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EDITOR Chris Cocoles ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Reale WRITERS Dave Atcheson, Paul D. Atkins, Richard Chiappone, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Jeff Lund, Bixler McClure, Krystin McClure, Dennis Musgraves, Randy Wells, Dave Workman SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells DESIGNERS Sam Rockwell, Liz Weickum WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines DIGITAL ASSISTANT Samantha Morstan PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew DISTRIBUTION Tony Sorrentino, Gary Bickford OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTS Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@nwsportsmanmag.com ON THE COVER Guide Randy Wells loves to troll for king salmon in Alaska saltwater locales, and while downriggers are a helpful way of getting your presentation to specific depths, Wells has utilized tactics to catch big fish without them. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA )
MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (800) 332-1 736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 1
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SUBSTANTIAL SUSITNA SALMON
Hoping to conquer the sockeye, king or silver run this summer? Look here for a salmon buffet of stories, including one from our “Alaskan Salmon Slayer” Dennis Musgraves locking down the Susitna Valley, which features three fantastic fisheries – Willow Creek, Sheep Creek and Montana Creek – to catch a large Chinook. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)
FEATURES 17
THIS WON’T LAST Last year we introduced you to one of the ultimate off-the-grid residents of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as chronicled by Discovery Channel’s The Last Alaskans. This issue, meet Tyler Selden: He and his wife Ashley spend their winters on a trapline with a cabin, though Tyler’s frustrated the chance to live a subsistence life there is doomed.
148 AIR AND WATER Need a ride to that caribou hunting spot you’ve mapped out? You might travel upriver in a boat, or would hiring a bush pilot be more convenient for you? Fortunately, our Kotzebue-based veteran hunter Paul Atkins has used both modes of transport and chimes in with travel tips.
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DON’T DROP THOSE DOWNRIGGERS! Sure, using downriggers give trollers an easy way to get their gear to specific fish-holding depths. But Seward charter skipper Randy Wells says anglers without the fancy machinery can still limit out on Chinook in saltwater locales like Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound with the right set-up.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 41 Liar’s Code book excerpt: Paradise lost on the Anchor 98 Fly fishing for Prince William Sound trib red salmon 111 Steelhead angler compares California fishing to Alaska
127 DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME Dave Atcheson knows how to find the secret – if not secluded – fishing spot that might not have a river full of salmon to catch but still offer plenty of trout, Dolly Varden and grayling. Atcheson jumps on his mountain bike – and in his canoe – and guides you to pristine Alaskan waters you too can have all to yourself.
DEPARTMENTS 13 The Editor’s Note 15 Protecting Wild Alaska: Shutting down Yukon River king fishing 15 Outdoor calendar 90 From Field to Fire: Tips for wrapping salmon plugs; Dutch Oven salmon recipe
Alaska Sporting Journal is published monthly. Call Media Inc. Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Inc. Publishing Group and will not be returned. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues) or $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Inc. Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168 or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Inc. Publishing Group, subject to availability, at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Copyright © 2015 Media Inc. Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 10
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EDITOR’S NOTE A brown bear with cubs attacked a university professor, one of two maulings in Alaska this spring. (LISA HUPP/USFWS)
T
wo spring incidents remind us all that while going wild in Alaska can be epic, it also carries risks. On April 15, 77-year-old Glenn Bohn of Wasilla was hunting near Milepost 68 of the Denali Highway when a grizzly bear attacked. Bohn suffered major facial trauma but was expected to survive. Three days later, University of Alaska Southeast assistant professor Forest Wagner was leading mountaineering course students in the field on Mount Emmerich near Haines when he was nearly killed by an attacking brown bear sow with her cubs. Wagner, 35, was initially listed in critical condition but was released from Providence Medical Center in Anchorage on May 11, about three weeks after the mauling. “I’m doing well, currently walking on crutches and scheduled to return to Juneau (in late May),” Wagner said in a statement released by the hospital. A colleague sent me an unpublished photo of what was purported to be Bohn immediately following his attack. The photo was too graphic for any reputable news outlet to print or post, but if it was him, it’s a miracle that anyone could survive such carnage. In a state where you can soak in one of the planet’s most unspoiled ecosystems, where you can catch the salmon of your dreams or harvest the biggest bull moose or caribou that you’ve talked about while drinking beer with your buddies, there is a risk of a bear encounter going very wrong. We should all be humbled by what happened to Bohn and Wagner. I would hope it wouldn’t stop anyone from fulfilling that checkmark on your bucket list to go wild and crazy in the Last Frontier. Just understand and respect that the ursine residents of the neighborhoods you’ll be entering mean bloody business. Be prepared, stay safe and don’t do anything foolish when you visit this spectacular state this summer and fall. –Chris Cocoles
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Join us for an hour of fishing, hunting, outdoor recreation, conservation and destination ideas covering not only our great nation but also the entire continent! If you love the outdoors, you’ll love this show!
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PROTECTING
WILD ALASKA YUKON CHINOOK STRUGGLES CONTINUE; RIVER CLOSED FOR KINGS BY CHRIS COCOLES
W
ith much of the West Coast’s salmon fishery struggling to generate some positive news, the mighty Yukon River is having a particularly rough go of it, leading the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to shut down all sportfishing for 2016. Such drastic measures aren’t that far off base considering Washington’s very low coho predictions and that further south, California projected a dismally low run of Sacramento River Chinook, which could be just half of 2015’s forecast. So these aren’t exactly high times for the iconic Pacific species. Most of Alaska’s rivers aren’t in danger of being shut down to sport angling, but the Yukon’s pattern of low returns of fish despite a recent surge was enough of a concern to make the move. Sport anglers can’t remove any caught kings from the mainstem while fishing for other species (the Tanana drainage remains open for Chinook), and the closure runs through the end of the year, unless there’s a reason to lift it. “King salmon stocks throughout western Alaska are continuing to expe-
Alaska’s longest river, the Yukon is closed to sportfishing for Chinook this year due to another small forecasted return, an ongoing problem the last half-decade. (USFWS)
rience a period of low productivity and, since at least 2010, below-average run strength,” ADFG regional management coordinator Tim Viavant told the Alaska Dispatch News. There have been signs of improvement, with last year’s Chinook count up from the previous two years, and ADFG told the Dispatch News it has hopes for a slightly bigger run again this year. But with a closure of the Yukon to subsistence fishing a strong possibility, erring
on the side of caution was in order. “The anticipated closure of the subsistence king salmon fishery on the Yukon River warrants a total closure of sport fishing for king salmon in the Yukon River drainage,” Viavant wrote in an emergency order. “If inseason stock assessment information indicates that a majority of the king salmon escapement goals and subsistence needs in the Yukon River drainage will be met, restrictions may be relaxed.” ASJ
OUTDOOR CALENDAR Now-June 12 Now-Sept. 5 Now-Sept. 4 June 1-30 June 4-5, 11-12 June 10-19 June 10-19 July 4 July 23 July 23-Sept. 4
Wrangell King Salmon Derby; wrangellchamber.org /annual-salmon-derby Homer Halibut Jackpot Derby; homeralaska.org/visit-homer /events-homer/homer-jackpot-halibut-derby Valdez Halibut Derby valdezfishderbies.com Seward Halibut Derby; seward.com Ketchikan CHARR King Salmon Derby; ketchikankingsalmonderby.com Halibut Hulabaloo, Valdez; valdezfishderbies.com Anchorage Slam’n Salm’n Derby; shipcreeksalmonderby.com Mt. Marathon Race (mmr.seward.com) Valdez Kid’s Pink Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com Valdez Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com
The port in Seward will be buzzing this month for the annual halibut derby that runs through June 30. (BIXLER MCCLURE)
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‘THE LAST DOOR TO THE FRONTIER’ DISCOVERY CHANNEL SERIES COUPLE LIVING THE DREAM IN THE BUSH – WHILE THEY’RE ALLOWED TO
BY CHRIS COCOLES
Ashley and Tyler Selden (with their dog Gwen) were college sweethearts at the University of Minnesota Duluth. They dreamed not of entering the professional workforce but living off the grid in Alaska, so they headed north. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
H
e doesn’t have to stress over traffic, smartphone service or making restaurant reservations – you know, those annoying details that smother almost everyone else on a daily basis.
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That’s the choice Tyler Selden and his wife, Ashley, made. The 30-somethings are one of a handful of families living on the South Carolina-sized Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and one of the subjects of Discovery Channel’s series, The Last Alaskans. Living far off the grid 100 or more miles away from your
nearest neighbor from September to March isn’t for everyone, which is why the Seldens feel so blessed about what they get to do. What worries Tyler Selden is this: Is his an endangered way of life? He regrettably acknowledges that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will take over
“It’s rare for a day to go by that I don’t think to myself that I’m the luckiest person in the world,” Tyler Selden says. “And the thought also occurs to me that it’s crazy that more people don’t want to live that way.” (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
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his cabin and trapline property once he and Ashley are gone. “It’s a preoccupation of mine. I have been thinking about it a lot lately,” says Selden, who hopes to someday write about what will be a devastating day for his and the other families still attached to this piece of government land. The
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land will go back to the feds when the last living direct descendants of the families pass away. “I don’t think it’s right and it’s a misguided policy that the refuge eventually plans to terminate those who occupy these winter camps,” Selden adds. “They did it in the (Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve). That’s what the National Park (Service) did – they kicked people out. What they did was they killed the culture.” But while he’ll do what he can to convince the government to reverse the policy, Tyler and Ashley are comforted by the notion that they are living on their own terms and fulfilling what always appeared to be their destiny when they first met in Duluth, Minn., and became college sweethearts. They took quite an interesting route as they bounced around Alaska and worked a variety of odd jobs and odder bosses. But in our conversation with a candid Tyler, it was worth the journey to reach this destination.
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The Seldens overlook their trapline on the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. They were able to obtain the rights to the trapline and a cabin after bouncing around the state hoping for the opportunity to take on a subsistence lifestyle. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
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Chris Cocoles I understand fellow Last Alaskans AWNR resident Heimo Korth (Alaska Sporting Journal, July 2015) helped inspire you to come to Alaska. Tyler Selden You could say that. I didn’t know him before I moved up here and started living in the bush. I just got familiar with his story reading James Campbell’s book (The Final Frontiersman) and, I don’t know, it just kind of blew me away that were still people in Alaska doing that. I was (a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth) trying to decide what to do with my life. I wasn’t too thrilled with my options. I was a philosophy major and it’s kind of a dead end if you only have a bachelor’s degree for actually getting a job. What I was looking at was six more years of academic studying to get a PhD, which would have made it more possible to get a professional job. The more I started looking into that, about one of eight people who get a PhD in philosophy are actually going to get something when they’re finished. I really enjoyed the four
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Heimo Korth, a longtime ANWR resident who was the subject of a book that Tyler Selden read, was a major inspiration for he and Ashley’s wishes to move to Alaska and chase their dreams there. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
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years that I spent in the university and wouldn’t take it back; I learned a lot and I think it expanded my mind. But I was pretty much ready to be done with that. In a way, it felt like a prison to me.
CC I would imagine the way you and Ashley are living now, there were times you had cabin fever in the classroom. Did you have the typical college experience? TS I don’t know; I guess it was typical. But two things were pulling at me: one was this interest in intellectualism and trying to earn my living with my brain. But there was this other side of me that I guess you would call the wild side. I was just feeling that urge to get outdoors and stay there. Whenever I could get away towards the end of my time in Duluth, I was always on the trails there or on the Boundary Waters. That’s where I always felt something and was the happiest and freest. I felt good about life when I’d get back in the classroom. And there’s something
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“It’s just a part of the Alaskan mythology. It gives us somewhere to go in our minds that’s really important to all of us and a vital part of our imagination,” Selden says of the small group that continues to reside in the massive federal refuge. “To close off the last door to The Last Frontier and outlaw a way of life that’s been going on for generations, it just seems crazy.” (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
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very stimulating about exercising your mind that you just won’t get outside of the classroom. But I just didn’t feel like that’s what I wanted to do with my life. And I decided I just wanted to move to Alaska. And things just turned out well for (me and Ashley).
do with her life. She was (a criminology major) and her options for what she was going to do for an occupation after college weren’t exactly enticing. And we were in love at that point, young and willing to experiment; and she just decided to drop out.
