June’s Last Fishing Report from the Lodge at Whale Pass

June’s Last Fishing Report from the Lodge at Whale Pass

Late afternoon light from the Lodge.

Late afternoon light from the Lodge.

Last Sunday I did not fish. Even though it was raining I went for a walk, hoping the discover more about the local surroundings. Shortly after leaving the lodge I came upon a blacktail deer doe.

I could probably have roped this doe.

I could probably have roped this doe.

These critters are a lot less spooky than whitetails. The photo was taken with a wide angle lens. There’s not much to Whale Pass- a library, a public boat dock, a store whose hours are 6-9, twice a day (it wasn’t open when I got there), and that’s about it.

I got out on halibut boats three times this week. Once I was with Capt. Jared Cook, once with Capt. Kurt Gorlitz, and once with Capt. John Kumiski. Although the halibut limit is only one per person, we got limits on every trip. Trips I was not involved in also all got limits. I guess you would have to say the halibut bite has been consistent.

fishing report from the lodge at whale pass

Oday John has a halibut close to the boat.

fishing report from the lodge at whale pass

Lucas Ryter gaffs a halibut.

 

fishing report from the lodge at whale pass

Oday John and Oday with their halibuts.

Apparently slowing has been the trolling for salmon, both silvers and kings. At the start of the week we had an eleven fish day (after the halibut), but last time we tried we only got three bites, with one silver landed.

Yesterday Alex and I took Oday Lavergne and his son Oday John up into Sweetwater Lake for some trout fishing. Like the last time we went there, we had to wait again for the tide to flood the rapid so we could get in, which gave us some time to explore a little and get some photos. The water rose, the rapid became passable, and off we went.

kelp beds near whale pass

There’s lots of kelp growing around here.

You find a wide variety of sea stars here. This one is pretty straight up, though.

You find a wide variety of sea stars here. This one is pretty straight up, though.

The first place we tried we did not get a fish. I was shocked and dismayed.

The second place we tried was Hatchery Creek. I had long been of the opinion that every stream in North America had a path along it, made by bears if not people. This creek proved that assertion wrong. But I got several blackfly bites while bushwacking through the woods looking for the non-existent path. We got a handful of small cutthroats on a small marabou jig there.

As we headed back down the river we discovered that the flow had reversed. What the…??

Alex picked a narrow spot with good flow and said we should try fishing there, so we stopped. I didn’t expect much but Oday got one of the biggest cutthroat trout I’ve ever seen, a fish over 20 inches long and several pounds in weight. Both of the Odays also got smaller but still solid fish there, too. But the tide soon flooded out the spot.

fishing report from the lodge at whale pass

Afraid of dropping this trout, we never removed it from the net until we released it.

We went back to the first spot we had fished. There was still a rapid there, although now to current was flowing the other way. We got several more fish, all small side.

When we were done we headed back to Lodge Bay to look for silvers. We found them. The fish were lying at the surface with their fins out of the water, easy to see even though it was cloudy. Both Odays tossed Pixies at them and soon we had two six fish silver limits aboard, at which time our fishing ended. Not a bad day A-tall.

And that is this week’s Fishing Report from the Lodge at Whale Pass.

God bless America!

God bless America!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Summer Solstice Whale Pass Fishing Report

Whale Pass Fishing Report

Pagans everywhere! Celebrate the summer solstice!

Here at Whale Pass we celebrate such holidays by fishing, of course.

Morning view from the Lodge at Whale Pass.

Morning view from the Lodge at Whale Pass.

Our only guests this week were Linda Stern and her grandson William, both from New York. Tuesday Alex and I took them fishing for silver salmon in the quintessential Alaska weather, that is to say cold and rainy. There were quite a few fish around. It’s almost like fishing for schools of redfish. You can see the fish pushing a wake and attempt to have the lure intersect the fishes’ path. They are not as spooky as are Mosquito Lagoon reds, though. They hooked five, only to have four escape. Cold and wet by lunchtime, we took the three-minute boat ride across the bay, back to the lodge.

 

whale pass fishing report

Linda Stern with a nice silver salmon.

The weather improved and we went back out in the afternoon. The sun was peeking through the clouds now and again and the fish were there. So were a couple of seals.

If you’re fishing, seals are kind of like sharks in that they will steal your hooked fish from you. William had a salmon on when a seal grabbed it. We chased that seal around for a solid 10 minutes, and the seal finally let the fish go. We got it! We had a couple other close calls, where the seal was chasing a hooked fish but didn’t quite catch up to it. In spite of the seal harassment we got eleven more salmon, for a nice limit for two, a great way to start their fishing off.

 

whale pass fishing report

Salmon will strike spinners.

 

whale pass fishing report

That’s a lot of fine eating.

Yesterday I went out as a deckhand on the Thorne, captained by Jared Cook. The fishing party was a family from Oregon, with a pair of 11 year old fraternal twins.

We saw whales, sea lions, seals, and porpoises. I’m still looking for a good whale photo.

We first went fishing for halibut. Twin Robert caught the first one, a fish of 25 pounds or so. Then his sister got one. Then Mom got one. Then Dad got one. Very democratic, these fish.

The Etolin, one of the Lodge's vessels, on the halibut grounds.

The Etolin, one of the Lodge’s vessels, on the halibut grounds.

