Alaska Sporting Journal - August 2023

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker

GENERAL MANAGER

John Rusnak

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andy Walgamott

EDITOR

Chris Cocoles

WRITERS

Mark Fong, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Brian Kelly, Brian Watkins

SALES MANAGER

Paul Yarnold

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Lucas Hoene, Mike Smith, Zachary Wheeler

DESIGNER

Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Kelly Baker

WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND

MARKETING

Jon Hines

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Aumann

INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

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ON THE COVER

Tiffany Haugen shows off an Alaskan coho salmon. Tiffany and her husband Scott Haugen are passionate about targeting them. “Silver salmon are hard-fighting fish with an aggressive strike,” Scott writes in the Haugens’ From Field to Fire column. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

CORRESPONDENCE

Twitter @AKSportJourn

Facebook.com/alaskasportingjournal Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

22 CROSS-COUNTRY FOR KINGS

Brian Kelly’s upper Midwest roots include lots of Chinook fishing in and around the Great Lakes, but as a regular visitor to Alaska’s salmon fishing scene, he hadn’t been able to check catching a chrome-bright king off of his wish list. But in June, Kelly and a buddy flew to Juneau to try and do just that. Find out how they did, as Kelly recaps his 14th Last Frontier fishing trip.

43 RIDE THE SILVER STREAK

August marks the peak of a mostly solid coho return to Last Frontier streams. These salmon offer some of the state’s best sport fishing in terms of quantity and quality, as well as sheer variety of lures and methods that work. In their From Field to Fire Column, Scott Haugen details all the ways to catch Alaska silvers, while wife Tifffany shares a great potato fish cakes recipe.

50

A CALIFORNIAN’S ALASKA ADVENTURE

Northern California resident Ian Rigler has long yearned to have an epic Alaska angling experience. And this year he was able to join cousin Gary Cook at a Petersburg lodge for some self-guided halibut fishing. While the flatties the guys targeted weren’t biting regularly, Rigler would get his chances to battle these famed denizens of the deep. Correspondent and fellow California resident Mark Fong chatted up Rigler for highlights from his trip to the Alaska Panhandle.

61 GRIN AND BEAR IT

Hampered by a persistent cough and frustrated by fewer brown bears than expected around his bait stations, our Brian Waktins’ spring bruin season was at times a trying venture. But Watkins, longtime hunting pal Trevor Embry and new Alaska resident Zach Welch aren’t the kind of guys to give up easily either. Find out how this trio fared during a demanding hunt.

Earlier this year, I was spending some time in my home state of California and decided to enter a fishing derby. It had been a long time since I’d signed up for such an event, but I really was itching to get on the water.

A local lake I have plenty of childhood memories at, San Pablo Reservoir, hosted a contest that was part of a season-long series, the NorCal Trout Anglers Challenge, hosted by Angler’s Press. I registered online and then got up early on a Saturday morning and headed out for the lake, located in a quiet valley in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area.

By the time I arrived with my sister, who was tagging along with me, the shoreline was packed with fellow anglers (I assume many, like me, had purchased a $25 ticket for the event, which featured plenty of cash prizes for the adult winners and lots of swag for the kids). It took us a while to finally find a spot on the bank close to the boat launch area.

But it turned out to be a tough day for trout heads. A steady rain had been falling all week, muddying the lake bottom and making anglers work hard to catch

anything that day. As showers fell off and on that cool winter morning, I got one bite over about four hours and by the end of the day, only 11 adults and two kids had weighed in fish. Still, it was fun to just be competing, knowing that at any time I might be reeling in a winning fish. I chatted up the derby hosts at the weigh-in

and vowed to try and return for future segments of the overall series (there’s one more event scheduled in November).

Alaskans normally have to wait until summer for the real derby season to get underway (save for some ice fishing events and the popular Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament in March). But this month and next are full of opportunities for anglers to try their luck. This month, the Seward Silver Salmon Derby runs from Aug. 12-20, while Valdez’s summer-long silver and halibut events continue through Sept. 3. August also features the Golden North Salmon Derby in Juneau and the Ted Stevens Kenai River Classic tournament. In September, the community of Kenai hosts its own Kenai Silver Salmon Derby. (Check out our calendar on page 15 for more contact information for these great fishing contests that highlight their respective communities.)

If you’re headed to Seward, or Valdez, or Juneau, or Kenai this summer, buy a ticket, grab your gear or get on a charter and try your luck. You’ll have a fishing experience of a lifetime, and you just might win some cash in doing so! -Chris

Cocoles

Seward is one of several Alaska communities hosting fishing derbies this summer. Enter and you’ll have a chance at a big cash prize or other swag. (SEWARD SILVER SALMON DERBY)

AL ASKA BEAT

TWEET OF THE MONTH

ADFG TO TEST SELECTIVE SETNET GEAR AS KING NUMBERS PLUMMET

In early July, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game began what it called a “highly controversial” study of setnet harvest selectivity for Upper Cook Inlet sockeye and king salmon. Research was expected to continue through Aug. 10.

With Cook Inlet kings, particularly late-run fish that spawn in the Kenai River, falling to what has been deemed historically low numbers, ADFG had previously made the decision to close the Kenai River drainage to king fishing via a March 2 emergency order. Then on July 1, the state shut down the commercial gillnet fishery in the Kenai’s Upper Subdistrict. ADFG promised the state Board of Fisheries would review those moves at its meeting next February.

“To inform these discussions, (ADFG) has contracted with internationally renowned Kintama Research of Nanaimo, British Columbia, to run a test fishery using setnets modified to keep the net further off the bottom to advance the development of selective harvest strategies that may allow for the harvest of abundant sockeye while reducing the harvest of a weaker stock of Chinook,” an ADFG press release stated.

“If new net design works as the science says it should, this could be the successful way forward to allow an economic yield from the harvestable surplus of sockeye while ensuring Chinook conservation benefitting the fish populations and the sport anglers, commercial, and personal-use fishers,” added Kintama Research founder David Welch.

At a time when both sport and commercial fishermen are critical of state salmon mangement, ADFG commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang was optimistic the study could help what’s become a dire situation throughout Alaska’s Chinook range.

