The Great Alaska Salmon Shark Adventure

Wow, I don't even have to do a writeup.  The Anchorage Daily News captured it just fine.   

http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/9195704p-9112127c.html

-Allen

Stalking sharks

Fishermen hunt big prey from small boats in Prince William Sound

By MELISSA DeVAUGHN
mdevaughn@adn.com

Published: August 4, 2007
Last Modified: August 5, 2007 at 03:55 AM

Picture this: There's a 50-pound sit-on-top kayak, a 170-pound man and about 15 pounds of fishing tackle and gear.

That's 235 pounds of bait.

Right below, churning the water on a frantic quest for pink salmon, are salmon sharks, a relative of the mako shark that can weigh upwards of 500 pounds.

These sharks are plentiful in Southcentral Alaska waters, especially near Hinchinbrook Island, where the insane idea of catching a fish bigger than the fishing boat became reality for a small group of men on July 23.

In what would become a chaotic frenzy, Christopher Mautino, Howard McKim, Allen Bushnell and Allen Sansano each hooked a salmon shark within minutes of each other. They spent the next 90 minutes "sleighing" through the water as the sharks took them on a ride, or muscling them to the top when the sharks dove deep.

As far as the men know, it was the first time such a large fish has been caught from a kayak.

"I'm still just trying to take it all in," said Mautino, who runs a kayak-fishing business called Liquid Adventures in Seward. "It was a pretty nutty adventure. We didn't know if it would work."

The adventure began a year ago, as the men, who know each other through their affiliation with Ocean Kayak, a company that produces kayaks specifically designed for fishing, began pondering the question: Which fish are too big to be caught from a kayak?

There are marlins, which can be fought off the coast of Baja and other tropical areas. They can exceed 1,800 pounds, but as far as the men knew, nothing even close to that size had ever been caught from a kayak.

Then there's halibut, which can reach more than 300 pounds and are a species Mautino regularly targets when guiding his own clients.

But a salmon shark? They are huge, some more than 7 feet long, with bodies that are thicker around than the kayaks and menacing "Jaws"-like teeth.

As Howard McKim, owner of Ketchikan Kayak Fishing said, "That was my whole question. Will it attack a boat like a mako?"

To fortify the experimental trip, the foursome hired Pacific Mountain Guides of Valdez, which specializes in salmon shark fishing trips and knew some of the best locations to find the creatures. With their inflatable Zodiac, the guides could monitor the fishing, and help out in the event of an overturned kayak or an attack.

"My initial thought was, 'This isn't going to work, I hope we go out there and everyone gets scared and we catch halibut instead,' " Mautino said.

McKim said the captain told them salmon sharks are not aggressive, but as they motored around the backside of the island and saw the water literally boiling with shark fins and sharks jumping out of the water in pursuit of the pinks, doubts crept in.

AGGRESSIVE ANGLING

"They were all over, they were just jumping everywhere," McKim said. "The only time I was nervous was (when the) pink salmon were using my kayak for cover, and the sharks were just slamming salmon right on the surface. ... But they never charged the boat, they never tried to bite anything."

The plan was to drop all four kayaks within about a quarter mile of each other. That way they would be spread out enough to have clear fishing grounds but close enough for the Zodiac to reach them quickly if need be.

Bushnell, from Santa Cruz, Calif., and Sansano, from Seattle, were along on the trip, which McKim said is not something he'd ever consider marketing to the general public -- it's too new and too dangerous.

"It was definitely a hand-picked group," he said.

The effort would not make any record books, either, McKim said. The sport of kayak fishing is so new that there are no records for fish taken from a kayak. But because the industry is relatively small, he and Mautino said they would know if a larger fish had been caught elsewhere.

"Now's definitely the time for this sport," McKim said. "It kind of went from an underground sport, a core group of people, and started spreading. It's starting like mountain biking and surfing did; now it's catching on."

FOUR LINES, FOUR SHARKS

Once in their kayaks, the four men tossed in their lines, using $1,000 reels provided by their guides and whole pink salmon as bait.

As McKim wrote in an online entry about the experience, "At this point I got really fired up about trolling this (whole salmon) around as bait. ... They attack salmon just like great whites attack seals. A hard hit from underneath and they thrash around and jump completely out of the water.

"Quite violent and impressive to watch."

Not long after McKim settled into the boat, his line went taut and he was on a shark. Before he could even turn to let his friends know, Sansano hit one, then Bushnell. Less than a minute later, Mautino was holding tight, fighting the beast below. Within four minutes, four sharks were on four lines.

