tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50093714092061335642024-03-06T12:03:05.586-08:00Alaska FishingComments and musings, how-to instructions and suggestions about fishing in Alaska, particularly Southeast Alaska (The Panhandle) from a commercial fisherman, charterboat captain, fishing lodge owner and pilot with over 50 years of experience in fishing and aviation. Check out the website at http://www.alaskasbestlodge.comCaptain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-77670264914869029972018-12-05T16:35:00.001-08:002018-12-05T16:36:26.698-08:00Fuel and Water Don't Mix!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;">My life has always been an adventure! </span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;">Join me on this one for a wild ride.........</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.alaskasbestlodge.com/" target="_blank">Sportsman's Cove Lodge ~ Alaska</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlaskasBestLodge/" target="_blank">Facebook ~ Follow Us, Like Us!</a>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-56396481338334558012015-03-20T15:48:00.001-07:002018-12-05T09:28:42.363-08:00Still Healthy and not too Senile.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">To Our Treasured Guests,</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">It is an old axiom that everything is for sale if the right buyer
comes along. Such has been the case with the Lodge for at least the past 15
years. There have even been some serious inquiries during that time, including
one corporate group. Looming economic issues in 2008 made them reconsider.</span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">I am in my mid-seventies now, still healthy and not too senile and
there are lots of things left that Miss Patty and I would like to do, including
spending time with seven grandchildren before they disappear over the horizon
in search of their dreams and aspirations. And of course there’s the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Show Girl…</i>and the airplane!</span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Owning a top-rated lodge in Alaska, going fishing every day, and
rubbing elbows with some of the greatest people on the planet is the best job
in the world, and an enviable life-style. But it’s time to get serious about
some of the other things in life before it is too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">In the past we have hesitated to openly advertise the sale of the
Lodge or even list it with realtors for fear of making our loyal and cherished
guests nervous. It was always our hope that a like-minded investor would come
along that would ensure a seamless transition, so the Lodge could continue on
just as it always has and one day several years later someone would look up and
say, “What ever happened to Captain Mac and Miss Patty?” Finding that buyer is still
our goal, but the passive phase, waiting for that buyer to show up, is
changing. </span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">With that in mind, we wanted you, our valued guests and “Friends of
the Lodge” to be aware of an our efforts to sell the lodge. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">It represents a
new phase in our “desire to retire.” </span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">And, there’s another reason for bringing you into the loop: You know
who we are. You are aware of our business philosophies and how we operate. Our
guests are successful people. You may know someone, or some entity that would
be interested in the Lodge that would appreciate and carry on our traditions of
Service and our quest for excellence. By all means, let them know what is going
on, and let them know they can contact us anytime at 907-247-7252 to learn more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">In the meantime I wouldn't get too excited about any differences in
the operation in the foreseeable future. Nothing is going to affect the Lodge
for 2019, and I envision a transition period of at least another year. I fully
expect that all of us will be here for the 2020 season. Even after that, Miss
Patty and I will not be far away. We’ll be over at our little floathouse in the
back channel, keeping an eye on things and being handy for the new owners if
they should need us.</span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">So…now you know what’s going on if you see the ads. Don’t worry. We
are not going anywhere anytime soon and the hope is always that we will find a
buyer that appreciates the Lodge the way we all do.</span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">See you in the summer,</span><span style="font-family: "times";"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Captain
Mac and Miss Patty</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "handwriting - dakota"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Eat, sleep and fish</span></b><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "handwriting - dakota"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.salmonandsteelheadjournal.com/sportsmanscove/" target="_blank">http://www.salmonandsteelheadjournal.com/sportsmanscove/</a> </span></b></div>
Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-47348007382910587452015-01-26T09:52:00.001-08:002015-01-26T09:52:03.636-08:00Christmas off the Grid....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0Qi-n6xlFPJvUKku4pcWqZkV8__x0fcX0LSOUgyogNc2Mqz5EZfqk8R-06mD5slvgR-mJDYO7d795pMtFcq1nk35ormtz-s99Bpy9C0H_G-gJPY4z7Hx-0KiEblgkJO6zir7kBVQpMg/s1600/2014-08-24+05.25.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0Qi-n6xlFPJvUKku4pcWqZkV8__x0fcX0LSOUgyogNc2Mqz5EZfqk8R-06mD5slvgR-mJDYO7d795pMtFcq1nk35ormtz-s99Bpy9C0H_G-gJPY4z7Hx-0KiEblgkJO6zir7kBVQpMg/s1600/2014-08-24+05.25.35.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><b>O</b></i>ur water comes off the hill behind us. I
guess just about all of Southeast Alaska is one big “hill.” It’s pretty
much vertical everywhere you go around here. For instance there are 110
steps from our floating dock at sea level to the upper generator shed on
the hill behind us. When you include several ramps (without steps) it
is about 100’ vertically to the top of our property before the bush
takes over. Our water source is about another 50’ feet vertically up the
hill through the bush and trees. It starts as a 55 gallon plastic
barrel half-buried on its side in the bed of a little stream that flows
for 2,500’ out of the mountainous watershed above it. There is a 12”
square hole cut in the top (the side of the barrel, as it lays in the
stream) with a section of mesh from an old screen door over the hole to
keep out debris. A piece of 3” black plastic pipe diverts stream water
to the screen and into the hole in the barrel. A 1” plastic hose runs
the 400’ down the hill to the house. We have no water tank. No pump to
provide water pressure. Mother nature provides an unlimited, steady
stream of fresh water off the hill and gravity provides 150’ foot of
head pressure at the taps in our house at the water’s edge. Free. (The
water system for our house is independent from the Lodge in winter. The
Lodge water system is winterized, filled with 500 gallons of RV
anti-freeze at this time of year.)<br />
<br />
<i><b>T</b></i>he
heat for our house and most cooking comes off the beach. Logs are
everywhere, escapees from log booms, cut away from river banks or eroded
off shorelines. It is a never-ending supply of fuel for the woodstove,
which will drive you out of the house if you don’t open a door or
window, even in the dead of winter. Yes, the logs have to be bucked up
and split. But a Stihl chainsaw and a Honda-powered hydraulic
log-splitter make quick work of a log found floating in front of the
Cove, or pulled off the beach with the skiff on a big winter king-tide.
Two kettles sit on top of the woodstove at all times, boiling away any
stream-borne bugs like Giardia, that cause “Beaver Fever,” a close
relative of Montezuma’s Revenge. A quick mug-up of hot tea or cocoa, or a
hot buttered rum at the end of the day is a side benefit. Toast is done
in a frying pan on the woodstove, oatmeal takes just a few minutes, and
a propane gas range and barbecue takes care of anything more
complicated.<br />
<br />
<i><b>G</b></i>enerating
electricity with the large diesel generators used in the summer for the
Lodge gets really expensive for just the two of us. Even our smallest
Genset, at 60kW will burn 30 gallons of $5.00/gallon diesel in a day.
Yes, it’s off the grid, but…! Solar panels, that charge a bank of
batteries that in turn drive an inverter for AC powered small appliances
works great – in the summer with our long days, but not so much in the
winter. Fortunately there is one great big refrigerator just outside the
door, and a propane-powered clothes dryer takes care of that otherwise
big electrical load, as does a propane hot water heater. For everything
else there is the little Honda suitcase generator that burns about a
quart (litre) of gasoline every 6-8 hours. But we seldom run it more
than a few hours a day, unless we are curled up in front of the fire in
the evening, reading or watching a movie. The Honda will run all the
lights, the heated tile floors in the bathroom, three boot dryers, a
full-size refrigerator with freezer compartment, the sewer pump when it
cycles on, and a small microwave. What else is there?<br />
<br />
<i><b>W</b></i>e
have no TV, but we could have a dish if we wanted. We choose not to
have TV, but we have Sirius XM satellite radio, excellent AT&T cell
phone service (with a great data plan) and we can create our own wi-fi
hotspots with an iPhone, an iPad or a Hotspot device about the size of a
pocket calculator.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yOLz3F_vzVouVN8bbS8CuMsH9yHrEft9_8ZyOzKET44DQhlyto5qjohjBfLcs4quW9ok646bAe-4iNFz-AMcX-Hc8NRUMvnHk8CRnP15Pt-7bNB-87Y_aLBjat-IJ3wMRBnTd6AV5y8/s1600/The+Calm+of+Christmas+Day.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yOLz3F_vzVouVN8bbS8CuMsH9yHrEft9_8ZyOzKET44DQhlyto5qjohjBfLcs4quW9ok646bAe-4iNFz-AMcX-Hc8NRUMvnHk8CRnP15Pt-7bNB-87Y_aLBjat-IJ3wMRBnTd6AV5y8/s1600/The+Calm+of+Christmas+Day.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><i><b>F</b></i>ood:
Our dinner last night centered around liver and onions. Venison liver.
No I didn’t shoot the deer and all that entails. But we sure could have.
There’s no shortage of Bambis around here. But this was a gift from
hunters that we hosted at the Lodge last month. And it was delicious.
