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Volume 9 • Issue 2 www.aksportingjournal.com PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles

WRITERS Paul D. Atkins, Chris Batin, Tony Ensalaco, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Jeff Lund, Michael Lunde, Bixler McClure, Krystin McClure, Tim Mowry, Dave Zoby SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Garn Kennedy, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold PRODUCTION MANAGER Sonjia Kells

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ON THE COVER Summer is now in full swing in Alaska, and whether your passion is catching salmon, halibut, pike or Arctic char, the possibilities are endless. Megan Maloy, chef at the Anvik River Lodge, caught this Anvik char on a fly rod and single egg pattern. (ANVIK RIVER LODGE) MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE 14240 Interurban Ave South • Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (206) 382-9220 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 CORRESPONDENCE Twitter @AKSportJourn Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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CONTENTS

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VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 2

HANGIN’ WITH A GOOD TIME GUY

Capt. Jeff Cundiff’s Homer-based guiding service is aptly named Good Times Charters, and the veteran local skipper is skilled at sending his clients home with plenty of tasty fillets. That led our writer Dave Zoby to leave his Wyoming home to experience some good times himself on Cundiff’s boat, Nona’s Ark, in search of halibut, salmon, fun and more!

FEATURES 37

SPECTACULAR SITUK RIVER STEELHEAD Tony Ensalaco and his buddy, Tom Couston, recently returned from a trip to Yakutat and the Situk River. One of the biggest attractions there is a run of late-spring steelhead, which the two anglers slammed with their spinning rods and fly gear. Hunger was all that could keep these guys off the river with action like this.

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DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ON THE BIG SU In the Last Frontier’s salmon hierarchy, chums are veritable purple-sided stepkids compared to the hotty-toddy Chinook, sockeye and coho that draw salmon slayers from near and far. But our Michael Lunde and his buddies from Fairbanks have no problem casting for the salmon also known as dogs on productive rivers like the Susitna.

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TANGLING WITH LAKERS The Denali Highway offers convenient access to a plethora of outdoor activities for adventure seekers. For Bixler and Krystin McClure, the lure of catching an elusive lake trout at Tangle Lakes and Paxson Lake was worth the possibility of being skunked. Find out if they scored a few lakers!

110 THE PROMISE OF ADVENTURE The hunt of a lifetime is about more than just taking that caribou or moose. Especially this time of year, our hunting guru Paul Atkins looks forward to everything associated with his upcoming trips, from the planning to the harvesting of the animal to the afterglow. Atkins breaks down every “stage” and what each step means to him.

(KATE O’HARA)

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 89 103 125

The case for northern pike An angler’s love affair with his lucky hat Division of Forestry’s firefighting team

DEPARTMENTS 19 19 19 53 66

The Editor’s Note Protecting Wild Alaska: Bear attacks in bunches Outdoor Calendar From Field to Fire: Naknek River salmon Fly of the Month: Egg-sucking Leech

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 © 2017 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. 12

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JUN JUNE N 2017 20 201 2 01 017 | ak aksportingjournal.com ksp spo sspor po por p or ortting tin ti in in ing ng gjjou gjour jour jo our our ou urna nal. nal na n aall ccom co om o m

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EDITOR’S NOTE Whether it’s correspondent Jeff Lund’s “Old Orange” cap or the editor’s long-lost blue vest, there’s something about wearing certain clothing when we’re fishing.

(JEFF LUND)

I

’ve never been much for superstition. Never have I thought the number 13, black cats or breaking a mirror meant bad luck would torment me forever. When it comes to fishing, I’ve stayed away from toting along a lucky piece of clothing – though I do remember a hideous ball cap with a rainbow trout on it that usually rounded out my ensemble as a kid.

But I also remember more than one trout fishing trip to my local lake wearing a blue vest, the closest wardrobe accessory I owned to the “life preserver” Marty McFly got mocked for wearing in 1955 Back to the Future scenes.

The vest itself wasn’t the attraction to me; it was a patch bearing the emblem I received for conning one of my parents into buying me a one-year membership to B.A.S.S. The patch was included in my swag for joining. I remember the magazine’s pro tournament recaps briefly had this barely teenaged fishing freak dreaming of becoming the next Roland Martin, Bill Dance or Jimmy Houston; I settled for being a grumpy sports reporter turned grumpier outdoor magazine editor, so thanks for the inspiration, B.A.S.S. So when Jeff Lund wrote about his worn-out, decaying fishing hat this month, I couldn’t help but remember how proud I felt fishing with my membership patch in plain sight of everyone. Then I made the mistake one day of wearing the vest to school. Let’s just say Marty McFly got teased far less than the wrath classmates laid upon me in that one-and-only fashion statement I made.

Lund’s connection to his ball cap makes for a good story – we’re comforted by our own traditions and creature-of-habit tendencies that we take onto the river to cast for steelhead or hunt blacktails, which Lund does in Southeast Alaska without his trusted headgear, even when his buddies troll him.

“You need a new hat. Oh, I thought your hat was one of those with the built-in hair ... but it’s just really old,” were some of the shots he takes in the field.

Here’s to Jeff’s hat and my old vest, wherever it may be these days. -Chris Cocoles aksportingjournal.com | JULY 2017

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PROTECTING

BEAR ATTACKS SPIKE IN ALASKA

BY CHRIS COCOLES

Y

ou could tell there’s been a bit of a bear versus human crisis going on in Alaska when in late June the three leading news stories on the Department of Fish and Game’s website involved bruin attacks or the threat of one.

Last month saw two fatal maulings by black bears in the span of a couple days. A teenage runner, 16-year-old Patrick Cooper of Anchorage, was competing in a trail race on the Bird Ridge trail southeast of Anchorage when he was killed by a black bear. Just a day later, far to the north at the Pogo Mine in Interior Alaska, another black bear uncharacteristically attacked two employees working around the mine – 27-year-old Erin Johnson was killed and a coworker suffered minor injuries. Both bears suspected in the attacks were killed by ADFG officials.

While bear attacks are a reality

WILD ALASKA

(LISA HUPP/USFWS)

check in the wilds of Alaska, black bears are far less likely to not only show aggression but kill their victims.

The Alaska Dispatch News reported that black bears had been responsible for just six deaths in the state dating back to 1880, and during that same span just 10 percent of all reported bruin attacks.

“The black bear – that’s really odd,” Brigham Young University associate professor and longtime bear expert Tom Smith told the newspaper, but added that “some (bears) are very shy,” but also, “some, guaranteed, if they think they can take you out, they will do that.”

Many outdoor adrenaline junkies who flock to Alaska to fish, hunt, hike and explore the Last Frontier are willing to accept the possibility that they’ll encounter a black or brown bear while experiencing one of the wildest places on earth. And chances are, even if that salmon river you’re fishing also

includes fish-seeking ursine creatures, you’ll be OK, But along with the deaths of two young people from the usually less dangerous black bears, two brown bear attacks that resulted in injuries also occurred during that June stretch of incidents, and another ADFG report warned Copper River dipnet anglers about possible bear sightings there.

“We have a sow grizzly with two yearling cubs hanging around the campground,” Glennallen-area biologist Frank Robbins said in the ADFG release. “She was there last year and probably in prior years, too. For the most part she seems to be staying on the south side of the creek away from the campground and hasn’t shown any overt signs of aggression.”

But as so many victims have experienced, don’t assume that no signs of aggression gives you a reason to let your guard down. ASJ

OUTDOOR CALENDAR July 4 July 22 July 22 July 28 Aug. 1 Aug. 1 Aug. 1 Aug. 10 Aug. 11-13 Aug. 12-20 Aug. 20

Mount Marathon Race, Seward; mmr.seward.com Start of Valdez Silver Salmon Derby; valdezfishderbies.com Kids Pink Salmon Derby, Valdez; valdezfishderbies.com Valdez Silver Salmon Derby “Big Prize Friday”; valdezfishderbies.com/silver-derby/big-prize-fridays Deer season opener in most Game Management Unit 1 (Southeast Mainland) areas.

Deer and elk season openers in GMU 2 (Prince of Wales Island) Goat season opener in GMU 5 (Yakutat) Caribou season opener in GMU 7 (Seward; north of the Sterling Highway and west of the Seward Highway) Golden North Salmon Derby, Juneau; goldennorthsalmonderby.com Seward Silver Salmon Derby; seward.com Moose hunting season opens for nonresidents in GMU 7 (Seward, in Placer River Drainages)

Editor’s note: For more specific information on hunting regulations, refer to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s handbook (adfg.alaska.gov).

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Longtime charter boat skipper Jeff Cundiff (right) has a knack for putting clients aboard his boat, Nona’s Ark, into fish. (KATE O’HARA)

GOOD TIMES ON COOK INLET CATCHING HALIBUT JUST PART OF A CAPTAIN’S COMMITMENT TO HIS TRADE

BY DAVE ZOBY

S

now-covered Mount Iliamna was on full display as Capt. Jeff Cundiff and his deckhand daughter, Shanda, put on plastic Groucho Marx glasses and noses to fillet our fish.

(He says these disguises work better than sunscreen).

Seagulls and murres gathered nearby and scrambled for the scraps of offal. The onboard stereo played Bob Marley and Jack Johnson, and Cundiff told stories about fishing trips that aksportingjournal.com | JULY 2017

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Enjoying a relaxing moment on the trip. (KATE O’HARA)

had rods leave the boat like they were rocket-propelled – outings when two or three halibut over 100 pounds were landed. The good old days also included tremendous king salmon bound for the Kenai River hitting big spinners and wrecking tackle.

We were having so much fun that I was able to shelve my perpetual fear of Cook Inlet and its legendary tides, and its water temperatures that suck the life out of you in a few moments. This early in the year we were the only boat in sight. I listened to the tunes and kept my eyes on the scattered cabins in the distance. But I am too far ahead in the story. We have to go back a few months.

I BEGAN WRITING TO Capt. Cundiff in the deep winter doldrums, when fishing of 24

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any type seemed only a pipe dream. I was hunkered down in Wyoming, shoveling my front porch every day and reading about the various fishing trips his Good Time Charters offers. Cundiff was already trolling for feeder kings in Kachemak Bay. In February he sent a photo of a 25-pounder, its heavy-muscled side reflecting the purple winter light. Shanda held the fish proudly.

I had just bought a fixer-upper in Homer and told Cundiff I’d be there in early spring to paint the place. I asked if I could tag along on a trip, and then I went back to the reality of shoveling snow and dreaming of Alaska.

Yet Cundiff called in early May. He said there was a window of decent weather to try for feeder kings and halibut off Anchor Point. He had a party of

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three that wanted to do a combo trip, and they said it was OK for me to come along. That’s all I needed to hear to grab my stuff and head for the boat ramp.

This early in the month, the public boat ramp was uncharacteristically quiet. Only Cundiff’s boat, the 32-foot catamaran Nona’s Ark, was waiting under the lamplight. It was 4 a.m. and the hamlet of Homer was still in slumber.

The restaurants and cafes along the Spit were boarded up for the season, and there was nowhere to buy coffee.

But I was here and ready to fish.

