Alaska: Still open water fishing in November! Couple of feeder kings

Wow, just wow...
So mesmerizing...

Thank you for the pics & video report!!!

Can you catch king crab from your yak. That was a great show. I'm sure too cold for me too.

I think it is funny how folks think they have to run so far from Homer to get into fish. Great video and great salmon. I miss it up there but I may never return seeing how bad it is becoming up there.

I see you're location is Anchorage.  Are you driving down to Homer to fish?  Or are you staying closer to home and doing Whittier or Seward?  I know they catch a good number of salmon right off the rocks there at Whittier (near the ferry terminal) when they are running.  I'm not sure how the fishing is in close to Seward though.  My boat (Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore out of Cordova) used to pull into the railroad pier in Seward a decent bit.  It was always during the middle of winter though so I never did any fishing while there.  I would imagine there has to be some type of salmon run there though.  I do love seeing your pics here and over on the Hobie forum.  It always makes my day and has me wishing to be back up there.  I may try and get stationed back up there somewhere in 2017 when I transfer again.  I'm thinking Valdez, Kodiak, or possibly back to Cordova!

I do live in Anchorage and its a 200 mile drive one way.  I can drive it almost literally while asleep.  Fortunately for me, I grew up in Kenai and my parents still live there so I do have a place to stop. 

Seward has strictly been a coho fishery and its been spotty close to town.  Whittier for anything other than jigging up herring or dropping shrimp pots is worthless for fishing.  And not to sound to snobby about my fish, but I fill my freezers with sockeyes and kings.  Cohos are given to friends and smoked. 

Valdez has been spotty for cohos as well. Killer in 2011 and 2013, but cohos were a no show in 2012 and 2014.  No clue why.  The gulf of Alaska is 5 deg warmer than normal.  That's a LOT.

If it was just strictly outdoors stuff, i think I would choose Kodiak. 

I think it is funny how folks think they have to run so far from Homer to get into fish. Great video and great salmon. I miss it up there but I may never return seeing how bad it is becoming up there.

In many ways I agree.  That's why kayak fishing has been such a savior.  Can launch from anywhere.  Avoid the crowds for the most part.  I'm deeply bummed about the situation in the Kenai River.  It;s my home river.  But like the salmon down south, I have confidence that the current fluctuation is due to ocean conditions and will come back around as per the Pacific Decadal Oscillation theory predicts.

Not that I have the monopoly on fishing in Alaska, but if you like, I have a tons of videos up and I think most will show an Alaska that is more along what the general public may thing fishing in Alaska is like.  Not the combat fishing that so may of us now deal with when on shore or even from a boat in the most crowded spots.  Alaska still has its opportunities even close to Anchorage.  C'mon up.  With a little planning, even on a budget, Alaska can still be one of the last frontiers...especially for kayak fishing!!!

Can you catch king crab from your yak. That was a great show. I'm sure too cold for me too.

.  T
Ther is an opportunity but they are golden king crabs meaning they are 3,000 or more feet deep.  Ouch.  There is a tanner crab (snow crab) fishery in Homer that opens every few years.  The most consistent shellfish we catch around here are spot shrimp.  Even that is a PITA given we are dropping pots 400 to 600 ft down.  Still it can be done off a kayak! 

Here's my method:

Last Saturday. Still fishing out of a kayak. That typhoon really warmed things up here.  Today's lesson: perseverance pays off.

Started at 9am. O'fer two on real kings till 3:30 pm. Was going to call it a day until one of my guide buddies admonished me for thinking about leaving before the tide change.  But sunset is at 5pm! I don't want to drive back in the dark.

Good thing I stayed. From 3:30 to 5pm I had 6 or 7 takedowns and went 3 for 3 on ten pound kings.

These are feeder kings are a lot like the puget sound black mouths.  Smaller but tastier!!!