Smoked salmon salad went with it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHIQJ6O37L7hmhhlJM01Qk29VJycmjohsdXiPlMQLz_pVc_6LwCAMb9UhrukzxEILCukGoUjGPf75eTgBbi4V-q8ZTmC9WJ9CldyWKfZ3n29cWBQIZiLXbeD0xg7zDit94yogF-pbUHc/s1600/Christmas+Day+Fishing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHIQJ6O37L7hmhhlJM01Qk29VJycmjohsdXiPlMQLz_pVc_6LwCAMb9UhrukzxEILCukGoUjGPf75eTgBbi4V-q8ZTmC9WJ9CldyWKfZ3n29cWBQIZiLXbeD0xg7zDit94yogF-pbUHc/s1600/Christmas+Day+Fishing.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Our neighbors live a subsistence
lifestyle and they are always gifting us with a venison roast, or a
generous section of choice tenderloin “backstrap.” We haul all their
freight and fuel on our weekly freight runs in the summertime. This is
their way of saying thanks, along with keeping an eye on the place when
we are gone. We don’t need to hire caretakers. They live here.<br />
Keeping
vegetables fresh is a problem, but every other day or so the taxi, (a
DeHavilland Beaver on floats) comes by with things for somebody in the
Cove, or to pick up or drop off a neighbor that is going to, or coming
back from Town (Ketchikan). So it is a simple matter to call up Safeway
and have them run an order of fresh stuff over to Pacific Airways for
delivery to the door, well maybe not the door, but the floatplane dock
in front of the house.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSYoXBzmUNH2EBtBkoqvKV0w71s0ViSJ59QMFmFmeBPAVSCLqkfTo5UUkWZLu4BpRL86Ms6Z7kGn7Om9RAaYV498NQ0FEIkGtmj_hBwEOVgQdBpr2Vj9GMDiHPEsGYs375Y83K9CsFMk/s1600/Christmas+Cod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSYoXBzmUNH2EBtBkoqvKV0w71s0ViSJ59QMFmFmeBPAVSCLqkfTo5UUkWZLu4BpRL86Ms6Z7kGn7Om9RAaYV498NQ0FEIkGtmj_hBwEOVgQdBpr2Vj9GMDiHPEsGYs375Y83K9CsFMk/s1600/Christmas+Cod.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Fresh bread comes from the oven. Patty has a beer batter recipe that is to die for…but it does eat into my beer supply!<br />
Today
we went fishing, as is our custom on Christmas day when the weather
permits. It was a beautiful day, flat calm and bright sun most of the
day. We caught enough True Cod for five meals for the two of us.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTewsg1qtk45z9SwTcM50DkemM-4KKBA-TuYLM4-O2WzjbIfV-fRCa44I_EWxYntAVper5jI563GR4vlYg9jGpeZ1IBIwBCbGnEhRvdCWBZwqcny7J6KWhbvJV-CocAmaHCzvnjCDLCfs/s1600/Freshest+Cod+Ever!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTewsg1qtk45z9SwTcM50DkemM-4KKBA-TuYLM4-O2WzjbIfV-fRCa44I_EWxYntAVper5jI563GR4vlYg9jGpeZ1IBIwBCbGnEhRvdCWBZwqcny7J6KWhbvJV-CocAmaHCzvnjCDLCfs/s1600/Freshest+Cod+Ever!.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Tomorrow
we will rig the shrimp (prawn) traps and crab traps (Dungeness) and set
them not too far from the Lodge. We’ve been too busy to get to them
this Christmas. Tomorrow is the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTu6aja11pikQJs_P65wDAyuJvgq-6zab-zl0i9ncvaMRUd8FvDXKDRi9kEf5kb4okt3a3PbzFSzps45vh9zPdQAxmSGmEt-yRELrNSRly558GLu6dk-8QHNNqRGV6y728wPyuM1v8Rw/s1600/Crab,+Crab,+Crab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoTu6aja11pikQJs_P65wDAyuJvgq-6zab-zl0i9ncvaMRUd8FvDXKDRi9kEf5kb4okt3a3PbzFSzps45vh9zPdQAxmSGmEt-yRELrNSRly558GLu6dk-8QHNNqRGV6y728wPyuM1v8Rw/s1600/Crab,+Crab,+Crab.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<i><b>T</b></i>he
weather has been mild, not even freezing yet, but it is not always like
this. We typically will have several hurricanes a month from December
through March. Not big ones, but 60-70 knot winds are not unusual, and
30-40 knot storms with sheets of horizontal rain are the norm. We don’t
get a lot of snow, but when we do, we get a lot. It is not unusual to
wake up in the morning to 2-3 feet of snow. It is then that we see we
are not alone. Critter tracks everywhere. Otter, mink, marten, deer of
course, and the occasional wolf track up at the back of the lot.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkILL_TQJ620jIiPlmrUFPStHouaRmYR4dRW5cRX10fFKQwAiM-buKMITPBBEIjMIqgOukTavyRkx8vt0mw2uz7_tJyawHoZTRnY435f78evKb8pRCWCBnFZ9xQcW6GHGV-e7iCRvaRlg/s1600/Christmas+Crab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkILL_TQJ620jIiPlmrUFPStHouaRmYR4dRW5cRX10fFKQwAiM-buKMITPBBEIjMIqgOukTavyRkx8vt0mw2uz7_tJyawHoZTRnY435f78evKb8pRCWCBnFZ9xQcW6GHGV-e7iCRvaRlg/s1600/Christmas+Crab.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><i><b>N</b></i>ew
Year’s eve we will get together with our three neighbor couples in the
Cove. We will tell stories, play penny-ante poker, drink beer and mulled
wine, and graze for hours on a feast of delights from the land and sea.<br />
<br />
It’s not for everybody, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4sn3diU9jZNuZqUs6vW2IuqQ6ijFdmEBRJ_vob3iRnN3wRXho7fIJCbGF2HlJb7RsIHXI5YEe3pVJSZBkspHiVuTlEcpKyQWDZLqgbPo1-Sh5ewk-_jvYEo4zRAAh3CYbcwW-TqU_B4/s1600/Christmas+Crab+Feast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4sn3diU9jZNuZqUs6vW2IuqQ6ijFdmEBRJ_vob3iRnN3wRXho7fIJCbGF2HlJb7RsIHXI5YEe3pVJSZBkspHiVuTlEcpKyQWDZLqgbPo1-Sh5ewk-_jvYEo4zRAAh3CYbcwW-TqU_B4/s1600/Christmas+Crab+Feast.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>We hope your Christmas was filled with what you enjoy most, and the New Year brings all that you hoped for.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Mac and Patty</b></i><br />
