Bob Bang and I got fish one on at the can. As we’re trying to get the fish to net, we drift back into the can, and snap off the downrigger still fishing – downrigger, rod, reel, cannonball. I put on a pink lady and kept fishing with my extra rod and reel. When we got back near the can again, we decide to put on some cannon balls and hooks to try to snag it. I hang up on something reef on the rod, and break rod number two (which I should say was broken the other day when we couldn’t get it apart, but I had put together two mismatched top and bottom and it was a good rod again). I start cutting pieces around the break and splice the rod back together, so still fishing. I later get a fish on, set the hook, break the hook at the pink lady, and at the same time the top of the rod comes off, goes in the water, slides down the now line with nothing on it, and it sinks. So now I’m down to a reel and reel seat and handle. There were no more eyes left on
the bottom rod stub. I put on another pink lady and a green spoon, put out 30 pulls, and set the drag real loose so I’ll know I get a hit. The drag starts singing awhile later, and in comes easy as you please about a 17 lb coho. Biggest of the day. We caught 6 keepers, and lost one off the stringer that would have made 7 (I think his mouth split). We lost at least twice that many strikes. And all happy in the end. And a pod of monster humpbacks around us all day bubble net feeding, and still going at it when we left 10 hours later.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com