July Alaskan Adventure

Alright folks, it's time to start brainstorming and planning for some summer adventures.  Especially if you want a forest service cabin.

Any ideas on where to go? Dreams? Suggestions?

I'd like to go somewhere far away with some big fish...PWS, the gulf of Alaska, or southeast?

Shout out some ideas

Not that I can go this year anyway, but for my future reference for when I have the time and the money for such a trip, I'd be interested in places that are reasonably accessable for not only catching but also keeping those big fish.  I know the trip Bill's taken a couple/three times up there where he got some monsterous lings, halibut, and so on were mostly C&R because there was no way to keep fillets cold enough for the amount of time it would take to get them to a processor for freezing.  If I'm going to make a trip like that I would want it to be a freezer filler.

because there was no way to keep fillets cold enough for the amount of time it would take to get them to a processor for freezing.  If I'm going to make a trip like that I would want it to be a freezer filler.

Not necessarily true, although it can be a bit of a hassle.  Take a good cooler, layer of dry ice, layer of regular ice.  That ice should last a week.  Keep it tight shut and in the shade the first couple of days, then start keeping fish later in the trip.

-Allen

Depending on the mode of transportation,  you could potentially take a portable freezer (arb or engel) with solar panels or a small generator. If you did that you could even take a food saver too. 

Nice cooler and dry ice with ice blocks would be easier though.

Not sure what your budget would be,  but if you come along on a trip like spot did...you'd be surprised at how inexpensive the trip could be.  With proper planning,  the most expensive part could be a plane ticket

Not sure what your budget would be,  but if you come along on a trip like spot did...you'd be surprised at how inexpensive the trip could be.  With proper planning,  the most expensive part could be a plane ticket

Those forest service cabins are the biggest bang for you buck in terms of an Alaska Kayak Fishing Trip.

Trollers Cove out of Ketchikan in 2006 ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=133.0
Shelter Bay on Hinchenbrook Island in 2007 ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=471.0
Port Chalmers on Montague Island in 2008 ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=1522.0

-Allen

Montague Island!!!!!  Let's go big!!!!  It also gives a busy body like me to possibly fly in via float plane if I can't take a week or whatever one should to explore! 

You will run into possession limits way before you run out of capacity to hold fish unless you luck into multiple 100 pound halibut.

I hate to tell the folks outside of Alaska, but all that "fresh" halibut and rockfish you are eating if it's from Alaska...probably a week to 2 weeks old. Fresh means "not frozen". In the old derby days, halibut would be held for as long as thirty days on ice.  For most average folks, they can't even tell the difference.

Are there kayak rentals up there?

Not sure what your budget would be,  but if you come along on a trip like spot did...you'd be surprised at how inexpensive the trip could be.  With proper planning,  the most expensive part could be a plane ticket

Right now I can afford the $$ to head out to Makah Bay twice a year.  350 miles round trip, with ferries (figure $200-250 depending on gas prices all in for the trip).  More than that starts to force tradeoffs that are not always popular.  4 kids, and a Puget Sound mortgage, does that to the budget.  Working on moving up in the company, but it's a slow process.

Bigger issue though is time.  If I had the time I could probably find the money.  I only get 2 weeks of annual vacation, but even if I had more, the demands for family trips would make it tough to get up there, at least until the 2 older kids are old enough to join in.  I did buy a tandem kayak so I can start taking the kids out on local lakes.  Hopefully they'll love it, and will want to get their own yaks in a couple years.

Are there kayak rentals up there?

Not really. Not here in Southcentral for sit on tops. Liquid adventure in Seward may have them. For anything over three days, I bet if you trusted one of us, it'd be easier to buy one and resell it after you are done. Maybe not Hobies but you can pick up the paddles ones at different locations more and more.

Less than a few days, I get the feeling that out of the half dozen Alaska contingency on this board, kayaks outnumber the people 2 or 3 to 1.  I wouldn't let a lack of kayak rentals be the deciding factor on coming up to Alaska to give it a try or not.

If you like the additional space and can deal with the extra weight and such, I'd say go for the longer one. For ocean fishing the extra length will come in handy. While you might not be navigating small creeks with it, the lakes will be fine as well as larger rivers like the Kenai. I'm not so experienced that I run a smaller kayak in river because another 4ft would be impossible to handle. It's just what I have.  None of what I do I consider technically challenging even for a newbie like me.

If you like the additional space and can deal with the extra weight and such, I'd say go for the longer one. For ocean fishing the extra length will come in handy. While you might not be navigating small creeks with it, the lakes will be fine as well as larger rivers like the Kenai. I'm not so experienced that I run a smaller kayak in river because another 4ft would be impossible to handle. It's just what I have.  None of what I do I consider technically challenging even for a newbie like me.

Oops...wrong thread. Happens when I try to multitask... 

Mouth of Glacier Bay for a new kayak record Halibut!
Prince of Whales Island for Salmon, Lingcod and Halibut
Kodiak Island for Salmon and Halibut

You seeing a trend here?   

-Spot-

Mouth of Glacier Bay for a new kayak record Halibut!
Prince of Whales Island for Salmon, Lingcod and Halibut
Kodiak Island for Salmon and Halibut

You seeing a trend here?   

-Spot-

You know where I'm trying to get to!!!  Maybe it will happen this year.

-Allen

You know where I'm trying to get to!!!  Maybe it will happen this year.

-Allen

Let me know if there's anything I can do to facilitate!   

-Spot-

You know where I'm trying to get to!!!  Maybe it will happen this year.

-Allen

Let me know if there's anything I can do to facilitate!   

-Spot-

Me three! This year it would have been tough to get where I think you want to go.  The ferry schedules were all screwed up.  Keep an eye out for another post soon about an Alaska opportunity....thinking May 17-18 or the following weekend which is memorial day weekend.