<i><b>The frigid digits of the North</b></i>
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For years folks have been asking me, “Do you notice a steady
decline in your fishing out of the Lodge the way it seems to be
everywhere else?” And my answer is always an emphatic: “No!” Then I go
into the reasons why.<br />
<br />
Now, those of you who know me well are accustomed to the positive way
I approach things, especially fishing. After all, if you are a
fisherperson it’s just part of your DNA, right? I mean, what’s the point
in going fishing if you take the negative view that you won’t catch
anything. That’s just not who we fisherpeople are! And I know full well
that some folks roll their eyes and expect ol’ Cap’n Mac to put an
upbeat spin on it because he has a vested interest in people thinking
that they are going to catch something. Fair enough. I get that.<br />
<a href="http://www.alaskasbestlodge.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Full Catch" class="alignright wp-image-1534 size-medium" height="240" src="http://alaskasbestlodge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Fish-Feast-400x300.jpeg" width="320" /></a>But when a statistical report comes out that verifies my viewpoint that our Alaska fishing, especially salmon fishing, is not declining the way it is in other areas, my reaction is, “Yesss! Told ya so!”<br />
<br />
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has issued
such a report for 2013. It deals mostly with the commercial sector but
touches on the recreational fisheries as well. It takes almost a year to
put the data together, and some of it is still preliminary, especially
for the recreational sector, which takes even longer to correlate. But
the trend is unmistakable.<br />
For the commercial fisheries, Alaska claimed the nation’s top three
fishing ports for seafood landings last year, and wild salmon landings,
of which 95% are from Alaska, topped 1 billion pounds, an all-time
record and a 70 percent increase from 2012.<br />
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In our area, Southeast Alaska, commercial fishermen hauled in more
salmon than any other region, larger than Prince William Sound, which
has huge catches of Pinks, and larger than the fabled runs of Bristol
Bay. And in the list of top 50 commercial ports in the nation, not just
Alaska now, the nation, Ketchikan ranked number 10, above Sitka (#15),
above Petersburg (#16), above Seward (#20), above Valdez (#24) above
Kenai (#38), and above Juneau (#41). Cool.<br />
<br />
While it is nice to have a NOAA report to back you up, I base my
opinion of better fishing over the years purely on our experience. As
you have probably heard me say, when we first came to Alaska 31 years
ago, in our area you couldn’t buy a Lingcod, or a Yelloweye. Pinks were
always plentiful but Coho were hit and miss because they spend almost
the first half of their life in their natal streams and are very
vulnerable to stream conditions, which can vary greatly year-to-year
depending upon whether droughts (yes, we have them) or monsoons dominate
the weather patterns. The recent decades of private aquaculture
operations such as the huge facility at nearby Neets Bay <a href="http://ssraa.org/">http://ssraa.org/</a>
have contributed heavily to our consistent runs of big, fat and sassy
coho that start showing up in early August and continue on through late
September, and even into October. These rascals put on a pound a week as
they mature through the season. (Where have you heard that before…) And
those big, bright, iridescent, feisty Chums that SSRAA is kicking out
by the thousands – those suckers were non-existent in years past.<br />
<br />
King Salmon are a big variable as everyone knows, and in the early
years at the Lodge, there were definitely more liberal limits in force,
but that didn’t necessarily translate into greater catch numbers. The
NOAA report shows an increase in King catches in the last few years, and
2014 predictions were way up. At the Lodge our 2014 King catch numbers
were up and so was the size, some of the biggest we have seen in fifteen
years. That relates to healthy ocean conditions and good feeding
grounds.<br />
Halibut may be the one downer that I can’t say is better than the
early days at the Lodge. Hugely political as many of you have heard me
talk about. But in addition to the politics, scientists point to a
“decadal cycle” in halibut abundance, an historical ten-year up and down
trend that we hit the bottom of a year or so ago. There’s a lot going
on that should help us get a larger share of the halibut pie in the
future, but we are going to have to buy it – from the commercial guys.