WE SNEAKED INTO KACHEMAK Bay with high hopes and only a slight bump to the sea. Onboard were a family of three from the Mat-Su Valley, my photographer and spiritual advisor Katie O’Hara,

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and me. Shanda drove the boat while the skipper readied the flashers and herring for trolling. We made our turn at the green buoy and headed towards Anchor Point, a one-hour run. The skyline above Homer began to form as the light rose and the day came on; it was a rare, resplendent and cloudless morning on the Kenai Peninsula.

Shanda set the downriggers and we began to troll a few miles off Anchor Point. Capt. Cundiff said the water was “clean” and that we could troll close to the kelp beds without fouling our lines on debris.

We were alone; no other boats showed up. In the past, when fishing out of Homer, I’ve always remarked on the free for all of six-pack boats heading to the choice spots. This time of year, there was none of that. We had the kelp 26

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

On this day, catching enough fish for dinner and releasing others made for lots of action. (KATE O’HARA)

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beds, the packs of sea otters and the diving murres all to ourselves. Twenty minutes later, a feeder king hit the deck of the Nona and Cundiff reset the lines.

I was lingering near one of the rods when it popped out of the downrigger and the drag began to scream. I quickly set the hook and began fighting the fish. It felt heavy, like a king. But Shanda said it was probably a halibut, as this time of the year they move in from deeper water to feed on hooligan smelt. They often hit trolled herring.

The fish took line and I gained it back.

Eventually, our captain lifted a respectable halibut over the gunwales. It was my first of the year and it felt good to see such a healthy fish.

The king bite was slow, so we anchored and dropped jigs and halibut rigs to the bottom. Immediately we were into fish – scrappy, healthy halibut.

“The halibut we catch in this area typically have nice, firm light-green-colored meat tinged with a red iridescence derived from a diet of hermit crab, clam necks, and decorator crab that look like 28

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baby Dungeness,” said the captain, who began to fillet a halibut. “That black stuff is octopus ink. We will likely find a beak in this one.”

And sure enough, there it was. Cundiff was surprised at the size of the octopus beak. It looked like a parrot’s.

“There are better action spots later in the summer, but the halibut are skinny from all the competition to find enough to eat,” he said. “Their meat is white-colored. Many have chalky meat, which is noticeably difficult to fillet.”

We were having a good day.

JEFF CUNDIFF IS LOCAL to these parts. He grew up in Homer and Anchor Point, and unlike so many of the charter boat captains out of Homer, he stays in town all year. He has two boats, the Nona’s Ark and the 26-foot deep-V Tillie Jane, which keep him busy with maintenance and upgrades. He offers year-round trips and knows where the bite is hottest. In the fall and winter, he fishes and explores new promising holes, fine-tuning his craft.

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

Cundiff also enjoys taking his clients into the tidal flats of Cook Inlet to dig steamer clams for the pot. (KATE O’HARA)

He remembers Homer before the boom of B&Bs, before the onslaught of tourism and halibut derbies. He used to live on the Homer Spit in 1963, when it was a natural spit of land. The 1964 9.2-magnitude earthquake lowered the whole thing by 7 feet. Buildings like Land’s End Resort had to be propped up. The Salty Dawg flooded and the whole spit had to be built up with riprap and gravel.

Back then, Cundiff’s first employment was helping Orby Suell pour lead halibut sinkers. His pay was a much-appreciated silver dollar per

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day. It was Orby who may have started Homer’s first halibut charter operation of sorts. He would load his clients into an open wooden dory perched on top of a railroad car and send them rolling down the beach to hit the bay with a splash.

Cundiff was the first charter boat captain to launch off the beaches of Anchor Point. In those days they didn’t have the tractor launch. Anchor Point remains one of the places migrating salmon must pass through on their voyage to Cook Inlet’s rivers and streams. He and some of the folks who pioneered this fishery are there each year to intercept them. He recalls Bill Cuffle, who lived high on the bluff and would launch his little aluminum skiff with his Jeep and catch every monster king with a nickel-bladed No. 5 Tee Spoon. Cuffle fished until he was 80.

“Hopefully,” Cundiff said, “Bill’s still watching for us to swing a net.”

Fit and with the demeanor of a biology professor, Cundiff has witnessed many changes to the ecosystems around Cook Inlet. He has seen the tru-

IF YOU GO Good Time Charters offers a variety of adventures, some of them not entirely devoted to fishing. Capt. Jeff Cundiff showed me recent photos from Fossil Point, where they beachcombed for fossils, dug razor clams, dined on mussels and clams, and caught kings and halibut – all on one trip.

Augustine Island provides a similar diverse trip in the fall, featuring razor-clam digging, blueberry picking, kayaking and ptarmigan hunting. Also, there are lots of opportunities for shutterbugs, with photo ops at swans, black oystercatchers, red fox, hawks flying

low hunting for squirrels, and a lagoon full of silvery seals and sea otters.

In April, Cundiff can bring photographers and fishermen to the gray whale corridors. In August, when the silvers are in, you can do a multi-day trip where you can catch coho close to the boat and even off of the boat with grizzlies fishing nearby.

To arrange a trip with Capt. Jeff Cundiff, go to his website at goodtimehalibutcharters.com, or call him at (907) 235-8579. His boats, the Tillie Jane and Nona’s Ark, are available for day trips. DZ

ly big salmon become more and more rare. He is not afraid to say that fishing isn’t what it used to be. With these changes have come strict regulations, more and more every year, most of them aimed at the charter boat fleet and captains like Cundiff. While we talked, Shanda kept a ledger and re-

corded the halibut we caught and released. A few hundred yards off our starboard, a flock of seabirds rose and dove for baitfish.

“I have half a mind to pull the anchor and troll through those birds, but it seems only two times out of 10 that you see results you want by moving,” said Cundiff. “We were catching halibut at regular intervals, so it made sense to stay put and wait for our chum bags to do their work.”

LIKE ONE OF THOSE PROFESSORS I remember from my college days, Cundiff is fascinated by his subject: Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet. He keeps a few photo books aboard the Nona’s Ark, like many captains do. But his photos are more diverse. They show ancient clam shells plucked off the beaches of Fossil Point, images from a bygone duck hunt, a series of photos showing a brown bear looming in the darkness on a deserted beach at Ursus Cove. Eventually, through the drizzle, the bear is looking over the gunwales.

“He was silent, just looking at me,” Cundiff said. He added the bear didn’t know what to do. It had both paws on the boat.

“Then, he bear-hugged one of the outboards and began tearing at the cowling. I had to shoot over his head to get him to go away,” he said.

Halibut fishing is what primarily pays the bills. But it is obvious that Cun30

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Cundiff, wearing his “Groucho Marx” glasses and fake nose, fillets some of his charter’s catches of the day. It’s that kind of moment of success that keeps him going back out on the water. (KATE O’HARA)

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diff’s interest and expertise is fishing for feeder kings. He regards them as the premier table fare and by far the most interesting fish that move through Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. His battered photo album shows these special fish through the decades.

When he sifts through the old photos, Cundiff’s memory flickers back to former clients. He remembers their names and what they did for a living.

He remembers the look on their faces when their rods buckled and the drag screamed. The captain has a logbook where he records the fish caught and the people on board. These meticulous records span way back into time, way before all of this information was required by the state. He kept these logs, I concluded, to become a better boat captain. But these days he is more interested in trips where the clients make the call.

“I’d like to do more photography and exploring, more trips where we get off the beaten path,” he said. “We can always catch halibut. But there’s so much more we could do.” ASJ

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DOES IT HAVE TO END? ONLY HUNGER AND A CLOSING KITCHEN COULD DRIVE TWO ANGLERS AWAY FROM RED-HOT SITUK RIVER STEELHEADING

BY TONY ENSALACO

P

ull over – now!” shouted my longtime friend and fishing partner Tom Couston, who was standing in the front of the drift boat and inspecting the water ahead of us.

I knew right away from the tone of his voice that it was not a request; it was an order! I was rowing and happened to be concentrating on the pull-out on the right side of the stream, trying to determine if there was going to be a wait to trailer the boat. I immediately focused my attention to the left side, just in time to see 30 or more dime-bright steelhead holding in the vicinity of a deadfall in

“

The mouth of the Situk River near Yakutat, at the top of the Panhandle, is famous for its steelheading, drawing anglers from late winter through late spring. (TONY ENSALACO)

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Big fish of the trip was this massive 38-incher. Northwest rivers see larger ones, but not the kind of fishing for wild steelhead that the mouth of the Situk does. (TONY ENSALACO) Author Tony Ensalaco patiently waits around for another pod of fish to enter the river. (TOM COUSTON)

less than 2 feet of water.

For a split second, I considered trying to convince Tom to leave them alone because I thought I already had had all the action I could handle. This was our second day of floating the world-famous Situk River near Yakutat, and fishing was as good as I have ever experienced on it. All I wanted was to go back to the lodge so I could eat and relax.

OF COURSE, I ALSO realized that the fish had just come in on the evening tide and were staging only a few hundred yards upstream from the Gulf of Alaska. Being a lifelong steelheader, my instincts took over and I immediately dropped the anchor. In unison, Tom and I disembarked over the gunwales while grabbing our 38

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

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9-weights in one fluid motion.

As we waded upstream into position, I felt a rush of anxiety. What if the fish were on the move and they were already gone? I have seen such a Houdini act several times before this close to saltwater. One moment, the river is polluted with chrome, and then in an instant, the fish are nowhere to be found. Would this be another broken dream? No, not a chance. This time it would be different.

A sudden burst of relief came over me when I was able to make out several ghostly shadows lying parallel with the current, just inside of the logjam.

There must have been at least 10 fish within a little more than a rod’s length in front of us, and I was sure there were

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Look closely for the curious ursine visitor wondering what all the hooting was about. (TONY ENSALACO)

The author battles a steelhead that didn’t want to succumb so easily. The guys could have spent all night on the river catching and releasing fish. (TOM COUSTON)

many more that I couldn’t see holding closer to the wood.

I was the first one to launch a cast into the middle of the school. The fluorescent orange and pink yarn fly didn’t even make it to the swing when I felt a distinct tap, tap and then was pulled.

“There’s one,” I said to myself, even be-

40

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

fore I decided to set the hook.

When I reared back on the rod, a mint-silver hen exploded to the surface, violently shaking her head and struggling to dislodge whatever was embedded in the corner of her jaw. I quickly jammed the rod down and to the side in order to keep the fish’s head below the surface.

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

The move worked, but it also caused the fish to streak toward my side of the river, almost beaching itself along the way.

Next, the fish decided to change direction and shot straight across to the other side of the stream. This time, when it ran out of water it realized there was nowhere to go but up, so it pro-

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SITUK RIVER BASICS Yakutat’s Situk River receives the largest run of wild steelhead in Alaska.

Depending on the weather, the spring fish will start trickling in around the middle of March, and fishable numbers will arrive by mid-April. The run usually lasts throughout most of May, with the peak occurring around the first of the month. Averaging about 80 to 90 feet across and 3 feet in depth, the Situk is a small, clear-flowing stream that is filled with logjams.

