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Topic: Any NWKA anglers in Kodiak?  (Read 2984 times)

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Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
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  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
Just wondering if there is anyone on the NWKA board who lives and boats on the Emerald Island.  I've played in and own every kind of watercraft, both power and human power, all my life but this will be my first full year of fishing and exploring from a kayak. I'm planning a two week excursion to the island with the yak, crabbing gear, fishing gear, and cameras (topside, aerial, and UW) to document my first trip to the island after living on the KP for 48 winters now. (When you are surrounded by Paradise, especially in Alaska, you don't need to go far to experience just about everything you want.)

ADFG sportfish and commfish biologists have been extremely helpful in giving me the lowdown on the fisheries (fin and shell) as well as the dungeness opportunities around the many bays. And I even know one of the fish cops over there that can perhaps offer some additional advice....who better, eh? :)

But when I ask "What's the best prospects for crabbing on a limited 2 week schedule?"  The answer was "Look for all the commercial buoys and set up there." Hmmm, OK.  My next question? "How many buoys are we talking about in the commercial fishery?"  And the answer: "Well we had 12 commercial boats fishing in 2016 and they were soaking 6,000 pots." Followed by "The dungie population hit its low a couple years ago and is just now showing signs of recovery in the comm harvest."

So it would be nice to make acquaintance with one of the locals for some additional advice on facilities in town like freezer storage, laundromats/showers, campsites, and maybe a hookup or two as my schedule will be very flexible. Its as much about experiencing the island and wildlife as it is the fishing and crabbing. I plan on bridging June and July so I can get in on the Lingcod fishery opening on the 1st.

Cheers.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


katinalaska

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Date Registered: Apr 2016
  • Posts: 93
I will be looking forward to hearing about your trip!!!! Kodiak is definitely on my list for crabbing and kayak fishing, but  I don't have knowledge of the area.


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Trident 13

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Kent
  • Date Registered: Jul 2016
  • Posts: 791
Thanks for ruining my morning in the office, that sounds like a great trip.  With the Island being that size, care to share the areas you're considering covering in two weeks?


Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
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  • The Eagle Whisperer
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  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
I will be looking forward to hearing about your trip!!!! Kodiak is definitely on my list for crabbing and kayak fishing, but  I don't have knowledge of the area.

Hey Kat, I do intend to document the entire excursion and put together an article or 2 or 3, photo gallery and some video too.  I've browsed one of the Kodiak business kayak operations offered to tourists on the Island and must say they get some spectacular photos of paddlers in the vicinity of seals, sea lions, otters, porpoise, orcas, sea birds, and whales....if you know where to go I guess. I'm hoping my aerial surveillance and reconnaissance from a quadcopter will provide me some advanced intel for each of the new areas I'll be dropping the boat in. Lots of bays along the road system that are kayak accessible. All with good potential for crab as well as rockfish, lingcod, and halibut. 

The more inviting reasons to go besides the obvious "never been there yet" reason:  Crab limit - 12 males per day (6.5" min), 5 rockfish per day, 2 lingcod per day with no size restriction for keepers. I'm planning on bringing a freezer so I can remove each day's catch from my possession limit and then shuttle a load at a time back to freezer storage in town until I depart.

The less friendly fact about going is: The marine ferry system jacked up the vehicle + passenger + kayak rate for the round trip from Homer from $806 last year to $900+ this summer. And that is just for a 22' long crew cab truck with one kayak. But the experience and adventure is the offsetting value, not to mention Dungeness in Freddies going for $11 per pound in the round and $15 per pound for leg/back clusters. Just four days of crab would technically equal the ferry cost. Although no one in their right mind will pay Freddies $20 per pound for halibut, just a limit or two of flatties would equal the ferry ticket price too. Camping is cheap or free depending on location.

I'm hoping to make this an annual event on my summer itinerary if I survive. :)  And yes, I am a crab addict~!

Trident 13 - There is only one main road on the island so that is the access limiting factor unless you commandeered a mothership/water taxi to shuttle you to a remote location.  All the bays along the road system can be accessed by anyone with a vehicle to get there. Ultimately it would be nice to luck out and find a spot that caters to crabbing, fishing, wildlife, and photography as an all-in-one base camp location. But I don't expect to get that lucky on the first trip.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


AKFishOn

  • Lingcod
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  • Location: Kodiak, Alaska
  • Date Registered: Dec 2015
  • Posts: 271
Sounds like an epic in the making KK. I was "this close" to actually living on Kodiak two years ago. My wife was working there and we were planning to move the whole family but another work "opportunity" opened up back here...turns out the other "opportunity" was a useless endeavor.  We kick ourselves for not deciding to make the move and a life on Kodiak. What a spoiled and fulfilling life it would have been!
"If your hands ain't bleeding, you ain't fishing hard enough!"