CC Was Alaska in your plans before you
CC It sounds like you had some inter-
and Ashley met? TS [Pauses] I didn’t actually think in college that that’s where I was going to end up. It would just be a fabrication for me to say that it was my plan all along. But Alaska always did spark my imagination, just as I think it does for every outdoorsman and –woman.
esting adventures after getting married and first moving to Alaska in the mid2000s. What were the early days like? TS Sitting in Duluth we decided we were going to move to Alaska after I graduated and had a few months to decide what we were going to do. We got up there and I guess I was infatuated with the wilderness aspect of Alaska. I wanted to jump right in, but with not having any connections, nor having the option that the hippie generation had to just basically pull out a map and say, “I’m jumping off right here.” For somebody in this day and age, you really can’t do that anymore. We just decided to get a job and get as far removed from
CC So did you and Ashley get through school around the same time? TS I’m older than Ashley by about two years, so I graduated before she did. And I had made up my mind that I was done with Duluth and I was ready to go to Alaska. And Ashley was dealing with her own ideas of what she wanted to
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as a town as I could, just to start things out. That ended up being in Coldfoot. We lived there for almost a year after moving from Duluth and that’s an interesting place. But we got to meet some people who were living the subsistence lifestyle. It confirmed – for me, especially – that I didn’t move to Alaska to be in town. I just wanted to find a way to make it work in the woods, and Coldfoot wasn’t it. After a year there we made the mistake of moving to Anchorage. I don’t know why we did that.
CC That seems like the last place you’d want to go in Alaska. TS That seems to happen to a lot of people, where you go to the two economic centers in Alaska – Fairbanks and Anchorage – to get a job. We happened to have a friend who had spare space in his apartment (in Anchorage). We lived there for about three months and my brother moved up with us from the Lower 48. We were desperate to get out of there but we were broke too.
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At that point in our life we were just flailing around looking for a way out. We moved to Hope after that and that was basically a disaster. We ended up working for some really weird people.
CC You must have some pretty good stories from that. TS Oh, jeez, man. We were working for about 12 hours a day for a month straight and they ended up calling that training and didn’t have to pay us for it. They gave us a $100 check and told us it was a bonus. We thought we better get out of there.
we wanted to live in the bush, trap, hunt and live of the land, but weren’t sure how to make that happen. But our experiences the first three years we had in Alaska were probably pretty typical of a lot of people who had that vision when they move up here. We were committed to try and make it work. It took longer than we would have liked and it was a lot of work, and it still is hard work to live this way. We were optimistic it was going to work out and we met these folks in Fairbanks who got us a foot in the door and our luck changed.
CC How much did obtaining the rights CC There was no hope in Hope. TS No, there wasn’t. We moved back to Fairbanks and my brother moved back home to Nebraska; he’d had enough. We loaded up our possessions and our dog in our truck and worked with developmentally disabled people. In the course of that time we met some people who really steered us onto the course of our current lifestyle. We knew
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to an abandoned trapline in the ANWR change your lives? TS It’s changed it in a lot of ways. It’s hard to render the experience down to a few sentences [laughs].
CC I understand that. Is it a special feeling, if not a blessing to you, that you’re one of the select few who live this way? TS Absolutely. It’s rare for a day to go
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by that I don’t think to myself that I’m the luckiest person in the world. And the thought also occurs to me that it’s crazy that more people don’t want to live that way. But it’s not all good. I don’t think there’s any lifestyle or way of living that’s going to be perfect all the time. But I really enjoy living that way and we experience some lows every once in a while. But overall the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my life have been there. It’s something I always look forward to. It takes a lot of dedication around the clock and takes a level of commitment that I don’t think a lot of people would want to put into it to make it stick. We’re all the time focused on it and working towards it.
CC What’s it been like being on the show with the cameras and crew there? Has it been a positive experience for you and Ashley? TS It’s been fine. I would give these guys credit for trying to not impose their way of thinking. They just try to
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adapt to what we’re doing and try hard to understand where we’re coming from. They understand well enough to try and give an honest depiction on television. I don’t think you can say that about many of these production companies. Ultimately, we’re making television and the goal is to make money and sell advertisements. The fact that they’re also trying to do a good job of portraying a vanishing lifestyle and being very respectful about that is admirable. So far our experience has been positive. Of course, it’s frustrating to have people out there on your trapline [laughs]. There’s no way of avoiding it if you’re going to make a documentary.
Other ANWR neighbors, per se, of the Seldens include Ray Lewis (front) who arrived in Alaska from his native Michigan. Along with his wife Cindy and their three daughters – now teenagers – they’ve lived on the refuge for 30 years. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
CC There was a moment from this season that I saw and affected me. You harvested a huge moose, and while a big part of what our magazine does is appeal to Lower 48ers who want to hunt big game on an adventure, for you that moose will feed your family. How satisfying is that?
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TS It makes you feel good. It’s pretty
CC When I talked to Heimo last year he
important that you bag some meat early on because it can have some repercussions as the season goes along. It changes the experiences to be able to eat well out there. You can get by without a moose because we live in pretty rich country out there. We can snare rabbits and catch beavers. There’s a lake on our trapline that will consistently produce pike. We don’t live in starvation country. But some traplines are in an area that if you don’t get that one moose that’s hanging around there, you’re screwed and will be eating rations of beans and rice to get by. But to get that moose and have it all work out, that’s one of the things you live for out there. When we got that moose and got back to camp, the weather stayed cooperative and didn’t get too warm to where there wasn’t a worry about the meat spoiling. It just makes it seem like you’re living in a dream and makes life basically perfect.
told me one of his guilty pleasures was drinking a can of Diet Coke every day. Do you and Ashley allow for anything like that? TS We’re not really deprived of anything, I don’t feel like. We don’t just live off of meat. We bring stuff in from town, though not in ridiculous quantities. We raise a huge garden in town and dehydrate vegetables, so we end up bringing a ton of vegetables. A lot of people who get back in town after a winter in the bush just want to eat a salad. We never feel that way because we eat a lot of vegetables and eat really healthy. Ashley’s an excellent cook. But I guess we bring a lot of chocolate – about 3 pounds – so I guess that’s our guilty pleasure.
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CC It’s got to be heartbreaking for you to encourage someone who might want to live this way to follow in your footsteps. Is it a helpless feeling? TS It is, because what we’re up against
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is something much more powerful and influential than any one of us. We’re up against a layer of American bureaucracy that has no flexibility. It just plods ahead like a juggernaut to anything that gets in its way. And that’s, I think, what’s going to happen to us: We’re going to be homogenized just like the rest of the United States. They’re going to take a valuable part of our Alaskan identity and kill it just because that’s what their management policy tells them they have to do.
CC Does the finality of the government eventually taking the cabin back make you emotional and think about that often? TS What I see with the Fish and Wildlife plans to kick people out is they’re going to kill the last vestiges of that subsistence culture. And why would they want to do that. Why would we want to destroy that link with our past? And, if nothing else, why wouldn’t you want people having this lifestyle we’re living
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today as a counterpoint to what’s becoming of people now? We’re distancing ourselves from nature more and more every year; we’re just out of touch with our natural side. I think it’s going to be more important as time goes on that there’s still a few people practicing this lifestyle and keeping that connection alive. If Fish and Wildlife someday follows through with their plans to terminate the cabin permits, it’s going to be on their shoulders. They’re the ones who would have killed it. It’s not too late to change that policy and not set in stone that it has to happen. ASJ Editor’s note: For more on The Last Alaskans, go to discovery.com/tv-shows/thelast-alaskans. New episodes can be seen on Tuesdays on the Discovery Channel. Heimo Korth (rear) and his family - wife Edna (center) and their daughters and grandkids - take a moment to savor the subsistence lifestyle that has kept the families on this remote and wild area of Alaska. (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
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Richard Chiappone grew up in upstate New York dreaming of catching big fish in big waters. His odyssey eventually took him to Alaska, where he’s made his home on the Anchor River near what once was the Dolly Land hole before floods ripped it apart. (RICHARD CHIAPPONE)
PARADISE LOST
CHAPTER IN NEW BOOK LIAR’S CODE CHRONICLES LOSS, REBIRTH OF FISHING HOLE
R
ichard Chiappone has worn a lot of hats in his life – from college professor to watercolor artist, musician to construction worker. Growing up in the spray of Niagara Falls in upstate New York, Chiappone’s love of fishing and adventure eventually brought him to cast in Alaska’s endless waterways. Chiappone, who lives in Homer and teaches in the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Master of Fine Arts program, has chronicled his fishing tales in his new novel, Liar’s Code: Growing Up Fishing. Published by Skyhorse Publishing, an excerpt on a flood-ravaged Anchor River fishing hole below his home begins on the next page. aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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BY RICHARD CHIAPPONE The Anchor River empties into the salt of Cook Inlet at Anchor Point, the westernmost point on the contiguous highway system of North America. A mile and a half upriver from the beach is the steel trestle bridge spanning the river in the town of Anchor Point where I witnessed a lonely but intrepid winter solstice fisherman out there at the edge of the ice, casting into the Bridge Hole. The Bridge Hole is a much busier place in the summertime, and for good reason. It features a big gravel parking lot, picnic tables and a modern concrete outhouse. There is a little steel box mounted on a post for the five-dollar daily use fee. Across the road to the beach, there used to be a tackle shop and a huge fish-weighing scale where many silver and king salmon made their official entry into the summer derby held there. Within walking distance of the fishing hole is the bar and restaurant at the Anchor River Inn, offering all the things a man could want after a hard day’s fishing: food, drinks, pool tables, and a huge bigscreen TV. The Bridge Hole itself is a deep, straight trough with a high cutbank and a forest of cottonwoods on the north side and a long, easy-to-wade gravel bar on the south shore. It is also the first good water anglers come upon after making the four-hour drive from the big city of Anchorage. With a tackle shop on one bank and a bar on the other, it is obviously going to be the hardest fished hole on the river. During the first salmon run of the season, in May and June, fishing is allowed only downstream from the bridge to protect the spawning king salmon upriver. The crowds at the Bridge Hole can get pretty dense as anglers jam as close as they can get to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s “No Fishing Above This Point” signs on both sides of the river. For this reason, it is not my favorite place to fish, although I’ve braved the mobs on occasion in order to put the first fresh salmon fillets of the year on the Memorial Day grill. Later in the summer, when the upper river opens to fishing for steelhead and trout, I am happiest walking the mostly unfished water behind the house that my wife and I built on a promontory overlooking the Anchor River valley a few miles upstream from the bridge. 42
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AS IS THE TRADITION on trout streams everywhere, favorite fishing holes on the Anchor River have names given them by their devotees. Even the Alaska State Parks Department recognizes the legitimacy of such longstanding monikers. Each of the parking areas and camping sites along the heavily fished section between the Bridge Hole and the ocean have official signs reading Picnic Hole, Dudas Hole (named after a local family), and Slide Hole. Below the Slide Hole is the less officially named Grass Hole, located at the peak of the high tide mark where tall salt grasses line the twice-daily flooded mud banks. On the upper river, one hole is known as Dolly Land. I would love to say that it is the favorite fishing hole of that great country music star herself. But in truth, it was named for the numerous small Dolly Varden char it attracts each summer and fall. It is right behind my house. Dolly Land is a long walk from the public access at the bridge. But from my back door it is about an eight-minute hike down a steep ravine filled with blown-down spruce and then across a couple hundred yards of knee-deep bog. When I started building the house in the late 1980s it was also one of the best steelhead holes on the river and anglers often did hike the 2 miles upstream from the bridge just to fish Dolly Land. It was that good. But like all rivers it has changed, and not for the better, and very few people make the long walk to fish the less productive water any longer. My wife, Lin, and I bought the 3 acres our house now sits on in 1983, shortly after we moved to Alaska from the Lower 48. Although we lived and worked in the big city of Anchorage, 200 miles north of the property, over the next 20 years we built on it almost continuously: first a tent platform, then a small cabin, and finally a real house on the edge of the ridge above Dolly Land. With the exceptions of a concrete contractor and an electrician, and the help of several loyal friends from time to time, Lin and I built much of the place by hand ourselves, working through summer vacations and more weekends than I care to think about now, making the four-hour drive each way to and from Anchorage, our pickup truck stuffed with building materials and tools. It is a very slow way to build a house.
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FINALLY, IN THE SUMMER of 2002 we moved down to the river full time, and I got ready to settle in and enjoy my lifetime dream of living on a wild steelhead stream. I pictured myself fishing Dolly Land every day during the great fall runs of anadromous fish, the peppy little Dollies and the big beautiful steelhead just waiting to be fooled by a fly – right there in my backyard! However, our very first autumn on the river we were hammered with the 100-year flood of October 2002. Monsoon-like rains drenched the southern Kenai Peninsula for a week, raising the Anchor River far above flood levels to near historic highs. At the bridge, the river came up over the banks and tore out the parking lot; the road to the beach had to be closed. On nearby rivers the highway bridges washed out, briefly disconnecting the town of Anchor Point from the
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Some of the author’s favorite memories are fighting salmon like this one at Brooks Camp at Katmai National Park. (RICHARD CHIAPPONE)
rest of the world. Obviously, my plans for bucolic fall fishing in my backyard got put on hold. The flood waters were so powerful that Dolly Land actually moved more than 100 feet out of its normal channel, the river carving a new run into the
woods along what had been its south bank. “Oh, well,” I said patiently as the river crested and the roads closed. “Mother Nature, and all that. What are you gonna do?”