There are two ways to fish the Situk: You can start upstream at 9-Mile bridge and float the 14-mile stretch of river in a rented drift boat or use your own pontoon boat or raft, and finish the trip at the lower landing, located near the mouth of the river. It’s a long float, so be prepared to be on the river for at least eight hours or more. Another alternative is to walk in from either of those access points. There is plenty of water to fish and there is always the possibil-

ity of new fish moving upstream. What makes the Situk River unique is the opportunity to sight-fish for steelhead.

There is nothing more exciting in fishing than visually targeting a group of steelhead. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of fish in one day during the peak of the run. It is truly a unique fishery.

GETTING THERE Alaska Airlines has two daily flights in and out of Yakutat departing from Seattle through Juneau or from Anchorage.

WHERE TO STAY There are a limited number of campsites at 9-Mile bridge and along the river. You can also reserve a Forest Service cabin along the river. Motels, bed and breakfasts and full-service lodges in the town of Yakutat are all popular choices. A full-service lodge will make all of the arrangements for you (transportation, boat rental,

guides). I stayed at the Glacier Bear Lodge (glacierbearlodge.com).

REGULATIONS No bait, single-hook artificial lures only.

FLY FISHING BASICS Single-handed or switch rods, 7- to 9-weights. Fly choices include Glo Bugs, beads, Dolly Llamas, Wooly Buggers, Polar Shrimp.

CONVENTIONAL GEAR BASICS Medium to medium-heavy spinning or casting rods with 8- to 15-pound test.

Bobber and jigs or beads; drift fishing using yarn flies, Aero Puffs or drift bobbers, small spinners, spoons and plugs.

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LODGING

If not for hunger and the meal waiting for them back at the lodge, the guys might have kept bringing in steelhead all night. (TONY ENSALACO)

ceeded to perform a spectacular cartwheel, followed by a second jump, and finally a less dramatic third leap.

For the next few minutes, I was able to bring the hen close to me until she felt the gravel rub against her stomach.

This triggered the fish to make several

sizzling runs downstream. Each time, I was able to gradually work her back.

This happened four or five times before the steelhead finally wore down and I was able to get a firm hold of her tail.

Time seemed to stand still as I gazed at one of nature’s most perfect specimens.

I admired the flawless wild steelhead – all 12 pounds’ worth – while I gently held her steady in the current and waited for her to recuperate.

I didn’t need to remove the fish from the water to appreciate its beauty. I observed the distinct gunmetal grey back,

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translucent fins and iridescent pearl flanks. She also had a slight hint of pink and purple airbrushed along her cheeks.

Upon further examination, I also noticed a slight blemish just above the rectal cavity: sea lice, that little badge of honor most steelheaders look for every time they have their hands on an oceanbright steelie.

Tom Couston with his big steelhead, just one of many fish that were caught near the mouth on the Situk, a famed river that Couston and the author finally could confirm of its place as a premier steelie spot.

(TONY ENSALACO)

LANDING THAT FIRST STEELHEAD was just the beginning. Tom and I enjoyed something that all anglers should experience at least once in their lifetimes. I coined the fast action “shampoo fishing,” because for the next two hours it was hook, land, repeat.

Just when I thought the Alaska experience could not get more surreal, it did. While I was about to release another fresh steelhead, Tom announced that a bear was in our presence. I didn’t detect a sense of urgency, so I assumed we were not in any imminent danger. It turned out to be a black bear directly across the riv-

46

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

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er from us watching the commotion.

After a short while, the bruin became disinterested in the chaos and ambled its way upstream along the opposite bank, just as a hefty male steelhead was doing some tail-walking downstream at the end of my line. At first, I didn’t know which way to look, but ultimately the aerial display won my attention.

Tom and I participated in the most mind-blowing action. For the remainder of the evening, we took turns battling a barrage of chromers, including an impressive steelhead that Tom landed.

The fish stretched out the tape measure to slightly over 38 inches.

What made the battles even more spectacular was that we were able to watch all of the steelhead’s twists and turns in the clear, shallow water.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. We never ran out of fish; we just ran out of time. I started calculating how long it would take us to get back to the lodge before the kitchen closed. We needed to leave if we wanted to eat our dinner that night. If I was half my age, I would have stayed until I couldn’t see any longer and gone to bed hungry. Being older, we felt satisfied with our strong finish and we agreed that it was time to leave.

For years, I have heard stories about how fantastic the fishing can be at the mouth of the Situk, but I always questioned the validity. I either believed the numbers were slightly embellished or that the fish weren’t actual biters but hooked by any possible means. I thought that steelhead need time to acclimate to freshwater before becoming aggressive. Skepticism was my way of dealing with the envy that I felt when I heard of other angler’s good fortunes.

Now that I have experienced what others have, I will make it a point to arrive downstream a little earlier just in case there happens to be a pile of fresh steelhead that are willing to cooperate.

So, if you see me rush into a Yakutat dining room just before it’s about to close for the evening, still wearing my waders with a stunned look on my face, you’ll know where I’ve been and what I was doing! ASJ

LODGING

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LODGING

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LODGING

ATTACK THE

NAKNEK

Author Scott Haugen has fished with the Naknek River’s Rainbow Bend Lodges many times over the past decade. Here, he’s about to release a lateAugust chum, one of five salmon species available to flyrodders and gear anglers on the Bristol Bay system. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

SUMMER MEANS LOTS OF FISH IN KING SALMON-AREA RIVER

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

T

he moment my streamer began to swing, I started the strip. Instantly, the line came tight, and there wasn’t any give on the hookset.

Soon the salmon was dancing on the surface, a silver spray of water flashing through the calm Alaskan air.

On the other end was a fat, bright

coho, her twisting and turning leaps continuing to peel off line. I let her run and dared not palm the reel. The drag and the rod did their job, and soon she turned. It took a while, but eventually she did get tired.

I popped a gill rake and took her to the bank, then waded back into the river for another cast. The next cast found me in battle with another nice coho, this

time a buck with a hooked snout.

“They’re definitely in here; let’s spread out and start covering water,” said Tom Baumgartner, owner of Rainbow Bend Lodges on the Naknek River (rainbowbendlodges.com; 907-439-1500).

I’ve fished here many times over the past decades, and this time I had three special guests along. Before we left the honey hole, my 75-year-old father

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53

would land multiple silvers on spinners. My other fishing partners, Chris Stewart and his 14-year-old son, Zane, would catch fish multiple ways.

In the 75-yard stretch of river, we caught coho on flies, spinners, jigs and plugs. The plugs we fished were 3.5 Mag Lips, and we caught salmon by casting and retrieving them, and by back-trolling them out of Baumgartner’s boat.

It was a great way to spend the morning, and after cleaning our catch back at the dock, we cooked up some fillets, grabbed a few minutes of sleep and were back on the river that afternoon. We did the same thing for the next two days.

A few times we took the boats out on our own and caught coho, chum and pink salmon, along with crimson sockeyes. We saw king salmon on their spawning beds, but the season was closed.

But that’s one of the beauties of fishing with Baumgartner; once he shows you how to run the Naknek River and where to fish it, you can venture out on your own. All of us in the group were lifelong salmon anglers and felt comfortable running boats and fishing on our own, which is one of the reasons this camp is so affordable.

HOW TO FIND IT Getting to the Naknek River is easy, as a commercial airline will deliver you from Anchorage directly to King Salmon. Once there, you’re met by a member of the Rainbow Bend Lodges’ staff.

It’s then a short drive to the lodge.

As for food, that’s simple, too. Groceries can be bought in King Salmon at the local AC Store, though at about twice the price of what you’ll pay in the city or Lower 48. What I prefer doing is packing a cooler with food at home and eating that during the week of fishing, then filling the same cooler with salmon for the journey home. The salmon is packed in a commercial-grade vacuum sealer at camp, and then frozen.

The cabins are very comfortable and feature a kitchen, outdoor grill, refrigerator, flush toilet, sinks, potable water and hot showers. All bedding, towels, soaps, cooking supplies and electricity are included, as is part-time Wi-Fi availability at the main lodge.

Because you do all your own cooking from your quaint cabin, you save on costs in this camp. Combine that with the reduced price for going the self-guided route and the fact there’s no overhead of bush plane costs, and your dream to fish in remote Alaska becomes attainable and affordable.

If you don’t want to bring your own fishing gear, Baumgartner has what you’ll need. From his well-equipped shop, you can use his waders, wading boots, fly rods and spinning rods. You can either bring your own terminal gear or purchase the most popular gear on the river from Baumgartner, who has a small tackle shop that sells specialized items.

Over my years of fishing with Baumgartner and his great staff at Rainbow Bend Lodges, I’ve taken rainbows

With Rainbow Bend Lodges’ cabins situated right on the river, it’s easy for a floatplane to pick you up and head to even more remote fishing destinations. (SCOTT HAUGEN) 54

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

over 30 inches and all five salmon species. I’ve gotten into pike, Arctic grayling and Arctic char. And that’s just on the Naknek River and its tributaries. If you want even more adventures, Baumgartner offers fly-outs to some of Alaska’s most remote fish-filled streams.

JULY AND AUGUST ACTION As you’d suspect, these trips fill up quickly with this kind of fishing action.

“Between June 25 and July 20, over a million sockeye make their way up the Naknek River,” Baumgartner says.

“With a limit of five sockeye a day and no possession limit, people want to take this fish home, as many rank it as the best eating of all salmon.”

Fly fishing gravel bars and bends on the upper river allows a lot of water to be covered. Last season, even with the high water, was exceptional for sockeye fishing; limits were caught through the final days.

The king salmon fishing can also be very good. “We get a longer king season than most rivers, from June 20 through July 31, with the best fishing happening from July 19-31,” Baumgartner says. “This is when commercial nets come out of the water and salmon pour into the river.

Another great bonus to fishing with Rainbow Bend Lodges is the access it has to so many remote fishing destinations in the area. Every summer, anglers have the luxury of flying to some 20 distant wa-

LODGING

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

FIELD

M

idsummer in Alaska means two things: lots of daylight and lots of fish. Perhaps no other month in Alaska sees the number and variety of fish being caught that July does.

Whether you’re chasing sheefish up north, pike in various lakes and sloughs, trout in city ponds, bottomfish in the sea, or salmon wherever they are found, July is a plentiful time for anglers. If you’re looking for a new way to prepare fish, whether it’s fresh or last night’s dinner, latkes are a fun, flavorful option that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Potato latkes combined with smoked Alaskan fish makes for a flavorful change of pace when planning a meal with your catch.

(TIFFANY HAUGEN)

3 cups grated potatoes 1½ cups flaked smoked fish* 2 tablespoons minced shallot 2 tablespoons flour ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Two beaten eggs Peanut or coconut oil for frying *Cooked fish mixed with a ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke can be used in place of smoked fish.

A NEW WAY TO DO

AND

MEAT

POTATOES 56

ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

Grate potatoes into a large bowl of cold water. Drain potatoes and place in a clean dish towel. Squeeze all moisture out of potatoes and mix with remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Heat ¼ inch of oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Place by rounding tablespoonfuls into hot oil and pressing to flatten with the back of the spoon. Fry two to three minutes per side or until golden brown.

