Fishing was slow again this week. We fished a 24 hour opener, and only caught one fish the first day. On day 2, as the noon closure came near, the fishing picked up and we got a dozen or so. The fishery was then extended 24 hours, but the captain had to get in for family affairs. So, we bought fish from one of our fisherman. We tied the two boats together, and passed fish across. As we did so, a medium sized humpback porpoised again and again, swimming all around the boats, within 30 yards at times. Quite a sight.

Perhaps the biggest revelation was from my quasi-fishing partner, who I’ve known now for a couple years. We were talking about his granddaughter and daughter in law being in town. I knew his son was a doctor back east, and asked where his wife was from. He said “Toronto”, then said – didn’t I ever tell you her dad is Ken Dryden? My jaw dropped. He knew I knew, having grown up in the north east, who Ken freakin’ Dryden is. Funny thing is, his son didn’t when he met his daughter! I told my fishing partner I was headed to Toronto in August, and was going to call Ken and say I fished with his son in law’s dad, and could he lend me his truck for the day so I could go shopping…
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

We finally put together a backyard fireplace, and I’ve been using it the past several days, eating a late dinner after fruitless sport fishing for king salmon. Last night, I was looking with binoculars across Gastineau Channel to the mainland mountainside behind Juneau at a white spot I thought might be a mountain goat. As I looked and saw it was snow, I did see a black bear cross behind it. I watched the bear for awhile, and then glassed up to the cliffs, and sure enough, there WERE three goats up there.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Went hooter hunting yesterday, and it’s been a long time since I last went out. Hooters are large blue grouse that live in the spruce forest here in Southeast Alaska. They get their name from the hooting mating calls the males make at this time of the year. It sounds like blowing into a bottle.

I could hear them up on the mountainside as I anchored the boat. The tide was flooding, so I attached the anchor and chain to the bow line of the boat, and walked the chain up the beach as far as it would stretch, then stomped the points into the sand. I then pulled a line tied to the anchor up above tide line a tied it off to a snag. This way, I could pull in the anchor and my boat when I returned.

I headed up the mountain. It’s the same area where we hunt deer. The deer had eated almost every skunk cabbage, as they all were nubbed down. This was in contrast to Horse Island, where the skunk cabbage were in full bloom with few nubbed down.

As I got up through the brush to the base of the mountain, I heard a hooter and headed to the sound. I moved a doe and a yearling ahead of me as I got to the base of the mountain. I found the tree the hooter was in with little trouble. Hoot, hoot, hoot. The bird didn’t care I was down there. Round and round the tree I went. The trouble was, I couldn’t find the hooter. I spent an hour or more circling the tree, craning my neck skyward. I finally gave up.

I heard a few more birds well up the ridge, and didn’t have the gumption to go up and get them. I headed parallel to the tree I had heard the first bird, and never heard another one on my level or lower. Seems like there aren’t as many birds as there were last time. We used to get them down near the beach. So the winters have probably been hard on the birds like they have on the deer.

When I finally headed back down the hill, I saw another yearling or 2 year old about half way down through a muskeg. It took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at me. I stopped and watched it until it wandered off. I continued on, and caught the deer looking at me from the edge of the muskeg. I stopped again, and we stared at each other for awhile, until it finally drifted into the woods.

I got to the boat exhausted, and was happy to see a can of warm diet coke. I got the boat anchor in, and idled off the beach, enjoying the soda. I got back to the cabin, where there was still snow in the yard.

I got up early today and tried king salmon fishing. I fished for 4 hours or so without a bite. The north wind was blowing a little, making it lumpy the whole time. May is the best month in Juneau. Sunny almost every day, and rain is actually somewhat of a relief.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

After several days of near or actual 70 degree weather, clouds moved in yesterday, and the temperature dropped right now. I thought this would be the day king salmon fishing picked up.

My buddy Jeff picked me up on the way to the boat rame with his 14′ lund and brand new 20 hp 4 stroke outboard. As we launched the boat, I told Jeff I thought this would be our day (after several days of being skunked). We motored the short distance from the ramp to the fishing hole, and dropped our lines. I cut a small “plug”, and put it on one of my old commercial trolling hooks.

After days of sun, we had light rain and no wind. Perfect salmon fishing weather. We fished for about an hour before the low tide until and hour and half past. As we fished through an area called “the pocket” in about 20 feet or less of water, a nice fish hit my herring twirling from my hook.

I’ve learned not to “horse” kings in – probably from my days as a fishing guide, where you really couldn’t do that when you fish from shore. A smooth drag and limber rod and patience were what you needed. So, it seemed to take me forever to get the fish in. And of course with Jeff wearing his bright red float coat and holding the net, we drew a crowd of boats. As the battle continued, I heard remarks like “maybe he’s got a marlin on there” and “must be a derby winner” from the boats, as even regular conversation carries so far over water – adding more and more pressure on both Jeff and I. Many a fish has been lost at the net, and Jeff knew that as well as I. I couldn’t even remember if I’d changed the line on the reel in this century.