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You can’t help but get philosophical about a 100-year flood, seeing how it is, after all, a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, when the second 100-year flood came three weeks later in November, I watched from our living room window, incredulous and far less amused as the river valley filled and became a lake. The tops of the naked cottonwood trees protruded from the muddy, rain-splattered surface like the beseeching hands of thousands of drowning victims. Somewhere at the bottom of that lake was my already-damaged Dolly Land, or whatever was left of it, as it took its second beating in one month. Needless to say, I did not get a lot of fishing in that first season. I have to admit I started to take it personally. For 20 years I had been building a house within a short walk of one of the best steelhead holes on one of the very few unspoiled, undammed rivers full of entirely wild steelhead left on American soil. I’m a rather pessimistic mope by nature, a trait that has served me well – though it hasn’t made me easy to live with. The beauty of pessimism is that you can only be pleasantly surprised when good things occasionally happen. At the same time, you feel pretty smug when, more frequently, reality is its uncooperative self. But two 100-year floods in six weeks? This was a little over the top. Around Thanksgiving, weeks after the river was finally back to normal for the second time, I hiked down to inspect the damage. I found, in a bed of displaced river sand among the trees in the middle
of the forest, a steelhead, high and dry and very dead. I began to think that either Mother Nature was one mean-spirited broad or She had a wacky sense of humor. In a world full of disasters, this is pretty minor stuff, of course: a few bridges and parking lots washed out, the road destroyed a couple times, lots of cottonwoods turned into easy beaver food. The personal property toll was relatively light: A few people who had places on the banks of the river lost their cabins and the assorted junk cars that we consider yard art in this part of the world. But nobody was seriously hurt in the flooding, and in the face of real suffering – Katrina-style, for example – devoting two decades of my life to building a fishing shack and then losing all the good water is really pretty fluffy as disasters go.
THE FOLLOWING SUMMER, WHEN the river opened to fishing behind our house for the first time since the big floods, I once again called upon my pathetically thin stores of hope and optimism and hiked down to Dolly Land, fly rod in hand, hoping that somehow everything would be as before. Dolly Land was actually missing – at least the hole I had known by that name for two decades. At the head of where the pool used to start, there was a smooth, flat-topped boulder where I often sat and tied on a leader and fly or enjoyed a salami sandwich. Sitting in the sunshine on that big boulder, my feet dangling
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in the shallows, I had more than once sat and congratulated myself on the capture and release of a big steelhead, celebrating with a can of beer from my pack. But that big flat boulder was now a half-acre of gravel and rocks distant from the new Dolly Land hole. The heart of the old Dolly Land sat high and dry, baking in the afternoon sun, and with it any hopes I had of hanging onto the past. Optimism really is a bad idea. Already, grasses and crimson-leafed fireweed shoots were unfurling in the soil between the boulders around which I had once drifted my Glo Bugs and streamers. Willows would take hold next, and then alders. And then, over the years, cottonwoods and maybe even a few black spruce would move in, if the ground stayed dry long enough. I knew that rivers changed, that bends oxbowed into sloughs and then into landlocked ponds and then marshes and finally thickets and forests. A history of satellite photos of any small river will verify that. And simply walking across the bottomlands of my own property it was easy to see the long, winding declivities where the old riverbeds lay hidden in the weeds, the old channels gone to bushes and trees over the years. But I always assumed that such natural progressions were the products of history in all its famous sluggishness – not the aftermath of sudden events. Stunned by the river’s dramatic upheaval, I walked across the huge barren gravel bar that had been the bottom of my favorite fishing hole. I
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“If you’re catching some fish, you want to catch more, lots more,” writes Chiappone in his book. “If you are catching lots of fish, you want to catch bigger fish.” (RICHARD CHIAPPONE)
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stood on the bank of the new channel, taking no pleasure in the fact that Dolly Land was now 100 feet closer to my house than it had been a year before. The new cutbank, across from where I stood, had been gouged out of the forest 10 months prior, but was still slowly crumbling into the water in places, the river apparently still testing the possibilities of further incursion into the land mass. Large planes of the forest floor, undercut by the flood, had fissured and caved away from the bank, and now slanted down into the water – trees and all. A dozen cottonwood sweepers, barely anchored by what was left of their roots, lay crisscrossed over each other on the surface of the river, bobbing rhythmically in the current. Heaped at the tail end of the run was a huge jumble of downed trees, fresh with new summer leaves, a shocking green in the tannic river water, like strange freshwater kelp. But aside from those downed trees, there was a disturbing lack of life. Nothing moved in the water or on the surface. If the big schools of Dollies had been there as usual, it would have been easy to see them flashing as they gorged on caddis casings in the shallows. It was summer and the king salmon should have been evident: deep red torpedoes fringed with fungus, torquing and twisting in their egg-laying, sperm-spuming, life-and-death dance. But there was nothing there in the new river channel. Even the ubiquitous schools of little salmon smolt were missing. And perhaps
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most frightening of all, the clouds of gnats and midges on which the tiniest fish feasted were also absent. The riverbottom had been scraped and scoured by the enormous flood waters, and then smothered under immeasurable tons of silt as the flood subsided. Not even the riparian insects were left alive. I walked along the strange new river, looking but not finding any fish among nature’s wreckage, not finding the insect hatches I should have been seeing, not finding the eagles and yellowlegs and kingfishers and ouzels and mergansers that should have been there, that I had always taken for granted as being there. I was overcome by the dystopian feel haunting what had so recently been a paradise for me. The sickening feeling of seeing nature so badly wounded was one I had not experienced since I was a child living in the industrial wastelands of western New York State, not far from the infamous Love Canal. And the fact that this time nature had done it to itself was little comfort to me as I stood there in the middle of the destruction. Wherever I went upstream or down- from Dolly Land, it looked like the concussion from a bomb blast had rolled down the river valley. Mature cottonwoods, uprooted and shattered by the raging floodwaters, lay scattered along endless barren gravel bars. At every bend in the river, I found exploded tree trunks and limbs stacked in enormous heaps, two stories high in places. I walked all the way to the bridge
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Richard is happiest when he’s on a river casting his flies and living the dream in Alaska. (RICHARD CHIAPPONE)
and called my wife on the cell phone and asked her to come and get me. I couldn’t bear walking all the way back upstream to the house again through the devastation.
DOWN AT THE BRIDGE HOLE things were not as gloomy. The deep and heavily bouldered nature of that hole had saved it – that, and the nearly straight path the river followed in
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its lower reaches where the fresh water made its final dash to the beach and the sea. That straightness had allowed the flood surge to race through it without changing the shapes of the banks significantly and without depositing the silt it carried. In the woods on the north bank of the Bridge Hole, there was weedy debris dangling from the cottonwoods high above the ground at the line of the flood’s highest point. But
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there was nothing like the damage I had seen in the upper river behind my house, where the water had cut across the meadows and tundra, picking up silt and mud and whole living trees, and then dropping its messy load again as it was slowed by the next serpentine bend. No, the Bridge Hole looked pretty good. I was going to have to fish with the crowds for a while. Nature being nature, and having infinite time to deal with things, even Dolly Land finally made a gradual comeback. Over the next few summers, the dark brown caddisflies and little gray mayflies and the almost invisible midges began showing up in the riffles again at the upper end of the run, and the Dollies and the salmon smolt – that somehow miraculously hatched through the silted river bottom – appeared once more to feed on them. Five years later, after the mostly forgotten, twin 100-year floods of 2002, I was back at Dolly Land when it opened to fishing that summer. And the fishing was good. I was happy to find that a skated Elk Hair Caddis or a Floating Emerger brought lots of strikes from the smaller fish that were schooling there once again. The steelhead fishing improved too. That fall there were some nice fish holding again in the heart of the new Dolly Land where the water had finally scoured away the excess silt. I guess that if you live long enough, you’ll see just about everything – bad and good. By this time, we had almost finished the house construction – the project was at that stage where the house was standing, with walls and a roof and doors and windows and plumbing and electric lights, and looked mostly complete to anyone but the guy building it – and his wife. I could put in whole days of work, finishing window casings and exterior trim moldings and the endless taping and sanding and painting that it takes to finish the interior of a house, and at the end of the day no one but Lin and I could identify what I had done all day that so exhausted me. I had to finish the house. But I also had to go fishing. ASJ
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DOWN WITH DOWNRIGGERS! FANCY TROLLING EQUIPMENT ISN’T NECESSARY TO GET YOUR KING SALMON SET-UP DEEP ENOUGH TO LIMIT OUT
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BY RANDY WELLS
S
eward, Alaska, is just 100 miles south of Anchorage and is referred to as “Where Alaska Begins.” With countless attractions and the best saltwater fishing in the Last Frontier, the coastal town is a place that should be at the top of anyone’s Alaska fishing vacation. Surrounded by the waters of Resurrection Bay, the Gulf of Alaska and the nearby Prince William Sound, Seward is second to none. Admittedly, I may be a bit biased. For the last 10 years I have been the owner/operator of Fish Seward Alaska Inc. (fishsewardalaska.com), and my crew and I begin our fishing season each April and fish through September. We start our charter season chasing king salmon within Resurrection Bay and by June we are targeting Chinook near famed Montague Island in Prince William Sound. Kings can be caught all year in or near Resurrection Bay, but we have our best luck between April and June. In addition to running charters out of Seward, I spend a couple months in Brookings, Ore., chasing fall kings on coastal rivers and the Pacific Ocean. I have integrated the techniques used on many of the rivers and ocean waters in Oregon to my Alaska charters, which has
Despite the depths of Resurrection Bay and other Alaska salmon waters, Seward-based guide Randy Wells says downriggers aren’t necessary to catch giant kings, as he has discovered over the years. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA) aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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generated success for my clients. There are four major components to trolling for kings: depth, speed, flasher selection and bait/lure selection. With depth being the most important of the four components, and my lack of funds to purchase downriggers during my first years offering charters, I worked out a system to get my gear in the strike zone using an 8- to 10-ounce cannonball sinker and no downrigger. I am not saying that a downrigger isn’t the best way to go, but it is not a necessity for catching kings.
BECAUSE SEWARD IS AN ice-free port, king salmon can be targeted all year long. If you plan to tackle these fish in the winter – or anytime, for that matter – be sure to pay close attention to the weather forecast and sea conditions. Here is A look at the author’s custom weight-dropper rigging for fishing cannonballs. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA) the address of the section of the NOAA has a north wind that can pick up in the afternoon, which in site that is dedicated to this area: pafc.arh.noaa.gov/marfcst. conjunction with a strong tide can make your trip back to the php?fcst=FZAK51PAFC. Remember, the forecast can and will harbor exciting. Again, check tides and weather before you go. change hourly, so check before you go. Because you will be trolling 1.2 to 2 “knots,” you need the If you are fishing east of Seward – like the Montague area wind to be working with you, not against you. My point is, be – you want to follow Cape Suckling to Gore Point or Cape sure the weather gods are on your side; there’s no reason to Clear. Resurrection Bay is normally calm in the morning but
ALL ABOUT KINGS To get a better idea about the state of local king stocks, I contacted Jay Baumer, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game who focuses on salmon in central Alaska, which includes the Gulf of Alaska and surrounding waters. In addition, I asked how many kings were anticipated to return in 2016 to the Seward Lagoon and what percentage of the fish stocked are expected to return to spawn. “Over the past five years we have annually stocked an average of 210,825 Chinook salmon in Resurrection Bay,” Baumer said. “The exact number of kings that return each year or in the upcoming 2016 season is unknown.” “There are too many variables from year to year for us to be able to provide a confident estimate,” he explained. “I think it is safe to say that several thousand kings return each year and people have good success catching kings from both the shore and from their boat. Our stocking efforts are intended to provide opportunity for sportfish anglers to target Chinook salmon returning to Resurrection Bay. Our hope is that all of those fish are harvested by sportfish anglers.” Below is a summary of the kings stocked in Resurrection Bay. You can also get this information and information about the number of fish stocked from the ADFG hatchery and stocking website (adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=Sport62
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StockingHatcheriesSearch.main): June 2015: 298,542 June 2014: 183,464 June 2013: 141,550 June 2012: 219,743 If you get a chance to fish kings out of Seward, you may be lucky enough to land what’s known as a “white king.” I asked Baumer whether the meat was white due to diet or DNA. While there are many other places that have king salmon, Alaska is the only place I have ever seen a white king. “A king salmon can have lighter color flesh due to its diet, but a true Chinook with white flesh is DNA-related,” Baumer said. I can tell you from experience that white kings are the greatest eating salmon I have ever had. Finally, my last question for Mr. Baumer was if kings spawn in any tributaries that feed into Resurrection Bay, or if the kings that are caught within Resurrection Bay are heading to either to the Seward Lagoon or another destination outside of Resurrection Bay? “Chinook salmon are present in Resurrection Bay and surrounding waters year-round,” he said. “The majority of the adult Chinook salmon returning to Resurrection Bay – May through August – are of hatchery origin.” The current regulations take this into consideration, allow-
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ing anglers increased bag and possession limits during the months of high hatchery returns, late spring through midsummer. And it’s also to reduce the limits when the majority of the kings are “feeder kings” and could be of outside origin. Resurrection Bay does not have an annual or seasonal king salmon limit in effect, and there is no king salmon harvest-recording requirement. From May through August, the Resurrection Bay limit is increased to two per day, with a possession limit of two. The rest of the year, Resurrection Bay’s bag limit is one per day, with only one in possession. For the remainder of North Gulf Coast saltwaters – not including Resurrection Bay – the bag limit is one per day with a possession limit of one with an annual limit of five. Anglers are required to record their harvest on the back of their license, or when applicable on their harvest card. To my knowledge, there are no viable natural Chinook salmon populations in any of the Resurrection Bay drainages.