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Zane Stewart traveled with his father, Chris, to experience the great coho fishing the Naknek River has to offer, along with other fishing adventures offered by Rainbow Bend Lodges. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Visit Us Online! aksportingjournal.com

ters, and all within a 45-minute bush plane flight from the lodge.

If you really want to experience remote Alaska in all its beauty, catch lots of fish and even see brown bears, this is the place.

Look no more if you’re searching for a remote Alaskan fishing adventure that won’t break the bank. Getting here is simple and catching multiple species of fish is straightforward if your timing is right. All that’s left is to hop on a plane, fly to King Salmon and hit the river. ASJ Editor’s note: Signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best selling book, A Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, can be ordered at scotthaugen.com.

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Chum or dog salmon don’t get the love their ocean-going cousins do, but these hard-fighting fish made for an exciting weekend on Alaska’s Susitna River for author Michael Lunde and his “Chumpacolypse” crew. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

FISHING THE DOG DAYS CHUMS, THE PURPLE-SIDED STEPKIDS OF ALASKA’S SALMON FAMILY, HAVE THEIR ADMIRERS

BY MICHAEL LUNDE

B

eauty is often in the eye of the beholder.

For some, it’s designer clothes and jewelry that come with four-digit price tags.

Others perceive beauty in wildflowers adjacent to mountain stream amongst forests enriched by the endless abundance of salmon in spawning colors, all determined to reach the headwaters where they were born.

In Alaska, the latter runs closest

to residents’ perception of beauty – picturesque scenery that includes snow-capped mountains, free-flowing streams and miles and miles of deep woods. Predator-prey interactions often highlight the scene: Bald eagles and bears foraging on spawning salmon; bull moose duking it out for their female companion; herds of caribou migrating across the Arctic Coastal plain.

Regardless of human perspectives on true beauty, it varies from individual to individual and location to location across the world.

And some Alaskan anglers have their own systematic approach to beauty: flinging a flashy tube-style streamer composed of flash and marabou specifically designed to target an anadromous junkyard dog.

OUR JOURNEY TOOK US from Fairbanks to the clear-water streams of the Susitna River system in search of Alaska’s most disrespected and misunderstood gem – the chum, or dog, salmon. We traveled southbound through miles of tamarack forests and cascading peaks, on our

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way to a campground where we’d stay for the weekend.

We anticipated minimal pressure on these streams, since king salmon season had ended weeks earlier. We came armed with a large arsenal of Prom Dress flies in a variety of color combinations, and 8-weight fly rods, and our mission was to methodically swing our way through runs in search of the pitbull battle of ocean-fresh chums.

We hiked and bushwhacked for three-quarters of a mile along a trail through a thick white spruce forest towards the confluence of Montana Creek and the Susitna. At a large, deep back eddy off the Susitna and the lower creek conventional anglers were lined up shoulder to shoulder. To our surprise, they hooked up rather quickly, except we knew these fish were not taken by a true aggressive territorial take. Instead, the chums came in with treble hooks embedded in dorsal fins and lower bellies, which signified a worse outcome – snagged fish.

But as we pushed on, a picture-perfect

scene emerged: no other anglers around, and a large salmon run all to ourselves.

That said, as we stood ankle-deep in the chum’s doghouse, a putrid smell lingered in the air. Scattered about the shoreline were rotten pink salmon carcasses. It was as if Mother Nature had sprayed a dead fish cologne as a defense mechanism to keep anglers out.

We waded gingerly and stripped off line. My fishing partner, John, cast his purple Prom Dress – he nicknamed it “Purple Pedro” – upstream through the silt line into the murky depths of the Susitna. After two partial mends, his fly line disappeared as the fly swung broadside through the current. That stimulated the pattern to exhibit movement similar to a spoon or Kwikfish.

With no action on his initial cast, John redelivered his fly to the same location. His second cast quartered downstream and the lime-green-colored fly line suddenly jolted. A semibright chum with a mouth full of purple flash rose from the depths. Irritable and

Leaving a crowd of spin anglers behind at the mouth of Montana Creek, Lunde and buddy found unpressured – though smelly – waters along the Susitna. (MICHAEL LUNDE) 64

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miffed, she took to the air and bolted downstream while John reeled.

The argument between chum and fisherman grew more intense. John palmed his reel and then yelled. The feisty and pissed-off salmon darted straight upstream like a torpedo, and the black knob on John’s Sage reel spun rapidly, bashing his left thumb. Pain flashed across his face, and he stopped reeling momentarily as his chum took more line, and then ran downstream.

About 10 minutes passed and John regained the advantage. Pain set aside, John stripped in the remaining line because his reel handle had been knocked off. I abandoned my rod on the bank and assisted in landing John’s chum. The fish attempted to dart again for deeper water, but its bid to escape failed when I grabbed its tail with outstretched hands.

It didn’t take long for the first chum to fall victim to the flashy Prom Dress I had on the end of my line. On my second cast, a violent collision occurred seconds after an initial mend. The char-

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FLY MONTH OF THE

Alaska features some of the world’s premiere waters for fly fishing, so we thought it would be a good idea to share some of the best Alaska-inspired flies available for your fishing destinations in the Last Frontier.

The versatile Egg-sucking Leech will entice bites from Alaska’s salmon, steelhead and trout. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

EGG-SUCKING LEECH T raditional fly patterns were originally designed to represent common prey items in the underwater world that our favorite gamefish consumed on a regular basis.

In some situations, fly pattern development was intended to simulate terrestrial insects and various life history stages of a baitfish or insect. As time progressed and anglers’ interest in searun fish grew, fly tiers experimented with patterns designed to solicit either an aggressive territorial response or stimulate a memory feeding instinct. One of the most productive fly patterns for targeting all five species of Pacific salmon, steelhead, and rainbow trout throughout Alaska is the Egg-sucking Leech. An interesting fact about this fly is that it is not a common organism found in nature.

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The anatomical structure of an Egg-sucking Leech is simple and concise. It consists of a sparse marabou tail, chenille body and bright-colored dubbing or chenille head. The Egg-sucking Leech is a streamer designed specifically to entice aggressive and nonaggressive salmon to unleash their territorial frustration when the fly swings through their territory.

The initial tying step is to secure dumbbell eyes near the front of the hook with a series of figure-eight wraps. Next, a sparse marabou feather is tied in at the back of the hook to represent the tail.

After the marabou tail is secured, chenille is tied in followed by a schlappen or alternative saddle hackle feather, and both materials palmered forward slightly behind the dumbbell eyes.

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An Egg-sucking Leech is finalized with the application of brightly colored dubbing or sparse wraps of medium-diameter chenille to formulate the “egg-sucking” head. Multiple color combinations suffice for the head – orange, fluorescent pink, chartreuse, and reddish orange. This represents the main morphological feature of the fly pattern. An exploratory bonus step with this pattern is to add several strands of Flashabou in the very beginning of the tying process.

Typically, flash is added to the marabou tail to provide supplemental movement when current stimulates the fly’s behavior. To fish effectively, cast upstream, mend, let her swing and prepare for the long-awaited tug.

-Michael Lunde

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treuse head of the y line lasered upstream, creating a wake-like effect such as you would see behind powerboats or jet skis. Then the ďŹ sh reversed course and the scene repeated itself.

Even with the drag tightened halfway, this ďŹ sh wasn’t going to give up easily. As I cranked in the last few feet of y line, a chrome ďŹ sh made its ďŹ rst appearance at the other end. At ďŹ rst glance, it looked like a silver, but it was instead one of the brightest chums I have ever laid eyes on. Its bright blue-greenish back sat atop a silver belly, with the slightest pigmentation of pink emerging from its lateral line. Pods of sea lice dotted the ďŹ sh’s pelvic ďŹ ns, and the slightest emergence of purple on its sides took my breath away.

After a series of iPhone and DSLR photos, she was released and darted back towards the depths of the Susitna like a projectile ďŹ red from a gun.

THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF the afternoon, fresh schools of chums contin-

A chum comes to hand – maybe. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

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ued to emerge from the silt line into the clear water. Similar to shark behavior, their dorsal fins often rose above the water’s surface, a common sight when fishing for them. As pods of salmon, some composed of nearly 100 fish, swam upstream, the calm water would be disrupted by a series of miniature waves that had our faces lighting up.

John and I were accompanied on our “Chumpocalypse” mission by three other dog catchers – Ben, Kevin, and JJ. Below us, a dislodged alder stump sat in the middle of the channel, decorated with chrome and gold inline spinners that hung from the roots like holiday tree ornaments. On its downstream side, a school of 60-plus chums lingered in the shade-covered side in the softer current. All five of us synchronously stripped off line and got ourselves into casting position. We cast simultaneously, either straight ahead or slightly upstream.

The Prom Dresses and Egg-sucking Leeches drifted into the shaded area.

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John Lubben sends a chum back into the river. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

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A minute passed and we experienced a brief moment of silence. We looked at each other. Then five rod tips bent viciously, amplified by the sound of singing drags from screaming fly reels.

Some chums ran downstream while others when airborne briefly to show off their acrobatic athleticism.

After 10 to 15 minutes of give and take, we backed up to the sandy bank to land our pissed-off junkyard dogs.

As they closed on shore, we tossed our rods sideways into the knee-deep water and reached down to secure tail grabs.

While one hand secured the tail, the other reached for pliers secured in neoprene wading belts to carefully remove the flashy fly from the side or top of the chum’s jaws. Their canine teeth were razor-sharp and could inflict pain like a real dog.

Hours later, an angler who resembled Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia – thick grey beard, bushy long hair, and tie-dyed shirt encrypted with multi-colored lettering – stepped aboard the silt

What’s a fishing outing for dog salmon without a pup to take in the scene? JD oversees the action. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

level. He redistributed his grip above the foregrip cork handle and, all of a sudden, an explosive snap had everyone staring in his direction.

What had once been a shiny black 5-weight trout wand had transformed into curls of graphite bent into hookshaped branches. Abashed and bewildered, he walked off and exited the stream in disappointment. In this salmon-versus-man matchup, the former could claim victory against her psychedelic partner.

AFTER EXPERIENCING 80- TO 100-fish line with a 5-weight. Sweat dripped from his beard as afternoon temperatures soared to 80 degrees. He cast repeatedly for 45 minutes with no takes.

After an hour of scoring a zero on the swing gauge, I gave the crazed fool a Purple Pedro pattern, a flashy version of an Egg-sucking Leech. Minutes later, his tussle with a large female chum ended in heartbreak. After the hookset, Jerry’s doppelgänger held his rod to about chin

days over 14 hours of constant action, our bodies felt battered. Three days of battling supercharged but underappreciated salmon had us officially chummed out and beaten up – a broken reel, sore shoulders, bruised fingers and knuckles, and a lacerated finger – all because we’d swung some beautiful flies through dogs’ lairs.

Dry blood covered cracked skin.

Wrists were sore from constant

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Considered the ugly stepchildren of the Last Frontier’s salmon family, chums need love also, and Ben Gray and John Lubben are both smitten by them. (MICHAEL LUNDE)

false-casting combined with the physical fatigue that comes from long, grueling battles. The weekend felt comparable to a 10-round boxing match.