The men had never seen anything like it.

Mautino said the Pacific Mountain guides were stunned, too. Even on their charter boat, they usually allow only one shark at a time to be hooked, he said. As they watched the men in their little kayaks battle the sharks, they seemed slightly alarmed, Mautino said.

"At one point I was the only one not hooked up, and they said, 'Whatever you do, do not hook up,' " Mautino said. "But before I could respond, I had one."

Bushnell's shark took off straight for the Pacific Mountain boat, so the captain had to pull anchor. Across the water, McKim performed a careful ballet, letting out just enough line to let his shark swim deep and tire itself out, but not so much it could get away.

"It really all comes down to your drag setting," he said. "You just set the drag and let it pull hard enough. All fish get tired so you just let them run and let them run."

SHARK SLEIGH RIDE

In kayak-angling terms, it's called a "sleigh ride" -- what happens when a hooked fish swims away furiously, pulling the kayak and angler along.

It's the equivalent of catching a good wave while surfing or riding the perfect skinny singletrack while mountain biking.

And it's exactly what the four men hoped they'd experience.

For short spurts, they got it, pulled along at 2-3 mph, Mautino said. But they found the Hinchinbrook salmon sharks typically "sound," diving deep to escape.

"They did a little of both, but the captain had prepped us about their behavior," Mautino said. "That was difficult because when they sound, they rip off a lot of line and (they) surge. That's when it's unstable in the kayak because the boat is moving around."

Another challenge, Mautino said, is that kayak anglers can't assume the typical fish-fighting position.

"The sheer force and weight of the fish, you can't hold the rod up, so the rod would get pinned leaning against the rail of the kayak," he said. "You're pinned there holding it, trying to get the drag set right.

"It was too much to take in. You're excited for everybody, and you're kind of nervous at the same time."

The chaos lasted for a little more than an hour, with the four men fighting their respective salmon sharks to the surface. Occasionally McKim's shark would tire enough that he could grab it and lift its Moby Dick-like tail above the water. But it would slip away and fight some more.

Landing the creatures was equally challenging. The Pacific Mountain guides helped with a couple, but McKim said the most rewarding experience was when he and Mautino subdued the latter's shark.

"We clipped a buoy on it and had it right next to my kayak," he said. "We successfully got it up beside the boat, then released it. We couldn't get it on the kayak out there, but as far as releasing them and getting them up to the boat with two buoys, we found that it can be done."

Next on the men's agenda is a simpler trip with no motor boat support. Mautino said he would use smaller gear because it would be easier to handle from the kayaks.

McKim likes the simplicity of the kayaks, which he has long believed contribute to fishing success.

"(Kayaks) are silent; you are invisible, basically," McKim said. "In a kayak, you're always so sneaky ... I always think we look like trees or logs floating. It's just quieter."

And another writeup in the Ketchikan Daily News.

http://www.ketchikandailynews.com/premium/289512715798460.php

-Allen

ayak fishermen reel in four salmon sharks

By SCOTT BOWLEN

Daily News Staff Writer

The big sharks were flying when the fishermen arrived.

"(They were) jumping completely out of the water," said Howard McKim. "Tails splashing everywhere. ... We were just surrounded by all of them."

As McKim and three other kayak fishermen watched from the deck of a charter boat, the frenzied swarm of about 150 salmon sharks slashed through a pack of pink salmon in the otherwise glassy water near Prince William Sound's Hinchinbrook Island.

The fog-shrouded sight was surreal and a little intimidating. But they were there to fish for salmon sharks. So into the water they went.

Each of the fishermen is an experienced kayak angler.

McKim is a local guide who operates Ketchikan Kayak Fishing. Chris Mautin's Liquid Adventures company runs kayak fishing trips from Seward, and Allen Bushnell guides out of Santa Cruz, Calif. Allen Sansano works with the kayak manufacturer Ocean Kayak, which sponsored the shark fishing trip.

It was three years ago that McKim accomplished his first kayak fishing goal by landing a 183-pound halibut off Vallenar Point.

What does a kayak angler do next?

"I was thinking about what the most challenging thing in Alaska would be, actually," McKim said. "My first goal was a hundred-pound halibut, and after that was the salmon sharks."

A relative of the Great White and mako sharks, the salmon shark can reach nearly 12 feet in length and weigh up into the 700-pound range, according to the Conservation Science Institute.

