being around them. I love looking for them; I love finding their tracks and ultimately I love killing them.

This is man against beast in its purest form. It’s dangerous too. At any moment things can go wrong and you could end up in a situation you don’t want to find yourself in. I’ve been in a few.

THIS YEAR, WITH BAD weather and warm temperatures plaguing us most of the spring, my good buddy and hunting partner Lew Pagel and I decided that if we were going to bear hunt, we’d better go before the ice completely dissolved.

Like a hundred times before we

headed north into bear country with our machines and a sled. Was it the same place as the previous year? Maybe, even though we knew that it would be hard to top the big bear that Lew took in the same vicinity (Alaska Sporting Journal, March 2019). Oh man, was that a monster! But we knew there were more and all we needed to do was look.

The ride over was fast. The snowmelt had softened the trail, eliminating most bumps and those bone-jarring slams that only a rough and hard trail can provide.

Cruising along I began to think back to all the trips and times I’ve crossed the Kotzebue Sound. It has to be at least thousands, whether by snowmachine or boat, or occasionally by plane. Most of those times resulted in an adventure of some kind. Most had successful results.

I thought back to my first trip and how in awe I was of this country. It was

The key to finding a bear is locating their tracks. Once you do, glass the countryside for where they lead. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the bear and if it’s worth pursuing. (LEW PAGEL)

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Tanned hides and furs are great to decorate your home or camp and also to sell for extra income. Tanned hides and furs are in demand by black powder enthusiasts, American Indian traders, fly tiers, country trading posts and many crafters. Our products are proudly produced and bottled in the U.S. for over 20 years.

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what Alaska was supposed to be – the real Alaska that I was in the middle of.

I still feel that way, but these days, with the knowledge of every nook and cranny in the backcountry, it’s habit more than anything.

All are pretty much etched in my mind.

Is there anything new out there?

Probably, but it’s more about the travel and getting into places that maybe you haven’t before. So my mind wanders.

Lew and I made it to the sunny slopes of the various hills that line the Noatak River drainage. It was a beautiful day, the kind that is perfect for this time of year: bright sun, soft snow, a hint of chill in the air and no wind. A win-win situation for a couple of veteran bear hunters.

As usual we found a place to stop and glass. It was perfect. We could see forever and even though I hadn’t looked through a pair of binoculars in some time, the clear images of snow mixed with spruce and rocks were easy on the eyes.

We were looking for tracks of a recently exited bear from his den. It was fun sitting

there with my good friend. We talked as we glassed, reminiscing on past hunts and game camps that we have shared.

It’s the way it should be.

“Remember when we camped right over there, and that big moose strolled into camp?”

“Yeah, that was a hell of a day.”

“How about that muskox you shot standing on that far hill; he went, what, 15 yards after you put an arrow in him?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

These are the moments you remember and cherish.

AS WE SAT IN the bright sun Lew said,

“Uh, look at that. There’s a bunch of caribou over there on that far ridge.”

“Where?” I replied.

“On that far hill to the left.”

I rested my elbows on the front of my snowmachine and peered off into the distance. I couldn’t find them, even though I knew they were there. Back and forth I looked until I did see something.

But it wasn’t caribou; it was a bear.

“Where?” Lew asked. I pointed

toward the ridge on the right.

I’ve made a lot of plans, as without a good plan you really are just shooting in the dark, literally. We decided to move to a higher spot and get into position to look down on the bear.

The problem was once we got there the bear wasn’t. He had simply disappeared. It reminded me of previous seasons, when, no matter the species, the animal we had seen and were after had vanished.

We circled back, went up, down and everywhere in between. I got off my snowmachine and glassed and thought I got a glimpse of something, but it ended up being a muskox in a place where there shouldn’t have been one.

We looked at each other and it got me to thinking about previous encounters I’ve had with these incredible animals.

Finally, the ox had had enough, and he went his way and I went mine.

After Lew left and I sat and watched, it wasn’t long until Lew came back to let me know he had found the track.

The bear was a lot lower than we

You never know what you’ll run into during an Arctic spring. Whether it’s muskox, caribou or eventually and hopefully a bear, it’s all part of the experience. “I don’t think you can find that anywhere else in Alaska,” Atkins says. (LEW PAGEL)

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thought, but now we were in business.

I followed my friend as he followed the track. It was a big one and I knew that this was going to be a big bear.

You always wonder about these things: What lies ahead and how will the ordeal eventually play out? Like all my encounters with big game over the years, I was nervous and excited at the same time. If you’re not, then you shouldn’t be out there to start with. For me, after all these years, it never gets old.

THE WARM SNOW WAS soft and melting underneath. My machine started to heat up, especially when we crossed barren tundra fully exposed to the sun.

Luckily it was just a short patch and we were back in the snow before long.

We eventually caught up with the big boar, and I could tell from a distance he

was a good one.

We got close and I turned off my machine. I walked in his direction and lucky for me the bear stopped to check me out, giving me that split second of a chance. Like a thousand times before, I don’t remember aiming or feeling the rifle slam into my shoulder, but the shot was true and the big bear was down.

I’ve taken several bears over the years and been lucky on moose, numerous muskox and more caribou than I can remember, and one thing never changes: the thrill of bringing one of them down.

It’s a surreal moment as you shake trying to regain some kind composure, realizing that what you just did is truly special, whether you’re trying to fill the freezer or your soul.

This is something that I will miss most about this place and times like these.

