VETERANS’ ALASKAN ADVENTURE

BACK TO ALASKA AND BACKING OUR HEROES

DISABLED VETERANS SAVOR GUIDED LAST FRONTIER SALMON FISHING TRIP

By Chris Cocoles

It never gets old for 72-year-old Randy Houston, whose Bay Areabased Purple Heart Anglers this fall continued a tradition of raising money to send disabled veterans on fishing and hunting adventures.

In October, Houston and his charity got several wounded warriors who served in various combat tours during American wars on a memorable salmon fishing trip to Ketchikan, Alaska.

“This was our eighth trip and we had 12 total this year,” Houston said of this latest visit to the Last Frontier, a tally that included himself, veterans and volunteers who were on hand to help out.

“It’s a great trip. The vets, they just have a blast. It’s emotional, but at the same time it’s a lot of fun. We had several up there who had never been to Alaska. And some of them had never caught a salmon before. Firsts and firsts.”

In all, the vets brought home about 34 pounds of salmon fillets apiece “for them, their families and their friends,” Houston said. But as most of these journeys have gone during Purple Heart Anglers’ near-decade of existence, it’s a whole lot more than just catching fish.

“It’s such a broad range of (emotions). My wife calls it calm exhilaration,” said Houston, who started Purple Heart Anglers back in the early 2010s to honor his late brother Jerry, who earned two

A dozen visitors led by veterans who were wounded in combat headed to Ketchikan, Alaska, in October. Bay Area-based Randy Houston (inset) arranged an eighth trip there with his Purple Heart Anglers organization that gets our veterans outdoors. (PURPLE HEART ANGLER)

Houston is grateful for his volunteers and businesses like Ketchikan’s Gilmore Hotel, which has selflessly provided Purple Heart Anglers participants with lodging during their

Alaska adventures. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS)

Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam (California Sportsman, May 2014).

“When it started out years ago, people asked why I do what I do, and I said I wanted to do something with my brother, and it has just morphed into what it is. And over the years we’ve now had over 3,000 disabled vets out, and that doesn’t even include their families and all the volunteers who have gotten out with us. Now I do it because it needs to be done.”

It’s been quite a ride for all involved. The emotions have been at high levels for the wounded vets who gathered for the trips. Houston said many of the stories he’s heard are not prudent to print, and while Purple Heart Anglers prides itself on the notions that “We don’t do politics and we don’t do therapy,” Houston embraces the importance of helping bring these brave men and women a sense of normalcy and peace after they sacrificed so much in battle.

“To see the vets up there enjoying the country that they served and protected, and being able to give them an opportunity to do that, (it’s special) to see the looks on their faces,” Houston said, also understanding that as the years have gone by he’s had to say painful goodbyes. “On the way back I was talking to one of our volunteers and I looked up the photos that I’ve got from the past, and we’ve probably lost 10 (people) who have passed away.”

But for many of them, this Alaska trip and all the other fishing and hunting adventures have provided memories for everyone who participated in or helped pave the way for the excursions.

Houston is based in the Bay Area coastal community of Half Moon Bay, but he plans to relocate to Oregon soon. Still, there are plenty of California fishing and hunting trips on the horizon, and Purple Heart Anglers’ annual fundraising crab feed is set for Nov. 6 in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael.

“To see them, it gives me personally a sense of satisfaction, saying thank you for what they've done and also what they’ve done for me and my family,” Houston said. “All of the stuff that they went through to be of service to me. And to be able to stand there and catch fish was something I won’t forget … I’m proud of the people who are involved with (Purple Heart Anglers). It’s just an amazing thing to watch.”

Purple Heart Anglers’ Alaska trips have been aided by the generosity of businesses like Ketchikan’s Gilmore Hotel (907-225-9423), which has hosted the group, and local fishing guides from Oasis Alaska Charters

Ketchikan’s Oasis Alaska Charters also generously donated their time and boats to get the wounded warriors out on the

water. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS)

The sea was too rough to get out into deep water to target halibut, but the salmon were biting. Houston said everyone was able to bring home about 34 pounds of fillets each.

(907-302-4115; oasisalaskacharters. com), who made sure everyone went home with plenty of salmon fillets.

