NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Regional Discussions => Alaska Kayak Fishing => Topic started by: Spot on August 27, 2013, 07:43:40 PM
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There are still places on this earth free from the wanton tinkerings of man. Places fierce yet fragile. Places that remind a man of both his power and insignificance. Cochrane Bay is one such place.
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Day 4 August 18th, 2013 (7:30 PM)
Last Fishing day of an exploratory trip to a far corner of Prince William Sound. Hour 41 on the water and an unsatisfied dream of catching my 1st Pacific Halibut feels the chilly approach of a cruel dawn.
A fruitless morning spent torturing greenling on the unseen slopes of a deepwater mound was followed by an afternoon of exploring yet more ‘virgin’ territory. This time, across the mile wide Cochrane Bay.
The crazy chase of contour lines drew only frustration. While I did enjoy playing bump and run with the local harbor seals and soaking in the hyper realistic Alaskan landscape, my Halibut fishing has proved to be less than impressive. *Sigh* Two greenling sipping water from the pedal side of the mirage drive hole remind me that I’m not done. But damn…. I feel done.
The wind and horizontal rain that kicked up during our initial crossing is finally starting to subside. Akfishergal, (Manolin to my Santiago) has already called it quits. She’s enjoying 1:1 time with the hubby as I burn up my last gallon of resolve, pushing thru wind chop to a spot we haven’t touched since its discovery on Day 1.
Day 1 August 15th, 2013
I’m exhausted but can’t stop smiling!
The morning was spent traveling to Whittier along the scenic Seward Highway, past blue ice glaciers and thru the 2.5 mile long, one lane, war era Portage Tunnel. Excitement runs high as we load the water taxi for an hour long trip to a remote forest service cabin near the mid-point of Cochrane Bay.
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After the urban normality of Anchorage, Prince William Sound now stretches out before us full of wild, deep and craggy promise. ‘We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto…’
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The first sign of the cabin is a steep staircase leading into the woods at the back of the diminutive Paulson Cove. Anticipation draws akfishergal, her husband Carlos Danger and myself to the bow for our landing. Gear is unloaded then carried up the stairs to the cabin to make a hurried camp before we launch. In the adjacent creek I watch a lone pink salmon resting in the pool from which I pump water for the days expedition.
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kardinal_84 had been generous in providing me with his Hobie Outback for this week. I have no experience with this kayak but I do my best to rig it for fishing. Who loans someone they’ve never met a brand new kayak? Who invites a complete stranger to spend a week in the close quarters of an expansive wilderness? Crazy!
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Trolling past the nearshore rocks, within sight of our cabin I score my 1st fish. A perfect bait size greenling. Note taken. Several kicks of the mirage drive later I’m floating in a shallow estuary watching hundreds of staging pinks darting about in the brack. The weather today is nearing 70 degrees and the small spawning creeks are too low to satisfy the dying urges of all these salmon.
An hour later we round the corner of a 350’ deep cove into a shallow mud flat. Fresh pinks are jumping from green glass. Thru a gap in Jurassic bonsai islands can be seen a sprawling Technicolor estuary fed by 3 small drainage creeks. Un-F’ing-Real…..
Pushing thru the outflow I see schools of fresh pinks darting to avoid ill tempered packs of chum. A small pod of silvers makes an exploratory dash past my yak and rockets back to the salt. My 1st instinct is to get a lure out but I’m overcome by the indescribable beauty and opt for the camera instead. No luck on capturing the action in the glacial runoff but being so close to the action tickles my soul. Posting up near the inlet I stand in the outback and sight cast to undulating pods, hoping for a return of the Coho.
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My fish finder is unusable in its hurried configuration so I rely on Akgal to call out marks as we head back across the deep water cove. “I’m showing lots of fish at 125 feet” she announces. “Rockfish” I reply and ready a jig. 2 fat keeper Yelloweye, a flounder and a bunch of pesky cod later we head for home exhausted but grinning like fools. My scorecard says 6 species caught today. 2 completely new to me. Carlos Danger greets us with a campfire and cold beer.
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Fresh Yelloweye and equally fresh coleslaw by the campfire is our dinner. Advil works its magic on tired muscles. Sleep comes effortlessly.
Day 4 August 18th, 2013 (8:15 PM)
Thru a gap in the clouds to the northeast, the glaciers overhanging Port Wells catch the last direct rays of sunlight. In the waning hours of the trip I’ve decided that I at least have to bring home some Yelloweye fillets. I drop a scampi jig, tipped with a strip of greenling. The jig never hits bottom.
