June started out very slow but so far in July things have really been picking up! We are King fishing, I have my friends Deck Hand, Tyler for a couple weeks! Tyler is awesome, I don't think I will be able to let him go! I'm not sure what I will do when Tyler is done with me.
Things have been going great!

Alaska so far.

Hi all, it's Jodi! Sorry we are not doing so well at updating the blog so far. We don't have wifi and sometimes don't even
have cell phone service!

I've been here for just over two weeks and Dad has been here about three weeks or so. It's been a slow start so hopefully big finish! 

Our boat F/V (Fishing Vessel) Myrth is a wooden boat made in 1946 in Sitka, AK. The boat probably weighs 50,000 to 60,000 pounds depending on what she's got on board. 

I've done a lot of painting on the outside of the boat which has helped the looks a lot! But salt water seems to ruin everything so I'm sure a lot of it will show wear by the end of the season! 

Dad powerwashed to boat and we put a new coat of copper paint on the bottom below the water level, it seals the bottom of the boat so wood eating worms don't get into it as well as some other stuff that most won't understand! ;) 

Dad and his buddy Kelvin on another boat put new zincs on the boat, worked on the hydraulics, water heater, tattletales (bobbers), and lots of other things. It's about like anything a person owns, there is always some work to be done! 

As for fishing, (why we are here!) 

-We were hoping to catch many Chum Salmon by now, but our salmon count is sadly still at 0. Every year is different and you can't predict when fish will come through or if they will even bite. A majority of the Salmon Trollers don't start until July 1 when the King Season opens on the outside waters (Gulf of Alaska)

We are heading to Southern Chatham Strait at 4am which will be a couple day journey. When we get there and on our way we will be fishing for Kings so wish us luck! 

Last year a lot of the boats were catching between 250-750 Chum Salmon a day at this point. So I'm pretty disappointed because I was hoping to see a lot of that type of action. There are lots of boats tied up to the docks, which isn't a normal thing at this point in the game. We are all going a little bit crazy! Lots of the Trollers around are super nice and extreemly helpful! It's been fun meeting new people and learning tips and tricks and sharing stories with everyone. There are obviously a few know it alls that drive me a bit crazy but they are everywhere so yeah! 

Sounds like we've got lots of rain back home since we've been gone! Crazy! 

The weather here is unbeatable. Perfect in my opinion! We've had a few cold rainy days but that's to be expected here. 

Most of my good pictures so far are on my camera but I will try to share a few from my phone. 

We caught some bright orange Rock Fish and a nice size Halibut, both were awesome eating! I'm lucky to have Dad here to cook it up perfectly for me! 

The mountains are beautiful! I've got to see lots off whales, porpoises, some bears, sea otter which I call (sea dogs), interesting fish, lots of Eagles!  It's been an interesting trip so far, lots of strange excitement. 

Hopefully we will see fishing pick up very soon! I hear where we are headed is beautiful so I'm excited for that! 

Until next time! 

Wish us luck! :) 

Here we go again!

I am excited about another adventure in Southeast Alaska. I am on my way to Juneau, AK with Kenny where I will board my new fishing vessel! When we get to Juneau we will do some stocking up on groceries and gear. Once we get settled in I will learn the ropes of my new boat. I purchased F/V Myrth this winter and I'm excited and nervous about doing this on my own! It's great to get away where when you see the beauty of Alaska you know there is a God! Kenny has been a great teacher these past few years and will be near me most of the time! After things are settled in Juneau Kenny and I will head to Hoonah where Kenny will get on his boat the Sidney, the boat I was on the past few summers.

I'm thankful for everyone back home taking care of things while I am gone. I've been dreaming about this for many years now and I'm hoping that this will be another great and prosperous experience! Hoping the fishing is great so I can make some money! Thank you to Kaleb for getting Ken and I to Denver, we appreciate it and will see you later this summer!

My daughter Jodi will also be joining me for at least a few weeks we hope! I'm not sure she knows what she is getting herself into. She will arrive in less than a week. I need to clean the boat a little bit before she arrives! 