But that’s a whole ‘nother story. More about that in a future blurb.<br />
<br />
In the meantime…enjoy the holiday seasons and the possibility of
great new things for our country. Y’all take care of one another! See
you next summer.<br />
<br />
Captain Mac<br />
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Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-40019795570925243492014-01-06T09:06:00.004-08:002014-01-06T09:06:53.943-08:00North American Fisherman at Alaska's Best Lodge<br />
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<span><b><span style="color: blue;"> Watch the trailer here.</span></b></span></h3>
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This is the schedule for the West Coast Showing</div>
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Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-52936015698447322342013-12-30T16:56:00.000-08:002013-12-30T16:56:40.116-08:00Happy New Year from Sportsman's Cove Lodge!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpobOZdDt-1vrkhqnHwBItBs4VmzxuwWl9TGTHqNXnEtWdyLOa_oUmO_H6en0W9Gwn5QlBRNGm62ABv9sjwSa2ftSFQ6gt0eve1gfxK_ZFID86WoRk7-XBI7cXRlqkcRzVA9CtSunvbk/s1600/LodgePosterization+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpobOZdDt-1vrkhqnHwBItBs4VmzxuwWl9TGTHqNXnEtWdyLOa_oUmO_H6en0W9Gwn5QlBRNGm62ABv9sjwSa2ftSFQ6gt0eve1gfxK_ZFID86WoRk7-XBI7cXRlqkcRzVA9CtSunvbk/s400/LodgePosterization+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-38837695211404606242013-12-20T16:27:00.003-08:002013-12-20T16:29:29.091-08:00Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good year of fishing!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA0uVqDGy9XQxXKluDhjW9tPptrVkbpCJiorSVYxy6E0VgnaIpd6giitmnkzKM9vbmwHuiRtbBVA4BtjSicLtLI_fkDbBxQwtbmtOu4ZgFMWclQF6W2uGzkKOYIaEfbVcpSb1uAN6h2s/s1600/LodgePosterization+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA0uVqDGy9XQxXKluDhjW9tPptrVkbpCJiorSVYxy6E0VgnaIpd6giitmnkzKM9vbmwHuiRtbBVA4BtjSicLtLI_fkDbBxQwtbmtOu4ZgFMWclQF6W2uGzkKOYIaEfbVcpSb1uAN6h2s/s400/LodgePosterization+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-46418954175194383962013-12-16T14:58:00.000-08:002013-12-16T14:58:31.152-08:00Sharing the spotlight!I have decided to give some of my staff an opportunity to tell about their time at the lodge. And just because today December 16th is Denise's Birthday, we will start with her.<br />
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There is nothing more exciting than having a Fish On!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alaska is the most awesome place to
come “catchin’ fish”! My first year (2013) at Sportsman’s Cove was wonderful. I had
the opportunity to watch the Dock operations from the Tower (the office really).