Whenever a chum was against the ropes – or at least being pulled close to shore – it was like his true fighting spirit was unleashed. Last-gasp miracle dashes for freedom and open water left our drags as the only hope to turn fish. If we couldn’t, we were left with a straightened hook or busted leader, leading to occasional F-bombs and disgruntled looks.

But as to the status of our relationship with these dogs, we remain on the best of terms – they’re man’s best friend, with gills. And while they may be all beast, there’s something beautiful about them as well. ASJ 74

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Tangle Lakes are a series of deep lakes interconnected by shallow waterways off of the Denali Highway in the headwaters of a Tanana River trib.

While grayling here were easy for the authors to catch, the lake trout proved a little more stingy.

(BIXLER MCCLURE)

A TRIP TO TANGLE AND PAXSON LAKES YIELDS COVETED LAKE TROUT

BY KRYSTIN AND BIXLER MCCLURE

W

hat is the best way to catch a lake trout? We have no idea.

We’ve taken advice from numerous people and tried everything from trolling with downriggers to soaking bait. We’ve studied our sonar looking for bait balls and pinnacles. We’ve tried fishing off points and streams, and even dipped a few lures at odd hours and different times of the year. In the end, the only time we’ve caught them is completely by accident. In fact, we were completely taken by surprise the first time we pulled one of these feisty fish up from the depths of an Interior lake.

THE DENALI HIGHWAY IS one of our fa-

LAKES

vorite inland spots in Alaska. Spanning about 120 miles and skirting along the southern end of the Alaska Range, this gravel highway offers access to worldclass hunting, fishing and wild scenery.

Having never really explored the area outside of caribou hunting season, we packed up our camping gear and jet boat and headed north for a trip of exploration. Our destination: Tangle Lakes, located on the Denali Highway, followed by a quick trip to Paxson Lake, just south of where the route meets the Richardson Highway.

I was pregnant at the time, so we had to get creative with our summer trips to avoid the rough seas we would normally tolerate. Lake exploration was the perfect alternative, and both waters we planned to visit had world-class Arctic grayling fishing.

We pulled into Tangle Lakes and set up camp among rolling green hills of tundra. Immediately, we launched our boat and set out to explore the lake system.

The Tangles are a series of deep lakes interconnected by shallow waterways.

Our jet boat was the perfect tool for the job and we sped through the channels on step to get off the beaten path. aksportingjournal.com | JULY 2017

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We found a good fishing hole somewhere in one of the lakes away from the campground and focused on pulling up large graying from the depths, but also caught them in various corners of the lake system. As we ran back to the launch ramp, Bixler found an interesting drop-off between lakes. Since Tangle Lakes reflect the headwaters for the Delta River, the lakes do have a slight current before they become a stream.

He moved the boat upstream and we dropped our lures.

“Whoa!” Bixler exclaimed. “I just got hit by something big!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bixler’s rod bend like a halibut was on it.

But whatever it was spit out the lure and disappeared. We drifted the area again and again and never hooked something of that size again.

“I heard there are lake trout in these lakes,” I said, recalling my research into Tangle and Paxson Lakes.

“Yeah, right,” Bixler replied. “We’ll never catch a lake trout. I’m pretty convinced they don’t exist.”

Bixler McClure has reason to be happy – lake trout do exist, after all!

(KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

THE WIND PICKED UP on the lake, so we headed back to camp to fry up one of the delicious grayling we’d kept. After dinner, the wind died down so we went out again for some evening fishing under the midnight sun. Bixler picked an arbitrary point to fish off of and we selected our lures, since we’d seen lunkers on the sonar.

Bixler lazily dropped his lure and began to slowly reel up. I was threading my Syclops lure on when I heard another exclamation from Bixler. Again, his rod was nearly bent in half. Bixler fought the fish close to the surface while I readied the net.

I peered over the side of the boat. In the crystal-clear water, I could see the characteristic coloring of a lake trout.

As I dipped the net into the water, I watched the fish throw the hook and disappear into the depths.

It was a scramble on the boat after Bixler lost the fish. I finished rigging up my lure as Bixler repositioned the boat off the point. I cast out first, and there was a firm hit and a huge tug on the 80

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Arctic grayling, which provided a much-needed protein boost back at camp, were also biting on his getaway.

(KRYSTIN MCCLURE)

line. The fish was not as big as the one that Bixler had previously hooked, but it was the first lake trout we had ever landed. I was elated!

Bixler repeated the process quickly and found a laker for himself. We returned to camp with our catch and made big plans for Paxson Lake the next day. After a lake trout breakfast, we packed up and headed down the hill towards Paxson.

UNLIKE TANGLE LAKES, PAXSON Lake is huge. Now thinking that we were experts on lake trout, we quickly realized how little we knew about catching these fish again. Should we try the outlet? No luck. Off a point? Nope. Paxson seemed to have endless locations to fish. The weather did not help our success either; huge gusts occasionally ran down the lake from the north.

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THE FISH OF A LIFETIME Some fishing requires a little bit of angling and a right-place-at-the-righttime scenario. In pursuing any new species, our best policy is to not try too hard, because chances are you will hook into what you want while fishing for something else. Here are a few tips to help you catch that dream fish of yours.

DO YOUR RESEARCH Pick a location known for that species.

Paxson and Tangle Lakes are known for lake trout, so the odds of success are much higher.

PICK THE RIGHT LURE All of our lakers were caught on Mepps Syclops, specifically the green-yel-

JULY 2017 | aksportingjournal.com

low-orange ones. You might need to go through your tackle box before you find the right one.

TRY DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY All of our lake trout were caught in the evenings. While the species is known to feed at night, try different times of the day. Yep, that means you may be waking up at the crack of dawn to get on the water.

DON’T GET DISCOURAGED Whenever we are about to give up we seem to have the best luck.

Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t catch a certain species. Just keep giving it a try and have some fun out there too! KM

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Aboard their boat, the authors enjoyed serenity in the Alaskan wilderness. (KRYSTIN MCCLURE/BIXLER MCCLURE)

Again, we gave up on pursuit of lake trout and instead set out to explore the lake. Eventually, during a calm period we reached the inlet, which was teeming with grayling. They did not seem to want to bite any of our lures and were incredibly shy of our boat.

Bixler was frustrated and I happened to be randomly casting into a deeper section coming off the river. Immediately, I got a huge bite that felt much larger than the strike at Tangle Lakes. Bixler abandoned his quest to get another grayling and readied the net, spouting

off advice on how to fight this fish.

“Be careful! That rod only has 6-pound test on it!”

“I know!” I grumbled as I adjusted the drag. The fish fought violently, and I managed to pull it to the surface; Bixler quickly netted it and hauled it into the boat.

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We both exclaimed with joy. The laker was nearly twice the size of the ones we had caught before. We could not believe our success!

The weather was starting to turn again, so we returned to the launch. A few people at the ramp said they had had no success; Paxson is a hard lake to fish – no bait or treble hooks are allowed.

“Wow, maybe we finally figured out this whole lake-trout thing,” I said as we packed up the boat.

“Yeah, we should try again at home in some of the local lakes,” Bixler said excitedly. “Maybe we should give Kenai or Hidden Lake a try again.”

“Yeah, I bet we’ll catch one!”

To this day, we still have yet to catch another lake trout! ASJ Editor’s note: Bixler and Krystin McClure own and operate Seward Ocean Excursions, offering year-round, boat-based adventures around the Kenai Peninsula. For more, go to sewardoceanexcursions.com or call (907) 599-0499.

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After a couple missed opportunities, Krystin McClure happily shows off the biggest lake trout of the trip, caught at Paxson Lake. Catching lakers hasn’t come easy for the authors, so they were pleased to score this fish. (BIXLER MCCLURE)

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NORTHERN

EXPOSURE IF YOU’RE MEH ABOUT SALMON, TRY FISHING FOR ALASKA’S HUGE, LIGHTLY PRESSURED TROPHY PIKE INSTEAD

In a state where salmon rule and attract anglers in bunches, the author chooses to get away from the crowds and fight another worthy opponent, Alaska’s plentiful and often large northern pike. (CHRIS BATIN)

BY CHRISTOPHER BATIN

I

t is one of those moments; you know the feeling.

There is a monster of a fish holding somewhere in the water in front of me. I haven’t seen it yet, but I just know.

The signs are obvious: My eyes scan the water faster than a bar code reader at the Dollar Store. There’s a bit of sweat forming on the back of my hand as I sharpen a flashy, seductive gold-andsilver Flashabou.

The water is one of those Zen koans; it reveals nothing, yet everything. And without knowing, I know. That gut feeling of knowing a big fish is there, waiting, is reward enough. And best of all, it isn’t a salmon! Heaven forbid!

I tie on a steel leader and rig my 10-weight fly rod for battle. I breathe deeply and focus on the slightly rippled

water in front of me. The cast lands perfectly in a pocket of water surrounded by horsetail reeds and lily pads. The Flashabou pattern flutters enticingly as I twitch it to taunt the water dragon; I know it is a mean, solitary drake that has survived in a world much tougher than the dog-eat-dog one. In the dog world, at least a few can be tamed as

pets. In the world of trophy northern pike, every fish will eat the other – at any time, all the time. There is no taming a water dragon.

IN JULY AND AUGUST, most anglers are stricken with king, sockeye or pink salmon fever, and I’m glad of it. Having water virtually free of these anglers allows

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Want quantity and quality? Author Chris Batin recalls one Western Alaska trip when he and a friend caught 247 pike, including several fish pushing toward the 50-inch mark. (CHRIS BATIN)

me free reign to pursue trophy northern pike, the craftiest, wisest, most cunning fish swimming today in Alaska waters.

Trophy pike are abusive to anglers and the tackle they carry. I mentally prepare to strike with precision and fight the good fight, the kind that makes grown adults vow to repent a life of angling debauchery if they are only afforded the strength to persevere to fight one mega-trophy fish in their lifetimes.

I watch the fly sink, and peripherally see a slight ripple to my left. A larger swirl follows as the dragon attacks. I pause, strip as fast as I can, then pause.

Goose pimples rise on my arms in the sweaty, 80-degree heat. Cascading endorphins rush my legs, making them crazy-numb with excitement. I’m having a fishgasm, and it’s a big one.

My focus blurs but sharpens in time to see a tsunami wake heading to my 90

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fly. Words stick in my throat; I crouch over and strip the fly faster, then wait for it: A mean, decisive, savage lunge, followed by the fly disappearing faster than a rabbit out of a magician’s hat.

A toothy maw the size of a bucket engulfs my fly – along with a square foot of water – and snaps shut tighter than the post office service window at 5 p.m.

I strike hard and hold on.

When a fish runs heavy under the drag, I always salt the air with a cacophony of prayers and expletives.

“Hallelujah!” “Praise the Lord!”

“Damnation!”

The enraged monster feels the hook and surges out of the vegetation to open water. The fly handle rakes my knuckles, instilling a pain that nearly breaks the vice-like grip I have on the rod. There is pain, but I don’t feel it. There is only grunt-down, laser-sharp focus. The fun

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is over; the battle is just beginning.