I hope to keep this as updated as possible but it will depend on where we are! Most places we will not have any internet connection so when we get back to port and have time hopefully I will be able to show you some pictures and let you know how things are going! Cellphones will also not work the majority of the time, praise the lord. 

Until next time!

I'm Home

Well after 2 weeks of slow fishing the Capt decided to head 200 miles north to Hoonah. That would have taken 3 days out of my allowed time and I opted to come home from Craig, Ak via Ketchikan. The last couple days were so dismal we tried to catch a few Halibut for me to bring home and we could not even get a Halibut to bite.
Like Ken told me before I left, "Joe You have seen the good the bad and the ugly." No matter what kind of luck we had this was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I have found something in life I would like to have a chance to experience again. Someday I hope to own my own Troller and explore all of Southeast Alaska.
The last week we travelled back to Sea Otter Sound and caught a few but not enough to keep Ken there. So We headed back south of Craig and fished off of Dall Island and had even less success. That was all Ken could handle and he decided to head north to Cross Sound and then on to Yakutat in August.
I wish him and Scruffy the best and thank them for the Fantastic time I had. Someday I hope Ken is my runnin buddy in the Troll Fleet. His knowledge of the Ocean and Fishery helped me see that this was a life and occupation I would enjoy doing 3 or 4 months a year. His runnin buddy Dave said it best to me one night on the dock. He said Joe "It's like waking up every morning on vacation, you are excited at what you might see and may experience." And he was right, I know it sounds crazy but I really did enjoy going to bed early and getting up at 3:30 or 4 every morning, because I was excited about what i might see, catch or experience that day. I felt completely at home living on the boat no matter how cramped it seemed. Hopefully someday I will be able to return.
Kenny showed me his journal from the year before and the Coho fishing was off the charts in mid July in 2009 and this year was an utter disappointment, but that's why they call it fishing.
When I left the float plane dock in Craig it was 49 degrees, when I got to Denver and Janet and my parents picked me up it was 101 degrees. That's when reality hit that my dream was surely over. I was ready to be home but I definitely could have spent the rest of the season up there.
Well if I ever do get a troller I would love to have some of my friends come up and spend sometime with me and see what this lifestyle is all about.
Thanks for reading and hope I did not bore you to death.
Thanks
Joe

I added a few pics

the bottom left picture looks like we are on a river and that is a 6 knot tide rip coming through a narrows area, we had boat running 1500 rpm which usually means you are going 7-9 kph and we were only creeping along at 1 knot per hour. Had to watch tress on bank to make sure you were even moving. The big King Salmon on pit table with Gaff behind is a big King, that gaff is 30 inches long and the fish is at least a foot longer. Then there is my buddy Scruffy, best fishing dog in S.E. Alaska. The 2 fish I am holding is a 20 and a 30 pounder loading the tote at Cannery. ANd the other pick is Rocky Pt. where Sea Otter Sound meets the Open Ocean. And a beautiful RARE (for this summer) sunrise, the float dragging behind the boat is called your float bag and there is a 50 pound cannonball under that float. That is how they keep all the 4 lines from tangling. They trail the boat 40-60 ft and off to the side 20-30 ft. And the picture of the fish on the deck was after a 15 minute flurry. I got to where I could clean a King in 1 minute and a Coho in 45 seconds.

only a few days left

Well 3 or 4 more days of fishing and its back to reality and hot summer weather. Although I am a little sick of this Liquid Sunshine and highs in the low 60's I am not ready for the heat.

Well the fishing the last four days has been sporatic. We had one great day and one decent evening and 2 days that were horrible. We ended up in 3 and a half days with just a few over 100 Cohos. Ken showed me his daily log from last year and he had 337 in 2 and a half days last year. One of the problems is the weather, the ocean where the big schools of cohos still are is windy and the seas have been 10-15 ft and Ken does not want to subject me to that which I do appreciate in some ways. Hopefully the weather will clear a little bit on my last 4 day trip out. But according to the weather report it does not look good, so we will be fishing inside I am sure. There has been some huge minus tides and Ken hopes it starts sucking some more Cohos into the inside bays.

The jellyfish have been just absolutely terrible in some places and everytime I wipe my face I inadvertently wipe a little bit of jelly slime off and get that wonderful burning sensation for 20-30 minutes. Saturday I was scrubbing some of the jellyfish off of the spoons and the wind hit and got a nice little shot right into my right eye. Wow what a great feeling that was. But Ken said all u can do is just wait it out.

Since King Salmon season ended we have not been getting up until 430 or 5, Ken calls it bankers hours. Spend a couple hours a night reading and writing in my journal.
Today Ken wants to try and get me to a spot so we can catch a few Halibut for me to take home. Since the fishing is so slow I guess it is ok, but I would rather fish for salmon.

While in Sea Otter Sound this past week there were a lot of whales and bunches of Sea Otters. I need a camera with a bigger zoom, as they are boat shy and when you get within 50 yards of them they dive and go off another 50 yards and just watch you. Saw one Dolphin this week and thats about it besides the birds. Lots and Lots of Bald Eagles and Divers and Sea Hawks and other waterbirds.

Life on the boat is kinda cramped but I love it. Its kinda like Camping.
This Coffeeshop is rocking like the ocean, its funny while your on the boat its just fine and you have your sea legs and when you get on land everything is moving like the ocean. Wierd!

Talk to you all soon, thanks to everyone again for making this possible for me.

Well I need to go get propane and a couple Halibut Jigs and get ready to head out. I will be back in less than a week. Anxious to see everyone.

Sopme pics before I leave. The "Mary" Kens running buddies boat tied up in Craig at the fish dock.

A sunrise where you could actually see the sun. 5 days so far I have seen the sun.

Passing a Coast Guard Cutter. They called us on the radio wanting to know our passing plans. Was kinda cool, Ken was worried they wanted to board and inspect. Thank Goodness that did not happen.

Look at these goofy looking fish, a Idio and some other kind of Rock Bass. The eagles love them.
Sorting and grading fish at the SPC Fish buying terminal.

Gotta Go Ken just called

Slow Week

Well it's tyhe 9th of July and King Salmon season was closed last night at midnight, they are on a quota system for summer Kings. Once the allotment is caught they close the season and give u one days notice. So we had to come to town and sell the fish we had caught the last 4 days. The first 2 days were pretty good but the last 2 were terrible. Once again the forecast for 10-15mph winds was way off and both days we tried fishing the ocean only to get beat up by the rough water. We tried some different inside waters but did no good.
Now Cohos will be our only target and we will be fishing calmer waters on the inside as not many Cohos have moved in close to the beach on the ocean. Will be nice to fish some calmer water that is for sure. I have all the white knuckles I want to have for awhile.

Saw a couple Killer Whales this week and not nearly as many Humpback Whales. There are not many Puffins where we have been fishing. 2 days ago we got into a nice school of Cohos and a couple SeaLions came in and spoiled our fun. They plucked a half a dozen off of our lines and Kenny got frustrated and pulled the gear. In the rough water its hard to tell when the fish hit and when a Sea Lion takes on it rattles the wire like a bow string getting released. Usually when you pull up the gear your missing the lure and sometimes they even bust the flashers off. When the get a fish they come to the surface and rip them apart. They fling them up in the air, shaking thier heads taking chunks of the fish till they have them where they can eat them. We tried Seal Bombs and other tactics but we could not shake them.

I caught another BIG King on Tuesday right before we quit for the day, probably 38-40 inches long and it had to wiegh close to 50 pounds. It was definitely a knee knocker, gets your adrenaline flowing.

Well the Capt just called and it is time to eat and get busy, heading back out for 5 days at least. Thanks again to everyone at home for taking up the slack while I am gone. I will pay all of you back somehow. I love this life and never tire of the beauty and in awe of the power of the ocean. The work is not that hard but the hours are long and I think I have lost another 10 pounds, I will be done to fightin wieght by the time I get home.
Hey Hunter I heard you were a STUD in the Kiddie Parade!! I miss u and Breckie andall my friends and family.

Gotta go Thanks everyone

Oh yeah ended up with about 80 fish last 4 days, Bad Bad bad