July Alaskan Adventure

This year, I gotta get in on a good trip or two out to the big fish. I've had 2 summers of wanting to get a halibut in my kayak, but not really fishing the right water at the right time. I'd be up to join in on someone's adventure...I'm a hell of a storyteller...  :-)

Decent halibut fishing starts in May. Though they tend to be smaller, I've seen enough larger fish pulled up that it's definitely possible. Let's do it!  Bigger fish are more available later in the year but it's still hit and miss.  I think the average retained sport caught halibut size including charters is only about 15lbs.  So even with big power boats, especially these days where average size at a given year class is significantly reduced, anything over 50 pounds is a gem, and 100lbs is almost the new trophy level instead of the 250 which is currently the state threshold.  The good news is that fillets run roughly between 50 and 60% recovery so even a single  20 pounder yields ten pounds of fillets which at retail is something like $150!!!   The other beauty of fishing them in May is we catch them incidentally to the kings. Bonus!!!

Anyone up for something out on Hitchenbrook Island or Montague?

Water taxi here we come.

Anyone up for something out on Hitchenbrook Island or Montague?

Water taxi here we come.

Me me me me me me me. 

Can I come!!  Me me me me....

Just got to work out the dates!!!!

Shelter Bay?

Shelter Bay?
[/quote

I'm going to check on the cabin. .. If it's open,  then yes

Ling season opens July 1st.

Cabin is available for any dates right now.  I can go between July 4th and 15th. .  If we get some commitments I'll book the cabin.

I'll post more details once my Internet gets back up.

Cut/paste from the other thread, so this info is preserved here in this thread.

An easy paddle from Shelter are large lings and small halibut.  We caught a number of 40+ inch lings and countless chicken butts to about 20# when we were there.  We also caught silvers and there were a ton of pinks in the area.  There are tidal rapids from the cabin in the bay to the ocean, fun to ride when the tide is going out, a bitch to walk up when the tide is going out.  We had bear and deer within sight of the cabin.  We caught the salmon shark by Deer Cove, just 2-3 miles to the west.

Because of those tidal rapids, if you can, choose a time with the beginning of the outgo just before sunup, so you can ride the tide out, then fish through the outgo and the incoming and come back into the bay before it turns to the outgo again.

One of the reasons we chose this cabin when we did that trip is because it is still on the "inside" and not as exposed as the cabins on the outside of the islands.  In talking to the local Valdez charter cabins, they don't fish this area as much.  It's an open crossing to get here.  If the weather allows them to get this far, they just head to the outside.  It's also in the lee of the islands for the normal winds.  It could be blowing, but because you are in the lee, the fishing grounds stay relatively calm.

Smaller jigs worked better for the chicken butts, as did herring.  The larger Kalin's I like to use for butts didn't produce as much, probably because the butts are smaller.  Live bait (greenlings on the reef just outside the bay) worked well for the lings, as did herring, and irons.

The silvers were voracious at times, taking jigs on the drop to the bottomfish.  Pinks everywhere including inside Shelter Bay.  The ones inside were fun on the fly rod in the evenings after fishing outside all day.  Sometimes you shared the flats with feeding bear so keep an eye out.

-Allen

I'd go for a portion of that time (5-7 days), and suspect my better half would be interested too.  For us, the earlier part of July is better. You'll know well in advance of the date past which cancelling the reservation will incur a cost whether the folks who commit are truly in or not. The question is -- what boat of your vast flotilla would you take? 

FYI, last I heard (and this could be very outdated) is that Kimberlains in Valdez had the four Prowler 13's we used on the salmon shark trip.  They are also a water taxi service.  So if guys are coming in from out of state and need a kayak, I'd check with them regarding water taxi and kayak rental.

-Allen

Can we get an idea of cost? if its a few hundred I am very interested. if its gonna be a few thousand that will be a different story. For me to be able to make it, it would have to be June or August. July is pretty full up. I will be in Whittier/Kenai are the 14th-the 18th though if anyone wants link up for a day on the water.

That all depends on how many go.

We'll have to pay for the following:
Cabin ($35 per night)
Water taxi ($2-$3k per 6 PAC round trip)
Food/water (individual)
& other individual expenses (I.e. getting to Valdez, lodging, fishing license, gear, bait, etc)

It would be cheapest if we got either 6 or 12 people to go.  The cabin is only rated for 6, so some tents will be required if more go.  Some additional coordination will be necessary once we get some firm commitments.

It would be cheapest if we got either 6 or 12 people to go.  The cabin is only rated for 6, so some tents will be required if more go.  Some additional coordination will be necessary once we get some firm commitments.

Just remember, we had bears in sight of the cabin daily, maybe 1000 feet, at the small stream to the SE.  They were feeding on the pinks milling around, so were probably well fed.  Still, they can be curious ...

-Allen

That's why we are inviting out of staters.....haven't you ever heard of bait?

But yeah, they can be a concern, especially since you can't just kill one with a hunting license until October.  I don't want to fool with the DLP paperwork

I have a couple of nice canvas tents I can bring if needed.