A study conducted in Prince William Sound by fishery biologist Lee Hulbert indicated that most sharks there are 6 to 8 feet in length, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Prince William Sound is a hot spot for salmon sharks, especially off Hinchinbrook Island where volumes of pink salmon swim past on their way to spawning streams.

And thus Hinchinbrook was the destination on the morning of July 23 when the fishermen boarded a Pacific Mountain Guides charter boat at Valdez.

"We relied on their expertise as to where to go and how to do it," McKim said.

After more than two hours running time, they reached the fishing grounds.

"The backside (of the island) was just full of salmon," McKim said. "The sharks were just attacking them on the surface, all around us."

The anglers didn't wait around.

"We were so anxious to get in the water," McKim said. "I jumped in first, and was handed an entire pink salmon for bait."

His set-up for trolling a pink salmon behind the kayak included 100-pound braided line, 20-foot steel leaders and size 11/0 hooks.

"I dropped my salmon down and I was getting hits within two minutes," he said.

He quickly lost his first bait, perhaps to one of the many sea lions also present.

McKim baited up again and, within five minutes, got a hit that stuck.

"I got towed around pretty good for a little bit, then it dove straight for the bottom," he said.

Given that salmon sharks are kin to Great Whites and makos, McKim had been concerned that salmons might share their relatives' tendency to bite the boats that had hooked them.

But he was told that salmon sharks head for the bottom instead, and was reassured when his fish took a dive.

Even so, "I kept my feet in the kayak mostly," he said.

One of the other kayak anglers had begun paddling over to watch when he, too, got a shark on the line.

"Within 10 or 15 minutes, all four of us were hooked up," McKim said. "We were spread out fairly far... maybe yelling distance to each other. We were basically each on our own."

The key to fighting a fish of that size and power is controlling the drag on the reel, he said. The fish should be able to peel line off the reel when the angler has his hardest hold on the rod.

"You set the drag right on the reel, then it can never tip you over," McKim said.

After his shark dived, most of the fight was straight up and straight down, he said.

"It takes an incredible amount of pulling to get them to come up," he said. "It took about an hour each, which was shorter than we expected. We were thinking two- to two-and-a-half hours."

They estimated that the sharks weighed in the range of 400 to 450 pounds. They kept two and released the other two.

After bringing three of the sharks up to their kayaks, the anglers had help from the charter boat to release or bring the fish aboard.

"The fourth fish we handled just with kayaks," McKim said. "We got it up on our own, clipped a buoy to it, and then by hand, pulled up the leader, had the whole fish right next to the kayak, clipped the leader right at the hook, right at the mouth."

McKim said he took two tries to clip the leader from the exhausted but still very-much-alive shark.

"That was probably the riskiest point of the whole venture," McKim said. "But we wanted to prove that we could do everything unaided."

He added that, with kayak-style fishing, the angler really has to wear the fish out to even bring it to the boat.

The sharks that they kept were killed with a bang stick, brought aboard the charter boat and gutted immediately to preserve the meat (salmon shark is said to taste like swordfish, according to Fish and Game).

The overall experience of fishing for salmon sharks in a feeding area environment was less harrowing than McKim had expected.

"I wasn't that afraid like I thought I would be," he said. "I did have a pink salmon right next to my kayak that wouldn't leave, like using it for cover, and that's exactly what they were hitting. That's the only thing that was making me nervous."

After just three hours on the fishing grounds, the anglers headed back to Valdez, he said.

McKim said that as far as they know, their sharks are the biggest kayak-caught fish recorded in modern times.

"I'm sure some whales and things have been brought in in the past," he said. "As far as the current situation ... we think that's the record."

Talking with the Daily News early this week, McKim was asked what his next fishing goal might be.

"I don't have another goal as far as something any bigger than that," he said. "I'm not a trophy hunter."

He'd like to try kayak fishing at Kodiak, and perhaps take a trip back to Hinchinbrook Island for a week of fishing unaided by a support vessel.

"So this trip was a little bit of a test to see what we're up against, to see if it's feasible," he said.
 

And a mention in Saltwater Sportsman ... http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/saltwater/fridaybites/wc

If you guys see this published anywhere else, please let me know as I'd like to keep a record of it.

It's supposed to be in the Western Outdoor News Weekly this week as well.  I know OE carries WON.  If you get one, can you pick up some extras for me?  Thanks.