“The Gilmore Hotel has been on our side since day one. We’ve got a (Purple Heart Anglers) plaque that hangs on their entry across from the front desk, a ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done.’ And they treat us with respect and dignity. They care.”

As for Oasis Alaska Charters, Houston noted, “They go way past what normal is. Last year when Covid was going on, they had just bought a new van and instead of having us take taxis, they gave us the keys to the van to use in getting us to and back for the fishing. And they don’t do that for everybody.”

Houston raved about the guides’ generosity to his organization and

This was another memorable trip for those who served our country. It’s also gratifying for Houston and others who help make these trips possible. “To see the vets up there enjoying the country that they served and protected, and being able to give them an opportunity to do that, (it’s special) to see the looks on their faces,” Houston said. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS)

has appreciated just about everyone he’s interacted with on his multiple trips to the Last Frontier and specifically in Ketchikan.

“The taxi cab drivers, they know who we are. They remember us from the years’ prior. They’re always there to welcome us and to take us wherever we want to go – even on side trips like to go see the bears. They don’t charge us for that. They just take us. Everybody cares and they treat the vets with the respect that I consider to be due.”

And the now annual trips to Alaska have become standard for Houston. Before even heading back to the Lower 48 last month, he had already made arrangements for a 2022 return for a new group of fishing vets.

“It’s one of those trips of a lifetime,” he said. CS

Editor’s note: For more on Purple Heart Anglers and how to contribute, go to purpleheartanglers.org.

LATE SEASON ROCKS!

LATE-SEASON ROCKFISH PROVIDE FUN, FEASTS FOR SALTWATER ANGLERS

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

November is here and the waters off Southern California are cooling. And with it shallow-water rock cod season is coming to an end December 31, although a lot of anglers wish it was just beginning.

It is time to fill your freezers and bide your time for the next few months until the season reopens on March 1, 2022. Many fishermen ignore the rockfish for the pelagic fish and inshore bass fishing during this time of year, but turn to them now and stock up on the prime white meat of the ocean. Just make sure you have a copy of the most recent regulations, which can change every year.

FISH ARE CLOSE BY

While the waters can start getting rough as Pacific storms start to arrive, the good news about shallow-water rockfish angling is that you may only be a mile or two outside the safety of your home harbor. If it looks like it’s going to get wild out there, play it safe and run for port. But clear, crisp fall and winter days can be a nice fishing getaway on the ocean and a fun, relaxing experience, especially if you are catching fish.

Right now you can slide out to man-made reefs, piles of old concrete bridge pilings, sunken

Charlie Thomas shows off a nice red rock cod caught on a swimbait. It’s late in the season for these and other bottomfish, but fishing should remain productive until the Dec. 31

Kelvin Nettleton caught this beauty from around a rockpile. Rockfish offer some of the Southland saltwater’s

best table fare. (BILL SCHAEFER)

ships, rocks dumped to form reefs, and outlet pipes covered with large granite boulders to protect them. As natural drop-offs and contours in the bottom with deep rock structure, they attract the entire food chain and there are usually some resident rock cod there, but their numbers should increase as ocean waters cool.

Short trips out onto shallow water – maybe 100 to 200 feet deep – can produce right now as other species fade away. The good news is you can use your saltwater bass gear at many of these spots, but you might go to one of the 300- or 400-series reels for a little extra line capacity. And, with most bass fishermen using braid nowadays, it just works out without having to refill the line on your reel. The braid definitely helps with bite detection and setting the hook in waters so deep.

PLENTY OF FISH

The list of rockfish and their cousins is endless, with about 90 species according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. And the beautiful white meat you get from these fish is great no matter the prep or recipe.

Probably the most common fish taken is the red rock cod. They are great eating, like all the others that fall into the rockfish or ground fish category.

Also in this category are the cabezon, lingcod, scorpionfish – handle with care – and the California sheephead.

And it is not out of the norm to have a lingcod eat your rockfish on the reel up. You fight and fight, only to see the ling spit your shredded fish out a few feet under the surface. But score a nice ling and you’re in for anything but a consolation prize – some great eating awaits!

TRACKING ROCKFISH

As I mentioned, with cooling waters the fish are starting to gather around on deeper spots. Some are there year-round, but other targets attract our attention during the summer.

A good fish finder with mapping can be a key to this type of fishing. The high-resolution screen helps you find more details on the bottom and the mapping lets you mark the spot with a waypoint to return to in future years.