From the weedy depths, 4 feet of water dragon twists and writhes as it reaches for sky, its gills flared in rage and hostility at this imposter forage fish in its jaw. A violent headshake peppers the air with spray, and I fear the fish will throw the hook. My 10-weight Loomis CrossCurrent rod’s beefy spine dances like a reed in a typhoon. I bow to the fish to ease tension on the leader.

After 14 minutes of fighting the good fight, I subdue the beast and bring it to hand. I will not kill this fish.

The 48-incher eyes me with sinister calculation as I ease a fingerless glove near its mouth to release the fly and to take a photo of the spoils of fish sparring.

But the open dragon jaws snap as tight as a bank vault – catching the seam of my glove – and I can not pry them open.

The response makes my victory

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Pike are not known as toothy critters for no good reason, so offerings should be amply sized, and line and leader material stout to hold up in their punishing jaws. (CHRIS BATIN)

even more satisfying. This is no ordinary predator, but a fish worthy of the quest, a holy grail of pike anglers the world over. After extricating my punctured glove with a jaw spreader, I slowly release a much wiser water dragon to fight again another day.

IF YOU KNEW PIKE as I do, you’d be hanging up your salmon gear and fishing for these trophies.

Pike truly epitomize survival of the fittest and, most importantly, they are mean fish! Fossil records show ol’ Esox has evolved little over the 60 million years of its existence on earth. Its temperament, physique and traits make it the perfect predator. Trophy pike have embraced the Darwinian ethic of survival of the fittest, and wariness is its middle name.

When other anglers are searching out salmon, some of the best fishing of the year is taking place throughout Alaska. For me, topwater fishing for pike is far more fun than trolling or mooching for salmon, or casting blindly into river currents while waiting for a strike. Pike hammer topwater flies and lures with wild abandon, and strikes are non-stop, hour after hour, from small fish to 50-inch monsters. Sure, northern pike may not have the prestige of salmon. As I see it, that’s not a sin but rather, a benefit. Less people pursuing pike means more wide-open waters for me to pursue my quarry one on one.

Don’t expect much, if any, fishing pressure, on the Innoko River drainage of Western Alaska. It’s the place to go if you are searching for new big-pike fron92

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tiers. It’s a hard, unforgiving and wild land that is not for the petite of rod or weak of arm. When you are up against water dragons, you need all the power and strength you can muster.

Trophy northerns found here are a frightening lot, measuring 45 to the mythical 50 inches and beyond. To hook and land fish this size, let alone several, is an angling event of a lifetime.

The pike is no pushover species. Engage this adversary in battle and you’ll lose if unprepared. A mature pike uses its 700 sharp teeth to impale, chomp and paralyze prey. These fish are always watching for an opportunity to quickly cripple and devour smaller fish, ducks, muskrats and birds. Big pike can humble a veteran angler into submission and not think twice about it. That’s the way I like my fish: heartless and unrepentant.

ON THREE SEPARATE TRIPS to Western Alaska’s Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, I’ve caught pike over 45 inches.

This claim is no big deal for some, yet it’s a lifelong dream for others. On the last trip, myself and a fishing buddy, Larry, caught 247 pike in five days, with four at 47 inches, a 48-incher, 48.7-incher and 49-incher. That’s roughly 50 pike a day per boat. While I didn’t catch any of the five 50-plus-inch fish caught last year by anglers at one lodge, I’m not disappointed. I’ll be back this year on another quest for a 56-incher.

Historically, Canada has been the hotspot for large northern pike in North America. That honor is now being bestowed on Western Alaska, and

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for good reason.

In the food-rich waters of the Innoko NWR, northern pike grow far larger and more numerous than previously believed. It is only now – with increased access, detailed pike migration surveys and exploratory fishing pressure – that this superb fishery is coming to light.

Research conducted by Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Brendan Scanlon confirms the Innoko is a healthy fishery that few people enjoy. He believes the population of big pike there is probably larger than heavily fished areas of a lake-only environment.

“Low fishing pressure, abundant food supply and ample and various types of water systems found here in the Innoko refuge contribute to growing the large size and numbers of pike,”

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The author releases a massive pike back into the Innoko River drainage, one of the state’s best spots for catching “water dragons.” (CHRIS BATIN)

he says. “On average, a 40-inch Innoko pike is about 20 years old.”

His research has shown Innoko trophies can appear anywhere, at any time, their migratory habits perhaps a key to their continued growth and proliferation.

“Pike will move out of the main rivers and spawn, and perhaps move a few miles to spend the summer feeding in a slough or lake,” Scanlon said. “Others decide to head elsewhere.”

Elsewhere can be a long swim. One 30-inch fish traveled over 243 miles in eight months. A 42-inch fish moved 34 miles in one month, overwintered in the Yukon River, and was found in the original tagging location the following spring, covering more than 90 miles.

The vast interconnectivity of Western Alaska’s oxbows, lakes and sloughs allows these migrations to take place, and, in effect, grow large and healthy populations of pike that have been

FINDING PIKE WATERS Day trips for Innoko River northern pike are available from Anchorage or Fairbanks. Midnight Sun Trophy Pike Adventures houseboat/lodge (800-440-754) will arrange a charter flight from Anchorage to the village closest to where the houseboat is anchored.

GUIDES AND ACCOMMODATIONS Available cabins on daily fly-outs include bunks. a cooking and heating stove, boat, motor and gas. Bring your own food and sleeping/camping gear.

MSTPA offers a 16-foot-wide by 67-foot-long multilevel houseboat with three private staterooms, indoor plumbing and all the amenities of a full-service, land-based lodge. All meals, flies and lures are included in the price, but you are free to bring your own tackle and flies.

A six-day trip (five full days of fishing) with MSTPA costs $4,200 per person.

Unguided, daily charter fly-outs from Anchorage or Fairbanks to popular pike lakes run $300-plus per person. Overnight cabin options are available.

More information is available from Midnight Sun Trophy Pike Adventures, (mstpa. com), Rust’s Flying Service (flyrusts.com) 94

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and Marina Air (alaskaflyinfishing.com).

GEAR AND TACKLE Because of the abundant whitefish population in Alaska pike waters, gold B2 squids rigged on jigs or fished with a bullet weight work well, as do gold spoons and Rapala-like plugs. Favorite lures include a gold Timberdoodle tipped with an orange Berkley Gulp! bait or a Johnson weedless gold spoon tipped with a 5-inch Berkley Gulp! sinking minnow.

I change the size and color to match outmigrating smolt, ciscoes or leeches, all of which are favorite pike foods. Don’t forget various topwater plugs and flies that include articulating black leeches, Flashabou herring patterns, very large topwater frog poppers and big deer-hair mice.

While the Gulp! baits seldom last more than a few fish, they do eliminate short strikes and entice fish to strike faster and hold on longer than when fishing a plain spoon.

Of note, I was surprised that on one outing, sheefish ignored my favorite flies and spoons in favor of silver and white Blade Dancers fished in a steady retrieve under the surface. But I’ve caught sheef-

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ish on everything from silver and gold spoons to plugs and jerk baits.

A levelwind reel filled with a good braid such as 50-pound Trilene Braid Professional Grade, 65-pound TUF Line braid or Gorilla Braid works best for the big fish, when you need to keep head-strong pike out of the weeds, areas where they are most likely to break off.

Open tundra lakes offer perfect opportunities for fly fishing. I use a Loomis 10-weight CrossCurrent rod and Rio pike taper fly line for big pike. The combo allows me to cast large poppers, mouse patterns and 6-inch baitfish patterns into the wind and drop them precisely into shoreline cover. Anti-reverse fly reels like a Finnor are easy on the knuckles, but I often fish an old System II reel with good success because of its superior drag system.

Pack jaw spreaders, long needle-nose pliers and black plastic-coated wire leader for spin lures. Fly anglers should pretie wire leaders or order them online.

Stock plenty. as they’ll only last for a dozen or so average-size fish before getting shredded. Pack a spool of black wire tippet from 20- to 40-pound test and up when the fish get big. CB

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studied little – or fished – until now.

Scott Rowekamp, owner of Midnight Sun Trophy Pike Adventures, has chased water dragons in Alaska for over 13 years and believes Innoko drainage pike are more numerous and spread out than anywhere else in North America.

One reason is the 2.8-million-acre Innoko National Wildlife Refuge watershed has over 250 miles of river with its accompanying 4,000 sloughs, oxbows and side channels, which offer feeding, rearing and resting areas for big pike.

“The 67-foot-long houseboat lodge we use is comfortable and mobile,” Rowecamp says. “Our Alweld boats can go most anywhere on the river.”

Each year, guides clear out the floating logs, branches, and natural river debris that collect at the mouths of known pike fishing hotspots, after which they ease their way up these sloughs into secluded backwater ponds and oxbows. More times than not, these backwater areas are full of big pike, because pike go where bait-

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Bears (far left) sometimes are as eager to fish for pike as the sporadic anglers who pass on salmon for a chance at trophy northerns on the waters of Innoko National Wildlife Refuge. (CHRIS BATIN)

fish are located, and these little systems attract tons of baitfish.

Area wildlife is abundant and relatively unafraid of people. During our journeys into these remote sloughs, black bears ignored us as they tried to fish for pike in the shallows. Moose kept

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feeding in lakes despite our approach, requiring us to change course to prevent a possible aggressive charge.

Pike seem to be predictable. There are waters where anglers can catch small ones all day, and other places that have nothing but trophy fish, as the

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small ones get eaten fast. And with others, you’ll find a mix of small and large fish, which is always enjoyable.

I remember one day on an Innoko drainage where we motored to and push-poled our way up the channel to a remote lake. It was wilderness as anything I experienced in the Amazon or Southeast Asia – no planes flying over, no other boats, no signs of people. Baitfish scurried across the surface, indicating a feeding frenzy was taking place. A moose remained in the lake, intent on chewing on water plants.

“Thanks goodness these pike have some class – not like piranha – otherwise that moose wouldn’t be there,” Larry said as he grunted his hookset into a 48-incher.

After Larry released his Goliath pike, we couldn’t keep the smaller 20- to 30-inchers off our flies and lures. We pulled anchor and continued downriver.

We had hoped to catch a few sheefish, and the species didn’t disappoint.

The only predatory member of the

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Flying is the only realistic way to access Innoko River pike, and northerns in other remote waters. (CHRIS BATIN)

whitefish family that lives in the circumpolar north, sheefish reach weights of 60 pounds, but most average 15 to 30.

The fish were schooled up at the mouth of a stream and fed on salmon fry. We enjoyed nonstop action that afternoon and the next. There were no wakes telegraphing an impending strike. The fish often jumped completely out of the water, grabbing the lure or fly on the way down.

Larry and I ended the week with fly boxes depleted, leaders chewed to

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shreds and our hands red and callused from the constant buzzing.

TROPHY NORTHERN PIKE OFFER Alaska fishing at its absolute best. Whether it be at lakes close to Anchorage, fly-out waters of Minto Flats out of Fairbanks, or the pike lakes accessible by float plane out of Aniak, make the leap and try hunting down some water dragons this summer and leave those salmon behind.