We have documented a few Chinook present up Resurrection River and its tributaries, but not in significant numbers. Besides the Seward Lagoon, all freshwaters in the Seward Area (North Gulf Coast) are closed to Chinook salmon fishing. The Seward Lagoon is normally closed except for youth-only fisheries that occur for Chinook and coho. The youth-only Chinook fishery, in the freshwaters of the lagoon and outfall stream, specifically target those hatchery fish returning to where they were released. It is a great opportunity for kids 15 or younger to target the returning hatchery fish. That is the only time the Seward Lagoon is open for Chinook fishing and occurs, per Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations, the third weekend of June and the second weekend in July. See the Southcentral Sport Fishing Regulation Summary for more details about this and other youth-only fisheries. In the saltwater by the outfall stream of the Seward Lagoon is also a popular spot to intercept returning kings. RW
waste time, bait and fuel. I have learned to target kings in deeper water than I would target for coho. When I fish for kings, I troll 60 to 200 feet. When trolling, focus on and follow the contour lines on your gps/chart; also look for shelves and bait. Trolling with downriggers is great but we don’t all have them all of the time. This set-up is a good backup plan and may become your go-to method for trolling.
I fish six anglers and six lines on my charter boats, and while downriggers are the best way to be positive on bait depth, they are not your only option. The gear set-up is simple. I used linecounter reels with 40-pound line. Braid goes deeper faster, but I use mono because it’s easier for the average angler to use. A quality rod with some length to it, like the 9-foot, 8-inch Lamiglas Certified Pro 934, will work great. The tackle presentation is simple as well. A flasher spread-
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Kings might congregate in deeper water than coho, but that doesn’t mean you need fancy downriggers to coax a big Chinook to find your offering. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA)
er bar, like the one from B-N-R Tackle or one made by yourself, that holds your weight and keeps it away from your flasher is required. After the spreader, add a size 10 Big Al’s Fish Flash flasher and 4 feet of 400-pound mono that connects from the bottom of the flasher to a bead-chain swivel. Finally, at the terminal end, attach a 4-foot leader of 40-pound mono and either a spinner like a Bob Toman or a plug-cut herring. As for weight, when I fish more than two rods I use 10and 8-ounce weights. For example, with six rods out I put the 10-ounce weights on two rods close to the boat cabin, while the middle rods get 8-ounce weights, as do the rods near the stern. It’s crucial to set up your rodholders so you have a good spread and the lines aren’t going to get tangled every time you move the boat or do a bait check.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE the set-up, how do you fish it? It can be difficult to trust that your bait is in the strike zone without a downrigger, but a good app called “Trolling Depth Estimator” (liveprecise.com/tdepy.html) will help you figure out your exact depth. For instance, with 10 ounces of weight and 200 feet of 40-pound mono out and a speed of 1.2, my bait is at 83 feet 68
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deep. This depth will change when speed is altered, so use the app to get an accurate placement. Both out of Seward and off the southern Oregon coast, I catch kings from 75 to 150 feet. With multiple lines out, be sure to cover multiple depths. I separate my baits in increments of 10 to 20 feet. For example, with six lines out and a bottom depth of 150 feet, I set baits at 140, 120, 100, 90, 80 and 70 feet. Of course, if you are marking fish at a certain depth – say, 75 feet – then set your baits closer to that depth, such as 85, 75, 70, 65, 60 and 55. I adjust my trolling speed all the time from 1.2 to 2.2. I do this by getting my speed up to 2.2, then putting the boat in neutral and letting the speed drop to 1.2. I put the boat back in gear and slowly push back up to 2.2. I continually adjust my speed in this way until I hook up. This set-up is simple, but attention to detail is a must. Kings are finicky, especially compared to silvers. For example, a coho will eat a marshmallow on a shoestring, whereas a king will follow a bait and turn its nose up if the smell or action is off in any way. When fishing plug-cut herring, use a Pro-Cure Plug Cut-
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The results of a good flasher, sinker and spinner set-up. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA)
ter. Too many times I’ve heard anglers (often without fish) say you don’t need a special plug cutter, just a knife. But a plug cutter will guarantee the exact cut needed to get the perfect spin every time, and that spin is key to full fish boxes.
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I highly recommend the Pro-Cure DVD on curing and fishing plug-cut herring. In addition to the right spin, scent is next and needed. When I fish multiple rods, I use a different scent on each of
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A Seward-caught fillet from a white king salmon is a delectable reward after a day of downrigger-less trolling. (FISH SEWARD ALASKA)
the baits until I find what the fish want on that day. I do not add scent to my bait during the curing process; I prefer to inject it just before I toss the bait in the water. If you are fishing a spinner out of Seward, know that there’s a maximum of two hooks allowed. Most spinners come with a treble, so be sure to clip one of the shanks off or switch the hook to a single siwash hook. ASJ
Guide Randy Wells caught this stout Seward king in April.
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Editor’s note: Randy Wells offers charters through Fish Seward Alaska Inc. and can be reached at fishsewardalaska.com or (907) 947-3349.
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Charter Spotlight ALASKAN SUMMERTIME CHARTERS Come fishing with Alaskan Summertime Charters! We are a small, family-owned sport fishing company operating out of beautiful Resurrection Bay in Seward, Alaska. Jon Tippit, owner/operator, has been fishing these waters for the last 23 years. People often ask him if he'll ever get tired of running charters and the answer is a resounding “No! It's a different trip every day; I meet great people in a beautiful place. I love what I'm doing!" Our boats are fast yet comfortable, accommodate six passengers each, and are operated by experienced USCG licensed captains. Each vessel has comfortable cabin seating with a private marine head/restroom. We offer halibut, salmon, rockfish or combo fishing trips, as well as sightseeing or whale watching. On any given day, a variety of wildlife can be seen alongside the spectacular scenery of Alaskan coastal waters. If you're considering a fishing trip in June, give us a call – we have a great early season special. The fishing is great and so are the rates! Our goal is to not only get our clients their fishing limit but to also leave them with a memorable experience that will bring them back again and again. See us on Yelp and Trip Advisor. 866-245-7650 • www.alaskansummer.com
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CATCH VALLEY FEVER THREE SUSITNA VALLEY CREEKS TO CATCH A BIG SALMON
Anglers give each other just enough room to ямБsh at Montana Creek, one of three top waterways in the Susitna Valley to cast for salmon. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) 76 76
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BY DENNIS MUSGRAVES
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outhcentral Alaska offers sport anglers many options for remarkable roadside salmon fishing. Among all the terrific choices available in the region, I always include pursuing the fish found in the waterways of the Susitna Valley. For good reason, spending time behind a steering wheel along the scenic Parks Highway in a quest for catching salmon is on my list of fishing adventures every summer. The highway provides excellent access to numerous streams that host a bounty of all five different species of Alaska salmon. Unfortunately, Susitna Valley is certainly no secret for salmon fishing. Road warriors navigate the asphalt to the area in large numbers and cast for salmon throughout the summer. A common denominator with sportfishing the road system in the “Valley” is encountering crowded river banks. Productive salmon streams and fishermen go hand in hand, since the better fishing locations naturally attract the massaksportingjournal.com aaksp kssp ks ksp por ort orti o rtttingj rti ngjo ng gjj urna gjo g rna naal.c n ll.co .co co com om | JUNE JU UN UNE N NE E 2016 20 201 2 01 0 16
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es. If you’re a highway angler like myself, there is no need to become Mad Max; just stay calm and expect to share the water. It’s been my personal experience that most Valley anglers are respectful, friendly and willing to lend advice. Self-guiding fishing outings along the section of highway between Wasilla and Talkeetna lend a certain trifecta of tributaries which merit attention for anyone trying to cover yourself in salmon glory: Willow, Sheep and Montana Creeks. Salmon fishing in any one of these streams north of Anchorage will afford anglers a classic example of what Susitna Valley offers and that’s good promise for avoiding salmon skunk.
WILLOW CREEK Willow Creek is about a hour’s drive from Anchorage and public access can be found at two places: the confluence area, where the creek empties into the Susitna River and where the
Alex Spies hooks into a Sheep Creek pink salmon. Humpies will enter the creek around mid-July. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES)
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IF YOU GO Alaska’s Susitna Valley is a year-round destination for outdoor adventure and recreation. The scenic area provides excellent camping, hiking and sightseeing during the summer. Sportfishing however is by far the most popular activity. Travel north from Anchorage to reach the premier sport fishing area along the George Parks Highway. Highway anglers will find plenty of opportunity in pursuing Salmon along the road system. since several tributaries and creeks flow from the west underneath the iconic roadway as it stretches northward towards Denali National Park. The smaller waterways eventually flow into the glacial-influenced Susitna River, which cuts a path over 300 miles from its glacier origin through the center of the valley, running to a final destination with the saltwater of Cook Inlet. Depending on timing and location, each one of the five different species of salmon are present throughout the Susitna Valley waterways, typically from late May through August. In addition to salmon, anglers can also catch resident fish like wild rainbow trout and majestic Arctic grayling, just a couple of bonuses found in the valley streams.
TACKLE BOX STAPLES I recommend an all-purpose conventional graphite medi-
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um-heavy-action-style casting rod, with a length of at least 8½ feet. This type of fishing rod will perform well for all the species of salmon, whether your fishing from the bank or wading or out of a riverboat. I personally use a Temple Forks Outfitters Alaska series Hot Shot model. Casting rods are perfect for launching heavy lures, swimming spoons or soaking roe under a bobber, without losing sensitivity for the lightest of bites. (Twitter: @tforods) In-line spinners are hard to beat for catching salmon. Going salmon fishing without Kodiak Custom Fishing Tackle spinning lures is simply not possible for me. The G.I series skirted spinner model in size 5 or 6 is my favorite. Bright colors selections and a big blade that attracts salmon like a magnet. The spinner-style lure allows you to cover wide spans of water horizontally. KCFT is produced right here in Alaska, quality control and guaranteed performance. (Twitter: @kodiakcustom) I prefer to use monofilament or fluorocarbon lines in 15-pound test and greater, depending on the water conditions and species of salmon I am targeting. P-LIne CXX Xtra in a moss green color (for low visibility) is my personal choice. The line is abrasive-resistant in the silt-laden waters of the Sustina, provides excellent casting abilities, and it has superior strength when battling a big fish. (P-line.com) DM
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creek flows under the Parks Highway. The confluence is by far the more popular location. Visitors can take a left turn from the Parks Highway at milepost 70.8 onto Willow Creek Parkway for a short drive to a parking area at Willow Creek State Recreational Area. Anglers can also find access at milepost 71.4 along the main stem of the creek. Four of the five salmon species can be found in the water – depending on timing – with kings and silvers attracting more attention from anglers than humpies and dog salmon. Fishing can be shoulder to shoulder, but also very fruitful. Most anglers will be casting hardware, typically large colorful spinners and spoons.