“This is only the first step in a possible three-year pilot program that, if successful, solves a decades-long struggle with a win-win for the resource and all the user groups as well,” Vincent-Lang said. “But make no mistake, at ADFG conservation is paramount. We will be watching closely with fingers crossed.”

NOTABLE NUMBER   9

By July 9, only nine chum salmon had been counted at the tower on the North River, a tributary of the Unalakleet River, which is on Norton Sound southeast of Nome. Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s most recent five-year average through that day had been 2,654 fish. On July 17, ADFG announced a closure for chum salmon sport fishing on the Unalakleet and Shaktoolik River drainages.

While a large chunk of the Lower 48 –not to mention other areas of the world –suffered from a brutal summer heat wave, Anchorage stayed cool with 25 different days of measurable precipitation at Ted Stevens International Airport, the most ever recorded between June 1 and July 12.

Alaskans understand the importance of harvesting salmon and are concerned about being able to do so in the future.

(SHUTTERSTOCK)

Seriously injured in the line of duty while a North Slope Borough police officer, Gwen Grimes (right) found new purpose to help fellow wounded law enforcement colleagues after appearing in the Discovery Channel series Naked and Afraid (GWEN GRIMES)

FROM THE ASJ ARCHIVES – AUGUST 2019

AFTER ON-DUTY INJURY, FORMER COP, NAKED AND AFRAID CONTESTANT GIVES BACK TO ALASKANS

Naked and Afraid changed Gwen Grimes’ life. After her episode aired, she was contacted by a representative from The Wounded Blue, which helps brother and sister law enforcement officers injured or traumatized on the job.

“He said, ‘You’re an injured officer. We’re an organization that’s for you. That’s what we do. We help wounded officers. It’s like a lifeline,’” Grimes says. “They were interested in having me as one of their peer support counselors. I’m like, ‘Holy crap! That would be fantastic! I’d love to do that.’”

The plan is for Grimes to train for her position this fall, then become The Wounded Blue’s Alaska representative for officers who endure similar trauma that she suffered.

“I’ll be able to talk to them through all the things that happen when you get injured in the line of duty. I didn’t even know there was any help available when I got hurt. I felt cut off, abandoned, alone,” she says. “But there is an organization around there to help and now they want to be a part of it. At least I have direction now. I’ve got something to where I can keep helping other people.”

The helping hands part has spilled over to her home life as well.

Grimes and her boyfriend Nate, a wounded veteran, are establishing their own nonprofit group, Wyldwoodz Wilderness Retreat. Grimes will soon be an empty nester, and she and Nate plan to build a cabin on their homestead, which will house disabled veterans and police officers.

“There’s nobody up here, it’s quiet, you’re not running into people and there’s no drama. There’s no internet unless you go to the library. Nothing. It’s remote,” she says. “I wanted the peace. I needed the peace. I needed to be able to mentally deal with all the crap that I’ve done in the last decade.”

The hope is any broken men or women who visit her retreat can spend a day fishing, hiking or biking, or that she counsels through the pending gig with The Wounded Blue, can have someone who understands that sh*t happens in combat or on duty. –Chris

Cocoles

”–Chad Yanen of Anchorage on fishing for halibut for the first time, a trip that saw him land a 119-pounder that won the weekly prize in the Valdez Halibut Derby.

“ THEY SAID IT “You can’t beat it. It was pretty much the best adventure that I could actually think of if it was (going) to be my first time catching some halibut.”

Chad Yanen’s first experience targeting halibut yielded a 119-pounder that won him the weekly first-place prize at the Valdez Halibut Derby. “You can’t beat it,” the Anchorage resident says. (VALDEZ FISH DERBIES)

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Aug. 1 Deer and goat seasons open in Game Management Unit 1 (Southeast Mainland)

Aug. 1 Deer season opens in GMU 2 (Prince of Wales Island)

Aug. 1 Wolf season opens in GMU 3 (Petersburg/Wrangell

Aug. 1 Goat season opens in GMU 4 (Baranof Island)

Aug. 1 Goat season opens in GMU 5 (Yakutat)

Aug. 1 Caribou season opens in GMU 9D (Alaska Peninsula)

Aug. 10 Caribou season opens in GMU 7 (Seward, north of the Sterling Highway and west of the Seward Highway)

Aug. 10 Caribou season opens in GMUs 9C (south of the north bank of the Naknek River) and 9E

Aug. 10 Goat season opens in GMU 7

Aug. 10 Brown bear season opens in GMU 7

Aug. 10 Wolf season opens in GMU 10 (Aleutians)

Aug. 11-13 Golden North Salmon Derby, Juneau (goldennorthsalmonderby.com)

Aug. 11-Sept 3 Valdez Tagged Fish Contest (valdezfishderbies .com/tagged-fish-contest)

Aug. 12 Valdez Women’s Silver Salmon Derby (valdezfishderbies.com/womens-derby)

Aug. 12-20 Seward Silver Salmon Derby (seward.com/ salmon-derby)

Aug. 23-25 Ted Stevens Kenai River Classic (krsa.com/events/ ted-stevens-kenai-river-classic)

Sept. 1 Valdez Big Fish Friday  (valdezfishderbies.com/silver-derby/big-prize-friday)

Sept. 12-17 Kenai Silver Salmon Derby  (kenaisilversalmonderby.com)

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

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Hunting seasons for several species open in August, including caribou around Seward and the Alaska Peninsula. (ZAK RICHTER/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

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ALASKA GOVERNOR, STATE URGE SUPREME COURT TO REVERSE PEBBLE MINE PROTECTIONS

BY CHRIS COCOLES

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) has never been shy about what his priorities are when it comes to the state’s natural resources, and mining, drilling and other projects.

Dunleavy has repeatedly leaned towards approving the Pebble Mine project despite the opposition that ar-

gues Bristol Bay’s massive salmon runs would be put at risk. The Environmental Protection Agency said as much in January when it all but killed the project via Clean Water Act safeguards.

Two years before, when the US Army Corps of Engineers changed course and rejected the permit for the proposed

mine, the governor made it clear he’d fight for the gold and copper operation.