-Allen

West Coast

It was an interesting week for kayakers on the West Coast. First, a 'yak angler was attacked by a Great White Shark, then the Ocean Kayak fishing team caught several huge salmon sharks in Alaska. At the other end of the coast, a group fishing in Baja busted up roosterfish to 45 pounds. Paul Lebowitz from (www.outdoorscribe.com) dropped us an email this week breaking two of these stories. He told us that last weekend Dan Prather was fishing off San Mateo's Bean Hollow State Park when he was knocked out of his kayak by the white. After he reentered the boat, the hungry fish continued to gnaw on its bow and caused Prather to fall into the water a second time. Eventually, the shark gave up and swam away and Prather was able to return to shore where he discovered that his kayak was scarred and punctured by the big shark's teeth. Lebowitz shared another toothy story involving 'yakkers-this time the paddlers got the upper hand. Four kayak anglers from the Ocean Kayak Fishing Team headed to Valdez Alaska where they caught and released several salmon sharks to 450 pounds. The fish were caught on whole salmon at the northwest corner of Hinchinbrook Island. We caught up with another member of the OK team this week. Jim Sammons had just returned from Baja, Mexico where he and a crew from (www.kayak4fish.com) battled some huge roosterfish. They had traveled south of the border to hunt billfish and dorado but unfavorable fishing conditions turned their attention to the comb-headed bruisers. From Alaska to Baja, guys are battling big fish in little, plastic boats.

—Ric Burnley

We made the cover of gamefishin.com ... http://www.gamefishin.com/

We also made an animal rights newsgroup.   

-Allen

You killin' it braddah!!!

Z

Here's Howard's report from kayak4fish.com.  First pic is Howard tailing his shark before release.  Second pic is Chris' fish swimming on the surface recovering after its release.

-Allen

I have a story to tell. It's not a story about being macho, or a man vs. man eater kind of thing. It’s a story about four guys getting together to try something that has not been done before. It’s a story about lost luggage, sleeping on airport floors, kayak fishing in new places, sleeping on small boats, beers, good food, and all around mayhem.

Allen Sansano, Chris Mautino, Allen Bushnell, and myself have been working on this trip since last fall. I’ve intentionally kept it under wraps until after the fact, until everyone has returned home in one piece. And we have.

Allen S. was already in Valdez and Chris was on his way on the state ferry from Seward. After a long day of delays and layovers, I met up with Allen B. at the Anchorage airport. We both barely made it to the turbo prop plane that was to take us over to Valdez. We hopped on, relieved to make it, and off we went into the fog. We didn’t think any of our bags were on board but we were there and that was the main thing. Coming in to Valdez we came in to land in the fog and suddenly the pilot floors the throttle and back up in the air we climb. It was too socked in to land so back to Anchorage we go. My two bags showed up in the airport but neither of Allen’s were to be found. After a couple hours of trying to find the bags we decided to crash on the floor of the airport since it was 10pm and our flight was to leave at 7am. After a long and uncomfortable night on the floor we made it to the plane (with one of Allen’s bags) which was on hold due to weather again… Eventually we made it out and met up with the other guys at the Valdez airport.

At Valdez we met our captain, and opened up four shiny new Prowlers sent up by Ocean Kayak. We loaded up the Pacific Mountain Guides charter boat that took us on a 3 hour trip across Prince William Sound to the backside of Hinchinbrook Island. They fish for sharks here regularly, though certainly never from kayaks. I’ve dreamed of fishing this exact spot for many years and it was cool to finally be there. After a rough ride across the open water, glassy seas and low fog surrounded us behind this island, and the anticipation built as we dropped the kayaks and had a quick briefing on the logistics of what we were about to do. I was first in and was handed my rod/reel and a whole pink salmon for bait. A whole salmon! At this point I got really fired up about trolling this around as bait. Sharks were thrashing around in the near distance and we couldn’t help but wonder what was in store in the next few hours. These salmon sharks average about 400# and get up to 1000#. They attack salmon just like great whites attack seals. A hard hit from underneath and they thrash around and jump completely out of the water. Quite violent and impressive to watch.

I paddled away from the charter boat and into the unknown. As I dropped the salmon down more feelings of ‘what am I doing?!’ came over me. This was basically a large mooching style rig with two 11/0 shark hooks about a foot apart and a 20 ft steel cable leader. As the salmon slipped out of sight beneath me I paddled off letting out some line. After clicking it in gear, and about one minute later.. tap, tap, tap and the rod goes bendo. I let it run a bit and set the hook. Its on! Or is it? A few seconds later its not there and I figure it’s a sea lion, since a few were right around me. So on I troll and within minutes.. bam! I let it run and then set the hook hard. Sleigh ride! This was the hardest pull I’ve ever felt, and a strong grip and properly set drag are key in this kind of endeavor. After a quick ride around the line goes straight down and into the depths. By this time all four of us were in our kayaks and as Allen S. came over to give support he gets slammed. Double hook up! A couple minutes later, Allen B. gets nailed and it’s a triple hook up. And sure enough only minutes later Chris is holding on for all he has. Quadruple hook up within minutes of hitting the water!

