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
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.
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