Back from Alaska! Now with pics!: Steelheader.net- Steelhead, Salmon and trout fishing

Got back Friday from Alaska. Good food, great weather, good fishing, bad photo card.

The first two days were spent golfing at Wrangell's Muskeg Meadows. A nice little 9 hole golf course that you must stop by if you are ever there. I got a few looks golfing in my Xtra-tuffs and shorts, but I was comfortable.

Spent the next 4 evenings at the Fireweed Lodge in Klawock, as Ruth Ann's was full. Met THE Ruth Ann.

The lodge is really nice. Nice enough that my wife would sleep there. Great breakfasts, and they have a lunch buffet table where you pack your own lunch, and they have everything you would want for lunch. I would definitely stay there again. Staff was great.

Fished for 3 days from my client's 33' Coastal twin diesel boat, "Deductable". Got one small king (36") and let that go as they had to be 48". WTF? Got into silvers, and a few pinks. Picked up a few yellow eye, some slot limit ling cod, including one that was beating up on a quillback I had hooked. Something fun about netting a legal ling cod that was never hooked. He puked up an octopus that was later used as bait for halibut.

Best fish of the trip for me was a 40lb halibut. We were fishing for silvers in about 60 feet of water, so I was working my bait top to bottom. I dropped down to the bottom, and started reeling when I thought I was snagged. I was a bit concerned, as I was using my Sage 290, a Chronarch, and 30lb Power Pro. I gave it a slight tug, and then line started ripping against the tide. At least I now know I can land a 40lb halibut on that rod. Later on that day I also landed 28lb and 18lb butts, also in very shallow water. That was fun.

Headed over to Wadleigh Island, a small island near Klawock, after the boring bankers left. Hooked up with my client who owns a section there, and proceeded to hunt deer with a 12 year old boy from Modesto who was there the year before. We hunted hard, covering 9+ miles per day. Saw 22 deer total, but not a single buck. We also ran into 3 black bears. A sow and cub at about 65 yards, and a big boar at about 15 yards. That was pretty cool. It was also the first time I ever hunted in shorts. It was warm and sunny every day of my trip and I only wore pants the first day there. From then on, I wore shorts, and the bugs were non-existant.

We also caught a few monster crab, includng one that was over 9 inches across the back.

The bummer of the trip is that I'm having issues getting the photos off teh card. I'll try again and update the post tomorrow.

Andy

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"Give me the anger, fish! Give me the anger!"

Be like Big Stick!