Post by: Skillet on January 19, 2017, 10:44:40 PM
Note I said “was" a sports fisherman.
My name is Skillet, and I am now a Commercial Salmon Troller in SE Alaska. I’m typing this while anchored up in Symonds Bay on Biorka Island, about 10 miles out of Sitka, AK, a place I amazingly get 4G service. Winter kings are the quarry, and they are elusive…
I’m starting this thread for a few reasons. First, I think the majority of people on this site would appreciate the pictures, stories and lifestyle that myself and other commercial fishing members of the HuntWa family have to offer. I’ve only been doing this for three years now, after I made the decision to leave my full-time and rock-solid corporate career of 12 years to pursue this dream. But I know there are others on this site that fish for a living, and the overall vibe of the site is turning a bit anti-commercial fishing. Again, being a salmon sport fisherman for almost 20 years I get the underlying reasons, but I’m hoping that by reading about your fellow HuntWa members who have chosen this lifestyle as a way of earning a living it will help people understand the other side. In particular, I hope to educate people about the troll fleet in general, the AK troll fleet specifically, and how we strive to have a sustainable fishery for generations to come.
It is important to me to keep this thread positive. If you have questions, feel free to ask, I or hopefully other knowledgeable fellows will jump in to answer. No BS zone here – if I don’t know the answer I’ll put it on my to-do list and get back to you asap. I don’t currently fish salmon in WA, only AK – but might do WA if the correct opportunity presented itself. Fish politics are very complicated, and I’m just getting involved in them. But I will ask that if you’re going to try and troll me or other “commies,” or have a burning desire to just flame me or other fisherman for what we do, please start your own thread and use the @skillet tag to notify me of our profession’s crucifixion there. I’ll be happy to be drug through the dirt on your turf – but please respect my hope this thread will be a great place to keep the stories and images that I feel my HuntWa family can appreciate. I hope to keep adding to this thread as part of my career over the next X-number of years. I’m not brand-new, but I think I can fish for a while longer yet and plan on keeping this thread upated as I get back to cell and wifi coverage over the seasons I fish. This is my life now, and I am willing to share it with the HuntWa folks if they’ll have it. If not… I’ll delete it and go back to my anonymous fish-killing ways.
I also invite other commercial fisherman to jump on and share their stories and images. Any good/positive stories about commercial fishing by non-commercials are welcome too. I am hoping this can be a clearing house for good fishing vibes.
One thing to note – there are a handful of folks on this site that know who I am, and what I do. Of those, a very few I consider my “Team Washington” (along with my family) that have gone above and beyond to keep me on the drag and landing fish. Woodchuck, Pianoman, Ridgeratt, H20hunter, Camo – you guys are the greatest and I appreciate everything you’ve done. Other folks have chipped in where needed, too numerous to list - and know that I appreciate every one of you. Any commercial fisherman will tell you that the home team is a huge part of our success while we’re out being waterborne vagabonds turning nature’s bounty into the best seafood available.
I’ll start by offering up a pic of my boat, my trusty steed, my home away from home, my world for 10 months a year - the F/V Diamond Lil. She is a 47’ steel freezer troller, of Ed Monk design, weighs 80K# dry, built in Moss Landing CA and originally meant for the albacore tuna/swordfish fisheries down there. These boats make great salmon & albacore freezer boats though. I’m pretty sweet on her, and I think she’s a beaut. I may be a little biased... but this girl can catch fish.
Here she is in Jan after lying up for the winter in Seattle. Some rust to clean up, but it is a steel boat after all.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20160127_114231.jpg&hash=0cceb14bbdf7f8938bcc4ef774bb132cfe596e53)
Here we are fishing the good wx in June in Sitka Sound, pic taken by a friend on the opposite tack. This is "West Channel".
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FIMG_3622%25202.jpg&hash=186f15b6ac2e47c17e04f02fda3d95a754f03cdf)
She can pack almost 15k# of coho in ice, or 12k# of FAS coho. I fish her interchangeably as a freezer, and ice boat and a slush boat – just depends on the fishery and customer needs. She has a blast freezer on board that will bring a salmon carcass down to -38 deg F. But it’s a dry cold...
A quick list of the work I did with her in 2016 – the fisheries available to a guy like me on a boat like this are numerous, you just need to decide where to park your money in permits and get to work. I hold several permits now, but only the Power Troll license is limited-entry. That means there are no new licenses being issued and I need to buy one off of a fisherman who is quitting or retiring. The prices for a power troll permit vary wildly, historically ranging from a few thousand bucks to over $65K. I got mine somewhere in the middle… I could write a book about the permits and prices, might be a good topic for another post later.
For the fishing, my 2016 looked like this-
Early May – Spring kings. Primarily hatchery fish, they keep us penned in tight to the shore and limited days in most areas to minimize impact on treaty fish.
Mid-May – Ling cod dinglebar fishery out on the Fairweather Grounds. It opens elsewhere as well, but the Fairweather grounds are where you want to be if you have boat that can take it. A dinglebar rig is like an 80# bottom bouncer for walleye – with a dozen 10/0 jigs trailing behind it called a train. Pulling up a loaded train is a complete hoot and will challenge your biceps in big waves. The Fairweather Grounds are an offshore plateau that comes up to 30 fa (that means it shallows up to 180 feet deep for you lubbers) out of really deep water and is a fish factory. But May 40-70 miles offshore in the Gulf of Alaska is nothing to play with, so you need to pull up your big boy pants to commit to heading out there. More on that later-
Late May-June 25th – repair whatever you broke on the Fairweather Grounds chasing lingcod and get back to shaking down the boat on spring kings. The fishing gets really limited, but that’s ok. You usually have boat work to do, get your crew squared away with your processes, and attend to the details a boat owner/captain has to. Get your rest. Time is limited, everything has got to be ready - the troller’s grind is about to start.
July 1 – 1St summer king opener. This is the big show for the Alaskan Commercial Troller. You have just a few days to make what will be a significant portion of your season’s earnings. 2016 first opener went 5 days. With 20 hours of daylight and willing kings and coho, nobody sleeps much. I started out on the Fairweather Grounds and moved in towards the Cape Cross area on day 4 to finish up.
July 6th (2016) – unload, refuel, reprovision, charge out for the coho. This is the “other” salmon we catch as trollers, and while they aren’t worth what kings are they usually make up the bulk of our $$ every year. I cannot begin to tell you how many coho I’ve killed over the last few years. They are 99% AK fish, some Canadian bound. This is a grind fishery - ever watched Groundhog Day? Some guys head for the chum grounds instead, but I like coho fishing. Will go dog fishing in the future if I need to though.
Aug 5-ish – mid season break. We’re usually ready for that, since there’s been no days off since July 1. Get a group of friends, find a beach, light a fire, drink that beer and have a cookout. Sitka as a town seems to help us all relax at this point, especially the “P Bar” – the local fisherman’s bar. If you ever get to Sitka, this is a must-do.
Aug 8-ish – Hope the hangover didn’t last too long and you got your king gear tied up, because this is the second king opener. The first opener is designed to catch 65-ish percent of the AK quota, the second opener is the mop-up. In 2015, we didn’t even get a second opener. In 2016, it went three weeks. Fishing is anything but consistent. We usually get a bunch of coho during the second king opener, so it’s a blast.
Mid-Aug to Sept 30 - (or, end of second king opener until coho closes) – Back to the grind. This is when you start questioning the wisdom of being a commercial troller. Every day it is grinding gear, cleaning and icing (or freezing) fish, delivering at the end of every trip, etc. You can go a full month and a half without seeing town by delivering to tenders, who will resupply you with what you need. By now we’ve been working every day, sunup to sundown and running at night, since July 1. Except that mid-season break of three days… Write that dedicated crewman his last summer salmon check, buy him a nice steak dinner and drive him to the airport. He’ll feel rich - for a while!
*Sept 15-ish – this is when the major part of the Washington/Oregon fleet that has AK licenses break south. The weather (wx) can turn fast mid-Sept, and if you are ready to go you go. Playing around with staying for a few more days of coho fishing isn’t worth it when you see the big storms brewing out in the GOA (Gulf of Alaska). Unless you plan on staying up for the winter fisheries, clear out.
Oct 1 to Oct 10 – If you have a pot shrimp permit, this is your season. For the rest of us, it is a time to tie up, sleep in for a few days and start the list of what needs fixing. It is ALWAYS a long list. But get to it – winter kings open on Oct 11!
Oct 11 thru April 15 – Winter kings, unless quota is reached and they close early. This is a rough-weather fishery. They don’t let us out past the “surf line”, but that’s plenty for me. Today I fished the line in Sitka Sound in 20 knots westerly and 10 ft swell – all while snowing. Very typical for this year, and have heard this is a tame winter wx-wise. We’ll see what the future holds. I need to run the boat south very soon to haulout and do my annual repair/maintenance, hoping to be back up here by April to fish the late winter season. And then it starts over again.
As you can see, there has been a serious crimp put in my hunting. I hope to get a bit of moose hunting in up in AK, blacktail on Baranof, and maybe even a late hunt when I fly home for the holidays in WA. The fishing seasons will dictate my hunting future from now on. And I'm ok with that as a cost of my decision to make this my life.
I hope this is well received by the majority of the HuntWa family in the spirit in which it is intended. I think I could easily fill pages upon pages with pics, video and stories – as I’m sure some other old salts could. Let’s see what you all think, and I’ll either keep adding on or just nuke it.
Signing off,
Skillet
Captain of F/V Diamond Lil
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 19, 2017, 11:06:36 PM
What's your scariest moment while out at sea?
Post by: Skillet on January 19, 2017, 11:15:15 PM
Post by: jmscon on January 19, 2017, 11:37:30 PM
Awesome write up!
I have fished ten seasons in Bristol Bay for sockeye. 32' boat with 2-3 other guys on board. Half the boat is dedicated to fishing the other half to eating and getting sleep when a person can. It's a pretty slam bang terminal fishery with approx. 1200 boats catching an average 30 some million (sometimes upwards of 50 million) fish in about three weeks. The most recent year I fished we were working nine hours sleeping three on repeat.
I started when I was 13 with my dad and uncle. Since that first year it is in my blood, I yearn for it. The excitement of flying in to this remote place with the unknown of what the fish gods will let you have. Getting the crap beaten out of you when the winds hit 60, the seas are at 15' and only a coward stays in because today might be the day that you load up the boat.
I wouldn't trade my experiences in for anything!
Post by: Sakko300wsm on January 20, 2017, 04:44:40 AM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on January 20, 2017, 05:23:53 AM
Post by: Fl0und3rz on January 20, 2017, 05:29:41 AM
Fair winds and following seas.
Post by: bracer40 on January 20, 2017, 06:32:59 AM
Post by: Special T on January 20, 2017, 06:55:46 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 07:55:21 AM
Boss300 - I figured out what counts as the scariest on the water for me, and I'll tell that story at some point soon. Got some good pics and such to support it. Will tag you when I do so you know.
Flounderz - yessir, the genset is holding up like a champ. Thanks again for jumping thru all the hoops you did to get it up here for me.
I think on it while fishing today and get a list of stories to tell. Maybe have time to throw one or two up before I have to head south.
Post by: RB on January 20, 2017, 07:58:54 AM
I spent the summer of 1985 in Sitka the year my grandpa sold the Blue Jacket and still to this day is the best fishing experience i have had. We left Sitka and worked our way outside and up the coast to Elfin Cove and back, all the while listening to stories about all the days he had fished in these areas. Best day I had was 110 Coho, and my grandpa then told me about the 1,000 fish days he had over his career and the long days.
My brother lived in Sitka from 1983 till about 2005 and I was able to make several trips to hunt and fish while he was there. Have been to the head end of Necker Bay, through Surgis Narrows to North Arm, both ends of Redoubt Lake and all around Biorka and the hot springs area in a skiff.
Keep the stories and pictures coming this is awesome!
Post by: nwwanderer on January 20, 2017, 08:00:42 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on January 20, 2017, 08:10:56 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on January 20, 2017, 08:17:13 AM
Post by: RB on January 20, 2017, 09:13:01 AM
Oh good ol' Symonds Bay. I spent 5 years running a charter boat out of Sitka, and spent a lot of time around Biorka, fishing Grandpas, the Rock, Legma, The Beehive, etc... that group of islands is one of my most favorite places on earth. I saw first hand how hard you guys work, and I don't envy it for a minute. My days were a walk in the park comparatively. Most commercial guys I ran into up there were genuinely nice guys that didn't take much BS and worked hard. I did have a few run ins with autopilot trollers while anchored for halibut out off the edge, but those were minimal. Have fun working those Vitskari kings over shortly!
:yeah:
Fished Vitskari with my brother and his buddies one day and it was so hot we were done in about 30 min with seven kings in the 20's and had shaken a couple smaller ones as well. We were only fishing two rods and both were cut plug herring.
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on January 20, 2017, 09:15:32 AM
Aside from the tribes with salmon there is one huge difference between Alaska and Washington salmon management. The Alaska uses an abundance based management strategy for the fisheries, so like you showed in your write up Alaska schedules large derby style fisheries with short duration to catch its quota in a relatively quick manner. What this ends up doing is if a particular run from a particular stream is migrating or feeding through the area when the Alaska commercial fishery gets opened the run gets hammered. A good example of this is the Hoko River in WA, 98% of the chinook that are commercially harvested are harvested in AK even though it is Washington river.
In Washington the salmon are managed under weak stock management. In this scenario as opposed to abundance based management you are only allowed "X" impact on your weakest stock until the fishery gets shut down, this allows the weak stock to meet its escapement goals. The Washington fisheries are managed on a much longer time scale with smaller limits in order to spread the impact over many runs.
With weak stock management you tend to see lower quotas in mixed stock fisheries (e.g. ocean troll, ocean gillnet, setnet, and seining) But in the river systems where the runs are healthy, where you know where your impacts are occurring to specific runs, you can have increased sport fishing pressure and commercial fisheries.
With the upcoming signing of the Pacific Salmon treaty I would love to see AK move to weak stock management as it helps protect the salmon runs for the future. But politically the mixed stock AK fishermen may not like this approach because it could potentially cost them money since a longer season with lower trip limits increases the expense/profit margin of running a vessel.
Anyway, food for thought from the policy side.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 20, 2017, 09:27:38 AM
Aside from the tribes with salmon there is one huge difference between Alaska and Washington salmon management. The Alaska uses an abundance based management strategy for the fisheries, so like you showed in your write up Alaska schedules large derby style fisheries with short duration to catch its quota in a relatively quick manner. What this ends up doing is if a particular run from a particular stream is migrating or feeding through the area when the Alaska commercial fishery gets opened the run gets hammered. A good example of this is the Hoko River in WA, 98% of the chinook that are commercially harvested are harvested in AK even though it is Washington river.
While I'm sure this has and does happen, I think it is less prevalent than some people think. We caught a lot of hatchery fish up there. The fish checkers always took the heads from hatchery fish and sent us back the run info on those fish. Not once did I ever get information from the same river on the same day,(other than the Medvejie Hatchery right in Sitka) even though all those fish were caught out of the same school of salmon. One day that stands out to me involved 4 hatchery fish. 1 was from the Medvejie hatchery right in Sitka, 1 from Wenatchee River, 1 from the Humptulips River, and 1 from the Trask River in Oregon. It was an eye opener for me.
Now that is only 4 drops in a giant bucket compared to the number of fish taken during the summer king opener, but it goes to show how mixed those fish are in that area. It is where almost every single king salmon on the west coast goes to grow up, so the stocks are very mixed.
I will add, that certain runs of fish did appear to frequent certain areas, usually inshore areas close to the islands. Those fish were different than the open ocean fish, and I felt they were a specific run of fish. I also saw the same thing in small holes along the coast. Places where there might only be a few dozen fish at any one time, and they all shared similar characteristics. These spots were not spots frequented by trollers though, as they were to tight and confined to fish effectively that way.
In reality, I feel that as a whole, we know very little about fish migration, and the intricacies of it from stock to stock. There is a lot to learn.
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 09:31:40 AM
Hoping to keep this thread positive with a focus on the stories, the techniques and the lifestyle, and leaving the politics (and inevitable debate) to other threads since there are so many ways to present information to argue for one position or another. Happy to engage in those debates elsewhere, to the depths I can intelligently.
Thanks!
Post by: 7mmfan on January 20, 2017, 09:33:56 AM
Thanks for the thoughts wetwoodshunter and 7mmfan.
Hoping to keep this thread positive with a focus on the stories, the techniques and the lifestyle, and leaving the politics (and inevitable debate) to other threads since there are so many ways to present information to argue for one position or another. Happy to engage in those debates elsewhere, to the depths I can intelligently.
Thanks!
Sorry boss, I'll do better next time :tup:
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on January 20, 2017, 09:35:55 AM
I would love to see some video or pictures of you and your crew running the rail this year. So much fun!
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 09:38:00 AM
FYI, rubbing bioka reef right at the line now. Lots of humpbacks working it.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 20, 2017, 09:44:50 AM
Ha, no worries. It can get really contentious, people are passionate about it!
FYI, rubbing bioka reef right at the line now. Lots of humpbacks working it.
Always got excited when the whales were there, usually game on!
Post by: RB on January 20, 2017, 09:48:53 AM
Ha, no worries. It can get really contentious, people are passionate about it!
FYI, rubbing bioka reef right at the line now. Lots of humpbacks working it.
:tup:
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on January 20, 2017, 11:37:00 AM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 20, 2017, 11:53:58 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 11:59:53 AM
Here's a vid that is a bit cheesy, but I think it captures a bit of the hope, trepidation and peace I feel as I push the boat through Canadian waters on my way to AK each spring.
https://youtu.be/4eYF03b-jq4 (https://youtu.be/4eYF03b-jq4)
Post by: Whitpirate on January 20, 2017, 01:14:58 PM
My question when you are on the long term grind delivering to tenders what's your average food day look like? How do you resupply? Got any boat box deals in the end of seasons as I'd be interested in purchasing direct.
Post by: plugger on January 20, 2017, 01:22:15 PM
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on January 20, 2017, 01:52:59 PM
Post by: Night goat on January 20, 2017, 04:07:41 PM
thanks for an awesome thread
im a fisherman myself, and have fished off and on for years and work as a marine diesel mechanic when not up north. I have seined, gillnetted, crabbed dungies and opilio, tendered and engineered on seiners, and every trip is worth a lifetime of stories. made me who I am today, and damned proud call myself a commercial fisherman!
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 05:05:33 PM
One thing I've noticed that almost every guy here had said about getting on a commercial boat - they wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It's true for me, too. The only thing I regret about leaving the security and comfort of my regular life is that I didn't do it sooner. I am completely ruined for 9-5 work from now on. Nothing will give me the same thrill as wrassling a 25+# king the last three fathoms (leader length) to the boat by hand. Or pulling up wire after wire loaded with coho top to bottom. Or finding a pile of hungry fish with nobody else around for miles.
It gets in your blood.
To paraphrase John Muir:
"The ocean is calling, and I must go."
Post by: Buzz2401 on January 20, 2017, 05:14:57 PM
Post by: Duckslayer89 on January 20, 2017, 05:23:24 PM
I am all for commercial fishing in Alaska but don't feel like it really has a place in Washington anymore. We have a different economy down here and way less fishing resources. We need commercial fishing in this country but I believe it is much more sustainable in Alaska then here in the lower 48. But until we get tribal nets out of the rivers none of this matters.
Different economy down here? There's a huge market for fresh wild fish here. Where do you think most of the catch from AK comes? Yes the nets need to come out of the water and everyone can play fair.
Post by: jstone on January 20, 2017, 05:37:08 PM
Post by: Buzz2401 on January 20, 2017, 05:45:53 PM
I am all for commercial fishing in Alaska but don't feel like it really has a place in Washington anymore. We have a different economy down here and way less fishing resources. We need commercial fishing in this country but I believe it is much more sustainable in Alaska then here in the lower 48. But until we get tribal nets out of the rivers none of this matters.
Different economy down here? There's a huge market for fresh wild fish here. Where do you think most of the catch from AK comes? Yes the nets need to come out of the water and everyone can play fair.
Yes we have a way different economy. We have way more opportunity for someone to find a career outside fishing or working on the slope. We need commercial fisherman to supply the world with fish, but the small amount that is harvested down here has a much bigger impact on our overall resource down here.
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 05:52:06 PM
Thanks!
:tup:
Post by: jstone on January 20, 2017, 05:54:40 PM
Post by: h20hunter on January 20, 2017, 06:44:52 PM
Looking to keep this a politics-free thread as much as possible fellas, hoping we can keep this space reserved for the stories, pictures and vids of commercial fishing.
Thanks!
:tup:
I think we can manage to keep the thread from derailing or piracy threadjacking.
Post by: runamuk on January 20, 2017, 07:29:15 PM
I like seeing the pics and hearing about it, I had friends back in high school who worked on the boats back in the late 80's.
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 07:39:17 PM
So I don't have to keep it a secret anymore :chuckle:
I like seeing the pics and hearing about it, I had friends back in high school who worked on the boats back in the late 80's.
Haha, the truth will set you free! Thanks for being a good sport tho Run. :tup: How's Chip?
I'm uploading a few pics now, hopefully you will see some pics and stories that sound really familiar. Sounds like we have quite a few old seiner, Bristol Bay and troller hands on the board. Hoping some more of these salts will recall good stories or dig out some of those old pics of fishing and share.
Post by: bracer40 on January 20, 2017, 08:42:59 PM
Fascinating stuff.
Post by: runamuk on January 20, 2017, 09:16:05 PM
Chip is still alive and kickin.So I don't have to keep it a secret anymore :chuckle:
I like seeing the pics and hearing about it, I had friends back in high school who worked on the boats back in the late 80's.
Haha, the truth will set you free! Thanks for being a good sport tho Run. :tup: How's Chip?
I'm uploading a few pics now, hopefully you will see some pics and stories that sound really familiar. Sounds like we have quite a few old seiner, Bristol Bay and troller hands on the board. Hoping some more of these salts will recall good stories or dig out some of those old pics of fishing and share.
Post by: wsmnut on January 20, 2017, 09:18:03 PM
The Sitka Sound area is gorgeous. My family have been in the fishing industry in Alaska since Dad started tendering in 1953. 3rd generation is still at it on a 1951 vintage wooden power scow.
I tendered on and off from SE to Bristol Bay and Kodiak. I miss the trips north each Spring. The ocean does start calling and I get a huge ache inside.
Heck, I even miss the craziness of Sitka Herring!
Love your pictures. Keep them coming!
Post by: pianoman9701 on January 20, 2017, 09:25:45 PM
Post by: RB on January 20, 2017, 10:08:37 PM
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 10:46:04 PM
Here's a couple of pics I took on the dock tonight.
@plugger
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170120_191244.jpg&hash=03ab43f117b45fcd57bd3e8492f327be9d5b4d70)
I know Gary and his current deckhand Jake. Great operation, and I hope to someday have quota like that guy does.
Another pic, just for S&G's @duckslayer89
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170120_191526.jpg&hash=68cd4f38d226f2206181ed10b114f3afa366e74f)
Thanks for the great technique and wonderful kings, Skillet. You're man's man doing a job not many would do in a place that's full of hazard. Get home safely.That is some seriously high praise coming from you sir. It was an honor.
Pman is referencing the troll-caught quality that we are all so proud of in this fleet. Each fish is brought on board by hand, one at a time, and bled/dressed right away for the highest quality product. The quick handling and dress technique makes or breaks a delicate fish like a winter king, and Pman's endorsement is the best I could possibly obtain.
A few pics of what he's talking about -
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170112_191718.jpg&hash=66a853bd2367c6e42749427aa140ee41ef8c06cf)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170112_192018.jpg&hash=c413d917986676192d4b60b301a060f0f38e7572)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170112_192359.jpg&hash=6d8b2c65501e022d2cdb40a3fc3ed8129a1d4d23)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170112_191842.jpg&hash=441a87c94529adc1668b7a564759203d9272a875)
Last night at Symonds was a little sporty. The bay is open only to the north, so is a great place to shelter during the SW, W and NW winds we commonly get here in the winter. Last night, however, was a 20N wind... so it was blowing right down the gut of the anchorage and and there were 2-3 footers. Just a bit more than allows for sweet dreams. On top of that, it was snowing when I racked out -
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170119_180348.jpg&hash=851c1629ee73c14cabd0dcdb7f0ca64959071f62)
Believe me, I'm not complaining. I have a Dickinson Pacific diesel stove that has been running nearly non-stop since October that gets the cabin toasty warm. But setting the hook in that stuff solo can get a little trying when all you want to do is get inside and get warm after a long day of running gear in frigid saltwater spray.
Post by: Skillet on January 20, 2017, 10:54:54 PM
Great stuff Skillet!
The Sitka Sound area is gorgeous. My family have been in the fishing industry in Alaska since Dad started tendering in 1953. 3rd generation is still at it on a 1951 vintage wooden power scow.
I tendered on and off from SE to Bristol Bay and Kodiak. I miss the trips north each Spring. The ocean does start calling and I get a huge ache inside.
Heck, I even miss the craziness of Sitka Herring!
Love your pictures. Keep them coming!
I know the Eigil B. Seemed like they spent all of May and half of June painting her up at the docks. Can't even imagine how much more that scow could pack if you took all the paint off :chuckle:
But they keep her nice, and she's a good working boat. Moored on the opposite finger of me in Eliason Harbor. :tup:
Post by: DaveMonti on January 20, 2017, 11:16:01 PM
Post by: runamuk on January 21, 2017, 06:49:15 AM
Post by: h20hunter on January 21, 2017, 07:34:40 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 21, 2017, 09:21:05 AM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F20170121_075804.jpg&hash=ec0cd38aa559e3abe14f1ad0b7d4eba3426b4e73)
Will look into that H20. I never considered selling directly via HuntWa, figured this crew gets their own meat! But if people wanted, I'll see what it takes to sell some on here.
Speaking of which - Whitpirate, how much and what kind of fish are you looking for? The easiest and least expensive would be a type of mixed grade and sized FAS coho next Aug/Sept. That's around 1000# of headed and gutted frozen fish, all pressure bled.
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on January 21, 2017, 04:32:03 PM
Post by: HornHoarder on January 21, 2017, 05:40:34 PM
Post by: plugger on January 21, 2017, 08:09:45 PM
Post by: SemperFidelis97 on January 21, 2017, 09:28:28 PM
Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk
Post by: Whitpirate on January 21, 2017, 11:11:36 PM
Good morning from Elisdon harbor in Sitka-
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F20170121_075804.jpg&hash=ec0cd38aa559e3abe14f1ad0b7d4eba3426b4e73)
Will look into that H20. I never considered selling directly via HuntWa, figured this crew gets their own meat! But if people wanted, I'll see what it takes to sell some on here.
Speaking of which - Whitpirate, how much and what kind of fish are you looking for? The easiest and least expensive would be a type of mixed grade and sized FAS coho next Aug/Sept. That's around 1000# of headed and gutted frozen fish, all pressure bled.
Let's play the PM game and let me buy you a beer during the down time. I'm pretty sure we could get 1000# sold here on Hunt-WA and I've got a few groups too. Also interested personally in some halibut but not at huge volumes.
Post by: Duckslayer89 on January 21, 2017, 11:27:40 PM
Post by: Skillet on January 22, 2017, 12:24:17 AM
Boss300 – that scariest moment story is being mulled over. I want to take the time to write that one up right, so it might be a bit. But it’s coming, I promise. And it being a “new to the Fairweather Grounds” story, I think it will be worth the wait.
Skyvalhunter asked me about the economics of fishing. There are so many factors to it. I will try to answer your q’s as clearly as I can.
“Is it profitable for you?”
In a word – yes. That needs to be qualified, however. Fish prices have been good this year, and look good for next year - but were in the tank last year. Timing is everything. Crew will always do well if they get on a fishy boat - owners will not. My fixed costs are daunting (annual boat payment, insurances of three kinds, moorage, annual haulout, etc.), and I live in fear of the $4/gal diesel coming to a pump near me. I change oil & filters on my main every 300 hours, and if I have to buy oil up here that is a $270 project. Fish taxes are onerous (we pay those to the state of AK to support hatcheries). Crew always walks off the boat with a fat check – owners rarely know if it was a profitable season until the next one starts. Especially if you’re in the freezer troller (FAS) game – you are producing a superior quality product that is good for 18 months minimum, but you may not get paid for those fish until the broker moves them up to 12 months later. Commercial fishing represents a huge financial risk for the permit holder/boat owner. In the end, I hope to make enough money to reinvest in the boat, top off my 1400 gallons worth of diesel tankage and have a go at another season. That, to me, is profitable enough until I pay the boat off and I can divert a pile of cash back into savings. But during these first 5 years, I would about guarantee a deckhand that spends the three four prime months with me on the boat will make more taxable income than I will…
“Meaning, for the amount of hours spent working/fishing is it justifiable ?”
Oh, haha… hell no. I’d do much better in the short run slapping a paper hat on my head and asking if you want fries with that. I would never dare to calculate my take-home vs hours worked. I’m sure I would be violating minimum wage standards in the extreme. But, as I’ve mentioned before – this is a passion for which I hope to make just enough to keep going. Eventually, I expect to be able to start catching up on the neglect my 401K is getting now, but it will be lean until I get this boat paid off.
There are many fisherman that make very good money, but almost to a man they are original or secondary quota IFQ holders. That is when they rationalized the fisheries and awarded a guaranteed percentage of the Total Allowable Catch of halibut (and to a slightly different degree black cod) to people with historically comparable catch rates. It helps to think of the old Norwegian halibut schooner owners like Amway’s Diamond Dozen. They are just going to make a pile of cash every year, no matter what. I couldn’t afford to buy a meaningful block of halibut quota, so a-trollin’ I go…
How many people are on your crew?
I run solo for the winter and spring king season, excepting the occasional local or friend that wants to come out for a short 2-3 day trip. For dinglebar ling cod, I like to have a crew on. The work can get heavy at times, the wx can be rough. For summer king opener, I take 1 or 2, depending on what I’m thinking the season will bring and who I have in the pipeline to crew. Always looking for ambitious young folks who are confident and mentally tough enough to deal with this life. One thing I will say is we have fun on the boat - music blasting on deck when appropriate, impromptu trap shooting competitions out of the pit, some general goofiness to relieve the pressure and grind.
Here's a pic of one of my crew from last summer - "Mad Mike". Clearly, his skipper needed to find some fish...
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20160802_140742.jpg&hash=b790e772a34acbc8d36e0ce7c3c402503ce29539)
Mission accomplished-
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*A word on crewing on a boat in AK – if you want the Deadliest Catch experience, keep heading north and get to Dutch. That’s not what we do here in SE (Southeast Alaska). Our game is a long slow grind, and it is a mental game above all else. I’ve come to believe that commercial fishing in AK is one of the last places where a man can go to find out who he really is. He just has to be prepared to accept what he finds out about himself… the ocean is a heartless bitch and will level the playing field, judging not on brawn or bravado, faking or fronting. She doesn’t care how many people a man has fooled into thinking he’s tougher than them, or how many he’s bested in fisticuffs. She only awards her tolerance to our existence on a quality we all possess to varying degrees, which I think of as “grit.” Some men of huge stature melt after being offshore for a few days; some that we wouldn’t think twice about taking lunch money from summon an internal strength that shines bright and proud in this environment. Our overly-protective, safety-first, Nerfy-soft world doesn’t often allow a man the opportunity to test his grit anymore. Commercial fishing is one of those few professions that allow for that self-examination through one of the most mentally and physically challenging, and most intrinsically rewarding experiences, you can subject yourself to. I believe if you survive a year of commercial fishing in AK on any boat, you are part of a very exclusive club and have likely earned the respect of every man who wishes he could find a way to challenge himself to that degree. I don't want to disrespect our Marines by suggesting they are in the same ballpark, but of the marines I have known all have the same quality - mental toughness and grit. I have to think that the same qualities that make good marine would lend themselves to making a good commercial fisherman. IT would probably just be a much better life choice to be a jarhead than a deckhand...
Ok, off that soapbox…
Is that many boats fishing this time of year?
The winter season started out in fair wx on Oct 11 with roughly 100 boats fishing the winter line. That is our boundary line drawn roughly between Cape Edgecumbe and Biorka Island. 90% of those boats were fishing the Edgecumbe drag, about 3 miles in length. That is a crowd, and one you have to be very mindful of fishing in. Lots of boats in a small area means you have to trust other guys a lot, and they need to have faith in you. I’ve been fishing around most of these guys for most of the summer, so I know how they fish. And they know my game. So we can usually figure it out on the go. There are some standard navigational rules particular to our fleet – “starboard pole to the beach” has right of way. This is NOT a Coast Guard regulation, but something the fleet has adopted to deal with fishing situations that the CG never conceived of. I think it works well, and I put a lot of faith in everybody’s adherence to it. At the end of the day, however, my ship is my responsibility, and I always have a side-eye on the boats I’m fishing around. No going to my insurance pool and saying “I had starboard to the beach, but you all need to pay up because the CG rules say I was in the wrong.” It is ultimately my own responsibility to keep my boat out of other boats’ space.
Do you sell to a broker or to restaurants…
There are different ways of going to market with your fish. The easiest is to sell to a shoreside processor. You start out the season by getting ice from them, which is no small thing. Most processors will load it on your boat for free with the understanding that you’ll sell them back the fish you kept cold with it. If I was to sell fish to only restaurants, I’d be buying my ice from the processors at anywhere from $100-150/ton. I like to put 6 tons on my boat to start the king season, so that could add up. You go out, fish, and unload at their facility. Most of the time they will direct deposit for you or cut you a check the next day. The shoreside processors also contract with tenders to pick up fish off of you out on the grounds to save you the long runs back to town just to offload. In some cases, there is a “tender tax,” meaning you get a lower price to cover the costs of the tender contract. Most of the time, the price on the grounds is the same as if you offloaded at the plant, and you can get resupplied in nearly every way via the tenders. Food, fuel, water, bait. Some have laundry and showers you can use too. All have little treats they give the fisherman – fresh baked cookies, ice cream sandwiches, etc. One tender I sold to brought fresh veggies out to hand out to the fisherman. You have no idea how good crispy romaine lettuce, or a fresh bright red tomato, tastes out on the grounds…
*Tender contracting by the processors incentivizes the fleet to stay out there and fish – which is the smart move for us as well, since the season is very short. Every day off can cost thousands in revenue, and there are no make-up days. If you lose a day’s revenue, it’s gone. A guy has to think long and hard about a mental health day for the crew and what it will cost the boat (and the crew, too) by going to town and tying up for the night. And good luck getting a sober crew together early the next morning… and make sure you check the foc’s’le for stow-away bar flies before you leave the dock!
The second, as a freezer boat, is to produce your FAS product and ship it south for sale through brokerages. There can be some direct sales of FAS product too, but the sheer volume means you need to have a full-time guy with his finger on the pulse of the market to sell your fish over the course of the year for you. He isn’t volunteering, of course – so that is an expense as well. This is an easy way to move volume, but you get a lower return for a premium product using this channel.
The third is to go to market directly yourself. This is very rewarding and seductive since you’re “cutting out the middle man,” but I’ve discovered a lot of fisherman don’t understand that they become the middleman in this scenario. In the lower volume, higher value fisheries like winter kings, I enjoy selling my fish to high-end restaurants – but ONLY through a distributor that has the contacts, sales staff and cash flow to do the business with me. I truly value a strong partner in the distribution chain – since I want to focus on fishing instead of collecting money from a dozen restaurants a week. That is just not a good use of my time. In using this model, I leave some value on the table for the distributor to earn through their efforts. I feel it is a bargain for both sides if the marketing efforts of both parties works towards highlighting the distributor’s relationship with the boat, the exclusivity of the high-value catch and the direct connection the distributor enables between the boat and the chef. Trust is key, and it is a true joy to know your fish are being represented as a work of art to chefs across the country that also value the quality, story and connection.
Post by: Skillet on January 22, 2017, 12:39:14 AM
I'll try to get some more pics skillet. Here's right before we left one year
Love that pic man. She looks Bristol-
Just saw Dave this morning, he's back up here and ready to gear up for some black cod. Winter kings are just not going well enough to hold that highliner's interest!
Post by: Skillet on January 22, 2017, 12:48:00 AM
Good morning from Elisdon harbor in Sitka-
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F20170121_075804.jpg&hash=ec0cd38aa559e3abe14f1ad0b7d4eba3426b4e73)
Will look into that H20. I never considered selling directly via HuntWa, figured this crew gets their own meat! But if people wanted, I'll see what it takes to sell some on here.
Speaking of which - Whitpirate, how much and what kind of fish are you looking for? The easiest and least expensive would be a type of mixed grade and sized FAS coho next Aug/Sept. That's around 1000# of headed and gutted frozen fish, all pressure bled.
Let's play the PM game and let me buy you a beer during the down time. I'm pretty sure we could get 1000# sold here on Hunt-WA and I've got a few groups too. Also interested personally in some halibut but not at huge volumes.
Roger - let me make sure I'm square with Dale and check out the nuances of legally selling FAS fish in Washington that way first. Might be some hoops to jump through, but happy to do it if there's a channel to move some fish. I've been seriously considering doing a "community supported fisherman" program along the same lines as a CSA that you get a basket of local kale, carrots and such in... just to put a bug in your ear :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on January 22, 2017, 01:33:48 AM
Those kings look great skillet. Are you pressure bleeding them?
Thanks wetwoods, I work hard to present the fish in the manner they deserve. I do not pressure bleed the winter kings with the standard pipette like I do with summer fish. I just think these winter kings are too delicate and can be easily over pressurized. I do cut a very tiny notch in the main artery under the kidney and hold my cleaning hose about 2-3" away from it to push blood through the fish for about 30 seconds while I massage it along the lateral line. It removes a lot of blood that way, and I think it is a much gentler way to accomplish the task. When we're catching as few fish per day as we do in the winter, I can dedicate all sorts of time to ever-so-slightly raise the quality bar on each fish.
Post by: Houndhunter on January 22, 2017, 02:44:44 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on January 23, 2017, 08:08:09 AM
Good morning from Elisdon harbor in Sitka-Awesome picture.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F20170121_075804.jpg&hash=ec0cd38aa559e3abe14f1ad0b7d4eba3426b4e73)
Will look into that H20. I never considered selling directly via HuntWa, figured this crew gets their own meat! But if people wanted, I'll see what it takes to sell some on here.
Speaking of which - Whitpirate, how much and what kind of fish are you looking for? The easiest and least expensive would be a type of mixed grade and sized FAS coho next Aug/Sept. That's around 1000# of headed and gutted frozen fish, all pressure bled.
Post by: quadrafire on January 23, 2017, 09:40:24 AM
I am really looking forward to watching this thread. Be safe my friend.:yeah: :tup:
Post by: rainshadow1 on January 23, 2017, 09:46:54 AM
I ran my Dad's 47' steel Monk for several years right out of High School. It's up there somewhere now, we sold it to some Native guys somewhere on the south end of Baranof. It's called the Avenger. Was a very good boat.
I grew up commercial fishing. Spent a little time up there, out of Sitka and Wrangell. Mostly down here though.
Looking forward to the pics... although being the family business for generations, I was happy to find another life. Kinda opposite your path! Good luck, be safe, enjoy the freedom! (The freedom in one thing I've never been able to set aside!)
Post by: Skillet on January 23, 2017, 11:34:45 AM
Here's a couple scenery pics from the winter drag.
Friend's boat under Mt Edgecumbe on a very calm afternoon out on the line.
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Pic of my deckhand taking a pic of a great sunrise as we're heading towards Edgecumbe from Symonds bay. She is pretty tough and a good photog to boot. I'll see if she'll let me use some of the pics she's taken from my boat on here.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20161224_081315.jpg&hash=ada4a9ee357a784a785a8de70bc586d8bc0db705)
And here's a vid of us heading into town from the line in a NE gale.
Winter up here is really beautiful, going to miss it.
Post by: 7mmfan on January 23, 2017, 11:41:22 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on January 23, 2017, 11:41:40 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 23, 2017, 11:54:24 AM
Post by: 3boys on January 23, 2017, 11:55:53 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 23, 2017, 12:04:52 PM
I will be up there again in August looking for you to say hi.
You won't see me around town much in Aug unless the fish are plentiful right outside,, but shoot me a pm when you know the dates you'll be up and I'll keep it in mind. Always happy to chat for a few mins on the dock if I have them to spare.
I have lost count on how many friends have been fooled by the flamingos in Neva straits or the killer whales chasing the trollers.
:chuckle:
Post by: Angry Perch on January 24, 2017, 09:11:24 AM
Post by: jstone on January 24, 2017, 10:06:46 AM
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 10:19:11 AM
I also remember when we came back to Gig Harbor after my trip it was about 2 am and my family was waiting at the dock. My son was almost 5 he said hey daddy. I asked the wife what she was feeding him all summer, he was bigger than when I left. Made me laugh, still does. Great times. Awesome pictures.
This resonates with me. I love the anticipation of coming home after a long season. Planning on leaving Sitka in two days to start the long slog south. Eager to see my family and friends again.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.golfian.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FHomeward-Bound-BAnner-Navy-Old-School-Ship-Tattoo.jpg&hash=1132c0fc4ad0285ee28589537b3011ac0f56dafc)
Will get another story or two up before I leave, just depends on how the day goes.
Next topics - resupply via tenders and... Sharks.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 10:25:53 AM
I also remember when we came back to Gig Harbor after my trip it was about 2 am and my family was waiting at the dock. My son was almost 5 he said hey daddy. I asked the wife what she was feeding him all summer, he was bigger than when I left. Made me laugh, still does. Great times. Awesome pictures.
This resonates with me. I love the anticipation of coming home after a long season. Planning on leaving Sitka in two days to start the long slog south. Eager to see my family and friends again.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.golfian.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2FHomeward-Bound-BAnner-Navy-Old-School-Ship-Tattoo.jpg&hash=1132c0fc4ad0285ee28589537b3011ac0f56dafc)
Will get another story or two up before I leave, just depends on how the day goes.
Next topics - resupply via tenders and... Sharks.
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Post by: wsmnut on January 24, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
All you can do is hold on.