“We have to prevent a federal agency, in this instance, the Alaska District of the Army Corps of Engineers, from using the regulatory process to effectively prevent the state from fulfilling a constitutional mandate to develop its

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (center) and the state of Alaska are urging the US Supreme Court to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act protections for Bristol Bay. “Alaska is responsible for utilizing, developing, and conserving all of the state’s natural resources for the maximum benefit of its people,” Dunleavy said.  (TRACY ROBILLARD/NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE)

PROTECTING WILD ALASKA

natural resources,” Dunleavy said in a 2021 statement that promised to appeal decisions that would shelf Pebble.

Fast forward to this summer and Dunleavy and Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor want the Supreme Court to essentially reverse the EPA’s decision to permanently block the Pebble Mine.

On July 26, the state announced its intention to take the fight to the highest court in the land, saying it was “calling on the US Supreme Court to order the EPA to correct its wrongdoing.”

“Our constitution is clear: Alaska is responsible for utilizing, developing, and conserving all of the state’s natural resources for the maximum benefit of its people,” Dunleavy said. “Bureaucrats in Washington, DC are exercising unbridled and unlawful power to choke off any further discussion on this important decision affecting so many Alaskans.”

The state’s brief stated that no other state but Alaska has natural resources it constitutionally must protect.

“Nonetheless, EPA made its final determination under Section 404(c) of

the Clean Water Act before the state processes could work through the Pebble Project,” the filing asserted.

“The preemptive veto is alarming,” Taylor added. “If EPA can rely on undefined terms and subjective standards instead of sound science to bypass the regular state and federal permitting processes here, it can do it anywhere, from large mining projects such as this, down to a family building their dream home. It’s an indefensible and unprecedented power grab that the US Supreme Court should find unlawful.”

The mine’s parent company, Northern Dynasty Minerals, was thrilled that the state is seeking a reversal from the Supreme Court.

“The Bill of Complaint filed by Alaska is a welcome development in the long Pebble saga,” Ron Thiessen, president and CEO of Northern Dynasty, said in a statement. “Northern Dynasty strongly, and I mean very strongly, supports all of the arguments set forth by the state and we congratulate the state for bringing these claims directly to the

US Supreme Court. Northern Dynasty intends to prepare and file with the Supreme Court appropriate briefs to support the state’s case.”

‘WORKING AGAINST THE WISHES OF MOST ALASKANS’

As the Pebble project slowly began to fall apart – in the past couple years, the mine’s once approved permit was reversed, its parent company CEO Tom Collier resigned in disgrace, EPA finalized Bristol Bay protections and stockholders brought a class-action suit upon Northern Dynasty Minerals after allegations they were “duped” by the company – opponents celebrated but continually acknowledged that the fight wasn’t over. This latest course of action by the state brings its own set of challenges and concerns.

The prevailing reaction to Alaska’s governor and attorney general going to SCOTUS was that the majority of state residents who have rejected the mine are being ignored.

“Alaskans have been unwavering in

“Alaskans have been unwavering in their opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine because of its well-documented threat to Bristol Bay’s world-renowned salmon fishery,” said Nelli Williams, Trout Unlimited’s Alaska director. “The governor is ignoring Alaskans and science with this lawsuit.” (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE)

WILD ALASKA

their opposition to the proposed Pebble Mine because of its well-documented threat to Bristol Bay’s world-renowned salmon fishery,” said Nelli Williams, Trout Unlimited’s Alaska director. “The governor is ignoring Alaskans and science with this lawsuit. And even more appalling, he is using public funds to prop up out-of-state mining executives at the expense of Alaska’s salmon and all the people who rely on them. It’s anti-Alaskan.”

Earthjustice’s Alaska office had a similar take. Its press release said two of every three Alaskans oppose the Pebble Mine.

“The governor and his administration are working against the wishes of most Alaskans, especially Bristol Bay residents, by continuing to side with the mine developer,” said Carole Holley, Earthjustice’s regional managing attorney for Alaska.

Holley also referred to the lawsuit as “a highly unusual legal move, and also a highly unpopular one.”

STATE THROWING A HAIL MARY?

The governor and attorney general

weren’t the only state officials getting involved. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Alaska Department of Natural Resources also spoke out on behalf of the state’s lawsuit and called for the Supreme Court to get involved.

“Alaska’s Title 16 permitting process is designed to ensure conservation of fish and fish habitat. But these statutory protections were flouted by EPA before Alaska’s expert habitat and fish biologists had the opportunity to weigh in,” ADFG Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said. “The state’s career experts should be allowed to do their job without having Washington bureaucrats swooping in to prohibit an action before we even received a permit application.”

But the Bristol Bay Defense Fund, a coalition of Bristol Bay businesses, members of the fishing industry and tribal interests, called the state’s actions to get SCOTUS involved a “radical hail Mary.”

“In filing this lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court, the state of Alaska

has completely disregarded the available avenues of judicial review to challenge a federal agency action by appeal through the federal courts,” Bristol Bay Defense Fund said in a statement. “The lawsuit is legally and factually unjustified – and is little  more than a publicity stunt filed on behalf of an unscrupulous mining company, Pebble Limited Partnership, that has repeatedly misrepresented its record and misled regulators, its investors, Congress and the general public. The EPA’s authority to protect Bristol Bay under the Clean Water Act stands on an extensive and robust scientific and technical record that spans two decades and three presidential administrations.”

The coalition also stated that the appeal to SCOTUS disregards the majority of anti-Pebble Mine sentiment in the state.

“We will continue to defend Bristol Bay against the threat of the Pebble Mine and the state’s legal antics as long as necessary to ensure that the region, Tribes, salmon and clean water resources are protected forever,” vowed Bristol Bay Defense Fund. ASJ

The Bristol Bay Defense Fund called the latest twist in the Pebble Mine saga “a radical hail Mary,” which could see the highest court in the land involved. “The lawsuit is legally and factually unjustified – and is little  more than a publicity stunt filed on behalf of an unscrupulous mining company, Pebble Limited Partnership, that has repeatedly misrepresented its record and misled regulators, its investors, Congress and the general public.” (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY)

JUNEAU THE WAY TO KINGS?

A LONGTIME ALASKA VISITOR AND HIS FLY FISHING BUDDY FULFILL DREAMS OF LANDING PRIZED SALMON

BY BRIAN KELLY

Ihad the good fortune of growing up around the Great Lakes at a time when the Chinook salmon was truly the “king” there.

