NCKA goes to Ketchikan, 9/2-9/9

Yep, a big smile on Pat's face...



-- Dave

One of the rare sunny days...



-- Dave

Such a stunning landscape...



-- Dave

Generally great conditions...



-- Dave

Brian, fighting..., well, I'll let him tell that story.



-- Dave

One of the 'bycatches' of fishing for halibut is a true cod...



-- Dave

Caught on the last drift of the last day of kayak fishing.  It was sweet.  45 inches, about 45 lbs.  Pacific hallies are amazingly fat compared to California ones.



-- Dave

Way to go guys.  What a great looking place!!  Your fish are amazing too.

jason

Even the fish are stunningly beautiful up there...



-- Dave

Jeeeezzzzzzzz......

Brian, fighting..., well, I'll let him tell that story.



-- Dave

Just thinking about that makes me laugh from my belly.  "Slap the water and make her run and play herself out!". 

Just picture Tim, Dave, and I slapping the water with our paddles while Brian is trying to reel in.   

-Allen

After 4 days in the woods on kayaks 10+ hours straight (ok, some bladder breaks), Tim, Brian, Allen, and I rented a nice 20' aluminum and fished the Ketchikan area...





Allen and Brian are two great salmon fisher guys, despite the tough salmon year up there.

-- Dave

On our last day fishing Dave caugt a couple humpies (pink salmon).   It's a bit late in the season for these so they have a bit of color.  One day over at POW (Prince of Wales) we paddled up a cove to some streams.  We ran into some humpies spawning in these small streams, no more than a few feet across.  Absolutely incredible.

-Allen

Despite the beauty, even more than the fish, what I'll remember are the 7 of us.  A great group to hang out with, rub elbows in cramped conditions, sleep next to on the floor, listen to snore, learn new techniques from, cry together while laughing too hard reliving Brian's fish story, and eat and drink with.

Thanks for a great trip Allen, Brian, Pat, Randy, Tim, and most of all, Howard...



-- Dave

Head shot of Pat's butt.   Notice the 16/0 circle hooked in the jaw.  This fish was going nowhere.  Caught on salmon bellies, which also caught that yelloweye she's holding too.

-Allen