Have a safe and smooth trip down. I saw a bit of drainage out of Taku Inlet and the Stikine River two days ago. Hopefully it stays small and localized there.
Good Luck!
Wsmnut
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 10:41:25 AM
Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Those drainage winds are the nuts no matter how big your boat. Rolled for about 4 hours or so (felt like days) crossing the bottom of Chatham Straits on the way to Sitka for herring season 5 or 6 years ago. Middle of the night.
All you can do is hold on.
Have a safe and smooth trip down. I saw a bit of drainage out of Taku Inlet and the Stikine River two days ago. Hopefully it stays small and localized there.
Good Luck!
Wsmnut
Great info, thanks. I can't get that kind of detail from the V. :tup:
With the coast-wise winds, I'll likely head out over the top of Baranof via Peril Strait into Chatham. Adds about 8 hours into the trip, but easier than rounding Ommany in this weather.
Post by: Woodchuck on January 24, 2017, 10:59:44 AM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 11:05:31 AM
You going to get the rooster, and pig on top of your feet too?
:
Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 11:10:25 AM
I don't have enough room on my skin for the 5K standard. :chuckle:
You going to get the rooster, and pig on top of your feet too?
:Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Haha, I may. There is no end to it, as it sounds you well know...
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 11:14:10 AM
Be safe my friend.
Will do. Want to get home ASAP, but in one piece. Winter wx on the B.C. Coast is nothing to trifle with - Cape Caution is appropriately named.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 11:31:08 AM
I don't have enough room on my skin for the 5K standard. :chuckle:
You going to get the rooster, and pig on top of your feet too?
:Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Haha, I may. There is no end to it, as it sounds you well know...
Yep, July 1st 30 years in the Navy, that's my last day on the rolls. And still don't have a nautical tattoo, but it's coming three anchors.
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 11:59:03 AM
I don't have enough room on my skin for the 5K standard. :chuckle:
You going to get the rooster, and pig on top of your feet too?
:Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Haha, I may. There is no end to it, as it sounds you well know...
Yep, July 1st 30 years in the Navy, that's my last day on the rolls. And still don't have a nautical tattoo, but it's coming three anchors.
Well done man -
:salute:
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 12:04:29 PM
I don't have enough room on my skin for the 5K standard. :chuckle:
You going to get the rooster, and pig on top of your feet too?
:Quote
You going to get that tattoo with your boat in it? :tup:
Yessir.
Haven't decided if I'm gong to get it with the Diamond Lil or a generic troller... And I've earned two swallows as well (each represents 5k nautical miles).
Haha, I may. There is no end to it, as it sounds you well know...
Yep, July 1st 30 years in the Navy, that's my last day on the rolls. And still don't have a nautical tattoo, but it's coming three anchors.
Well done man -
:salute:
Thanks
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 03:02:20 PM
This is the one I sold to the most, the Deer Harbor II under contract with SPC. She is pictured here with Mustang, a boat very similar in size to the Diamond Lil.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fscontent.cdninstagram.com%2Ft51.2885-15%2Fs480x480%2Fe35%2F13721072_172180653201699_103569071_n.jpg%3Fig_cache_key%3DMTMwNzI1MDU3Mzk4MDQ2Mjk5Mg%253D%253D.2&hash=27a7b28b712b2b6a6e8465b6c5b23617919301d0)
It is captained by the most amazing, bad-ass female captain that I know of, Amber Hansen. I'd put her 5'-4" ish up against most of the men up here for grit. She is always getting on deck and helping out her crew of 3-5 guys, and drives that boat hard. They pack a LOT of fish in the summer, and during the peak of the coho run I'd bet they average 16 hour days just buying fish for that 4-5 weeks.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fscontent.cdninstagram.com%2Ft51.2885-15%2Fs480x480%2Fe15%2F10684206_1505695969670920_1477501828_n.jpg%3Fig_cache_key%3DODEzMjA2NTQxMzA1Mzk0Njk4.2&hash=61a8acb71e38cf674bf2d07103caf9a422c7cc5a)
The crew of a tender is your link to the real world, and building a good relationship with them is to your major advantage if you are going to sell via tenders. More on that in a bit.
If you're icing fish, being able to pitch off (unload your fish) to a tender is a huge advantage to be able to maximize your time on the grounds. The other option is to run to town to pitch off. Sometimes, when the fish are close to Sitka, Pelican, Hoonah, Craig, Ketchikan, etc., it makes sense to just run in to do it. Close is relative - could be an hour or 4 run. Keep in mind that you need to get back out to the grounds asap, so a 2 hour run that starts after you pull the gear early at 8pm gets you to town at 10, the usual cutoff time for starting shoreside processor deliveries. You then pitch off, where they sort and grade, and weigh your fish, write up the ticket. While that is going on up above, your deckhand is scrubbing the hold of dirty ice down below. A fair sized unload of 750 coho can take half an hour or so to dig them out and load in to bins. Then there's a half hour of sorting and grading. So we're at, 11pm now,right? By then the deckhand(s) are done with scrubbing the hold, and it's ready for fresh ice. So you move the boat down to the ice chute and take on another 4-ish tons of ice. The chute at the SPC plant in Sitka blows ice out at around 1 ton/7 minutes, so there's another half hour. Getting close to midnite by the time you point the bow out of the harbor and head back out for the 2 hour run back to the grounds. First light is about 3:30am this time of year, so you can just cruise easy and the crew can get a nap before we're running gear NLT 4am back on the grounds. Lather, rinse, repeat every five days.
If you sell to a tender, however - they are usually much, much closer to where the fish are being caught. A huge amount of coho are caught by the troll fleet every year as they head into Cross Sound, and there are several tenders that frequent the area. The run into Pelican is about 4 hours, so that's possible - but it's much easier on the sleep schedule to pitch off to a tender that is sitting just inside Lisianski Inlet or Lisianski straight.
An example of how it works -
At the end of a 4 or 5 day trip (or if wx looks terrible for the next day or two and I want to pitch off instead of having my fish get all beat up in the hold) I call up Amber on either the VHF or via Delorme Inreach and get a delivery appointment. The trick to delivering to a tender is they are swinging on their anchor (hook), and to land gracefully you need to have a smooth touch. My deckhand and her deckhands need to be on their game in rough weather or high winds, since often times I'm timing my approach on the apex of the scow's swing.
We get tied up and the work begins. Amber runs the boom crane expertly, lowering a plastic tote we call a Traco into my hold. My deckhand(s) and dig fish out of the ice and load into the bin. When full, she lifts it out and dumps it onto their sorting table on deck, where her crew sorts and weighs the fish. Each traco can hold roughly 400# of fish, so a good offload will be around 10-12 Traco's. Here is a pic of some spring kings coming out of the hold that I sold to SPC in Sitka in May - but the idea is almost exactly the same. There's only about 260# there, but coho are smaller and pack much better in the Traco.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FSitka%2520king%2520266.jpg&hash=3d12331ff1a2c6d67e5a812a7be90ef64204a983)
Same deal as shore-based deliveries, the fish are sorted and weighed while the deckhand (and myself, this time) quickly shovel out old ice and scrub down the hold with Simple Green and a bleach solution mix. Hopefully our timing coincides and they have all of the fish graded, weighed and repacked in their ice bins, and our fresh ice ready to go right about the time our scrubbing is done. This is where our trust with the tender comes in - when I sell to Amber, I never worry about not getting good weights so I can focus on turning my boat around faster. Other tenders will find me on deck supervising the grading and weigh-up so I know I'm getting a fair shake. Amber is gold.
Amber then cranes the ice down into my hold with clean Traco's and we dump them in such a way as to minimize shoveling. Shoveling ice gets old fast, so you find clever ways to not have to move ice by hand if you don't have to.
This is where I go up on the tender to sign my fish ticket and place my grocery order, pick up the order I placed the last time I delivered, run the hose over to my deckhand to pump on potable water for my freshwater tanks, and if we are the last boat of the night we sometimes get to take a warm shower (that feels really good after a week's worth of coho gurry is crusted into your beard - sometimes a rinse on deck in cold water just doesn't get the dried kidney out...)! Another advantage if there is no other boats after us, we just stay tied up and can sleep. No need to untie and go find a place to anchor - that saves another half-hour of sleep that we can use to get a shower.
They will cut us a check right there, or if you have it setup ahead of time they will do an auto-deposit into your account when the tender gets to town to unload. I prefer that, since there is no cell or internet out there.
About ordering up the groceries - beggars can't be choosers! Nobody talks prices, it just is what it is. You want to eat? You sign the list and they deduct it from your check. If you ordered a 10# bag of Jasmine Rice, and they come back with a 20# bag of regular white rice, you just say thank you and take it. Same with pretty much everything. A lot of it has to do with what is in stock at the time the tender crew has to run your grocery errands for you and 10 other boats while they're in town. I've seen them racing around in SeaMart, two or three carts and ten lists, throwing stuff in and racing to get back to the boat. Don't complain - be grateful. They're usually pretty good about it, and if I complained that I got the wrong kind of lettuce, the next time they have to make a decision on the fly while in town they may just say "no lettuce this time." So, I really appreciate the type of services the tenders provide to keep us fishing.
Meals are usually on the fly and pretty spartan, but I like to do a stick-to-your ribs meal after we get done icing the fish at night. That is usually comprised of some sort of fish or meat if I have it, rice or quinoa, some kind of greens and vegetable. It has to be cooked on the propane range in the summer, because the diesel stove really heats up the cabin is usually not running from July thru August. Starts getting cold enough to fire it up in September, and by the end of October it's running full time.
I have had some very generous shipments of elk meat up to Sitka, and oh man what a treat. This is what supper looks like when THAT package arrives!
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20160610_212748.jpg&hash=c959e0a6780cd2775e0d0d21ac1307bfda17c552)
Post by: Camo on January 24, 2017, 06:19:01 PM
Look forward to your future posts, thanks for sharing.
Post by: wsmnut on January 24, 2017, 07:07:54 PM
I haven't seen Amber in years. I have good memories of her Dad. Steve 'Hans' Hansen. We used to moor near each other in Lake Union.
Post by: quadrafire on January 24, 2017, 07:36:32 PM
Of these questions. Was wondering about the meals. Groceries and who cooks. What about the lady on board. Kinda cramped space for that I would
Think. Bathroom issues???
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 07:39:55 PM
I logged on tonight specifically to ask some
Of these questions. Was wondering about the meals. Groceries and who cooks. What about the lady on board. Kinda cramped space for that I would
Think. Bathroom issues???
That's a bigger ship (tender) and she is the captain, doubt she has any problems. :chuckle:
Post by: quadrafire on January 24, 2017, 07:42:25 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on January 24, 2017, 07:55:44 PM
I believe he has a female deck hand from a previous post??
The photo taker, as long as the head has a door, why any problems. :dunno:
Post by: quadrafire on January 24, 2017, 07:57:55 PM
Post by: NRA4LIFE on January 24, 2017, 08:16:10 PM
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 08:56:26 PM
My galley wench (self-described) is very laid back, not squeamish at all. We do have to make sure we're effectively communicating at times to ensure we aren't encroaching on each other's privacy, but the bar for expectations of privacy on a commercial boat is VERY low. And the women who go out on boats to work understand that. My fo'c'sle is not heated, so I take that and she gets the day bunk inn the cabin. She knows I'm the first up every morning to fire the engine, start coffee, etc., so she needs to deal with me being in her "bedroom" while I'm getting our day going. I expect she's up and ready to man the helm when I go out to haul the anchor. She wears long John's or something, not a big deal and nothing titillating about it. I treat her like any other respected crew member - high expectations for performance and am never let down. She's a good hand that enjoy the commercial experience while she's between contracts utilizing her master's in biology.
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 09:02:19 PM
Nice addition about the tenders!
I haven't seen Amber in years. I have good memories of her Dad. Steve 'Hans' Hansen. We used to moor near each other in Lake Union.
I'd love to hear some tendering stories if you got them, or feel free to correct me on anything I got wrong on the tender deal. I've only tender fished this this year, so the different tenders may do things significantly differently.
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 24, 2017, 09:16:05 PM
First, what/how do they charge for their services? Obviously a cost for what they do, just curious how you weigh that against convenience and more time on the grounds.
Second, do you need to sign up/pledge/promise to a tender to make sure there's a slot for you when things get really busy? Or do the just control demand by raising prices or some other means?
Just curious how it works. Thanks for the awesome thread! :tup:
Post by: RB on January 24, 2017, 09:40:22 PM
Great pic RB! I don't recall seeing her around, doesn't mean she's not still working however. I have mad respect for the low ADFG number boats like your granddads - they are icons in the fleet.
Indeed sir, my granddad was on the board of the SPC and instrumental in it's creation. There is a book written about him called, Troll King, Glimpses of a Unique Southeast Alaska Lifestyle. It was written by John Sabella, he spent a summer trolling with my granddad. Always heard great stories of the fleet when I was a kid and was impressed how well they took care of each other. Always remember views like this the one time I was able to fish with him. Keep it coming love hearing theses stories brings back great memories. :tup:
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 10:00:52 PM
A couple questions on the tenders from someone who has never been.
First, what/how do they charge for their services? Obviously a cost for what they do, just curious how you weigh that against convenience and more time on the grounds.
Second, do you need to sign up/pledge/promise to a tender to make sure there's a slot for you when things get really busy? Or do the just control demand by raising prices or some other means?
Just curious how it works. Thanks for the awesome thread! :tup:
Great questions. There are a couple of kinds of tenders - contract tenders that work solely for a single processor and cash buyers.
As far as contract tenders, think of them as dedicated haulers. Every tender I've sold to is connected with one processor or another. They are typically part of a small fleet a processor contracts with to cover the grounds and get as many fish to the plant as possible. The price we get is usually the same as the price at the processor in town - the processor just rolls that contract expense into the calculus that determines their pricing model. That said, they don't like processors going out and coming back four days later with a relatively short load, so there is a bit of competition between all of the contract tenders for our fish.
Cash buyers are independent scows that travel around and buy fish for less in the hopes they can get a good price for the fish when they haul a big load to town. They will shop the load between the processors for the best price. It is my impression the days of the independent cash buyers are numbered. There was one working Cross Sound area this year, but I never sold to them.
There is significant loyalty to each processor, with the understanding we are allowed to sell to whomever we need to. Im an SPC guy, but that is because it is a co-op that I bought into. I have a vested interest in making it work out - but I sold to the competition at times if I needed to. Let's say Amber was at the end of her tendering trip - 4-ish days, and no SPC tender was there in Lisianski that day to take my fish. I'm not waiting 30 hours for her to come back, and I'm not running the 10 hours to town to pitch off - so the competitor's tender gets my fish. I need to get them off and get back out there with fresh ice. There is no pause button on these salmon runs - you must go fishing if at all possible to generate the revenue to justify your operation.
You must be an SPC member to deliver to an SPC tender, but I can deliver to just about anybody. It's a nice hedge when there is a sudden smash of coho and tender appts are tough to get. We do try to time deliveries so that we have an SPC tender to sell to. Sometimes I'll deliver a short 3 day trip to beat the big rush at the 5-day mark after the bite started. But you might spend good fishing time tied up to a tender, and the big bite is over when you get back out there. It's a gamble.
All of fishing is a gamble. One of the reasons why I love it so much. You have to play your hand in such a way as to get the greatest advantage on your only real opponent - time.
I hope this answered your question Wacoushunter?
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2017, 10:08:05 PM
Nice addition about the tenders!
I haven't seen Amber in years. I have good memories of her Dad. Steve 'Hans' Hansen. We used to moor near each other in Lake Union.
Never met Steve, but have heard stories :chuckle:
He runs the Amber Anne now, turned the Deere Harbor II over to his 20-something daughter. And she is killing it!
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 01:06:53 AM
Everybody has their favorite spot to fish, so we usually run out to that area the night before it opens. (most openers for the Copper are at 7 AM) We'll anchor up on "our" spots. Or if we plan on running out into the ocean in the morning, we may raft up with friends and have dinner together and BS. I like to read a book or watch a movie to relax. If I have a specific spot I want to be in the morning and I'm not anchored up there, I get up about 4:30 AM and move there, watching for signs of fish along the way. A plan is always changeable depending on conditions and fish sign. Maybe the weather came up overnight and the place I intended to fish isn't safe now. Or maybe I see a lot of jumpers in a different spot. You always hope for a good first set, because the first 6 hours are usually your best as the fleet mops the fish up. But there are places that can be better late in the period if you know what's going on and how the fish act. If there is a big hit early in the Kok Rip, later on the flood tide there's a good chance the fish will hit the beach at Drug Beach or Summer Beach or inside Kokenhenic. If the Sof Tuk Can is good early, you may want to be at Little Sof Tuk later or again Summer Beach. If The Horseshoe starts with a bang, Pete Dahl or Grass Island my be their destination. In a hard easterly, especially one that's lasted a couple days or more, the fish may be at the Whistler or the Mousetrap or even Strawberry or Hook Point. Not getting anything in by the beach? Maybe run out to 300 feet and hope for a hit in the tide rips. There is a big learning curve for our area and it can take years before you are right in your educated guesses more than you are wrong. Maybe you are doing OK where you are, but you hear they had big first sets a couple hours run away. What do you do? Many times it's better to just grind away where you are and hope for a hit. It's a real drain on your enthusiasm to run two hours and find the fish are all mopped up, then you run two hours back ti where you were and find out they got a little hit while you were gone. Plus you basically lost 5 hours of fishing time on a 12 or 24 hour opener. A lot of the newer guys form radio groups in which they call each other and report their catch in code. This can sometimes be a help if you have good partners that actually let you in on what they are doing in a timely manner. But some people ate very one way about communicating. As for me and most of the "old timer" fishermen, It's against my religion to call in other boats when I am making a good catch. I have done this enough years that I know what to do by the conditions and what I am catching. And I am consistently well above average when the year is over. I learned early in my career that calling boats in when I find good fishing ends up meaning less fish for me to catch.
After about three weeks, a good part of the fleet moves to Prince William Sound to fish chums and more sockeyes near a couple hatcheries. There are also some native runs but the bulk of the fish we catch originate from the hatcheries. A lot of people like the Sound because it's deeper and more calm waters. Plus if they live in Anchorage or Wasilla/Palmer area, they can run to Whittier and drive home on the closures. The Copper River Delta is deadly. The huge waves that storms generate on the Gulf of Alaska hit the shallow waters of the Delta and create deadly breakers. These can be 20 feet high or larger. Crossing the bar to get out on the ocean can be taking your life in your hands. I can't tell you exactly how many friends I've lost over the years but it is well over 20 and there are more that I didn't really know. I'll never forget back in the mid 70s a very good friend of mine who was 18 and had another young friend with him broke down during an opener and was anchored up waiting for a tow up a slough to hide from an approaching storm. I offered him a tow, but he said his uncle was going to get him, so I delivered and went on up the slough. By the time his uncle came, it was blowing pretty good and they were having trouble rowing my friend's boat. They kept snapping tow lines. So the uncle told him to re-anchor his boat and jump on his boat. But my friend refused to leave his boat and the uncle finally left and ran up the slough. In the middle of the night, it was blowing 50+ and suddenly my friend came on the radio and shouted that he was dragging anchor and going into the breakers. There was nothing anyone could do in the dark in that storm, and we were miles away. The next day, his boat was found upside down about 10 miles away. His dad was a local bush pilot and he flew out to do a search for the bodies. He picked me up for another set of eyes and we flew over to the boat which was now dry on a sand bar. No one was in the cabin. We then flew the beaches in the direction the wind was blowing fot about thirty miles. We found clothes and boots and other gear including Mark's net which they'd evidently set out as an attempt at a sea anchor, but we never found them. Two other friends died the next year when on a closure they took an airboat out for a moose hunt and swamped it. A few years back, my step sister's husband tried to make it to a protected spot he wanted to fish in a horrible storm and went down. One boat picked up his mayday call and passed it along. I was tied up to a tender behind the cliffs at Whiteshed waiting out the storm when we got the call. It was blowing 80 and raining sideways. But I dropped my anchor and the jumped on the tender and we went looking as we knew the general area he was in about 5 miles from us. We headed up Ocean Channel towards the Hump big waves with our crab lights on hoping we'd see something (Was about 9 pm in the fall). The Coast Guard had been called and sent a chopper to Egg Island in case he'd made it that far (another 5 miles) There was one tender anchored there behind a sand bar and he also had his halogen crab lights on. When the copper got down to 50 feet above the water and couldn't see the crab lights of the tender, they abandoned the search. When the chopper called they were abandoning the mission we also turned around and headed back towards Whiteshed. On the way we had to make a sharp corner, then run with the storm hitting us on our Starboard side. Then I saw a buoy floating our direction. We tried to get it to see if there was a name on it, but it got away and up into the shallows. Then another came by but with the same results. Then we spotted a five gallon gas jug which was going slower as it was full and down more in the water where the wind didn't hit it so much. We managed to bring it aboard, but it had no markings on it to identify. But now we were sure a at had gone down and were pretty sure it was Rich. He was the only boat that had gone past Whiteshed we couldn't account for. Another boat trying to assist in the search ran onto a big rock at the top of high tide and got stuck. We made it back and anchored and then I had to call my step sister and let her know her husband had probably died. The next morning it was flat, glassy calm. The boat on the rock was about 14 feet out of the water like a monument. And that day I had one of the biggest silver openers I've ever had as the storm blew all the fish to the area I was in. Rich was found 9 months later on the beach of Hawkins Island near Canoe Pass. A fish and game biologist was doing a survey and he noticed some orange raingear and walked over. Rich's remains were inside. I myself have had many close calls over the years. In 1976 I lost reverse laying out my net near the beach and the waves pushed me in until a breaker flipped my boat upside down on the beach. Luckily I walked away unharmed. Had a huge wave break over my bow and almost washed me overboard. Once trying to cross the bar I went over the crest of a 15 foot wave that was very steep and the back side was steeper. My bow was out of the water pointing up as I came off the top of the wave and I was steering my bowpicker (cabin in stern) at the bow controls. I literally dropped 20 feet before hitting the water in the trough of the waves and was driven to my knees by the force. Don't know why I didn't go right through the deck. Then as I was scrambling to get up the next wave broke over the top of me. Another time after a series of storms a friend and I were running home from Bering River. From there, you have to run out on the ocean at least to Little Sof Tuk then you can jump a bar to the inside and smooth sailing. But the ocean was big and rough that day and the breakers at little Sof Tuk weren't appealing. Same ar Sof Tuk and we didn't even think of Kokenhenic which is the worst bar on the Flats. The main stem of the Copper runs out Kokenhenic. Then we heard Egg Is. and Strawberry were closed too, so we decided we were crossing at Grass Is. no matter what. Grass Island is both of our's favorite spot to fish and we are very familiar with it. The main bar is a mean one, but there is a side channel that meets the main channel and we had it well marked on our GPS. The secret to crossing a bad bar when you are running with the waves is to get on the back of one wave and ride it all the way in. You need enough power to keep up and not be overtaken by the wave behind you and when you finally hit the shallow water, the wave breaks in front of you and mushes out and you finish the ride on a cushion of air bubbles. With the Hamilton jets that we run, when you hit shallow water, (under 4 ft) you will also pick up speed due to a hydro effect. so you definitely ourtun the wave behind you before it breaks then. My friend went first and I let two waves go between us and I went. I couldn't even see the tops of his antennas over the waves so they were over 15 ft tall. After a heart wrenching 45 seconds or so, we were in the bar and racing up the flat calm channel for town. From town to Little SofTuk, boats with jets can run inside the barrier Islands, a distance of about 50 miles. The advantage of this is not having to cross a bar in bad weather. A second advantage is the shallower you run, the faster you go and the quicker you get there and it's more of a straight line so you save time and fuel. The third advantage is, the shallower the water, the smaller the waves are so you get a much smoother ride. I am regularly navigating in a foot of water or less. You just want to be very careful you don't hit a hidden sand bar as it can be a sudden stop, and if you get stuck at the top of the tide, you may be there for a couple weeks. It happens every year that someone misjudges and gets badly stuck. We all have good GPS marks and know how much water we need for different areas, but you get tired or aren't paying attention and whump, you're stuck.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 01:11:32 AM
Depending if I decide to pick pinks/humpies I stay on the Sound until late July or mid Aug. Then I take a short break and fly home with the family. Then I''m back to Cordova by the 20th for Silver season. I use silver season as a wind down time from the season as it's our last shot of fish. Many boats leave by then as its a relatively small fishery for us. An average year is 200,000-300,000 fish as compared to sockeye runs of 2,000,000 on the Copper and the Sound run of another 1.5 million sockeye and 2-4 million chums. I like getting as far from town as I can and so I head down to the Bering River area. It's as wild of a place as there is in the world. A friend once had a black bear swim to his boat and climb aboard to eat the flounders he'd forgotten on his deck when he flew to town. Unfortunately for him, he'd also left the door to the cabin open to air it out and the bear went inside and crapped all over in there. The area is great for moose hunting, goat hunting, and bear hunting, both black and brown. It also has world class duck, goose, and sandhill crane hunting as it's on their flyway south. I have friends who fish there in the fall, just so they can hunt the birds. I usually stay there for a month and might make one trip to town. (Fly in on a float plane) As with Skillet, I depend on the tenders for supplies, but I pack a lot of dried and canned food with me and in an emergency I'll keep a silver to eat or a friend might drop off a moose heart or some steaks or I can dig razor clams on Kanak Island. There is a lot of history in the area from the Ghost town of Katalla to the Bering coal fields and the old narrow gauge railroad that ran from Katalla up the Bering River and the Katalla oil fields. Kayak Island in the area was the site Vitus Bering first came ashore in Alaska and the area was an important Tlinget community. I usually use the closures to hike and explore the islands and pick berries and observe wildlife and just mellow out after a long season. We get some horrible storms that time of year and when we do, we run up shallow sloughs into the grass banks for protection. We often let our boats go dry and mend gear or go hiking or hunting without worrying about our boats dragging anchor. Some of the guys also do some kayaking and the last couple years a few of them bring their surf boards and surf off of Kanak Island. When it's all done, we wait for good weather and head to town to put the boat and gear away and I catch the ferry to Valdez and drive back down the Alcan to home. Those trips are very enjoyable too with all the scenery, wildlife, and Liard Hot Springs!
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 01:15:19 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 01:18:14 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 01:24:07 AM
Post by: quadrafire on January 25, 2017, 07:57:29 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 08:36:43 AM
Here's a shot a fisherman buddy of mine took of another friend's boat during a bar crossing. It shows the breakers we face way better than any picture I have taken. Bob is a world class photographer besides being a lifelong Copper River fisherman. He's won every award for photography there is in Alaska and has been published in National Geographic and had a variety of photos make the AP Photowire. If you have time, check out his whole gallery. It is worth the time.
http://bobmartinson.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Seascapes-and-Boats/G0000UjcYu2nmAPo/I00005MX0o75jwEA
Post by: WAcoueshunter on January 25, 2017, 09:44:16 AM
I hope this answered your question Wacoushunter?
Yes, great stuff. So much more to the business side than just catching fish, cool to hear about it. :tup:
Post by: Skillet on January 25, 2017, 11:04:45 AM
Post by: jmscon on January 25, 2017, 03:14:20 PM
Hey, do you know Lou Barclay? I fished with him in Bristol Bay a couple years back, heck of a nice guy!
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 04:07:00 PM
Great write up Sitka!
Hey, do you know Lou Barclay? I fished with him in Bristol Bay a couple years back, heck of a nice guy!
Yes I know Lou. Don't see him around any more.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 25, 2017, 05:03:47 PM
Then about 8 years later a young gal came to town and got a job fishing with Jon. They were fishing out on Egg Island Point when a breaker swept Jon overboard and into the net where he drowned. It was the young gal's first time on a boat and she had no idea how to run it and the boat was pounded by waves as she figured out how to use the radio to call for help. Luckily, she was rescued, but she never went out on the Flats again. She did however stay in Cordova for many years.
I lived for six years in the 80s in Kodiak and didn't fish in Cordova then. But while I was there a huge storm hit and caught the fleet by surprise. Two friends were caught out on the ocean. One had water in his fuel which clogged his fuel filter. He was a relative novice and didn't realize what had happened at first and was pushed close to the breakers before he dropped his anchor on the outside edge of the breakers. He called in a mayday and a Coast Guard helo came from Kodiak to rescue him, but somehow as they were approaching him, a down draft pushed them low enough that a wave clipped the chopper and it went down right in front of him with the loss of the whole crew. There were 4 or 5 onboard that day if I remember right. Someone eventually talked to Skip on the radio and told him to check his filter and he drained it and changed the filter and made it to town on his own power. He was so traumatized he sold out and moved to California. The other friend broke down out in the ocean. He either lost his electricity or didn't have a good radio on board as he couldn't call anyone for help. We had a lot smaller plywood skiffs mostly in those days that weren't suited for bad seas which is why we mostly fished inside then. Anyway, Jack floated in huge seas for two days before he was pushed up onto Montague Island about 40 miles from where he started. His boat was smashed on the rocks, but he survived a couple more days before he was spotted by a plane and rescued. He told me he made his peace and was preparing himself to die, but miraculously he is still with us. Not much bothers him now, as he saw first hand how precious and tenuous life is.
Another friend and I were the last two boats fishing inside Grass Island one period about 15 years ago. It was rough on the bar and but pretty uneventful inside the bar that day. It was just before high water with only a couple hours left in the opener, I ran over to him and told him I was heading to town as I had a unit boat then and not a jet boat and I wanted to run the inside with plenty of water. He said he was going to make a high water set and then head in himself. After I left, another friend came through Grass Island from Kokenhenic and stopped when the first friend waved him down and asked for a cigarette. Bill said Tim had his net in the eddy set and it was high tide slack when he left for town himself. Nobody knows for sure what happened next. Tim either fell asleep and ebbed out the bar when the tide changed, or he let it ebb too far when the tide changed, maybe because he was getting hits??? But a few hours later someone running to town out on the ocean and noticed a net wrapped around the Grass Island can which is a mile or so outside the bar. and Tim's boat was still hooked up to it but floating upside down. Evidently he flipped going over the bar. He was found tangled in his net.
Another young man fell asleep (possibly due to carbon monoxide) while running across the Sound and ran into an island and broke his neck and died.
There are many more, but you get the picture. Now days, with our much larger boats it's not as common as it was when I started out, but we still lose people. The last I remember was two years ago.
Post by: jmscon on January 25, 2017, 10:33:34 PM
Great write up Sitka!
Hey, do you know Lou Barclay? I fished with him in Bristol Bay a couple years back, heck of a nice guy!
Yes I know Lou. Don't see him around any more.
We fished on the same boat in 2015, he was talking about getting his AB card and working with his cousin towing down here. :dunno:
Post by: Camo on January 27, 2017, 10:46:19 PM
Post by: Night goat on February 02, 2017, 07:33:42 PM
I love my job here, but, I'm kinda getting bored.
12+ years in marine trades, full time marine diesel mechanic, worked as a boat builder too, seined, gillnetted, opies, dungies, tendered, been all over AK, experienced with all sorts of boats and equipment, drug free, good attitude.
That gillnettin in Cordova looks fun, been there a few times, always enjoyed watching the guys race those boats, bright colored boats, hotrodded big block 500s with jet drives..... Jet is the only way to go, we had to tow a guy back to Cordova from AFK after he blew his out drive. Cordova is easily one of my favorite Alaskan towns
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 03, 2017, 05:15:06 AM
In the mean time, here's a FaceBook page that fishermen in Cordova use for everything from looking for crewmen to selling parts or gear. Anything commercial fishing related. You might place an ad with your background and see if anyone's interested. If you do get some hits, pm me and I'll let you know what I know about the boat and owner. As you know, there's good ones and not so good ones.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=cordova%20fishermen%20classifieds
Post by: Fl0und3rz on February 12, 2017, 08:08:59 AM
Be safe my friend.
:yeah: Stay safe, guys.
I just saw news of a missing boat out of St. George, the Destination, and thought of this thread.
Post by: jmscon on February 12, 2017, 04:34:22 PM
They tendered for the company we sold our fish to in Bristol Bay. I don't remember ever delivering to them but I remember hearing them on the radio all the time.
I can only hope that they find survivors! Sad sad day
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 12, 2017, 05:29:46 PM
I always salt fish up to bring home and pickle. Here's a few shots of that and a couple more from the fishery.
Do you have a pickling recipe? I love picked salmon probably my favorite food I just don't know how to do it
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 12, 2017, 09:39:05 PM
Then I put a layer of fish, a layer of onions and a couple slices of lemon and some pickling spice. I may add a little sliced garlic too, then repeat until the jar is almost full. Then I fill the jar with distilled vinegar. If you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar or brown sugar to taste.
When I want to get fancy, I use the same method, but add sliced limes and oranges to the layers, then make a mixture that is 1/5 - 1/4 C*censored*nay wine and the rest distilled vinegar for the brine and add sugar for sweetening. Makes a nice fruity pickled fish. It takes about three days in the fridge for it to cure up, at a minimum, but I find it best after 10-14 days. Keep what you aren't eating refrigerated. Otherwise the meat will get mushy and fall apart.
My other fancy version is to use Burgundy wine instead of C*censored*nay and brown sugar instead of white. I usually only ad lemons to this version and not the limes and oranges.
Here's a few pix of the process.
I use old pickle jars or artichoke jars and put a few layers of cellophane under the lid for a seal as I like to turn the jar upside down in the fridge at least once a day for the first few days.
Hope this gives you some ideas. Some people like to add other veggies like cauliflower or broccoli or peppers, hot or not.
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 13, 2017, 01:02:27 AM
For basic pickled salmon I salt the fish at least two weeks in a five gallon plastic bucket. I cut fillets into two or three pieces and put in a layer of salt, and a layer of fish and keep repeating. I start with the fish skin side down, then the second layer is meat side down and so on so it's always meat to meat and skin to skin. When I want to make a batch of pickled fish, I take out what I think I need and first peel the skin off it. Then cut it in to cubes about 1 inch square. Then it goes in a big bowl in the sink where I "freshen" it. I fill the bowl with water, then leave the tap on so that water still drizzles into the bowl at a slow rate. Every half hour I stir the bowl up and pour all the water out and start with fresh. I couldn't really tell you how long I soak it for. but after a few hours I taste a small bit to see how salty it is. I like to soak it until I can't taste the salt.
Then I put a layer of fish, a layer of onions and a couple slices of lemon and some pickling spice. I may add a little sliced garlic too, then repeat until the jar is almost full. Then I fill the jar with distilled vinegar. If you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar or brown sugar to taste.
When I want to get fancy, I use the same method, but add sliced limes and oranges to the layers, then make a mixture that is 1/5 - 1/4 C*censored*nay wine and the rest distilled vinegar for the brine and add sugar for sweetening. Makes a nice fruity pickled fish. It takes about three days in the fridge for it to cure up, at a minimum, but I find it best after 10-14 days. Keep what you aren't eating refrigerated. Otherwise the meat will get mushy and fall apart.
My other fancy version is to use Burgundy wine instead of C*censored*nay and brown sugar instead of white. I usually only ad lemons to this version and not the limes and oranges.
Here's a few pix of the process.
I use old pickle jars or artichoke jars and put a few layers of cellophane under the lid for a seal as I like to turn the jar upside down in the fridge at least once a day for the first few days.
Hope this gives you some ideas. Some people like to add other veggies like cauliflower or broccoli or peppers, hot or not.
Man that looks good! So when you go to salt he fish how heavy do you need to salt it and do you keep the fish refrigerated while salting or does the salt protect it?
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 13, 2017, 11:21:08 AM
Post by: tmike on February 13, 2017, 12:05:04 PM
Post by: Fl0und3rz on February 13, 2017, 12:31:00 PM
Post by: Ripper on February 20, 2017, 11:58:04 AM
Post by: Skillet on February 20, 2017, 09:34:44 PM
By all means, when you get thinking seriously about heading up that way let me know. If at all possible, I'll meet up with you. July through the end of Sept works be tough, but before or after is doable.
I sure do miss walleye fishing, but the good news is the best fishing of the year for the big girls is starting right now. Early spring on the Big C is awesome, and my buddy that I've fished walleye with for 12 or so years just had two personal best fish this weekend. It's happening right now, get out there!
Post by: Ripper on February 21, 2017, 05:04:38 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 27, 2017, 12:37:00 PM
This story is about dinglebar fishing for lingcod on the Fairweather Grounds. It is a directed fishery, and a bit of background on the techniques may not be necessary, but I think it is interesting. A separate commercial fishing permit is required to catch lingcod via dinglebar, and it is not a limited entry permit. Anybody can do it if you have a vessel registered as an Alaska Commercial Vessel. After that, you plunk your $30 down, or whatever the license costs, and you’re a commercial fisherman. The stocks are managed by area and quota, and in some areas the commercial quota gets caught up very quickly. Gearing up is a bit different than salmon trolling though. Think of it as a HUGE bottom bouncer (walleye guys) or a three-way rig. What I like to use as the weight is a 70-80# bar of 3”-4” round stock*. That attaches to the bottom of my 5/64” stainless troll wire with a breakaway strap (I use a single wrap of hard-lay halibut ganglion, about 500# breaking strength vs the 900# strength of my 5/64 wire), and the wire is spooled onto hydraulically powered gurdies. The gurdies are industrial strength downriggers, effectively. In dinglebar fishing, you are allowed to use only one line at a time. The fisherman stands in the pit with one hand on the wire and other on the gurdy valve while idling the boat forward, trying to keep the dinglebar just barely touching the bottom but not dragging on it. We are fishing for lingcod here, so if you’re not occasionally ticking the bottom you’re not really fishing. If you are dragging dinglebars, you’re losing dinglebars. Guaranteed. I but a lot of steel on the bottom this year before I got the technique down. Dealing with the bottom contours in addition to the ocean swell can get tricky, but it’s expensive not to learn it quick.
Above the breakaway strap there is a becket that is hold the “train” to the wire. The train is the string of jigs you have trailing behind the weight, usually setup so the jigs are trailing along behind about a fathom (6 ft) above the breakaway strap. Guys rig them differently, but I like to use 300# break strength tuna cord with 6 jigs per “shot” and spread out a fathom apart, making each shot 6 fa long. I hook two shots together to make the train, for a total of 12 jigs and 12 fa of gear behind the dinglebar. Each jig is attached to the train via a ½ fa leader of 100# monofilament. The jigs are fisherman’s preference, but the smallest I use are 8oz heads on 10/0 O’Shaughnessy hooks. Hang a 8-12” plastic bait (twister tail, scampi, B2-squid, etc.) on the jig, snap a big metal spoon on the very end of the train and you’re fishing. That’s a lot of weight to drag that far behind your dinglebar at 2.5 kts without the jigs plowing the bottom, so we have to add floats to help it achieve neutral buoyancy. I like to use 4” round hard long line floats that I can snap on as I deploy the train, which allows me to change the floatation instantly depending on the jig style I’m using. Some guys like to rig smaller floats inline on the shot above each jig. It’s a cleaner way to go, and I may do that next year.
Here’s an image that generally shows what I’m describing:
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.ctctcdn.com%2F1068c47d001%2F6881993a-acd3-4b56-beeb-231b2dd3a380.jpg&hash=1c598b6c8f2982bd4bbdb964b43fa51010d85c92)
The Fairweather Grounds dinglebar fishery is called “East Yakutat”, and the quota is usually caught up in 3-5 days. It is a true derby-style fishery, where we are all competing to get the biggest share of the commercial quota as is possible. Really a grind, but it is a lot of fun to fish like that if you can do it safely and sanely. The incentive to “beat” the other guys to a very limited commercial quota will lead many to make decisions they wouldn’t otherwise. Like going to the Fairweather Grounds in May when the weather forecast wasn’t perfect for it. It is a bit crazy, since these fish are not worth a huge amount of money – but the thrill of the chase and the catching large numbers of big fish is a temptation that is hard to resist. It was for me…
Here’s a pic of the chart of the Fairweather Grounds relative to Sitka.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2F20170121_092059.jpg&hash=9ddb91799e00f7fb3dbadfb8e4c7d9b69706ff77)
The green icon in the bottom right side of the screen is my boat in the harbor, the Fairweather Grounds are an offshore plateau that comes up to about 13-ish fa from very deep gulf waters. The FW grounds start about 150 nautical miles (or "nm" - a nautical mile is 6000 feet in length for you lubbers, vs. the 5280 they measure statute miles with) northwest of Sitka, and range roughly 30 miles in width and 12-15 miles north to south. It is a huge bottom feature that is extremely rich in feed and holds a lot of fish. Interestingly, the Canadian trollers are ones that pioneered fishing the grounds before our Exclusive Economic Zone waters were pushed out to 200 nm from shore, which then encompassed the grounds. The reason why it is so rich, and the reason why it is so respected, is because of the plateau's proximity to extremely deep water. You cannot see it in this chart, but on the southern edge the rise is extremely dramatic. There are several places where it comes up from 1000 fa (1 nm deep) to 500 fa to 30 fa in just a few short miles. That creates an upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water onto the FW grounds, and the feed flourishes. It is also why when the wind starts blowing you need to pay attention, and if it blows a bit too enthusiastically from the south you need to think about getting off of the grounds. in any sort of Southerly wind (SW, S, SE) the swell builds over deep water and is a typically moderate ocean swell. Say you're looking at a 30 kt SE wind over 24 hours, that's going to build about a 15 ft sea on usually 15-20 second periods with a 5' wind wave on top (just an estimation for illustration purposes). That is uncomfortable, but doable in my boat. I did it all summer. However, when you take that huge wave pulse and squeeze it from 1000 fa deep to 500 fa deep to 30 fa deep, the period gets shorter and waves get taller. That easy 15ft with 5 ft wind chop, by the time it gets to the top of the FW Grounds plateau, is 22-25 ft and a 12 second period. That is dangerous in a boat my size, and uncomfortable in all but the biggest of ships. I would never willingly put my and the Diamond Lil in that situation. The thing about the FW Grounds, is the change from fishable to "this is bad" happens so fast. The general strategy is to either not be there in questionable weather to begin with, or position yourself so that when it gets bad you can get off of the grounds and either back over deep water or to a sheltered anchorage in a hurry.