Port towns all around Lake Huron and Lake Michigan were busy from spring through fall as anglers from all over the country came to take advantage of the world-class fishery established by former Michigan Department of Natural Resources chief Dr. Howard Tanner.

My first king was caught on a charter

out of the Lake Michigan port town of Onekama, Michigan, during the summer of 1987. The captain, whose name escapes my middle-aged brain, set the first line in the downrigger and while setting the second line, boom –the first rod went off. He grabbed the rod, reeled tight to the fish and handed it over to me, as I was first up in the rotation that day.

Up to that point, I had encountered all the usual warmwater species, such

Growing up, Brian Kelly routinely fished for king salmon in the Great Lakes region; he caught this beauty off Harbor Beach, Michigan on Lake Huron. This year, Kelly fulfilled a longtime dream of catching Alaska Chinook, which he did on a trip to Juneau. (BRIAN KELLY)

as smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike, but I had not experienced line evaporating off a spool quite like a king can do!

After several runs, the fish tired and was quickly scooped into the net. I was shaking after that experience and struggled to hold up the mint-chrome king that weighed around 15 pounds. I was hooked.

In the following years, I was on a quest to chase kings from shore and started focusing on the nearby southern Lake Huron fishery that came to life every fall. This unique hatchery fishery was strictly a “put and take” situation, as the smolts were planted in boat harbors along Michigan’s Thumb region. The salmon returned as adults and milled

around the harbors before eventually trying to spawn.

With this action taking place within an hour or so drive of my parents’ house, I was there every chance I got. Casting spoons or spinners were popular methods, along with soaking eggs under a bobber. It was a stepping stone into the world of salmon and steelhead, one that took me on journeys across the Great Lakes, British Columbia and, eventually, Alaska.

MY 13TH TRIP TO Alaska, which concluded in September 2022 (Alaska Sporting Journal, December 2022), was also my first solo adventure that actually worked out well. Landing multiple coho on a surface presentation checked a major

box on my list. But I’ve also always had a desire to land a chrome-bright Alaska king. It was like a nagging itch that always felt out of reach.

All of my previous Alaskan trips have been focused on coho or sockeye, thanks to my mentor Jim Stepulkoski. He was gracious enough to invite me along on annual journeys to the Kenai Peninsula and Mat-Su Valley, where he shared his knowledge of this vast area. Technically, I had caught a few “fire engine” kings by accident while targeting coho, but catching fresh ocean-run kings was never really a viable option here due to the restrictions put in place to ensure escapement goals were met for the wild fish. So, I started checking into hatchery king runs around Southeast Alaska, and

Conditions in Alaska swing as wildly as the tides. And while bright sun made for tough fishing the whole way around, in the end, working the outgoing tide would prove more productive than the incoming. (BRIAN KELLY)

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one really stood out: Juneau.

I was no stranger to the capital city, starting with a trolling trip out of Auke Bay in 2007, to an exploratory mission for coho in 2016, which led to consecutive trips from ’19 to ’22 chasing Taku River-strain coho planted by the Douglas Island Pinks and Chums, or DIPAC, hatchery.

Anytime I start trip planning to a new area, or in this case, for a new species, I hit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website to check fishing reports and emergency orders from past years. The hatchery king program in Juneau saw a strong return in 2022, which led to no harvest restrictions for nonresident anglers.

After seeing this bit of good news, I reached out to the folks at DIPAC to get their forecast for this year’s return, and it seemed to mirror what they had

experienced the year before. My mind was made up. It was time to get the wheels in motion for a trip that was long overdue.

I’D MET HUNTER DROZD in Juneau during the coho run of 2020. Covid had shut down the tourist trade for Southeast Alaska, and Juneau was a ghost town as Labor Day rolled around. After jumping through all the protocol hoops, I was able to make it to Juneau to chase coho once again.

Most of the shore-fishing locals around Juneau tend to be quite friendly and will chat between bites. Hunter was no exception, although he had a bit of a drawl that most Alaskans don’t come equipped with. It turned out that Hunter was a Texan and had spent a great deal of time in Alaska on an internship with BP after college. He had jumped at the

The author hoists a Southeast Alaska king fit for royalty. (BRIAN KELLY)

Kelly and his pal Hunter Drozd with a Chinook double. (BRIAN KELLY)

chance to work remotely in Juneau during Covid, packed his bags and headed north. Now, when I say working remotely, he would get his work reports done before or after hitting the beaches in Juneau during the peak tide bites!

We hit it off after a few beers and fried halibut during that week in Juneau and ended up meeting up again the following year, with friends and family in tow, chasing coho once again. It turns out he was suffering from the same King Itch Affliction I had developed, and the call went out over the winter to discuss plans for a run to Juneau in 2023 to settle this issue once and for all.

Our homework told us that the last couple weeks of June appeared to be the peak time of the hatchery king return in Juneau. Most years, this would present a significant problem in my life, as my lovely wife Anne’s birthday is on June 20 and our anniversary is on June

24. She puts up with a great deal of my manic fishing behavior during the year, so it would be a big ask to take off during this time period. But, as fate would have it, Anne and my youngest son Ryan had been planning a summer road trip to visit the national parks in the Western U.S. And they were going to leave for this great adventure around mid-June, so I was granted the wife pass of all time and got her blessing to head to Juneau during the third week of June (thanks, babe; you’re the best). Hunter and I got our flights booked, I knew a great VRBO property on Douglas Island that was available, and booked a car through the Turo car-sharing app, since the big-name car rentals at the airport were gouging rental car prices. We were set for five days of Alaskan king salmon adventures.

AS JUNE ROLLED IN, we watched the

website of the Alaska Fly Goods Shop in Juneau. Brad Elfers is the owner; he and his staff post detailed weekly reports that offer insights on what’s going on around town. This was our first stop when we arrived in Juneau, as Hunter was determined to get his Alaskan king on a fly rod – more specifically, the new one he just purchased from the shop!  Brad and Cory were helpful, as usual, in pointing us in the right direction. DIPAC plants the majority of the kings on the north end of Douglas Island, at Fish Creek. Word from the shop was that the fish would pulse in with the high tide, then drop back out during the low tide swing and stage in the adjacent Fritz Cove. And the run was strong, as predicted; getting them to bite consistently was another story.

