Seward Silver Salmon Derby- Final day

Sunday August 21, 2011

On Saturday I had a board meeting which went very well and ended at 1:30 pm.  So I run home get ready, pick up supplies and I am ready to go.

Too bad there was a head on collision with one fatality and several hurt at mile 84 at 4:20pm. I think that's between Whittier and Girdwood.  Well it must have just happened as people start turning around and I see emergency vehicles.  ARGH!  Well probably a lot less "ARGH" than the casualties and their family. Thoughts and prayers to the families involved.

People ask me what the most dangerous thing about kayaking is.  I say "Driving."

So I take a nap and head out at about 1am.  Wow..it's dark!  Impressive enough I took a pic!  lol.  Maybe you have to live in Alaska to appreciate it....




Get their earlier than I thought so took another hour nap and hit the beach at 6am.

I saw pinks jumping which gave me hope.  I also saw a bunch of small salmon jumping or chasing my herring.  They were about 10 inches long.  I caught two of them.  If you scaled down, I bet you could limit out!

Slow Slow Slow!  I keep going back trying to replicate that one weekend and it is not to be.

The derby runs till noon so I fish silvers.  I get one by Tonsina Creek, miss one.  A little while later in the same area I pick up a pink and miss another Silver I had on for a minute or so.  Noon comes and go and so the derby is over.




Switched over to Halibut.  Okay Mark, you busted me.  I was envious of dudeman enough that I had to try and catch a halibut!  lol.  Besides cohos are just halibut bait! My 15 pounder was a blast.  I can't imagine one in the 50 pound class. 

Tried Herring first but kept pulling up one cod after the other.  I did have one small halibut on  briefly.  You know immediately that it is not a cod.  So arms got tired of dredging up cod so I lopped the pinks head and sent it down.  A few solid whacks but nothing would take it completely.

On the way in, I hit one more silver.  So 3 for 5 (one pink though) on the salmon and 0 for 1 on Halibut.

Oh yeah!  I forgot the highlight of the day!!!!!  a 13.5 inch flounder that worth points toward the AOTY tournament!  I had bigger ones but I was tossing them back.  I kept this one for bait and then later realized I was throwing away points no matter how few!

Nice try Rudy. It sounds like you gave em hell. At least you landed the silver, pink and flounder. How were you targeting the salmon?

Thanks Jammer.  I fished last weekend, plus wedensday and Sunday.  Tally was I think 10 silvers for 4 days.  Pretty tough fishing when the week or two before the derby I had some great days.

Mainly I troll a fish flash flasher and either whole or cut plug herring depending on the quality of the herring.  Softer one I keep whole, firmer herring I cut plug.

Yesterday I was using 8 oz of lead, though it varies from 2 upto 8 or use a diver like the pink lady or dipsy divers.