Report Homer trip: Nov 7-9

Ok.  Once again listening to elevator music waiting for a conference call. 

So.  I have to be on a flight at 5am Monday.  Argh.  Hate traveling.  Hate it hate it hate it.  Did I mention I hate traveling?

So weather looks decent those days as of now.


The problem is the tides are wrong for the end of the spit.  Well not to my liking.  Low tide is at 8:50am building to a high of 3pm.  When the tide is rising in this spot, the water can get muddied up.  It seems to draw in bait on the edges but I never do as well on the incoming as I do the outgoing tide. 

One solution is to fish the green buoy area.  It's a mile out.  Another location I am considering is launching off of Bishops beach and traveling about 2 miles to the Main St hole.  I posted that spot in another thread.  I'll look for it.

Well we will see it.

Glad to see a few folks still looking to get out. 

If we overlap in Homer, it would be later Sunday.  We've got Sunday - Tuesday on the calendar for this road trip, weather depending. Fingers crossed!

I am looking at 11/11-11/12. I going regardless of the weather this time.

I am officially convinced that Rudy has the sickness called fish fever.  I don't know if I've met anybody that fishes more all year than him.  I mean...I like fishing, but I'm burned out after the race to fill the freezer in the summer

I am officially convinced that Rudy has the sickness called fish fever.  I don't know if I've met anybody that fishes more all year than him.  I mean...I like fishing, but I'm burned out after the race to fill the freezer in the summer

Dang it...got called out.  That's three times this week.  I do have a disease.  But I am not sure its as simple as fishing.  For example, I am in Houston all next week.  Not for one second did I think to stay an extra day or two and fish down there.  Got my tickets so I at least got the chance to fish on the weekend I get back.  So for whatever reason, I am addicted to fishing in Alaska.

My freezers are fairly full but could use a few more kings.  I don't have all that beautiful red meat like you do from your hunts.  It really is a love hate thing.  So many times on the water I keep asking why I do this so often.   But when i am sitting at home, it just KILLS me not to go fishing or think about fishing. 

FISH FISH FISH!  I sportfish (duh), paid for school and my current bills ( I sell fuel to commercial fisherman) thanks to commercial fishing.  bred tropical fish for beer money in college.  My tiny studio apartment was covered in mold no thanks to about 1,000 gallons of tanks I had in it. 

Thank god its fishing.  had it been any other "addiction" especially things like drugs and alcohol, I would have been dead 30 years ago!!!!

Ok...forecast not pretty but I think I am headed down Saturday!!  Who knows...now that I am officially accepting my addiction...maybe I will take Friday off too!  I have an unused floating holiday!!!

Sweet. I am in as well.  What time do you plan on launching on saturday?

Timing is a bit uncertain. The only saving grace if you can call it that is there not much flexibility due to daylight.

The tides are the worst from a theoretical point of view. But it just might be me and my timing.

Marine forecast is marginal but will be do-able around the spit.

After getting everyone excited, my guess is it will be a grind this weekend. 

So this is sort of a "duh" but first light is always good. But if you aren't on the water first thing, I don't think it's critical to be out early. My guess is best fishing will be between 8am and 9 am and from 3pm to dark.  But it's a guess and its nature.

That's a super long winded way to say if I can make 8am launch I will. But if I miss that window, I'm in no hurry. I typically can fish about 5 hours straight without a break lately. So noon to 5 pm works.

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So the tentative plan is to head down early.  Even though it's not my preferred time, the old adage, the only adage that's true in fishing is that the "fish are in the water."  If bait's not down, no chance.

So I am going to try and hit it early.  Maybe I get lucky and get off the water early though with a proxy, 4 fish would be awesome.  I'm always happy with one good one. 

The weather is going to be no fun.  Not so much the waves if it stays from the east, but the wind and rain. 

If you launch as the tide is coming in, know the water around the condos can be muddy.  Guides will say that pushes the fish out.  I have found that bait and smaller fish concentrate right around the edges.  This is sediment being kicked up from the bottom so its not like the freshwater mixing zone where it clears up a few feet down I don't think. 