As we headed out of town, the sun was shining bright and the snow-capped mountains that surrounded Juneau

Being able to bring home a bunch of delicious filets is what makes Alaska such a special place. Kelly has been north 14 times now and is planning even more adventures in the Last Frontier. (BRIAN KELLY)

were a welcome sight. We drove along Douglas Highway out past the boat ramp and saw a fair number of locals parked along the road and casting. We decided it was as good a spot as any and dug out our gear to kill a few hours and start putting together the puzzle pieces.

We saw a few fish roll in front of us and I had one nice king chase my Flying C to the end of the rod. Overall, we were not disappointed, as the goal of this trip was to land an Alaskan king while casting flies or lures into the salt; we weren’t expecting a full-on bloodbath of daily limits. Still, the forecast for the coming days was calling for bright sun and warm temperatures, not ideal conditions for a hot Chinook bite.

The next morning started early, as we had a falling tide and small windows to find a biting fish. Our plan was to cover water – jump in, cast for a half hour, then move on to the next spot.

Our first three stops came up empty, so we hit an area I had fished years earlier on a coho trip. The north side of Gastineau Channel is a giant sand flat until it widens out near the DIPAC hatchery, which makes for skittish fish that have just blasted in from a few hundred feet of water in Fritz Cove to

just 5 or 6 feet of water in the channel.

The water was high but receding, so we had a bit of a challenge to navigate our way out to a little island that had a divot off the main channel; in years past, it has held coho. Once we settled in, my Arctic Spinner was savagely attacked by a bluebacked king within a matter of minutes. It had been a while since I had hooked a king in the Great Lakes, and the way this fish fought was on another level. Massive, angry, headshakes were followed by linestripping runs; it was an intense encounter.

Once the fish finally settled down, I was able to slide her up on a little beach that was showing at the bottom of the island we were on. Hunter assisted with the landing process, high fives ensued, and I shook with joy. I told Hunter to get back to the top of the island and start casting, as our window of opportunity was going to be small in this spot.

As I roped my fish and bled it out, I was overcome with emotion: My lifelong fishing dream had just come to fruition. All I could think of was family members who had passed on before me; I swear I can feel their presence and their shared joy of the moment.

Once I regained my composure and started walking back up towards Hunter,

he came tight to his own king! I dropped my gear and was ready to assist, but then I heard the sound that salmon anglers dread the most: “pop.”

On the second run, the power of the fish was too much for what was determined to be a faulty knot from the leader to the sink tip; Hunter was dejected, as anyone would be. We fished several other spots that morning without a bump before we finally had enough, as the bright sun and heat was proving to be a bite-killer.

The next day proved fruitless, as our honey hole from the previous day was empty of fish, as were the other spots south of town along Thane Road, which have been our main stomping grounds during the coho run. We decided to cut the grind of the day short, as the bright sun wasn’t going anywhere either. There are times on a trip when you grind it out because the fish are there but the bite is just off, and then there are other times when it’s best to save your casting arm for another day. So, a trip to Forbidden Peak Brewery in Auke Bay was just the remedy for our situation. After a couple cold brews and killer rockfish tacos, we decided to drive out to the end of the road on the mainland, north of town.

“On early trips to Alaska I was shown the way by my mentor, and I’ve since grabbed the baton and run with it, forging ahead on my own trips with their own sets of learning curves and challenges,” Kelly writes. “And that’s what makes salmon fishing in Alaska so unique.” (BRIAN KELLY)

WARM SUMMER DAYS IN Juneau are welcomed by the locals, and on this day most pull-offs along the road were packed with folks heading down to the beach for a campfire and cookout. Even the wildlife was out in force. Eagles were abundant; ravens were out and chattering; we even passed a happy black bear, which was content to sit on his rump in the grass alongside the road, eating greens to its heart’s content. With our batteries charged, it was time to formulate a plan for the remaining days and see if we could get bit again.

Over cold Alaskan White Ales that evening, we made an executive decision to fish early and cover water on the north end of Douglas, as we’d done on Monday. The incoming tide was proving to be a bust, as the fish were just blasting right past us, so we focused on the outgoing tide as the fish settled into a new area as they moved back out to Fritz Cove.

This strategy would pay off, as I connected with another fat, bright king on the same Arctic Spinner that produced on Monday! A few years back, I’d asked my buddy Doug Richardson at

Arctic Spinners to build up a few “two tone” spinners to try out, as the local fly guys often did quite well on two-tonethemed Dali Lama flies. This trip, it was the chartreuse and white Arctic Spinner putting meat in the freezer!

The afternoon bite again proved useless, as the unrelenting sun had shut these fish down by beating its rays on them all day long. But with two more days to go, the weather forecast took a turn for the better: clouds and a slight chance of rain. Woohoo! We stuck to the shotgun plan, and it paid off, as I landed another plump king on the same spinner as the previous two fish! This time, I’d slid further down the channel, as I had noticed the day before that when the fish stop rolling and jumping, someone gets bit.

As fast as the water drops on the outgoing tide, the fish don’t stick around long and a little neck-down area in the channel was just the ticket to another fish for the freezer.

We got into the groove of resting up and cleaning our gear at midday. My fly pal was always fussing over connecting

knots in his setup. Then he would proceed to fixing up the finest of fishcamp-worthy turkey sandwiches, topped with jalapeños, and we’d also munch on smoked black cod from Jerry’s Meats.

(Let’s chat about black cod, or sablefish, for a moment. If you have yet to try this tasty member of the Anoplopomatid family, and which is not related to other cods, you have been missing out. Mild, buttery and delicate, smoked or grilled, this fish is in a class of its own.)

That evening, with clouds rolling in and the sun finally beginning to relent, we went back out with high hopes. At least, that’s what it looked like when we hit the road. Once we got down to the spot in the channel we had been focusing on, it was apparent that the fish were there in droves. But so was that damn sun – again!

Fish were rolling everywhere, and my line was bumping bodies on the retrieve. But we needed a break from the sun. It was maddening to see the clouds rolling in at the same pace the sun was going down along the horizon. Just about the time the clouds would catch up, the sun

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would pull back in the lead.