To see the eager faces leaving the dock excited about what the day would bring
out on the water, and to see the smiling faces return to the dock with their
catch was amazing! And to hear the stories of magnificent whale shows, there is
nothing like seeing whales in the wild coming full body out of the water, it
puts you in a state of awe. An experience you will never forget!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my favorite things to do was to
talk with the young kids that came catchin’ with mom & dad or grama &
grampa. Hearing about the fish they caught that was as big as they are, so much
fun. Being at Sportsman’s Cove Lodge was like have mini family reunions all
summer long, meeting new people and hugging old friends. I look forward to many
seasons at the Cove!</div>
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Denise Bryant</div>
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December 2013</div>
Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-620770042206663232013-10-28T14:35:00.004-07:002013-10-28T15:07:49.480-07:00<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151822737413319.1073741825.308726883318&type=1&l=489f118cbc" target="_blank">Reflecting on 2013</a><br />
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Click our link to go to some of the great photos we took of the fishing in 2013. Enjoy!<br />
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2014 Brings us into 25 Years of Business at the current location, and 45 years in the sportfishing industry. Now that's something to brag about! A host of fun things will be taking place this summer, so get in on the chance to enjoy a great time. Call us at 1-800-962-7889...... <br />
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<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-60620090141609229942013-04-26T13:08:00.000-07:002013-04-26T13:08:24.954-07:00Virtual Tour Part 2........<b><i>Captain Mac here, back with part two of my virtual tour to the lodge.....</i></b><br />
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<i><b>Day 1 ~ The Fishing</b></i><br />
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At five the next morning Christina brings fresh coffee to the common area just outside your room. You expected to have more trouble awakening that early but it is 9:00 AM back home. After a couple of cups of coffee and a shower you head on down to the dining room a few minutes before the scheduled breakfast hour of six o'clock, to build your lunch for the day. This is serious fishing and you'll be eating lunch on the boat each day so you pack what you want from the large table of offerings called the "Spike Table."<br />
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You, Captain Neeley, and your boat mates enjoy another sumptuous and bountiful meal prepared by Chef Carl and served by the bubbly Heidi. As great as the food is and as stimulating as the table banter (including Captain's ample repertoire of fishing tales) it comes to an end as you and your team tromp down to the waiting Friendly Lady. Tom's been up since five as well but, in addition to eating breakfast, he's already prepared the bait for today's fishing and rigged the gear. Captain Neeley fires up the powerful Caterpillar diesel and tunes in the XM radio. Appropriately enough your team grooves to Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay as the "Lady" slips her moorings and heads out into the bountiful Alaskan waters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IODpqIVm6pUa0vWCe267V7keEIvi60YXqYBW-3rV3XkPCmrixNMgSX6TJrHcQnbvxMud-Czsvj_0QmmLmL7TWBC-Oabk-5asRlOU0YN_Xbvx7h54FFHJsJuDmL5ClAk_QI4LL_a8irc/s1600/m_1c92a6977f746f39376213c66e3597f9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8IODpqIVm6pUa0vWCe267V7keEIvi60YXqYBW-3rV3XkPCmrixNMgSX6TJrHcQnbvxMud-Czsvj_0QmmLmL7TWBC-Oabk-5asRlOU0YN_Xbvx7h54FFHJsJuDmL5ClAk_QI4LL_a8irc/s200/m_1c92a6977f746f39376213c66e3597f9.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Not a quarter of a mile out you have another wildlife spotting. This time it is a couple of black bear cubs scavenging along the water's edge. Momma is not far away but nowhere in sight at the moment. All of the fleet Captains maneuver their boats as close as possible and the cameras are whirring in activity as nearly everyone on each of the boats strains to capture the cuteness of those little guys.<br />
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But, you're here to fish so Captain Neeley heads for the first fishing stop of the day, Ship Island, about a half hour away, giving you a chance to have another cup of coffee and enjoy some of the spectacular surroundings of the Inside Passage. Along the way you pass a huge cruise ship, southbound, heading for a stop in Ketchikan for the day. The engine slows as you come abreast of the collection of sparsely wooded rocks that make up Ship Island. Captain Neeley's eyes are glued to the fish finder as he moves the boat around slowly near the Island. Finally he finds what he's been searching for... a big ball of herring 100 feet down... directly under the "Lady".<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduQMw_8qYuSh7tej39oKReY6rZI_5eL0M_NOxSAVTE0HedVOLtsb58LcB_OMebbQnlVMgtXAO7j2AUQRHfoq4iKpLsk4WBJYiIPVnIiUZHiqo-MZMg4ZxhDwlWSTBlbW6P7729G72o8U/s1600/Friendly+Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduQMw_8qYuSh7tej39oKReY6rZI_5eL0M_NOxSAVTE0HedVOLtsb58LcB_OMebbQnlVMgtXAO7j2AUQRHfoq4iKpLsk4WBJYiIPVnIiUZHiqo-MZMg4ZxhDwlWSTBlbW6P7729G72o8U/s320/Friendly+Lady.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