Two Yelloweye and a Ronquil (whose baleful eyes remind me of the little Lemur “Mort” from the movie Madagascar) come in rapid succession.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/150-270813215113.jpeg)
As I break down my gear for the trip home a thought germinates. “The only times I’ve caught Yelloweye in Oregon was when I was halibut fishing….” I consider the glow of the clouds and the remaining greenling in my footwell.
Dead reckoning my way back upwind I tie on a large circle hook rig tipped with half a greenling. 347 feet of line unspools from the reel and I daydream of how I’d celebrate sinking my hook into a monster like the one that nearly upended me on Day 2.
Day 2 August 16th, 2013
It’s been raining slow and steady since last night. The rain and cloud cover reveal a new landscape. The atmosphere appears more comfortable today. No uptight airs donned to impress the visitors. Cochrane has let her hair down and without the gaudy yellows and blues, her true beauty shines thru.
A half dozen varieties of berries sparkle against endless hues of green. Salmon Berry, Raspberry, Blueberries, Low Bush Cranberries by the handful. Rivulets of water become creeks and creeks have become rivers. Salmon crowd every trickle coming from the steep hills.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/150-270813215258.jpeg)
The contour maps show a 200 foot pinnacle just off one of the islands that defines Paulson Bay. Finding it without sonar proves to be a challenge so I work the rip lines of an outgoing tide. Akfishergal plays with a mixed bag of hungry cod in the shallows while I ply the depths with an iron maiden and live greenling. I know that something is going on below by how the baitfish startles and struggles but there’s no bite.
Slack tide finds me turned around, searching for a snack when the whole kayak rotates up on the opposite edge from where I’m perched. “Holy Shit!” I look at the rod and it’s buried to the second eyelet….and then it bounces back. Heart racing and full of optimism I check what remains of my bait. The recently lively greenling is now shredded and torn. “How could two 8/0 hooks possibly miss their mark after that?”
In the mean time, Carlos Danger has ridden the incoming tide to the head of the bay. Akfishergal feels the weight of unanswered calls on the VHF and we head south for a better signal. On the journey I’m sidetracked by a mamma otter and her pup. By the time I leave them, Mr Akfishergal is rounding the next bend and coming into view.
(http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/gallery/150-270813033602-4346894.jpeg)
Sometime later:
My cabin mates have proved themselves excellent company. Though we’re stuck inside for the evening and the bears have found “the good beer”, the atmosphere is light and accommodating. Akgal makes a wonderful spaghetti dinner, served with tossed salad and a choice of Merlot or Shiraz but Carlos humorously notes the lack of garlic bread. This becomes the running joke of our generously provisioned trip.
Day 4 August 18th, 2013 (8:45 PM)
Tap….tap tap. I know better than to set a circle hook. I’m not expecting much but follow the protocol, just in case. Freespool for what seems like an eternity and then engage the reel. Slack slowly tightens. I can feel something moving well before my rod loads up. Full of hope but expecting another yellow eye I force the hand by slowly raising my rod tip. Before I can adjust, my broomstick of a jigging rod is doubled over and line is leaving the reel in long slow gallops. HALIBUT!
Once I turn the fish around it’s a slow winch to the surface. At 100 feet, my prey heads back for the bottom but only makes it a couple of yards. “Thank god!” I say aloud.
Progress is made 3 to 5 feet at a time. Grueling pump and reel fishing. When my catch comes to color I can see that it’s BIG… but what’s with the 3 tails?!?!? What the?!?! Just then, a 50+ pound male skate breaks the surface. I take some video and pull the beast upside down into my lap. There’s no way I’m getting the hook out without reaching into its mouth so I cut the leader short and send the oversized ray on his way.
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Arms outstretched, eyes on the horizon I vent my disappointment to the darkening sky: "ARE YOU F’ing SERIOUS?!?!? IS THIS REALLY HOW IT ENDS?!?!? ”
Day 3 August 17th, 2013
Today we’re heading 4 miles north to the mouth of Cochrane Bay. A place called Surprise Cove. It’s rained for 36 hours straight and the Bay is radiant in its gloom. Our first stop is the small estuary near the cabin for bait.
My 1st cast to the swelling creek mouth results in a perfect bait-sized pink. 2nd cast yields in a powerful Chum that runs circles around me. 3rd cast is another pink salmon, too large for bait. 4th cast is a miss and the 5th results in my second bait. All fair hooked. A good day of fishing so far and it hasn’t even begun.