It happens so fast. Schizophrenically fast, in terms of changes of sea state. We call it "blowing up," a very accurate term from my point of view. The Fairweather Grounds is noted for eating boats and men, and the next installment is my personal experience with a dramatic sea state change out on the Fairweather Grounds.
*always on the lookout for 3-4" round bar stock, if anybody has any semi axles they need to scrap...
Post by: Skillet on February 27, 2017, 04:36:20 PM
My summer deckhand was not scheduled to arrive until late May, and the fishery was scheduled to kick off on May 16th. I viewed this as a “tryout” fishery for me, and didn’t want another guy to depend on my ability to land fish for his paycheck out there. So after much deliberation and eyeing the weather, I decided to run out there solo and fish the community holes to figure it out. Talk on the dock about the where and how is pretty thin – the last year there was only 16 vessels registered to fish out there, this year was looking to be 18. I gleaned as much info as I could by lubricating the more friendly and talkative guys with Rainier, and to the gear store I went to pick up the little incidentals I didn’t bring up with me. I was well equipped as the season approached, and you could feel the buzz on the docks as boats start their frantic last minute preparations for the fishery. By then most guys knew who was going out, but not where. I figured if I saw a few of the highliner boats in the area that I decided to fish, I had as good a chance as any to have a decent trip. We start really looking at the wx closely about 5 days out.
She’s gonna blow a bit on day one.
As the days wore it was obvious there was going to be a very short, but somewhat intense, blow out of the south on the evening of the 16th, the opener. The last wx report I got before I left was 15 kts S all day on the 16th, then increasing to gale force winds (35kts) for four hours from 1800 to 2200, then laying down to 20 kts SW at about midnight. Then it was going to be a pond out there for the rest of the opener.
A gale force blow needs to be given the proper respect on the Fairweather Ground (FWG) for the reasons I listed above. But a short gale, and a quick laydown after, is totally doable if I get off of FWG and out over deep water in time to jog into it. The weather was actually a steady 25 kts SE for two days the year before, and while it was tough to fish in people did really well. I figured if I left the fishing grounds at 1400, gave myself 4 hours to go 10 miles (should be no problem in even the bigger water I’d been in already), I could ride it out and get back to fishing as dawn broke at 0300 the next morning. Discussed this with a few guys that I knew were going out, that was their plan too. So I picked out a spot on the chart towards the southern side of the grounds which would allow an easy run out to deep water, and started my final prep. I felt confident I had a good plan, with other skippers saying as much.
That confidence was misplaced in the forecast.
I left Sitka on the afternoon of the 14th, arriving at Leo’s Anchorage on the north edge of Salisbury Sound on the 14th, 23:15. Decided to drop the hook and get a few hours of sleep before heading for the FWG early the next morning.
Pic of my arrival at Leo’s Anchorage on the evening of the 14th. Red skies at night, sailor’s delight? Turns out that really only works in the Atlantic…
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPLyed3k.jpg&hash=59182d099e8239f6e3b4af1b451dc31efcae844c)
I got a solid 6 hours of sleep in Leo’s, and at 0600 on the 15th Istarted the 90-ish mile run to the FWG. Arriving at my chosen location on the Southwest corner of the grounds that afternoon, I was very encouraged to see 5 other boats – among them a few known highliners – running over the area as well looking for bait. We all use this as a exploratory trip for kings as well, so we’re looking for bait and big salmon marks on the sounder. I spent a few hours mapping out a completely unknown-to-me bottom, and felt pretty good about my situation. The weather had laid down to nothing, there was just a short oily swell of 5-6ft on the grounds. The only issue was the wx forecast was updated that afternoon to say that the 35 kts was going to hit a tad earlier, but still last until 2200. That means more time under the gale for the waves to build – but my plan to get off was still valid. I thought. I lined up my overnight drift, and tried to sleep. I couldn’t as I was unused to sleeping while drifting, and kept getting up to check the radar, check on my drift, etc.
The day dawned grey and overcast, with a slight ripple on the water. I eagerly sent my train down and within an hour (and losing a dinglebar) had the concept figured out. I was landing some lings and a few yelloweye, but not smashing it. I was intentionally staying away from the group of boats at the very southern tip of the plateau, but as my confidence with running the boat and gear solo increased I edged closer. As I did, I started catching fish. A lot of fish. I had 12 jigs going at that time, and several times I had a fish on every one. I was catching too many yelloweye however (we’re only allowed a 10% bycatch of yelloweye in this fishery), so I had to keep moving south towards the other boats. I basically got in the groove with the rest of them, and was doing pretty well. The wind was definitely increasing, quickly, at about noon. By noon I estimated it at 25 knots and gone to SE. That shift to SE from S was a signal I missed, since the storm had curled farther south before heading north and unbeknownst to me we weren’t going to get a glancing blow at that point. We were in the line of fire. The waves were building fast now and as I was cleaning fish on my southbound drag, I noticed something that gave me my first shot of adrenaline – I was totally alone out there. I checked the radar, and marked a couple of boats steaming east towards Lituya Bay. There I was, alone just north of the SW corner of the Fairweather Grounds with 15 miles between me and my desired location to ride this storm out. But nobody else was heading south to ride it out? I checked up on the weather report, and that’s when I found that they were blasting storm warnings out every 15 minutes. The weather report had gone to 45 kts SE for 8 hours starting at 1600. I totally understood what I was into here – I needed to get off of the FWG asap and my easy out to the south was not going to work. I was not in what I thought of as a safe situation, and needed to make some quick decisions.
The long slog begins.
The sea state where I was “blew up”. It went from 12-15 footers to 20+’s in 30 minutes, tops. I couldn’t run parallel to it any longer, the roll was too severe and I was dipping the both rails. Really uncomfortable, and this is when I started to get really seasick. That just saps the strength from me, and makes endurance runs like the one I was facing a real challenge. I could not run east with the rest of the guys, as they had a 15 mile head start on me and had probably cleared the grounds and made for Lituya. That’s what I thought, anyway. Radar is pretty useless when the boat is rolling so hard in big waves, it just has a hard time with orientation. So I was not really sure where everybody was at this point. I had two choices as I saw it – run north into Yakutat. That, in retrospect, is the decision I should have made. I didn’t want to as I had never been before, and it can be hard to make your way back down the coast to Sitka if the storm parks itself just off the coast. Should have done it tho. Instead, I decided that although the weather was going to be bad, I was going to execute my original plan. I felt as though I could work the throttle and jog into it if I could just get off this damn plateau over deep water. So, at 1420, I turned the boat south and settled in for a long, long night on the throttle.
Mayday call
At 1630, a mayday came in over the radio. The F/V Roslyn, a 46’ wooden troller, gave their position putting them on the north edge of the Fairweather Grounds and advised the coast guard that they were taking on water and unable to slow it down. The Coast Guard sent a chopper out and lowered dewatering pumps but they were unsuccessful in slowing the water inflow. The skipper and CG agreed that the best course of action is to lift them off and abandon the boat. The thing with trollers, however, is that there is a lot of rigging up above deck and a chopper can’t safely get a basket on deck in most cases. So, they were instructed to inflate the life raft and jump in the water. The Coast Guard was able to pick up both men without injury and the F/V Roslyn was never seen again. That is a pretty sobering thing to listen to as you are out there battling the elements, but certainly makes a guy feel as though there is a guardian angel looking out for you if the poop really hits the fan.
At midnight, I had made a total of 15 miles south. Just off the edge of the grounds, and not in a safe place yet. I normally run at 7.5 knots, so 8 hours of running gets me 60 nm of wake. But I was averaging under 2 knots bashing into this stuff, and it was still building. It was dark and predicting the waves based on sight wasn’t working. So I made the call to end the trip and head for shore. This gave me the option of angling towards Chichagof Island again, and towards the sweet relief of an anchorage. I couldn’t see the size of the waves, but I had never been in anything like that. My bow would push through a wave, and then fall… and fall and fall. The anchor would come off of the bow roller and only be held in by the welded loop above it. When the boat’s bow would land, it was in the trough and instantly start pushing into the next wave. I was scooping large amounts of green water and making just over a knot SOG. I needed to find an angle of attack that would allow for some ground to be covered and not destroy my boat. I was able to find a bit of a sweet spot and rode that for a while.
0200 May 17th
I was getting pretty tired and was certain I had tried to puke my toenails out at that point. I still maintained a vigilant help presence, and was encouraged by the 2.5 knots I was averaging. The waves were coming on at about 30 degress off my starboard bow, and with the help of the stabalizers in the water it seemed to be a point of sail the Diamond Lil handled fairly well. Everything was straining, creaking, groaning. But holding – until it didn’t. My port stabilizer line parted at the shackle, and as soon as that happened my world turned into a carnival ride. With no roll attenuation on the port side, the boat would heel over more to starboard and hang there longer, in the direction the waves were coming at me. My starboard rail was spending way too much time under water and I had to make a course correction to the south to reduce the risk. It was disheartening to see that my speed dropped down to 1.something knots again and my layline had me pointed towards Vancouver island. I couldn’t turn towards shore, I couldn’t make any real headway, and turning around at this point with one stabilizer in the water would have been suicide. There I was, still 70+ miles out from safety unable to go anywhere. I thought that as soon as dawn broke I could get that other stabilizer in, be more strategic in my attack angle and work my way towards shore. I just needed to survive the next hour and a half of big waves, inky blackness and vicious winds.
I didn’t make it to dawn.
My log records the event at about 0230. I was tired, sick and just jogging the throttle, trying to avoid big green water from coming over the rail. One wave I didn’t avoid, however. All I remember from that instant was the lingering of the boat over to starboard, then the sound of exploding glass and the feeling of total confusion. I never saw the wave that got me. A wave that didn’t match the wave pattern (rouge wave?) come over my starboard bow and blew out two of my starboard wheel house windows. There was a solid jet of saltwater that come through the front of my wheelhouse and doused the entire starboard side of my cabin. I was in my sweats and socks, trying to stay as comfy as I could while fighting the battle. In my inverter went out instantly, and with it went my computer that contained my navigation software. My Furuno depth finder took a direct hit and was instantly out of commission as well. I was officially in a tough spot at that point, and I ran on adrenaline for a few hours after that.
Assessing the damage
I knew priority one was to get boards on those windows. I was constantly taking more water on through them via spray and splash, so I threw one boot on (couldn’t find the other) and went on top of the wheelhouse where I kept the covering boards. I wrestled two of them down and around to the front of the cabin where I could install them. Carrying two 24”x16” pieces of plywood in that kind of wind and wave on a severly rocking boat is a quite an ordeal, but I managed to get one installed from the outside up front and then the second from the inside. That took 10-ish minutes, and I took on a lot more water in the meantime. Once I got the boards on, I got back to assessing the damage. Foc’s’le was flooded to 10” of water, half of the cabin soaked, anything that was on a shelf wasn’t anymore, glass everywhere. Lucky I didn’t slice up my foot too. Autopilot still taking orders from the compass, thankfully, so I could somewhat pay attention to restoring power. I fired up the genset and flipped the switches over to genset power - thankfully it worked. Amazingly, although my computer was soaked with saltwater, it still fired – but the keyboard didn’t work. I eventually got my mouse to respond and got my navigation software running again. Dawn started to break and I became much more aware of the enormity of the waves I was dealing with. I also saw that if I could only make a few more miles of southing that I could get into what I was sure was much easier water to deal with.
Storm Day #2 of the 4 hour gale
The 17th was more of the same in terms of wind and wave. But I could see them, which helped a ton. I got the port stabilizer in and that balanced out the boat’s action significantly. By 0500 I had been up for 48 hours straight, with only 6 hours of sleep in the last 72. I was still sick as a dog, and had nothing left to give in that department. The saving grace here was I could see that there was a noticeable change in the wave patterns – I could turn a few more degrees towards shore and head for Salisbury Sound. The rest of the day was just a long, long day of improving sea state and motoring towards the safety of a harbor. I piled on as much easterly heading as I dared, and jockeyed the throttle navigating waves for the rest of the day until darkness came. At that point I was making maybe 4 knots through steadily improving sea conditions. The wind was starting to lay down, and though the sea was still very uncomfortable and tall, the waves spread out a bit relative to what they were before and allowed for me to come off of the adrenaline focus on ending this trip. I made it to shore at Leo’s Anchorage, the same place I launched this misadventure from, at 2310 on May 17th. I have never been so relieved in my life as when I was able to drop the hook in Leo’s and allow myself the sweet relief of sleep.
I woke at 1100 the next morning and took this picture of my wheelhouse windows. I also took a video of the carnage, but I have been unable to watch it all the way through yet. Then I started in through Neva Strait towards Sitka.
View from inside on the morning of the 18th
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FzVJwvhZ.jpg&hash=ae8ff6af4ebceed2fa17f3179e6f9673e242e08c)
A friend of mine that was on the dock at the processor in Sitka took this pic of me heading over to unload. You can see the covering boards from the outside, and maybe see the loose rigging where I lost my stabilizer.
Limping into town
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPIpmP5A.jpg&hash=54688bd32a1c494bfa911d955e5ce1debf98340c)
Dockside pic of the front of my wheelhouse. I worked really hard and fast to make sure I got these windows fixed asap. Not a good look for me or my boat…
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fl82YKIz.jpg&hash=759b4a0bb46bb50abf49bd4fce5dec3a8a6f9b0b)
People in town had heard about all of the carnage out there, and were checking in on us. One of the guys I knew was Guthrie on the Velvet and was fishing with out on the West Bank hadn’t been heard from yet, however. When he limped into town on the 18th I was unbelievably glad to see him. His boat was in a bad way, however. She was leaking pretty severly through her bottom planking and had folded a trolling pole, taking out all of her antennae. That left him without comm’s for two full days. I was so glad to see him on the dock I shook his hand, and he pulled me into a big bear hug. And I hugged him back. And it was one of the most sincere “am I glad to see you!” hugs I’ve ever experienced. I barely new the guy, but was nearly reduced to tears when he finally got back and I shook his hand. We swapped a few quick stories, then he had to get back to work keeping his boat floating. Unfortunately, after he got all of his rigging and antennae fixed, the Velvet sunk less than three weeks later with no loss of life or injury. I believe the beating she took out on the Fairweather Grounds during that storm was too much for that 58’ wooden boat to handle, and she sprung a plank. That’s my assessment, anyway.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FteJlbuh.jpg&hash=18069c39e5f87c08c9e603e0ef39db0ca0003387)
Here’s what we do it for. A fish. This is a pic of one of my lings at the sampling station at SPC. That fish got sold to the plant for less than $2/#, and likely ended up in a market somewhere as a pair of $9.99/# filets. Nobody who ate that fish knows what it took to get it to shore and on their plate.
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FoAVVTpE.jpg&hash=1f2c130eae78f5ea42444d1c7d01dd53683ac247)
I hope that my telling this story causes some people pause for a moment to think about that when they enjoy the bounty of the ocean. Not to be overly grateful, or fawn over fishermen. But to just realize that these fish are out there, sometimes way out there, and it takes some effort to get them to a plate for enjoyment. Knowing that just might make it taste a little better, too.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, it was pretty cathartic to finally put this story down to be read.
Everybody be safe out there-
Post by: bearpaw on February 27, 2017, 05:33:43 PM
Post by: Mark Brenckle on February 27, 2017, 06:49:47 PM
Heck of a story skillet, glad you are still around to tell it! :twocents::yeah: as well as all the other great stories and information in these posts!
Post by: bowhunterforever on February 27, 2017, 07:03:15 PM
Heck of a story skillet, glad you are still around to tell it! :twocents::yeah:
Post by: yum tag soup on February 27, 2017, 07:53:01 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on February 27, 2017, 07:54:38 PM
Heck of a story skillet, glad you are still around to tell it! :twocents::yeah:
That's crazy in a boat that size. :yike:
I remember waves breaking over the bow of the USS Forrestal in the North Atlantic above the artic circle, but it wasn't really scary, kinda hard to sink a carrier. :chuckle:
Post by: Angry Perch on February 27, 2017, 08:00:47 PM
Post by: Special T on February 27, 2017, 09:19:12 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on February 27, 2017, 09:32:12 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 27, 2017, 09:42:55 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 27, 2017, 11:24:56 PM
I didn't need to read that, Skillet. I don't like your little adventure so much anymore!
Blame Boss300winmag - he asked for it!
As one who has been through it more than once, I appreciate what you went through Skillet. There are times when you want to give up, but you know if you take even a small break, you're done for. It's all survival mode. One thing I've noticed is how focused you can be when your rear end is on the line. But I've also known people who panicked from the danger and were unable to function. You really find out what you are made of in times like these.
I think this is absolutely true. I used to think that "tough" meant physically dominating, able to withstand pain, etc. I look at it completely differently now. Tough is a measurement of mental fortitude. Are you a quitter? Do you "shut down"? Can you push through? "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" has a whole new meaning to me now.
I'm still not tough compared to many I respect by my old definition. But in taking on commercial fishing as a career/lifestyle, I have discovered that when forced to perform under extreme circumstances, I was not disappointed to find out what I was made of. Unfortunate that it took me this long in life to have the opportunity to prove out what I had always suspected, but grateful I finally did.
I really wish that every young man got the chance to test himself to an extreme where the risk is real. 100 years ago, that was nearly a daily occourance. Sadly, in our overly-litigious modern society, those opportunities are nearly non-existent. But they are still there if one looks, especially to the north.
Post by: plugger on February 28, 2017, 04:24:33 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 28, 2017, 09:42:28 PM
Well, Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers were pretty good too.
Post by: Skillet on February 28, 2017, 11:51:41 PM
Skillet, do you know Tele and Joel on the Nerka? I watched them both perform at Fisher/Poets in Astoria this weekend. Very powerful writers and they both told their stories from the heart. They were my two favorite performers from the weekend.
Well, Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers were pretty good too.
Joel and Tele are friends; they are of the finest kind.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on March 01, 2017, 02:15:22 AM
Skillet, do you know Tele and Joel on the Nerka? I watched them both perform at Fisher/Poets in Astoria this weekend. Very powerful writers and they both told their stories from the heart. They were my two favorite performers from the weekend.
Well, Ray Troll and the Ratfish Wranglers were pretty good too.
Joel and Tele are friends; they are of the finest kind.
From the stories they told, I'd have to agree.
Post by: Blacktail135 on March 01, 2017, 12:20:42 PM
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on March 01, 2017, 01:33:11 PM
Post by: nontypical176 on March 01, 2017, 03:08:46 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 01, 2017, 11:03:17 PM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll312%2Fcaskillet%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2F20170301_100747.jpg&hash=8fbb9136175bbe6aeb0b36d662fe186a479cd8a7)
When fish catching season is over, cash spending season begins in earnest -
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on March 02, 2017, 12:23:05 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on March 02, 2017, 12:59:28 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 02, 2017, 01:57:51 PM
What are you getting done, Skillet?
It's a long list, but the primary jobs are fresh bottom paint, doing a new fiberglass fish hold liner, chip and paint all the small rust spots, cut out and replace some steel on the topsides, clean up some wiring, scrub and paint engine room.
It's gong to be a lot of hours.
Post by: Woodchuck on March 02, 2017, 02:17:30 PM
Sounds like you are really enjoying the time off after a very long season.What are you getting done, Skillet?
It's a long list, but the primary jobs are fresh bottom paint, doing a new fiberglass fish hold liner, chip and paint all the small rust spots, cut out and replace some steel on the topsides, clean up some wiring, scrub and paint engine room.
It's gong to be a lot of hours.
Post by: Skillet on March 02, 2017, 02:17:52 PM
Thank you so much for posting that up. When I decided to leave my straight job for a "life of slime," Tele and Joel were there to answer any number of my inane questions, providing quiet encouragement the whole way.
One of my proudest moments this year was in August, when the Nerka and the Diamond Lil happened to be in Sitka at the same time - if only for a few minutes. Tele saw we were doing a quick turn on the trip and were planning on leaving right away, so came over to chat for a bit. I introduced Tele to my relatively new deckhand Mike as she was handing him our mooring lines. Tele, gracious as always, welcomed Mike to the troll fleet and said "Pleased to meet you Mike. You are very lucky. The Diamond Lil is a wonderful boat and has a great captain. Good luck to you, be safe."
Thought I was going to burst with pride.
Post by: Skillet on March 02, 2017, 02:40:34 PM
Sounds like you are really enjoying the time off after a very long season.
Ha, you know it. Partying like a rock star over here.
Post by: Scvette on March 02, 2017, 05:31:15 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 19, 2017, 08:01:16 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on March 22, 2017, 01:59:43 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 22, 2017, 02:01:27 PM
I do, but the pics I have are on a comp I don't have access to right now. I'll see of i can scare up a few pics and a story in the next few days...
Post by: Woodchuck on March 22, 2017, 02:04:06 PM
Post by: Night goat on March 26, 2017, 02:15:16 AM
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on March 26, 2017, 07:29:41 AM
Post by: Duckslayer89 on March 26, 2017, 07:51:14 AM
Well, it's official, today, i just landed me a gig seining up in Prince William Sound for the summer, season will be a little shorter for me than usual, but, the way I see it, I get paid for a 2.5 month vacation, unlimited sports fishing oppertunities seiners, seaplanes, skiffs, maybe some deer hunting, four wheelers, hell... Might even make a lil cash on the side. I hear price is gonna be good
That's awesome I've always wanted to fish there
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on March 26, 2017, 10:51:04 PM
Well, it's official, today, i just landed me a gig seining up in Prince William Sound for the summer, season will be a little shorter for me than usual, but, the way I see it, I get paid for a 2.5 month vacation, unlimited sports fishing oppertunities seiners, seaplanes, skiffs, maybe some deer hunting, four wheelers, hell... Might even make a lil cash on the side. I hear price is gonna be good
We'll have to meet up for a beer. Let me Know when you get there.
Post by: Skillet on March 26, 2017, 11:50:02 PM
Well, it's official, today, i just landed me a gig seining up in Prince William Sound for the summer, season will be a little shorter for me than usual, but, the way I see it, I get paid for a 2.5 month vacation, unlimited sports fishing oppertunities seiners, seaplanes, skiffs, maybe some deer hunting, four wheelers, hell... Might even make a lil cash on the side. I hear price is gonna be good
Hope you slay up there man. :tup:
Post by: Skillet on August 08, 2017, 10:09:51 AM
My deckhand Kyle is a Washington guy, fellow hunter. We've been doing pretty good on the coho this year too. But you gotta troll dress the coho - chums are nice because they are after the eggs, so I just pop a gill and slush them in those deck totes. Kyle is a big fan of chums! :chuckle:
Enjoy-
Post by: Timberstalker on August 08, 2017, 10:36:17 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on August 08, 2017, 10:46:26 AM
Post by: runamuk on August 08, 2017, 11:41:24 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on August 08, 2017, 01:17:11 PM
Post by: bearpaw on August 08, 2017, 08:17:44 PM
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:01:41 PM
I spotted a WW2 pill box up on top of Ataku Isl as we were coming through Biorka Channel. Can you see it? Decided we're gonna stretch our legs and check it out.
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:13:03 PM
Got up to the pill box/bunker, it was on stilts. Wish I had more pics of it, but didn't think to take them.
Here's a pic of me lining up on some invading enemy forces. You can all rest easy tonight - I'm watching out for those DPRK advance forces.
(Producer credit to Carpsniper for sourcing the armament for me).
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:18:05 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on August 13, 2017, 09:23:39 PM
Great video!!!
Hope the new guns are holding up well in the salt :IBCOOL:
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:26:33 PM
Thought I'd share a non-fishing adventure. Gonna be some boat work in the morning, then back to doing my part to produce the finest salmon available. Wild Alaska Troll!
Post by: quadrafire on August 13, 2017, 09:28:38 PM
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:31:42 PM
Post by: JKEEN33 on August 13, 2017, 09:35:56 PM
Headed back to the boat, on our way into town now. Just a few minutes ago, a humpback was putting on an aerial show. Caught one lazy jump on vid.
Thought I'd share a non-fishing adventure. Gonna be some boat work in the morning, then back to doing my part to produce the finest salmon available. Wild Alaska Troll!
Good luck, stay safe! FYI, The car is still running great. Thanks again.
Post by: Skillet on August 13, 2017, 09:58:00 PM
Post by: RB on August 13, 2017, 10:08:43 PM
There's a few bunkers around here - that just might happen yet :chuckle:
The Adirondack shelter at Kakul narrows used to have our names in it, till some jack-nut burned it down a few years back. Also have signed into the shelter on Otstoia island up around North Arm. Cool pics!
Post by: Skillet on August 16, 2017, 12:44:48 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on August 16, 2017, 12:47:42 PM
Post by: jmscon on August 16, 2017, 12:49:39 PM
I met a guy who lived on his boat at the Ballard oil dock. Ole, I think he hand rolled year round on the Washington coast and in the straight. Hands like leather and tough as nails!
Post by: Skillet on August 16, 2017, 12:56:08 PM
I was advised early on by an old salt to never get in a fist fight with a hand troller. I think that goes double for this guy.
Post by: Woodchuck on August 16, 2017, 12:57:57 PM
Good point Woodchuck. Hand trollers on bigger boats are tough. I can't swear to it, but this guy may be Chuck Norris.Sounds like solid advice to me. :chuckle:
I was advised early on by an old salt to never get in a fist fight with a hand troller. I think that goes double for this guy.
Post by: pianoman9701 on August 16, 2017, 02:00:23 PM
Post by: Skillet on August 16, 2017, 02:29:24 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 17, 2017, 07:45:30 PM
Here's a pic of the biggest one this trip, and the hootchie that caused his demise. Guessing right around 20# dressed, but the scale will tell the tale tomorrow morning.
Post by: Mark Brenckle on October 17, 2017, 08:09:31 PM
Post by: j_h_nimrod on October 17, 2017, 08:59:07 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 17, 2017, 09:16:24 PM
I get to eat fresh fish of all types quite a lot, but for my money nothing yet beats a super fatty fresh winter king/springer.
Post by: Skillet on October 17, 2017, 09:21:59 PM
Cool, glad to see they opened the king season.
You and me both. I was going to have to hit Southpole up for a job sweeping her shop this winter otherwise :chuckle:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 17, 2017, 10:16:30 PM
The season started very slow due to management concerns over kings. We got very short openers and no inside fishing. It soon became apparent that the king run was actually fairly healthy this year as we caught a decent number of them in spite of the restrictions, but that didn't get us more time and area. Then disaster struck. One of my longest time fishing buddy's boat was found going in circles with nobody aboard. I had missed the initial radio chatter but when I got to the tender I heard the coast guard chopper talking on channel 16. over the loud hailer. about a search and asked what was going on and was told that Mick was missing. As I was delivering my fish I heard the chopper direct a boat into an area of the surf to check out something they saw. It turned out to be Mick, but they were too late to save him. He'd been in the water over an hour. His flotation gear hadn't saved him. Totally put a damper on my season. When I met Mick in 72, his wife (Girlfriend at the time) and I were 18 and Mick a couple years older. We grew up in the fishery together and you'll never meet a nicer couple. Mick continued fishing Pete Dahl Slough for his whole career while I moved on. The Pete Dahl homesteaders (guys who never leave) are famous locally for being doom and gloom on the radio to discourage other fishermen from coming to the area. You'll hear them complaining they only had a flounder on the last set, or the caught a snag, or the sea mammals are stealing all their fish. They have it down to a science and Mick was one of the best, whining all the way to the bank. I used to tease them that they were like one of those furniture stores with the continual going out of business sales. Pete Dahl fishermen......... Going bankrupt in the same slough for over 40 years. Then another friend flipped his boat on the Kokenhenic bar.
After that combined with the poor fishing it didn't take much to convince me to go to the Sound to try my luck at catching dogs. Usually if you get there early, there are few boats and some decent build up near the hatchery to work on. That wasn't the case this ear tho. In spite of few boats, there were hardly any fish and we fished for two week without hardly making anything. Usually I figure to make half to 2/3 of my season's pay the first month of the 4 month season when we get the highest price. If that was the case, then this year was a total failure. Then disaster hit again.
I was delivering at the end of the period and when I finished I took gas. As we were untied from the tender my oldest son who was fishing with me put our paperwork in the cabin and remarked he smelled gas. There were a dozen boats waiting to deliver and we were drifting along side the tender and without thinking I hit the key to get out of the way. BOOM! The explosion blew the windows out of my cabin and blew the bolted on engine hatch from the roof and it went 30 ft in the air and landed on the deck of the tender. Luckily my son and I were outside and no one was hurt by the explosion. There was a small fire in the cabin which we put out in short order. So we got towed to town to replace or repair my boat. Turned out the fill hose into my tank was old and had cracked allowing gas to leak into the engine compartment under the cabin. Miraculously the damage was limited to the blown windows and hatch and some singed bedding and clothing and melted wires. I had a fabrication company in town repair the fuel tank problem, a friend installed new windows and I repaired the wiring and bought new bedding. We ended up only missing one period and got back out on the grounds, thankful it hadn't been worse. But by then, a month into the season I was thinking this was the season that was going to be the end of me.
Another week of poor fishing and my wife and youngest son came up to join my and my oldest son went home and got a town job. And then the dogs finally showed up. For six weeks we slayed them. Wife and son then went home and I picked humpies for two more weeks, then had a very decent silver season. So what had appeared to be a horrible year turned into a very good year. Except for the loss of Mick. Oh, and there was another fellow who fell out of a setnet skiff in Main Bay and was never found this summer. Definitely made for a somber season. My heart goes out to the families of those who didn't return. Puts things in perspective.
But that's fishing, You never know how a season will turn out until it's over.
Post by: Skillet on October 17, 2017, 10:43:19 PM
RIP Mick. He went down with his boots on.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 17, 2017, 11:24:02 PM
Thanks for sharing Sitka. Sounds like you went through it this year. I had an old timer tell me that he kept coming back to fishing because it offered the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. After being on it for a little while, and reading your story, that rings true with me.
RIP Mick. He went down with his boots on.
Thanks Skillet. Mick had told his wife if he ever died he wanted his ashes spread at Pete Dahl Point. It turn out, that's where he passed.
By the way, how was your Sept? We were hammered by bad weather during silver season, but it seemed to be just good enough to fish each opener. But there were a couple I quit early and got up the slough as it was coming up. Blew 100 in town one closure but I don't think it got over 50-70 where I was hiding. A friend's seiner broke loose from the dock and went aground on spike Island and rolled over and flooded when the tide came back in and several roofs were damaged.
Post by: WSU on October 18, 2017, 10:12:41 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 18, 2017, 04:00:03 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 27, 2017, 03:01:41 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 27, 2017, 03:46:20 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 27, 2017, 03:56:35 PM
Whales are a big problem for the black cod fleet now. Sperm whales in particular have learned to key in on the hydraulics turning on when they're hauling gear. There's a pretty amazing video of one basically flossing his teeth with the groundline as it comes up, popping the cod off in his mouth.
It's gotten so bad in the last few years there's a sperm whale sighting network so fisherman can try to avoid the darn things.
Post by: RB on October 27, 2017, 07:50:17 PM
Post by: Scvette on October 27, 2017, 08:23:34 PM
I've heard that about autobaiters :chuckle:
Whales are a big problem for the black cod fleet now. Sperm whales in particular have learned to key in on the hydraulics turning on when they're hauling gear. There's a pretty amazing video of one basically flossing his teeth with the groundline as it comes up, popping the cod off in his mouth.
It's gotten so bad in the last few years there's a sperm whale sighting network so fisherman can try to avoid the darn things.
Skillet,good to see fishing is working out for you. You mentioned auto baiter being slave drivers,I have a different opinion of them,they're great. We used to hand bait on this boat,got up to 305 tubs @ 225 hook a tub 68,000 hooks using 30 crew,that was hard work. We switched to an auto baiter cut the crew down to 22-23 guys and now we are setting 74,000 hooks everyday,it's a lot easier on the crew.we use less bait,we used to take 225,000-250,000lbs of squid a trip,now we take 90,000-120,000. Thank god the whales don't like cod.
Post by: Skillet on October 27, 2017, 08:47:36 PM
We're not getting many fishing days - I went and tried it in 25 SW and 18' today, but just too big of water for effectively trolling kings in my boat. Coming down to 15kts and 11' tomorrow - easy!
Still, 90k# of bait... I thought I was staring down a big winter season bait bill at 6-8 doz herring a day :chuckle:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 27, 2017, 09:04:38 PM
I've heard that about autobaiters :chuckle:
Whales are a big problem for the black cod fleet now. Sperm whales in particular have learned to key in on the hydraulics turning on when they're hauling gear. There's a pretty amazing video of one basically flossing his teeth with the groundline as it comes up, popping the cod off in his mouth.
It's gotten so bad in the last few years there's a sperm whale sighting network so fisherman can try to avoid the darn things.
Skillet,good to see fishing is working out for you. You mentioned auto baiter being slave drivers,I have a different opinion of them,they're great. We used to hand bait on this boat,got up to 305 tubs @ 225 hook a tub 68,000 hooks using 30 crew,that was hard work. We switched to an auto baiter cut the crew down to 22-23 guys and now we are setting 74,000 hooks everyday,it's a lot easier on the crew.we use less bait,we used to take 225,000-250,000lbs of squid a trip,now we take 90,000-120,000. Thank god the whales don't like cod.
It's not the baiting that is a problem with them. If they aren't "tuned" perfectly they tear up gear. So you spend your extra time rehabbing gear. Ours was way out of "tune",
Post by: Scvette on October 27, 2017, 09:41:09 PM
I've heard that about autobaiters :chuckle:
Whales are a big problem for the black cod fleet now. Sperm whales in particular have learned to key in on the hydraulics turning on when they're hauling gear. There's a pretty amazing video of one basically flossing his teeth with the groundline as it comes up, popping the cod off in his mouth.
It's gotten so bad in the last few years there's a sperm whale sighting network so fisherman can try to avoid the darn things.
Skillet,good to see fishing is working out for you. You mentioned auto baiter being slave drivers,I have a different opinion of them,they're great. We used to hand bait on this boat,got up to 305 tubs @ 225 hook a tub 68,000 hooks using 30 crew,that was hard work. We switched to an auto baiter cut the crew down to 22-23 guys and now we are setting 74,000 hooks everyday,it's a lot easier on the crew.we use less bait,we used to take 225,000-250,000lbs of squid a trip,now we take 90,000-120,000. Thank god the whales don't like cod.
It's not the baiting that is a problem with them. If they aren't "tuned" perfectly they tear up gear. So you spend your extra time rehabbing gear. Ours was way out of "tune",
You probably were using a Marco system. These newer Mustad super baiters are pretty nice,I can set at 8.2-8.5kts baiting about 3-4 hooks a sec and still get a 98% bait up. We've done black cod using the auto baiter but it just doesn't fish as well as tub gear,plus we're just too big for that small quota.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 27, 2017, 09:51:29 PM
Post by: Mark Brenckle on October 28, 2017, 06:53:16 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 28, 2017, 09:22:10 AM
Post by: goldenhtr on October 28, 2017, 09:43:26 AM
Really cool video. I never knew..............
Post by: Mark Brenckle on October 28, 2017, 12:27:27 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 29, 2017, 08:07:23 PM
Coming in tonight with a two-day trip of winter kings and some nice bonus yelloweye rockfish. Thought I'd share a pic of the goods-
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 29, 2017, 09:00:00 PM
Post by: runamuk on October 29, 2017, 09:45:12 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 29, 2017, 11:02:29 PM
I could work out a great deal for you on some yelloweye, but I'm sure you'll understand I wouldn't be too excited about trading for kings :chuckle:
Run, I happen to know another fellow in SE WA that could use some rockfish... Maybe we could get a group buy together for my next shipping day. :dunno:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 29, 2017, 11:44:59 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on October 30, 2017, 09:53:59 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 01, 2017, 02:30:31 PM
Post by: runamuk on November 01, 2017, 02:45:02 PM
I don't sell many fish to Sitka Sound Seafoods. I bought into the Seafood Producers Co-op, so they get most of my annual production. I sold this trip to a cash buyer on the dock.Yes please. Hmm wonder if I know the guy :chuckle: If you see this send me text with prices and stuff. I will text you. I would love rockfish in my freezer.
I could work out a great deal for you on some yelloweye, but I'm sure you'll understand I wouldn't be too excited about trading for kings :chuckle:
Run, I happen to know another fellow in SE WA that could use some rockfish... Maybe we could get a group buy together for my next shipping day. :dunno:
Post by: DaveMonti on November 01, 2017, 03:06:27 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 01, 2017, 03:42:21 PM
Anybody else interested in some AK lingcod and rockfish? :dunno:
Post by: DaveMonti on November 01, 2017, 04:37:12 PM
How big of an order would you need to make it worth your while?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on November 01, 2017, 04:39:48 PM
I could do a large-scale HuntWa rockfish group buy in mid-Nov if guys are interested? I'm debating whether or not to go do a directed lingcod/yelloweye fishery in Nov - if I could get enough pre-sold here I'd go for it.I'm totally ignorant beyond "pay money - get fish" but I'm interested.
Anybody else interested in some AK lingcod and rockfish? :dunno:
Post by: Encore 280 on November 01, 2017, 04:56:58 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 01, 2017, 05:11:19 PM
I'm interested in being part of a group buy.
How big of an order would you need to make it worth your while?
I'm totally ignorant beyond "pay money - get fish" but I'm interested.
Wouldn't take too much per person - especially if I could get a volunteer in each community to help with distribution (for significant discount on their fish). Let me think on this a bit, I'll probably start a new thread on it tonight.
Post by: Alchase on November 01, 2017, 05:52:19 PM
Really cool video. I never knew..............
Very cool video!
When I am baiting plug cut herring with sliding trail hook, never fails I will hook myself with the trail hook. :bash:
So seeing that many hooks gives me the willies! :yike:
LOL
Post by: RB on November 01, 2017, 06:25:50 PM
I could do a large-scale HuntWa rockfish group buy in mid-Nov if guys are interested? I'm debating whether or not to go do a directed lingcod/yelloweye fishery in Nov - if I could get enough pre-sold here I'd go for it.
Anybody else interested in some AK lingcod and rockfish? :dunno:
[/quot
Yes depending on price
Post by: Mark Brenckle on November 01, 2017, 06:50:16 PM
I could do a large-scale HuntWa rockfish group buy in mid-Nov if guys are interested? I'm debating whether or not to go do a directed lingcod/yelloweye fishery in Nov - if I could get enough pre-sold here I'd go for it.I'd be interested as well. I could also help distribution in Snohomish and Skagit County.
Anybody else interested in some AK lingcod and rockfish? :dunno:
[/quot
Yes depending on price
Post by: walt on November 01, 2017, 06:51:06 PM
I'm interested in being part of a group buy.
How big of an order would you need to make it worth your while?I'm totally ignorant beyond "pay money - get fish" but I'm interested.
Wouldn't take too much per person - especially if I could get a volunteer in each community to help with distribution (for significant discount on their fish). Let me think on this a bit, I'll probably start a new thread on it tonight.
I too would be interested if we can get some to Spokane and happy to help coordinate/distribute. I travel to Colville weekly and am always looking for a reason to head down south to chase pheasants and steelhead. (as if that's not reason enough)
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 12:54:01 PM
Thanks!
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 02, 2017, 01:56:52 PM
Post by: DaveMonti on November 02, 2017, 03:06:24 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 04:08:17 PM
The minimum would be a single 50# box, mixed with whatever you wanted from what I had on offer. Also shipping 80#'ers. So your group of friends could order any combo of boxes - 50#, 80#, 100#, 130#, 150#, etc. Once I can officially pull the trigger, I'll get a separate post started.
Yelloweye and other rockfish would be Eastern Cut (less head, guts and pectoral fins), ling cod will be Western Cut (less head and guts, but with pectoral fins intact). This gives the highest yield per pound I can offer without fileting them myself.
I can take Paypal, CC, or a check if we chat first via pm.
I'll update as more info is available -
Post by: Ridgeratt on November 02, 2017, 04:13:02 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 04:27:48 PM
Working on the logistics. Most likely going to need a trustworthy volunteer from each airport area to pick the whole lot up from the local airport and meet up with the folks at a pre-arranged time and place. Individual next day shipping to each address is prohibitively expensive from Sitka.
Good questions, open to suggestions too-
Post by: Ridgeratt on November 02, 2017, 04:43:51 PM
Not sure about thawing out that large of chuck to repak and deal without some spoilage. :dunno:
Look Honey we got a 50# block of fish. :yike:
Post by: CLARKTAR on November 02, 2017, 04:59:15 PM
Yep, it's a lot of fish for one person - but hoping there are enough brother-in-laws out there to split up boxes with. :dunno:I might be able to pickup in Seattle. Would like to have people pick up in Issaquah.. if that works let me know
Working on the logistics. Most likely going to need a trustworthy volunteer from each airport area to pick the whole lot up from the local airport and meet up with the folks at a pre-arranged time and place. Individual next day shipping to each address is prohibitively expensive from Sitka.
Good questions, open to suggestions too-
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 05:07:33 PM
So if you send a 50# of fish will it be somewhat separated or just a BIG OL Block ? Would you maybe separate it with some kind of perhaps double sheets of freezer wrap so easy to work with?
Not sure about thawing out that large of chuck to repak and deal without some spoilage. :dunno:
Look Honey we got a 50# block of fish. :yike:
Ah, good question - this would all be FRESH rockfish I had caught, cleaned and iced myself in the previous couple of days. Lots of shelf life left in these fish before they need to be frozen.
Post by: Ridgeratt on November 02, 2017, 05:09:14 PM
Post by: quadrafire on November 02, 2017, 05:53:38 PM
I'd be interested in 15-20 lbs if some other Spokanites want to split a shipment.
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 06:05:24 PM
Post by: walt on November 02, 2017, 06:57:45 PM
I've been involved in group buys from AK. Single pickup man. We paid him he paid the producer(you) that what you are thinking?
I'd be interested in 15-20 lbs if some other Spokanites want to split a shipment.
I'm in. I'm guessing @whacker1 may want in as well.
Post by: jmscon on November 02, 2017, 07:04:43 PM
Post by: THunt on November 02, 2017, 07:46:41 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 02, 2017, 08:18:51 PM
Really appreciate the support shown so far!