I dug into my box of tricks from back home and deployed an old favorite – an allblack Arctic Spinner. On the second cast, a nice buck chomped hard on my offering, and once again I was tight to another king with a bad attitude. This fish was spastic, with hard-charging runs followed by shoulder-numbing headshakes. All I could do was stay tight and wear him out, which eventually happened as the low-20s buck hit the sand. He was just starting to show a faint amount of blush on his sides, but otherwise still full of sea lice and aggression from the open ocean.

As I cleaned that fish in a local creek that evening, Hunter was starting to feel the clock tick. We were down to our last morning of the trip; it was now or never.

AFTER FOUR AND A half days of fishing hard and figuring out this latest salmon puzzle, we were weary and sore but eager to get on the water one last time. My dream had been fulfilled and I had one full 50-pound box of king salmon steaks and filets in the freezer at Jerry’s Meats. Our little spot from earlier in the

week had paid off on our final morning. I was into my last fish of the trip not long after we’d set up and began casting.

My go-to chartreuse and white Arctic Spinner that started the trip ended it with an upper-teens Chinook that was chrome with a blue back. This was an absolute specimen of this great species. And then it happened. My flychucking pal from Houston, Texas, who had battled knot issues, a cracked rod ferrule and a sore casting arm, came tight to a dandy king of his own.

By the fourth run of line-screaming drag, we both felt pretty good that his knots and suspect rod ferrule would hold up, and they did as he calmly beached his own upper-teens chrome hen. I made sure to get the fish well up the beach, where we promptly dispatched it, with more high fives and hoorahs to cap off Hunter’s dream, on the last day, in the last half-hour window of the last outgoing tide of the trip.

The sense of fulfillment on this trip was like none other. On early trips to Alaska I was shown the way by my mentor, and I’ve since grabbed the baton and run with it, forging ahead on my own trips

with their own sets of learning curves and challenges. And that’s what makes salmon fishing in Alaska so unique. It’s the journey, the weather, the run timing, the bite; all of it brings on such a euphoric feeling when it all comes together, which plants the seed for the next trip.

THE END OF THIS trip was certainly bittersweet, as I had to come home to an MRI, which uncovered a tumor on my prostate, which has since been biopsied and resulted in a cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, the cancer is isolated to the tumor itself, as the test results on the prostate gland itself came back clean.

This is an early stage and very treatable form of cancer, which I am thankful for. We are currently working with my team of doctors to formulate a plan to treat this, cure this and get me back in my waders for the upcoming winter steelhead season.

This experience has only continued to fuel my restless spirit and quest for more trips to my happy place, Alaska. Life throws us curveballs, but never lose sight of your dreams, especially those king salmon dreams. ASJ

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Fishing

COHO: KINGS OF ALL THINGS

ALASKA SILVERS PROVIDE PLENTY OF FISHING, LEARNING OPTIONS, AND ARE VERY TASTY

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

We’ve reached August, the peak of coho season throughout Alaska. In a lot of rivers and streams, coho can be caught from late July all the way through October, even into early November. Toss in ocean fishing, and the summer extension adds to the coho opportunities.

These are hard-fighting fish with an aggressive strike. I don’t know of any other salmon species that can be caught so many ways with such consistency in so many of Alaska’s rivers as coho. Chum salmon could fall into this category, but they don’t reach the numbers, nor approach the table fare, of coho.

Whether it’s surface poppers, streamers, twitching jigs, jigs suspended beneath a float, spinners, spoons, plugs, beads, or bait (where legal), coho will hit a lot of gear that can be fished many ways, making them the ideal fish for so many anglers. If you’re new to fishing, there’s no better species to target than

Coho are great memory makers. For three of these youth anglers in Southeast Alaska, these coho marked the first salmon they’d ever caught. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

If you have leftover pieces of fish after your meal, create versatile potato fish cakes that will satisfy a hunger, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.

LEFTOVER FISH? MAKE POTATO CAKES

BY TIFFANY HAUGEN

Whether you have a freezer full of sockeye from this summer, are getting after those earlyseason coho, or you’re hitting the local lakes for trout, here’s a recipe you’ll love. I’ve made it with salmon, trout and more, and they all taste delicious.

When cooking fish, sometimes there are leftovers. But fish can be tricky to reheat. Pairing leftover fish with cooked, riced potatoes is one of the best ways

to serve fish the next day. Light, fluffy and flavorful on the inside, with a crispy, crunchy outer coating, these fish cakes will leave you wanting more.

Not only are potato fish cakes great for dinner, but we love eating them for lunch, even breakfast.

POTATO FISH CAKES

3 cups cooked fish

2 cups riced potatoes

Two eggs, beaten

3 tablespoons chopped capers or dill pickle

3 tablespoons chopped parsley and/or basil

3 cloves garlic, grated

2 teaspoons dried dill

½ to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

⅔ cup panko or breadcrumbs

¼ cup canola or olive oil

Garnish with green onion

Flake cooked fish, taking care to remove any bones. In a large bowl, gently combine fish, potatoes, eggs, capers, herbs, garlic, dill, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.

Sprinkle panko or breadcrumbs onto a large plate. Form fish mixture into desired patty sizes and press into panko or breadcrumbs. Place fish patties into hot oil and cook three to four minutes on each side until golden brown.

Garnish with green onion and serve warm with your favorite sauce.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other bestselling titles, go to tiffanyhaugen.com.

(TIFFANY HAUGEN)

FIELD

coho, thanks to their voracious desire to attack what’s near and the fact they school in large numbers, meaning lots of opportunities to catch them.

Not only can you hone multiple techniques through fishing for coho, but you will also learn to read the water. By learning where coho travel and hold – be it seams, main currents, back eddies, shallow rifles, ledges, soft water, even in sloughs, lakes and estuaries – you’ll discover how to best fish these places. You’ll come to learn what presentations work best in which water types, and these skills will carry over to other fishing situations for multiple species.

PICK YOUR DESTINATION AND TIME

You can be fishing from shore or a boat, and it’s easy to find places to fish for coho. From city and suburban streams to tidal flats, there are many destinations that are easy to access and catch coho in many parts of Alaska.