We finally got it in, and both of us let out a collective sigh. I was all for fishing, as the action had warmed me up inside my ill-fitting raingear. But Jeff wanted to quit and get the fish weighed for our local derby, as of course he was cold from all the standing and waiting. I knew the fish was not a contender, but happy to oblige. We got it weighed, then back to Jeff’s house, where I butchered the fish and handed it out to the neighborhood. As I was on the way home with a few steaks for us, I got a call from my moose hunting partners, so dropped off fish for my wife’s dinner, then took some out to my friends and cooked dinner.

It’s been about 10 years since I had king fever, fishing most everyday before my job as a state salmon manager, near our house with a fishing rod from our skiff. I think I have it again. Getting the fish on, I think, is the most exciting part. Then it’s a sweat to see if you’ll land it. And a relief if it finally gets to the net. But that initial hook up, especially if you are actually holding on to the rod rather than having our pole in the rod holder, is the rush. And you don’t realize until you don’t fish for a long period how the sea, the sea birds, seals, and other fishermen helps to calm the nerves and just relax.

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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

We had so much snow this winter, after it filled my skiff, the weight broke the trailer axle. So, I ordered a new one, and got it on on Friday, after running back out to NAPA to be sure I was putting it together correctly. No directions came with it at all, and it was not at all like the axle I was replacing.

I finally get the boat launched, and the big motor starts right up and off we go. I thought I’d start the 3 hp outboard I bought for trolling and which has never run right after the first couple of hours I ran it. I changed out and flushed all the fuel, and it started right up at the house. When I got it to fire, it would start, and then die. Start and die. Just like it always did. So, I decided just to get on with my trip to our cabin, and the big motor started doing the same thing. It would start right up, but die when I gave it throttle. (and no, they both didn’t come from the same gas tank). This went on for 15 minutes, and I finally thought I better try to choke the big outboard in and out to limp it back to the dock. It finally decided to go, and I bypassed the dock, made a U turn, and waited for it to die again. It never did, so off to the cabin.

I met a troller friend who has a cabin on the same island. I asked if he was busy, then saw what I thought was a broken foot cast. Turns out he has diabetes, and it’s causing all kinds of havoc – amputated toes, blistered feet, etc. Made me again feel lucky for all I have.

Got in to the cabin, and started reading old Southeaster magazines about life in Southeast Alaska. Reading stories about Pelican and other places made me want to get going on buying another boat so I can get back out to these places.

I awoke this morning to hooters (blue grouse) booming from the tree tops on Admiralty. I knew the skiff wasn’t anchored much above high tide, so I thought I better just get down there to it, and decided not to go hunting alone. The boat was barely floating, and so lucky I got there when I did before the tide turned. Another scorcher day.

When I got home, I changed out the fuel filter on the big motor, and put brand new fuel in the little motor. My friend Jeff and I went hunting around low tide. To my delight, the little motor started and ran like a sewing machine for 2 hours. Then it died. It started right up again, then died. Start and die. Just like before. It is definitely going into our next garage sale.

Must have been over 70 degrees out there today, which made for poor king salmon fishing. We didn’t see any fish caught in all the boats or from all the people casting from shore. Weather is going to change in the next day or two, and that will likely move some fish on in.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

The days are getting longer and longer. Now nearing 18 hours of sun I’d guess. It’s been about zero degrees, but the wind is nasty and makes for bitter cold.

The snow is drifting up now not unlike a desert. The fine grains that I see going across the road look like sand, not snow flakes. The landscape looks like an ocean with 2 foot waves frozen in a picture.

I’ve been reading a book about the explorer Nansen, who tried for the North Pole in the late 1800’s. They went for years on their trek, with no cell phone, no GPS, no fiberglass or steel boat, and only a rudimentary early steam engine to supplement sail power. They made all their own stuff as they went, from Kayaks to skiis to sleeping bags to tents. They shot polar bears, and used the hides for shelter and sleeping. Who knows how to treat a hide these days for those kind of wares? Or who knows how to use a sextant to find latitude/longitude? Who even knows what a sextant is? I can’t imagine taking off on a trip like that today with all our modern products, and these guys did it routinely. It makes you wonder who would be left living in the event of a catostrophic event.

Life up here on the north slope is certainly the height of artificial. Few spend much time in the unheated out of doors, with most quick dashes from a warm building to the always idling vehicles. Some days I wish I could take off on a day long cross country ski excursion, but that would be frowned upon as unsafe – which of course it would be since I’m as soft as the next text messager.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com