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Nature throws a nasty chop and 10MPH headwind at us for the journey. We celebrate our arrival with a hard won lunch followed by fresh berries from the bountiful forest floor. While we eat, the wind dies and patchy openings in the clouds allow the sun to peak thru.
Back on the water, Akfishergal marks holding silvers on her fish finder and sets out trolling. I bait up with salmon strips soaked in crushed eggs and search the ledges and humps of the headland. After too many hours and too many sculpin, Carlos Danger joins us and I follow him thru a gap in the islands.
Beyond the drab rock walls that form the outer cove lies the surprise. A sheltered anchorage surrounded by a Sesshu Toyo landscape. Bonsai trees reaching out from jagged rock, patches of short sedge breaking up the staccato placement of acute limbs and fractal seaweed visible 20 feet below the waters surface.
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I explore the bay trailing a copcar coyote spoon. A cod here, a greenling there but who really cares in a place like this. The real prize is the acid view so palpable that you feel it as much as see it.
At the back of the bay I hover next to the outflow of one of the 4 creeks. Upon landing a caricature of a male humpy I put away the fishing rod and search the depths with my camera to see if this place is as perfect under water as it is above. I wade the fast water, reaching to probe a foam covered eddy. When I turn around, I find my companions watching my curious behavior from a few yards away.
Hours have played themselves out and it’s time to head back. I dawdle and fall behind trying to draw in as many details as I can process.
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When I finally reach the cabin my soul is so full that I park my kayak and swim out to a rope that hangs from a small tree. Floating quietly in the tranquility of Paulson Bay, I digest all the majesty of the last 3 days and consider my options for the last fishing day of the trip.
Day 4 August 18th, 2013 (9:09 PM)
I can’t end this trip on an anticlimactic note. The VHF has long since died and the water has turned dark. I know that my traveling companions will be worried but Damn It, I can’t let it end this way.
My final circle hook is tied on and baited with the remaining greenling. I pedal to a spot defined purely by intuition and make the drop. Exactly 350’ of line pay out into the inky depths. Seeing that the wind has taken me up an incline, I turn around and pedal back to the depths. The slow throb of my weight dragging is interrupted suddenly by a sharp twitch.
Freespooling, I count to 5 and engage the reel. BAM! As soon as the reel engages, my rod tip is underwater and 100 feet of line fly off the spool. “Am I going to be able to land this fish in the dark?” I ask myself. “Take a breath and relax man” I say aloud.
The next 10 minutes see me gain back 100 feet only to lose 50. 5 minutes later I have this fish 100 feet off the bottom until he decides that I shouldn’t. “This is no skate. Take a breath and relax. You’ve got this”
Over the next 10 minutes it’s 20 feet up and 5 feet back until I see the wide open mouth of a big halibut break the surface. My heart’s pumping as the furious fish erupts on the surface and makes a mad dash back to the depths. Twice more to the surface before I’m ready to employ the shark hook.
A bad swipe at the mouth nearly severs my leader. Lesson learned. The next time to the surface the monster flares its gills and I manage to slip the hook completely thru to the opposite gill plate. Chaos ensues and my angry prey struggles to pull me from my kayak but only manages to tear out its own gills. Finally, the shark hook finds belly and my reluctant prize is in hand.
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After hog tying the fruit of my perseverance with a length of tuna chord I search for a place to stow it but find no area big enough on the outback to secure a 52” long 70lb slab of meat. The slog back home is long and slow but the difficulty is its own reward.
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Back at the cabin, Akgal and Carlos receive me with a hero’s welcome. The dream has been realized and is that much more special for the effort required to achieve it.
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Thank you Pam and Dave for sharing this adventure with me and thank you Rudy for providing me with a ride for the adventure. You are the spirit of Alaska personified.
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-Spot-
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Wow! that was awesome! makes me want to leave tonight and go live in Alaska! amazing report!
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WOW! what an epic adventure...I felt like I was there! Congratulations and thanks for sharing your amazing experience.
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Outstanding journalism and adventure - thanks!
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Great report, and awesome halibut.
I'm going to say it.......... >:D
"Spot in a Hobie?"
Didn't see that coming. :o
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Great report, and awesome halibut.
I'm going to say it.......... >:D
"Spot in a Hobie?"
Didn't see that coming. :o
I was just going to say we finally found what it takes to get him on a Hobie, but you beat me to it.
Excellent write-up Spot. It was a great read. Thanks.