If you don’t agree, it’s no big deal; go enjoy your salmon fishing. Just leave me

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enough flies, plugs and wire leader until you see the error of your ways and return with your unused landing net dragging in the dirt. I’ll be sure to leave the lantern light on for you, and for good measure I’ll keep those juvenile pike fillets frying in my castiron skillet for a celebratory party that is sure to last all night. ASJ Editor’s note: Chris Batin is editor of The Alaska Angler, and has covered the Alaska fishing and outdoor scene for over 42 years. He is an award-winning author of numerous books and DVDs on Alaska fishing, including his newest title, Advanced Alaska Fly Fishing, available at AlaskaAngler.com. With partner John Beath, he spent years of underwater filming to produce Underwater Secrets of Catching Halibut, Rockfish and Lingcod, an instructional DVD with amazing underwater footage on how these species swim, hide, strike and follow lures, with views of baits and presentations they like most. Alaska Sporting Journal readers can receive free shipping when ordering this DVD or other books online at AlaskaAngler. com and adding in promo code ASJ57.

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Alaska’s world-famous salmon fishing is a strong draw, but Batin argues that the chance to spar with a 50-inch pike is also worth your time in the Last Frontier. (CHRIS BATIN)

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OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD AN OUTDOORSMAN’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH A SPECIAL, SWEAT-STAINED CAP

BY JEFF LUND

W

The author’s lucky hat has become a running joke between he and his fishing and hunting partners. Despite a lot of wear and tear, rarely does it not accompany him on outdoor adventures. (JEFF LUND)

hen I was chastised for wearing a Simms Fishing Products hat while deer hunting a few summers ago, my hunting buddy didn’t mention the trout silhouette. I would have understood that. You know, wear stuff that matches the stuff you’re after. Rather, it was the condition of the hat that prompted his comment.

“Now, Jeff, that hat is hiiiideous.” (He took a second breath after “hat” to properly inflect the first syllable of “hideous.”)

“What are you talking about? It’s just getting good.”

I bought the orange trucker hat in 2009 from a fly shop in Ketchikan. It was the summer Dad passed from cancer, so I fished and wrote a lot. I could argue that’s why I’m so connected, but I wouldn’t believe it. Symbolism isn’t everywhere; sometimes life is coincidence.

Anyway, it was immediately my favorite fishing hat, and since wearing new

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fishing hats makes you stick out in a neophyte sort of way, I went to work breaking it in.

I WORE IT FISHING, yeah, but donned it everywhere else too.

I hiked mountains in it, which is the most efficient way to get that first sweat ring. I caught a 100-pound halibut and pulled an octopus from a shrimp pot wearing that hat. I’ve caught king salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, lingcod, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, Arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, and tree limbs in that hat. When I was a groomsman in my cousin’s wedding … it was back in the hotel. But that summer, on the Klawock River ... you got the idea now.

I wore it on two drives through Canada and at the drive-thru at Dutch Bros. waiting for a coffee.

I wore it on the Stanton Island Ferry, while I ate pastrami on rye at the Carnegie Deli on a walk through Central Park and during a ball game at Yankee Stadium.

A Simms rep at a California fly shop felt the abuse the hat had loyally endured under my ownership justified a free camouflage substitute. I love the camo hat, but two years later Old Orange is my hat of choice.

It’s not intimidated, nor does it let me down.

WHEN I FISHED THE four-river loop on Prince of Wales Island one July, it sat on my head for every fish. When I floated the Thorne with my college friends that summer, it drank more sweat. In a downpour without raingear on the Harris, it finally got a wash.

By the time the day came in which my hunting buddy took a moment from mountain glassing to comment on my hat, it had deteriorated grotesquely.

Blonde tufts of hair stuck out from the gaping holes in the mesh that were initially frayed by branches and thorny berry bushes that line my favorite river in Northern California. Since then, the mesh has disintegrated slowly but hasn’t stopped me from wearing it.

The bill fabric split in front, not because I washed it and tried to sell it at 104

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Lots of fish – big, small, memorable alike – have been caught wearing “Old Orange,” which could tell a lot of stories. “A good hat is meant to be worn, not put on a wall or poisoned with Tide,” Lund writes. (JEFF LUND)

Abercrombie and Fitch, but because it’s been soaked in cold rain and dried next to a hot wood stove or campfire repeatedly since I bought it almost a decade ago.

The hat is synonymous with the wildlife I always wanted to live among when I was a kid. That’s why it would be wrong to put it in the wash, or – heaven forbid – retire it. A good hat is meant to be worn,

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Some people are creatures of habit; they might be superstitious or just feel comforted by something familiar on top of their heads.

Whatever the motivation, look for the tall guy in the orange hat that’s seen better days, but also plenty of fun in Alaska’s sun. (JEFF LUND)

not put on a wall or poisoned with Tide.

It’s been there when I’ve been at my best and my rejected worst. It’s my Wilson. At the end of the day, it’s just a hat.

But when it’s your favorite, it’s your favorite and that means something.

It’s a totally normal thing to become connected or have a favorite item of clothing or piece of gear. It’s not just an instrument of the activity or an accessory. It’s something more tangible than an image. A link to your past and the

great things you did. ASJ Editor’s note: Ketchikan-based Jeff Lund is the author of Going Home, a memoir about fishing in Alaska and California.

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FOR THIS ALASKAN HUNTER, THE JOYS DON’T ONLY OCCUR AFIELD BUT BEFORE, AFTER HUNT TOO

BY PAUL D. ATKINS

T

The actual hunt is the best part for most sportsmen, but author Paul Atkins also finds great pleasure in the other two stages of the adventure – planning and remembering the experience.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

he season never ends for the Alaskan hunter: When one adventure is done, it’s on to another and another and so on.

This is what I truly love about Alaska, especially here in the far north.

There is so much to do that sometimes the choosing is the hardest part for most of us.

The calendar pretty much dictates your life if you’re a hunter and live in Alaska, just like the seasons do. August and September mean sheep, moose and caribou, October goats, January and February muskox, and then practically four months of bear hunting (depending on where you live) between March and June. And then there is July, the month where we should be fishing or at camp, or spending time with family building a bonfire on the beach, or maybe playing softball at the local park – anything other than hunting.

If you’re thinking about what to pack for a moose hunt in September, or if the goats will be plentiful on Kodiak this year, then yes, you’re probably addicted and warped. This is especially true for the hardcore among us – those who eat, sleep and dream about it constantly. I know I do!

I travel a lot, especially in the early summer when visiting numerous places and venues. On the road I meet many people just like me, those same hardcore adventurers or hunters wanting to come to the Last Frontier to share in the experience. Their questions are always the same, “What does it take to organize a trip to Alaska, and what makes it so grand?”

“Well,” I say, “it takes three things:

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Time, money, and a positive attitude, but not necessarily in that order.” I will say that if you have those three, you can do just about anything you like here, and it’ll be even more enjoyable if you have a little backwoods experience to go with it. And it doesn’t hurt if you have a big game tag or two in your pocket!

THEY SAY THAT THERE are three parts to any hunting adventure: Before - the anticipation; the actual adventure it-

self – while it’s happening; and then, of course, the return – a time to reflect and wonder in it all. I enjoy all three immensely, and it would be tough to choose just one. But if I had to I would select the anticipation, especially during July when the fish aren’t biting and the mosquitoes aren’t quite in fullblown killer mode.

There are many joys and discomforts while hunting in the wilds of Alaska. I have been extremely lucky to share in many of those experiences. And it’s from those that I’ve had to learn what each of those three stages means to me.

Of course, for many of us, they all mean something different and previous events will help determine that, but you can bet that each will be cherished in our memories forever. Let’s take a look at all three.

THE BEFORE STAGE As mentioned above, my favorite part

With few hunting opportunities in July, Atkins likes to use this month to try out bows, sight in his rifle or test new gear in preparation for what is to come later in summer, fall, winter and spring. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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of any adventure, especially hunting, is the planning stage. Everything is ideal, fresh and exciting, the balance of good significantly outweighs the inevitable bad, and all is perfect in your mind’s eye. At times the anticipation can be hard to bear, especially if you’re sharing the hunt with friends. There is something truly special about making lists, selecting new gear and then working together with your hunting partners on the logistics to make it all happen. Believe me when I admit it isn’t easy, but it’s fun.

Research is required when it comes to these types of adventures, and agreement amongst all in the party is a must in order to reach success. Dates need to be picked and a transporter must be hired, two of the first and most important steps to any remote adventure in Alaska.

It’s also a time to test new gear,

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which is one of my favorite activities to do in July. Whether it’s shooting the new BowTech bow, sighting in the old Sako with new ammunition, or maybe trying to decide which of the new Cabela’s tents to take, it doesn’t matter; all are important decisions. But at the same time they are exciting and new!

THE DURING STAGE For many, the pinnacle of any hunt is the best part of any adventure, and I can definitely see why. Your transporter has just dropped you on a remote gravel bar in some of the most breathtaking country imaginable. The river is stained a beautiful icy blue and teems with grayling and Arctic char.

There is plenty of dry wood for numerous campfires, and to top it off, fresh moose tracks mixed with bear sit right where you’ll be pitching your tent and bedding down for the night. It’s seems too perfect!

The next seven days will be the

best experience of your life, especially when on day two you shoot an incredible grizzly right at dusk after a long and treacherous stalk. Or on day four, when after taking two really nice caribou, a 67-inch bull moose walks up to check out the commotion and then “boom” – your buddy makes it three down. Or all the hard work it took to get everything back to camp. Or on the day you were supposed to be picked up, storm clouds roll in and your pilot tells you on the satellite phone that he won’t be able to come get you for three days – and then when he does, your bush plane is heavy and it gets “real” a couple more times than you really would’ve liked.

I could go on and on about things that happen during an Alaskan hunt that makes it special. And for many of us, that is exactly what it is: special. We want a camp that never ends, where we can keep living in the moment – even if it means being cold,

Even the mundane details of planning a hunt with friends get Atkins excited, because he knows that it will all eventually lead him to Arctic bluffs like this, and glassing with his partners for moose, bear or whatever else the tundra may hold. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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wet and miserable for a few extra days. It’s even more special if we have friends to share in that misery. It’s why adventure and hunting have such a connection.

THE AFTER STAGE Of the three joys of hunting, in my opinion the aftermath is the one that creates the most emotion among hunters. Once their feet hit the tarmac or the boat dock upon departure home, most are either really happy or really sad – depending on the results – when it’s over, and then there are those in the middle who are just grateful for the experience. Some are ecstatic that it’s over, especially those who have been stuck on a gravel bar for a week because of weather and can’t for the life of them figure out why the transporter won’t come and get them. Or there are those who have just spent five days caribou hunting in what was supposed to be the hunt of a lifetime, but had

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it turn out to be the most expensive camping trip ever.

Still others are happy that it’s over due to one of the things I mentioned earlier: time. It’s time to get back home to family and everyday life, thankful for the time spent in the Arctic or wherever the trail took them. Thankful for the time it took to bring back a cooler or two of meat and fish to share and cherish.

For me, this is the time to reflect on the hunt itself and what actually happened during my time afield. I’m always looking to make the next hunt better, because no matter how much you plan, something will usually go wrong.