The glassy seas, remote location, misty/cloudy/foggy skies, snowy hills behind us on the island, sharks jumping and thrashing all around us, a humpback blowing repeatedly right next to us, sea lions, and of course the huge beasts on our lines made for a surreal experience. We came hoping to get a shark, but a quadruple hook up right off the bat?! I kept thinking ‘where do you go from here?’ Mayhem proceeded for the next hour or so as each of us fought our personal demons and tried to come to terms with the task at hand. After an incredible amount of pulling, I eventually made it to the leader and called on the radio that I was up. No response. No need anyways as this fish bolted for the bottom again and line ripped off the large Avet reel. We each went through this process and slowly the fish began to tire, as did each of us anglers. As I peered down I could see the fish, which looked to be the same size as the kayak.. (enter more uncertain feelings here). The little zodiac pulled up and we clipped a buoy on the large swivel on the leader and they raced off to help the others.

So I’m alone again with this fish on my line and a buoy. I pulled it up by the leader and held the tail a few times in my hands, and away it would tear. I watched as the orange buoy disappeared into the depths, each time slowly returning to the surface. We had determined to let this one swim so no dispatch was going to happen. I always preach about not keeping big fish just for a picture and it was my turn to live up to it. I then knew that I could have done all this alone but since this was the first shark I didn’t know if it would attack the kayak, so instead of tyring to be superman I let the captain pull this one up and cut the line. I figured I need all my body parts so play it smart. I don’t really like any help landing fish and was a little bummed to have a hand at the end but no big deal, I had it up and in my hands all on my own.

In the meantime Allen S. had his up to the leader and the captain hit it with a bang stick. Lights out. Allen B. was next and soon we had released one and had two on buoys floating around, well sinking actually, still hooked on the lines as well. By this time Chris’s had come unbuttoned which was actually good news because four of these was too much to deal with at once.

By the time we took some pics and video, Chris was on again. There were so many sharks thrashing around us it was crazy. Even while fighting these fish, others were crashing the surface only feet away. For me Chris’s fish was the most satisfying, since he and I went through the whole process unaided. He gave it his all and eventually we had the fish up close. I slid in and pulled it up by the leader and clipped the bouy on. At this point the fish rolled up in the leader and we had some work to do. I pulled it up again and had the whole tail in my hands as I tried to unwrap the leader from the base of the tail. Each time I had the fish up, I was able to unwrap one loop. There were about six loops around the tail. After I finally got it all free, I pulled it up again and had the fish right next to my kayak, with its big black eye staring right at me. It had the lower hook in the side of the mouth, and the upper hook was dangling above. I pulled the head right next to my side and reached down with small wire cutters to cut the hook off.

These sharks look just like a mini great white, and as I reached down right next to the mouth, the upper hook was touching my hand and I could picture the fish taking off and setting the hook in my hand in about a millisecond. So I let the fish down momentarily and thought about how to do it more safely. I pulled it up again at a little better angle, reached down and snipped the line right at the hook. Fortunately the fish went down and slowly swam off with the dorsal fin slicing the water. Chris and I paddled up right next to it and for the next few mintues we cruised right alongside it. It was strange but it was so worn out it just kept swimming slowly right on the surface. I got some great video and it even bumped my kayak with the dorsal fin as it went right under my seat. We hung with the fish for about 30 minutes and then left it to recover.

At this point I felt really satisfied that we had made it this far, had all hooked up, and had proven that these fish can be landed with only kayaks and the anglers on board. However, there is no way you can get a 400# fish on the kayak while at sea. Even with several of us I don’t think that was possible. The sheer mass is overwhelming. Maybe next time we’ll try it, but this time we had the captains load the fish on the swimstep of the the 34’ Fibercraft. The we slid them down onto the kayaks and took some pics. We’re all totally bummed by the quality of the pics we got. We had four cameras and all kinds of photos, and all came out a bit blurry. No explanation for that. It’s a total bummer, but we can’t go back and get more.