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That was a great story Mark! Congrats on the 'But and the adventure!
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Great report, and awesome halibut.
I'm going to say it.......... >:D
"Spot in a Hobie?"
Didn't see that coming. :o
Nothing to see here.... Just move along..... ;)
I'd have made this trip on an old pallet floated by empty bleach bottles if I had to. Luckily, I wound up in a luxury, hands-free ride instead. Nuthin wrong with Hobies. The mirage drive is some damn fine engineering. Knowing how to use a paddle still came in handy at times though.
Oh yeah, and thanks for the kudos guys. It was my pleasure re-living it for you!
-Spot-
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I want to be Mark when I grow up. That was one of the best write ups I've ever read. Each picture was better than the last. I am ecstatic that you found your monster Hali and sampled the raw beauty that any angler could only hope to one day experience.
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Epic.
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Damn Mark ....
You are going to make this week even longer! I fly north on Saturday and you have me all gitty in anticipation.
Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.
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Absolutely amazing - thanks for sharing!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
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Wow!!!! Biggest halibut off either of my kayaks! EPIC!!! Anyone who can come close to that kind of report can borrow our kayaks anytime!
Glad you got the kayak nicely bloodied! Hope I can join you up here on another adventure!!!!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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Awesome report and writing Mark. Great job
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Great report and write up. Nice job on the halibut cause they can be tricky to land and can shake the hook on the way up sometimes. I wish I didn't have to go 7 miles to get to my halibut honey hole here in Trinidad. I got a 49"er last week. Hopefully I can break the 50" mark later this week. Its amazing how a few inches is 20 more lbs. 55" is my goal
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Awesome trip and report. I'd be happy just to catch that chum! Did the bears actually drink the beers?
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Wonderful write up, pictures and a really memorable trip. My bucket list just got longer. Art
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Well done, sir! Well done indeed! :headbang:
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Great report and awesome pictures.
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Alaska is an awesome place and you captured it in this great report. Thanks!
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Spot - thanks for sharing yourself and your trip. I believe you have raised the bar for fishing reports higher than we mere mortals will ever be able to reach. That halibut is certainly worthy of "picture of the month"
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My only wish is that I was there instead of working.
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A fitting end to a great adventure and a geat write up. Well done Mark.
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On the first day on the water Spot candidly admitted, "I've got a problem". He went on to explain that he didn't know when to stop fishing. And so when the light was dimming after 9 on that Sunday, I started making supper without waiting for his return. I figured a hot meal would be welcome after 12 hours out. We weren't worried about him. We knew he had a problem calling it a day on fishing. I was stirring the chili when we spotted Mark entering Paulson Bay. Traveling very, very slowly. I thought he'd just run out of gas.
He called up to us that he'd gotten his halibut. We were thrilled -- not even knowing the magnificence of the fish involved. It was exciting to know that he'd finally gotten his elusive halibut. That made the trip a success, rather than merely an excellent time outdoors.
Spot's amazing tale was followed with fish cleaning: filleting by headlamp and lantern, on a tiny sliver of gravel that was disappearing under high tide. I'll attach a picture of that -- it's one of my favorites from the trip.
I knew your report would be worth the wait, Spot. Very well done. You really captured the spirit of the trip. It's always interesting to see what kind of impression is made on someone sampling wild Alaska for the first time. Something tells me it won't be your last. So glad we were able to demonstrate what Alaskan hospitality is.
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THAT was a delight. :-)
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Woohoo!!! Check that one off the list. And put it right back on it. You'll never be the same. Alaska does that to you.
-Allen
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Wow. That was an awesome write-up with great pictures to boot - fantastic! I like the non-linear storytelling - not easy to do well, and you did great.
Thinking back I can't believe how long it's been since I've been to Alaska... this makes me want to go back really badly.
Simply amazing. Thank you for taking the time and effort to record your thoughts and share them with us!
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Your best yet. Well done.
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Story well told Spot. That's was a great read, and man...look at all that meat! Well done and congratulations!
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Very nice report Spot. I'm extremely jealous.
However, I'm a little disappointed with the title. I was hoping for a sleestak sighting or two.
Brian
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SPOT! SPOT! SPOT! SPOT!
Congratulations on your victory. All the more dramatic that it came at the 11th hour. And what a beast! I loved the whole report. You gots some serious writin' chops man. Awesome that you could meet up with akfihshergal and spouse. Great stufff!
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WoW! Great write-up! Makes me want to move there...