When looking for a new area, meter around with a starting point at the visible kelp and work out into deeper water. A zigzag pattern will help cover ground when searching.

Rockfish look like thick clouds on the bottom or on structure. Usually they’re thicker-looking marks than sand bass or calicos, which, if feeding, look more like streaks on the screen or elongated hooks. You can rely on reefs – both artificial and natural – but finding your own area and marking it for future use can be fun as well, especially when you score limits there.

When setting up for a drift, go upwind and drift over the spot, either long-lining your bait or vertical jigging. If the wind or swell is pushing you along too quickly, cast to the spot ahead of the boat. By

Tom Buckalew’s nice sheephead bit a swimbait off a deep man-made structure. Hefty lingcod and cabezon are also options for anglers. (BILL SCHAEFER)

the time you arrive, the bait should be on the bottom. If you are lucky enough to have a trolling motor with Anchor or Spot Lock, you can hold yourself right over the area.

GEAR, TACKLE CHECK

With its no-stretch characteristics, stringing up with braided line will help you feel deep-water bites and set the hook faster. For example, I use a Daiwa Proteus WN trigger stick rod with a Lexa 300 or 400 reel loaded with 50- to 60-pound Daiwa or Maxima Braided line and a Maxima fluorocarbon leader.

Of course, you can fish with various bait options like squid, anchovy or sardines, but plastic swimbaits and large grubs will work just as well.

For the latter category, your favorite swimbaits or extra-large curltail grubs from Big Hammer, MC Swimbaits, Reyes Swimbaits, Reebs Lures or LK Lures will do.

You may need 1- to 3-ounce jigheads to reach bottom, depending on depth or current, but I’m talking 80 to 160 feet of water on average.

Heavy iron jigs, spoons and rock cod jigs will also work well, provided they can make the trip down to the fish. Tipping any of the above with a squid strip or a coating of Uni Butter can also help attract bottomfish.

BONUS CATCHES

There can be a ton of incidental catches as well – calicos, sand bass, halibut and even yellowtail – making for a pleasant surprise.

Shallow-water rockfish can be a lot of fun to catch. You never know what you’re going to pull up from below. Searching them out, finding a cloud of fish and dropping down to get bit provides the anticipation and unknown of what you will bring up. The tastes and flavors on your dinner table can be out of this world too. CS

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2021

Westview Marina & Lodge

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Silver Horde

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Sea Sport

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Western Spirit Ranches

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Western Spirit Ranches, a pheasant hunting and shooting preserve in Shoshone, Idaho, has been going strong since 1998. The preserve features 600 acres of farm ground and natural habitat full of rivers, streams and ponds. Western Spirit Ranches raises and releases only quality, hard-flying pheasants. Solo, corporate and group hunts with highly trained guides and dogs are on offer.

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At under 24 ounces, Stocky’s new Carbon Hunter is sure to find its way into some very nice rifles. The UltraLite NextGen CF Hunter is a full-size hunting stock designed for any barrel you might want to run on it, from sporter to M24/Proof carbon (or even larger). Truly the next generation of carbon fiber layup: they are stronger, lighter and more precisely machined than ever before.

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Leelock

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The new Crab Cracker tool from Leelock will allow you to measure your Dungeness crabs to determine which ones are legal to keep. Then use the “cracker” to crack them in half, separating the two clusters from the shell and guts.

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A Sage Canyon gift card is the perfect way to give the hunter in your life exactly what they want! Gift cards can be used toward anything on the ranch, including bird packages, guides, lodging and much more!

Todd Vandivert

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American Turbine

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Bait Buttons are a simple and easy way to keep your baits – natural or artificial – in place on your hook.The Bait Button is a silicone disc that comes in a simple, easy-to-use dispenser. Comes in two sizes. Makes a great stuffing stuffer.

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Davis Tent

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Find canvas hunting tents, stoves, cots, panniers and accessories at Davis Tent.

Outlander Charters

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At Lake Isabella in the Kern River valley “The lake get’s smaller but the fish get bigger:”

Crappie are the order of the day shown by this recent catch in the trees at Lake Isabella.

Warm quiet days make for enjoyable fishing trips this fall in the High Sierras. Just a short drive from Bakersfield in the Central Valley.

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