:tup:
Post by: Ridgeratt on November 02, 2017, 08:25:15 PM
Post by: quadrafire on November 02, 2017, 08:58:50 PM
When you connect the dot's I could be interested. :chuckle:youd better!!!! :)
Post by: DaveMonti on November 02, 2017, 09:11:00 PM
Dave
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 03, 2017, 06:49:58 AM
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,220255.msg2929965/topicseen.html#new
Post by: jackelope on November 03, 2017, 08:03:44 AM
I'm in! I'm in Snohomish County. I can split a 50 lb box with someone or an 80 with a few folks. If you ship to Paine Field in Everett, I can pick up there and work something out for the distribution with local folks who want in.
Dave
I'll split with you if it comes to it, @DaveMonti
Post by: Skillet on November 09, 2017, 06:02:59 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 09, 2017, 06:25:53 PM
I don't mind feeding salmon sharks the occasional coho, but when they get an appetite for my winter kings... >:(
He took half you get half. :yike:
Post by: runamuk on November 09, 2017, 07:22:52 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 09, 2017, 08:02:12 PM
A little paprika, very light pat down with dark brown sugar, light sprinkle of sea salt and a bit of thyme.
Post by: runamuk on November 09, 2017, 08:08:09 PM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 09, 2017, 08:33:08 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 09, 2017, 09:20:49 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 09, 2017, 09:43:39 PM
That might have been the best king I've ever had. And I've got another chunk for tomorrow :tup:
Sorry AP - your offer is excellent, but I'm just not going to be able to take you up on that one.
Darn. :chuckle:
Post by: 7mmfan on November 09, 2017, 10:37:22 PM
You know it. Anchored up in Symonds right now.
That might have been the best king I've ever had. And I've got another chunk for tomorrow :tup:
Sorry AP - your offer is excellent, but I'm just not going to be able to take you up on that one.
Darn. :chuckle:
Always liked Symonds. Loved motor mooching the kelp beds around there. The bay on the south side of Symonds once gave me a 3 week bite all by myself while everyone was fishing the north side. All big greenbacks too. Miss those days.
Post by: Skillet on November 11, 2017, 09:30:28 AM
Post by: RB on November 11, 2017, 07:48:32 PM
My office view this morning of the dormant volcano Mt. Edgecumbe.
Awesome! Climbed to the top of that mountain in June of 2004 hell of a view from up there!
Post by: quadrafire on November 11, 2017, 07:51:39 PM
Post by: Skillet on December 06, 2017, 05:57:27 PM
Got back to Sitka, seeing all my buddies and getting ready to fish soon. Fish prices went up again - to the highest I've ever seen - everybody optimistic for the upcoming weather break. Good times!
Then the ADFG announcement about 2018 Taku and Stikine river kings hit. Based on current projections, there will be NO directed king fishery in SE next year.
For a troller, who expects to earn at least 35% of their annual AK income from the July and August king owners, this is a major gut punch.
It remains to be seen whether or not there will be a sport fishery as well. If not, that would crush the lodges up here.
I really, really hope some revised numbers come in soon to show higher abundance.
Gonna get with a few buddies at the P and drink about it!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 06, 2017, 06:33:21 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 06, 2017, 06:37:00 PM
Sorry to hear that man.
:yeah:
Post by: Skillet on December 06, 2017, 06:42:46 PM
Who wants to go tuna fishing??? :chuckle:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on December 06, 2017, 06:52:20 PM
Post by: Skillet on December 06, 2017, 07:11:01 PM
Our fishery is set in stone at the North of Falcon meeting. Even if in-river returns came back with fishable numbers, they've already swam past the trollers. It would also be really tough to open a fishery they closed during that meeting.
But - I'll get a viable fishing plan put together for 2018 and beyond. It's why I invested in this caliber of boat. It gives me options a lot of guys don't have. :tup:
Post by: 7mmfan on December 06, 2017, 08:21:59 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on December 06, 2017, 08:46:27 PM
Post by: jmscon on December 06, 2017, 08:47:43 PM
Fishing is a pain, 2013 we got $1.50/lb. for sockeye in Bristol Bay. Two years later it was $.40, then the kick in the bros was way up in Kotzebue they were getting $.40 for chums. Go figure. This year was back up to $1.25 or so, for sockeye that is.
Post by: Skillet on December 06, 2017, 08:57:53 PM
In 2014 and 2015, some charter ops were catching albacore 20 miles off of Bartolome for a few weeks, and some trollers got in there too. In 2015, my friends on the Nerka (freezer boat) got a decent score just out past the Edgecumbe wx bouy. Those were the warm water "blob" years.
I'll likely fish albacore out of Westport and Ilwaco if I do it.
Post by: Skillet on December 08, 2017, 05:01:17 PM
Got a decent vid of humpacks feeding in Silver Bay a few hours ago. Pulled over to the side of the road where there was obviously a bait ball and the humpbacks/birds/sea lions were feeding on it. I think there's a quick appearance of some porpoises as well.
Post by: Angry Perch on December 09, 2017, 08:09:10 AM
Post by: RB on December 09, 2017, 01:32:49 PM
Post by: Fl0und3rz on January 23, 2018, 06:49:18 AM
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/alaska-earthquake-prompts-tsunami-warning-52543035
Earlier reporting said 8.2 but now I see 7.9. Nothing to sneeze at there.
Post by: Woodchuck on January 23, 2018, 07:03:05 AM
Post by: Fl0und3rz on January 23, 2018, 07:31:53 AM
Post by: WSU on January 23, 2018, 07:38:02 AM
Post by: Camo on January 24, 2018, 08:15:30 PM
Post by: WSU on January 24, 2018, 08:33:52 PM
Post by: Skillet on January 24, 2018, 08:58:37 PM
Post by: WSU on January 24, 2018, 09:03:24 PM
Post by: Hard2handle on January 25, 2018, 09:59:07 AM
If your in town , give me a shout,509-945-4664...Lets hit potholes brother ! Hope all is good.
Post by: Skillet on February 09, 2018, 02:17:13 PM
View from my office a few minutes ago. It's good ocean traveling weather.
Post by: Skillet on February 09, 2018, 02:34:32 PM
Post by: DaveMonti on February 09, 2018, 02:38:46 PM
Post by: cavemann on February 09, 2018, 02:42:11 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on February 09, 2018, 02:46:17 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 09, 2018, 03:25:48 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 09, 2018, 03:37:05 PM
Post by: Angry Perch on February 09, 2018, 04:17:42 PM
Man, it's nice out here today. We get a few every winter.
Dang, not even a walleye chop out there.
Post by: jmscon on February 09, 2018, 05:09:23 PM
I am dying to spend some time on the salt!
Post by: j_h_nimrod on February 09, 2018, 06:37:08 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 13, 2018, 12:03:40 PM
Here's my office view of Craig from the buying dock. That's a whale skull there on the Craig Inn.
Post by: quadrafire on February 13, 2018, 01:03:25 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 13, 2018, 05:35:37 PM
But I won't miss it much. :chuckle:
Post by: quadrafire on February 13, 2018, 05:44:55 PM
Love the pics. Keep em coming
Post by: Skillet on February 13, 2018, 05:52:13 PM
By the way, those vid and mags yo sent up are great for the two or three minutes between the time I rack out and when I fall asleep. Not getting through them nearly as fast as I thought I would :chuckle:
Post by: carpsniperg2 on February 13, 2018, 05:53:27 PM
Post by: quadrafire on February 13, 2018, 05:59:26 PM
Will do.Haha. Awesome! Glad you like em
By the way, those vid and mags yo sent up are great for the two or three minutes between the time I rack out and when I fall asleep. Not getting through them nearly as fast as I thought I would :chuckle:
Just to appease the political crowd they are not porn vids and magazines :chuckle:
Post by: quadrafire on February 13, 2018, 06:00:45 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 13, 2018, 06:11:18 PM
Here's a pic of my running partners on this trip, I was heading over to raft up on them this afternoon to build and bait our longline gear. We're all about the same age, but these guys have been at it for a long time and are hard core. Damn good fishermen. It's a privilege to wprk with these guys - and feels dang good when I beat them when we're scratch fishing kings.
Post by: quadrafire on February 13, 2018, 06:19:18 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 13, 2018, 06:35:32 PM
Post by: Rainier10 on February 14, 2018, 08:03:16 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on February 14, 2018, 08:09:57 PM
Boo yah! Skillet asked to have this posted since he is spotty on cell coverage. I asked if it ate a goat.
Dam that’s a big ole ling! :yike:
Post by: runamuk on February 14, 2018, 09:00:41 PM
Boo yah! Skillet asked to have this posted since he is spotty on cell coverage. I asked if it ate a goat.I think it ate a greenhorn dang that looks like some yummy fish and chips.
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 14, 2018, 09:59:19 PM
It's a really interesting dynamic, and getting in with the right group of guys isn't easy. I'm running out of cell coverage, so will detail more when I get the chance.
You guys dingle barrin?
Post by: Skillet on February 16, 2018, 05:53:33 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 21, 2018, 10:42:31 AM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 21, 2018, 12:08:33 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 10:05:21 PM
We were chasing "radio fish" (reports you hear through the grapevine, or on the VHF) and got caught looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The catch reports looked really good from the previous week, and we heard it was still going on. About 100 miles down the coast from Sitka as the crow flies. At 7 kts, that's a haul for a few fish. But I had that longline job to do as a backup, what could go wrong? Amirite??
We ran and fished kings hard, in some hard weather. I got 5 in three days, slow by any measure. But especially slow when you've just spent 14 hours running to get there. Sold the trip in Craig, rebooted and regeared for longlining rockfish from the Pacific Bounty, and headed back out with dreams of orange gold filling the hold.
Heading towards San Christoval Pass from Craig in the evening-
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 10:09:31 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 10:27:34 PM
You can see in the pic (taken tonight a opposed to during the trip - the blue line is my track through on this passage) there are some tricky turns in the approach to Karheen Pass. No problems, just a bit of a pucker factor gong through there in pitch black. Must have trust your equipment and ability to navigate using it.
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 10:41:37 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 22, 2018, 10:44:58 PM
Post by: Camo on February 22, 2018, 10:46:55 PM
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:03:01 PM
In fact, the only pic I have from the trip is of that big ling above. Kind of bittersweet, since she brought decent money but was totally engorged with eggs. There was at least 10# of eggs in her. I showed the egg sac to the skipper, a very tough guy, and he said "Aw, now I feel kinda bad about getting her." None of us like to kill these fish, but it is an incidental catch. Our ling take was only 1.2% of our total catch (by numbers), for perspective.
The interesting part of catching these big lings is that they don't hit the little chunk of herring we're putting on the hook - they're eating the rockfish already hooked. Most of them have nearly completely swallowed the rockfish head first, and those things are so spiny they aren't coming out without gutting the ling. So, catch and release isn't really practical. The ling has a rockfish and a #14 SS circle hook down in her gut, and she can't pass that.
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:07:58 PM
Skillet, have you ever fished in West Port Frederick? When I scaled logs out of Hoonah, they did pretty good This time of year or a little later, sometimes, on kings, right in front of the log yard at West Port. If I remember right it was mostly local hand trollers.
I haven't. Fishing inside waters would be nice tho! Got 18' seas out front right now... I'll check the harvest to see if anything is going on up there. Thanks for the tip! :tup:
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:14:01 PM
Dude, that looks like a sketchy run in the daylight! Did you run it on a flood?
Actually went through at the bottom of a -.5 foot ebb. Didn't leave any bottom paint in there, so all is good :chuckle:
There are a few channels/narrows I don't like to run at night, and I won't run Keku Strait at night. I don't even like running that one in broad daylight with no wind.
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 22, 2018, 11:16:37 PM
Ended up in Camp Island Bay that night, running partner said he knew of a dock in there we could leave two of our boats at so the three of us could jump on one boat to longline. It was a sweet float in a protected cove in the SW corner of the bay. Our boats would be safe to leave unattended for a couple of days. We slept in a bit, pic of us getting ready to leave on the Pacific Bounty (rafted on the outside of me) for the rockfish grounds.
Skillet didn’t the mirage sink? Did they salvage?
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:22:21 PM
Post by: RB on February 22, 2018, 11:26:17 PM
The best laid plans...
We were chasing "radio fish" (reports you hear through the grapevine, or on the VHF) and got caught looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The catch reports looked really good from the previous week, and we heard it was still going on. About 100 miles down the coast from Sitka as the crow flies. At 7 kts, that's a haul for a few fish. But I had that longline job to do as a backup, what could go wrong? Amirite??
We ran and fished kings hard, in some hard weather. I got 5 in three days, slow by any measure. But especially slow when you've just spent 14 hours running to get there. Sold the trip in Craig, rebooted and regeared for longlining rockfish from the Pacific Bounty, and headed back out with dreams of orange gold filling the hold.
Heading towards San Christoval Pass from Craig in the evening-
My grandfather and the trollers he fished with had their own radio code (before cell phones) and would relay where the hot spots were, some erroneous locations may have been broadcast :)
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:46:40 PM
At any rate, we called the longline trip done after three days and went back to our boats. The otters had gotten on deck and rearranged some gear, but otherwise everything was skookum. We all got our own boats running and started for home, a short 120-ish nm away. We were racing an incoming low, and wanted (needed) to get across Lower Chatam from Decision pass to Cape Omany before the winds hit. About a 16 mile run. It was a pretty strong ebb, and with that much water flowing out you don't want to get caught in a strong opposing wind there. It's a known danger point. But, here again, I found myself running at night pushing pretty hard to get across. Funny enough, if I did beat it my "reward" was to run the outer Baranof coast in a beam-to 35kt gale for 15 miles before we could duck into a fair anchorage. Some prize, eh?
We didn't beat it, unfortunately. About halfway across the snow started, then the wind. It took about 15 minutes to really whip up the seas, and I deployed my stabilizers just in time to calm my ride. The water stood up pretty tall, and I had to throttle way back. Even with the ebb, I was only making 4kts good. But between going up and down over (and sometimes through) those steep waves I probably covered twice the distance over the srface than over the bottom. The final hour was abit rough, but our boat parade finally turned the corner at Wooden Island and started in the beam-to seas along the outer coast. Two hours later we pulled into Puffin Bay and dropped the hook. I slept well that night...
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:49:43 PM
The best laid plans...
We were chasing "radio fish" (reports you hear through the grapevine, or on the VHF) and got caught looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The catch reports looked really good from the previous week, and we heard it was still going on. About 100 miles down the coast from Sitka as the crow flies. At 7 kts, that's a haul for a few fish. But I had that longline job to do as a backup, what could go wrong? Amirite??
We ran and fished kings hard, in some hard weather. I got 5 in three days, slow by any measure. But especially slow when you've just spent 14 hours running to get there. Sold the trip in Craig, rebooted and regeared for longlining rockfish from the Pacific Bounty, and headed back out with dreams of orange gold filling the hold.
Heading towards San Christoval Pass from Craig in the evening-
My grandfather and the trollers he fished with had their own radio code (before cell phones) and would relay where the hot spots were, some erroneous locations may have been broadcast :)
:chuckle: We've all been known to a little broadcast seeding of misinformation on the V from time to time... I think of it like a bluff in poker. It's a business decision :tup:
Post by: Skillet on February 22, 2018, 11:58:38 PM
The wind blew itself out in the early morning hours, and I emerged from Puffin Bay to a very calm ocean.
Post by: Skillet on February 23, 2018, 12:11:00 AM
It was not a fruitful trip home, but I did run over a lot of new ground planning future trips (a side note - whoever charted that area of the South Outer Baranof Coast was either drunk or stoned, or both. I'd heard it was inaccurate, but that is an understatement). I did see a buddy boat fishing down there and gathered some good intel on what's been going down since I had left town a week earlier. Sounds like I didn't miss much, and it was a nice distraction from the usual winter grind at Cape Edgecumbe.
I've since been out on a few short trips, caught a few fish, making wages but not much more. Fish just aren't in yet. Got a line on a crew spot on a king crabber in SE, we'll see if the deal is good enough to get me to park my boat and work for another skipper again.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 23, 2018, 01:02:25 AM
Post by: 7mmfan on February 23, 2018, 08:43:13 AM
Post by: PolarBear on February 23, 2018, 09:23:29 AM
Post by: Skillet on February 23, 2018, 09:36:49 AM
My cousin Dewey Owns and runs the Republic out of Sitka. He long lines halibut and black cod.
I know the boat, he keeps it really nice. Love those old halibut schooners.
Post by: PolarBear on February 23, 2018, 11:48:35 AM
Post by: Skillet on February 23, 2018, 12:20:23 PM
I really dig this early pic of her, deck stacked with dories that the men would lay their own longlines from, pull them BY HAND, land the fish into the dories, then row back to the "mothership" Republic to offload and pick up fresh baited tubs of gear. Lather, rinse, repeat fur as long as daylight allowed, then gutting/icing fish all night. Hydraulic line haulers changed everything.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/FMIB_44781_Power_Halibut_Schooner_Republic_-_This_is_one_of_the_125_motor_vessels_operating_out_of_a_single_port--Seattle.jpeg)
Post by: Skillet on February 23, 2018, 01:01:52 PM
Post by: Alchase on February 23, 2018, 02:05:57 PM
Built in 1913, still earning her keep!
I really dig this early pic of her, deck stacked with dories that the men would lay their own longlines from, pull them BY HAND, land the fish into the dories, then row back to the "mothership" Republic to offload and pick up fresh baited tubs of gear. Lather, rinse, repeat fur as long as daylight allowed, then gutting/icing fish all night. Hydraulic line haulers changed everything.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/FMIB_44781_Power_Halibut_Schooner_Republic_-_This_is_one_of_the_125_motor_vessels_operating_out_of_a_single_port--Seattle.jpeg)
That is so cool, reminds me of a classic "Captains Courageous" great flick!
Post by: Skillet on February 23, 2018, 02:20:13 PM
Tough men on those ships, all.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxcSYnuyjj418tN2j0KN7wE9QS46DsUKyvzp04U_hdlTcElg)
Post by: j_h_nimrod on February 23, 2018, 10:56:14 PM
Skillet - you ever spent time around Patterson Point and Mist Cove?
I also remember deciding what I wanted to do and lining up a hand crank permit plus 3500lb of halibut for $10,000! I passed and still kick myself. I have a good life from what I chose but fishing would be a pretty good second.
Post by: PolarBear on February 24, 2018, 09:09:21 AM
Post by: Skillet on February 24, 2018, 11:42:23 AM
Skillet - you ever spent time around Patterson Point and Mist Cove?
I also remember deciding what I wanted to do and lining up a hand crank permit plus 3500lb of halibut for $10,000! I passed and still kick myself. I have a good life from what I chose but fishing would be a pretty good second.
I don't believe I've been to Patterson Pt. or Mist cove yet.
Ahhh, that hand troll permit is worth $10k by itself today, and that quota - assuming it was 2C, is right at a cool $250k.
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 24, 2018, 10:31:02 PM
My cousin Dewey Owns and runs the Republic out of Sitka. He long lines halibut and black cod.
Dude that’s your cousin? Freakin legend. No *censored*... I fished on the Vansee my last season before BNSF. Built in 1913. Those guys were bad ass back in the day on the Republic. Tough bunch of guys. Brutal work and they use to catch a ton of fish.
Post by: PolarBear on February 26, 2018, 12:09:44 PM
Yeah. Dewey and his deck hand Jeff use to hunt with us in Republic (the town not the boat) and those guys were animals. Dewey was the best camp cook that we ever had. I think he had or still has one of the biggest long line halibut quotas in AK. I have been told that he is the king of Sitka. :chuckle:My cousin Dewey Owns and runs the Republic out of Sitka. He long lines halibut and black cod.
Dude that’s your cousin? Freakin legend. No *censored*... I fished on the Vansee my last season before BNSF. Built in 1913. Those guys were bad ass back in the day on the Republic. Tough bunch of guys. Brutal work and they use to catch a ton of fish.
Post by: Skillet on February 26, 2018, 12:15:37 PM
Yeah. Dewey and his deck hand Jeff use to hunt with us in Republic (the town not the boat) and those guys were animals. Dewey was the best camp cook that we ever had. I think he had or still has one of the biggest long line halibut quotas in AK. I have been told that he is the king of Sitka. :chuckle:My cousin Dewey Owns and runs the Republic out of Sitka. He long lines halibut and black cod.
Dude that’s your cousin? Freakin legend. No *censored*... I fished on the Vansee my last season before BNSF. Built in 1913. Those guys were bad ass back in the day on the Republic. Tough bunch of guys. Brutal work and they use to catch a ton of fish.
I've heard it said by others that he's a 1%'er, from here all the way out west. Means he is at the max amount of quota an individual can legally own, which is one percent of the ENTIRE stock in each area. That is... a lot of high value fish.
Ya, I'd say Dewey's name is well known in these parts. :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on March 13, 2018, 11:55:20 AM
Over 300 years of fishing experience right there.
Post by: pianoman9701 on March 13, 2018, 11:57:24 AM
Post by: Skillet on March 13, 2018, 12:02:21 PM
Post by: full choke on March 13, 2018, 05:01:23 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 03, 2018, 03:05:34 PM
Hehe- I just noticed the Sea Lion in your last pic. Surprised it is still floating.
If that's the old Alaska Packers scow Sea Lion, I worked on that boat when I was 18 out of Cordova. The colors are right.
Post by: Skillet on April 28, 2018, 09:05:36 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 28, 2018, 09:16:15 AM
I'll let the fish and the markets tell me what to do, gotta stay flexible. I will be back in the Puget Sound soon with fresh whole halibut, maybe some fresh ocean troll kings, flash frozen AK coho portions and flash frozen AK yelloweye filets. If anybody is interested, send me a pm and we'll get a plan together.
Happy hunting y'all
Post by: RB on April 29, 2018, 04:21:50 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 29, 2018, 05:15:22 PM
Thanks!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on April 29, 2018, 05:17:36 PM
Post by: hunthard on April 30, 2018, 12:57:15 AM
Post by: PolarBear on April 30, 2018, 03:08:10 AM
Me too
Post by: Ridgeratt on April 30, 2018, 05:07:33 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on April 30, 2018, 06:35:36 AM
I could be interested also , But would need a little lead time to meet you on the pier. :chuckle:Keep me in the loop, maybe we can consolidate a run over.
Post by: jackelope on April 30, 2018, 08:03:46 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 30, 2018, 01:40:44 PM
Post by: Whitpirate on May 02, 2018, 09:16:38 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 03, 2018, 08:46:19 AM
I think an eastside run is totally doable - if not on this next week, the one after. The last thing I want to do is not have time to meet my commitments and disappoint anybody.
Thanks for the interest, I'll start a new thread here soon and we can get the details put together. Until then, PM's are great to help me with planning.
Thanks again!
Post by: Skillet on May 03, 2018, 08:47:58 AM
Looks like we'll be starting on the Copper River either the 14th of May or the 17th.Right on man, thanks for supplying us with those famous kings and sockeye! Good luck, be safe-
Post by: 92xj on May 03, 2018, 09:02:30 AM
I could be interested also , But would need a little lead time to meet you on the pier. :chuckle:Keep me in the loop, maybe we can consolidate a run over.
Same here.
Skillet, I didn't read the whole thread but I'm assuming you are bringing back some caught of the trip fish to sell to huntwa folks.
I'd totally be up for a random $100 mix bag of your fresh catch if you work out some sort of Eastside delivery....
Post by: Skillet on May 03, 2018, 01:17:05 PM
Post by: DaveMonti on May 03, 2018, 03:01:58 PM
Thanks!
Dave
Post by: kckrawler on May 03, 2018, 05:39:14 PM
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 03, 2018, 07:25:37 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 06, 2018, 08:02:05 AM
Fishing has been a little spotty, and logistics this week are gonna be tough - I still need to get wheels out to the coast (no transit service on Sunday... so if anybody wants to earn a few bucks and haul me from Neah Bay to Port Angeles today let me know!) and fix a few things on the boat. I'll be starting a new thread today and looking to schedule meet-ups after I can get the truck out here. Thanks again for all the interest -
Chris
Post by: jmscon on July 18, 2018, 12:53:31 PM
http://www.kdlg.org/post/fv-kristi-sinks-near-clark-s-point-all-board-survive
Stay safe out there everyone!
Post by: WSU on July 18, 2018, 01:48:40 PM
Post by: jmscon on July 18, 2018, 02:26:50 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 22, 2018, 03:58:58 PM
Bear catching fish in Port Hubert on the west Baranoff isl.
Post by: Skillet on September 22, 2018, 04:13:27 PM
Post by: quadrafire on September 22, 2018, 10:14:34 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 23, 2018, 12:59:59 PM
The canneries are buying tomorrow for the last period of the year but I have friends flying in to drive home with me starting Thurs, so I elected to skip it and put boat and gear away and get ready for the trip home. Never had a huge silver period this year due to 400 boats fishing vs our normal 200 for silvers, but it was steady OK fishing so I ended up with a decent season. And the weather the last 3 1/2 weeks was unbelievable. Less than 15kt winds that whole time and mostly variable under 10. The glassy ocean didn't help me either as it allowed lots of boats to fish outside which slowed fishing inside where I usually fish. But I can't complain with how the season turned out considering the Copper sockeye run was a bust. Chums saved my season this year. Put in some very big openers on them. All in all it was a lousy summer with a few golden moments and ended up with a decent season put in.
Here's a few shots from this summer. The Blackfish is a small 3 ft porpoise we have in the area. It's not even acknowledged as existing by fish and game, but we have quite a few of them in our area. The Sandhill crane migration always signals the end of the season.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 23, 2018, 01:07:01 PM
Post by: RB on September 23, 2018, 06:20:34 PM
Thought I'd post up a couple "experience" vids from my time in SE this year. No actual fishing videos, though. When you've seen as many dead fish as I have the novelty wears off after a bit.
Bear catching fish in Port Hubert on the west Baranoff isl.
Awesome!!! :tup:
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 01:51:40 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 02:10:07 PM
Stopped at Baranoff Warm Springs and met a few friends from Washington there for a "Fisherman's Thanksgiving" on the dock. We all contributed some dishes that were generally themed on wild harvest, and the bounty was great. Fresh venison, pickled beach asparagus, smoked king tips, mashed potatoes with an amazing wild mushroom gravy, the list goes on. The Diamond Lil brought some seared albacore medallions from loins that were caught just a few weeks earlier by @3boys (thank you!), muled up to Sitka and then cooked to perfection in my skillet for my extended troller family. Afterward we all enjoyed a soak in the beautiful Baranoff Warm Springs, which is a natural series of pools overlooking a waterfall. It was a pretty great experience, and over of the reasons I continue to choose this lifestyle over the rat race.
First pic boats - Diamond Lil, Nerka, Arminta, Grace
Second pic - part of the benefits of living up in SE Alaska
Post by: h20hunter on September 27, 2018, 02:27:22 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on September 27, 2018, 03:08:57 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 04:35:56 PM
Post by: Woodchuck on September 27, 2018, 04:53:44 PM
Ya, can't be squeamish about people going au naturale around there. Especially those that shouldn't. :chuckle:So you're telling me that h2o in a speedo would be overdressed? :o
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 04:54:28 PM
Got a friend with a permit and no freezer boat, so we're going to team up and give it a whirl. It should be a fun, easy fishery. We're only allowed to run gear from 8am to 4pm. The rest of the time we'll be popping heads off of live shrimp (keeping them alive throughout the day in an insulated tote I've converted to a huge livewell on deck), quick freezing them, glazing them, and then packing into cases. Pots go on the water at 8am on Oct 1st, and we keep fishing until the quota in each area is caught. Looking at a 12-15 day trip here.
A big part of the game is strategizing where to start and where to go next after your starting area's quota is caught. We're holding the strategy summit tonight over a few barley pops...
A couple of pics to follow-
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 04:56:36 PM
Ya, can't be squeamish about people going au naturale around there. Especially those that shouldn't. :chuckle:So you're telling me that h2o in a speedo would be overdressed? :o
If you've ever seen that giant hairy person known as H20, you'd know I'll be forcing him to wear a Mustang survival suit if we go to the hot springs...
Post by: Woodchuck on September 27, 2018, 04:59:31 PM
:chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:Ya, can't be squeamish about people going au naturale around there. Especially those that shouldn't. :chuckle:So you're telling me that h2o in a speedo would be overdressed? :o
If you've ever seen that giant hairy person known as H20, you'd know I'll be forcing him to wear a Mustang survival suit if we go to the hot springs...
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 05:08:22 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 05:12:01 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 27, 2018, 05:14:39 PM
Post by: h20hunter on September 27, 2018, 05:41:10 PM
Post by: blackpowderhunter on September 27, 2018, 06:23:26 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 28, 2018, 05:00:29 AM
I'm in Tok for the night, heading home. Season is done for me. Couple buddies flew up to drive home with me and we are bound for Dawson City later today to explore the Klondike and see if they left any gold nuggets laying around. Then, southbound again. Should be to Liard Hot Springs in two or three days for a relaxing visit.
Post by: Skillet on September 28, 2018, 07:32:03 PM
Loaded with enough gear, food, fuel, and bait for 15-ish days of prawn feezing mayem. Heading out in the am, have a long run to the grounds we're starting on.
I'll be back with (hopefully) a couple thousand pounds of tails. Very likely I'll be able to do a HuntWa group buy on those, among other frozen fish goodies, in early November. Frozen product in November should be a much easier thing to deal with than fresh fish in 100 degree heat. Watch for a post on the Sponsor's Classifieds - :tup:
Post by: carpsniperg2 on September 28, 2018, 08:17:27 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 28, 2018, 08:24:28 PM
Post by: Whitpirate on September 28, 2018, 08:26:05 PM
Sounds like a great way to end a long season, safe travels Sitka BT.
Loaded with enough gear, food, fuel, and bait for 15-ish days of prawn feezing mayem. Heading out in the am, have a long run to the grounds we're starting on.
I'll be back with (hopefully) a couple thousand pounds of tails. Very likely I'll be able to do a HuntWa group buy on those, among other frozen fish goodies, in early November. Frozen product in November should be a much easier thing to deal with than fresh fish in 100 degree heat. Watch for a post on the Sponsor's Classifieds - :tup:
I’m in
Post by: Dan-o on September 28, 2018, 08:30:14 PM
Sounds like a great way to end a long season, safe travels Sitka BT.
Loaded with enough gear, food, fuel, and bait for 15-ish days of prawn feezing mayem. Heading out in the am, have a long run to the grounds we're starting on.
I'll be back with (hopefully) a couple thousand pounds of tails. Very likely I'll be able to do a HuntWa group buy on those, among other frozen fish goodies, in early November. Frozen product in November should be a much easier thing to deal with than fresh fish in 100 degree heat. Watch for a post on the Sponsor's Classifieds - :tup:
I’m in
Me first.
And don't screw with me. It's been 24 hours since I've had Whitpirate pork. >:(
Post by: Wetwoodshunter on September 28, 2018, 11:19:35 PM
We were doing vessel abandonment drills out on one of Allen Marine's catamarans.
Post by: Skillet on September 29, 2018, 07:57:35 AM
Post by: h20hunter on September 29, 2018, 08:02:05 AM
Sounds like a great way to end a long season, safe travels Sitka BT.
Loaded with enough gear, food, fuel, and bait for 15-ish days of prawn feezing mayem. Heading out in the am, have a long run to the grounds we're starting on.
I'll be back with (hopefully) a couple thousand pounds of tails. Very likely I'll be able to do a HuntWa group buy on those, among other frozen fish goodies, in early November. Frozen product in November should be a much easier thing to deal with than fresh fish in 100 degree heat. Watch for a post on the Sponsor's Classifieds - :tup:
I’m in
Me first.
And don't screw with me. It's been 24 hours since I've had Whitpirate pork. >:(
Uh Dan-o........this is a family friendly site.....not Tinder.
Post by: Skillet on October 07, 2018, 06:18:35 PM
Pulling into the thriving metropolis of Hydaburg on Prince of Wales island, we ran short on bait :bash:
Anyway, fishing has been pretty decent. Doing about 240 pot lifts a day.
I will say I do like the pot fishing, and my boat is a natural pot boat. Hmmm...
I'll post up some pics when I get back to Sitka. Hoping you guys are laying up the protien! :tup:
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 07, 2018, 07:15:54 PM
Quick update-
Pulling into the thriving metropolis of Hydaburg on Prince of Wales island, we ran short on bait :bash:
Anyway, fishing has been pretty decent. Doing about 240 pot lifts a day.
I will say I do like the pot fishing, and my boat is a natural pot boat. Hmmm...
I'll post up some pics when I get back to Sitka. Hoping you guys are laying up the protien! :tup:
Sure did, my freezer is full, had to buy a 7.1 cf for just the burger.😉
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 06:38:25 PM
Quick update-
Pulling into the thriving metropolis of Hydaburg on Prince of Wales island, we ran short on bait :bash:
Anyway, fishing has been pretty decent. Doing about 240 pot lifts a day.
I will say I do like the pot fishing, and my boat is a natural pot boat. Hmmm...
I'll post up some pics when I get back to Sitka. Hoping you guys are laying up the protien! :tup:
Sure did, my freezer is full, had to buy a 7.1 cf for just the burger.😉
You draw an elephant permit??
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 06:53:53 PM
I've decided I really like pot fishing. It's a great diversion from the standard trolling, lots more deck action and a boat running. My boat has a very large amount of flat deck space with low bulwarks, and this makes it a natural for shrimping/crabbing.
I took on a permit holder who owned all his own gear. Basically, I brought the freezer boat rigged to haul pots to the party, he brought his permit card and gear. We split the profits after we take out for food, fuel, bait and crew. There was some learning involved on day one while we set the gear, but I got the hang of it fast as did he with working off of my boat. Lots of good energy, and a good feeling about the season.
As I mentioned before, there is only 8 hours a day we can run gear. On day 1, we set the gear out and were done with all 140 pots (14 strings of 10 pots each) by 10:30. We covered water from 55 fa down to about 75 fa, over about 4 miles of shoreline. Each string consisted of a 300 fa shot of line in a barrel. We had it flagged at 100 fa intervals, so we had an idea of when the "bouy line" was out and the ground line began. Some boats build a chute to launch pots out of the back with, but I decided we were going to save the hassle and launch from the side. It was a great call, worked out well for us.
We started by throwing the buoy out, running out 100 fa until we got to the flag. That's when we started snapping on pots at regular intervals. For a shallow set like 55 fa, we'd space them at 10 fa apart. Ideally, our last pot was pretty close to the second flag. We don't use anchors, just the weight of the pots to sink the string. After the last pot, I'd throttle up and we'd run out the last 100 fa and throw the second buoy (each string end is marked by a buoy).
Here's a vid of our first set. The line is pretty snarly coming out, as it was packed in those tubs and sitting since last October.
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:08:41 PM
When we were fishing that deep, we needed to also dedicate more of the 300 fa to buoy line and less to groundline. So the pots got snapped on closer together, and ended up competing with each other a bit more. A compromise we needed to make to fish the deep sets.
I didn't get any pics or vids of hauling gear, that was a lot of action on deck and no time for that kind of thing. I do have some pics to share, of:
Shrimp in the livewell. it was just a tote I kept on deck that I ran a 2" pump hose into and rigged a standpipe inside to manage water levels. We kept the shrimp alive while we were running gear, and would start popping heads as soon as the last string of the day was reset.
Post by: quadrafire on October 16, 2018, 07:11:44 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:15:35 PM
The permit holder surveying the set up right before launching, and my deckhand popping heads. Man, it seemed like we were always popping heads...
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:19:07 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:22:53 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:29:53 PM
I think the finished product is with all the effort, though. Wild, sustainable and chemical free. Pot fishing these guys is virtually impact-free compared to trawling them up off the ocean floor, and keeping them alive until we popped the heads prevents the enzymatic decomp you see in other prawns. They look great and I can tell you they taste pretty darn good, too. :tup:
All in all, a lot of work - but worth it.
Post by: h20hunter on October 16, 2018, 07:31:42 PM
Post by: WAElkhunter89 on October 16, 2018, 07:34:43 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 16, 2018, 07:45:29 PM
Going to get out there soon and see what the winter line has to offer up in terms of kings. I have to warn, though, that fish are scarce and prices are sky-high right now. If I get into a pile of fish, I might be able to do a limited group buy, but it will be short-notice and my long-standing commercial customers get first dibs on these fish. Just wanted to get that out there to keep everybody in the know. :tup:
I will, however, be doing a group buy for coho filets (vacpac and some glazed), spot prawns, and possibly halibut portions. Stay tuned!
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on October 17, 2018, 12:26:15 AM
Once the shrimp were tailed and sorted (with eggs/no eggs), my stint in the freezer began. I'd lay them out on sheets and freeze them solid.
Oh man, I love shrimp eggs. First thing I do after steaming them is suck all the eggs.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on October 17, 2018, 05:08:16 AM
Post by: Skillet on October 17, 2018, 09:21:00 AM
Once the shrimp were tailed and sorted (with eggs/no eggs), my stint in the freezer began. I'd lay them out on sheets and freeze them solid.
Oh man, I love shrimp eggs. First thing I do after steaming them is suck all the eggs.
Shrimp eggs are pretty tasty! The egg-on tails are much larger on average, too.
Post by: Dhoey07 on October 17, 2018, 09:35:55 AM
Post by: hunthard on October 17, 2018, 05:48:36 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 20, 2018, 07:22:51 PM
Quick update-
Pulling into the thriving metropolis of Hydaburg on Prince of Wales island, we ran short on bait :bash:
Anyway, fishing has been pretty decent. Doing about 240 pot lifts a day.
I will say I do like the pot fishing, and my boat is a natural pot boat. Hmmm...
I'll post up some pics when I get back to Sitka. Hoping you guys are laying up the protien! :tup:
Sure did, my freezer is full, had to buy a 7.1 cf for just the burger.😉
You draw an elephant permit??
Nope just a very large steer.😉
Post by: Skillet on October 21, 2018, 10:09:54 AM
Any idea on shrimp cost?
Working out the details still, I just arranged to ship them south on a barge line to keep the price as low as possible. Details to follow on a new Group Buy Thread soon!
Post by: Skillet on October 21, 2018, 10:28:18 AM
"PKZ042-220515- Cape Decision to Cape Edgecumbe- 308 AM AKDT Sun Oct 21 2018
...GALE WARNING THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT....
TODAY...SE wind increasing to 35 kt. Seas 18 ft. Rain in the afternoon. .
TONIGHT...SE wind 35 kt. Seas 18 ft. Rain. .
MON...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 13 ft. Rain. .
MON NIGHT...SE gale to 40 kt. Seas 18 ft. Rain. .
TUE...S wind 30 kt. Seas 18 ft. .
WED...SE wind 30 kt increasing to storm force wind to 50 kt. Seas 16 ft building to 29 ft. .
THU...S gale to 45 kt diminishing to 25 kt. Seas 32 ft subsiding to 23 ft."
Post by: Whitpirate on October 21, 2018, 10:48:15 AM
Stay safe.
Post by: Skillet on October 21, 2018, 11:44:06 AM
Post by: elkaholic123 on October 21, 2018, 12:06:33 PM
:tup:Any idea on shrimp cost?
Working out the details still, I just arranged to ship them south on a barge line to keep the price as low as possible. Details to follow on a new Group Buy Thread soon!
Post by: Skillet on January 31, 2019, 06:03:31 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 31, 2019, 06:07:39 PM
Post by: h20hunter on January 31, 2019, 06:11:48 PM
Post by: j_h_nimrod on January 31, 2019, 07:46:39 PM
Post by: jmscon on January 31, 2019, 08:20:30 PM
That looks like a beautiful place to fish!
The anticipation would be killing me to be anchored up or idling waiting for the gun to go off!
Thanks for sharing!
Post by: WSU on January 31, 2019, 08:30:38 PM
Post by: j_h_nimrod on February 01, 2019, 11:14:07 AM
Haven’t watched the video but where is that exactly?
Link to the projects parent company and information on the project.
https://www.nsraa.org/?page_id=1835
Post by: Stein on February 01, 2019, 11:32:27 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on February 01, 2019, 06:54:45 PM
Man, I bet you have to haul in a bunch of chum to get $100k.
120,000 to 125,000 lbs depending on price. In Prince William Sound we got $.80 to .85 a lb for a good part of last year. SE usually gets a little more as they are closer to markets and have better shipping options.
Post by: snake on February 01, 2019, 08:02:27 PM
Post by: Dhoey07 on February 06, 2019, 10:44:12 AM
Any idea on shrimp cost?
Working out the details still, I just arranged to ship them south on a barge line to keep the price as low as possible. Details to follow on a new Group Buy Thread soon!
Any thing in the works for a shrimp deal?
Post by: Woodchuck on February 06, 2019, 11:10:39 AM
@SkilletAny idea on shrimp cost?
Working out the details still, I just arranged to ship them south on a barge line to keep the price as low as possible. Details to follow on a new Group Buy Thread soon!
Any thing in the works for a shrimp deal?
Post by: Skillet on February 07, 2019, 06:24:47 PM
Couldn't put the pieces together for a November spot prawn buy. I have some product left though, and will be back down and selling fish (possibly off my boat in Fisherman's Terminal for a few days) sometime in March. As soon as I get an idea of when I'll be heading back, I'll post up and put the bug in everybody's ear and see if we can do a group buy on the prawns, coho filets and yelloweye - as long as I can get it down in time.
Thanks!
Post by: h20hunter on February 07, 2019, 06:26:43 PM
Post by: outdoorsdad on February 25, 2019, 12:53:21 PM
Post by: bigdave on February 26, 2019, 08:39:42 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 02, 2019, 07:15:01 PM
I ordered my vinyl decals from @yellowdog again, but waited too long to get them on before I splash. Should have them soon, his work is worth the wait.
Moving her to fisherman's terminal tomorrow.
Big shout out to Travis for the help - you are a stud!
Post by: Whitpirate on April 02, 2019, 07:21:26 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 02, 2019, 08:26:25 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 08, 2019, 09:08:22 PM
It isn't all fun and games, however. Two nights ago the halibut schooner Masonic went up on the rocks at Coronation Island, mayday call came across at 2:30 am. All hands safely lifted off by the coast guard.