Success comes with preparation, hard work and putting together a good plan. Luck also plays a big part in bear hunting and the guys feel like they have been pretty lucky over the years. (LEW PAGEL) 82

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To be honest, I don’t know if I will ever be able to feel it elsewhere.

The bear was as big as I imagined him to be, and Lew agreed as we strolled up to have a look. We had done this so many times it seemed like second nature, but it really wasn’t. We laughed, high-fived and tried to hide our amazement at such an event.

It was a great day in the Arctic, in the sun, and in a time where we were lucky enough to do the things we do.

The far north has been a blessing. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska.

He has written hundreds of articles on big game hunting, and fishing throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. Paul is a monthly contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal.

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ESSENTIALS FOR FISH, HUNT CAMP

BY PAUL D. ATKINS • ILLUSTRATION BY JOSEPH FRUEAUF

G

earing up for fall starts long before September rolls around. It begins now and you’re if like me, there is always something you need to make your hunting or fishing trip much more successful, or at least more fun.

I can think of plenty, but the other day I asked my good buddy Lew Pagel what he thought we needed for this season.

The conversation included the following essentials that will make your trip more comfortable:

CAMP KITCHEN If you’re like us, you have plenty of tents, sleeping gas and cots. You have gear bags, rifles, bows and lures, so why not add something that’ll make camp life a little more enjoyable?

The conversation usually turns to food. And why not? You don’t have to eat dried food and MREs the entire trip; you really don’t. With a little planning you can have gourmet meals at least a few nights in moose camp. To do that you’ll need the equipment to make it happen.

Lew and I have always brought along a stove of some kind, along with a skillet and spatula. It serves its purpose. If keeping it simple makes you happy, then great. But why not go all out and have an entire kitchen to make life and the cook’s job more enjoyable?

This year we’re adding the Deluxe Camp Kitchen, which is made by Bass Pro. It’s the ticket for those trips upriver, where you’ll be staying in one place for a while. It’s a heavy-duty set-up with a heat-resistant tabletop and a wash basin that’ll save you a trip or two to the river. It has adjustable legs, internal shelves and wire rack that will hold numerous utensils and has a hanger for a lantern.

When you’re spending significant time in the Alaskan bush, you want to take a bit of luxury with you, right?

Adding a cooking set-up to your gear list – the one above is from Bass Pro – is a no-brainer. It makes things much easier and you can whip up a meal in style and comfort while keeping everything in its place. (BASS PRO SHOPS)

These chairs really are comfortable and a joy to have in any camp. They are built tough and provide everything you need when you get back after a long day. Not only is there a table for food and drinks, but it also features storage pockets and tough steel legs that won’t buckle or lean when you want to slouch. (CABELA’S)

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CAMP CHAIRS Lew and I never leave home without something to sit in. We both like comfort while hunting, especially after a long day of pursuing bears or moose or whatever our quarry may be. Sitting around the fire enjoying a cold one after a good meal is our idea of a perfect day spent afield.

Now, we’ve used a lot of chairs over the years, but the Director Chair made by Cabela’s has become our favorite.

These chairs are tough and lightweight. They are made of steel with seams that are triple enforced. These chairs will last and most importantly are comfortable to sit in. They have a convenient side table for drinks and food, plus storage pockets on the sides for storing gear. They’re a great addition to any hunting or fishing camp.

COOLER Having ice in camp, especially during warmer weather in late August and early September, is a blessing. For years I didn’t think it was possible, especially when we planned to spend a week upriver looking for bears or trying to catch a fish.

These Yeti cooler bags are as tough and dependable as advertised. More importantly, they keep things cold, store easily and provide ice for days on those warm late-summer, early-fall trips. (YETI)

Those days are over since we invested in a Yeti Hopper. Granted, I know they are expensive, but they work. They come in a variety of sizes, but we chose to go with the Yeti 30. It can hold a bunch of ice and 30 cans of your favorite bever-

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age. It keeps things cold, is leakproof and tough as nails. On a recent bear hunt we had ice for five days. ASJ Editor’s note: Follow Paul Atkins on Twitter (@aktrophyhunter).

ROCKY MOUNTAIN TANNERS In business for nearly 25 years, we at Rocky Mountain Tanners believe that using the whole animal that you harvested is not only wise and practical, but it is the most ethical thing to do as well. In addition to a nice rack on the wall, you can use your tanned deer, elk, bison or other big game hides as a handsome wall hanging, a blanket, a rug, or even a work of natural art. If you are looking for custom hide tanning services, hair on or hair off big game hides, or taxidermy, then you’ve come to the right place. We offer all of these services.

We are a small group of hardworking individuals who take great pride in providing what is becoming a dying service. We are motivated by the success of our clientele and being able to provide them with a keepsake of a memory they will cherish in their lives forever. There are very few places left in the U.S. where you can actually still send your big game hide, have the hide tanned into leather, and be guaranteed to get your hide back. We can provide you with that type of service.

Why choose Rocky Mountain Tanners?

• We offer hair off leather tanning, hair on hide tanning, as well as taxidermy tanning, which includes free fleshing and salting.

• Our tanning quality for both hair on and hair off is excellent.

• In-house taxidermy studio.

• We are one of the few places in the U.S. where you can have your game hide tanned and made into a wide variety of items by one of our local artisans.

• Saving your game hide is a responsible and ethical practice.

• We offer competitive pricing.

You owe it to yourself and the animal you harvested to bring it to Rocky Mountain Tanners and keep the great memories and the tanned products around for years and years to come. www.rockymountaintanners.com 303-293-2882

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