Wgiv

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: AK
  • Date Registered: Jul 2015
  • Posts: 26
I grew up there and return often. Now that we moved to Soldotna I will probably visit a few times a year. I've done a lot of kayaking on the road system and even went out with that "Kodiak's Wildside" that you mentioned in 2015. I've always wanted to take the kayak down there. I'll be looking forward to the documentary, I used to work in film and video.


Wgiv

  • Herring
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  • Date Registered: Jul 2015
  • Posts: 26
I forgot to mention I believe the public showers were shut down. There aren't any even at the harbor. I remember hearing people complain about it. There is great camping and free camping at some really great fishing spots. But Kodiak lacks some of the amenities that tourists are looking for. If you plan on camping the whole time you might have to get creative, like going to the high school pool during open swim to use the showers. I know there's a freezer places in town, but I can't vouch for them. There's also a Facebook group called "Friends of Kodiak" that could be of some help with business reviews anyway, not sure they'ok give you their spots.


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Dang...getting tempted to do this.  I may have an open opportunity for a free week in early July.  Where it will be just my son and I.  Daughter is off to music camp.  I could see camping 5 days with motel stay every third day or so just to shower...yah, that's about as close as I get to "roughing it" these days. 

Last time I went, it was pretty cool though we still had our first time amateur running around looking for fish days. 

Being able to fish with Polepole, Spot, Bushy, Team Liquid and Michilutiiq from these boards was awesome!

Tempting....very tempting.....

It should be cued up at the proper spot but here's some videos from that Kodaik Trip!  If it doesn't cue up properly, fast forward to 7 minutes and 13 second mark. 

http://youtu.be/Pj1tN8UfLSk?t=7m13s
 
Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
AlaskaKayakFisher.com


Wgiv

  • Herring
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  • Location: AK
  • Date Registered: Jul 2015
  • Posts: 26
You should Rudy, maybe you'll bag a nice kayak lingcod.


Klondike Kid

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  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
I grew up there and return often. Now that we moved to Soldotna I will probably visit a few times a year. I've done a lot of kayaking on the road system and even went out with that "Kodiak's Wildside" that you mentioned in 2015. I've always wanted to take the kayak down there. I'll be looking forward to the documentary, I used to work in film and video.

Thanks for the fresh notes Wgiv.
By comparing Google Earth view to my chart plotter charts for the Island, planning an adventure such as this is 100X easier than ever before although with no guarantees - just fewer surprises. The view from space is an incredible help for checking roadside terrain for access to the water, for potential campsites and looking down on the water to see rock shoals and kelp beds that match identically to the marine charts. 

From that vicarious exploration I've identified a lot of potential "kayak friendly" fishing locations for rockfish and lingcod as well as the terrain more suitable to crab and halibut. And actually Rudy's entourage in the video were halibut fishing in the same location I had picked out for shellfish and flatfish too.  ;) But of course until you dip your toe in the water you don't know how cold it is.  :)  The orientation and location of all the bays along the road system will make it much easier to roll with the weather. No matter which way that day's prevailing wind is blowing you can always jump to the opposite side of the island for hopefully better conditions. A blowoff nasty day is a good day to collect firewood!

I forgot to mention I believe the public showers were shut down. There aren't any even at the harbor. I remember hearing people complain about it. There is great camping and free camping at some really great fishing spots. But Kodiak lacks some of the amenities that tourists are looking for. If you plan on camping the whole time you might have to get creative, like going to the high school pool during open swim to use the showers. I know there's a freezer places in town, but I can't vouch for them. There's also a Facebook group called "Friends of Kodiak" that could be of some help with business reviews anyway, not sure they'ok give you their spots.

LOL, I would never have thought of the open swim opportunities at the school for showers. I'll have to check on that one. Thnx for mentioning a shortage of shower facilities! That will be on my list to the Chamber. Freezer fish box storage is really the only critical logistic. The 5 cu ft chest freezer I'll have is very limited on capacity, especially on a two week outing.  Packaged crab doesn't lend itself to compact freezing and storage compared to fish packages.

You are right about the tourism infrastructure still needs a fair amount of fine tuning before it becomes a mecca for travelers to the Last Frontier. Perhaps the materials I put together will have more value for Alaskans who might put Kodiak on their short list of vacation adventures since its in our backyard. Turning this into a joint effort "event" by a larger group in the future has its rewards from many perspectives.


Dang...getting tempted to do this.  I may have an open opportunity for a free week in early July.  Where it will be just my son and I.  Daughter is off to music camp.  I could see camping 5 days with motel stay every third day or so just to shower...yah, that's about as close as I get to "roughing it" these days. 
Tempting....very tempting.....
Hmm, yep very tempting huh!   ;D  Tell me when to set the hook!!  Thanks for making my "wait" that much more agonizing after watching the vid.  Aaaarrrggghhh!!!!