If you want to experience flyouts to remote destinations with lots of fish

Coho can be caught many ways, including on a variety of flies.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

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FIELD

and few anglers, coho are hard to beat. If you’d like to catch fresh, hard-fighting silvers that twist, turn and dance on the water, consider fishing them in rivers from late July into early September. If you want to experience a bite and fight more like a king salmon, just wait for those late-season coho in October.

Because coho run timing varies throughout their range – and even fluctuates season to season – research the waters you want to fish. Some

streams can be fished for several consecutive weeks; others, for only a week or two. When my wife Tiffany and I lived in Hyder, the river we fished was high and the coho run lasted only about 10 days. In other places, I’ve caught them from late July through October.

GREAT EATS

With so many places to pursue coho and myriad ways to fish for them, there’s a reason they’ve become one of the most

popular salmon for anglers to pursue in the Last Frontier. Baked, smoked, grilled or canned, coho make for great eating.

As you make fishing plans this month, don’t overlook the coho. Once you get hooked on these tenacious, great-eating fish, you’ll be wanting more. ASJ

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen's popular line of fishing books, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram.

Author Scott Haugen has been coho fishing in Alaska for more than 30 years and still marvels at the number of ways these tenacious salmon can be caught. He took this big buck while drifting a BnR Tackle 32mm Soft Bead. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

‘LIKE BEING IN A DIFFERENT WORLD’

A CALIFORNIA SPORTSMAN AND HIS COUSIN TAKE ON SOUTHEAST ALASKA HALIBUT AT D.I.Y LODGE

BY MARK FONG

As fishermen, I think we all have these bucket list trips we would like to make, those exotic fish we would like to pursue, and faraway places we would like to visit.

For many anglers in the Lower 48, that special place is often Alaska and for avid angler and Northern California resident Ian Rigler, this is his story of an Alaskan fishing adventure.

“I had always wanted to go to Alaska,” says Rigler. “I never thought I would actually go; I used to think to myself that if I ever got the chance, I would be there in a second. Earlier this year, when my cousin Gary Cook invited me to join a friend and his father, I knew that this was an opportunity that I just couldn’t turn down.”

AT THE END OF May, Rigler and his party started their flying journey from Sacramento to Seattle before catching connecting flights to Southeast Alaska –first to Juneau, and then to Petersburg. At their final stop, they were greeted by staff from Island Point Lodge (800352-4522; islandpointlodge.com), who took them into town to get last-minute supplies and their Alaskan fishing licenses. From there it was a short drive to a dock, where they boarded a small skiff that took them across the water to their lodge.

Island Point Lodge, located on Kupreanof Island, specializes in selfguided fishing for both fresh- and saltwater species, including five varieties of Pacific salmon, as well as halibut.

“During our visit we spent the majority of our time fishing for halibut, as the salmon season opened only on the final fishing day of our stay,” recalls Rigler, who lives in the Sacramento area of California.

“The lodge provided our rods, reels and bait,” he adds. “I brought some tackle from home and bought a few things I needed as well. We decided to upgrade to a larger boat with a cover; that was a great decision, as the weather wasn’t always the best. They gave us maps of areas to fish and there were people at the lodge who recommended spots and provided some tips and instruction as well.”

EACH MORNING, RIGLER’S GROUP would head down to the dining area for breakfast, make up their lunch and then it was straight onto the boat for the day.

“Breakfast was at 6 a.m. sharp; we were on the boat by 6:30 and by 7 we were fishing. And that’s pretty much how it went each day,” Rigler says.

Using the maps provided by the lodge, they would make a game plan for the day. Rigler is no stranger to the ways of halibut fishing, having spent many

Northern Californian Ian Rigler had always dreamed of catching big fish in Alaska, and earlier this year, he was able to do so while staying at a Petersburg-area lodge offering self-guided fishing opportunities for halibut, salmon and more. (IAN RIGLER)

days pursuing California halibut in the waters in and around San Francisco Bay. In fact, he prepared the terminal tackle and leaders prior to the trip.

“I tied the braid from the reel straight to the splitter; in Alaska they call them booms,” Rigler notes. “I used an 8-inch boom and on the bottom I clipped on a cannonball lead weight. Depending on the depth and the current, I used anywhere from 24 to 36 ounces. On the other end of the boom, I attached a 3-foot, 50-pound mono leader with double-snelled hooks for the herring and I used bait thread to keep the bait on the hook better.”

Most of the fishing was done on anchor, but on occasion Rigler would allow the boat to drift to cover more ground.

“My first halibut came in an area where we were anchored on the edge of a channel,” he recalls.

“We were fishing there for a couple

After multiple plane flights starting in Sacramento, California, cousins Gary Cook (left) and Rigler eventually reached their final destination of Petersburg in Southeast Alaska. (IAN RIGLER)

The lodge’s fleet of fishing boats stays busy in the summer. Island Point also outfits anglers with rods, reels, bait and hot spot maps. (IAN RIGLER)

You’re always bound to see some iconic Alaska wildlife on these trips. (IAN RIGLER)  The sun rises over Island Point Lodge. (IAN RIGLER)

“When you see the pictures of the mountains and the trees, it doesn’t look real,” Rigler says. “But when you get there and see it firsthand, it is amazingly beautiful. The pictures just don’t do it justice.” (IAN RIGLER)

The chance to finally fish Alaska was quite cherished by this Californian. (IAN RIGLER)

of hours before I got my first bite. My rod was in the holder and I noticed I was getting a bite. I just let it take it and when it was really jerking, I just wound down on it and it was hooked up. It turned out that the halibut sucked the bait really deep and it wasn’t going to get away. I was really excited and the fish fought pretty well; it ended up being around 20 pounds. I ended up catching one more fish about the same size later in the day, so I had my limit. One other person caught one, so we had three fish in the boat for our first day of fishing,” Rigler says.

ON THE FOURTH DAY, Rigler hooked up with his biggest halibut of the trip. “We anchored up on this spot – it was a good spot – in a cove, and when the tide comes

“Overall, the fishing was pretty tough but fun nonetheless. The group all had varying levels of success, and everyone came home with a bunch of fish,” author Mark Fong writes about his friend Rigler’s experience. “Aside from the fishing, to experience Alaska in all its grandeur and majesty was something special in itself.” (IAN RIGLER)

up, the water swirls around, so I thought that’s a good place to have one,” he says. “So I dropped it down and 10 minutes later the rod started pumping hard and I just wound down on it. It initially fought really hard; I could tell it was a better fish and I could feel the weight on it. It made a few good runs, but it eventually wore down and I was able to get it in the boat. That fish weighed 40 pounds.”