The following days we had boat trouble, paddled and fished a tiny stream through the woods, and caught quite a few Coho, Pinks, yelloweye, smaller halibut, ling cod, etc. It was all good but kind of anti-climactic after starting out with such a bang.

The specifics- we were all in Prowler 13’s, with Avet 50 reels (too big!), 100# braided line, and short and stout Lamiglas rods. 11/0 shark hooks. All of these fish were estimated by the captain to be in the 375 to 450 pound class, and averaged about 7’10” in length. We all agreed that nobody caught the biggest one, and they were all relatively the same. This has been my long term goal since coming to Alaska, and now its complete.

Each of us had our personal doubts as we fought the fish. It’s an incredible amount of weight to pull on. The only times I got nervous was when a pink salmon was using my boat for cover and wouldn’t stop swimming right next to my yak. I kept trying to whack it with my paddle to get it out of there. I didn’t like the exact thing these sharks were attacking to be hovering right next to me! Also clipping the leader on Chris’ fish was a little nerve wrecking.

So now I’m back in Ketchikan, along with Allen B., and we’re going to see what other mischief we can find on the water in the next week here. Allen S. is headed to Vancouver to kayak fish for kings, and Chris is already on a 3 day remote kayak trip. Tough lives we have!

YIKES 

Nicely done Polepole, be sure and bring some of that SHARK MEAT to Moutcha Bay.

Cheers,
Snag

We made the cover of gamefishin.com ... http://www.gamefishin.com/

We also made an animal rights newsgroup.   

-Allen

just got back from the Sportsmans Warehouse up here in Faibanks this evening [ went straight there after work] and on my way out of the store, they have a double sized bragging board for both hunting and fishing.... guess what i see on it?! a solo pic of one of the salmon shark group you were part of, polepole! who's the 2nd guy from the left?  he's the one up on the board..

We made the cover of gamefishin.com ... http://www.gamefishin.com/

We also made an animal rights newsgroup.   

-Allen

just got back from the Sportsmans Warehouse up here in Faibanks this evening [ went straight there after work] and on my way out of the store, they have a double sized bragging board for both hunting and fishing.... guess what i see on it?! a solo pic of one of the salmon shark group you were part of, polepole! who's the 2nd guy from the left?  he's the one up on the board..

Second guy from the left is Chris Mautino.

BTW, I'm on the cover of Fish Alaska Magazine this month, and we have a story in the issue as well.

-Allen

really? will have to look for that one at the news stand here. better hurry i think they change the monthly issues pretty soon

really? will have to look for that one at the news stand here. better hurry i think they change the monthly issues pretty soon

This month's issue just came out, and some of the stores still have last months.  So you probably have a month to find one.

-Allen

btw, o intrepid young leader, i been talking up our site and sport while up here, and gave one of our local techs the link to this salmon shark article.
later today i went back to his shop and the look on his face told the whole story.. the guy is hooked!! apparently he took advantage of his internet access during lunch and watched the video of your lil trip... all he kept saying was, " i can't believe they actually did that, thats awsome. i gotta get my own kayak " his eyes got even bigger when i told him that i'd met you, and when i mentioned the bragging board picture of chris thats up here, the hook seemed to go even deeper. 

 dude is like 6 foot 5 and wants a yak bad but nothing in the conventional sit insides allows his long legs and knees to fit confortably. so, i told him. look into a sit on top, he wouldnt have so much trouble fitting into or on it, and that one of the advanteges of a sot is that if he got upset on it, all he would do is fall off, not totally invert like a sit inside..

i also remjnded him that there is a link to the alaska region here on this site, and that while we dont have a lot of active alaskan members, we do have a few.. then mentioned howard mckim in ketchikan, and the fact that you and your intrepid group actually started out in valdez...while talking to him about all this, his boss , also an extremely avid fisherman, walked in and raptly took it all in... and his grin was getting bigger by the minute too... hopefully we have some new members here very soon..

ahhh...BEHOLD THE POWER OF THE YAK my Friends

the force of the Yak is strong within their veins now

Wow! I can't believe I'm just seeing this for the first time!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Casey
We always tell newer members that search is their friend here. Now you know ,why.  If you're ever bored while , say recovering from an injury or illness, spend some  time here searching subjects. You'll be surprised at what you'll find and how many times it might have been covered. 

By the way, each one of that same group has gone on to accomplish even more, such as 186lb halibut from a yak, white marlin fights from a kayak that took 2+ hours, 1st kayaks to fish Christmas Island,  1st mother shipped PNW tuna from kayak, etc.
So, yes great things can and do happen from a kayak.