My plan is last full week of June to focus on dialing in the crab and some halibut scouting and then the first week of July to add lingcod to the menu. And back before Kenai dipping.  If it wasn't so costly I'd drag my 16' utility trailer (includes tongue) over there and set up my internet satellite dish for keeping in touch where there is no cell service as well as having a larger freezer or two. But just the truck and 2 people and 2 kayaks is at $1024 this summer. 16 more feet would probably add another six or seven hundred on the round trip. BUT, if you don't spend it someone after you will. Hmm, lemme check on something.....
------------------------------

OK just crunched the Round Trip Ferry costs for 2 adults and various combinations of vehicle:

22' Pickup (F-350 CrewCab) + 2 people Round Trip = $1024.  A bare bones camping trip with limited cargo space for resources.

22' Pickup + 2 people + 12' open utility trailer Round Trip = $1384  More desirable for larger freezer, ice, bait, more camp gear. Still tent camping.

22' Pickup + 2 people + 14' enclosed Utility trailer w/ 2' tongue Round Trip = $1504  The deluxe trip version. See below.

There is a big difference between trying to jam everything into a pickup bed and cab VS dragging the enclosed trailer along with a 4000 pound capacity for my 7 cu ft freezer, two kayaks and my six wheeler, not to mention everything including my internet dish & the kitchen sink....for only $480 more than BARE BONES. Is that a no brainer or what?   ;D

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


Wgiv

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: AK
  • Date Registered: Jul 2015
  • Posts: 26
Wow, talk about all out. Your trip might just convince me to head that way with the kayak this summer too.


Mark Collett

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Make It Happen
  • Location: Between the Willapa's
  • Date Registered: May 2011
  • Posts: 2022

  KK,
 You already know what the best option is.............now you just have to do it.
 Hopefully an extra $500 won't be a deal breaker. At your age , I'd go for the  creature comforts, plus the extra storage for all those pounds of fish you are going to catch.
  "No Brainer"-------------yup.
  Make it happen KK.
  And have a great time on the Emerald Island.
Life is short---live it tall.

Be kinder than necessary--- everyone is fighting some kind of battle.

Sailors may be struck down at any time, in calm or in storm, but the sea does not do it for hate or spite.
She has no wrath to vent. Nor does she have a hand in kindness to extend.
She is merely there, immense, powerful, and indifferent


polepole

  • Administrator
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  • Location: San Jose, CA :(
  • Date Registered: Apr 2006
  • Posts: 10072
Dang...getting tempted to do this.  I may have an open opportunity for a free week in early July.  Where it will be just my son and I.  Daughter is off to music camp.  I could see camping 5 days with motel stay every third day or so just to shower...yah, that's about as close as I get to "roughing it" these days. 

Last time I went, it was pretty cool though we still had our first time amateur running around looking for fish days. 

Being able to fish with Polepole, Spot, Bushy, Team Liquid and Michilutiiq from these boards was awesome!

Tempting....very tempting.....

It should be cued up at the proper spot but here's some videos from that Kodaik Trip!  If it doesn't cue up properly, fast forward to 7 minutes and 13 second mark. 

http://youtu.be/Pj1tN8UfLSk?t=7m13s

Super tentative, but there is a chance we might be back up in late August ...

-Allen


polepole

  • Administrator
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  • NorthWest Kayak Anglers
  • Location: San Jose, CA :(
  • Date Registered: Apr 2006
  • Posts: 10072
One of the lessons learned on the last trip, get your permit to access Native lands before you go out to Kodiak.  We tried stopping by the "office" when we were there, but nobody was home.  There was a good chunk of water that we would have loved to explore, if only we had the permits.

-Allen


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Dang...getting tempted to do this.  I may have an open opportunity for a free week in early July.  Where it will be just my son and I.  Daughter is off to music camp.  I could see camping 5 days with motel stay every third day or so just to shower...yah, that's about as close as I get to "roughing it" these days. 

Last time I went, it was pretty cool though we still had our first time amateur running around looking for fish days. 

Being able to fish with Polepole, Spot, Bushy, Team Liquid and Michilutiiq from these boards was awesome!

Tempting....very tempting.....

It should be cued up at the proper spot but here's some videos from that Kodaik Trip!  If it doesn't cue up properly, fast forward to 7 minutes and 13 second mark. 

http://youtu.be/Pj1tN8UfLSk?t=7m13s

Super tentative, but there is a chance we might be back up in late August ...

-Allen

OOOOOooooooooo...... Nice...... That would be AWESOME!  Keep me in the loop please!!!!!!!

Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
AlaskaKayakFisher.com


 

anything