Post by: 7mmfan on May 08, 2019, 09:11:11 PM
Post by: 3boys on May 08, 2019, 09:15:22 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 08, 2019, 09:17:13 PM
Thanks again man! :tup:
Post by: Skillet on May 08, 2019, 09:19:37 PM
Bum deal. I've seem that boat up there many times.Ya, it's an institution in Sitka. Bill is a survivor, and I'm sure he'll get it going again. May have to write off this early season, but I bet by this fall he's fishing it again.
Plus, he'll finally get a place of honor on the wall at the P Bar :chuckle:
Post by: 3boys on May 08, 2019, 09:29:31 PM
That P-Bar pic was the first thing I thought of when I saw your post. They might have to start putting pics on the ceiling in there. When you heading north?Bum deal. I've seem that boat up there many times.Ya, it's an institution in Sitka. Bill is a survivor, and I'm sure he'll get it going again. May have to write off this early season, but I bet by this fall he's fishing it again.
Plus, he'll finally get a place of honor on the wall at the P Bar :chuckle:
Post by: Salmonstalker on May 09, 2019, 02:31:48 PM
Bum deal. I've seem that boat up there many times.Ya, it's an institution in Sitka. Bill is a survivor, and I'm sure he'll get it going again. May have to write off this early season, but I bet by this fall he's fishing it again.
Plus, he'll finally get a place of honor on the wall at the P Bar :chuckle:
-Or the Sourdough ;)
Post by: Skillet on May 10, 2019, 02:19:45 PM
That P-Bar pic was the first thing I thought of when I saw your post. They might have to start putting pics on the ceiling in there. When you heading north?Bum deal. I've seem that boat up there many times.Ya, it's an institution in Sitka. Bill is a survivor, and I'm sure he'll get it going again. May have to write off this early season, but I bet by this fall he's fishing it again.
Plus, he'll finally get a place of honor on the wall at the P Bar :chuckle:
Probably June 23rd-ish. You looking for a ride?
Post by: Skillet on May 10, 2019, 02:25:26 PM
I'll also keep the camera handy for any of you that do a drive by and moon me, and will also post that on the forum...
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 10, 2019, 04:54:23 PM
Post by: 3boys on May 10, 2019, 05:41:04 PM
i wish. I will be in Norway for a summer solstice party. See you in August!That P-Bar pic was the first thing I thought of when I saw your post. They might have to start putting pics on the ceiling in there. When you heading north?Bum deal. I've seem that boat up there many times.Ya, it's an institution in Sitka. Bill is a survivor, and I'm sure he'll get it going again. May have to write off this early season, but I bet by this fall he's fishing it again.
Plus, he'll finally get a place of honor on the wall at the P Bar :chuckle:
Probably June 23rd-ish. You looking for a ride?
Post by: YellowDog on May 10, 2019, 07:29:25 PM
Shout out to @yellowdog , he cut another fine set of decals for my old gal. Quick, competitively priced, high quality stuff.
Thanks again man! :tup:
My pleasure cutting the Diamond Lil lettering for your great looking boat. Have a safe and successful season!
Post by: Skillet on May 15, 2019, 09:20:22 PM
Fishing's been slow out here on the coast of WA, but the fish are big and fun to catch. Got an 11. 8# average in mid may. No hogs, but very few runts either. Just solid fish, they're gorging on 6-7" herring.
Here's a pair of 13#-ish fish that I'm having cut and vacpac for retail.
Post by: 7mmfan on May 15, 2019, 09:57:09 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 15, 2019, 10:07:33 PM
Post by: WAElkhunter89 on May 16, 2019, 01:23:26 AM
You going to be doing some HW buys again this year amigo?
In for this as well.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on May 16, 2019, 05:23:10 AM
Post by: Skillet on May 16, 2019, 11:16:05 AM
Post by: hunthard on May 16, 2019, 01:58:54 PM
Post by: 92xj on May 16, 2019, 02:20:22 PM
Thanks guys. Time is tight, but looking at ways to do a group buy. The price of kings has come down to the point I can likely justify doing a king and halibut buy for the Hunt Wa'ers. Will likely also offer up coho filets and spot prawns at the same time if I can do it. Watch for a possible group buy thread. :tup:
If and when you do this, I will be in for one full box with a mix of all 4 listed.
Your last half box I got lasted about 2 weeks, did not order enough and learned that lesson.
Please keep us posted.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 16, 2019, 03:49:36 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 16, 2019, 04:20:13 PM
Post by: Blacktail135 on May 16, 2019, 08:41:19 PM
Roger that fellas. A full 80# box of these goods can get pretty pricey, depending on the mix. I'll figure out something for us though. Thanks for showing the interest, I'll start a separate thread soon to keep this one on point.
:tup: Was out of town for last fall's group buy. Keeping my eyes open for this years.
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on May 16, 2019, 09:28:25 PM
Thanks guys. Time is tight, but looking at ways to do a group buy. The price of kings has come down to the point I can likely justify doing a king and halibut buy for the Hunt Wa'ers. Will likely also offer up coho filets and spot prawns at the same time if I can do it. Watch for a possible group buy thread. :tup:
Real nice! :IBCOOL:
Post by: WSU on May 16, 2019, 09:32:48 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on May 22, 2019, 09:26:07 AM
First opener my kings averaged 24 lbs, second opener only 17 lbs. My sockeyes have been running 6 lbs.
Post by: tmike on May 22, 2019, 10:31:41 AM
Post by: WAElkhunter89 on May 22, 2019, 10:33:44 PM
We've had two openers on the Copper River. It's still pretty slow, but good prices so far. $14/lb for kings and $10 for sockeye on the first opener. It dropped to $10/lb for kings and $6 for reds on the second opener.
First opener my kings averaged 24 lbs, second opener only 17 lbs. My sockeyes have been running 6 lbs.
Are you selling Copper River Salmon? Currently deployed overseas, but would love to have some in the freezer for when I get home.
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 09:28:01 AM
Been out fishing the Prairie last few days, doing alright. Fishing is pretty scratchy with the occasional big day. The amount of bait out here is good, with bait profile leaning towards 6" herring. We just have to have hooks in the water when the fish roll through. I have gotten a few clatters of fish with huge herring in them however, so I keep a few big spoons down.
Couple quick pics for you guys (jumbo king, big bait ball, deadly big-bait spoon), then back to work boxing up fish!
Post by: 7mmfan on June 05, 2019, 10:33:30 AM
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 11:34:13 AM
Post by: 92xj on June 05, 2019, 11:36:35 AM
Mid to high 20's gilled and gutted I'm guessing. A touch over 40" long. I'll scale that it tonight while I'm boxing fish.
Need my address again to slap on that box?
:chuckle:
Post by: 7mmfan on June 05, 2019, 11:39:39 AM
Mid to high 20's gilled and gutted I'm guessing. A touch over 40" long. I'll scale that it tonight while I'm boxing fish.
Fantastic. That's a great fish.
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 11:42:08 AM
Mid to high 20's gilled and gutted I'm guessing. A touch over 40" long. I'll scale that it tonight while I'm boxing fish.
Need my address again to slap on that box?
:chuckle:
Great offer of help, but this one already has a home. I'll definitely keep you in mind if I need to get rid of another big one down the road. Better than planting roses on it :chuckle:
Post by: Skyvalhunter on June 05, 2019, 11:52:58 AM
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 12:05:03 PM
Mid to high 20's gilled and gutted I'm guessing. A touch over 40" long. I'll scale that it tonight while I'm boxing fish.
Fantastic. That's a great fish.
These are the fish we spend all this time and money to get after. Got her on that big hammered gold spoon. I actually felt the poles shake the boat when she realized she was hooked and not happy about it. It was a great battle at the back of the boat, several runs to the very end of the 3 fathom leader before I got her head turned. Feeling the power in a big one that you're fighting by hand is a rush. Sensing that line zipping out through your gloved fingers, knowing if you don't put enough pressure on she's going to run you out of line and pull the hook out, but too much pressure and you'll do the same thing prematurely, the hand-to-fin combat... There's nothing else like it. After She was done running, she charged the wire and put a wrap on it, but I unclipped the leader and fed it around the wire just before she yanked against it. I muscled her into the current seam coming off the back of the boat and just as her head touched the surface it was met with a terrific blow from my gaff. Flipped the gaff, stuck her, then almost needed to two-hand her aboard.
And to think, just 30 years ago this was a "meh" fish.
I'll admit, I don't get many fish like this every year, and when I take a big warrior like this (adipose intact, so possibly a wild one) it is bittersweet. I am grateful for every fish's ultimate sacrifice to my livelihood, and when I best a warrior like this it makes me pause and give thanks. It is the memories of battles like these that keep the fishing fire stoked for the long months to come.
Post by: 7mmfan on June 05, 2019, 12:18:55 PM
Mid to high 20's gilled and gutted I'm guessing. A touch over 40" long. I'll scale that it tonight while I'm boxing fish.
Fantastic. That's a great fish.
These are the fish we spend all this time and money to get after. Got her on that big hammered gold spoon. I actually felt the poles shake the boat when she realized she was hooked and not happy about it. It was a great battle at the back of the boat, several runs to the very end of the 3 fathom leader before I got her head turned. Feeling the power in a big one that you're fighting by hand is a rush. Sensing that line zipping out through your gloved fingers, knowing if you don't put enough pressure on she's going to run you out of line and pull the hook out, but too much pressure and you'll do the same thing prematurely, the hand-to-fin combat... There's nothing else like it. After She was done running, she charged the wire and put a wrap on it, but I unclipped the leader and fed it around the wire just before she yanked against it. I muscled her into the current seam coming off the back of the boat and just as her head touched the surface it was met with a terrific blow from my gaff. Flipped the gaff, stuck her, then almost needed to two-hand her aboard.
And to think, just 30 years ago this was a "meh" fish.
I'll admit, I don't get many fish like this every year, and when I take a big warrior like this (adipose intact, so possibly a wild one) it is bittersweet. I am grateful for every fish's ultimate sacrifice to my livelihood, and when I best a warrior like this it makes me pause and give thanks. It is the memories of battles like these that keep the fishing fire stoked for the long months to come.
Great description of an epic king salmon fight. I always loved that part of fishing in AK, albeit a little different than what you're doing. The fish are what keep us all coming back, and rare instances where paths cross with special ones keep the fire burning.
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 12:59:41 PM
Post by: RB on June 05, 2019, 01:29:47 PM
Thanks for sharing! :tup:
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 02:52:34 PM
Post by: WSU on June 05, 2019, 03:08:26 PM
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 03:17:14 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on June 05, 2019, 07:36:56 PM
Post by: Skillet on June 05, 2019, 09:28:24 PM
Theres a picture on the wall of the P Bar of a troller swinging a big king over the rail like that. I always wanted a picture like that. Someday maybe.I know exactly which pic you're talking about.
I know a guy, if you find yourself with some free time in May/June in the coming years.
Post by: 7mmfan on June 05, 2019, 09:59:52 PM
Theres a picture on the wall of the P Bar of a troller swinging a big king over the rail like that. I always wanted a picture like that. Someday maybe.I know exactly which pic you're talking about.
I know a guy, if you find yourself with some free time in May/June in the coming years.
I'll have to get his contact info.
Post by: WSU on June 06, 2019, 12:10:59 PM
Post by: Skillet on June 06, 2019, 04:14:33 PM
Post by: Skillet on August 10, 2019, 03:43:04 PM
AK king season was short at 5 days. Decent fishing. I started at the Fairweather Grounds (120 miles from my slip), but moved back to Cape Edgecumbe (12 miles from my slip) for day 3 through 5.
Coho fishing started out pretty slow right after, and it's been slow right up until now. 150/day is pretty elusive. Been happy with a 100/day avg in my trips. And then I had a major breakdown (see diesel gurus help thread), so my July total catch is way behind schedule. Coho has been so slow, in fact, that AKDFG shut us down for 8 days. Which gave me the opportunity to...
Go longlining out on the Fairweather Grounds to pick up the small amount of halibut quota I bought this winter. Was a fun trip, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The big hali I'm holding didn't actually get hooked, he swallowed a yelloweye that was hooked and it got stuck in his throat.
Second king opener coming up on the 13th, scrambling to get the boat ready for that now.
Hope everybody's having a great summer!
Post by: bearpaw on August 10, 2019, 03:48:06 PM
Post by: h20hunter on August 10, 2019, 04:16:31 PM
Post by: Goldeneye on August 10, 2019, 05:14:03 PM
Post by: Alchase on August 10, 2019, 07:01:57 PM
I miss grubbing on yellow eye, it has been way to long since I have had any.
Thanks for sharing those pics are impressive!
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 11, 2019, 06:57:19 AM
Here's a 180 lbs halibut I caught a couple weeks ago, sport fishing.
Post by: Dhoey07 on August 12, 2019, 10:34:22 AM
Post by: 3boys on August 12, 2019, 12:06:42 PM
Thought I'd throw a quick update up on the thread while I have a few minutes.I will be up tomorrow and was going to toss you a barley pop as a show of fisherman solidarity. Now that you can catch kings and I can’t all your getting is a Sitka full moon!
AK king season was short at 5 days. Decent fishing. I started at the Fairweather Grounds (120 miles from my slip), but moved back to Cape Edgecumbe (12 miles from my slip) for day 3 through 5.
Coho fishing started out pretty slow right after, and it's been slow right up until now. 150/day is pretty elusive. Been happy with a 100/day avg in my trips. And then I had a major breakdown (see diesel gurus help thread), so my July total catch is way behind schedule. Coho has been so slow, in fact, that AKDFG shut us down for 8 days. Which gave me the opportunity to...
Go longlining out on the Fairweather Grounds to pick up the small amount of halibut quota I bought this winter. Was a fun trip, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The big hali I'm holding didn't actually get hooked, he swallowed a yelloweye that was hooked and it got stuck in his throat.
Second king opener coming up on the 13th, scrambling to get the boat ready for that now.
Hope everybody's having a great summer!
Post by: RB on August 12, 2019, 10:15:09 PM
Thought I'd throw a quick update up on the thread while I have a few minutes.
AK king season was short at 5 days. Decent fishing. I started at the Fairweather Grounds (120 miles from my slip), but moved back to Cape Edgecumbe (12 miles from my slip) for day 3 through 5.
Coho fishing started out pretty slow right after, and it's been slow right up until now. 150/day is pretty elusive. Been happy with a 100/day avg in my trips. And then I had a major breakdown (see diesel gurus help thread), so my July total catch is way behind schedule. Coho has been so slow, in fact, that AKDFG shut us down for 8 days. Which gave me the opportunity to...
Go longlining out on the Fairweather Grounds to pick up the small amount of halibut quota I bought this winter. Was a fun trip, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The big hali I'm holding didn't actually get hooked, he swallowed a yelloweye that was hooked and it got stuck in his throat.
Second king opener coming up on the 13th, scrambling to get the boat ready for that now.
Hope everybody's having a great summer!
Awesome pictures! Love those Yellow Eye!
Post by: Skillet on August 22, 2019, 10:15:09 AM
Thought I'd throw a quick update up on the thread while I have a few minutes.I will be up tomorrow and was going to toss you a barley pop as a show of fisherman solidarity. Now that you can catch kings and I can’t all your getting is a Sitka full moon!
AK king season was short at 5 days. Decent fishing. I started at the Fairweather Grounds (120 miles from my slip), but moved back to Cape Edgecumbe (12 miles from my slip) for day 3 through 5.
Coho fishing started out pretty slow right after, and it's been slow right up until now. 150/day is pretty elusive. Been happy with a 100/day avg in my trips. And then I had a major breakdown (see diesel gurus help thread), so my July total catch is way behind schedule. Coho has been so slow, in fact, that AKDFG shut us down for 8 days. Which gave me the opportunity to...
Go longlining out on the Fairweather Grounds to pick up the small amount of halibut quota I bought this winter. Was a fun trip, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The big hali I'm holding didn't actually get hooked, he swallowed a yelloweye that was hooked and it got stuck in his throat.
Second king opener coming up on the 13th, scrambling to get the boat ready for that now.
Hope everybody's having a great summer!
What an amazing dinner, it was great to hang with "Team 3boys" again. Thank you!
And to set the record straight, not only was @3boys able to fish kings on his trip up here, they slayed them on their last day. Maybe he'll tell the story. :tup:
Post by: Skillet on August 22, 2019, 05:17:01 PM
Perfect time for an update.
Second kings were just ok, only lasted two days. With a hungry fleet and only 25k kings left in our quota, nobody expected it to last very long. There were some shenanigans trying to get unloaded that cost me two days. Getting heated just thinking about that again, so we'll let that one go...
Coho are getting bigger, but not as big as last year's. Today's delivery was a 5.99# head-off average weight.
My ace deckhand, Johnny, is stepping off Sept 1, so I took on a second deckhand to train with him before he goes. Codenamed "Big Red," she's green to freezer trolling but is picking it up fast and has fresh drive. I have no worries about her being up to speed when Johnny leaves. I've not had female crew yet, and at this point regret not recruiting the ladies to work the deck more aggressively.
Couple pics, and an FAS offload vid.
Post by: runamuk on August 22, 2019, 07:31:05 PM
I love all the pics though.
Post by: RB on August 22, 2019, 09:35:12 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 23, 2019, 12:01:43 PM
What's your price this year? We got $1.35 last period.
Post by: Jonathan_S on August 23, 2019, 12:10:52 PM
Post by: 3boys on August 25, 2019, 08:05:25 PM
Great to have you over for dinner again this year Skillet. That was an amazing grub fest of Snake River Farms Waguy steaks that had been smoked and then seared in the cast iron skillet. This was our 23rd year fishing in Sitka and I never get tired of the fishing and the raw beauty of SE Alaska. It was a 4 days of fishing and they closed kings on August 1st. On our first day of fishing Aug 14 they announced they would be closing it for commercial fishing (sorry Skillet) and opening it for sport! The fishing was amazing with limits in the high 20# class. We actually had to move from a king spot to go after our 6 silver limit. Good times as always.Thought I'd throw a quick update up on the thread while I have a few minutes.I will be up tomorrow and was going to toss you a barley pop as a show of fisherman solidarity. Now that you can catch kings and I can’t all your getting is a Sitka full moon!
AK king season was short at 5 days. Decent fishing. I started at the Fairweather Grounds (120 miles from my slip), but moved back to Cape Edgecumbe (12 miles from my slip) for day 3 through 5.
Coho fishing started out pretty slow right after, and it's been slow right up until now. 150/day is pretty elusive. Been happy with a 100/day avg in my trips. And then I had a major breakdown (see diesel gurus help thread), so my July total catch is way behind schedule. Coho has been so slow, in fact, that AKDFG shut us down for 8 days. Which gave me the opportunity to...
Go longlining out on the Fairweather Grounds to pick up the small amount of halibut quota I bought this winter. Was a fun trip, I'll let the pics speak for themselves. The big hali I'm holding didn't actually get hooked, he swallowed a yelloweye that was hooked and it got stuck in his throat.
Second king opener coming up on the 13th, scrambling to get the boat ready for that now.
Hope everybody's having a great summer!
What an amazing dinner, it was great to hang with "Team 3boys" again. Thank you!
And to set the record straight, not only was @3boys able to fish kings on his trip up here, they slayed them on their last day. Maybe he'll tell the story. :tup:
Post by: Skillet on August 30, 2019, 03:13:24 PM
Our silvers here on the Copper River are much smaller this year too, and scarce so far. I had 1500 lbs, but the average catch Monday was about 500 lbs. I had an 8 lb average weight Mon, (whole weight) compared to 10 lb average last year. And the last two weeks last year my silvers averaged 11 lbs.
What's your price this year? We got $1.35 last period.
I think the ice guys are getting $2.50-ish for troll dressed coho.
Post by: Skillet on August 30, 2019, 03:16:55 PM
Any more group buys on the horizon?
It's looking more unlikely that I'll be able to do a fresh coho buy this season. The low volume of fish and high prices for FAS fish are forcing me to keep the freezer program going.
Post by: Woodchuck on August 30, 2019, 03:44:20 PM
Strike while the iron is hot my friend.Any more group buys on the horizon?
It's looking more unlikely that I'll be able to do a fresh coho buy this season. The low volume of fish and high prices for FAS fish are forcing me to keep the freezer program going.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 31, 2019, 11:09:46 AM
Our silvers here on the Copper River are much smaller this year too, and scarce so far. I had 1500 lbs, but the average catch Monday was about 500 lbs. I had an 8 lb average weight Mon, (whole weight) compared to 10 lb average last year. And the last two weeks last year my silvers averaged 11 lbs.
What's your price this year? We got $1.35 last period.
I think the ice guys are getting $2.50-ish for troll dressed coho.
We're up to $1.50 plus a 10 cent loyalty bonus we'll get in the spring. That probably equates to about $1.85 - $1.90 troll dressed I'd guess. We are still way behind where we need to be overall, but I got into them Monday. Had 3,700 lbs. which was about 450 fish. Trouble is, we are still only getting one day a week. Rain started today, so hopefully that will help.
Saw two boats come in from the Kaliak river last week with huge loads of very nice silvers. That is a special area which includes the Tsiu River, where set netters from both Yakutat and the Cordova area can fish silvers. The problem is getting your fish to market as there are rarely tenders there. Sometimes they charter planes to fly their fish out and this particular time, these guys filled a couple large bowpickers and ran them to Cordova themselves. But if normal fall weather comes, they won't have that option.
Post by: Jonathan_S on August 31, 2019, 07:01:14 PM
Any more group buys on the horizon?
It's looking more unlikely that I'll be able to do a fresh coho buy this season. The low volume of fish and high prices for FAS fish are forcing me to keep the freezer program going.
Best of luck to you sir. We look forward to the next time around :tup:
Post by: Skillet on September 16, 2019, 01:07:04 PM
Pic is of my deckhand with a decent fish, headed& gutted weight about 12#.
Video link below is of that fish being pressure bled.
Coho season is almost over, then it's a scramble to get ready and in position for my spot prawns on Oct 1.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 16, 2019, 02:11:52 PM
https://www.paradigmseafoods.com/
Post by: Bango skank on September 16, 2019, 02:54:32 PM
Post by: Skillet on September 16, 2019, 04:25:01 PM
Post by: Bango skank on September 16, 2019, 05:51:21 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on September 16, 2019, 08:01:14 PM
The video really does a good job of showing how well that method works.
Post by: Skillet on October 18, 2019, 08:24:41 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 19, 2019, 09:29:26 AM
Post by: Skillet on October 30, 2019, 11:16:37 PM
But seriously, what a bunch of work to make a pile of prawns. They're tasty buggers, tho.
A short story-
I now own the prawn permit, but not the gear. So I had to make a lease deal with a the guy that I took fishing last year, as he wasn't going to go this year. He bought 20 or so pots to get a full complement of gear (I'm allowed 140 of the 39" Ladners) for me, with the understanding that I replace all gear I lose during the season. No problem - I'm not going to lose a bunch of pots, right? Ha. Ha. Ha.
One caveat was the groundline I was using last year was on loan and not available for this year. So I had to invest in a full set of groundline, tubs to hold it, and C-links. Plus shipping to get it to Sitka in time. I've paid more for nice used cars. It's usable for several fisheries, but man - it was a big financial hit I wasn't expecting to take at this point. This is a recurring theme in commercial fishing - you pays your money and you takes your chances.
We spent a few days rigging the pots and splicing C-links into the ground line. I bought 28 ea 150 fa shots of ground line, and C-linked each end. That's 56 eye splices on 4.2 nautical miles of ground line and about three cases of beer for two guys in the gear loft. We went through all the used pots and checked/replaced the rot cord, rubber clips, bridles, snaps. We retied the top pot lashing on those that needed it, retied the bait cup lids and spent plenty of time trying to get the blood flow to slow after we cut ourselves with the Vicky (we each got one good slice). My gear locker floor looks like an axe murder took place up there. :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on October 30, 2019, 11:35:59 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 30, 2019, 11:40:34 PM
More story as time allows-
Post by: rainshadow1 on October 31, 2019, 10:28:03 AM
Post by: Dan-o on November 01, 2019, 12:29:18 AM
4 bags did not last long.
Will you be in my neighborhood?
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 07:17:57 AM
Had a block rigged like that on the Avenger, it had a ring sleeve on the upright with some flat bar stays to the bridge. Necessary when we buried 120lb Dungeness pots in 6' of sand! Don't thing the deck mounts would have handled that torque.
I bet! A sanded in pot like that is more like a mooring anchor. My work was a lot less intense. Between the wave wall and the floor mount, I was able to put enough torque on the line part it against sharp rocks 85 fa down... more on that later :bash:
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 07:20:09 AM
WHERE ARE MY PRAWNS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
4 bags did not last long.
Will you be in my neighborhood?
Trying to put some really neat stuff together for a HuntWa Christmas special group buy, stay tuned!
Post by: 92xj on November 07, 2019, 07:23:01 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on November 07, 2019, 07:34:52 AM
Please put me on that list if you make it this way...Me 3 please. :hello:
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 07:56:20 AM
Back to the story...
My second crew for the season, Erika, flew in on the 26th and we got the gear loaded on. Erika came to me after a seining all summer, and man was I glad to have her. She is a certified *censored* in the fleet! She'd done lots of freezer work in the past, but not any pot fishing or shrimping. Given her reputation in the fleet, however, I had no worries at all that she would pick it up fast. Here's a pic of her closing the net in some darn nice weather-
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 08:20:54 AM
I really love pulling out of town loaded for a trip like this. I always seem to have something like this playing in my mind, with a little less orchestra in the background (starting at 1:15) :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 08:32:46 AM
I usually don't enjoy Craig that much, but this year was different. There was fall crisp in the air, leaves were just turning, hint of woodsmoke in the air, and I saw a couple of blacktails in truck beds. Chatted with a few friends on the dock down there I haven't seen in a long time, and everybody was hopeful that the coming shrimp season was going to be good. Crew was optimistic and eager, we were prepared. Really good vibes before the season.
Post by: h20hunter on November 07, 2019, 08:42:50 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 08:48:19 AM
Post by: Machias on November 07, 2019, 08:48:25 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 09:07:36 AM
Post by: Dhoey07 on November 07, 2019, 09:19:40 AM
WHERE ARE MY PRAWNS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
4 bags did not last long.
Will you be in my neighborhood?
Trying to put some really neat stuff together for a HuntWa Christmas special group buy, stay tuned!
I'm tuned brother!!
Post by: Skillet on November 07, 2019, 09:34:05 AM
The main disadvantages is pretty severe, though. With 10 pot, double buoy strings, if you hung a pot or the groundline up on a rock, or even cut the line on a rock, no problem. Just go to the other end to pick it up in reverse. With a single pot string, you don't have that option. And if you cut the line on a rock down there... lost pots.
The single pot setup looked like this. We'd start by setting the pots first, then running out the buoy line on my way to the next set. Pretty efficient, if a little riskier.
Gotta run, more to come-
Post by: pianoman9701 on November 07, 2019, 09:45:43 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 07, 2019, 09:57:14 AM
Last day in town was the 28th, where we got the last details taken care of. Food, fuel and bait. The bait I loaded on this year was about 3300# of black cod heads, 500# of round pink salmon, and 450# of shrimp pellets. The black cod heads I have to buy from the processors, the pellets from the gear store, and the pink salmon are unbled and round fish that I saved to experiment with. We left Sitka the evening of the 28th, bow pointed south, headed for our shrimping grounds.
I really love pulling out of town loaded for a trip like this. I always seem to have something like this playing in my mind, with a little less orchestra in the background (starting at 1:15) :chuckle:
Back in the day they might have cast Clooney to captain the Diamond Lil.
Lately it's more of a role for a Dan Haggerty type!
Love following your adventures Skillet.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 07:26:42 AM
Opening morning, Oct 1, 8am.
The gun goes off, and we are setting pots off the side. We have all brand-new line, and are setting the shots right out of the coils. I've pulled a lot of line out of coils into tubs and onto reels in the past, and as long as you pull the line from the middle you're good to go. Thinking that setting gear right out of the coil would be as easy, we skipped the intitial time-consuming step of running all the brand-new line through the block into tubs first.
Probably won't do that again.
We spent some time unsnarling line that took a twist from the setting block - and that is not very easy when you have a few pots already hanging on the string behind the boat. Word to the wise - no matter how clean those brand new shots look, run them through the block first. :tup:
Eventually, all the gear hit the bottom. I ended up covering almost twice as much shoreline as I planned to begin with, so my strings were pretty spread out. This means lots of travel time during the active fishing hours of 8-4pm, but is overall a good problem to start with. I had lots of ground to work before the competition moved in.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 07:41:07 AM
Having good crew for a fishery like this can't be overstated. While setting gear, I'm in the wheelhouse making sure those pots land on the tiny ledges I'm aiming for and not going too shallow - or into the abyss. I need to be able to trust that they are on the ball enough to anticipate problems, have the skills and confidence to SAFELY tackle the problems that they can handle, and just as importantly know when to call me out for an assist. We train for most things we can think of while we have the time, but in this business there is just a lot of OJT and I rely on people to pick things up quickly.
If I need to continually re-teach a technique or a concept, that slows us down and is a big distraction. And too much distraction may contribute to my getting a line in the prop... :bash:
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 08:14:46 AM
Most guys like me, however, can't afford the cost or space of storing a completely separate set of groundline for a fishery that is a few weeks long. The new groundline I just bought is 3/8" diameter sinking line that is also used for the other longline fisheries I participate in - halibut and yelloweye. It's pretty tough, easy to splice and even after it gets a little fuzzy from lots of use I can still get 300 fathoms into a 32 gallon tub.
Sinking groundline for shrimping will cost you a few pots a year. The other thing it does is wind around a prop really easily if you back down hard and drift over it.
Normally, we set at 4-5 knots of speed. Couple times a day the line doesn't come out of the tub right and I get a "Back down" command from the deck. When that happens it is reverse and full throttle astern until either the boat stops or the problem is dealt with. I rarely have to come on deck to help solve an issue, but if I do I need to watch the drift of the boat to make sure I haven't lost the line under the boat...
We were setting gear on day 3, pretty windy, and needed to back down hard while we were running out buoy line. Full stop, big snarl of line on deck. Once we got it cleared off the deck, I glanced to make sure the line was clear of the prop. Looked good, I popped it back in gear and throttled up. But we had drifted so fast over the line it must have hung up on the rudder shoe before it had a chance to sink. It looked good because we kept throwing the cleared line overboard and it was sinking away from the boat... but she was foul. I could tell within a second something was off, but before I could react and pull the boat out of gear it was all over. The line wrapped the prop, killed the engine and I quickly found out the rudder was involved as it was locked hard over to starboard. Fired the boat up again, put it in reverse hoping it would start to unwind the line, or at least let the rudder free. But, she shuddered and nearly died immediately before I put her back in neutral.
I was adrift on the shrimping grounds, now over 60 fathoms of water and less than 1/2 mile from some rocks that didn't look like a soft spot to land.
Post by: h20hunter on November 28, 2019, 08:16:09 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 08:33:18 AM
First thing I needed to do was to get that boat off the lee shore and hopefully into a cove somehow. I quickly considered deploying my inflatable with the 15 hp and towing the boat, but the open face block I use to launch it was being used to set gear. That would have taken too long to re-rig. And it was debatable if the little skiff could have pulled that boat against the wind anyway. Risking bending the rudder post, I decided to engage the gearbox back and forth against the line around the prop to see if I could wrench something free. Forward and reverse, I banged that gearbox and it felt like each time the prop would spin a tiny bit more before binding. The rudder was absolutely stuck, no improvement there. But that prop felt like it was chewing away at the snarl.
I throttled up a bit and jammed it into gear, and that prop finally busted through and started spinning! It was shaking violently, and the rudder was still jammed hard over to starboard, but I had power. I could only idle it due to the shaking. With hard starboard as my only steering input, I played the wind and just bumped it into gear long enough to let the bow come up on the wind, then take it out of gear to fall off and give me another chance. It was super slow, but I was getting off the shore. I saw that about 2 miles away there was a cove I was moving towards with this method, so I told the crew to get comfy because it was gonna be a while. Thirty seconds of FWD thrust, at least a minute to let the bow fall back off to port enough, then another 30 seconds of thrust. I was making .4 knots to the good.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 08:47:10 AM
I knew visibility was going to be bad under the boat in this lowering light. I decided that if I couldn't get us free that night we'd have to wait for daybreak the next day. So I quickly stripped down to my skivvies, lashed the ladder to the side of the boat, tied a Vicky knife to my right wrist with a loop of line and started to climb in.
Holy smokes, that 50-something degrees is cold water. I couldn't get past my neck without my chest spasming and preventing me from taking a big breath. With no wetsuit on board, I crawled into my survival suit and just jumped in.
If any of you have been in a survival suit, you know I wasn't going to be going anywhere underwater in that thing. The whole point of them is to float. But I was warm and needed to get this done, so we rigged a line that went from one side of the boat, under the keel, and up to the other side. I could use it to pull myself down to the prop. It worked, and I had just enough light to see what the issue was. It being salt water, I couldn't really see anything clearly, but I could definitely see a BIG ball of bright white groundline around the prop and shaft. I also saw a snarl around the rudder shoe that was hooked tight around the bottom of the aft end of the rudder. One quick slash at that line and the rudder was free.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 08:56:52 AM
Eventually, I cut enough out the prop was free of any large snarls and didn't seem to have any vibration. There was still a bit jammed inbetween the prop and the cutlass bearing that I couldn't get to, but it was good enough.
I left the jellyfish and climbed on deck, got out of my gumby suit, and warmed up. Erika had already started a roast in the crockpot while I was driving us to the cove, so it was ready and I ate well. I decided I wanted to run the boat hard before I called it a job done, so we picked up the hook and ran to our normal anchoring spot. Everything seemed good enough.
Total bill for the day was about 15 fathoms of brand new groundline and 4 hours of lost fishing time. Could have been worse. I racked out and waited for the jellyfish dreams to come.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 09:02:18 AM
A few notable things - we caught an eel in a pot, I have been told it is a Gunnel. Whatever it was, it was as tasty as it was ugly. Fried it up like unagi and enjoyed it.
Post by: Skillet on November 28, 2019, 09:11:51 AM
Also some random pics of shrimp to follow- live shrimp, bin FULL of tails to be glazed.
Post by: RB on November 28, 2019, 09:48:06 AM
Post by: brokentrail on November 28, 2019, 11:19:48 AM
Post by: Fl0und3rz on November 28, 2019, 01:42:33 PM
Post by: jmscon on November 28, 2019, 08:59:03 PM
I was fishing on a gill netter in Bristol Bay in the Ugashik district. We were switching ends and the skipper threw it in reverse to slow us down so we could grab the buoy that was at the end of our net. The other deckhand and I had used our hook pole to grab the line and we were about to snap the drum line on when the skipper, instead of throwing it ahead, put his hand on the throttle and gave it a shove. Slurp, net went right into the wheel and stalled the engine! It took him a couple of tries and stalled the engine a couple more times to cut the line enough for us to get under way. Still had to tie an eye onto the rough end of the cork line and pull the, now just under, 150 fathoms of net in.
As we were limping into the river, where we deliver our fish and anchor up when we aren’t fishing, I would see a cork come up in our wash behind the boat.
The other deckhand was a commercial diver but one, we had no dive gear and two the only clear water was the open water, in the rivers it is so silty that you can’t see six inches.
I can’t remember but one of the two years I worked with that particular deckhand the pack ice hadn’t broken up until May and the water temperature outside of the river, in the open water, was 38*!
It’s really hard to convey how dicey situations like these are. The speed of the currents, how fast fog or storms can blow in, desolation, little boats in big water, closest CG station 180 mi. away by air, etc.
Miss going up there, bad, bad bad!
Thanks for posting skillet, living vicariously through your posts!
Post by: rainshadow1 on December 01, 2019, 05:08:27 PM
I've never done it.
I've chosen a few times not to.
Small boat fishing I've been up to my chest on the beach cutting bouyline out of a raised outdrive. Had a deckhand go under the bigger boat and cut out some bouyline in the shelter of the harbor. But outside shelter... no.
I had a piece of midwater net come up on a single hook of blackcod tube gear once. Billowed under the boat like a parachute and I never saw a hint of it 'til the engine stalled. Had the crew reef on it as much as possible, then tie off what they could get ahold of, and tried to go again. Stalled it out several times. Called for a tow. That was 35 miles from the beach. I wasn't going under the boat, and wasn't sending crew under. Not out there.
The diver took about 2 minutes cutting it out back at the dock. He checked the zincs just because he felt bad about charging me $200 for two minutes work. I lost that, and two days fishing, fuel to run back out, and a full boarding inspection, but it was worth it to me... I didn't send anyone under the boat.
Yours are solid brass....
Post by: cem3434 on December 01, 2019, 05:58:57 PM
Post by: Dhoey07 on December 01, 2019, 06:03:45 PM
So how much longer do we have to stay tuned for a group buy? :chuckle::yeah: :yeah: :yeah:
Post by: Stein on December 01, 2019, 06:07:22 PM
Post by: nwwanderer on December 03, 2019, 09:30:15 AM
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 10:16:16 AM
Great stories @jmscon and @rainshadow1 ! I'm going to get a wetsuit and good mask this year. I really don't like going underwater, and probably wouldn't do it on the open ocean unless it's flat calm. I just don't have the confidence and skills to do an open water swim. I have paid a few divers good money in town to scrub zincs, pull stuff out of the prop, etc. But in October, that far out into the wilds, there's just not many options. Gotta be self sufficient to a degree if you wanna get home.
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 10:17:44 AM
Man, I can't believe how many shrimp tails you had in that pic. We fish max 5 in our boat, so it's 400 tails and after popping those, I'm about happy the season is one day.
@stein - That bin holds about 1100# of tails. I figured that we popped an average of 8000 heads a day... the most we did was about 15,000 heads in one day. But with three people who've got the technique down and some good music on deck, it gets done. Eventually. :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 10:27:57 AM
I just sat and read all 37 pages of this post.... Very informative and and enjoyable! Thanks for sharing your adventure @skillet
That's the reason I started this - to create yet another internet rabbit hole for you to go down. Glad you enjoy the stories from my boat and other guys on here. :tup:
Post by: 92xj on December 03, 2019, 10:32:26 AM
Post by: Stein on December 03, 2019, 10:38:50 AM
Post by: 92xj on December 03, 2019, 10:42:38 AM
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 11:02:12 AM
https://www.commercialdivingsupplies.com/product/northern-diver-hot-water-suit/
I'd have to charge double for my shrimp to cover that one :chuckle:
I'm thinking the pre-peed in, stitching-pulling-out-of-the-seams craigslist model is more my speed.
Post by: Buckmark on December 03, 2019, 11:05:03 AM
I think your a little late but h20hunter had you covered on that a few months ago :chuckle:https://www.commercialdivingsupplies.com/product/northern-diver-hot-water-suit/
I'd have to charge double for my shrimp to cover that one :chuckle:
I'm thinking the pre-peed in, stitching-pulling-out-of-the-seams craigslist model is more my speed.
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 11:06:51 AM
I think your a little late but h20hunter had you covered on that a few months ago :chuckle:https://www.commercialdivingsupplies.com/product/northern-diver-hot-water-suit/
I'd have to charge double for my shrimp to cover that one :chuckle:
I'm thinking the pre-peed in, stitching-pulling-out-of-the-seams craigslist model is more my speed.
He eats too much asparagus.
Post by: h20hunter on December 03, 2019, 11:19:46 AM
That hold is cold cold cold. I'd totally pee in the suit.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on December 03, 2019, 07:24:37 PM
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 07:39:41 PM
Post by: Dan-o on December 03, 2019, 08:14:57 PM
Where are my shrimp????????????
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 08:19:30 PM
I'm also trying to get some neat stuff together for a HuntWa buy.
Halibut?
Black cod?
Tuna loins?
Weathervane scallops?
King crab??
Post by: 92xj on December 03, 2019, 08:22:53 PM
Haha, they're coming...
I'm also trying to get some neat stuff together for a HuntWa buy.
Halibut?
Black cod?
Tuna loins?
Weathervane scallops?
King crab??
$400 worth of Halibut, tuna, scallops and king crab please!
Post by: Dan-o on December 03, 2019, 08:29:13 PM
Haha, they're coming...
I'm also trying to get some neat stuff together for a HuntWa buy.
Halibut?
Black cod?
Tuna loins?
Weathervane scallops?
King crab??
I'd be all over some King Crab to go with my shrimp.
Post by: Skillet on December 03, 2019, 08:36:04 PM
Post by: 92xj on December 03, 2019, 08:40:06 PM
Post by: syoungs on December 03, 2019, 09:03:33 PM
Not trying to be pushy here but any idea when this might take place? We will be heading to FL for a week over Christmas and don't want to miss out on this one as we are already completely out of the last order we bought. I'd be glad to prepare now and figure out logistics later.
I'll probably be in for something again this time too.
I've got freezer space if it comes to it 92xj. Dont mind getting the order and holding it if needed.
Post by: NRA4LIFE on December 04, 2019, 12:32:03 AM
I'll take some halibut, scallops and king crab.
Gary
Post by: Macs B on December 04, 2019, 09:48:47 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on December 04, 2019, 09:53:47 AM
Haha, they're coming...I would be in for some cod, scallops, and quite possibly crab.
I'm also trying to get some neat stuff together for a HuntWa buy.
Halibut?
Black cod?
Tuna loins?
Weathervane scallops?
King crab??
Post by: Goldeneye on December 04, 2019, 10:00:26 AM
Haha, they're coming...
I'm also trying to get some neat stuff together for a HuntWa buy.
Halibut?
Black cod?
Tuna loins?
Weathervane scallops?
King crab??
I didn't get a bull this year so I'd be up for some of the options you listed since I have the freezer space. I'd be interested in Black Cod (love the fat content, cooks up wonderful), Scallops of course, and King crab.
Post by: Whitpirate on December 04, 2019, 10:05:01 AM
Post by: Skillet on December 04, 2019, 10:11:31 AM
I didn't get a bull this year so I'd be up for some of the options you listed since I have the freezer space. I'd be interested in Black Cod (love the fat content, cooks up wonderful), Scallops of course, and King crab.