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Let's go to the judges' scorecard.
10
10
10
10
A perfect trip and a flawless and exciting write up!
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Spot? A slightly redacted version for your next nwsmag column?
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Wish I could have been there! But your story was great and at least let me know what I missed. Like a hog of a halibut!
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BTW. That's not a Pollack. Looks like maybe a Ronquil to me. I caught one out of Ketchikan in 2006 and bsteves ID'd it for me. Brian, what say you on Spot's "pollack"?
-Allen
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Spot, what more needs to be said then AWESOME!
Great story, great pics, great scenery..Congrats on a great halibut Mark!
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Thanks guys! I'm glad y'all enjoyed tagging along. ;D
C_Run - Yes, a bear really drank our beer, but only the good Scottish Ale (I'll post a pic of the aftermath later if I remember)
Allen - Thanks for the correction on the Ronquil. I didn't check Alaska off my bucket list, just Cochrane Bay. I'm still curious about Seward, SE and Kodiak. :)
WR - I don't see this making NWS but you may see a version in one of the more kayak fishing specific mags.
-Spot-
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Dang! Can Mark tell a story or what.... thoroughly enjoyed that
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C_Run - Yes, a bear really drank our beer, but only the good Scottish Ale (I'll post a pic of the aftermath later if I remember)
Reminds me of the story of the infamous Baker Lake Ranier Bear. He pilfered coolers and shotgunned 36 cans of Ranier beer. Sampled only one Busch and determined he much preferred the Ranier. They found him passed out.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2004-08-18-beer-bear_x.htm
Wouldn't like to be that guy the next day
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Discerning Bears agree.
Skilak Scottish - Kenai River Brewing Co.
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I used to be pretty good at that in high school :D
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Damn bruins. First they go around scaring us. Now they are stealing our beer!
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Nice. That halibut is awesome! Sounds like a great trip.
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Congratulations on a great sounding trip Mark
Epic adventures await all who travel to Alaska. Yours was a prime example. Well done sir.
Would any NWKA'ers be interested in making a trip similar to this an annual event ? There are so many options---Kodiak with it's close in water teeming with fish--South East Alaska with so many islands and bays waiting to be explored--and there's Prince William Sound and the vast area available to find the fish of your dreams.
I certainly would like to make more fishing in Alaska a reality. My 7 years there was just not enough. There is so much water to explore in such beautiful country that I feel all anglers need to add Alaska to their "bucket list".
I don't know how to start a poll on here so I'll just throw out the question---who wants to go to Alaska ?
Again-great report Mark
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Mark, my bride and I were just talking about making an RV and Kayak trip to Alaska next summer, we've both lived up there in the service but the salt fishing was always out of military fish camps at Valdez and Seward. Other than that it was grayling around Fairbanks. We're getting a little old for a long trip but next year will work good and I'd like to set up something in any of the waters you mentioned. Art
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Hey was it this bear?
http://www.adn.com/2013/09/24/3092292/video-bear-briefly-walks-into.html (http://www.adn.com/2013/09/24/3092292/video-bear-briefly-walks-into.html)
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Mark, that was a phenomenal fishing report. Thank you so much - I could FEEL alaska in your writing.
I absolutely need to do that experience -- I'd be concerned I may never "return" from a trip like that.
Thanks, Thanks Alot!
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Congratulations on a great sounding trip Mark
Epic adventures await all who travel to Alaska. Yours was a prime example. Well done sir.
Would any NWKA'ers be interested in making a trip similar to this an annual event ? There are so many options---Kodiak with it's close in water teeming with fish--South East Alaska with so many islands and bays waiting to be explored--and there's Prince William Sound and the vast area available to find the fish of your dreams.
I certainly would like to make more fishing in Alaska a reality. My 7 years there was just not enough. There is so much water to explore in such beautiful country that I feel all anglers need to add Alaska to their "bucket list".
I don't know how to start a poll on here so I'll just throw out the question---who wants to go to Alaska ?
Again-great report Mark
I would think going back to Alaska every year would get boring..... Hmmm
Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.
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Just read this beauty again.....come on fishing season !
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Wow! This was a blast from the past. Perfect reading for a cold winter's day.
-Mark-
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I agree, great writing for motivating dreams of next year and what is possible.
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What an excellent read. Again.
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Thank you for rekindling this story; the stuff dreams are made of...
:happy1:
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Yup.. great read. I gotta get up there someday.
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What a great trip congrats on the sweet halibut thanks for sharing 👍