As always, I will try out in front of the condo (NOT the hotel...too many pollock) .  But if the water is too muddy, I may try out by the can though the weather may keep us close to shore.  However, if you just don't hit anything, there is always bait and TONS of pollock out by the hotel and directly south of the point.  If you can stay on the edges of the pollock, the kings will be in there feeding as well.  It will provide at least some action if you are just plain bored.   

I'm going to run a Silver Horde Coho Killer spoon behind a metal flasher/dodger.  If I don't hit too many pollock or small kings I wills tick with it.  If the smaller fish or pollock are a problem, I may run larger green label herring. 

I'll try and get more intel, but generally the fish seem to be found in 20 to 60ft of water.  Shallow enough I will likely be running a 12 to 16oz sinker versus the planers. 

It has slowed WAY down for the guides the past week or so.  That's actually good news for us.  It typically means the fish and bait are on the move.  When that happens, they can often be found near the spit which seems to be a transition zone between the bluffs and fish on the seldovia side.

Just got a text from a Driftwood charters. 16 to the boat yesterday from Main st to the condos.  Timing is still off but the fish are transitions through the area. So that's good. I'd say I have expectations to at least hook a couple.

Black ice in pass. Be careful!!!!!!!!

You are a diehard fisherman Kardinal.  I will patiently wait for your report when you get back.  Stay safe.

Thx Qkayak!

Three...avg ten pounds. Started at 9am caught all three between 3:30 and 4:30pm. Will post video and full report in the morning.

Well you know its prime time for winter kings so I gotta keep trying.  Left the house at 4am after checking road conditions.  Whittier Junction to Seward Junction was Yellow (caution).  Caution?  I don’t think so.  That road should have been closed.  Right after the restrooms after the first climb, the road was black ice.  I knew it was slick so I was only going about 35mph.  I decide to check the road, tap the breaks…the car speeds up.  WHAT?  That’s not good.  Hit the breaks again and with anti lock breaks, it didn’t even remotely slow down.  I fishtailed down the road for what felt like an eternity.  How I stayed on the road, I have no idea.

Ok, the fishing.  Get there an hour late around 9am.  I immediately get a few good strikes but can’t connect.  Then over the course of 5 hours, I go 0’fer 2 on real kings.  I manage 4 or 5 jacks and a couple of pollock.  Spoke with Shane of Driftwood charters and it was slow for them too. I am ready to call it a day at 2pm.

Tide changes at 3pm and Shane from Driftwood Charters says “NEVER leave as the tide is changing!”. So I take a quick break and back on the water at 3pm.  From 3:30 to 4:30pm, I had 6 or 7 solid takedowns and managed to go 3 for 3 of the ones I hooked.  I had strikes on hoochies, but all three were caught on the SilverHorde Coho Killer spoon behind a dodger.  I didn’t use bait, but I would consider carrying some.  As long as you stay away from the front of the hotel, the pollock have thinned out.  I caught maybe 4 all day.

Average size was small. 12, 8, and 6 pounds.  Still perseverance once again pays off. 

Not sure how many more times I will hit it.  Just can’t stay away if there are fish to be caught.  Usually by early December, the fish get fewer and farther between. 

Also I ran into new forum member Ericlim.  He managed a nice jack off his PA. Great job!

Oh…on Alaska Outdoor Directory, Jeff from Kodiak Combos posted a 61lbs feeder king they just caught.  Can you imagine how big that would have been in May?  I can’t wait!!!  Gotta plan!!!

Ok, so here is the video.  It was raining on and off so sorry about the water spots. 

Great job Rudy. It was nice meeting up with you....thanks again for all your help and all the info you have made available. 
I called it a day at about 2pm which obviously was a mistake.  But I did manage my first jack king off a kayak and so I am stoked about that. 
I was hoping to fish again this morning but when I checked the weather they said it was a small craft warning and so I decided to go on a hike with my family instead.  But after almost 4 months of not kayak fishing with the transition/move up here from Southern California...it definitely felt great to be on the water again.  Looking forward to meeting more of you and getting out there again soon.

Man I leave for a week and you are still killing it ! Good job! It looks like I am done kayak fishing. My dad and I are going to do some muskrat trapping out in the palmer hay flats. My dad went out today and picked up 8 muskrat. He hasn't trapped in 20 plus years and I am really glad he went out today. And to all the Vets out there, Thanks for your service!