Here's a man that knows what's up. Black cod (sablefish) is something we just don't see often in the stores, but man - it is rich and tasty. You can literally put a piece in a bone dry skillet and it will cook in its own fat.
Post by: h20hunter on December 04, 2019, 10:15:03 AM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on December 04, 2019, 10:24:33 AM
Either way... I'm excited for this next run!
Post by: h20hunter on December 04, 2019, 10:27:32 AM
I'm kidding, you didn't miss anything.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on December 04, 2019, 10:31:46 AM
Yup....amazing fish, huge.....4.99 lb....it went fast!
I'm kidding, you didn't miss anything.
I got a freezer to fill man! :chuckle: :tup:
Post by: brokentrail on December 04, 2019, 10:45:37 AM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on December 04, 2019, 10:46:18 AM
I'd be in for 500 of halibut, tuna, king crab and black cod.
On behalf of @Skillet.... 500 tons of each, got it!
Post by: Dhoey07 on December 04, 2019, 10:57:37 AM
:drool: :drool: :drool:
Post by: brokentrail on December 04, 2019, 12:17:50 PM
I'd be in for 500 of halibut, tuna, king crab and black cod.
On behalf of @Skillet.... 500 tons of each, got it!
Haha... Funny guy 😂
Post by: WSU on December 04, 2019, 12:24:05 PM
Roger that guys, working out some details now, hoping to get a group buy thread rolling by this weekend. Got a neat deal in the works for the volume smoker guys in the group too - I've got some dime-bright ocean FAS chum that I didn't sell and can offer to the group. Should be a fun list of options for the Christmas season! :tup:
I didn't get a bull this year so I'd be up for some of the options you listed since I have the freezer space. I'd be interested in Black Cod (love the fat content, cooks up wonderful), Scallops of course, and King crab.
Here's a man that knows what's up. Black cod (sablefish) is something we just don't see often in the stores, but man - it is rich and tasty. You can literally put a piece in a bone dry skillet and it will cook in its own fat.
Sablefish is great. Too bad it's a pain in the ass for sporties to drag them up from 1000.
Post by: Blacktail135 on December 05, 2019, 07:25:43 AM
Post by: RB on December 05, 2019, 05:31:01 PM
Post by: Scvette on December 05, 2019, 05:35:25 PM
Roger that. I'm trying to get it flown out of Dutch for less than an arm and a leg. Maybe just an arm, if we're lucky. More to come soon!
You missed me by a week, I’m just getting into Seattle from Dutch with a huge empty freezer. Could of brought it down for free.
Post by: Whitpirate on December 05, 2019, 07:43:32 PM
Post by: Skillet on December 08, 2019, 12:11:18 AM
Roger that. I'm trying to get it flown out of Dutch for less than an arm and a leg. Maybe just an arm, if we're lucky. More to come soon!
You missed me by a week, I’m just getting into Seattle from Dutch with a huge empty freezer. Could of brought it down for free.
Definitely need to chat for next year. Hope your season was good - :tup:
Post by: scotsman on December 08, 2019, 11:19:57 AM
Post by: Skillet on March 27, 2020, 09:34:48 PM
Please throw him a mention to the big man tonight. It can't hurt, and I'd appreciate it.
Post by: carpsniperg2 on March 27, 2020, 09:36:39 PM
Post by: Bango skank on March 27, 2020, 09:51:05 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on March 27, 2020, 09:51:48 PM
Post by: Tbar on March 27, 2020, 10:03:22 PM
Post by: Skillet on March 27, 2020, 10:04:34 PM
Post by: cem3434 on March 27, 2020, 10:10:56 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on March 27, 2020, 10:22:34 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on March 27, 2020, 10:49:07 PM
Hey guys, just wanna make a quick solicitation for some prayers. My buddy Kelsey on the FV Tamarack is taking on water in Cross Sound right now. A few boats are enroute and CG is almost there. I'm sure it will be alright.
Please throw him a mention to the big man tonight. It can't hurt, and I'd appreciate it.
A buddy's boat in Kodiak recently had the same problem 40 miles off Kodiak during their Tanner Crab season. Coast guard dropped pumps to them to and guarded them back to town.
Post by: Bango skank on March 27, 2020, 10:54:37 PM
Hey guys, just wanna make a quick solicitation for some prayers. My buddy Kelsey on the FV Tamarack is taking on water in Cross Sound right now. A few boats are enroute and CG is almost there. I'm sure it will be alright.
Please throw him a mention to the big man tonight. It can't hurt, and I'd appreciate it.
A buddy's boat in Kodiak recently had the same problem 40 miles off Kodiak during their Tanner Crab season. Coast guard dropped pumps to them to and guarded them back to town.
Few years back, i forget what the deal was but it was one of the very rare times we were running light boat to alaska. No barge behind us, so we were very manueverable. Just before mudge there was a yacht clearly sinking, but no distress calls had been made. We got up there, broke out the scow pump, stsrted pumping them out and made the distress calls. Our pump was just enough to keep them sfloat until the cg could arrive with more pumps. In the mesn time we got the old man, his wife, and their dog on board. The old lady was really nice, but the old man, grumpy ass, not even so much as a thanks. He seemed pissed. Im convinced it was an intentionsl sinking of a crappy boat either for an insurance payout, or to dispose of the wife or the rat dog, probably all of the above
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on March 27, 2020, 11:35:30 PM
Hey guys, just wanna make a quick solicitation for some prayers. My buddy Kelsey on the FV Tamarack is taking on water in Cross Sound right now. A few boats are enroute and CG is almost there. I'm sure it will be alright.
Please throw him a mention to the big man tonight. It can't hurt, and I'd appreciate it.
A buddy's boat in Kodiak recently had the same problem 40 miles off Kodiak during their Tanner Crab season. Coast guard dropped pumps to them to and guarded them back to town.
Few years back, i forget what the deal was but it was one of the very rare times we were running light boat to alaska. No barge behind us, so we were very manueverable. Just before mudge there was a yacht clearly sinking, but no distress calls had been made. We got up there, broke out the scow pump, stsrted pumping them out and made the distress calls. Our pump was just enough to keep them sfloat until the cg could arrive with more pumps. In the mesn time we got the old man, his wife, and their dog on board. The old lady was really nice, but the old man, grumpy ass, not even so much as a thanks. He seemed pissed. Im convinced it was an intentionsl sinking of a crappy boat either for an insurance payout, or to dispose of the wife or the rat dog, probably all of the above
Wow!
Post by: Skillet on March 28, 2020, 03:11:12 AM
Post by: Ridgeratt on March 28, 2020, 03:25:46 AM
Post by: Skillet on March 30, 2020, 06:54:22 PM
👍👍 Good to know he is safe. Where are you in this.
I was just getting the info from the stand-by vessel, the Pacific Bounty. That's the boat I longline on in the winter.
Here's a link to the vid from the chopper of the CG dropping the dewatering pump down for them. Kinds neat, especially since it ended so well :tup:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/744748/coast-guard-good-samaritan-assist-vessel-taking-water-near-sitka-alaska# (https://www.dvidshub.net/video/744748/coast-guard-good-samaritan-assist-vessel-taking-water-near-sitka-alaska#)
Post by: h20hunter on March 30, 2020, 07:06:30 PM
Sobering vid right there. Serious business every day.
Post by: Dhoey07 on March 30, 2020, 07:12:56 PM
Neat now that you know the ending is right! I would need some new shorts....👍👍 Good to know he is safe. Where are you in this.
I was just getting the info from the stand-by vessel, the Pacific Bounty. That's the boat I longline on in the winter.
Here's a link to the vid from the chopper of the CG dropping the dewatering pump down for them. Kinds neat, especially since it ended so well :tup:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/744748/coast-guard-good-samaritan-assist-vessel-taking-water-near-sitka-alaska# (https://www.dvidshub.net/video/744748/coast-guard-good-samaritan-assist-vessel-taking-water-near-sitka-alaska#)
Post by: Skillet on April 14, 2020, 10:26:31 PM
I'm heading out tomorrow to help a friend catch some black cod. He's got 11k# of quota, should take us about 2-3 days if all goes well. His spots that we're going to hit are from 300-500 fathoms deep. I'm going to try and take some vids while I'm out there to show the system we'll be using. It's referred to as "snap gear", and that basically means you are feeding the longline off the back of the boat and snapping individual baited hooks on it as it pays out. The hooks we're using are SS 13/0 offset circle hooksb on swivels.
I took a few pictures of the baiting process today. We spent about 20 man-hours starts to finish to bait up all the gear with 700# of Pollack.
First pic is Dania shooting ice into the hold.
2nd pic is cut bait on the hatch ready to be baited.
3rd pic is a baited hook. This is a particular type of snap gear is called "tube gear", which uses a short length of hose hog ringed to the snap and swiveled hook.
4th pic is the baited hooks in a tray. As we set, we'll take the snaps out off the trays and snap them on the line as it pays out.
5th pic is of a "perfectly" baited hook. You can see it just under the skin of the Pollack. This makes sure the hook point can easily find itself into the corner of the cod's mouth when he starts slurping on it.
Hope to have a few vids for you when we get back to town.
:tup:
Post by: carpsniperg2 on April 14, 2020, 10:30:46 PM
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on April 15, 2020, 07:23:52 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 15, 2020, 09:10:56 AM
Spent 3 summers in the late 80s working on the Valle Lee out of Sitka (Based in Port Angeles) trolling and we would hit the halibut opening on occasion, weather permitting.
@plugger
I'm actually fishing on the Valle Lee this trip. You got your initials carved in anywhere on this old tub? :chuckle:
Post by: ctwiggs1 on April 15, 2020, 09:14:42 AM
Post by: Special T on April 15, 2020, 09:24:15 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 15, 2020, 10:06:19 AM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on April 15, 2020, 10:51:59 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 15, 2020, 11:25:16 AM
Does the boat have a good strategy for dealing with whales? The guys I know that have tried black cod said they had killer whales and sperm whales pick nearly every fish right off the line. Only money was for running the boat and equipment, no catch share.We're part of ALFA that has a sperm whale tracking program. It's been helping boats avoid them the last few years. We're also going to try a few spots towards the South, the boats out of Sitka getting whaled hard have been quite a ways up north so far.
Attached is the latest whale map to come out today.
Post by: Onewhohikes on April 15, 2020, 11:53:23 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 15, 2020, 12:10:47 PM
How do the whales taste Skillet?
:chuckle:
If they ever open up whaling, I'll be first in line.
Post by: Bango skank on April 15, 2020, 12:16:24 PM
How do the whales taste Skillet?
:chuckle:
If they ever open up whaling, I'll be first in line.
I was up off wainwright several years ago and watched the natives take something like 52 beluga whales, it was nuts. They said it was enough to feed everybody there and all the surrounding villages, and it was the biggest harvest theyd had since the 1960s. I just happened to be there on a flat calm, fogless sunny day when a giant pod of a couple hundred belugas rolled in, and it was nuts. Anyway, one of them gave me a bunch of whale steaks, and i put them in the freezer to bring them home when we got back. After 2 months at sea i was in such a hurry to get home i forgot to grab them and a crew member took them. Never did get to try whale steak, and i doubt i will ever get the opportunity again.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 15, 2020, 05:45:07 PM
How do the whales taste Skillet?
My senior year in high school in Cordova, my science teacher got hold of some canned whaled meat and brought it to school for his students to try. Wasn't my cup of tea, strong tasting and as I remember the texture was funny. Better than seal oil though.
Post by: Pinetar on April 15, 2020, 05:54:52 PM
Post by: bearpaw on April 16, 2020, 08:29:04 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 16, 2020, 11:06:52 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 02:09:02 PM
Hoping the fish cooperate for you and the processors pay.
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 02:14:46 PM
Processors are really trying to keep us off the grounds until they can guess what the market is going to do. Some places are not accepting any more fish unless you call in before you leave for a trip. They don't want to be the guys without a chair if the music stops.
Shaping up to be an interesting year up here.
Post by: Stein on April 24, 2020, 02:51:20 PM
Post by: h20hunter on April 24, 2020, 02:57:46 PM
Post by: h20hunter on April 24, 2020, 02:58:09 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 03:47:20 PM
Capt and crew? :chuckle: :dunno: :chuckle: :tup:Doing the math, that adds up!
And it checks out logically, considering what that trip was worth when we got in.
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 03:49:17 PM
I bet I know where you could dump a big batch of black cod.....
Think we could put about a 15k# fresh black cod group buy together?? :tup:
Post by: WSU on April 24, 2020, 03:55:50 PM
I bet I know where you could dump a big batch of black cod.....
Think we could put about a 15k# fresh black cod group buy together?? :tup:
I'm in for 10#.
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 04:54:17 PM
I bet I know where you could dump a big batch of black cod.....
Think we could put about a 15k# fresh black cod group buy together?? :tup:
I'm in for 10#.
Roger that. One 6# and one 4#'er right?
:chuckle:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 24, 2020, 05:48:45 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 06:17:53 PM
I'm gonna need to keep one bin in the hold just for Covid paperwork this summer.
UFA is hosting on a webinar on the 29th to help guys like us navigate this. You have the link to register for it?
Post by: tmike on April 24, 2020, 09:36:13 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 24, 2020, 09:41:41 PM
I just read the email.
I'm gonna need to keep one bin in the hold just for Covid paperwork this summer.
UFA is hosting on a webinar on the 29th to help guys like us navigate this. You have the link to register for it?
Yes. And I agree on the bin for the paperwork. Whoever wrote this Appendix has never worked on a small boat, it's pretty obvious. I don't think they realize the conditions we work in or deliver our fish in. It sounds good to them on paper.
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 09:55:01 PM
I’d like to see that link if you get it. My boat is being re powered now and I can’t get up there with work down here having a 14 day quarantine. I’m hoping when I go I can quarantine where it is. Good luckI'll send you the email if you want to pm me your address.
Where's your boat being repowered? Some towns are pretty militant about Alaska's 14 day mandatory quarantine for all interstate arrivals. In Craig, for example, you cannot even quarantine on your own boat unless it's considered a liveaboard residence (usually documented by paying liveaboard fees to the marina). Quarantine must be in a hotel or permanent residence, and you cannot leave until the 14 days are up. Working on a boat project would definitely put you in violation.
Some towns are comparitively lax, but they are all giving the side-eye to out of staters.
Bristol Bay communities are among the most stringent, I'm hearing.
Just a few thoughts to hopefully help you avoid a nasty surprise.
Post by: Skillet on April 24, 2020, 10:01:00 PM
Truth.I just read the email.
I'm gonna need to keep one bin in the hold just for Covid paperwork this summer.
UFA is hosting on a webinar on the 29th to help guys like us navigate this. You have the link to register for it?
Yes. And I agree on the bin for the paperwork. Whoever wrote this Appendix has never worked on a small boat, it's pretty obvious. I don't think they realize the conditions we work in or deliver our fish in. It sounds good to them on paper.
We've got enough bureaucratic rules and regs to get caught up in not perfectly complying with as it is. This now adds another potential year in jail and and $25k fine to the potential penalties.
A seiner, a gillnetter, and a troller are in a car.
Who's driving?
The cop.
Post by: tmike on April 24, 2020, 10:06:22 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on April 25, 2020, 01:41:56 AM
Thanks I’ll pm you my email. It’s in Kenai and as I understand it I can quarantine on site at the cannery. Only problem is my boat is about 15 miles from there at a warehouse. I’m hoping the guys in Cordova have a problem free fishery.
I'll keep you updated tmike.
Here's one of the new rules in Mandate 17 appendix 1 that could be changed to make things easier. From my reading of it, I have to give a copy of my agreeing to the State rules to every tender or cannery that I deliver to. And they in turn have to keep that copy until the end of the year. It would be much simpler if before the season each fisherman turns in a copy to each cannery he intends to sell to and each cannery makes a list of fishermen who have complied and hands it to their tenders. I might deliver to 10 or 12 tenders a year, depending on where I am fishing and if tenders and moved around during the period. Sometimes they get plugged and another tender gets sent to take their place. It's hard keeping track of who I have delivered to and who is new over the course of the season. And sometimes there is a long line up at the tenders and everyone is trying to get delivered and get back to fishing. Add a big blow on top of that and it's a mess.
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 09:59:01 PM
For those who haven't had the chance to read up on the dinglebar fishery in my earlier posts, I'll describe it here in a few short posts with pics and a video.
Dinglebar fishing is essentially trolling for lingcod. The gear is a bit different from boat to boat, but mainly consists of a dinglebar, a train, jigs, and floats.
My preferred dinglebar stock is 2" round bar, 6' long, with a strap welded on the top. Weights about 70# total. I hang that from the bottom of my troll wire with a breakaway strap. Attached to the troll wire, above the breakaway, is the train. The train is the main "leader" that the jigs and floats are attached to. I use sections of floating line, usually about 30' long. Each train carries 5-6 jigs that hang down on leaders. The jigs I use are 12 oz, 12/0 hooks with white Kalins 10" single twister tails. Also attached to the train are floats, to try and achieve neutral to slightly positive bouyancy. The whole apparatus is lowered to the bottom while under way, and the bar is used to tickle the bottom while the jigs trail along behind just off the bottom.
A pic and short video are probably best to describe this. I laid it out on the dock as a demonstration.
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:01:50 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:14:05 PM
I checked the drift, shut everything down, made a good dinner and we settled in for our last good sleep for a few days. Fishing light comes at 3:45 am up here in mid May.
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:23:28 PM
I don't have a lot of pics or vid of that day. We did ok, with 96 ling cod and a few halibut. Our lings for the trip averaged 15.5# round pounds, halibut just shy of 40# dressed.
This is a decent vid of some fish and the train trailing back behind the boat.
Perfect weather day out there on Day 1.
PS - I know the boat looks like crap now, but I won't paint the deck until after dinglebar and longlining is over. Just way too hard on a painted deck.
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:36:01 PM
We decided to head in the evening of the 2nd day. We had the fish we needed, we had a crazy hydraulic failure that slowed us down (my pressure guage ruptured) and the weather was going to go back to the SE and stronger in Day 3.
Considering my luck with this fishery in the past, I decided to call it a success and steam for town. We pulled in the evening of the 17th and unloaded early the next morning.
Here's a few more pics of the trip, thanks for coming along :tup:
Post by: Bango skank on May 26, 2020, 10:38:25 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:43:12 PM
Post by: Bango skank on May 26, 2020, 10:45:46 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:48:44 PM
Post by: carpsniperg2 on May 26, 2020, 10:49:21 PM
Post by: Bango skank on May 26, 2020, 10:51:51 PM
You might never get on the boat then. Anytime one of those big rigs is pointed my way, I give way. Fast. :chuckle:liar! Absolute bs!! I can say confidently, 99% of fishing boats go out of their way to put themselves on collision courses with tugs, generally in the worst possible locations, while not monitoring 16, 13, or when in canada, any traffic channel! I know your games, you guys do that crap on purpose, and sit there laughing when we call you on the radio. Hooligans!
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:52:52 PM
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2020, 10:54:12 PM
You might never get on the boat then. Anytime one of those big rigs is pointed my way, I give way. Fast. :chuckle:liar! Absolute bs!! I can say confidently, 99% of fishing boats go out of their way to put themselves on collision courses with tugs, generally in the worst possible locations, while not monitoring 16, 13, or when in canada, any traffic channel! I know your games, you guys do that crap on purpose, and sit there laughing when we call you on the radio. Hooligans!
:chuckle:. You figured us out, I see. But you'll never get the secret handshake out of me
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on May 27, 2020, 05:14:56 PM
But before I get feeling too sorry for myself, my sister in law manages a salmon plant in Kotzebue. This just happened yesterday. River ice came down into Sound. Looks like they will have a lot of work to get the plant ready for the coming season there. They have a huge chum fishery there.
Post by: Skillet on May 27, 2020, 07:11:07 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on May 27, 2020, 08:30:25 PM
Sorry to hear that the openers have been so thin SitkaBT. Are you seeing any differences in the PWS water conditions that might indicate a later than normal return?
Yup it was a colder than normal spring and water temps were down. A few fish showed up offshore last period so maybe they are still coming.
Post by: jmscon on May 27, 2020, 09:04:13 PM
One year in BB we delivered a load of sockeye that temped at 38* dry. The pack ice had lasted into May! The fish were pretty lethargic and weren’t jumping much or hitting the net hard, like they usually do. If we were running to a spot to make a set and saw one jumper we would stop and set on it, usually a lot more fish there than it seemed. We also fished near the flats, on the incoming tide, when the sun would warm up the beach and the water coming up on the warm sand would give the fish an energy surge. Also chased a lot of fish into the net when changing ends, they would just hang off the net and wait instead of trying to push through it.
I don’t remember the timing being off.
In comparison, the last time I went was 2015. The water out in the bay was 60* and our RSW could barely get the fish cold. The run was 9 days late that year and one of the biggest on record.
Only the fish gods know when the run will happen, hope it works out for you guys out there!
Post by: Skillet on May 27, 2020, 10:47:09 PM
Sorry to hear that the openers have been so thin SitkaBT. Are you seeing any differences in the PWS water conditions that might indicate a later than normal return?
Yup it was a colder than normal spring and water temps were down. A few fish showed up offshore last period so maybe they are still coming.
Roger. I hope they're just making you sweat it a little, and will come barreling in shortly.
Good fishin' :tup:
Post by: Skillet on August 22, 2020, 10:39:11 AM
Hope you all are having a great summer!
Post by: full choke on August 22, 2020, 11:27:09 AM
Stay safe- thanks for the update.
Post by: Taco280AI on August 22, 2020, 12:11:13 PM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on August 22, 2020, 01:52:14 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on August 22, 2020, 08:25:12 PM
Wow, how big is that fish!?!
40+ for sure. Guts and gills in anyway. Dandy for sure.
Post by: Buckmark on August 22, 2020, 08:35:18 PM
Hey folks - just got a bit of cell coverage out here at Cape Edgecumbe on it second king season. Lots of fish over the rail since my last post, will get you all an update here soon. For now, here's a pic to keep this thread alive!Show off :chuckle:
Hope you all are having a great summer!
Calm seas and fair winds :tup:
Post by: Stein on August 22, 2020, 10:25:12 PM
Wow, how big is that fish!?!
Big enough to not be able to long-arm.
I'm with 7mm, guessing 40.
Post by: Dan-o on August 22, 2020, 11:15:28 PM
That's about an 18 pounder.
Post by: RB on August 23, 2020, 09:42:45 AM
Post by: 3boys on August 23, 2020, 12:39:05 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 17, 2020, 07:02:14 AM
Meanwhile, here are a few photos from silver season. I was fishing an area called Softuk. The first photo shows the Chugach Range and is near the mouth of the Copper River. The river heads into the interior about dead center of the photo. The second photo is a sunset over Hinchinbrook Island. The third is a slough where we hide from bad weather. Then a ridge where I spotted a small band of mountain goats. And lastly, a tender, or fish buyer took advantage of a fishing closure to harvest a nice moose.
Disregard the dates on the photos. I changed batteries and forgot to reset the time/date.
Post by: Widgeondeke on September 17, 2020, 08:07:20 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on September 17, 2020, 08:10:25 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 17, 2020, 08:17:23 AM
Post by: jvt on September 17, 2020, 08:32:16 AM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on September 18, 2020, 09:15:13 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 09:24:50 PM
I think I'll start with a little snapshot into life here in Sitka. It's such a great place to live - I heard there was some kind of bad cold you all had to deal with this year? :chuckle: But, it didn't really affect us much up here - especially those of us who live and work out on the water. Tourism took a huge hit, prices for fish were in the toilet. But life on the drag was just the same as it has been for the last few years, and I'll bet the same as the last 100 years. The fish didn't know what was going on, they just kept swimming towards us. Oh, sure, we had rules to follow like everybody else, and the bureaucrats didn't miss their opportunity to make me fill out a few more reams of paperwork, but even so - I never felt more sure about my decision to get the heck out of Washington than I did this summer.
Case in point - we have a "free bench" at the top of the dock in Sitka. You don't throw anything away that could possibly be reused here - garbage is insanely expensive (it's all barged down to a landfill in Eastern Wa), and getting anything new up here always has the "remote island tax" attached to it. So, anything that has even a bit of life left in it gets offered up for a new home. I've seen some crazy stuff on the free bench, and put a lot of stuff on it myself.
But even though this free bench offering wasn't fishing related, it was interesting enough I had to stop and take a pic. Anybody going marten trapping this winter? Here's a good start.
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 09:43:10 PM
Time to check and re-check everything, tie up fresh gear, listen to and spread dock-talk rumors about where the fish are and where they're going to be, etc. It was an interesting year, since there was virtually zero charter effort prior to the season. Covid shut it all down, so our normal sources of information about where the fish were, what they were feeding on, how deep, etc., was non-existent. It was going to be a Hail Mary for all of us to some degree.
This year, I really cut down the number of boats I shared real info with. We call this our "code group", or "coding partners." There was a group of three of us that got really serious about coordinating our efforts to find fish and get on them fast. I figure that three hard-chargers working together can cover a good part of the grounds. Four would be better, but we couldn't find a guy that worked on the level we wanted to work that we could trust 100% to keep his mouth shut. So we decided to work with three.
One guy started out on the Fairweather Grounds, I started at Cape Cross, and other guy started at Cape Edgecumbe. It's always smart to have a guy at Edge, since that seems to be the most consistent producing spot on the entire coast year-over-year. It's kind of funny, we burn hundreds of gallons of fuel running over hundreds of miles of coast looking for bait and kings, run ourselves into near-exhaustion right before the biggest troll opener of the year, and a guy in a little 30' boat can leave Sitka the morning of the opener, drop his gear in at the Cape, and kick all our asses. It happens every year :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 09:51:45 PM
(For Fairweather Grounds weather stories, check back earlier in this thread).
I was seeing good bait and hearing of some good sport fishing catches at Cape Cross, so after checking the water 30 miles north and south over a couple of days, I settled in on the 50 fa drag at Cape Cross.
Our pard down at Edgecumbe sent the following message: "Bait everywhere, whales everywhere. No charter boats. Gonna be good here!"
Normally, I avoid Edge like the plague simply because of traffic. But with the charter fleet on the beach, it sounded like it might be the spot this year...
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:03:04 PM
The morning report from the Fairweather Grounds was not good. My pard wasn't on them, and by noon he decided he was going to run to Cape Cross overnight. It's about a 50 mile run in from the East Bank of the grounds to where I am, and with only 4 hours of darkness per night at this point he was going to have to sacrifice some fishing time to make the move.
It was not fantastic fishing for kings that day, and my numbers weren't good enough I thought he should leave. But, it's his boat. Everybody seemed to get about the same amount where I was, and I got just enough for me to stay put and give it another day. Time is limited, since we have a large fleet and only 84,000 fish to catch, so staying put on average fishing is a gamble. You lose fishing time traveling to your backup spots, so you better make it back with that much better fishing when you get there...
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:09:45 PM
I drifted that night and got a nap, awakened to increasing wind and fewer boats. Many folks were running south to the big Edgecumbe bite. Good, I thought. With fewer boats at Cape Cross, I might get a few more days of fishing here.
I ended up finishing day 2 with a few less than I got on day 1, but the evening bite was non-existent. My pard was saying "I came off the Grounds for this??" Haha, ya, I told ya... That lack of evening bite is an indicator of the biomass moving, though, so I started making plans to chase fish. Edgecumbe had fallen on its face on Day 2, so I decided not to go there. We were hearing about some boats picking up fish out at the Grounds on day 2, from the same spots my buddy just left.
We made a plan - he would run back out there overnight, I would stay at Cross and see what the morning gave up, but move north of Cape Spencer if it was slower than I liked.
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:23:07 PM
I only had 6 kings by 9 am, that wasn't going to get it done. Weather was getting worse, so at 10 we stacked the gear and I put it on my stern, steaming towards Icy Point north of Cape Spencer. Got there early afternoon, dropped in for a couple of hours, and only got one fish. That ain't gonna work.
My buddy got back out the the Grounds late that morning and landed on fish. He was catching pretty good, and thought I should just burn the rest of the day and charge out. I had a tip that there was a bit going on another 45 miles northwest of me on what we call the "Inner Bank" of the Fairweather Grounds. It is much closer to shore, between Yakutat and Lituya Bay. I decided to troll my way up and run when it got dark. Only got 5 more kings the rest of day 3, for a miserable total of 11 fish.
Day 4 dawns and I'm on the inner bank. There's a few boats around, but they had cleared out. That's what you get for trying to catch radio fish, I suppose. One thing I was catching was halibut - every dang hook that even got close to the bottom. Nothing big, just a bunch of 10-20#'ers covering up my gear.
My buddy says he's catching pretty good back out on the East Bank, and I should charge out there. Pride has a bit of a say in this, though, and I was so far out in the wilderness at that point I was going to take a few long shots to see if I could make them pay.
I moved out from the Inner Bank to a bank we call the Hambone, for a half-doz fish. Not good. Hail Mary time. I could either head back down towards the growing fleet on the East Bank, or I could go for glory and try the West Bank of the Grounds.
The West Bank is out there. I dinglebar fished it in May, but it's not known to be a great king salmon producer. But there is one spot I've always wanted to try, and this king season is shaping up to be mediocre at best... so I turn to starboard and charge West. I arrive at my chosen spot in the evening right before it gets dark and drop the gear in. Instantly get hit, 4 fish in a few minutes. Bait in the water looks good, I can see some kings feeding down there. I think we're on something. There are no boats on my 12 mile radius radar, we're totally alone out here. I plan my drift to end up where I want to at 3 am and catch a quick nap.
Post by: Caseyd on November 12, 2020, 10:30:55 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:31:18 PM
It was glorious. Best day of king fishing I've ever had. No boats around, kings were on a steady bite and stayed in the spot I found them in, weather was perfect.
I actually didn't get on them really good until about 10am. It was scratchy in the morning until tide change, and I was having a problem with big lingcod and halibut. But once I zeroed in on them, it was all we could do to keep up with cleaning and freezing the carcasses when they were on a hot bite. Set a new boat record for kings in a day. Nice sized fish too, bigger than the average we'd seen so far. I was 45 miles farther out than my pard, who was putting together another decent day on the East Bank, but when I started sharing numbers with him he was tempted to run. At noon, however, the announcement came over the VHF that the season would close at midnight that night. Son of a biscuit. I could use another day out here on these fish!
At any rate, we stacked the gear at 11:50 PM and still had kings biting. It was an amazing experience, and one I'll never forget.
A few pics to illustrate.
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:36:23 PM
Man, I'm so lucky to be able to do this for a living...
Time to freshen up the Glenlivet as well :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 10:57:13 PM
After charging so hard for 5 fishing days, and the few days of scouting before that ,Scott and I were ready for a break. I also needed to spend some time glazing up the fish, and that's hard to do on a boat running at speed in the ocean. So instead of starting towards town that night, I set a course for Lituya Bay. A little slice of Heaven on Earth, on the ocean side of Glacier Bay National Park. You should not cross the narrow bar to enter it on an ebb, so I checked my tide charts and it looked like I would be forced to take a few hour nap between here and there. Double bonus!
We showed up right at the beginning of the flood late morning and crossed over pretty easy. It can be a terrifying bar to cross in bad conditions, so I was grateful. I made a deal with Scott - we could put the skiff in and explore after we got glazing done.
No pics of glazing, but we have some pics of an afternoon of fun in Lituya Bay. This is the site of the largest known wave in history - a 1700+ foot tsumami that rocked the bay in 1958. It was a landslide-caused wave that killed two fishermen who were anchored in there, wiped trees off the mountainsides 1700 feet up the hill, and completely changed the landscape in there. Fascinating stuff, check it out here -
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 11:06:36 PM
Also, the ice is different than cube ice. It has prisms in it, I suppose due to the immense pressure it was subjected to for thousands of years. You can just see on in the pic below.
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 11:13:38 PM
A panoramic video of the glacier and surrounding area.
Post by: Skillet on November 12, 2020, 11:53:49 PM
I did have a tiny bit of halibut quota left to catch, however, so instead of moping around and finding ways to keep the deckhand out of the P bar, Scott and I jumped on a friend's boat and fished my halibut along with some he needed to catch. He needed crew, so it worked out great.
We ran up to Area 3A, north of Cape Spencer and dropped the gear in. Man, we landed on them. It was a little ridiculous, actually, and we were not able to keep up with the cleaning and icing very well. When you start stacking fish on deck like that, quality can suffer. I explained my reservations and that I didn't want to grab the second string until we cleaned and iced the first, but it wasn't my boat and we hauled the second set anyway...
This was a pretty hard thing for me to deal with, fellas. I take great pride in the quality of my fish, and I felt that these fish weren't going to be the quality I wanted to represent. So I decided to sell my portion of the catch along with the rest of the catch to the processor in Sitka for peanuts, leaving me with no more halibut of my own to sell this winter. But I just couldn't do it to my customers. A processor friend of mine in Pelican understood my situation and offered to sell me some of his small-boat fleet's catch to help me get by, and I'm grateful for that. It's not my fish, but it's a quality product from small boats I know and a processor I trust. That's still better than 99% of the halibut out there!
Here's a few pics from the halibut trip-
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 12:07:36 AM
Coho was just barely paying the fuel bill until second king season was upon us. My records showed I had only caught about 1/4 as many coho to date as I had the year before, and the folks back in WA I was chatting with throughout the season were probably starting to hear the uneasiness in my voice. If the coho didn't show up, I'd need a killer second king season to just keep my nose above water. Crew was getting antsy, as he was only making McDonald's wages at best and his wife was having a hard time with him being away from home. I had a lot riding on this upcoming second king season.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 13, 2020, 05:46:39 AM
Post by: Taco280AI on November 13, 2020, 06:35:49 AM
Post by: Caseyd on November 13, 2020, 09:39:02 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 09:54:06 AM
We had a forced 8 day coho closure before the king season. Nothing to do but work on the boat, get things ready. Normally with that kind of break I like to touch up the paint, but the weather up here this summer was very cold and wet. We set a few "days of rain in a row" records up here this summer. I think I had maybe a handful of days over 70 degrees, and not very many over 65. 60-62 was a "warm day" high, low 50's were the lows.
So instead of getting spruced up on the outside, the Diamond Lil got a new water heater that had bit the dust during first king season (runs off of both 110V AC when plugged into shore power and has a heat exchanger that pulls heat off of the engine coolant when engines are running). Of course, pulling out a 30 year old installation in an old boat like mine means lots of scraping and sanding and painting before the new one can go in. Got to have her done in Bristol fashion! (Ignore the wiring mess hanging down, that's just another project to do that's pretty far down on my list right now. One of hundreds :chuckle:)
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 10:43:59 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 10:49:38 AM
Oh well, that's water under the keel. We now had an opportunity to fish a little longer in the second season. The thing about second season kings is that they can be hard to find and stay on. The main biomass has already moved inside towards the rivers or moved south of the Canadian border on their way to Canadian and US rivers. The quota that is left can be a tricky thing to catch.
My "Deckhandy" Scott was contracted to fish through the second king season, then he needed to get back to his family in Montana. To transition, I took on a troll greenhorn for second kings, Hanna, who Scott was to train and get ready for the rest of the season. Hanna had fished Bristol Bay that summer and tendered troll salmon before, but never trolled herself. I really liked her attitude and she came with a solid recommendation, so I took her on. After second kings, Scott would leave and Hanna would stay on to finish coho, then fish Spot Prawns with me in October.
So crewed up and with a good quota of kings to catch, we headed out of town on the morning of the 13th to start looking for kings. This time, I headed south.
Post by: Angry Perch on November 13, 2020, 10:51:49 AM
Post by: storyteller on November 13, 2020, 10:56:13 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 10:56:35 AM
Pretty epic. Having been on the boat I feel like I got a tiny whiff, not a full taste.....just a wee wiff.....of what you all do. Amazing that you can grind one day and zero out, then bang it and haves riches and glory knowing that a 1700 footer or bear is right around the corner to remind you that really we are meer specs.
Don't be modest man, you got drug out into some big November swells, and long runs here an yon. Hauling gear in the dark with 5'ers slapping the side of the boat, dragging deer back to the skiff while always looking over your shoulder to see if Mr. Bad Attitude Brown Bear was gonna steal it like it was your lunch money.
You got more than a whiff, buddy :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:04:24 AM
Keep it coming, Skillet. This is right up there with Hirshey's stories, and that's saying something. I hope you are keeping some sort of memoirs (maybe this is it?!). There should be enough for a book or two in the future.
I would buy a book, I am hoping a book will be written by hirshey someday. Love to read this stuff
Thanks guys, that's high praise. I too really enjoy Hirshey's stuff, and glad I can add to the body of work here on huntwa!
Post by: Angry Perch on November 13, 2020, 11:14:39 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:16:58 AM
So I started really looking hard on the South Baranof shore, from Crawfish Bay down to Cape Ommaney. I thought that would be a good place to find some kings and if I needed to jump either south or back up to Edgecumbe I could do that. Everything was pretty fishy looking along the shore, but when I got into about 40 fathoms off of Whale Bay south to Ommaney it looked really good. My pard decided he was going to grind out the first few days at Edgecumbe and decide what to do from there. We had a few friends that went south to Forrester Island, so I felt like we would have a good idea of where the fish were within a day or two.
I anchored up in a little cove the night before the opener and got some sleep, dreaming of big August kings.
Post by: Dhoey07 on November 13, 2020, 11:18:31 AM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:19:02 AM
Hell, maybe you'll find an old guitar on the free bench, and write some tunes!
I've got a Martin travel guitar on the boat, and over the years I've got a few tales of fish the size of whales I've put to some basic chords :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:35:01 AM
I remember thinking how glad I was to be out there, almost manic. This just days after feeling the lowest of lows when realizing the halibut fiasco and lack of coho might just be the straw that broke the camel's back. In chatting with a few close friends at that time, I was seriously having to consider putting a "For Sale" sign in my old girl's window. Dark times, then. But the promise of a fresh season and kings to catch changes everything! The swing of emotions you deal with in this job are huge, and underlying it all is the fact that you are willingly putting yourself out on the ocean on an old boat. Between that heartless ocean and your tired old boat, together they can come up with a hundred ways to kill you if you let your guard down. I've come to realize the emotional swing is addictive. An old timer told me that commercial fishing brings "The highest of the highs, and the lowest of the lows." True words, and I wouldn't want it any other way anymore. I can't imagine what it feels like to get up in the morning, know how long you'll need to work to make a certain amount of money, and just leave it behind after that certain amount of time. I don't know if I could do that anymore, and definitely couldn't if I had any possible way to keep fishing.
So, catch kings I must. Gear's in the water, including a large amount of my favorite king killers for the conditions I am in. Dawn breaking, crew and skipper hopeful. Sounder looks good, seeing bait. There's a few boats around, but we all have room. Feeling pretty good about my chances of saving my season, my career, my lifestyle.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:42:35 AM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on November 13, 2020, 11:43:53 AM
Dawn broke on the 15th with my gear in the water and three people full of high hopes on the Diamond Lil.
I remember thinking how glad I was to be out there, almost manic. This just days after feeling the lowest of lows when realizing the halibut fiasco and lack of coho might just be the straw that broke the camel's back. In chatting with a few close friends at that time, I was seriously having to consider putting a "For Sale" sign in my old girl's window. Dark times, then. But the promise of a fresh season and kings to catch changes everything! The swing of emotions you deal with in this job are huge, and underlying it all is the fact that you are willingly putting yourself out on the ocean on an old boat. Between that heartless ocean and your tired old boat, together they can come up with a hundred ways to kill you if you let your guard down. I've come to realize the emotional swing is addictive. An old timer told me that commercial fishing brings "The highest of the highs, and the lowest of the lows." True words, and I wouldn't want it any other way anymore. I can't imagine what it feels like to get up in the morning, know how long you'll need to work to make a certain amount of money, and just leave it behind after that certain amount of time. I don't know if I could do that anymore, and definitely couldn't if I had any possible way to keep fishing.
So, catch kings I must. Gear's in the water, including a large amount of my favorite king killers for the conditions I am in. Dawn breaking, crew and skipper hopeful. Sounder looks good, seeing bait. There's a few boats around, but we all have room. Feeling pretty good about my chances of saving my season, my career, my lifestyle.
I'll just be the first to make an offer here. I'll give you $5k for the boat. Cash offer. I'm not going to make you wait around for that financing BS everyone else will. Let me know :dunno:
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 11:46:28 AM
Post by: Woodchuck on November 13, 2020, 11:47:36 AM
Post by: 10thmountainarcher on November 13, 2020, 11:50:18 AM
*Side note - I realize this is becoming more of a cheap therapy session for me than a good commercial fishing read for you guys :chuckle: It's not impossible for me to keep to the fishing bits, but I think that bringing you guys along for the entire ride can be a good way to paint the picture of not just the fish I catch and how I do it, but the entire lifestyle that my work allows me to live. It's all intertwined, and it seems to me that you can't truly appreciate the joy of catching the fish as planned without understanding the hurdles that were cleared to get there. If you just want pics of dead fish and how I got them, just scroll on past these posts and check out the pics :tup:
Keep going just the way you are, this is a fun story to follow along!!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:57:36 AM
These second season fish were bigger, by quite a bit. That makes sense, since they've had a whole month of feeding to do since I last was able to catch them. Hanna was pretty petite, however, and muscling these expensive fish over the back of the boat was not something I could let her practice on. I told her that she could run gear and land fish when Scott left and we got back to coho fishing in a few days. Hanna thought that was fair, and diligently went about cleaning fish and prepping them for the freezer. That kept Scott and I freed up for running more gear and taking advantage of the bites when they happened.
Most of the king bites came in waves this year. We'd drag gear around through dead water and catch a few here and there, then WHAM! - run through a school and the poles would start bouncing. It is pretty amazing how much you can feel kings through the boat when they are on the wire. I mean, my boat is 47' long and weights 90,000#+ when it's loaded for a trip. If the water is calm and a big king hits the lure, I can actually feel it in my helm chair. It's just a minute disruption in the steady motion of the boat, but I can sometimes actually feel it. So when you hit a school of bigs, it's pretty fun to feel them sending all those micovibes through the poles.