SHEEP CREEK Sheep Creek benefits from the return of four different species of salmon, kings, chums, pinks and silvers. It’s similar to Willow Creek in that Fishermen have two choices of public access for sport fishing. The creek runs under the Parks Highway bridge at milepost 88.1, or get there by turning off the Parks Highway at milepost 85.8 and taking Resolute Drive to the confluence areas where Sheep drains into the Susitna River. Either location will have king salmon showing up in early June, followed by pinks and chums in mid-July, and finally silver salmon at the end of July through August. I prefer to fish the slough area near the mouth of the creek. Fish will respond to just about anything you swing in front of them. I’ve found casting a bright-colored large spoon or spinner in pink or orange is a safe bet to entice a bite. Fly fishing is also popular, with streamers, leeches and yarn flies all working well. Many anglers wade the top portion of the creek and move downstream from where the water passes under the highway. Doing this will get you away from the more crowded access point. The larger Susitna River, which flows for about 300 miles through Southcentral Alaska and into Cook Inlet, produced this silver salmon. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) 82
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MONTANA CREEK Flowing under the George Parks High-
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way near milepost 96.6 is Montana Creek. The clear-running water also welcomes all but one salmon species, reds. The creek is divided into an upper and lower section by the highway bridge. There is public parking and access alongside the highway just south of the creek and also a private campground adjacent to the creek. I normally approach fishing with a fy rod in the main stem of the creek, but conventional spinning and casting rods work well also. I like to wade the creek and fish with a 7-weight fly rod with sinking line on a matched reel. Try fishing the deeper holes and slack areas where fish have a tendency to rest. Salmon are attracted to bright streamers, leech patterns and larger spin-
Sheep Creek can get plenty of summer fishing pressure, but if you move downstream away from the anglers fishing at the top of the creek you’ll get some extra casting room. (Inset) Author Dennus Musgraves with a Susitna Valley king. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) 84
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the mouth because the water is much deeper here. Well-used trails on both sides of Montana Creek are easy to navigate and less than 1 mile from the highway. Having a choice of three salmon-rich creeks in relative close proximity along the Parks Highway is an amazing opportunity for fishermen, and there are a half-dozen less frequented creeks in-between the three already discussed. I have found the other streams often less stacked with fish as the other three, which tends to keep foot traffic away. Having less angler pressure and surely more elbow room during peak times is not always a bad choice. Exploring the roadside fishing even further north along the route and testing additional The Parks Highway provides king salmon-seeking anglers like Chris waterways passing under the highway will proCox a convenient access point to some fantastic summer fishing in the creeks and larger rivers around the Susitna Valley. (DENNIS MUSGRAVES) vide even more great sportfishing adventures in Susitna Valley, There is certainly nothing hidden about this valley, but taking the only road that passes ners and spoons. I have found purple Egg-sucking Leeches through can be rewarding for any angler chasing salmon. You seem to be a golden ticket by dead-drifting deep in the curjust have to stop, park the car and cast a fishing line. ASJ rent. Leech patterns can also be used with a casting rods by fixing enough split shot about 18 inches above the hook. Fishing at the mouth of the creek where it flows into the Editor’s note: See more of Dennis Musgraves’ Alaskan fishing adSusitna is also productive. It’s easier to cast large hardware at ventures at alaskansalmonslayers.com.
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Tuna fish is a great bait and scent additive for wrapping plugs with when king salmon fishing. Prior to wrapping a plug, be aware of any bait, scent or hook restrictions that may be in effect in the waters you’ll be fishing. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
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FIELD
DOES THAT MAKE
SCENTS?
WRAPPING PLUGS WITH TASTY TREATS FOR SALMON BY SCOTT HAUGEN
F
ollowing a quick shore lunch, my buddy and I returned to the boat, eager to get after king salmon. The plugs we’d wrapped with bacon earlier in the day looked less than desirable. In the midsummer Alaskan heat, the bacon had cooked onto our plugs and turned dark brown. But closer inspection revealed loads of oils leaching from the ugly bacon strips, running down the plug into O-rings and onto the hooks. Knowing salmon are scent junkies, we kept the less than appealing-looking bacon on and caught king after king. Not only is raw bacon packed with oil, it’s low profile, meaning it can be cut to the proper length and wrapped on just about any style and size of plug. Where and when legal in Alaska, wrapping plugs with scent-choked baits can mean the difference between a poor day on the river and bringing home a limit of salmon. In addition to bacon, tuna is a great choice for wrapping plugs. Just accept
the fact that tuna chunks won’t wrap as neatly as bacon strips and other more traditional baitfish wraps like sardines, herring and anchovies, and go with it. The more you work with the tuna chunks, the more familiar you’ll become with how they work.
IT’S IN THE CAN Start with tuna packed in cans of oil, not water. Oil-packed tuna offers more scent that salmon love. Also, get an extra spool or two of stretchy thread to wrap the tuna on the plug since you’ll need it to hold the loose chunks in place. Between your thumb and three fingers, pinch some tuna and pack it on to the belly of the plug. How much tuna you use depends on the size of the plug. The key is not using too much tuna, as that can throw the plug out of tune and it won’t properly track or fish. Make several wraps around the tuna chunks. You’ll be surprised at how well the chunks actually hold onto the plug. If little chunks fall off – which will happen when it’s being fished – don’t worry, as
plenty of scent will remain on the plug. Tuna wraps will need to be replaced more frequently than whole bait wraps, especially after you catch a salmon or two.
OPTIONS ARE PLENTY Other, less traditional baits that can be wrapped on plugs include octopus and squid. Simply cut thin chunks of raw meat to the ideal size and wrap on the plug. Don’t go too thick with these pieces; they can reduce the working motion of the plugs. Shrimp tails can also be added to plugs, but again, ensure the pieces aren’t too thick. Keep in mind that shrimp tails – along with other thicker bait wraps – can also be injected with scents that add more to your alluring arsenal. What if you don’t have any bait with which to wrap plugs, or if the river system you’re fishing is closed to all bait? If it’s open to the use of scents, go in that direction. There is a growing number of scents on the market that are impressive, king-catching gems. Pro-Cure makes a line of gel scents that stick well to all plugs – no matter what the water temperature or turbulence may be. Simply squirt the gel onto the belly of the plug
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FIELD
Campers can fix a delicious meal with a Dutch oven, which Tiffany Haugen swears by for this tender salmon dish. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
SHARING A DUTCH TREAT BY TIFFANY HAUGEN
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une in Alaska means lots of daylight, salmon fishing, camping and outdoor cooking. In order to make the most of this special time of year and maybe come away with convenient, great-tasting ways to prepare your salmon, try Dutch oven cooking. From frying bacon to boiling water to baking cinnamon rolls, I tackled numerous recipes and cooking methods when I first began cooking with Dutch ovens. That’s all it took to get hooked on this simple, reliable way of cooking. Be it a back porch, a camp or a gathering in the park, you can cook up a full Dutch oven meal just about anywhere, since no electricity is required. If you’re stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking salmon, break the mold by 92
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* Prepared pesto sauce in a jar can be substituted for the fresh herbs.
Place steelhead or salmon fillet – skin side down – on a large piece of foil. Sprinkle fillet with seasoning salt. Spread cream cheese over fish. Sprinkle herbs and panko on top of cream cheese. Lower foil into Dutch oven, leaving top of foil open. Cover and refresh coals if necessary. Cooler outside temperatures may require a few more coals on top and bottom, or hot weather may require fewer. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until fish is no longer opaque and reaches an internal temperature of at least 135 degrees.
Set a baking rack in the bottom of a 12- to 14-inch Dutch oven. Preheat Dutch oven (lid on) with six coal briquettes underneath the oven and 12 on top of the lid for about 10 minutes.
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s new cookbook, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or visit tiffanyhaugen.com.
trying this recipe in a Dutch oven. You’ll be impressed with its simplicity and how moist and flavorful the salmon will turn out. 1 pound salmon fillet ½ teaspoon seasoning salt ¼ cup whipped cream cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley* ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
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ALASKA SPORTFISHING EXPEDITIONS
Scott Haugen was pleased with this hefty Nushagak king taken on a plug wrapped with bacon. Scents and baits can play a big part when it comes to boosting king catch rates when backtrolling. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
There is just something about spending a relaxing day fishing the pristine waters of Alaska, with little to worry about but what you have on the hook and the topic of conversation. Time on the boat trolling or fly-fishing an elevated lake is time spent relaxing and reconnecting with friends, family and nature. It doesn’t matter if you are saltwater fishing along Alaska’s Inside Passage, freshwater fishing on a nearby stream, or fly-fishing one of the state’s three million lakes, sharing the experience of landing that king salmon or halibut with family and friends is worth more than the gold Alaska is famous for. This is not the place to come for those who are looking to combat fish - standing shoulder to shoulder with other anglers, casting over one another’s lines. Get away from the frenzy and noise, and enjoy the pristine surroundings and solitude fishing Southeast Alaska’s waters has to offer its anglers. We offer three excellent lodge fishing experiences in the Ketchikan area. You’re bound to find exactly what you are looking for at one of these lodges! Our fishing lodges offer excellent fishing packages, each with a unique experience. For guided saltwater or freshwater fishing, look no further than The Cedars Lodge. For a purely self-guided expedition, Silverking Lodge is your destination. And if you want to customize your experience with some guided fishing and some self-guided, spend some time with us at Clover Pass Resort. Now is the perfect time to schedule your fishing trip! www.ketchikanalaskafishing.com
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and you’re good to go. Some plugs come with chambered bodies for adding scents. Either apply the scents directly into the chamber, or saturate a patch with scents and insert that. Patches can also be soaked in scents and wrapped to the belly of a standard plug.
IMPROV WORKS Several years ago I was right in the middle of king season, ran out of bait and had no way of getting any before my upcoming fishing trip. So I improvised, went in to the shop and grabbed an orange sponge. I cut it into thin strips, then soaked the pieces overnight in anise oil, a favorite king salmon scent of mine. The next morning the strips were ready to fish and the plan worked great. A buddy and I caught our limits, and the best part was two of the fish were hens, so I had fresh eggs to cure for bait. I don’t know what it is about anise oil, but it has far outfished all other scents combined that I’ve used during my more than 45 years of king salmon fishing. I use anise oil in egg cures, bait-
JUNE 2016 | aksportingjournal.com
fish cures and dab it on lures and plugs. Other scents king salmon love include herring, anchovy, shrimp and krill. Of course, there are other scents salmon like, and the key to finding what they want on any given day is diversifying your offering. On the river, try out a variety of scents. If you’re out with multiple anglers, have each person use a different scent on their plug or lure to see what might be working best that day. When it comes to spicing up your plugs with bait and scent for king salmon, there are many options. Plan ahead, be willing to try new things and you’ll be surprised with how effective different scents can be when it comes to turning on a Chinook bite. ASJ Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, 300 Tips To More Salmon & Steelhead, send a check for $30 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. To watch howto video demonstrations of king salmon techniques, visit OutdoorsNow.com.
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MY OWN PRIVATE RED RODEO A SAILBOAT TRIP ON PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND FINDS SOCKEYE SANS THE KENAI’S COMBAT ZONES
The authors’ watery home away from home, the Carpe Ventos, allows them to explore areas like Prince William Sound, which is dotted with plenty of salmon streams. (BIXLER MCCLURE) 98
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BY KRYSTIN MCCLURE AND BIXLER MCCLURE
I
grabbed a handful of Russian River flies at the Fish House in Seward and handed them to Bixler. I assured him that we would not be fishing the Russian River. Though it is a quick drive from our house in Seward, the thought of elbow-to-elbow combat fishing has never sounded particularly enjoyable, especially for beginners on fly rods. I can just imagine my fly ending up in a tree and someone swiping my spot on the riverbank. Oh, the stories that we’ve heard! I’d grabbed the flies on the off chance that our “personal” salmon stream in Prince William Sound had a substantial run of reds to hone our fly fishing skills on. We normally snag sockeye in saltwater, which is legal in Alaska, wrenching them in with the Alaskan star, a weighted treble hook that can be found by the thousands at low tide in a popular snagging spot, having snagged the bottom at the previous high tide. And though it’s unlikely that a plankton-eating salmon would take a fly, I’ve always wanted to catch a sockeye on one. Thousands of the people who flock to the Kenai watershed with Russian River flies in hand walk away with their limit. What was their secret? I was determined to find out.
A NEW SPOT Luckily for us, the Russian River is not the only spot with a substantial run of reds. The salmon return to rivers and streams throughout the state. Most are remote, and our month-long trip aboard our sailboat, the Carpe Ventos, gives us oceanside access to most of the runs in Prince William Sound. As we loaded up for our trip, the last thing I managed to cram in our quarterberth was the fly rods, wedged comfortably between a small freezer, a generator and a flying gaff for large halibut. Several days into our trip, we emerged from a cove in which we had waited out a bad storm and ventured into red salmon territory. A favoraksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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Krystin McClure checks out an inland river’s layout. Sockeye were in the water near the mouth leading into the bay waiting for the tide to rise. (BIXLER MCCLURE)
ite cove of ours has a conspicuous entrance and has always swirled with sockeye, pinks and coho. I dropped the anchor as Bixler backed the boat to set it. We immediately started on our respective fishing adventures. Bixler had spotted some fish on our fishfinder and was soaking a chartreuse banana weight with a hooked herring, while I rigged up our 5-weight Orvis rod for its first salmon adventure. Bixler placed an ice fishing bell on his rod and grabbed a beer and a book. I grabbed a .44 Magnum pistol for bears and hopped in the dinghy. We each had our own fishing plans and were within shouting distance, so I sped to shore while Bixler relaxed under the sun on the deck, drying out towels and bedding after being trapped inside during a rainy storm. The stream was exactly how it looked every year. The cove narrows, forcing all the salmon into a small area before they run up a series of rocks and waterfalls to the lakes above. Bear trails snaked in and out of the forest and the surrounding area 100
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smelled of fresh bruins. I beached the dinghy and walked to the mouth of the creek. Reds swirled below, waiting for tide to rise and push them upstream.
