Alaska trip 7/20-25/2020 part one.

Makairaa

Well-Known Member
#3
Alaska is an incredible place. Looks like you had a great trip. Great write up as usual also. The price of the 2nd halibut is based off what the lodge pays the state for commercial quota. The lodges are allowed to buy (not all do) commercial qouta to allow their anglers to keep a second halibut of any size. The lodge then charges the angler a fee to repay their expenditure on the qouta. The regs up there are crazy. I have gone up there twice to a do it yourself lodge. Each side of the island has different regs and every river has its own regs. All part of the fun.
 
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Red Fish

Senior Member
#8
Here is a link to my recent trip report about fishing in Alaska.

Hope you like it.


http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?p=309597#post309597
Wow, nice pictorial Hashem. Don't think I'll ever make it there, but I get more of an idea with your pictures than when I watch like Angler West TV. I might go out in Eureka and see if I can get a chicken around 100# but that is "big" for there I believe. Great pictures of the three humpbacks together. I saw a baby humpback in SF Bay off Ferry Point Pier this year and Dom Becerra and I saw an adult in SF Bay inside the bay in 2006 when we were in his small runabout boat between San Mateo and Dumbarton Bridges up close (as we decided to NOT go too close in a 15' glass boat. I have also seen migratory humpbacks at Pt. Reyes years ago on a college field trip from way atop the cliffside. Orcas, my mom saw all that stuff up close when she went to Alaska as well as polar bears etc. Orcas have been sighted outside of SF Bay on occasion too as well as freakish El Nino stuff we see here from time to time like the bluefin tuna being caught 10 miles out of Half Moon Bay and the striped marlin caught years ago some miles out from SF Bay as well. The most unusual thing I saw the other day fishing near Berkeley Pier was a California Harbor Porpoise. I read that they used to inhabit the SF Bay with some frequency before WW11. The water quality is making a come back, so the article said that in 2008 they noticed a comeback with small pods being photographed from the pedestrian bridge with long lenses each year to include a few bottle-nosed dolphins. Thanks for sharing your trip! I will PM you one or two questions I have about gear used on the trip. You are fortunate to have a wife that will allow you to go to Alaska with out her.
 

Mahigeer

Senior Member
#9
Thanks Robert.

I will post answer to your questions her, in case it would help other members.



Hashem, I have about two questions.

1. I saw you were using salmon/steelhead rods for the salmon. Did you use downriggers? What main-line and leader line?


Yes; we used down riggers to put one lure about 50 feet and one about 70 feet depth. There is a learning curve to set the hook with downriggers. The first day we had four rods out. Two on downriggers and two close to surface.

The captain kept setting the downrigger rods and then give it to us to reel. The second day I told the captain that “I” will set the hook with my assigned rod. Others followed me too.

I had my own new Okuma left handed reel with line counter. However, I farmed some fish and it was decided that maybe due to Briad line with mono top-shot, I was pulling the hook off. I switched to his right-hand reel with #30 all mono. The landing ratio was increased.

Who knows if that was the difference. Given the fact that others also farmed fish with captain's setup.

Not sure what the very short (24”) leader was. Most likely Mono.



2. On the halibut, I'm thinking about 2-300' down? Okay, sliding sinker and how much weight? Did you bring any of your own rods/reels?

Our captain liked to fish for halibut in about 180 feet. Depending on the speed of the tide, we used 2-4 lbs. sinkers, with lighter sinker closer to stern.

I took my left handed reels, but no rods. I used theirs. I took about $350.00 worth of new lures, rigs, juice, etc. But only used very little of it.


Since the fish would be divided in four, and if my setup did not produce, it would not receive a positive response. Even cause a resentment.

Thus, I decided to forgo any further use of my rigs. I can always try them in California.


By the way, Alaska Airlines, allows rod tube and a small tackle box as one item for check-in. The fee would be as normal luggage and not an oversize item.



Feel free to ask questions. I will do my best to answer them here.