Having our limit, we went for rockfish next. They are lovely little fish but I wouldn’t target them. Too small a fish, too heavy tackle. My understanding is they are very long-lived and very slow growing, too. Best to leave them alone. You’ll catch them while fishing for salmon anyway. But we got the limit of these, too.

A type of rockfish, beautiful little fish.

A type of rockfish, beautiful little fish.

Then we went trolling for king salmon. Downriggers. Flashers. The whole thing was all new to me and I learned a lot. We got three kings, although only one was a legal fish of thirty inches.

Day over, we headed back to the dock where we had a fish cleaning party.

Thursday we went out as anglers with the Stern party on the Etolin, captained by Kurt Gorlitz, again fishing for halibut. Except for me, the bite was on! Eight halibut to about thirty pounds were brought to the boat, although half of them were released.

whale pass fishing report

Capt. Kurt swings a halibut aboard.

 

whale pass fishing report

Alex with his ‘but.

 

whale pass fishing report

William and Linda show a halibut double.

Thursday night we had a fish fry party in the rec room. Fresh halibut fish and chips, yum-mee! Darts, pool, foosball, and other games were played, and we had a faltering attempt at karaoke. A fabulous time was had by all.

The recreation room at the Lodge.

The recreation room at the Lodge.

Friday Alex and I took the jet boat out exploring. There are lots of rocks around here, and I mean rocks the size of mountaintops. We came to a rapid that was unrunnable when we got there. Kevin, the owner of the Lodge at Whale Pass, had told us that at low tide we couldn’t get past that spot. We beached the boat and went exploring while we waited. We followed a black tailed deer for a way. They run like cartoon deer, bouncing along on all fours like a big bunny.

We found some stars in a tide pool.

seastars

Kelp grows everywhere around here.

kelp

After an hour or so the water had risen enough that we could run the rapid. We did, and several others as well, ending up at a small stream where we caught some cutthroat trout, lovely creatures that we released.

whale pass fishing report

The wooly bugger did the trick on this cutthroat trout.

On the way back we got turned around a couple times, but found another spot for cutts. We were back at camp in time for dinner.

 

whale pass fishing report

Alex used a big orange streamer for this cutt.

And that is this week’s Whale Pass Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

 

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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  • Killer whale steals halibut from angler’s hook

Preliminary Whale Pass Fishing Report

Preliminary Whale Pass Fishing Report

Have you ever had a hummingbird stare you in the eye?

It’s been a tough week emotionally.

That having been said, Alex and I arrived here at the Lodge at Whale Pass before the guests. The lodge is in the middle of a renovation. There was not a lot of fishing going on.

whale pass fishing report

Not fishing, Alex works on the lodge.

Down on the dock I caught some sculpins, flounders, and another kind of panfish with which I was unfamiliar, all on a 1/2 ounce white bucktail jig.

Tuesday evening after supper Alex and I took a pair of kayaks across the small bay on which the lodge sits to a creek on the far side. We pulled the kayaks up the bank and went scouting up the creek. As we ascended we saw some fish, although we spooked them.

yakkin

We came to signs that said, “No fishing past this point.” Alaska Fish and Wildlife had placed them. We headed back downstream.

Alex was hot to catch a trout. The stream was small, so I found a pleasant place to sit, and watched him fish for a while.

 

whale pass fishing report

The stream was small with a low tide.

He didn’t get any bites so I decided to head back to the kayaks and wait down there. Maybe I could catch a sculpin on fly. I’d never done that before.

Of course as soon as I got away from him Alex hooked a big fish. I headed back, hoping to get some pictures, only to hear a string of obscenities. He’s quitting cigarettes and was a little edgy. He had lost the fish. No photos.

I followed my original plan. I caught a sculpin on a big olive wooly bugger I somehow got out there with my little four-weight. While I was examining the fish (they will get your attention) a salmon jumped out of the water nearby, although too far to reach with that fly. I waited and watched and soon they were rolling right in front of me.

 

whale pass fishing report

It certainly is an interesting looking fish.

One took the bugger. It was the hottest salmon I have ever hooked, jumping at least a dozen times and going deep into the backing. I had to chase it down the shoreline.

It was near the beach, nearly finished, when the hook pulled out.

A little disappointed, I went back to where I had been standing and started casting. Three casts in, the line again came tight.

Although strong, this fish was nothing like the previous one. In a few minutes I tailed it, a handsome buck silver salmon. I carried it up towards the trees, well away from the water. There I thanked the fish, then, wanting to eat it, I tore its gills and bled it out.

To carry it back to camp I bungeed it to the deck of the kayak, something I had never done before. It worked.

 

whale pass fishing report

The salmon, bungeed to my kayak.

Wednesday night I baked the fish and it formed the basis for our dinner. It was delicious.

Thursday morning I was stretching on the porch of the lodge. Alex’s fishing rod, sitting right in front of me, had a pink fly tied onto the leader. A hummingbird flew up and examined the fly. I could not believe how close it was to me. Then it came about eight inches from my nose and checked me out for a full fifteen seconds, most extraordinary. Then it blazed off the way hummingbirds do.

A couple of our fishing boats were launched Thursday, something I had nothing to do with. They just showed up at the dock. They are fine, seaworthy vessels and I cannot wait to get out in one. There is still more prep work to do on property, though.

And that is this week’s Whale Pass Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

 

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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