RESEARCH PAYS OFF I had read about numerous techniques for fishing reds on the fly. There was something about a bump and then you set the hook. It did not make sense at first, but as soon as I dipped the fly into the pool of fish, I saw what people meant. The salmon actually nibbled the fly, creating the “bump” feeling that everyone fishing the Russian or the Kenai writes about. I continued to cast the fly, trying to set the hook with each bump. The tide was rising and the fish were piling into a small pool at the mouth of the stream. Again and again I cast and still nothing. Finally, with the last bump I quickly pulled my rod to set the hook. A red salmon flipped wildly out of the water, peeling line off of the reel. I pulled it in carefully
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SIMPLE SALMON DISH No need to get fancy with salmon, especially sockeye. Grab some cedar planks (available at grocery stores) and soak in water per the instructions. Season the salmon with garlic salt, pepper and a dash of lime or lemon juice. Place salmon on plank and then on grill, and cook over medium-high heat until salmon is done. The cedar plank will impart a nice smoky avor to the ďŹ sh. BM
A grill, a plank of cedar and spices are all you need to create a simple yet delicious fresh salmon dinner. (BIXLER MCCLURE)
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CHECK IN FOR FLYING If you are looking for a challenge, give fly fishing for red salmon a try! Alaska boasts hundreds of streams that have decent runs, and whether you end up combat fishing the Russian or have a quiet stream to yourself, these tips will help you hook those picky eaters.
BIGGER IS BETTER FOR YOUR ROD A 5-weight or stouter rod is a requirement for salmon. Make sure your line, leader and tippet are strong enough to handle these fish. Salmon are not particularly line-shy, so go big if you can.
FIND YOUR SPOT Whether it be the Russian, the Kenai or smaller waters, find a fishing spot that suits your style. If you don’t like too many people around, try and find a smaller stream or consider a flyin fishing experience. Remember, there are hundreds of places to fish for reds in Alaska!
FEEL THE BUMP
Reds hit very specific flies, so if you plan on making your own, do some research beforehand. If you are fishing the Russian River or other places in the Kenai watershed, there are spe-
Red salmon do not grab and go like other species, such as silvers. You need to be patient and feel the soft bump of the fish hitting the fly. As soon as you feel the bump, set the hook. Compared to fishing for trout on fly or salmon on a conventional rod, it takes some practice. It is best to not get discouraged; instead, have fun with it! KM
and brought the fish to shore. It was a perfect hookset in the mouth of the salmon. As I tended to my fish, I heard Bixler scream on the boat. He is a bit louder with his successful retrieves, but I knew that he was onto something big. My red was a good-sized fish,
and without adequate refrigeration – the freezer was used for shrimp on that trip – I figured one salmon would be enough for a few days. I was so excited about my fly-caught red that I ignored Bixler’s waving hands for a second to marvel at the fish. I finally cleaned everything up as the reds began to run into the
RESEARCH FLIES, REGULATIONS
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cific hook-spacing requirements, so check the regulations. If you are a beginner, check out the premade Russian River flies. They comply with the hook requirements and have a heavy-duty leader too.
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Krystin was able to entice this red to bite her offering. (BIXLER MCCLURE)
first pool in the stream and headed back onto the boat. I pulled up beside Carpe Ventos and showed Bixler my salmon. He was shocked that I had caught it on the fly rod and immediately started picking my brain so he could have a try. I asked him what the commotion on the boat had been about and he smiled and held up a big fat silver. Bixler never managed to land his own The fish had attacked the herring while Bixler sockeye, but this fat silver was a nice consolation prize. (KRYSTIN MCCLURE) was dozing on deck. The ice fishing bell woke him up and he reeled in and netted the fish. After a dinner of salmon, we headed back to the stream so I could give Bixler a tutorial on fishing reds. He felt the bump and fumbled a few times before hooking up to a red and losing it. We opted not to continue fishing because we had enough to eat for the next few days. We headed back to the boat as a bear appeared out of the woods and grabbed a fish of its own. I broke down the fly rod for storage and wedged it back into the quarterberth for its next adventure. We talked about fishing the Russian or the Kenai, having had a lesson on how to catch them. It would be a fun weekday activity, but nothing compares to having your own personal salmon stream to fish. ASJ
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REMEMBER THE REDDING RULES FOR THE AUTHOR, THE PRINCIPLES HE USES TO CATCH CALIFORNIA RAINBOWS APPLY TO ALASKA STEELHEAD
BY JEFF LUND
S
ome of my most valuable Alaska steelhead lessons were absorbed while fly fishing for rainbow trout in California. It wasn’t some magical insight or secret from a guide; rather, observations I made while fishing the same water over and over.
Whether it’s a bear-infested Southeast Alaska forest or in California’s Sacramento River, Jeff Lund has absorbed what he’s learned in fishing both steelhead waters. (JEFF LUND) aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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Lund figures he’s good for at least catching one nice fish per Panhandle outing. When he doesn’t, it can drive him crazy. (JEFF LUND)
My buddy Kurt and I drove three hours to Redding from my home then in Manteca – both cities are located in
California’s vast Central Valley – to fish for big trout on the lower Sacramento River, the region’s major waterway.
During one of those trips, the water had dropped 4,000 cubic feet per second and revealed a network of skinny
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but deep channels that were invisible when the water was up. They were deep canyons of blue water where trout would hold. Get the cast just right and you could drop a nymph in one and likely get a fish. A bad cast would get you hung up on a wall or gummed up with the brown slime that lined the wall. Six inches made all the difference. Kurt mastered it first with his 10-foot nymphing rod. The second insight was weight, and not just to get the fly down quickly in those chutes. Parts of the river were only 2 feet deep but the
Lund believes the difference between getting skunked and landing a colorful steelhead or two can be minuscule. The fish don’t care if you do everything right but still can’t buy a bite. (JEFF LUND)
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current was consistent and seemed fast. A stonefly pattern with lead wraps should be plenty heavy to drop a fly down to a fish waiting in riverbed undulations, right? Wrong. Kurt mastered this one first too. He put on weight – even when fishing that thin water – and hooked up. I had underestimated the speed and ability of the current to carry a fly faster than the fly can sink – or even prevent it from sinking. I started using weight and felt little tinks on the bottom, but I caught fish consistently from that point on. Those are universal lessons. Sure, it’s not going to be exactly While he doesn’t pretend to be the Michael Jordan of steelhead anglers, basketball coach Jeff Lund figures he can at least slam dunk a few fish during his trips on the water to both California and in his native Alaska. (JEFF LUND)
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ly the same, but there are fundamental principles that can make all the difference.
FLASH FORWARD A FEW years to after I moved back to Alaska. I was fishing a deep run with a buddy who was hooking steelhead at an alarming rate. I use the term alarming because I wasn’t getting anything. I don’t pretend that I am a great angler, but I do expect to catch at least one fish wherever I go. Especially if the dude I am with is getting nine or 10, so I’d like to think I’m a tenth of anyone I fish with. Apparently not. I did two solo trips this spring after my buddy the steelhead guru outfished me. I had to believe that the differOn a trip to California’s Lower Sacramento River, this nice rainbow trout was landed on a weighted fly. (JEFF LUND)
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The author is always eager to either get in a raft or cast from the bank on his trips to Southeast Alaska or all the way down to California, where he once resided. (JEFF LUND)
ence between fish and no fish can be minuscule. There is nothing in a fish that says it has to obey the fact that you’re using the right thing and seek out a way to get pulled in by the mouth. The second time it all came together. I was using the right flies and throwing them into water I knew had fish, but I didn’t shrink the river and apply two simple principles I brought with me from California. Redding Rule No. 1: Treat it like the channels. I had to navigate a shallow one to get to where I was casting – and what if I’m not hitting the chute? I sent a roll cast to the far side of the river – 2 feet beyond where I was casting – and almost on top of a monolithic shelf that was in 6 inches of water. The fly fell off the shelf. One-thousandone, one-thousand-two. Boom. Steelhead on my line. Next cast; same spot; off the shelf. One-thousand-one, one-thousand-two. Boom. Steelhead again. The spot I was aiming my fly for was in the general vicinity, but I needed the 120
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(FISHING BUREAU OF AMERICA) 30
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Name me: Wal alleye Size: 5lbs, 25” Wanted for: Friday dinner Last seen: 49.0610° N, 94.8475° W
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Name: e: Largem LLargemout argemouth Bass Size: 8lbs, bs, 22” 22” Wanted for: Brotherly competition Last seen: 42.4357° N, 82.6915° W 30
Name: Channel Catfish Size: 9.7lbs, 27” Wanted for: Trophy Last seen: 45° 39’ 0” N, 108° 42’ 55” W
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current to redirect it into the right lane. I went downriver a little while later to a bend in the river that was pretty even but had a slightly deeper run on the far side. My buddy had caught three in this spot in the fall; earlier that day I had been shut out. I decided to be smart. It wasn’t chute water; it was weight water. Redding Rule No. 2: I hadn’t previously used weight, thinking that the barbell eyes on my leech were good enough. I added a single piece of shot. Boom. Rainbow. Boom. Steelhead. Boom. Steelhead. Boom. Lost steelhead. That, in combination with the chute method of meticulous placement, helped me feel like I was getting a handle on this river. I didn’t feel like I had it owned, but I certainly knew I felt more confident.
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or maybe the fish just didn’t give in until I happened to tweak my delivery, but I doubt it. It’s all about knowing the water. It’s the nuance; it’s the subtle little things that the experienced angler knows that a newbie doesn’t. If I were to say, “Cast just in front of that rock ledge on the far side; they stack up there,” I know the exact 1-foot sweet spot to land my fly. “Just in front” is terribly ambiguous. It takes time. You can feel like the river owns you. When someone tells you or takes you to their favorite spot, you usually see it for what it is: a 100yard section of water. What they see is that chute, that lane, in combination with the right weight for the river level. It takes time to get to know a river on this intimate level. But with experience – even that gaine from another state – you can figure it out and save yourself some frustration. ASJ Editor’s note: Jeff Lund is the author of Going Home, a memoir about fishing and hunting in Alaska and California, two areas he’s lived in. For details, visit JeffLundBooks.com.
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A TRIP ALONG
THE ALCAN F
inally, Alaska is beginning to thaw out after its long, dark winter. Soon, the state’s highways and byways will be full of motorists heading to fishing spots and simply taking in the views of some of the most spectacular scenery you can see from a vehicle in America. The king of the Alaska road system actually has its origins south
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of the most rugged, beautiful and unspoiled stretches of pavement around, try the Alcan. You can start with the iconic Alaska Highway sign at mile zero in Dawson Creek, explore tiny towns and spy wildlife in the BC countryside and cross into the Yukon Territory. From there, you can check out road signs from all over the world at
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JUNE 2016 | aksportingjournal.com
QUIET ALTERNATIVES WITH SALMON RUNS LOOMING AND COMBAT FISHING A CERTAINTY, THERE ARE PEACEFUL SPOTS TO BE FOUND
BY DAVE ATCHESON
I You traveled to Alaska to get away from it all, right? So why not take it a step further and avoid the crowded combat fisheries and find a place of peace to fish, like a lonely lake at sunset? (DAVE ATCHESON)
t’s not unusual for visitors to Alaska – at least those on the road system during peak tourist season in July and August – to be astounded when they are struck by scenes more reminiscent of rush-hour Manhattan than the fishing paradise they pictured when initially planning their trip. But there are ways to combat the crowds, even in places as popular as the Kenai Peninsula and Matanuska Valley, and without the added expense of chartering an aircraft. At least that’s how I explained it to my buddy Jim Quinn in order to coax him to saddle up for a recent mountain bike ride. aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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Planes, trains, automobiles and boats are what most use to reach Alaskan waters, but mountain bikes can also help you get to where the grayling swim. (DAVE ATCHESON)
We started early in Cooper Landing and peddled up the switchback-laden Quartz Creek Trail on our way to its terminus at Crescent Lake. With Quinn’s last bike being an oldschool Schwinn Stingray, it took more than a little prodding, yet I was glad he had agreed to accompany me. “Look,” I’d implored him, “the bike will cut down on travel time, turn an overnighter into a day trip, get us into some serious fishing, and, most importantly, far away from the crowds.” I should have known better than to pick such a long, mostly uphill ride. It also didn’t do much for our confidence
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and self-esteem when we were passed by a parade of spandex-clad mountain bikers rolling along at a rather ridiculous clip. It was especially demoralizing when they lapped us on their way out before we’d even emerged from the trees and into the high country. I assured Quinn it was OK, perhaps even attempting to console myself when I theorized that we’d be just as efficient, just as graceful, if we weren’t burdened with waders and rod tubes haphazardly bungeed to our bikes. I don’t think he bought it, though. Despite being saddle-sore and arriving with tired, aching legs, the openness of the alpine country and the sheer magnitude of the staggering view immediately invigorated us – it was a scene so mesmerizing, so grand, it actually
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conjured up visions of Julie Andrews prancing through the Salzburgerland. It was there that were also exposed to one of Alaska’s most pleasant fishing surprises: Arctic grayling, that small, abundant and exotic salmonid with a propensity for sipping dry flies off the surface. Known for their large, kite-like dorsal fin, these fish not only provided us an adventure far from the maddening crowd, but, on our 3-weight fly rods, a welcome change of pace from bouncing heavily weighted egg patterns along the bottom of fast-moving glacial streams.
PADDLING TO PARADISE Canoes and fishing have always shared a storied relation-
Canoes make for a fantastic way to see the Swan Lake/Swanson River area in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge – they work pretty well as trolling and casting platforms too. (DAVE ATCHESON)
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ship. Quinn and I have partnered on many excursions, so it’s much less difficult to convince him to commit to a paddling trip into the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Swan Lake/Swanson River canoe system near Sterling, or into Nancy Lake State Park, north of Anchorage. While the swarming mosquitoes and black flies can be a deterrent in midsummer, fishing early in the season and in autumn is relatively pleasant. Most portages in both systems are short and campsites are abundant, and fishing tends to improve the further one ventures into these areas. And with the possible exception of Memorial and Labor Day weekends, solitude is almost guaranteed. Here you can fish with a fly rod in the 3- to 5-weight range or, if you prefer, an ultralight spinning rod for trout and Dolly Varden, which typically range from 12 and 16 inches, with the occasional lunker breaking the 20-inch mark. The Nancy Lakes also contain
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Cindy Detrow holds a nice Swan Lake rainbow. Between salmon runs, plenty of Alaska waters are virtually empty of anglers, yet host good fishing for trout, grayling and Dolly Varden. (DAVE ATCHESON)
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pike, which require a little stiffer rod and wire leader. Like the bike and hiking trails, these canoe trails are corridors to special places far beyond the bustle of everyday human activity. Yet whether you travel by boat, bicycle or on foot, all the pathways take us to places where the quiet is absolute and has the power to envelop the very recesses of our beings, creating a melody out of flowing water and making the unexpected bellow of a wolf or the beguiling call of a loon all the more potent.
FINDING THE QUIET ALTERNATIVE Often beating the crowds and finding a quiet fishing alternative requires – along with a little physical effort – simply an adjustment in attitude and a redefining of plans. In many cases, that means downsizing equipment and a willingness to seek out a variety of species. Enjoying a breath of that sweet Alaskan solitude can be as simple as breaking out the light tackle and heading to one of the area’s smaller streams. Targeting trout and Dollies on streams closed to salmon fishing for instance, like Ptarmigan Creek near Seward, can be a great alternative. Even the likes of the Russian River, our state’s most infamous combat fishing zone, turns peaceful between and after salmon runs. The trout aficionado usually has a brief two-week window in July and about a month at the end of the season when this beautiful stretch of water reverts to its more primitive state and gives the solitude-seeking angler a reprieve from the crowds. For those with their hearts set on salmon, targeting silvers late in the season offers the best chance at some semblance of peace. The willingness of coho to chase a lure or fly, along with their strength and acrobatics after being hooked, make the species a favorite of anglers everywhere. And on good years – which by all accounts this will be – the Kenai River remains productive throughout October.
SERENITY NOW Finding good fishing and solitude simply takes an open mind and timing. Scheduling a trip other than during the peak of the season, and a willingness to fish for a variety of species, would be a good start. For most of us, wetting a line in peace with just a few close friends and getting far away from the maddening crowds of summer is an integral part of the ultimate fishing fantasy and, fortunately, something we don’t have to travel very far to find in Alaska. The quiet alternative is out there, just waiting to be discovered. ASJ Editor’s note: Dave Atcheson is the author of the guidebook Fishing Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, and National Geographic’s Hidden Alaska, Bristol Bay and Beyond. His latest book, Dead Reckoning, Navigating a Life on the Last Frontier, Courting Tragedy on its High Seas is now available in hardcover, online and as an audio book. For more, go to daveatcheson.com. 134
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BEST OF ALASKA LODGES
BEST OF ALASKA LODGES
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Miss an easy shot last fall? Best retire to the range right now for practice. Author Dave Workman is not going to complain about a group like this because no deer or elk is going to protest, either. He was prepping for a Wyoming hunt a few years ago, using 165-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips in a .30-06. He came home with venison and a nice rack. (DAVE WORKMAN)
TIME FOR A LITTLE ‘GROUP’ THERAPY BY DAVE WORKMAN
C
omplaining or simply beating up on yourself about a shot you missed last fall is not going to solve your problem. June is here, and with it are those long, lazy, mild late spring and early summer evenings that you can spend at the range, and if you’re lucky, you’ll bump into old pals and enjoy some therapeutic conversation and trigger time. Making excuses for not being able to take this time seems
to be a favorite pastime of people determined to become vegetarians and just go camping with guns in the fall. For the rest of us, however, putting meat in the freezer and notches in that tag requires more than just sitting around thinking about it until the night before the fall opener. First item of business: Clean your rifle. Now. Inside and out. There’s nothing like a bath of Hoppe’s No. 9 or Outer’s Nitro Powder Solvent to get the gunk out of your gun. Pull the stock and clean the action and trigger group. You don’t have to be a gunsmith for this; just get some aerosols and go to work, aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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Workman zeroed his Savage bolt-action chambered for .308 Winchester. Notice that he “walked” his rounds up from the 10ring to just below the 2-inch line. He subsequently clicked the crosshairs left a half-inch after this photo was taken. Couple of months later, he was cleaning a 4x5 buck. (DAVE WORKMAN)
I got out the gunsmith gear, tightened the screw down and dropped on a dab of clear nail polish. Item No. 3: I just mentioned it. Get fresh ammunition. If you don’t reload, get down to the store and stock up. There’s work to be done. Be sure to stick with one load. If you plan to hunt with, say, a .30-06 with 165-grain bullets, then sight your rifle in with the same ammo. Putting your gun into zero with one type of ammunition and then hunting with something different is going to mess you up, maybe just enough to miss. Item No. 4: Also from the “This happened to me” file comes this bit of advice: If your rifle barrel is supposed to “float” free of the wood stock and doesn’t when you run a dollar bill down the underside, between the bottom of the barrel and the stock, and the bill doesn’t slide all the way up to the receiver, you need to lightly sand the barrel channel out, coat it with linseed and/or tung oil, allow it to dry and make sure the barrel does not contact the wood.
SCOPE IT OUT! preferably outside. Item No. 2: Check your scope mounts and bases. If you missed an easy shot, it just might be that one of your bases has come loose. That happened to me once, about five years ago. Couldn’t get my rifle to zero all of a sudden, and this was with fresh ammunition I had only just loaded up at the bench. Sure as hell, one of my bases was just a teensy bit loose.
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One more thing is critical. Make sure your scope is mounted properly, and that means making sure the crosshairs are straight up and down, and flat one side to the other. A few years ago, I helped someone zero a rifle with which she was having trouble. Piece of cake, because she’d gotten the gun as a package and the scope was tilted off-center. You can’t really zero a gun that way.
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We rotated the scope until the crosshairs were where they belonged and, voilà, five rounds later the rifle was zeroed. If you’re careful with a rifle, the zero shouldn’t change from year to year. Use a good sandbag rest under the stock and under the butt. This steadies the rifle for a precise shot. Set a target at 25 yards and 100 yards. Fire one round at the close target, let the barrel cool for a minute and fire again, and if it is off right, left, up or down, adjust accordingly. Remember, a rifle that adjusts a ¼ inch at 100 yards for each click will need to adjust four clicks at 25 yards. If you have adjusted correctly, the third shot at 25 yards should be in the X-ring. Now, shift out to the 100-yard target and expect the bullet impact to be slightly off, probably on the low side, but that’s not always guaranteed. Fire a second shot and if the bullets impact close to one another, take note of the impact point and adjust the scope as needed while the barrel cools.
should solve your problem. Now set the rifle aside with the action open and the muzzle upwards on a rack while you trot downrange and change targets. Save your first target to study back at the bench as you get ready to fire again. If you plan to be hunting an area where shots at game may be at 250 to 350 yards, prepare to do the following. Fire one or two more rounds to make sure the rifle is in the X-ring with the new target. It should be. Now, click up eight to a dozen clicks, which should put the bullet impact 2 to 3 inches high at 100 yards, but – depending upon the caliber and velocity – it should then strike pretty close to dead on at about 250 to 300 yards. Where I hunt, I’ve shot deer out to about 400 yards. My -06 was zeroed to shoot 3½ inches high at 100 yards using a 180-grain Nosler AccuBond ahead of a max charge of Hodgdon Hybrid 100 V ahead of a standard large rifle primer. Bingo!
THE COLD BARREL
RETURN TRIPS
It is important to let the barrel cool, for a number of reasons. The most important of these is that out in the field, your first shot at game will be from a cold barrel. Also, you can damage a rifle by making the barrel so hot you can’t touch it. Save your rifle barrel and do this process slowly. If your first two shots landed low an inch or so but windage is fine, run your elevation up eight clicks and fire again. This
Don’t think this gets you ready for fall. Go home, clean the rifle, put it away and then in July, head back to the range. The rifle should put shots right where you were putting them at the initial sight-in session. Set aside a date in August and again in September for the same purpose. Even if you fire only a couple of shots at each sitting, you will know that the rifle is retaining zero and you will
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be all set when the season arrives. Remember, this is a “group effort.” A rifle with a good barrel and scope combination should be able to produce 1- to 2-inch groups consistently at 100 yards. Not everyone is capable of shooting three-shot strings into a hole that can be covered by a quarter, but take my word on
this: If your bullet strikes an animal within an inch or two of where you want it to strike its vitals, that animal is headed for the meat locker. What is a good group? As I said, 1 to 2 inches is nothing to complain about. A three-shot cluster that looks like a cloverleaf? Save that target and frame it. ASJ
NEW PROPELLANT FOR SHOTSHELL RELOADERS Good news for shotshell reloaders came from Hodgdon just as I was writing this. There’s a new Winchester smokeless propellant dubbed Winchester 572, a powder that is designed to “perform multiple tasks.” This new propellant allows shooters to duplicate the AA target load for the 28-gauge shotshell, and according to the press release, it is “perfect for the original Winchester 3¼ dram equivalent, 1330 fps, 1¼ oz, 12-gauge upland game load.” It’s also good for building 1,200-foot-per-second target loads for both 28- and 20-gauge shooters, and here’s the kicker: It is also a good propellant for loading pistol cartridges, including the .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special and .45 ACP. Complete loading data for this new propellant is available at HodgdonReloading.com. DW
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Hodgdon has announced a new propellant for shotshells and pistol cartridges. It’s Winchester 572, which should keep shotshell reloaders pretty busy. (HODGDON)
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BY LAND OR SEA? TO GET TO THAT EPIC ALASKAN HUNTING SPOT MEANS A TOUGH DECISION BETWEEN TRAVELING OVERLAND BY AIR OR ACROSS THE WATER IN A BOAT
Using a boat to get into the backcountry for bear hunting is a pretty common practice in Southeast Alaska, but elsewhere in the state, travel to farflung sporting grounds is most efficient by air. (PAUL D. ATKINS) 148
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BY PAUL D. ATKINS
I
t was an epic hunt, but like all epic hunts it was a challenge. The big moose, plus two enormous caribou sat in game bags under a tarp a mile or so upriver. It was a long way from our camp, but also the only place where a pick-up by plane looked remotely possible. So with our cache secured, we constructed a makeshift gravel runway running adjacent to the river. I was pretty proud of it, even if it was only 300 feet at its longest point and rough in spots. Our pilot had instructed us over the satellite phone that morning to build it, making sure it was clear of stumps, driftwood and any big rocks that would prevent a landing. Our hopes were for a pick-up later that afternoon. The only thing we couldn’t seem to clear out was the rain, which somehow seemed to be coming down harder and harder, even if there wasn’t much in terms of clouds or overcast. As usual, it was hurry up and wait until finally our transporter was spotted in the distance, then landed with a soft thud on the gravel tarmac we’d built. Thirty minutes later the Cessna 180 was filled with people, gear and a good part of a 65-inch moose. A second plane was waiting in the wings, as it were, ready to land to pick up the remaining meat and passengers. To say we were heavy was an understatement, but it was manageable, and getting airborne wouldn’t be a problem. I had complete faith in my transporter, with whom I had been involved in some pretty tricky situations before but who made close calls look easy as only great Alaskan pilots can do. It was only as we approached the end of the agravel bar with our wheels still on the ground that I began to worry ...
I’VE HAD MANY EXPERIENCES like the one above – the list seems endless, actually – and each has provided its own excitement. After living and hunting in Alaska for the last 20 years, each adventure has afforded a close call or two, and a few that weren’t so close. Most of them have been either by boat or plane, with a few on snowmachine. Over the years people have asked me whether I prefer traveling by boat or airplane best, and to tell the truth, both have their benefits. Most people who come to the Arctic to hunt or fish or to Alaska in general usually have only one choice. Sometimes you can combine the two, but it’s rare. For most of us, it depends on several factors and greatly depends on the circumstances and your quarry. When I first arrived here I had few friends and not many choices in hunting partners. I had no boat and knew absolutely nothing about transporters, planes or gear needed for such excursions. So I attached myself to several locals who had boats and asked them if I could just go along for the ride. This worked – as did I, helping them with everything from building camp and hauling water to skinning and packing meat to earn my keep. Before long these arrangements became friendships and I was hunting right alongside them. Boat hunting was my first introduction to the Last Frontier aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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and for me it was about as great as it got. I didn’t know better, as I had never been “flown out” to hunt, so it was all new and fun, and at the time basically all that I knew. There are many advantages to being on a boat come September, the biggest being able to move when needed or when things are a bit slow at camp. If you’re not getting the action you need to fill the freezer or find the trophy you’re looking for, just jump in, fire up the outboard and head in a new direction. This is a great way to see a lot of country, check out new locations and areas where the animals can usually be found. Another big advantage is that you can load up the boat and head out on any weekend and in some cases during the week. Gas prices have a lot to do with this, and if times are cheap, it can add up to a lot of great trips spread out over a couple of months in the fall. It also provides for a great family experience, especially if you want to take along the kids for a weekend outing. This is pretty common here in the Arctic and a great way to introduce youngsters to hunting and fishing. A boat experience is something they’ll never forget and for many
it’s the only way for them to help in taking an animal or two. Lastly, you can hunt by boat the same day you’re traveling in one, whereas when you fly, you have to wait until the next day. If you’re boating and locate a caribou or see a moose, for
Loading your gear and climbing into a bush plane knowing that an incredible adventure to a remote part of Alaska awaits is the ultimate thrill for some, like the author. (PAUL D. ATKINS); INSET: SCOTT HAUGEN) 150
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Bush planes come in all sizes and shapes and all are equipped with accessories to get you from point A to point B. As Alaska is loaded with lakes, float planes are very common. (PAUL D. ATKINS) 152
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example, you can plan a stalk and make your move within minutes. There have been many times when we’ve cruised upriver after work, found accessible game and been back that same evening with fresh meat. Even though boating sounds like a pretty safe bet, it does have its disadvantages and doesn’t come without dangers. I’ve been on a boat voyages that turned from seemingly simple outings to downright scary in a matter of minutes – getting stuck on a sandbar for a couple of days and crossing a lake that should have never been crossed to start with are a couple that stick out in my mind. Most people who get into trouble on boats take risks that they shouldn’t have, and they usually end up paying for it one way or another. Boating is dangerous enough that if you’re not prepared, bad things will happen. On one of my first boat experiences I was with friends and we had been hunting caribou all day across the infamous Kobuk Lake, which is 30 miles wide and 75 miles long. The Kobuk is a shallow piece of water that whips up when there is any kind of wind. It was Sunday night and we were heading back to be at work on Monday. The open boat was comfortable and the first 10 miles across were easy enough, but then a westerly wind picked up and our ride became a trip from hell. Eight-foot swells pounded us and before long we were soaked. The bottom of the boat was full of water. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least, and we were frozen to the bone. We turned around and haphazardly made our way back to the mouth of a river, where we built a fire and spent the night. The next day was clear and calm, which allowed us to make our way across easily. Many who push it don’t, but thankfully we survived.
AS FOR BOARDING A small plane and flying out for a hunting or fishing trip, it can be as exciting as it gets. Loading your gear and climbing into a bush plane knowing that an incredible adventure to a remote part of Alaska awaits is the ultimate for some; I know it is for me. Being able to see country from above and taking in the mountains and tundra from a new viewpoint becomes more like a dream than reality. It’s an experience that you will never forget and will jog your memory for years to come. Booking a fly-out for a drop-camp hunt or a float trip should be on everyone’s bucket list. There are just too many advantages not to. I believe the biggest is that you can fly into places that you can’t get to with a boat. If the animals aren’t cruising the rivers or migrating in places where they’re boat-accessible, then you’ll have to go to them. Places where they can be found sometimes occur inland and getting there can only be done by plane. Most of the good transporters can land a Super Cub or 180 just about anywhere, and they know aksportingjournal.com | JUNE 2016
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the places where game will be congregating too. I’ve flown out many times over the years and each experience has been different. Some years we keep close to town and the rides are short, while other trips have found me sitting in the back of a Cessna wondering if we were ever going to land. Each, however, was an adventure that in most cases put us where we needed to be – around animals and/or fish. One of the big pluses that flying offers is the sense of remoteness and solitude that outdoorsmen love. Being in new country with a rifle or bow in hand with zero camps, zero sound and zero people to disturb us is something that is truly desirable, especially if you have miles and miles of tundra to yourself.
Hunting waterfowl in Alaska is a top priority for some. Using a boat to find prime locations is very rewarding, and for Paul Atkins it’s the only way to go. (PAUL D. ATKINS)
JUST LIKE BOAT HUNTING, there are disadvantages to riding on planes, with cost being one of the biggest. Over the years I’ve seen the price of flying increase rapidly. The high price of fuel, maintenance and insurance are among the main culprits, but demand has also played a big part of the increase. Back in the old days, a trip up north to hunt moose, chase caribou or maybe look for a bear cost roughly $300 to $400 per person. It was fun and it was cheap; if you were a local you could do it a couple times each fall. If we were in luck and we took a couple of animals, then it might cost more on the return, but not much – not like today. These days it’s a minimum $2,000 anywhere, and can double if a second flight is needed to haul out meat and extra gear. Drop camps are a lot of fun, but fun costs money. Another disadvantage of flying is weather. Yes, it can affect boat hunting too, but even more so when going airborne. Weather is always an issue in Alaska, especially in September. Rain is a guarantee at some point, and it will be accompanied by dark clouds and limited visibility. This can keep hunters in camp for days, wondering if the transporter has forgot them or not. Good pilots don’t take chances, no matter the cost, and in time 154
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“Alaskan Packer” This beauty is our new ALASKAN PACKER. It is built on your Redhawk frame and features a 6½” vent rib underlug barrel with our normal .002 barrel/ cylinder gap. It is chambered in 475 Linebaugh with a beefy 5 shot cylinder. It is also available in several other calibers. It has the interchangeable blade front sight system with the gold bead. It has the full Gunfighter grip with aged ivory Corian grips, but grips of your choice are available. It has the satin Vapor Honed stainless steel finish with high polish small parts. It has a full action job, Deep Dish Crown, and Maxi Throat. The barrel length, caliber and grips are all up to you. Porting is also available as an option. The new ALASKAN PACKER is $1995 on your base Redhawk.
Custom Guns GARY REEDER CUSTOM GUNS is proud to announce the release of the second book on handgun hunting, HUNTING HANDGUNS AND THEIR CARTRIDGES. This book covers every aspect of handgun hunting in 25 chapters and with almost a thousand pictures. John Taffin, America’s # 1 gun writer, says of Gary Reeder... “There is a long list of men, Handgun Hunting Heroes I have been privileged to know and who have inspired me with their writing, their handguns, or both. Such men as Skeeter Skelton, Bob Milek,, Lee Jurras, Steve Herrett, John Lachuk, Larry Kelly, J.D. Jones, Hal Swiggett, Mark Hampton, John Linebaugh, Hamilton Bowen, and of course, Gary Reeder. All of these men are giants when it comes to handguns and no one has had more effect today than Gary Reeder. Personally I know Gary to be a man of great talent, simple honesty, a big heart, and a humble spirit. I am proud to call him a friend. This book is the closest thing to The Complete Book of Handgun Hunting available thus far. In the book you will find the history of hunting handguns, his work with developing both handguns and cartridges, hunting adventures and much more. Pay close attention to what he says for like the others on my list of Handgun Hunting Heroes, he has been there, done that, and speaks from experience.” The new book HUNTING HANDGUNS AND THEIR CARTRIDGES is available from Reeder Custom Guns for $40 delivered, and having your book signed is available for the asking. To order your book, call 928-527-4100.
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they will usually show up. If you’re flying instead of boating, you might be limited in your ability to move. Landing strips or gravel bars can sometimes be hard to find. Hunters who land in an area are limited to the amount of country they can cover or see. Animals have to be in the area or at least coming through, if success is your goal. If not, then it becomes an expensive camping trip. But there are ways to solve this. One is to take a raft or skiff of some kind along. This enables hunters to float downriver (or up, if they so choose), allowing them to move or at least see what is around the next corner. Another method is to call the transporter and have them fly back and move you. This can get expensive, as another flyout will be required, adding to your bill. The meat issue also has to be considered when flying. Since most hunts are usually five to 10 days in length, harvesting animals early in a hunt, especially in warm weather, can be disastrous. Warm temperatures play havoc on meat; if you kill too early, you risk losing some if not all of your game. You hear so many stories about plane crashes in Alaska that you have to wonder about it. I’ve been involved in some close calls: Once, the engine quit and we had to make an emergency crash landing on a gravel bar; another time we landed in a spot that I didn’t think was long enough, only to stop abruptly on the edge. There have been more, but in each
Boating upriver for the weekend, making camp and taking a big moose is one of Alaska’s finest adventures. The feeling of success is special, particularly with the wind in your face and a calm, clear day ahead to get yourself and your game back home. (PAUL D. ATKINS) 156
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case I was with experienced pilots, and lucky for me they are considered some of the best in the business. Most Alaskans have a boat of some kind and prefer to use it versus booking flights. I’ve done both and can honestly say I do not have a favorite and like them both. The experience of seeing new country from the air is breathtaking, but being able to navigate a river all day in search of game is about as good as it gets. Whichever you choose, make sure to do your research long before you book a flight or buy a boat. Not all transporters and not all boats are created equal.
AS THE END OF OUR HANDMADE runway on the gravel bar came into view, my pilot, Matt, pulled the 180 up and we were off. I remember the tundra tires were still wet from river as they passed through the willows on the other side. White-eyed and grinning, Matt looked back at me and mouthed the word “close.” I sighed with relief as we headed back to Kotzebue with our lives intact. It had been an incredible trip, I thought to myself, but next time I’ll take the boat. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska. He has written hundreds of articles on hunting big game, fishing and surviving in the Alaskan Arctic. Paul is a monthly contributor in Alaska Sporting Journal.
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ALL ALASKA OUTDOORS LODGE
All Alaska Outdoors Lodge was established in 1996 and has been providing the most versatile array of outdoor excursions available on the Kenai Peninsula. Our lodge is based on Longmere Lake, a road-accessible floatplane lake 6 miles from the town of Soldotna. We offer local river fishing on the upper and lower Kenai River to target king, sockeye and silver salmon, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. We also guide fly anglers on the Russian River for trout and salmon. Target halibut, sea bass (rockfish), lingcod, kings and silvers on our saltwater fishing trips out of Homer and Seward Our available array of fly-out fishing trips is more comprehensive than any other road-based lodge. Our ultimate expedition is the premier Alaska outdoor experience. This fully guided, all-day fly-in fishing trip is conducted in our own private Beaver. The trip departs from the lodge dock. This nine-to 10-hour excursion will take you over hundreds of miles of Alaska wilderness, stopping in multiple places to fish for a variety of freshwater species in remote areas, most of which receive little or no other fishing pressure. The only way to begin to grasp the enormous value of this trip is to take a peek at our YouTube channel and sit back and watch in amazement (search YouTube for All Alaska Outdoors Lodge). In the fall we also offer expertly guided waterfowl hunts and upland bird hunts for grouse and ptarmigan. Our 4-acre complex has full-suite accommodations, complete with satellite TV and high-speed wireless Internet. All fish processing is included when you stay with All Alaska Outdoors Lodge. All Alaska Outdoors Lodge was conceived by Dr. Bob Ledda, an emergency physician in Soldotna serving the Kenai Peninsula’s medical needs since 1993. In 2013 Dr. Ledda became certified in age management medicine. After 20 years of practicing the disease model of medicine, he concluded that there had to be a better approach. Beginning in 2016, Dr. Ledda is offering the unique opportunity to combine a weeklong Alaskan outdoor vacation with intensive wellness training and a comprehensive medical evaluation. He has built a stateof-the-art medical center on the lodge property, with 158
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sophisticated equipment designed to thoroughly evaluate your personal health and wellness. A special wellness week will include a thorough health assessment that we provide, including our comprehensive laboratory workup, full history and annual physical examination, fitness testing, body composition analysis by DEXA Scanning, carotid doppler vascular evaluation, and cognitive testing on one day while the guest is at the lodge. At the end of this evaluation, Dr. Ledda will have special insight into your unique disease risks and predispositions and can help you to design a lifestyle personalized for your preventive care. Paleo meals will be provided during a Power Point lecture for all six evenings of your visit. The topics will be: DAY ONE: Chronic disease DAY TWO: Nutrition for health DAY THREE: Exercise science and program design DAY FOUR: Hormone optimization DAY FIVE: Supplements, vitamins and homeopathy DAY SIX: Tying it all together Emphasis will be on creating conviction that your behavior has a profound effect on your health and well-being and exposing you to the science that supports all of the current expert recommendations. If you would like to see how Dr. Ledda transformed his own well-being and applied the science of age management medicine to his life, go to allalaska.com and scroll to the bottom of the page for the link to his age management medicine site. You can read all about everything that All Alaska Outdoors offers their guests. Call (907) 9530186 for more information.
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