Overall, the fishing was pretty tough but fun nonetheless. The group all had varying levels of success, and everyone came home with a bunch of fish. Aside from the fishing, to experience Alaska in all its grandeur and majesty was something special in itself.

“When you see the pictures of the mountains and the trees, it doesn’t look real,” Rigler says. “But when you get there and see it firsthand, it is amazingly beautiful. The pictures just don’t do it justice. Alaska is just so vast – the immensity, the trees and the mountains – it just seems to go on forever and ever. The air is so clean and fresh and the water is so blue, just so unspoiled. It’s like being in a different world. It was worth going just to see the beauty, and now I can’t wait to come back again.” ASJ

Editor’s note: Mark Fong is a freelance writer and fishing fanatic based around Sacramento, California, and is a regular contributor to Alaska Sporting Journal’s sister publication California Sportsman

With salmon season opening on their final day in Alaska, Rigler and Cook focused on halibut and managed to land some nice ones. (IAN RIGLER)

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GRINDING OUT A PAIR OF BEARS

2023’S COLD WEATHER, UNUSUAL BRUIN BEHAVIOR TEST HUNTERS’ WILL, DEDICATION

BY BRIAN WATKINS

Spring was exceptionally late in Alaska this year. After a late winter and cool spring, snow was still piled high throughout most of May and into June.

Typically, my favorite spring weekend to hunt is Memorial Day Weekend. Bears become extremely active and the rut starts to kick in. This year, we still had snow at half of our bait stations. It made for slow hunting, with few bears coming in and a bit of frustration.

Our baits at higher elevation seem to produce the biggest bears. I believe the big boars cruise the mountaintops while searching for sows in heat. It’s easier to get around and cover territory that way. Thus, we’ve had more success on bigger bears up high. This year, I was trudging through 3 feet of snow at my highest bait in late May. I had to hike 10 miles in because the ATV trail was not passable. Packing 80 pounds in through ice and deep snow isn’t easy on the body or mind, but I wanted to hunt!

THERE WAS ONE BRIGHT spot this spring. Our friend Zach Welch became an Alaska resident June 1, and getting “new blood” into spring bear hunting sparks contagious excitement.

Zach comes from Nebraska, where he has hunted deer, turkey, pronghorn and elk. He’s no stranger to success. It seems like every year he knocked down monster bucks and multiple turkeys throughout the country. His dream is a brown bear and sheep. Being a dedicated bowhunter increases that challenge.

The other advantage to an eager hunter is the extra help in setting up. Zach was at the baits constantly,

Black bears make themselves at home at one of the author’s Alaska bait stations this spring. Bruins cleaning out the sites during the workweek and extended cold weather made for slower than usual hunting. (BRIAN WATKINS)

stocking them and checking cameras. For hunting partner Trevor Embry and I, it felt like we were in our first year as well. The phone calls and texts that came through pumped us up for every weekend and were a thrill. Showing Zach the ropes and getting his feet wet in Alaska gave us a new vigor.

As May came and went, so did the bears. We had very little action, where we’d typically have multiple bears harvested already. June hadn’t even heated up yet. My baits on the Kenai were stone-cold and our baits up north had a slow arrival too. With bear baiting, the biggest thing I stress is to stick with it. Often, I hear people talk about how they haven’t had any action, leading them to give up prematurely. They get tired of working and driving to be successful. To be honest, I fight that urge every spring too, but I know what lies ahead.

Trevor, Zach and I hunted in early June, even though the baits were slower than normal. Unfortunately for me, the extra pollen from the spruce trees in the air crushed me. I had a tasty cough that lasted the first two weeks of the month. I sat with Trevor on a Friday night

Anticipation builds on the road to bear camp. (BRIAN WATKINS)

Author Brian Watkins (rear, with longtime hunting pal Trevor Embry) had to deal with a persistent cough brought on by spruce pollen (BRIAN WATKINS)

New Alaska resident Zach Welch had plenty of Lower 48 hunting experience in Nebraska, but his dream was an Alaskan brown bear – and he got one this spring season! (BRIAN WATKINS)

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and we only saw one small chocolatephase black bear. There had been five adult brown bears on the bait during the week, but with that many bears the food had run out. Mix that with my incessant cough and no brown bears came in during our sit.

We stocked the bait back up and got some rest for the next day. Zach had seen a few small black bears, and for Saturday he and I switched spots. Trevor and Zach arrowed a giant black bear that night, while I saw the same small black bears Zach had seen.

Zach was able to squeeze a three-day weekend out of work and had Sunday night to hunt. As I said, persistence in bear baiting is key. With fresh scent out and a stockpile of new bait, Zach had a brown bear come in on his watch. He put an arrow in the perfect spot and the bear died within 50 yards of his shot.

I HEADED OUT THE following weekend to

Embry with one of the crew’s two bears. (BRIAN WATKINS)

The payoff for patience and sticking with it: Black bear meat makes for a delicious stew. (BRIAN WATKINS)

“This was the first spring in 10 years I didn’t take a bear,” Watkins writes. “It proved that bear baiting is a real challenge. It takes hard work and perseverance.” (BRIAN WATKINS)

see what I could turn up. As with the weekend prior, I hadn’t shaken off my cough and we had the same scenario of baits going dry midweek. I saw a small black bear Friday night.

On Saturday, I checked the camera on our last bait. That spot hadn’t been hit yet this year and is typically the bestproducing bait I’ve seen. The trail cam showed an absolute giant had come in at 4 a.m. that morning. Zach was a three-hour drive away, but he jumped in his truck to come sit the night. We ended up sitting for 15 hours. I have to assume that that bear had been just passing through looking for sows, as we didn’t see him the rest of the spring.

This was the first spring in 10 years I didn’t take a bear. That said, it was still a great one. It proved that bear baiting is a real challenge. It takes hard work and perseverance. Most people give up when the times are tough.

We stuck it out as a team and were able to take two great bears. I’m excited for our continued success and hope that next spring is warmer with more action. ASJ