FOR ALL THE YEARS I have hunted the far north and other parts of Alaska, I’ve been humbled at some point on each trip. Even though each adventure was an incredible experience, they have all taught me a lesson or two of some kind. In the early days, the lessons came in bunches, more than I could count actually. No cotton! Moose come out in the evenings – and bears

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Hanging out with good friends and doing what he loves to do, especially on the Arctic tundra, is something Atkins cherishes and looks forward to, not only each fall but all year long. (TY CARY)

do too! Camp is the most important thing! Gather wood and cover it as soon as you land! Two tents are really better than one! Caribou can smell! I

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could go on and on, but it was only after these experiences that I learned the do’s and don’ts.

For some hunters, whether a resi-

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dent or traveler visiting the Last Frontier, a trip to the bush to hunt moose or bear or even sheep may be their only trip of a lifetime, as the old saying goes. Reflection will be all they have, and to be honest, in the end that is all we have anyway. The freezer may be long empty of that caribou you took in 2000, but the photo on the wall and, if

you’re lucky, his head too, will remind you of those days gone by.

As I type this, I can look around me and reflect on many adventures and hunts from many years ago. Some were incredible disasters, where near death and stupid antics ruled the day

(like when that sheep was hanging over there and, man, that mountain was steep!). Or others where luck prevailed and that big moose hanging in the corner really was right behind the

The promise of the land’s bounty is best met with preparation and determination, but a little bit of luck never hurts either. (PAUL D. ATKINS)

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tent; if you don’t believe me just ask my hunting partner Lew! I have a good friend who has a motto: “I’m just a collector of memories; that’s all.” I think he really nails it when it comes to the joy we all share for the Alaskan outdoors. All I know is that Alaska holds many promises during the month of July, and I can’t wait.

I promise. ASJ Editor’s note: Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska.

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

The last load is always the heaviest and lightest at the same time, and once you’ve brought it in, whether you’re waiting on your transporter or safely back home, an integral part of the hunt is the reflecting on the adventure. (LEW PAGEL/PAUL D. ATKINS)

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ALASKA’S HOTSHOT

FIREFIGHTERS STATE’S FORESTRY FIRE UNIT TAKES ON LAST FRONTIER’S WILDFIRES

BY TIM MOWRY

W

ildfires are as much a part of Alaska as salmon, moose and mosquitoes.

“Much of Alaska is made to burn,” is how Tom Kurth, manager of the Alaska Division of Forestry’s Wildland Fire and Aviation Program, put it.

The boreal forest that covers much of Alaska’s 663,300 square miles is a fire-driven ecosystem that relies on

The Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot Crew walks through a burned portion of the Bolgen Creek Fire north of Fairbanks near Central in 2015. Hotshot crews brave dangerous conditions and sweltering temperatures to help contain wildfires.

(SAM HARREL/ALASKA DNR/DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

wildfire to provide the successional stages needed for a healthy forest.

Wildfires shape the landscape by creating a patchwork of meadows, shrub lands, birch and spruce forests.

Like a lot of things in Alaska, wildfires tend to be a big deal. They also can compromise transportation corridors, degrade air quality and threaten both life and property.

On average, Alaska has about 500 wildfires a year that burn an average of 1.2 million acres, the highest annual total of any state in the country.

That should come as no surprise, considering that Alaska is more than twice as large as any other state and much of the state’s territory is uninhabited wilderness.

Many wildfires in Alaska are allowed

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A burnout operation along the Trans-Alaska pipeline during 2015’s Aggie Creek Fire, which burned north of Fairbanks. (PHILIP SPOR/ALASKA DNR/DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

to burn because they are located in what is referred to as a “limited suppression area” and do not pose a threat to people, property or any other “values at risk.”

In addition, the high costs associated with fighting those fires are outweighed by the ecological benefits produced by them. As a result, fires in Alaska tend to be bigger than in Lower 48 states where residential areas and other values at risk are more concentrated.

FIRE DANGER HIGH Take 2015, when 772 wildfires burned more than 5.1 million acres in Alaska, which was more than half of the record 10.1 million acres that burned nationwide.

There were 36 fires in Alaska that were larger than 100,000 acres that season.

The 2015 season ranks as the second largest on record in Alaska, behind only 2004’s 6.6 million acres that burned.

While the majority of wildfires in Alaska are human-caused blazes, the bulk of acreage that is burned is the re126

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sult of lightning-caused fires in remote areas. Lightning, most of which occurs in June, is the unknown wildcard that can turn a normal fire season into a monster one. In 2015, for example, nearly 300 wildfires were started by lightning in the matter of five days in mid-June, when upwards of 60,000 lightning strikes were detected across the state.

The Alaska Division of Forestry is one of three wildfire suppression agencies in Alaska. The other two are the Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service and, to a much lesser extent, the U.S. Forest Service. In addition, local fire departments also assist with responding to wildfires within local communities.

The Division of Forestry’s primary mission is “protection of life, property, and the natural resources of the State of Alaska.” State forestry is responsible for wildfire protection on more than 155 million acres in Alaska, including most of what is classified as the “wildland-urban interface,” which refers to commu-

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nities along the road system where large concentrations of the population live in or next to the forest.

THE FIRE SEASON Alaska’s wildfire season officially starts on April 1 and runs through Aug. 31.

During that time, residents in communities on the road system must get a burn permit to legally burn debris or use a burn barrel. Debris burning and the use of burn barrels are not allowed when burn suspensions are put in effect during times of high wildfire danger.

The Division of Forestry’s wildfire program employs a mostly seasonal workforce of approximately 200 people that work from March through September.

However, that number can mushroom to more than 1,000 employees when emergency firefighting crews are activated during times of high fire activity.

State Forestry has Area offices in eight different parts of the state: Copper River Basin, Delta Junction, Fairbanks,

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Haines, McGrath, Palmer, Soldotna, and Tok. Each area office, with the exception of Haines, houses firefighters, dispatchers, engines and a helicopter for initial attack response, and can draw from additional state and federal resources for longer duration fires.

HOW FIRES ARE FOUGHT Firefighting conditions in Alaska can be extremely challenging and dangerous, given the huge size and remoteness of the state. Due to the lack of road access, helicopters are often used to ferry firefighters to fires, both on initial and extended attack.

Firefighters stay in spike camps, sleeping in tents or under tarps in primitive conditions for two to three weeks at a time without modern conveniences.

They routinely work 16-hour shifts and then have to cook their own meals with food airlifted to their camps, or they subsist on MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat).

“Alaska’s wildland firefighters are elite occupational athletes who face

Pioneer Peak crewmembers reflect after a hard day’s work. (SAM HARREL/ALASKA DNR/ DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

some of the most arduous firefighting conditions anywhere,” Kurth said.

“The hours are long, assignments are spontaneous and consume much of the summer in remote locations. Much of the atmosphere is high adventure in

arduous conditions that promote teamwork and problem solving.”

The challenges of fighting fires in Alaska are multiple. The fuels in Alaska, such as black spruce trees and a deep organic (duff) layer are “highly resistant to suppression and promote long-duration fires,” Kurth said. Given the massive size of the state and lack of roads, fires are often in remote places that require extensive logistical support using airplanes and helicopters, which add to the cost of fighting them. In addition, more and more people are building homes in the wildland urban interface or in remote locations that make protecting them labor intensive.

FIREFIGHTERS WANTED Given the unpredictable nature of wildfire from year to year, recruitment and retention is an issue. Firefighting is a boom-and-bust profession that requires extensive training, which can take years to acquire. According to Kurth, the seasonal nature of the job and lack of year-round benefits such as health insurance and retirement are major issues that tend to push firefighters to look for other opportunities.

“There are no guarantees being a wildland firefighter other than working long, hard hours in primitive conditions and regularly putting your life on the line,” Kurth said. “The adrenaline rush 128

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that appeals to much of our workforce doesn’t pay the bills.”

The Alaska Division of Forestry includes a type 1 interagency hotshot crew – the Pioneer Peak Hotshots – and two type 2 initial attack crews – Gannett Glacier and White Mountain. In addition, the state contracts with two Native organizations – Tanana Chiefs Conference and Chugachmiut – to sponsor two additional type 2 initial attack crews, and the federal government has two hotshot crews, Midnight Suns and Chena Hotshots. Each crew consists of 20 firefighters.

The state also has 38 type 2 crews it can draw on from around the state.

Many of the type 2 crews come from

rural villages, where firefighting is a long-standing tradition and plays a vital economic role. These crews are used mostly for “mop-up” on fires after they have been contained.

AIR SUPPORT In addition to helicopters at each area base for initial attack, the state also contracts with British Columbia-based Conair to bring two air retardant tankers to Alaska from early May to early August. One tanker is based in Palmer, south of the Alaska Range, and the other is in Fairbanks, north of the Alaska Range.

By spreading resources around the state, the Division of Forestry is able to

ALASKA’S FORESTRY FIREFIGHTERS

For more information on the state’s wildfire agency, check out the following links: Alaska Division of Forestry: forestry.alaska.gov Alaska Division of Forestry on Facebook: facebook.com/AK.Forestry Alaska Division of Forestry on Twitter: twitter.com/AK_Forestry Alaska Wildland Fire Information: akfireinfo.com

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Joricha Thomas of the Nikolai crew smiles as she visits with fellow crew members after returning to camp.

They had just completed their first day on the Tetlin River Fire in June 2016. (SAM HARREL/ALASKA DNR/DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

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The Fairbanks No. 1 Crew, one of 38 type 2 emergency firefighting crews in Alaska, returns from a hard day’s work on the fireline on the Tetlin River Fire near Tok in June 2016. (SAM HARREL/ALASKA DNR/DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

quickly respond to wildfires. The agency’s goal is to contain 90 percent of all fires in critical and full suppression areas to 10 acres or less.

The Division of Forestry also works closely with its federal counterpart, the BLM Alaska Fire Service based in

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Fairbanks. The two agencies share resources through the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, which prioritizes fires based on the threats they pose.

BLM firefighting personnel and aircraft are often deployed to fires in the Division of Forestry protection area and vice versa.

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The interagency cooperation between the two agencies is unique to the firefighting world but essential for fighting wildfires in an area as big as Alaska.

In addition, during busy years, both the Division of Forestry and BLM Alaska Fire Service bring resources up from

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Division of Forestry Fire and Aviation Program Manager Tom Kurth says Alaska’s forestry firefighters are “elite occupational athletes who face some of the most arduous firefighting conditions anywhere.” It’s hard not to see why when these braves souls fight raging blazes like the devastating Sockeye Fire in 2015 near Willow, which burned 55 homes. (STEFAN HINMAN AND TIM MOWRY/ ALASKA DNR/DIVISION OF FORESTRY)

the Lower 48 to assist with suppression efforts in Alaska. For example, in 2015 approximately 2,500 firefighting personnel from 44 Lower 48 states were brought to Alaska.

In recent years, the trend in Alaska and other states has been toward earlier, longer and bigger fire seasons as a result of climate change. Five of Alaska’s 10 largest fire seasons on record dating back to 1939 have come in the last 14 years.

“It is possible to have a wildland fire anytime of the year now, even in Alaska,” Kurth said. “Although these tend to be anomalies, wind-scoured areas along with human activity can promote a fire within the wildland urban interface even in the winter.” ASJ 134

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