He marks the GPS coordinates and gives orders to us to drop your lines to 100 feet and start fishing. Six baited hooks plummet almost immediately as every one of you wants to catch the first fish.<br />
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Young Caleb is the first to hook up. His line stops droping and he asks Tom what to do about it. Tom knows what this means and excitedly tells Caleb, "Reel"! The line becomes tight and the reel explodes! The rod tip bends nearly to the water as the first fish of the day makes his run for freedom. His Dad and Grandfather are offering him encouragement, Captain Neeley is telling him to keep the line tight, and Caleb is straining to control the freight train at the other end of his line.<br />
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Suddenly, you feel the strike on your line and its game on. As you're fighting your salmon you look around and see that everyone on the boat is hooked up with something, and Captain Neeley and Tom are moving quickly about offering advice and encouragement. After a few exciting minutes Tom nets your salmon, a nice 15 pound king. Captain Neeley dives into the pilothouse to quickly record your king on your license, and then returns to the fray.<br />
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Caleb is still fighting his fish and there are another four other fish on. Captain Neeley figures Caleb's fish is another King-and a big one. Pandemonium reigns as Captain Neeley and Tom choreograph the efforts of the five remaining fishermen, keeping them away from Caleb and from tangling with each other. One by one the fish are boated. Some turn out to be rockfish, but Mike has nailed another king that looks like a clone of yours. Everyone offers Caleb encouragement as they continue their own battles to boat their fish.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgia9X6gWVcxAJdx1yaEIM3weCf6NDfAWP5bcjGxKY1ZUFUKSlmDp-XGzABCPsMkwwYfbAv2omkxoO-THyTAYeqECKuki1OjFLwtwHQ-Hi7AEm1hCMnHv-xg9mIwbjW0H1KVecN5NYIGTY/s1600/PICT0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgia9X6gWVcxAJdx1yaEIM3weCf6NDfAWP5bcjGxKY1ZUFUKSlmDp-XGzABCPsMkwwYfbAv2omkxoO-THyTAYeqECKuki1OjFLwtwHQ-Hi7AEm1hCMnHv-xg9mIwbjW0H1KVecN5NYIGTY/s200/PICT0298.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
Finally, after a 20-minute struggle, Caleb finally pulls his fish in close enough for Tom to net it and bring it on board. And, it's a beauty- 25 pound King-it seems nearly as big as Caleb himself. Everyone cheers for Caleb and then gets back to fishing. By, about 10:30 the action has slowed and to your amazement, the fish box is full of a mix of nice kings, some rockfish and a dozen Silver salmon. And, you've still got most of the day ahead of you.<br />
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Captain Neeley tells you that the tide has turned and describes the action he anticipates on the flats, fishing for white fish; cod and halibut. While you're motoring out to the flats Tom is busy filleting some of the fish to make room in the box for what is to come. During the interlude you and your fellow fishing mates down some coffee or hot cocoa (not that you need the caffeine because you are already on an adrenaline high) and munch on cookies, chips, and fruit from your lunch bags.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLbShr5uHKRMICEuOEM9bbdx0fZQfi5hjvpZfFTC_eF3LQV4KUJCyaVuEgg_5faP-3HHYbP7v1_Tny7l8LazkIyJWI3RSvD2X3WhysrPy68X7HLQUorRcjnkCZnWSNu7cO7IkTxOg5b0/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLbShr5uHKRMICEuOEM9bbdx0fZQfi5hjvpZfFTC_eF3LQV4KUJCyaVuEgg_5faP-3HHYbP7v1_Tny7l8LazkIyJWI3RSvD2X3WhysrPy68X7HLQUorRcjnkCZnWSNu7cO7IkTxOg5b0/s200/IMG_4159.JPG" width="150" /></a>After surveying the bottom with his depth finder, Captain Neeley has Tom drop the anchor in about 200 feet of water and the action commences. Your lines barely reach the bottom before they are snapped up by fat and hungry cod and halibut. The fish are coming up so quickly that you soon lose count of your own catch.<br />
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Ed and Terri have pretty much stayed at the bow and the rest of you have respected their honeymoon status. But, there is no mistaking Terri's scream of delight as she hooks an apparent monster. That fish has her heavy duty halibut rod nearly doubled over. She has the butt of the rod buried in her tummy for support, and with both hands she grasps the rod with all her might as she struggles to control the beast at the other end of the line. Her reel is singing as line is torn off it. When he sees the rod tip pumping from head shakes, Captain Neeley confirms his suspicion that she's hooked her first halibut-a big one.<br />
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After a 30-minute back-and-fourth battle she finally lands a 40 pound halibut, easily the biggest fish anyone on the boat (except maybe Captain Neeley) has ever caught.<br />
<br />
Over the next two hours the fishing keeps up nonstop and everyone catches their limits on halibut.<br />
<br />
