Whiskey Gulch 8-10th....open invite

AKRider, You can get a game clip here...http://www.austinkayak.com/products/4139/Big-Game-Fish-Clip-Stringer.html

i, and my youtube view history, are going to have to wholeheartedly disagree with you on this statement -
"as cool as a bent rod screaming drag is, you can only watch it so long before its just a bent rod making noise."

hmmm......

I will have to reconsider my statement.  As you know, I put a few videos up of my fish.  Almost always, I cut out a big section of the fight.  I know I can watch longer videos but looking at my data, two minutes is about the max attention span for videos. 

People ask all the time, why I use the annoying clicker on my reels.  First it avoids backlashes as I drop my gear.  A backlash with braid a mile offshore can be the end of the day.  But mainly its so my sealed gopro can hear when I am reeling and when the drag gets pulled.  SO I guess I , like you, love the sound of peeling drag.  Hmm....yup.  Need to reconsider the shots.   Thanks for that input!

And AKRider, the game clips work great.  They are going to be pretty useful during the sockeye slam fest as well.  You notice I taped the end of mine to cover up the Sharp pointy end.  I had nightmares of clipping a fish, having it surge forward (the only way it can) and impaling me through the eye or something.  After killing as many fish as I have during the course of my years, I think its not out of the question to think one fish could try and even things up.  Why hand an enemy a gun?  I'm already scared enough with a halibut that hooks in it thrashing around!  haha.

Ok.  Hit the road at 11pm.  Got to Whiskey Guch at 2:30am.  Slept till 4:30am in the car. 

Weather was great in the morning.  Bait and great marks everywhere but I had committed to fishing halibut since the annual limit in the area is 2 and I have the Anchor Point derby next weekend.  Then of course as the tide turned, not only did the weather get bad but the fish disappeared too. 

Got the halibut in the first hour. Maybe 15 pounds if I stuff a few cannon balls in it.  Still fresh halibut!   After that I set one personal best after another on Irish Lords.  They were HUGE.  Dang, no pics. 

So the fish are there.  Mike who was with us got two halibut and a king last weekend.  Another person did the same and I think ErickBlim got a king and butt too last week.  Today, it was just one halibut.  So still hit and miss but it seems like if you put in the time, you have a chance.  Only gets better from here!

Here's the vid. 

I'm getting lazy posting recent events...this catch is from 5/2-5/3. Caught bunch of Irish lords, 4 halibut (tossed one back) and one king... 40ft to 60ft slow trolling. I got proxy so supposedly I can keep three more kings if I'm lucky enough.

Nice!  Good thing it was over two days.  Can't proxy halibut, for those who are thinking about it.  But the kings are definitely worth it.  Great job man!

Wife and I fished two tides Monday night high and tues. high tide, at Whiskey. Only anchored 200 yards from shore in 15 ft ish of water. Was using small jigs with hooligan as bait. Only picked up one hailbut on tuesday. Caught a bunch of pollock during high slack on Tuesday, some even came up to the surface. Haven't caught that many at whiskey before. Weird start to the season so far. Good luck and I hope Nick catches some more fish.

AKRider, You can get a game clip here...http://www.austinkayak.com/products/4139/Big-Game-Fish-Clip-Stringer.html

Thanks Mark - got one coming ! 

Has anyone in Alaska had issues with seals/sea lions/other sealife coming up to take your fish that you're dangling on the side of your yak? 

In Washington I've had it before, and it scared the living hell out of me.  This sea lion got real close, and then backed away...since then I've just thrown fish in the front compartment of my outback.  But I can see that can get tricky with large fish like halibut.

Has anyone in Alaska had issues with seals/sea lions/other sealife coming up to take your fish that you're dangling on the side of your yak? 

In Washington I've had it before, and it scared the living hell out of me.  This sea lion got real close, and then backed away...since then I've just thrown fish in the front compartment of my outback.  But I can see that can get tricky with large fish like halibut.

 I had 3 sea lions scare the hell out of me just below Beaver Ck. hole on the Kenai before. No kings that day...

Not yet.  I have had orcas within 100 yards.  Sea Lions that followed and barked but never came too close.  The scariest so far was just a regular seal that came zooming under my kayak at full speed.  If a Sea lion gets close though, its getting harpooned.  Self defense.

I will admit that while towing a few of my halibut while its calming down on the end of the buoy line, I have secretly hoped a huge orca or sea lion would come and try to take it.  So at this point and time, I look at encounters as you described as opportunities and not fears...yet.....

I have done enough research on sea lion mortality to begin to have a little fear of kayak angling at night on the saltwater.  Sleeper Sharks of all things might be an issue at night according to recovered sea lion tags.  I trust Orcas and Whales to do the right thing and leave me alone.  Sea Lions and big sharks...not so much.

I trust Orcas and Whales to do the right thing and leave me alone.  Sea Lions and big sharks...not so much.

I really like your optimism.