By the end of Day 1, we had a fair day of fishing for second season, and the fish were where I thought they'd be. Not catching at the rate we did during the first season, but we never do. Fish were nice and big, though. With 50k kings to catch, I estimated we'd have roughly 5-7 days of fishing. Plenty of time for me to put in a fair king season and dig myself out of this hole :tup:
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 13, 2020, 11:58:29 AM
:yeah::yeah: :yeah:
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 12:29:34 PM
Day two was rally fun. Fish were big, biggest average of my career so far. The bait was was tight to the beach, so we shallowed up a bit and rubbed the rocks. This takes me out of the pit a lot so I can focus on not losing gear, but it was worth it. We got into a nice class of kings, and Scott landed landed my boat's biggest king, a 40#+ in the round. I was actually back in the pit next to him at that particular time when he said "got a big one here, you want to land it?" I said nah, go ahead. Earlier in the season, I'd jump in on a really poorly hooked fish or a biggie. He'd gotten good enough by now though I didn't worry too much.
Until I caught a glimpse of the king's back and top of its tail clearing the water out of the corner of my eye. Holy smokes.
I wanted to take over but resisted the urge and let Scott land it. Once I saw how well it was hooked, I relaxed. He did a great job, dropped a mega-bonk on its head with the gaff and had to two-hand it over the rail. There was no swinging this guy on board! Nice job, we all looked at the fish for a second, and went back to running gear. I thought about it and had Hanna take a quick pic of me with it before I headed it. Glad I did!
The rest of Day 2 was nice weather, decent fishing. It tapered off in the evening. The fish were moving, and I started thinking about where they'd move to. I felt like I was pretty shallow, and we had weather coming on Day 3. Barometer dropping, I decided to move offshore a bit the next day. We prepped the wheelhouse and deck for rough weather, ran into Whale Bay and anchored up for a few hours sleep. It was a good day, and the season was coming together.
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 12:32:08 PM
Fish is a HOG.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on November 13, 2020, 12:33:42 PM
Post by: Ridgeratt on November 13, 2020, 12:37:52 PM
That makes it like a wicked tuna pay day 😋 😜
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 13, 2020, 12:41:50 PM
Retail market is showing around 35.00 a pound.
That makes it like a wicked tuna pay day 😋 😜
What’s whole sale on them kings? Anyone 🤔
I need to start raising them in my pasture, grass feed kings.🤣
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 12:42:43 PM
I'll get an actual weight on the carcass here soon. But let's say it was 32#, a good guess. FAS kings will retail this year for about $18-20/#, so we're looking at RETAIL value of $600, +/-.
Or, as I typically see things, about one hot water heater on the boat. :chuckle:
Post by: cougforester on November 13, 2020, 12:48:44 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 01:07:30 PM
My pard up at Edgecumbe just kept catching. I had him beat on day one, he barely beat me on day two. But day three he waxed me. There were fish at Edgecumbe, and it sounded like they were staying put.
I truly detest fishing Edgecumbe, though. The charter fleet was back in business, and they'll anchor anywhere - including right in the middle of the traditional troller drags, as deep as 60 fathoms. It's their right to do so, and I don't get mad at them about it, as long as they don't drop the hook right in front of me. That and if they fly their anchor flag (Round black ball indicating they are anchored), they are in the right per the Coast Guard rules (COLREG'S) and have right-of-way. But the whole situation is annoying as heck, since you have a lot of trollers weaving in and out of the anchored boats, making it near impossible to do anything but sit at the helm and drive through the chaos. I had traveled to Europe in years past, and it reminds me of the insanity of navigating traffic in Rome. Not my type of fishing. Unless I was in Rome. Then I would do as the Romans do... But this is Alaska, and we are a noble fleet. So I don't mess around there unless I have to.
I felt like the fish were still around, so that evening I moved offshore and drifted in that slop. Crew wasn't super happy about it, but they get it and went below to sleep. I had a plan to fish outside of everybody on a super deep edge the next day. Anything to resist the siren's song of Edgecumbe.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 13, 2020, 01:12:46 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 01:15:47 PM
Here's a vid of her landing her very first king. I was pretty proud of her, and she was totally jacked. You can tell the pure joy of the moment for her!
*Edited to be more realistic about average sizes of fish those days!
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 01:18:46 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 01:40:22 PM
So with half the fleet not on fish, and the average catch rate down because of it, that means we would get a few extra days to fish! All good, since I need it and I'm on decent fishing.
Crew was kind of a problem, however. Scott needed to get back, and although his contract specifically stated he was obligated through the end of second king season, the reality is that nobody expected it to last much over 7 days. He and I chatted, and decided that we would call it good if he stayed on through 10 days of kings, if it lasted that long. It thought we'd get maybe 7 or 8 days at this point, so 10 was a safe bet.
So fishing we went, and kept moving as the fish moved. The next couple of days were kind of a blur, with one notable happening - Fish and Game announced that since the charter, seine and gillnet fleets weren't going to come even close to their quotas of kings, they were going to let the trollers whack away at it as well until it was all caught. That was up to another 13,000 fish added to the mix... This thing was going to go way over 10 days total.
I started working my way north towards Sitka on day 8. As soon as I got to cell coverage near Biorka, another monkey wrench was thrown into the plan. Hanna's family had an emergency, and she had to go. She was very torn about leaving the boat and me in the lurch, knowing Scott was leaving as well. I suppose I could have made her stay to honor her contract, but man - I've been in that situation before myself. I couldn't do it to her. So we all agreed she would fish through day 10 with Scott, and we'd unload on Day 11. She and Scott then could take off and I'd be running solo, looking for crew for coho and now Spot Prawns.
It was a pretty terrible blow. Having come off a near "highest of the highs" by saving my season with decent king fishing, I was instantly staring into another "lowest of the lows"...
Post by: Encore 280 on November 13, 2020, 01:43:03 PM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 13, 2020, 01:49:23 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 01:54:17 PM
There is another aspect of fishing solo that is really attractive to me. That is... I don't have somebody in my space 24-7. I live on this boat, and as the years go by it is getting really tough for me to welcome strangers with open arms into my tiny little space. Remember back to when you had a roomate you didn't know very well? It's a little like that. But it's a 200 square food studio apartment, no showers, they never leave, I pay for 100% of their food, and I rely on them to work tirelessly for us both make a living. Sounds pretty glamorous, no? :chuckle:
So I was mentally prepared to go solo. But, Hanna gave me one fantastic parting gift on her way out of town. The night before she flew out, she ran into a couple of guys that were working the cleaning station on a freezer troller and had just gotten off. They were both looking for work - so she gave them my number.
I met with them and decided to take one of the guys, Cesar, on for a quick tryout trip. He is a giant "Texican", competes in strongman competitions, and about one of the nicest guys I've met.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 02:14:25 PM
On the way in, however, I had decided I just didn't have it in me to teach another greenhorn how to run gear, land fish, etc., etc.. There is a lot that goes into getting the technique down, to do it safely, and to do it without damaging the fish. I know what it takes out of me to not turn into a raving lunatic when yet another fish is lost at the back of the boat, when another flasher and hootchie spread is lost because it didn't get clipped on to the wire, when another snap is run up into the block because attention wasn't being paid.
I was going to finish out the salmon season solo.
I explained this to Cesar, and he understood. If I had him at the beginning, he would be a stud by now. He definitely has the desire to do it. So, I started calling my buddies that needed crew to see if I could find him a job. Turns out one of my friends on my dock needed crew, his guy hurt his shoulder. So I put Cesar and Blair together, and they got along great. Cesar ended up finishing out the salmon season with Blair, and both guys were very grateful that I helped get them working together.
And I, finally, had my boat to myself. :tup:
Post by: gramps on November 13, 2020, 02:21:43 PM
Post by: rainshadow1 on November 13, 2020, 02:42:12 PM
(Have you run across the Avenger? It's very similar to Lil. 47' steel tracci. I've always wondered what became of it since Dad sold out and it headed up there.)
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 02:42:34 PM
My ice fishing program was pretty easy since the fishing had slowed dramatically, but fishing around Cape Edgecumbe was good combination king/coho fishing. There was finally a few coho showing up in the last few days of august, and we heard of some 150 fish days up in the shallows at the cape (20 fathoms is shallow to me). I would have a few days of 25-50 coho, but mostly it was 10-20 coho mixed in with the kings out over deep water. I couldn't stop fishing for kings, though, since they were worth so much more per pound and I was CERTAIN they would close it any day now! :chuckle:
So, I ice fished kings solo until the quota was caught, which didn't happen until Sept 8. That is an incredible 25 day long second king season. A bit longer than the 5-7 days I originally anticipated! The problem was that the tiny shot of coho that came through was gone, and I needed coho really bad for my markets.
I flipped back over to coho fishing, and chased a few local bites. I even got cocky and offered up a quick fresh group buy on HuntWa, which I ended up having to pull since there were just no fish around. They would pop up in one place for a day or two, then it would be a desert. Most guys were done trolling after the kings were over. I pounded it out until the end, just scratching away and trying to put up some pounds for this winter's sale.
All in all, the summer troll season can be summed up for me this way - Best king season I've ever had, worst coho season I've ever had, and a hard and very expensive lesson learned about trusting other folks to catch your halibut for you.
Or, as we all know by now - The Highest of the Highs, and the Lowest of the Lows
Next up - Spot Prawns!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 03:07:02 PM
Here's a couple.
First is a nice bait ball on the second king season. You see this and let the crew know to get ready to run gear in a minute.
Next is a couple of pics of a particularly photogenic king. Not a big one but really colorful.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 03:20:21 PM
Next is the result of a lot of blood (admittedly, from the fish) sweat and tears - a tote full of FAS Kings. This is the final product, ready to ship south and wow the chefs at fine restaurants, high-end fish counters, and a very few individuals who know what they are.
Finally, a pic of an old woodie, the Maja. We were all anchoroed up for the morning in Whale Bay during a big easterly blow that was ripping through.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 03:45:34 PM
My buddy Tyler, the guy that went lingcodding with me back in May, was going to shrimp with me. Hanna was supposed to go too, but she was down in WA...
Shrimping starts on Oct 1, and I had a few days to round up the second crew member I needed. Two-manning it is possible, but would be a lot of late nights popping heads and freezing shrimp. Having 2 crew plus myself is best.
After coho closed (Sept 20), I go visit Blair and chat with him about Cesar. How'd he do, etc. Blair gave him a rave review, and Cesar was looking for his next gig. I knew I could work with the guy, so offered him the job and he readily agreed.
Time to start getting the boat ready. Building the livewell (Thank you @ 3boys for the tank!), plumbing, electrical, changing over hydraulics from gurdies to the side pot hauler, enclosing the stern (Built a temporary half-shelter on the back of the boat, what a difference that makes when it's blowing), loading on 140 pots, 4.2 miles of 3/8" line in tubs, 28 bouys, 500# of shrimp pellets and 3500# of hanging bait.
We left Sitka on Sept 28 in bad weather and took the LONG way to get to Craig, where we go the last of our gear ready and launched for the fishing grounds down in Cordova Bay.
Post by: Angry Perch on November 13, 2020, 03:51:06 PM
Top pic - my favorite spoon, bar none. I've caught almost as many summer kings on this thing the last two years than all my other gear combined. It is a killer. If the sun is bright and there is no wind rippling the water, I'll switch up from the hammered finish to the same spoon with a smooth gold finish.
Next is the result of a lot of blood (admittedly, from the fish) sweat and tears - a tote full of FAS Kings. This is the final product, ready to ship south and wow the chefs at fine restaurants, high-end fish counters, and a very few individuals who know what they are.
Finally, a pic of an old woodie, the Maja. We were all anchoroed up for the morning in Whale Bay during a big easterly blow that was ripping through.
If you were fishing kings for fun (remember that?!) would you tie on that same spoon?
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 03:55:16 PM
It's getting pretty competitive, all in all. I told my crew to just ignore the 60' boat tailgating us while we set gear and focus on getting it off the boat. I get it, some of these guys have been fishing the same areas for years and don't like guys like me coming in and trying to make a living. I've only been shrimping for three years, but my limited entry permit allows me to fish the same ground as anybody else with that permit, so they're just going to have to get used to it.
The shrimping gig is another derby fishery. It can be a bit of a grind, but it's over quickly. Our season ran 11 days, and while I didn't put up the numbers I did last year I still got my "share" of the quota. Didn't really move the ball forward much on this one, but it wasn't a fail.
Couple of pics of my crew with the classic "Deadliest Catch" pose with the GIANT tanner crabs we got in our pots :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 04:02:50 PM
Top pic - my favorite spoon, bar none. I've caught almost as many summer kings on this thing the last two years than all my other gear combined. It is a killer. If the sun is bright and there is no wind rippling the water, I'll switch up from the hammered finish to the same spoon with a smooth gold finish.
Next is the result of a lot of blood (admittedly, from the fish) sweat and tears - a tote full of FAS Kings. This is the final product, ready to ship south and wow the chefs at fine restaurants, high-end fish counters, and a very few individuals who know what they are.
Finally, a pic of an old woodie, the Maja. We were all anchoroed up for the morning in Whale Bay during a big easterly blow that was ripping through.
If you were fishing kings for fun (remember that?!) would you tie on that same spoon?
Depends if I thought the bait profile was close enough. This spoon would be a little too big for Puget Sound king fishing, but I have used it off the coast of Washington with success. I can run an unlimited number of lures on 4 wires for kings, so I run about 75% spoons and 25% flashers most of the time. If the fishing is really scratchy, I'll increase the flashers to about 50% and reduce the total amount of gear in the water. If it's wide open fishing, I'll jam spoons down there and only have a token flasher or two per wire.
But I always have at least one flasher, no matter what. It is my belief that the flash simulates feeding fish, and "calls" in fish from a distance to check out what's going on. Once you get a few fish hanging on your hooks, they act like flashers themselves. But you gotta get that fish in a feeding mood near your gear to bite it, so if I was forced to run a single spread as a sportfisheran - it would probably be a flasher hootchie combo.
I would be seriously tempted to run a flasher w/out a lure off the dowrigger ball and run my spoon off a clip just above it, though...
*Edited to add pic of big herring next to spoon
Post by: 7mmfan on November 13, 2020, 05:31:05 PM
Top pic - my favorite spoon, bar none. I've caught almost as many summer kings on this thing the last two years than all my other gear combined. It is a killer. If the sun is bright and there is no wind rippling the water, I'll switch up from the hammered finish to the same spoon with a smooth gold finish.
Next is the result of a lot of blood (admittedly, from the fish) sweat and tears - a tote full of FAS Kings. This is the final product, ready to ship south and wow the chefs at fine restaurants, high-end fish counters, and a very few individuals who know what they are.
Finally, a pic of an old woodie, the Maja. We were all anchoroed up for the morning in Whale Bay during a big easterly blow that was ripping through.
If you were fishing kings for fun (remember that?!) would you tie on that same spoon?
Depends if I thought the bait profile was close enough. This spoon would be a little too big for Puget Sound king fishing, but I have used it off the coast of Washington with success. I can run an unlimited number of lures on 4 wires for kings, so I run about 75% spoons and 25% flashers most of the time. If the fishing is really scratchy, I'll increase the flashers to about 50% and reduce the total amount of gear in the water. If it's wide open fishing, I'll jam spoons down there and only have a token flasher or two per wire.
But I always have at least one flasher, no matter what. It is my belief that the flash simulates feeding fish, and "calls" in fish from a distance to check out what's going on. Once you get a few fish hanging on your hooks, they act like flashers themselves. But you gotta get that fish in a feeding mood near your gear to bite it, so if I was forced to run a single spread as a sportfisheran - it would probably be a flasher hootchie combo.
I would be seriously tempted to run a flasher w/out a lure off the dowrigger ball and run my spoon off a clip just above it, though...
*Edited to add pic of big herring next to spoon
Dude. Stop letting out the trade secrets!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 06:50:33 PM
Dude. Stop letting out the trade secrets!
Naw, I'll share it all. If I start seeing a bunch of HuntWa'ers out jousting with me on the drag, though, I might have to reel it in some.
:chuckle:
Post by: 7mmfan on November 13, 2020, 06:55:28 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 07:00:18 PM
Lots of guys get mad about it, though. I wish people could listen to the VHF for a few hours on the first Saturday morning after the July 1 king opener. I may have someone record it next year and stitch a clip together. :chuckle:
Post by: 7mmfan on November 13, 2020, 07:19:50 PM
Not my fault the main 50 fathom drag was also a great halibut spot!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 09:36:18 PM
It's funny I'm sure. We always took July 1-5 off to let you guys have your crack at them.
Not my fault the main 50 fathom drag was also a great halibut spot!
Appreciate that. You think I could get the charter fleet to take off July 1-Sept 20? :chuckle:
Post by: 7mmfan on November 13, 2020, 10:30:26 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 10:32:51 PM
I'll work on it
Appreciate that man, let me know how it goes. :chuckle:
The final installments - after the fishing season.
Fellas, it was a hard-fought year, and I feel like I made it through. As always, the ups and downs defined the year. The first king season was pretty good, slightly above average overall thanks to my Hail Mary being successful. The coho season was absolutely forgettable. In fact, I'm actively trying to forget it and will hopefully do so after this post. :chuckle: My halibut trip mid-season was a journeyman-level education of "how not to do things," and that's about all I got out of it. Still have the payment on my quota, though :bash:. Thankfully, the second king season was good enough I was able to fill a large FAS commitment I had, and the Spot Prawns were good enough I could satisfy my commercial accounts and still have enough left to offer them up to HuntWa and other buying groups in our winter group buy. (Still looking for a good name for our December group buys. Fishapalooza? Merry Fishmas? Happy Prawnakah?)
After we offloaded all the prawns and I got the crew off the boat (Cesar got a job at a local small processor), I decided to take the boat out to deer hunt, decompress, read some books, and generally mess around for a few days. I've always wanted to spend a week doing nothing up here, and that's just what I did. :tup:
The basic idea was to walk through the woods bordering Peril Straight and Hoonah Sound with my 25-06 and custom .75 MOA handloads from an unnamed source (@H20hunter), make some meat, and explore all of the inlets and bays I've had to run past over the last few years.
First encounter was a few does just off the beach in Deadman's Reach. I held fire, even though I have 6 deer tags - because why would you want to start ending a trip so soon for does?
So I made my way back to the boat in the skiff, bounced around from place to place for a day or two, read books during some rough weather. Then, I headed for a place I've always wanted to check out - Appleton Cove in Rodman Bay.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 10:53:18 PM
But there's always them grizzlies...
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:03:18 PM
I saw a couple of does on the edge of the clearcut, and thought about popping one, but realized I passed up easy does 100 yards from shore two days ago. This represented real work to harvest a doe, something I wasn't into at that exact moment :chuckle:
So the fat doe got her walking papers, and I just enjoyed the scenery from up there. I could just see my boat when I was up on a berm, pretty cool. I made it back to my skiff just before dark, and noticed the wind shifted to the east and it was getting really cold...
Post by: RB on November 13, 2020, 11:09:30 PM
Oh ya, there's no love lost between trollers and the charter fleet up here. You can get mad about it, or you can just realize they're a guy out there trying to make a living, just like you.
Lots of guys get mad about it, though. I wish people could listen to the VHF for a few hours on the first Saturday morning after the July 1 king opener. I may have someone record it next year and stitch a clip together. :chuckle:
:yeah:
Local buddy I fished with referred to them as the "Charter Nazi" hahaha
When the fishing is hot it is absolutely amazing though! We fished Vitskari one morning and were done with 8, 20 plus pound kings in less than an hour!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:10:54 PM
Appleton Cove was loaded with all of the above, and mallards as well. I need to duck hunt this place - nobody seems to be doing it? I saw thousands of goldeneye and scoters, and not a single duck hunter. The seasons and bag limits are pretty liberal, too - 10 sea ducks and 7 "Ducks" per day for a resident. Plus 4 geese. And even 2 sandhill cranes per day...
Anybody interested in chartering with "Diamond Lil Ducks Unlimited" next year? :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:15:15 PM
Pretty much paradise, as far as I'm concerned. It must have been pretty damned cold the night before to freeze that bay over. Check out the vid, crank the sound. Can you hear the goldeneye flying and the mallard highball calls??
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:18:08 PM
So I pulled the hook and headed out to open water- leaving much bottom paint behind in the process :chuckle:
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 11:20:04 PM
Post by: RB on November 13, 2020, 11:20:14 PM
1000 feet up and 1.8 miles away is a big lift though the Southeast Jungle. I was sure I'd cut a game trail along the way, and I did - but SE game trails duck under 2 foot high brush every 100 yards... it was a real slog to get up there.
I saw a couple of does on the edge of the clearcut, and thought about popping one, but realized I passed up easy does 100 yards from shore two days ago. This represented real work to harvest a doe, something I wasn't into at that exact moment :chuckle:
So the fat doe got her walking papers, and I just enjoyed the scenery from up there. I could just see my boat when I was up on a berm, pretty cool. I made it back to my skiff just before dark, and noticed the wind shifted to the east and it was getting really cold...
Dude this is awesome, I have stayed at the Otstoia shelter and hunted North arm, also spent many nights in the Kakul shelter hunting fish bay, and Chichagof Island. We were going to head to Rodman one day but decided to duck in to another spot. Keep it coming this is awesome to read!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:25:06 PM
Dude that's kinda nuts.
The beauty of a steel boat. It was only about 1/4-3/8 thick at the most, and ice on salt water is pretty "sugary", so it breaks easy. But it still scrubs off your paint...
You remember what it sounded like with the water slapping the hull down in the bunks below? Imagine that, but with ice breaking against it. It is pretty loud in there!
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:27:06 PM
1000 feet up and 1.8 miles away is a big lift though the Southeast Jungle. I was sure I'd cut a game trail along the way, and I did - but SE game trails duck under 2 foot high brush every 100 yards... it was a real slog to get up there.
I saw a couple of does on the edge of the clearcut, and thought about popping one, but realized I passed up easy does 100 yards from shore two days ago. This represented real work to harvest a doe, something I wasn't into at that exact moment :chuckle:
So the fat doe got her walking papers, and I just enjoyed the scenery from up there. I could just see my boat when I was up on a berm, pretty cool. I made it back to my skiff just before dark, and noticed the wind shifted to the east and it was getting really cold...
Dude this is awesome, I have stayed at the Otstoia shelter and hunted North arm, also spent many nights in the Kakul shelter hunting fish bay, and Chichagof Island. We were going to head to Rodman one day but decided to duck in to another spot. Keep it coming this is awesome to read!
Oh ya, so you know what I'm talking about when I talk about those game trails!
Rodman is pretty ducky, but every bay in Peril holds ducks. Up in Hoonah the geese are thicker. But so are the bears...
Post by: RB on November 13, 2020, 11:31:29 PM
1000 feet up and 1.8 miles away is a big lift though the Southeast Jungle. I was sure I'd cut a game trail along the way, and I did - but SE game trails duck under 2 foot high brush every 100 yards... it was a real slog to get up there.
I saw a couple of does on the edge of the clearcut, and thought about popping one, but realized I passed up easy does 100 yards from shore two days ago. This represented real work to harvest a doe, something I wasn't into at that exact moment :chuckle:
So the fat doe got her walking papers, and I just enjoyed the scenery from up there. I could just see my boat when I was up on a berm, pretty cool. I made it back to my skiff just before dark, and noticed the wind shifted to the east and it was getting really cold...
Dude this is awesome, I have stayed at the Otstoia shelter and hunted North arm, also spent many nights in the Kakul shelter hunting fish bay, and Chichagof Island. We were going to head to Rodman one day but decided to duck in to another spot. Keep it coming this is awesome to read!
Oh ya, so you know what I'm talking about when I talk about those game trails!
Rodman is pretty ducky, but every bay in Peril holds ducks. Up in Hoonah the geese are thicker. But so are the bears...
Oh for sure, one year we hunted Redoubt lake and were following a nice side hill game trail and came to a good size windfall tree that I had to literally take my pack off to get under, but the Deer had NOT jumped over just crawled under!
Post by: h20hunter on November 13, 2020, 11:33:39 PM
Dude that's kinda nuts.
The beauty of a steel boat. It was only about 1/4-3/8 thick at the most, and ice on salt water is pretty "sugary", so it breaks easy. But it still scrubs off your paint...
You remember what it sounded like with the water slapping the hull down in the bunks below? Imagine that, but with ice breaking against it. It is pretty loud in there!
I do. Very much so. To a 9 to 5ver that sounds like I'm chewing up.hull, not just polishing the bow.
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:35:46 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 13, 2020, 11:50:11 PM
Post by: Skillet on November 14, 2020, 12:00:09 AM
We had a pretty dismal pink salmon year, which usually means the bears are hungry and more aggressive before they finally bed down.
Here's a few pics and vids of those darn things. We also had one day with 6" of rain - the day with the sow and cub video.
Post by: Skillet on November 14, 2020, 12:04:07 AM
Hope everybody is doing well, and keep an eye out for the Happy Prawnakuh sale :chuckle:
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on November 14, 2020, 05:01:34 AM
Pretty much paradise, as far as I'm concerned. It must have been pretty damned cold the night before to freeze that bay over.
Must be a good source of fresh water in that bay. And looking at your picture it probably gets trapped in the bay. It will float on top of the salt water until currents or wave action mixes the two, as it is lighter than salt water. Salt water takes a much lower temperature to freeze.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on November 14, 2020, 05:09:38 AM
So, I could either decide to stay there for the winter like Shackleton, or bust out and get to open water. I had places to check out, after all!
So I pulled the hook and headed out to open water- leaving much bottom paint behind in the process :chuckle:
That skim ice is dangerous to a wood boat, especially a plywood skiff. When I lived on Kodiak, there is a bay (Anton Larsen Bay) that has a good source of fresh water and a small opening for the fresh water to disperse. So it would end up with skim ice like this. Even very thin ice will act like a saw and cut into your hull on a wood boat. We learned in a hurry to do all ice breaking with a fiberglass or metal boat. Otherwise your hull was going to be very damaged.
Post by: RB on November 17, 2020, 06:21:10 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 17, 2020, 07:17:25 PM
Ok I have been day dreaming about running Sergius narrows and pulling into places like shotgun alley, or Phillapino cove, where are you now???
Got an inReach message from him earlier he had to turn around because the Easterlies leaving Hoonah going into Chatam Straights were to strong. Said it was the nastiest seas hes seen in a while. He's anchored up somewhere now drinking scotch. Awful.
Post by: RB on November 17, 2020, 08:47:49 PM
Ok I have been day dreaming about running Sergius narrows and pulling into places like shotgun alley, or Phillapino cove, where are you now???
Got an inReach message from him earlier he had to turn around because the Easterlies leaving Hoonah going into Chatam Straights were to strong. Said it was the nastiest seas hes seen in a while. He's anchored up somewhere now drinking scotch. Awful.
Yeah I was wondering, talked with my brother in Juneau and he said the weather was going to be nasty! Also said they have been having short weather windows, usually they can count on a couple days here and there, but said it has been hours not days when they can get out!
Post by: Wake1 on November 20, 2020, 09:09:52 AM
Post by: Encore 280 on November 20, 2020, 09:38:19 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 20, 2020, 10:18:06 AM
I worked on tugs all over Alaska in the 80s. We were in Sitka one time and heard a story about a guy that pulled a prank on the town one day. Can't remember if it was April Fools or what but he rented a helicopter and brought a load of tires up to the volcano (Mt. Edgecomb) and lit them on fire. The whole town thought the volcano was erupting!!! I don't know if it's a true story or not but it's a good one.
True or not, that's hilarious.
Post by: RB on November 20, 2020, 10:22:04 AM
I worked on tugs all over Alaska in the 80s. We were in Sitka one time and heard a story about a guy that pulled a prank on the town one day. Can't remember if it was April Fools or what but he rented a helicopter and brought a load of tires up to the volcano (Mt. Edgecomb) and lit them on fire. The whole town thought the volcano was erupting!!! I don't know if it's a true story or not but it's a good one.
:yeah:
Yes very true
Post by: rainshadow1 on November 20, 2020, 10:31:58 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 20, 2020, 10:40:06 AM
Post by: Caseyd on November 20, 2020, 10:40:47 AM
I heard it was a senior prank, but this sounds more realistic!
You’d be amazed what 20 something seniors could accomplish. Lots of muscle, not much brains :chuckle:
Post by: Caseyd on November 20, 2020, 10:44:09 AM
http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/the_eruption_of_mount_edgecumbe/
:chuckle:
Post by: madcow41 on January 02, 2021, 10:00:05 PM
What are your thoughts on fair catch and catch share policies?
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/catch-shares
Post by: Skillet on May 20, 2021, 08:19:11 PM
Post by: RB on May 20, 2021, 08:24:36 PM
Post by: KNOPHISH on May 20, 2021, 08:27:00 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on May 21, 2021, 02:28:32 PM
Post by: Angry Perch on May 21, 2021, 02:31:46 PM
Hey folks, just checking in, letting you know that @captkyle97 and I got it done on the Fairweather Grounds.
Good deal. I like hearing about the Fairweather Grounds once you're back safe!
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on May 23, 2021, 05:42:38 AM
http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/the_eruption_of_mount_edgecumbe/
Now that’s funny.🤣
Could you just imagine the fines that would incur today.🤯
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 03:38:52 PM
I decided to do dinglebar the Fairweather Grounds again this year. The weather heading in was supposed to be really easy, and a lot of boats signed up to fish it. For this fishery, anybody can do it - but you have to register with ADFG ahead of time and they want reports twice daily on our progress. This is because our annual quota for the entire East Yakutat area (EYKT) is only 111,000 round pounds, and that can get caught up really fast in nice weather with a lot of boats working on it.
Interestingly, the EYKT area that encompasses the offshore bank of the Grounds is primarily a north-south area, from the shore just East of Yakutat down to the Canadian Border.
Post by: pianoman9701 on May 26, 2021, 03:51:00 PM
Catching up a bit here, quick 2021 lingcod Dinglebar season story -
I decided to do dinglebar the Fairweather Grounds again this year. The weather heading in was supposed to be really easy, and a lot of boats signed up to fish it. For this fishery, anybody can do it - but you have to register with ADFG ahead of time and they want reports twice daily on our progress. This is because our annual quota for the entire East Yakutat area (EYKT) is only 111,000 round pounds, and that can get caught up really fast in nice weather with a lot of boats working on it.
Interestingly, the EYKT area that encompasses the offshore bank of the Grounds is primarily a north-south area, from the shore just East of Yakutat down to the Canadian Border.
This is not a very good sea story. No white whales, no surprise squalls which threatened your very existence, no desperate battles with a bucket against a gaping leak in the hull. Instead, it's an area with a small quota and it's East of Yakutat. Skillet, you know I love you, man. But, you're never going to get a TV show with sea stories like that!
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 03:51:53 PM
It was going to be just Kyle and I, starting out on the Grounds for the opener on the morning of the 16th. But one of my fishing partners' mother was killed by a drunk driver in Washington (please, don't drink and drive) and he had to take care of all of that. So I adopted his stray deckhand, and the three of us set out for the grounds on the morning of the 15th. It's typically a 20-22 hour run to get out there from Sitka. That morning, however, the weather was starting to get a little snotty and the report started to grow, so we adopted a "let's get out there and see what she's doing" mentality.
We got out of Neva Straits into Salisbury Sound and the swell was apparent. It took a few hours to get out over deep water where the swell was not stacked up as much, but it was still pretty apparent. I'd guess we were running beam-to in a 6-8 foot swell on 8 seconds. Definitely noticeable. There was a 15 knot westerly along with it, which added a foot or so of wind chop on top of the swell. We were rolling pretty good, and the decks were definitely not staying dry.
At 4pm, with the new weather report indicating backing winds and what would probably be a sloppy sea, I decided to hold up on the Yakobi shore and wait to see what the weather was doing the next morning. If it settled down, even a little, we'd shoot out to the Grounds first thing and get to work. If it didn't, we'd just work around the Cross Sound area until the next night, then run out overnight. We anchored up in Takanis Bay under Cape Cross, made a nice dinner, then had some guitar and sing-along fun before hitting the rack.
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 03:53:15 PM
Catching up a bit here, quick 2021 lingcod Dinglebar season story -
I decided to do dinglebar the Fairweather Grounds again this year. The weather heading in was supposed to be really easy, and a lot of boats signed up to fish it. For this fishery, anybody can do it - but you have to register with ADFG ahead of time and they want reports twice daily on our progress. This is because our annual quota for the entire East Yakutat area (EYKT) is only 111,000 round pounds, and that can get caught up really fast in nice weather with a lot of boats working on it.
Interestingly, the EYKT area that encompasses the offshore bank of the Grounds is primarily a north-south area, from the shore just East of Yakutat down to the Canadian Border.
This is not a very good sea story. No white whales, no surprise squalls which threatened your very existence, no desperate battles with a bucket against a gaping leak in the hull. Instead, it's an area with a small quota and it's East of Yakutat. Skillet, you know I love you, man. But, you're never going to get a TV show with sea stories like that!
:chuckle:
Could you imagine me welcoming a TV crew on my boat??
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 04:04:32 PM
NOAA weather radio report had the Grounds at 15 knots and 7 feet, so we hoisted the anchor and headed offshore. I knew we'd lose a few hours of fishing, but I figured with these two tough young guys on the boat we could catch up with hard work.
Once we got out on the Grounds, it was pretty mellow. Very light wind, easy swell. I've since learned that the weather was really choppy between the Chichigof shore and the Grounds, but out past 40 miles it was really easy. Probably should have pushed through overnight on the 15th, but... the few of you who remember my Fairweather Grounds butt kicking of 2016 will probably understand why I do not trust that place in quickly changing weather patterns.
Gear went in early afternoon, targeting a nice 50 fathom (300 feet) edge on the ocean side of the Southeast Bank. We lost a little gear getting everybody on point, and decided to fish shallower the next day. We didn't put up a lot of pounds, but I was encouraged by the crew's quickness learning the dinglebar game and had high hopes for the following day. After all, we'd have two or three more days at least to get the fish we needed...
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 04:38:16 PM
With only a few minutes of time to eat a quick sandwich, the guys put on a total of 151 lings for the day. That's a light bit of work for two crew, but the fishing wasn't red-how where we were and the only reason we got that much was Kyle and RJ (orphaned crew) never let up while I stayed focused on keeping us over fish. I definitely wouldn't have gotten that much myself.
The next day we moved inshore and tried our luck in NSEO, but the fish were less dense and much smaller. After a half-day's effort for not many fish, I called it and started in towards town. We offloaded the next morning and started focusing on the next thing. It was a good trip to shake the cobwebs off the ol' Diamond Lil, even if it wasn't very productive. Always good to get back out on the ocean.
Here's a few more shots, and a pic of a nice little king we caught out there on our trailing spoon. Kings aren't open for retention, so it didn't come home with us. Forgive the trashed deck - I had a lot of steel work done back there this winter, and it is getting done before salmon season. Freshly painting my deck before longline and dinglebar season is like putting on a brand-new hoodie to go tuna fishing in.
Thanks for checking in fellas, hope to have some more pics and better stories in the next few months!
Post by: Skillet on May 26, 2021, 04:48:12 PM
Our schedules don't align this year, otherwise I'd have him chained to my deck for salmon and shrimping season.
Feel free to PM me for a recommendation or PM him on here - he's @captkyle97
Good fishin!
Post by: NRA4LIFE on May 26, 2021, 08:11:50 PM
Post by: h20hunter on May 26, 2021, 08:18:18 PM
Post by: Taco280AI on May 26, 2021, 08:25:19 PM
Post by: bearpaw on July 11, 2021, 02:14:06 AM
Hope you are having a great season?
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:38:19 AM
I’ll pick up where I left off – the end of dinglebar season.
I don’t know how much of this I’ve shared, but I have a house down in Everett, WA that I’ve been renting out the last few years. The short story is – it didn’t end really well, but at least it ended. I’ll never rent my house again, at least not without a property management company that has an absolute bulldog for an enforcer. Being an absentee landlord in this state is a recipe for disaster, IMHO… I headed down to WA to clean up and figure out how to move forward before the king season, which opens July 1.
Back to AK with what I though was plenty of time to prepare for the opener, my freezer tech and I were working on the evaporator. Thought we had it all handled, and freezer was pulling temps down to -36 as it should. But I didn’t check the defrost cycle…
Where to fish? I love the Fairweather Grounds. It is only open to salmon fishing for these few days in July, always has the greatest potential, and in anything but flat calm weather you’ll find the least competition out there. Only a certain class of boats can get out there year-in and year-out, and my boat just crosses that line. Of course, in years like 2016 when I got rocked in a surprise storm no boat wants to be out there, but for the most part my 47’ steel steed of 37 tons dry weight (100K# fully loaded) will be perfectly fine. Just got to watch the weather.
There was another compelling reason to head north out of Sitka, and that was I had a stowaway for half the trip. I won’t name him here (he can jump on if he wants to be outed), but a member of HuntWa hitched a ride with me from Sitka up to Pelican. We planned to drop him off to do his business and then run out to the Fairweather Grounds. He would catch a float plane from Pelican back to civilization in Juneau, and then commercial back home.
June 26 - My hired gun, Jake, lands in Sitka and works with me to get the boat ready.
June 27 - HuntWa stowaway landed in Sitka.
June 28 – Untie lines, head north, steaming for Pelican
June 29 – Arrive Pelican, drop HuntWa stowaway, watch weather – which has gotten a little snotty.
June 30 – Untie lines, leave safety of the Harbor, head for the East Bank of the Fairweather Grounds, roughly 60 miles due west.
We crossed into the ocean from Lisianski Strait early in the morning on the 30th. There was a not-insignificant wind wave and swell coming in from the west. It was going to be a bash to get out to where we were going. I was making 5.5-6 knots most of the way until we got all of 20 miles offshore, then the pounding started in earnest. We were lucky to make 5 knots average, pounding into a 5 foot wind wave on top of a 5 foot swell. The boat handled it fine, the crew just as well – but it takes a lot out of you right before a big season where 3 hours of sleep a day is standard, 4 is a luxury. I was trying to catch naps as I could, when I noticed the freezer temps were climbing far higher than they should be. I started a defrost cycle, and nothing happened. Shut everything down, started defrost again… nothing. I had just arrived at the east bank of the Fairweather Grounds, 60 miles out of Pelican, 120 miles out of Sitka , 12 hours before the season was to start – and the damned freezer was giving me fits.
I called up my freezer guy on the sat phone, and we did some quick trouble shooting. Sounded like the electronics that controlled the defrost were not electronic-ing the way they should. Did I have a heat gun I could manually defrost with? Nope, left that in town. Could I open and close the valves in the system to force a “hot-gas” defrost? Nope, that takes a special tool that I don’t own.
Well, hell. At 6 pm on the 30th, after bashing into this weather and making all of this mileage to get out to where I wanted to start the season, I had to make a call. Do I stay out and try to troubleshoot the system so that I can successfully freeze my catch at sea the next morning as planned? Or do shut down the freezer, turn and run back the 60 miles to Pelican to get ice as soon as the ice chute opened at 6, and then fish for kings right outside of Pelican at Cape Cross and Yakobi rock?
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:39:24 AM
I chose to run back to Pelican for ice. That means a whole night of not sleeping again…
On July 1, at 6am, while the entire fleet was landing the first kings of the summer, I was under the ice chute in Pelican taking on a load of ice. 4 tons should do it, I thought. We untied and “black stacked” it (the marine equivalent of rolling coal) out to the fishing grounds. I had gear in the water by 10 am.
The fishing fleet was pretty scattered around the area, and we caught some fish. I don’t have my log in front of me, but I know it was a very low number – 20 kings. We went and anchored in Takanis Bay (just south of Cape Cross) that night, and I mulled what to do if the fishing didn’t pick up for me the next day.
The next morning at 3am found us setting gear on the Cape Cross/ Surge Bay drag, and while the weather was improving, the fishing improved only slightly. A full 19 hours of effort only put 34 kings on the boat. With iced fish worth 2/3 what an FAS fish is worth, that doesn’t get the job done. I needed to find fish. We were anchored in Takanis again, and I had a plan. If it didn’t pick up significantly, I would pitch what I had to a tender and run out to the Grounds.
July 3 dawned with far fewer boats on the drag than the day before – the fishing was poor, and the fleet had moved. I gound the usual drags for a few hours in the morning, and saw on my radar that the fleet was fishing south of me. If I moved south, that would take me farther away from the grounds – but if I stayed here, I’d go broke. At noon, with 10 kings on, I called the tender and scheduled a 2 pm offload. We’d be done by 3pm, which would give us enough time to run out the Grounds overnight and be fishing there at dawn on the 4th. I called the Biologist in Sitka about the catch rates, and he predicted the season would close on the 7th, all factors considered. Good enough for me, we’re going to the Grounds.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:40:28 AM
We offloaded, got my settlement paperwork, and charged out the Grounds that afternoon and evening. It was smooth water by then, and we both got great naps in to charge our batteries for the next phase.
July 4 dawned with me dropping gear in on the East Bank of the Fairweather Grounds. In chatting with a few friends out there, the party never really got started, and was a steady 30-40 fish a day. If a season runs 7 days, a freezer boat can put up between 210-280 kings in a week. Those are respectable numbers, and I was behind the 8 ball in trying to achieve that. So at that point, I would have stayed on 40 kings a day. However, by the time I arrived, it had falled off significantly. I managed 21 kings on my first day on the Grounds. Not good enough, I wanted to either tune in my East Bank program or go looking for fish.
The fog had settled in, and the ocean was just a series of oily swells with no horizon to reference. It is very hard to tell where the sky ends and the water begins in those conditions, so you can end up completely disoriented if you’re not tuned into your charting program. It’s not really a problem for me since I’m always looking at my charts, but for crew it can be pretty unsettling. They just can’t see land, and without any visible horizon reference for days on end I’ve seen men get a little tweaky out there. Jake, however, was holding tough. He is a Battleground, WA boy, and probably only 125# soaking wet. A dry-waller by trade, he is tough as nails. Pound for pound, I wouldn’t bet against him.