When the tide finally turns and the action slows, it comes none too soon. Your arms and shoulders are aching from reeling in fish after fish from the depths. And, the fish box is overflowing-again. Tom has his work cut out for him to clean all of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmQt-g5q3aZ8dMfT8unFWtDIg1LRDDPaTTtgIWL2HsAvUWArr5-FJPO15WuyRJVdzZW5tUO8awqtLdhIbqpPsdmiTwnKg5l8YxFMOLQWMMYGTZuqFEiQYoUl-3H1ZtDnojOqqQ_Agt9k/s1600/6-17-05+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmQt-g5q3aZ8dMfT8unFWtDIg1LRDDPaTTtgIWL2HsAvUWArr5-FJPO15WuyRJVdzZW5tUO8awqtLdhIbqpPsdmiTwnKg5l8YxFMOLQWMMYGTZuqFEiQYoUl-3H1ZtDnojOqqQ_Agt9k/s320/6-17-05+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
But, you're still not done fishing. Now it's time to go back after salmon. Each of you has about four more Silver and six Pink salmon left in your daily limit. And, Chum salmon that have been showing up in good numbers. Back to work. Captain Neeley motors over to a place the Captains call "The Men's Room" and its game on again. Periodically, Captain Neeley repositions the boat over the bait ball below but the fishing remains hot. You've never had so much fun or non-stop fishing action in your life. This is truly an unforgettable exerience.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Back to the Lodge ~</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIDsPBoY1Ky_Oj96gPBDv8H1JWena8GGJc7cVN_1SDuKqXP_Wih3FttnGzU-_06SzZ2_0207OrT746ceSlvG-yGhg937zW0HSciCnZXqTyCVhDifTaUFEy-c7ZN28Wq9lhkE2B2HcJDE/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIDsPBoY1Ky_Oj96gPBDv8H1JWena8GGJc7cVN_1SDuKqXP_Wih3FttnGzU-_06SzZ2_0207OrT746ceSlvG-yGhg937zW0HSciCnZXqTyCVhDifTaUFEy-c7ZN28Wq9lhkE2B2HcJDE/s200/IMG_2405.JPG" width="150" /></a>About 4:00 PM the "Lady" and its weary passengers return to the Lodge. After shucking the rain gear it's time for pictures. Tom hangs the largest fish your team caught that day and the team gathers around for pictures. It has been a long, tiring and exciting day but there is still plenty to do to relax.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTROTLf13y12Ozd7oSdGc8y8NAbcFam4bRxTOVyrY5auftZSjDd9tchCkCyyg6ut0CarUt-qybr-HWeiWnN3cZnfArPxf_m1wbYDDz1yb12Y8uegl541I4g0SQqLUPztxuY5FC7j1WwXw/s1600/Greta5-June+2005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTROTLf13y12Ozd7oSdGc8y8NAbcFam4bRxTOVyrY5auftZSjDd9tchCkCyyg6ut0CarUt-qybr-HWeiWnN3cZnfArPxf_m1wbYDDz1yb12Y8uegl541I4g0SQqLUPztxuY5FC7j1WwXw/s200/Greta5-June+2005.JPG" width="150" /></a>As you saunter to the dining room you discover that Chef Carl's culinary team has laid out a mini-smorgasbord of salmon spread, clam chowder, cheeses, and other delectable's to greet your triumphant return and whet your appetite for tonight's dinner. Ed and Terri grab bowls of chowder, order a couple of glasses of wine, and head for the hot tub. Jim, Mike and Caleb check out one of the lodge skiffs and head across the cove to go fish for freshwater trout. You retire to your room, cozy up on a deck chair and savor the single malt you asked the crew to provide for you. As you inhale the majestic scenery all around you, follow a bald eagle gliding across the cove, and relish the moments...you realize that this is one bucket list item that has far surpassed even your most optimistic dreams.<br />
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<i><b>Evening Gourmet Meal and Awards ~</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AE3n-QkpB6QPp4QXw9vMfUty-1SaMLn36zmqG5U8bSY1X5avqrYT9bqhaFtfjJEIScLCvOkIwnL1py3o5hxhqW9S5sKm3iyVpMcFHgFk3vFvKKaQ7D-YNzP1QN__PkQDuG7xGLM68b4/s1600/6-17-05+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AE3n-QkpB6QPp4QXw9vMfUty-1SaMLn36zmqG5U8bSY1X5avqrYT9bqhaFtfjJEIScLCvOkIwnL1py3o5hxhqW9S5sKm3iyVpMcFHgFk3vFvKKaQ7D-YNzP1QN__PkQDuG7xGLM68b4/s200/6-17-05+011.jpg" width="200" /></a>At six o'clock sharp you saunter to the dining room. Lo and behold, on your table, there are the pictures of your day's catch taken earlier on the dock when you return from fishing. There is even an enlargement of Terri and her halibut and another of Caleb with his king.<br />
<br />
Captain Neeley soon joins you. Mike is gushing about his grandson's fishing prowess. Ed and Terri are making eyes at each other like infatuated teenagers, and the room is buzzing with excitement.<br />
<br />
Dinner is an event. Christina adorns the table with the Culinary Team's offerings this evening. The four courses feature, not surprisingly, fresh seafood. Waiting for you as you sit to the table is an appetizer of warm Dungeness crab cakes, drizzled with a red pepper aioli sauce. Next comes Chef Carl's unique but absolutely taste tingling special salad consisting of watermelon, feta cheese and red onions with a dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Everyone comments on this delicious and unusual combination. The main course is Chef Carl's famous flame-broiled, citrus rubbed halibut served with a Dungeness crab risotto and highlighted with wilted spinach. By now you are sated...but there's still dessert to come! Fulfilling the standard already set by the Culinary Team, out comes a decadent French silk chocolate mousse, topped with whipped orange creme. Omigosh!<br />
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As the dinner hour winds down, to end this time together I announce the BFD awards (Biggest Fish of the Day). