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

Amazing pics. I'd be looking forward to this trip next year for sure.

BTW, the above banded rockfish is a Tiger Rockfish as far as I can tell with 5 stripes against a pink background.

Holy crap..... 45 lb plus Pacific halibut on kayak.... Yahoo!
When's the next trip.  I wanna go!

Great pics!

Good job guys.... and Pat!

Very nice!

Wow!  Those are some great pictures.  I would love to go on a trip like.  Glad to see you guys had such a great time.

That striped one is definitely a tiger rockfish. The one on the cooler is a Silvergray rockfish, and the mystery one during the week with the lateral line is a redstripe rockfish.

I thought the trip went pretty well. You're all an easy going, laid back, and overly generous group. Thanks for sharing such a tight space in the cabin. Especially you Pat! Nice to see the support for each other out there. I always seem to fish alone on my private time and it took some getting used to everyone staying close to each other and talking on the radios. It felt like 'true Alaska' out there to me. Nobody else fishing around us, catching your dinner, bears, solitude, and a variety of weather. That's what I moved here for. Tides went from 10 ft. the day everyone arrived to 21 ft. yesterday when you all left. Unfortunately Ketchikan has become a theme park for the cruise ships. There's cheesy tours, people standing around in costumes, and general mayhem on the dock. It was great to get out in the bush for a few days.

Thanks again for coming on this pilot trip. This is the direction I'm pushing for my biz to go, and the trips will only get better from here. Sorry I missed you all before you left. Friday was a full load with 11 kayaks on the water. I missed you experienced folks! I came home and crashed until Sat at noon.

I thought one of the coolest things was the bear perusing all over the kayaks. We woke up to muddy kayaks with bear..well not really tracks but more like big mud smears all over the kayaks. It took a bite of herring, a salmon belly, and a baked potato out of the fire which had a perfect bear bite right out of it. That was cool for me since I do the downtown circus most of the summer.

There will be more trips next summer and I look forward to meeting more of the circle of kayak anglers from your group. Don't take it for granted that you have such a tight knit group of like minded people.

howard mckim

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip... Truly an epic trip with wonderful companions.

No, wait!  Here are a few more...

That striped one is definitely a tiger rockfish. The one on the cooler is a Silvergray rockfish, and the mystery one during the week with the lateral line is a redstripe rockfish.

The mystery one was a Greenstriped rockfish ... http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Rockfish-Game/description/greenstriped.htm.  The chart on the boat had this one as well.  In fact, it had over 30-35 rockfish listed.  Quite an impressive list of rockfish species.

-Allen

I thought the trip went pretty well.

howard mckim

'Pretty well'???  Geez, Howard, I'm going to remain pumped over this trip for quite awhile.  You planned everything to a tee, with great equipment, excellent meals (especially when delivered kayak-side), and a beautiful location.  The slow fishing just left me wanting more, always how you want to leave the crowd.

BTW: I especially will have something to take me back to Ketchikan for the next 6-8 weeks.  Found out this morning I've got a broken rib from a slip on the boat we rented Thursday.  So, when I want a reminder of Alaska, I'll simply poke myself in the ribs and smile...

-- Dave

BTW: I especially will have something to take me back to Ketchikan for the next 6-8 weeks.  Found out this morning I've got a broken rib from a slip on the boat we rented Thursday.  So, when I want a reminder of Alaska, I'll simply poke myself in the ribs and smile...

Aw man!  Now I feel really, really bad.  What Dave neglects to mention is that he slipped on blood on the deck from me bleeding a salmon inside the boat.    As soon as I started to bleed it Dave told me I really should bleed it over the side.  And before I got a chance to rinse the mess up, Dave took a dive.   

Dave man, I owe you many Alaskan Ambers ... payable upon demand.  I'll go get you one from the stream. 

-Allen

Hmmm, I think the body looks a lot more like the redstripe rockfish, except for that thing on the lower lip -   http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/groundfish/RockfishGuide/Rockfish_Pages/Redstripe_rockfish.htm  Either way a poor fighting fish!

Power boats are trouble Dave. If they're not stuck on the beach they're snapping windshield wipers or breaking people's ribs. Just more reason to stay on a kayak. Get well man. There's more adventures ahead.

Perhaps we caught both redstripe and greenstriped.  On the boat we caught a couple more that had more definite green to them and I don't recall the chin bump, so I think at least those ones were greenstriped.  That silvergrey in the picture was checked out by the fish checker at Clover Pass Resort.  She said it was an unusually large speciman at ~3.5#.

Oh ... one more thing.  We ran into "Goldenarrow" Patrick at Clover Pass Resort where he is working the docks.  I knew he was up there in Ketchikan, but didn't know where.  It was a pleasant surprise to run into him.  Howard, if you get a chance, can you look him up and get him out kayak fishing before he goes home in October?  I don't think he's been out on a kayak fishing trip up there yet, and I know he's missing it.

-Allen

Darn Dave!.........   You were certainly good humored about it.....even when we kept reviewing Brian's amazing catch..........   Even I was hurting every time that came up.

Howard, being a part of this entirely new venture went more than "pretty well".  We were in a new area for us all.  It was all exploration.  No lighted paths.  No "caution slippery surface" signs.  Instead the real admonition to really be careful because it would matter if we weren't.  And if we were careful, and fished hard, you would bring us lunch kayak side and coach us around the campfire or dinner table at night.

We were all moaning from over eating and pumped each day to find those fish and MAKE them bite.  We started to make headway at the end.

Oh and Randy makes an incredible smoked halibut chowder.......

Thanks for the opportunity to explore with you Howard.  It was priceless.

Awesome, Awesome trip you guys.  Looks like paradise to me... an excellent adventure.  You've definitely broken ground for the rest of us in future years... hopefull myself included eventually one of these years...

Now... we need to hear this "Brian's big one" story... I can't take it any longer...

EK

I'll start the Brian story, but Brian will have to finish it.

It was Tuesday.  I had headed out to this bank about 1.5 miles from camp.  The other had continued to the island to check out some structure around there.  I had butts on my mind so worked the bank all morning for 4 butts, 2 little guys that were released and 2 chickens that got the wood shampoo.  At lunch I paddled over to the beach where we had lunch for a break.  After lunch the decision was made to head back to the bank to give the butts another go.  We were getting a little action with Dave and I boating a true cod each and Brian getting 2 little butts (released).  Over the radio I hear, "Brian's hooked up and it looks like a good one".  So I reel up and paddle over.  Dave is already there offering support.  Brian has a line counter on his reel and he let's me know he has it up to 200 feet, but it's putting up a fight and Brian is having a hard time budging it.  "Should I tighten down the drag".  "NO!" both Dave and I yell, "tire her out a bit".  So at this point, it's give and take.  Brian gains some line, loses some line, gains some line, loses some line.  I think it took him 10 minutes to gain 10 feet of line.  Then it starts coming up.  At about 80 feet there is another struggle and Brian is having trouble gaining line again.  This time the decision was made to tighten down the drag a bit, but keeping in mind to losen it when the butt nears the surface.  Finally the fish starts coming up.  At about 40 feet Brian yells at us to smack the water and scare the fish back down.  You see, on the previous 2 large butts, we tapped the fish on the head when it first surfaced to send it on a run to  help tire it out.  Brian didn't want to wait for it to come all the way up so he was hoping we could scare her back down.  By this time Tim had joined Dave and me, and the 3 of us were frantically slapping the water with our paddles.  Imagine that site!  I wish we had a picture.  Brian tells us the fish is shaking its head, which makes us beat the water even more.  Anyway, the fish finally is nearing the surface and I ready my knife, club, and gaff.  The plan goes like this.  Tap the butt on the head, make it run, repeat a few times until it tires a bit.  Then slip a knife under its gill plate and slit some gills to bleed it.  Then when it is very calm, gaff it and apply the club.  Anyway ... I'm ready for the end game and am staring intently into the water for any sign of color.  I can't see the fish, but I do see his sinker coming up and let him know.  Brian says "it must be a butt if you can't see it".

Brian ... finish your story ...

-Allen