I needed to keep Jake engaged, and make some money – so the afternoon of the 4th we went to a quiet spot I know about wayyyy out on the West Bank of the Fairweather Grounds. It was a gamble to run another 35 miles out, but at this point I was into betting it all on black and seeing what happened. Turns out that was a good call.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:41:17 AM
July 6th brought some weather back to us on the grounds, though it wasn’t too rough. That morning began just as the fish had left off the night before, and we had 50 by noon. The bite, however, fell completely flat after. I decided to shallow up and work the top of the West Bank area we were on, and focus on landing our lingcod and halibut bycatch until the salmon came back around. Those lings out on the Fairweather Grounds are ridiculously large on average, and very aggressive. They just don’t see much commercial gear, so attack anything that comes near. Our average carcass out there is 12 pounds (head-off), and we had several pushing 40#. Bonus halibut came on the troll gear as well, and we landed 11 halibut that afternoon, ranging from 18# to 101# dressed. At tide change, I returned to the salmon spot, but the fish had turned off. I could still see masses of them on the sounder, but bites were slow and they weren’t hitting spoons like they were before. We finished the day with 69 kings, a big pile of big lingcod, and 11 halibut.
July 7th was more of the same – slow again. Some boats had seen me on their radar working the same area back and forth for two days and came up to help me out. Generous of them, ya? It was predicted to close that night per my convo with the bio a few days ago, and if people were catching like I was the previous two days it should have closed much earlier. We were tired after all of the shenanigans of the season so far, and we were so far out that we couldn’t easily move in to another area that might be producing better. So we stuck it out, hoping the kings would come back, and they didn’t. I decided after a good effort that resulted in only 18 kings, and now a half dozen boats in my spot that I would run in a little early with better quality fish and beat the offload rush in Sitka. We had a total of 236 kings, 75 coho, 74 big lingcod, 11 Hali, and 45 round rockfish. At this year’s high dock prices, we were hauling about $25-30K worth of fish in. We stacked out at 8 pm and started in on the 25 hour run to get back to Sitka.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:42:05 AM
There is a lot of stuff floating the Pacific Ocean. Kelp balls in that area, mostly, which themselves are harmless – but often there will be a piece of driftwood mixed up in the kelp, which is a problem. Logs are a more serious issue, and they’re easy to spot in calm water because 95% of them have birds standing on them. We get very good at identifying potential issues in the water. Large kelp balls will basically stop you, and I generally avoid them all if possible. The farther out you are, however, the less likely that is to be an issue. So when I noticed the small amount of kelp just dimpling the surface, it didn’t cause much alarm. I was just over 15 miles offshore, and still 60 miles to go to town. Over 500+ fathoms of water, I hadn’t tuned my antennae to the hazards that are much more common closer to town.
The kelp I noticed disappeared behind the swell that overtook us, and I was moving to the wheel to steer around it when I saw it suddenly reappear at the top of the swell I was now climbing and disappear under my bow. It had a much more symmetrical look to it than kelp ever should, very unnatural looking. I lunged to the gear shift to take it out of gear and just managed to get it to neutral as the engine started groaning. I ran to the back of the boat to see what would come out behind me – and nothing did. I started to realize I didn’t run over kelp, and it was still under my boat. I couldn’t see anything trailing. It was smack under the boat. Not a good set of circumstances.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:42:53 AM
That was the wrong call.
I have been working this boat pretty hard over the 6 years I’ve owned her, and the gearbox was slated for a rebuild at 20K hours. I had 17K on her at that point, so I know we were approaching the end of it’s service life. My Spot Prawn fishery is particularly hard on the gearbox, with about 25-28 near-full-throttle back downs a day to stop the boat precisely over the pot string. It wears things out, and that abuse came home to roost on this day.
I slipped the gear into reverse and pushed the throttle forward. There is no sense in testing it gently – if it worked, it would only work with a large amount of prop wash to push the net off the keel. In the split second the engine spun up, the net was wound up in the wheel and the helm wheel was ripped from my hands and spun to starboard. The engine loaded up instantly, and before I could shift back to neutral there was a loud “bang” from the engine room and the load on the engine went away. That’s a bad sign, that should have killed the main engine… I gently shifted to reverse again to test the load on the engine, and there was none. I was in reverse, throttled up, and the engine was just acting like it was in neutral with no load on it. I jumped into the engine room to see if the shaft was spinning – nothing moving. I had blown out my reverse gear. I ever-so-slightly eased it into forward, and the engine loaded up immediately and died. At least I still had forward gear… 60 miles from town, 15 miles offshore, and I had a net wound up hard in my prop and rudder. I was adrift.
One of my friends was a few miles behind me heading into town as well, so I radio’d him to see if he had any ideas. In the mean time, Jake was able to grab the end of the net and tie it up to the side of the boat. Maybe Sean could come over and yank on it a bit to see if he could free it? We discussed this, but decided the risk of damaging my rudder was too high. The best course of action was for me get a diver out there, somehow. I considered going under the boat myself, but I didn’t have the dive gear and the ocean swell would have made it a very dangerous operation. I’ve dove on my boat in still water to cut line out of the prop, and it is sketchy enough. I decided this is a job for the pro’s. Sean stood by while I called in to Sitka and found a diver that was willing to take the job. Diver Dave.
Once I confirmed that Dave was on his way, Sean started for town and I was left alone. Dave had said he would charter a float plane and come out. I never asked what that will cost, because this isn’t a “shop-around” situation. You pay’s your money and you takes your chances. Could I send him my coordinates? I did, and advised him that I was drifting north at about 1 knot. No problem, he’d be there in an hour on the float plane.
Three hours later, I get a very scratchy VHS call from the pilot. He can’t find me. I tell him I’m now two miles north of the location I gave him via the coordinates. He says he’s looked all around the island and he can’t find me. Island?? I’m 15 miles offshore of any island. I tell him the coordinates I gave him are for 15 miles due west of Herbert Graves Island. He said “I know, but that’s an impossibility”. It’s not, I tell him, since I’m definitely out there. “Well, I can’t land on the ocean in this weather, it would be suicide!” I ask if he checked the coordinates before he left the airport with my diver, and he said yes, but they must have been wrong because he can’t land out there… Instead of pointing out the idiocy of his logic, I suggest that maybe he can fly slow and low enough into the wind to let Dave jump out near my boat? No can do, he’s heading back to town with my diver – and wants to know how he’s going to get paid for this trip… I tell him let’s worry about getting me a diver first, and we’ll sort all that out when I get back to town.
At my request, the pilot asks Diver Dave if he would agree to jump on a charter boat when he gets back to town. Dave is ok with the plan, so I call up a buddy that owns a charter business to charter his boat for the afternoon. By now, it will be a 130 mile round trip from Sitka for him, and we’ve got weather coming this evening. Can he do it? There are a few communities in this world that will pull out all the stops to help each other, and Sitka is one of them. He said his charter captain just got back to town and dropped off the clients – he’ll have the boat fueled and ready for when Diver Dave lands back in Sitka.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 12:43:27 AM
By the time Diver Dave arrived on the charter boat from Sitka, it was nearly 3:30 pm. The weather was just starting to fill from the Southwest, and the boat was heaving up and down quite a bit. He got his gear on and dove under the stern. While down there, he got smacked by the boat coming down on his dive helmet several times, hard enough I could hear it ring like a bell. I’m glad I didn’t go under there myself without any gear. After no more than 10 minutes under the boat, he had me cut free and we collected all of the net on deck. He got back on the skiff while they waited to see if I had any propulsion in forward. I fired up, put it in gear, and although it seemed weak, we were under way and heading back to Sitka. The skiff throttled up and soon disappeared into the oncoming southerly chop. The next few hours on his boat were pretty rough, since he was pounding into it in a light boat. I was glad I was on my big steel tub.
We pulled into town at 02:30 on the 9th. I didn’t have reverse, so I had to gently ease up to the pilings that I’d be unloaded at and bounce off in such a way my deckhand could get a wrap around one and stop us. We napped for a few hours, then offloaded at 6 am. At least the fish made it to town, and we made a paycheck. That would all be spent -and more- in the coming weeks on gearbox repairs, but at least I had it to spend. When leaving the offload on my way back to may slip, the boat barely made it into gear. I just made it to my slip, semi-crashing against the dock to stop, and tied her up.
As soon as everything cooled, I took the gearbox hydraulic controls apart to see if I could ID the problem. There was metal shaving everywhere. I cleaned it all up the best I could, regasketed and sealed it, and once the sealant was dry fired it up to see if I had improved the situation. That was a no. Reverse was still out, forward was weaker yet, and there was a helluva racket coming from the gearbox.
The gearbox manufacturer quoted me a 5 week leadtime on a brand-new gearbox, and 4 weeks for the parts to rebuild. I ordered the new gearbox, and waited. That was on July 12 (they are in England, and getting the US Authorized dealer to factory communication going took a minute), and here I am in the early hours of Sept 2nd, still waiting for it to arrive.
I should see the gearbox soon, and when I do I’ll have just enough time to swap it before I go for Spot Prawns on October 1. That means my salmon season has pretty much been a bust this year, but here’s hoping the spot prawns come through and I can stop the bleeding. I am very grateful I had a good king opener, since that helped fund the repairs.
There you go, foks, that’s the quick and dirty of how the season has been going. In the meantime, I’ve worked as a charterboat deckhand, worked on my house in WA, and been busy building a wholesale market for fish from my processor friend up in Sitka. With @ctwiggs1 and @7mmfan help, I had a great fish sale at Mason Jar Farm in Enumclaw last weekend, and will be moving that model forward to do a small regional buy in Marysville on Sept 11. We’re going to be partnering with a local brewpub, 5 Rights Brewing, along with Warpig Smokehouse to put on a bit of a fun event that people can come pick up fish at. We’re still going to do the big December buy, don’t worry – but if you wanted to get some fish early, I’ll be posting that in the Sponsor classifieds tomorrow. Even if you don’t buy fish, it would be fun to see a lot of you guys turn out for a quick BS session over some beer and brisket!
That’s about it for now, I’ll be sure to keep you all up to speed on the repairs as they progress.
Chris
Post by: Jake Dogfish on September 02, 2021, 01:52:11 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 02, 2021, 04:22:03 AM
Some years are like that in the fishing business. In bought a brand new Kodiak 454 LSX before the season started and fought it for 3 months. The wiring harness came with 18 guage wire which caused some problems. Kept getting low voltage warnings and melting relays. After getting towed to town, the local shop changed it to 12 guage, but I kept melting two different relays. This was happening to everyone who bought that engine this year. It was soon almost impossible to find the relays. The shop I bought the engine from is a Car Quest dealer and they searched the whole country and got the last dozen Car Quest had in the country. After getting towed in by a tender again, Some more wiring was changed and connections cleaned and tightened and melted relays sent to Kodiak so their suppliers could try to find the problem. That seemed to fix the problem on most of the boats that had the same engine, but I kept melting relays. I probably went through close to a dozen. Finally after talking with a couple friends that had the same issues on other engines including a diesel, They said they had to take the relay panel off the top of the engine and put them in a cooler place and that seemed to fix their problems. I ran that by the local mechanics and they ran it by Kodiak and finally they decided to remove the two relays from the panel and wire in larger, 40 amp relays. (The engine came with 20 amp relays) So that was done after getting towed back to town the third time and finally seems to have fixed the problem. I've gone three openers and a couple pleasure cruises with no more issues, but I still don't completely trust the engine, especially now during silver season when the gulf weather can be brutal. If the engine died at the wrong time it could be a death sentence. So I am trying to get through silvers in the safest manner I can. Basically staying on the inside of the barrier islands. Fishing has been much below an average year so far this year so I've decided to try one more week and if it doesn't pick up, I'm done for the year. We are only fishing one day a week and that doesn't cut it.
But the strain on your brain when you want to be fishing but you are missing periods in the heart of the season with break downs is wearing on you. Especially when I bought a new engine to avoid those kinds of things from happening. But that's commercial fishing.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 02, 2021, 04:31:54 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on September 02, 2021, 05:41:24 AM
Post by: Taco280AI on September 02, 2021, 07:45:18 AM
Three hours later, I get a very scratchy VHS call from the pilot. He can’t find me. I tell him I’m now two miles north of the location I gave him via the coordinates. He says he’s looked all around the island and he can’t find me. Island?? I’m 15 miles offshore of any island. I tell him the coordinates I gave him are for 15 miles due west of Herbert Graves Island. He said “I know, but that’s an impossibility”. It’s not, I tell him, since I’m definitely out there. “Well, I can’t land on the ocean in this weather, it would be suicide!” I ask if he checked the coordinates before he left the airport with my diver, and he said yes, but they must have been wrong because he can’t land out there…
So he knew your coordinates, exactly where you were, the conditions, and ignored them all and flew somewhere else, then wants to be paid? Wow.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 08:06:23 AM
Looks like you got some trawl web, eh?
That's exactly what it was. Been drifting around for quite a while, it was pretty slimy, loaded with a tiny shrimp of some kind, and there were three dead dogfish caught in it. That pic is one of the first pieces that floated up with the diver down.
I really feel for you on the engine wiring and relay issue. That would be very frustrating after investing all that time and money looking to increase reliability. I'm glad you pushed through and got it right, but I don't blame you one bit for holding off going outside until that engine is 100% bullet proof in your mind. That part of the gulf you fish is no joke this time of year, and getting back under tow in any kind of weather would be a challenge. Isn't there a well known story of a boat that was having electrical problems out there in really bad weather, and a CG chopper crashed trying to save him? And he made it in after all?
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 08:10:41 AM
Three hours later, I get a very scratchy VHS call from the pilot. He can’t find me. I tell him I’m now two miles north of the location I gave him via the coordinates. He says he’s looked all around the island and he can’t find me. Island?? I’m 15 miles offshore of any island. I tell him the coordinates I gave him are for 15 miles due west of Herbert Graves Island. He said “I know, but that’s an impossibility”. It’s not, I tell him, since I’m definitely out there. “Well, I can’t land on the ocean in this weather, it would be suicide!” I ask if he checked the coordinates before he left the airport with my diver, and he said yes, but they must have been wrong because he can’t land out there…
So he knew your coordinates, exactly where you were, the conditions, and ignored them all and flew somewhere else, then wants to be paid? Wow.
Oh ya. And he got paid by the diver for that sightseeing tour, too. I ended up splitting the cost with the diver. Between the diver's bill, the aborted charter flight, and the chartered skiff, that episode cost me $3175 for 15 mins of dive time. I think I need to get a big-boy set of dive gear and find a place on the boat to stow it.
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 02, 2021, 08:11:26 AM
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 08:12:33 AM
Waiting for parts, a long time, seems the norm these days, hang in. Thanks for the report
Thanks NW :tup:
You think the leadtime for a new gearbox is bad - try getting some cardboard boxes to sell your fish in! :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 08:15:10 AM
If you guys have specs on those wiring harnesses and just need some AWG changes, I'm happy to help.
This is a much bigger offer of help than it may seem at first blush!
Good on ya, @ctwiggs1 :tup:
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 08:18:39 AM
Chris, I don't see the photo you mentioned of the tenders. Pretty sure the Sea Lion is the old Alaska Packers tender I worked on out of Cordova when I was 18. Also delivered to them for many years. And the Pavlov is it an old blue scow of the same style as the Sea Lion? If so I delivered to them for many years also when they tendered for Morpac. Morpac, Alaska Packers and New England used to have what they called the Co-Op in Cordova. Alaska packers didn't process any more in Cordova but still had a big tender fleet. Morpac was just getting off the ground and processed frozen fish, but only had a couple tenders. and New England had the canning lines and a few large tenders. If you fished for one of the three co-op canneries you could deliver to any of the tenders of any cannery and you'd still get your check from "your" cannery. I started with APA and later switched to Morpac as they were more willing to lend money to help a young fisherman step up with a new boat.
I think you're right about those boats on all accounts. Pavlov is red and gray now.
Post by: bearpaw on September 02, 2021, 10:40:38 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 02, 2021, 11:44:38 AM
I really feel for you on the engine wiring and relay issue. That would be very frustrating after investing all that time and money looking to increase reliability. I'm glad you pushed through and got it right, but I don't blame you one bit for holding off going outside until that engine is 100% bullet proof in your mind. That part of the gulf you fish is no joke this time of year, and getting back under tow in any kind of weather would be a challenge. Isn't there a well known story of a boat that was having electrical problems out there in really bad weather, and a CG chopper crashed trying to save him? And he made it in after all?
Yup. I knew the guy involved in that story. He gave up fishing after that and moved to California.
Post by: Bareback on September 02, 2021, 12:12:56 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on September 02, 2021, 12:32:11 PM
Thanks for sharing the life of a commercial fisherman. Tough job that few can do.
To be fair, Skillet has gills and webbed feet, so it's not as hard on him.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on September 02, 2021, 12:38:21 PM
If you guys have specs on those wiring harnesses and just need some AWG changes, I'm happy to help.
I appreciate the offer, but think we have it under control now. Kodiak Knows there was a glitch in their set up and I'm sure they are working to fix it.
Post by: Skillet on September 02, 2021, 02:51:50 PM
Thanks for sharing the life of a commercial fisherman. Tough job that few can do.
To be fair, Skillet has gills and webbed feet, so it's not as hard on him.
T'wer it true! I actually am a pretty poor swimmer, and outside of survival suit trainings, have only been actually submerged in the ocean the one time to dive under my boat since I've been a commercial fisherman. Fresh water, no problem - but had you all seen the things I've seen over the years, I'd believe you'd tend to lean my way. I'd rather run through an August huckleberry patch in Ferry county covered in honey, slab bacon and carrying a pic-a-nic basket than go for a leisurely swim in those black Alaskan waters.
Post by: Taco280AI on September 02, 2021, 02:59:54 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on September 02, 2021, 03:02:04 PM
Thanks for sharing the life of a commercial fisherman. Tough job that few can do.
To be fair, Skillet has gills and webbed feet, so it's not as hard on him.
T'wer it true! I actually am a pretty poor swimmer, and outside of survival suit trainings, have only been actually submerged in the ocean the one time to dive under my boat since I've been a commercial fisherman. Fresh water, no problem - but had you all seen the things I've seen over the years, I'd believe you'd tend to lean my way. I'd rather run through an August huckleberry patch in Ferry county covered in honey, slab bacon and carrying a pic-a-nic basket than go for a leisurely swim in those black Alaskan waters.
I'd be more worried about the weirdo hermits you might attract doing that than the bears :chuckle:
Post by: rainshadow1 on September 02, 2021, 03:21:05 PM
Thanks for sharing the life of a commercial fisherman. Tough job that few can do.
To be fair, Skillet has gills and webbed feet, so it's not as hard on him.
T'wer it true! I actually am a pretty poor swimmer, and outside of survival suit trainings, have only been actually submerged in the ocean the one time to dive under my boat since I've been a commercial fisherman. Fresh water, no problem - but had you all seen the things I've seen over the years, I'd believe you'd tend to lean my way. I'd rather run through an August huckleberry patch in Ferry county covered in honey, slab bacon and carrying a pic-a-nic basket than go for a leisurely swim in those black Alaskan waters.
With so many things on deck and in the engine room that can bite you (Not to mention the cooking coming off a diesel stove!), I think the underlying thought of going into the water was one of the tipping points for me. I grew up in it, but the thought of hitting that water, and the boat either running away from you, or sinking under you... that was just a little more than I wanted to keep living with! That thing you mentioned about seeing nothing but water, that was probably my biggest thing. But being in the water was always in the back of your mind.
Post by: RB on September 02, 2021, 09:55:27 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 13, 2022, 03:27:03 PM
I'm back in the saddle! :tup:
FINALLY got my parts all correct and in one place (long story there I don't want to rehash), and got the boat up and running. Just in time for the re-opening of our winter king season here in AK, which lasts through the end of April.
Many thanks to @3boys who came up and braved the shakedown cruise with me. We went out and bonked 21 kings in a couple of days, and he was nice enough to catch me running the gear once on video. First time ever someone has video'd me running gear, I am stoked about that!
I'll keep posting more on this as things progress, now that the long days of having a broken boat are over.
Not a valid vimeo URL
Post by: Encore 280 on April 13, 2022, 05:35:37 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on April 13, 2022, 08:05:30 PM
Post by: tmike on April 13, 2022, 08:48:52 PM
Post by: Dhoey07 on April 14, 2022, 07:35:34 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on April 14, 2022, 08:50:46 AM
Wanted to throw a quick update out there -
I'm back in the saddle! :tup:
FINALLY got my parts all correct and in one place (long story there I don't want to rehash), and got the boat up and running. Just in time for the re-opening of our winter king season here in AK, which lasts through the end of April.
Many thanks to @3boys who came up and braved the shakedown cruise with me. We went out and bonked 21 kings in a couple of days, and he was nice enough to catch me running the gear once on video. First time ever someone has video'd me running gear, I am stoked about that!
I'll keep posting more on this as things progress, now that the long days of having a broken boat are over.
Not a valid vimeo URL
Is that a planer board or ? running behind you?
Post by: Machias on April 14, 2022, 09:11:03 AM
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 14, 2022, 09:19:52 AM
Post by: Skillet on April 14, 2022, 01:24:34 PM
Pman, I always knew Linda was a woman of high class and refined taste! :chuckle:
AP - of course a walleye guy would spot that! :chuckle: It's called a "float bag," even though it's a foam board with plywood top and bottom and bronze hardware. They clip onto the wire after I've run it out and set all the gear, then I let them out behind the boat. The float bag supports the 60# cannonball and all the wire and gear, and I just pull the bag along behind the boat. It helps spread the gear out around the boat, and you can get them set up to shear the gear away from the boat as well ( mine do that) to spread gear out even more.
Post by: Angry Perch on April 14, 2022, 02:16:52 PM
Post by: 92xj on April 14, 2022, 03:04:44 PM
Got it. Like a giantbobberstrike indicator with a keel.
Fixed that for you. You gotta remember the uppity ups you're dealing with....
:chuckle:
Post by: NRA4LIFE on April 14, 2022, 03:07:40 PM
Post by: rainshadow1 on April 14, 2022, 04:44:26 PM
Post by: Skillet on April 16, 2022, 10:59:20 PM
Post by: RB on April 16, 2022, 11:43:23 PM
Took a quick vid on very calm water yesterday. This is the port float bag, after I'd attached it to the wire with the brass hardware you can see on the top.
Nice! Think I have turned a circle or two on that spot ;)
Post by: Caseknife on April 17, 2022, 08:06:59 AM
Wife and I are headed to SE Alaska on our first cruise second week of May, hope the weather is as nice as that.
Post by: Dhoey07 on April 20, 2022, 09:13:36 PM
Post by: Angry Perch on April 21, 2022, 08:24:43 AM
Got it. Like a giantbobberstrike indicator with a keel.
Fixed that for you. You gotta remember the uppity ups you're dealing with....
:chuckle:
Words matter, and those guys are sensitive!
Post by: Skillet on September 20, 2022, 11:37:11 PM
Good experienced crew is always tough, but it was definitely tougher this year. Seems like the big money being made out in Bristol Bay has completely sucked the experienced troll deckhands out of Southeast. I can't say that I blame them - they can make as much in 6-8 week out in the Bay as they can on my boat in 12 weeks. Some of the highliners can make much more. Bristol Bay is a very cyclical fishery, though. They'll be back... maybe.
I actually had a great guy from here really interested, but I had to pass for a few reasons. Nothing against him at all, just wouldn't work out with my crew insurance. He ended up going out west to longline for black cod, and we kept in touch a bit throughout the season. I'm hoping to get the whole story from him on his first year up here sometime this winter - it's always interesting to see this industry through a fresh pair of eyes.
My last post was of my spring fishing for kings, just basically shaking the boat down. I did that for a few more weeks, but the fish were really thin for the whole fleet - no big scores reported, just basically "scratch" fishing. That means we ended up profiting about the same as we would if we had a towney job. It was a harbinger of things to come...
Being solo, I knew cooking while fishing was going to be hard. So I took a few days and made a ton of freezer meals in small aluminum trays. Burritos, lasagna, soups (with homemade stock from the beef bones I got from @whitpirate in the 1/4 I bought), chicken fried rice, pork chops and veggies, etc. Anything I could think of that I could premake and freeze, then just throw in the diesel stove's oven when I got hungry. I will do this from now on, no matter if I have crew or not. Made life so much easier, and some of the meals were great. Some... weren't :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on September 20, 2022, 11:54:46 PM
Anyway, I put the cruise ships and about 100 miles in my wake over the next 15 hours with the help of a little bit of Black Rifle Coffee Co mud. Good stuff. The throttle work this year has been very specific - slower is better. I've been cruising a lot more at lower speeds, and it has helped significantly reduce my fuel burn. I run my engine at about 1450 rpm in calm water, and get 6.3-6.5 knots out of it with little wake. I believe I'm burning just over 2 GPH at that point, not bad at all for a boat my size. When I was well out into the ocean and about 30 miles from the nearest rock, I shut it down about the time I thought it was getting dark (midnight), and slept for a luxurious 7 hours on the drift. Got up, made a nice big breakfast, and pointed the bow towards the West Bank of the Fairweather grounds for the final run.
Post by: Skillet on September 21, 2022, 12:06:37 AM
Another coding partner was checking what we call the Inner Bank, a 50 fathom bar about 8 miles out of the mouth of Lituya Bay. He reported much the same, but with a lot more boat activity. He decided he would stay there for the opener and we'd compare notes as we went.
Post by: Skillet on September 21, 2022, 12:24:17 AM
*(Note - all the miles I talk about here are Nautical miles, 6000 feet long. Normal road miles, ie., Statute miles, are 5280 feet, so a Nautical mile is 13.6% longer than a Statute mile, and a knot of boat speed is 13.6 faster than a car's MPH)
(One thing I have to admit is I'm getting pretty bad at taking pics and video of the day-to-day of fishing anymore. Part of it has to do with my crappy phone camera (Moto G7, can't recommend it for pics/vid), and part of it is most of this just seems like a regular day to me anymore. When I'm writing these up, I always wish I had a few more pics and vids for you guys, but it is what it is.)
Post by: Dan-o on September 21, 2022, 12:47:46 AM
Post by: Whitpirate on October 14, 2022, 10:57:05 AM
How's the fleet taking the news that all crab is closed? King and Opies as I understand are out.
Post by: Skillet on July 02, 2024, 07:23:43 AM
https://youtube.com/shorts/PKh08w9y0XE
Post by: ctwiggs1 on July 02, 2024, 07:32:29 AM
Post by: Skillet on July 02, 2024, 07:37:12 AM
Post by: 92xj on July 02, 2024, 07:43:22 AM
I’m totally kidding!! Glad to see you’re busy and catching fish. Continue to post photos and videos please.
Post by: CP on July 02, 2024, 07:51:25 AM
Post by: Skillet on July 02, 2024, 07:53:47 AM
I told my heart doc you quit on me, he was disappointed.
I’m totally kidding!! Glad to see you’re busy and catching fish. Continue to post photos and videos please.
Oof, hahaha!
OK, here's another quick one from my commute yesterday morning.
Post by: Taco280AI on July 02, 2024, 08:02:43 AM
Had a buddy who lived out there years ago have a humpback come too close for his comfort, kind of used his boat as a scratching post, very gently. Sent me the video.
Post by: 7mmfan on July 02, 2024, 08:45:09 AM
Post by: CP on July 02, 2024, 09:53:00 AM
Post by: bearpaw on July 02, 2024, 11:12:12 AM
Post by: RB on July 02, 2024, 12:18:07 PM
Post by: Skillet on July 07, 2024, 02:40:41 PM
Quick update from mid-king season
fishing locally this year, not chasing the big bites. Fuel is way too high, fish prices too low...
After @7mmfan post, thought I needed a few more scenery/experience vids. I can usually only get them when things are slow.
This is just a vid from the wheelhouse. Nothing happens, nothing special, but this is what it sounds and looks like from the helm for about 17-18 hours a day. I watch vids like this in the winter just to get me through, haha
Here's another whale vid, humpback lunge feeding next to me. Camera kept focusing on the tag line, my bad.
Post by: Skillet on July 07, 2024, 02:44:19 PM
Post by: Skillet on July 07, 2024, 02:48:28 PM
Post by: Encore 280 on July 07, 2024, 02:59:12 PM
Post by: bearpaw on July 07, 2024, 03:24:45 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on July 08, 2024, 09:45:20 AM
Post by: Shrimper on July 08, 2024, 12:04:26 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on July 08, 2024, 03:26:30 PM
https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-135.99769592285156&lat=56.96051380498983 (https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-135.99769592285156&lat=56.96051380498983)
Post by: Skillet on July 21, 2024, 04:46:04 PM
Just a quick check in - the king season went well for me overall. Had a savage gear loss in one day when I got tied up in an unknown object in 50 fathoms (lost 4 70# cannonballs and 3 full wires worth of gear, right at $2k worth of stuff). A few folks and I have come to believe it might be an old boat down there, but who knows...
Anyway, ended up with a good season just fishing right outside of town. A lot of guys I know ran up to the Fairweather Grounds and then back down to chase a big bite in lower Chatham. Forrester Island did well for a few days too. But at $5.50 a gal for fuel now, I decided to just hang locally and see what I could make happen. It worked for me this year :tup:
I see that a lot of salmon are being caught in WA right now, so now's a good time to upload this vid. It's a little more detailed version of the pressure bleeding videos, but I was solo and it's not easy to film and pressure bleed with one hand on a rocking boat. But I strongly encourage anybody who salmon fishes to do this if they can. The difference in your meat will be significant.
You don't need a fancy setup, just make the cuts to expose the artery and you can hold a washdown hose against it with light tension. Be careful not to overpressurize the fish - that's worse than not bleeding. If you do use a pipette, restrict the water so it's a little stream at best. For kings I cut mine back to have about an 1/8" opening at the tip, and adjust the pressure until I get about a 3-4' arc on the water coming out. Just a little less for coho. Here's the vid and a couple of clarifying pics.
Good fishin'!
Post by: Taco280AI on July 21, 2024, 04:54:19 PM
Post by: Skillet on July 21, 2024, 04:58:22 PM
Post by: Skillet on July 21, 2024, 05:00:59 PM
Any way you can drop a camera down there to see what it may be?
It was in about 50 fathoms (300 feet for you lubbers :chuckle:), not much light down there. You'd probably have to be tangled with it TY see it.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on July 22, 2024, 05:51:08 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on July 22, 2024, 09:57:56 AM
Was up out of Whittier last week fishing for salmon, halibut, cod, and squid. Even dropped a few shrimp pots. It was a blast staying out on the boat. Made the long run out to Montague island. That salmon snagging at the remote hatchery is something else. Saw plenty of commercial fishing boats, quite the tough job.
You must have been at Main Bay snagging reds. Here's a commercial opener there from a couple weeks ago.
Post by: Skillet on July 22, 2024, 11:01:44 AM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on July 22, 2024, 06:20:32 PM
3 of us about 45 min to snag our limits. First time I have ever participated in something like that.
Post by: pd on July 26, 2024, 04:41:10 AM
Those shootouts are crazy.
Derby fishing at its worst! I can't believe folk still would drop line like that. No thank you.
Post by: Skillet on August 06, 2024, 11:52:18 AM
Price is currently $.50/#, way up from last year's $.20/# and way down from 2022's $1.20/#.
We are seeing a phenominal return and catch rates this year. Opportunity is good for the grinders in the fleet. I'm seeing average catch rates at 250-350 fish per day for most serious guys. I've ranged from as low as 220 on a short 8 hour run to yesterdays 568 fish on a 15 hour fishing day (all times are gear-in-water, not counting run time, daily offload, scrub down, re-icing).
To fish for chum, I drag a lot of "chum bugs" on short leaders behind flashers, very slowly. 1.0 to 1.5 knots is typical. My current setup is for 42 fathoms (252 feet) of wire, with 1.5 fathoms between flashers. Wire is basically loaded top to bottom, with each of my 4 wires carrying 26 flashers, for a total of 104 hooks in the water.
My rig is pretty standard - .75 fa Neptune braid leader from the snap to the flasher, an 18", 100# test monofilament tail leader, and a chum bug with a 5/0 black hook. I use two flavors of bug - dark purple and a dark blue/hot pink. I set them up on opposite sides of the boat this year to see which actually fished better, or caught less pinks*. So far, I've not noticed a bit of difference.
Hopefully, I'll get some action vid this year. Pretty hard when I'm running solo, but i think I've got an old GoPro somewhere i might be able to set up. For now though, this vid is what the chums looks like right before I unload.
It's a bloody, messy business, but fun fishing.
*Pinks are only $.15 /# this year, and with limited on-deck storage capacity, I choose to save my space for the more valuable chums. I typically catch between 75-100% as many pinks as chums per day, and every one gets released.
Post by: Skillet on August 06, 2024, 11:55:53 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on August 06, 2024, 12:07:47 PM
Post by: Skillet on August 06, 2024, 12:10:39 PM
So does a 568 chum day mean you caught ~1000 fish including pinks?
Yessir. My first gear turn yesterday was only for 14 chums - but I'll bet I released 75 pinks. I got out of that area quickly!
Post by: Angry Perch on August 06, 2024, 12:30:42 PM
So does a 568 chum day mean you caught ~1000 fish including pinks?
Yessir. My first gear turn yesterday was only for 14 chums - but I'll bet I released 75 pinks. I got out of that area quickly!
What do you do with your other hand? :o :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on August 06, 2024, 12:33:08 PM
Post by: ctwiggs1 on August 06, 2024, 01:30:46 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on August 06, 2024, 02:19:15 PM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 07, 2024, 08:12:41 PM
So does a 568 chum day mean you caught ~1000 fish including pinks?
Yessir. My first gear turn yesterday was only for 14 chums - but I'll bet I released 75 pinks. I got out of that area quickly!
They don't buy troll pinks? They have to be better than gillnet pinks.
In PWS the hatchery run of chums bombed out. So far, hatchery pinks are bombing out too. Quite a few seiners already giving up.
Post by: Skillet on August 07, 2024, 08:56:44 PM
So does a 568 chum day mean you caught ~1000 fish including pinks?
Yessir. My first gear turn yesterday was only for 14 chums - but I'll bet I released 75 pinks. I got out of that area quickly!
They don't buy troll pinks? They have to be better than gillnet pinks.
In PWS the hatchery run of chums bombed out. So far, hatchery pinks are bombing out too. Quite a few seiners already giving up.
SPC (my co-op), issued a "no-buy" on pinks last week due to capacity issues on the plant floor. The chum run is so strong here this year they are only cutting chums right now. Sitka Sound Seafoods is still buying troll pinks, but I just heard they lowered the price to $.10. That's a polite way to say "Thanks, but no thanks." With my setup in totes on deck, I can cap out my capacity on a good day - and would be a bit foolish to trade a $.50 pound for a $.10 pound. One of my good friends up here offered me $.40/# for unbled humpies to use as halibut bait, but even then I can't justify the differential, or afford the extra time to deal with delivering them to him.
I'll admit it is a good problem to have, needing to choose how to best make use of the space and time available. Most of the time, I'm just keeping everything I can sell at any price.
I did hear from a friend that tends PWS that the chums were a no-show, but surprised to hear the pinks aren't there either. PWS pinks are usually the highest volume pink harvest in AK, yeah?
Post by: tmike on August 08, 2024, 09:52:01 AM
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 08, 2024, 09:28:07 PM
I did hear from a friend that tends PWS that the chums were a no-show, but surprised to hear the pinks aren't there either. PWS pinks are usually the highest volume pink harvest in AK, yeah?
From the newest seine announcement for PWS.....
"Cumulative pink salmon commercial common property harvest through August 6 is at 4.80 million compared to a 10-year, even-year average (2004-2022) of 17.01 million fish for the same date."
So yah, it's bad. Same in Kodiak. A buddy has two tenders there. One has worked 6 days this year and the other 11 days. The Northwestern is in Cordova, but they weren't sent out on the last opener.
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on August 08, 2024, 09:34:11 PM
Post by: Skillet on October 05, 2024, 03:27:30 PM
Chums came in like a lion, out like a lamb. There were some grinders that worked them until the bitter end, with scores in the 100 fish range by the end of August. That might just cover fuel...
Most guys switched to other fisheries. Troll coho was the main target, but late season had been a little hit-and-miss locally the last few years. This year the same. Big coho, but numbers down. The main smash came in Sept in Cross Sound in to Homeshore, but that inside fishery is all tidal. If you're not fishing the flood in the right spots, you're not catching. The rest of the time you are better off hunting or beach combing. The boats that were consistently on fish in Sept were doing really good, though.
Yakutat out west to Icy Bay (and beyond, I'm assuming) had a great Sept fishery for coho this year too. That's very remote, big boat country in Sept though. Mostly freezer boats, and a few ice boats that have a good relationship with the buyer in Yakutat. If you're a new ice boat to the area, you may not have a buyer in Sept... you've been warned :chuckle:
I switched up to longlining for halibut. It was a tough grind this year, but those fish don't catch themselves.
A pic of our biggest hali in Sept. 167# dressed.
Next up is winter kings, opener on Oct 11.
Post by: Angry Perch on October 05, 2024, 07:40:56 PM
Glad you're safe and sound.
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 06, 2024, 10:31:42 AM
Quick update on the fishing season -
Chums came in like a lion, out like a lamb. There were some grinders that worked them until the bitter end, with scores in the 100 fish range by the end of August. That might just cover fuel...
Most guys switched to other fisheries. Troll coho was the main target, but late season had been a little hit-and-miss locally the last few years. This year the same. Big coho, but numbers down. The main smash came in Sept in Cross Sound in to Homeshore, but that inside fishery is all tidal. If you're not fishing the flood in the right spots, you're not catching. The rest of the time you are better off hunting or beach combing. The boats that were consistently on fish in Sept were doing really good, though.
Yakutat out west to Icy Bay (and beyond, I'm assuming) had a great Sept fishery for coho this year too. That's very remote, big boat country in Sept though. Mostly freezer boats, and a few ice boats that have a good relationship with the buyer in Yakutat. If you're a new ice boat to the area, you may not have a buyer in Sept... you've been warned :chuckle:
I switched up to longlining for halibut. It was a tough grind this year, but those fish don't catch themselves.
A pic of our biggest hali in Sept. 167# dressed.
Next up is winter kings, opener on Oct 11.
Skillet, you know I'd have sold that one for you!
Post by: Skillet on October 06, 2024, 11:05:36 AM
We got paid $6/# for the fish ( 147# IFQ weight, which is hanging weight less a 12% deduct for head, slime, and ice). Total $882.
The actual saleable meat (skinless boneless fletches) on this guy is typically 60% of IFQ weight, so right at 88#.
A nice restaurant like your customers had would sell a 6oz halibut plate with truffle rissotto and salad for, what, $40? And they'd get about 230 servings out of this fish, for a total of $9200 in revenue...
Fish math is fun. And depressing :chuckle:
*edited to add - the IFQ shares that i bought that gives me access to this Halibut fishery until I sell those IFQ shares cost me $41/#... so my "permission slip" to catch and sell this fish originally cost me a little over $6k...
Considering current fuel, bait, and crewshare expenses, plus interest on my quota loan, I profit about $2.00/# on a $6.00 dock price. Or about $300 on this fish.
Therefore, it will take me roughly 20 years to break even on my halibut buy-in, provided all things stay the same.
Go to school, kids!
:party1:
Post by: nwwanderer on October 06, 2024, 04:30:09 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 06, 2024, 04:33:59 PM
Do this kind of math with kids wanting to farm all the time, good job Skillet, go to school kids for sure!!!
Yeah but farmers, and fishermen are the salt of the earth type people we need. I appreciate all of them.👍
Post by: HUNTIN4SIX on October 06, 2024, 08:56:30 PM
Oh I know you would have found just the right chef for this one!
We got paid $6/# for the fish ( 147# IFQ weight, which is hanging weight less a 12% deduct for head, slime, and ice). Total $882.
The actual saleable meat (skinless boneless fletches) on this guy is typically 60% of IFQ weight, so right at 88#.
A nice restaurant like your customers had would sell a 6oz halibut plate with truffle rissotto and salad for, what, $40? And they'd get about 230 servings out of this fish, for a total of $9200 in revenue...
Fish math is fun. And depressing :chuckle:
*edited to add - the IFQ shares that i bought that gives me access to this Halibut fishery until I sell those IFQ shares cost me $41/#... so my "permission slip" to catch and sell this fish originally cost me a little over $6k...
Considering current fuel, bait, and crewshare expenses, plus interest on my quota loan, I profit about $2.00/# on a $6.00 dock price. Or about $300 on this fish.
Therefore, it will take me roughly 20 years to break even on my halibut buy-in, provided all things stay the same.
Go to school, kids!
:party1:
This sounds like our family doing the math on the fatten steers we sell. Seems like we can never figure the labor/time into the equation either. :chuckle:
Post by: Skillet on October 11, 2024, 09:28:04 PM
Here's a deck vid on the Defiant, captain Matt is a certified fish hound
https://youtube.com/shorts/Amx-WEHL4nI?si=sM6y9z0XXZ080Wdj (https://youtube.com/shorts/Amx-WEHL4nI?si=sM6y9z0XXZ080Wdj)
Pic of his halibut set while waiting for the cod pots to fill -
My buddy Rob came in with 25,946# of round black cod on 3 days fishing -
Fall black cod season fully underway in Sitka!
Post by: RB on October 11, 2024, 10:25:12 PM
Wx pretty terrible up here for the next few days - 45 kts and 22 ft seas out front. A bunch of buddies coming in with big trips of black cod today, ahead of the weather.
Here's a deck vid on the Defiant, captain Matt is a certified fish hound
https://youtube.com/shorts/Amx-WEHL4nI?si=sM6y9z0XXZ080Wdj (https://youtube.com/shorts/Amx-WEHL4nI?si=sM6y9z0XXZ080Wdj)
Pic of his halibut set while waiting for the cod pots to fill -
My buddy Rob came in with 25,946# of round black cod on 3 days fishing -
Fall black cod season fully underway in Sitka!
WOW that is awesome!
Post by: bearpaw on November 06, 2024, 01:45:25 AM
Post by: Angry Perch on November 06, 2024, 07:20:21 AM
Post by: CastleRocker on November 06, 2024, 09:03:20 AM