Season Updates
August 10th, 2008
Saltwater Fishing, River Fishing
First I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this update. I was waiting for pictures to be sent from the guests of the past weeks. Next thing I know I haven't done an update for four weeks. Hopefully this update is worth the wait.
We had a group that came up last fall, return to do some summer fishing. They worked extremely hard their entire trip. They were fishing like they had an army to feed at home. They would wake up early and go saltwater fishing in the morning. When they returned from fishing on the boat they would get a bite to eat and then head right out to the rivers to do some more fishing. It makes for a lot of work but also a lot of fish to take home. They went home with 500 pounds of fish. They even had to adjust their travel plans to accommodate all their fish. Impressive considering most groups go home with about 200-250 pounds of fish. They haven't sent me any pictures to post either.
This week we had family and friends at the lodge so we got to play a little bit this week. The weather has been amazing this summer with almost every day being calm, clear, and if anything, too warm. It does make for some good photos though. Whales have been feeding where we fish almost every day. It's impressive to see such a large animal move gracefully through the water.
The Coho Salmon fishing has been good on saltwater. They are nice big fish so far and they should just get bigger. Today the charter boat came back with 17 Coho Salmon and a few rock fish mixed in. They also pulled their crab pots and brought home a pile of dungeness crab. That's a good day on the water. There have also been some Coho caught in the rivers but we need a little rain to bring in some more.
The river fishing will also just get better as fall approaches. The Pink Salmon are really starting to fill the bays and rivers. If you like constant action this is the time of year to fish the streams. The Pink Salmon are always willing biters and they come into the streams in huge numbers.
Deer hunting opens for non-residents on federal land August 15th. The regulations say deer hunting opens August 1st, but that is only on state land. The residents have been out hunting and I have seen a some nice bucks harvested. The deer are still in velvet and are just starting to rub. This time of year I don't know whether to go hunting or fishing. It's a good problem to have.
The Black Bears have been up on the hillsides eating berries. With the moist summer we have had so far the berries are thick and the bears a stuffing themselves. That should make for good hunting on the hills this fall. I think the bears will take a little longer to get onto the fish. Keep that in mind if you are coming up to hunt.
Kenji King
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska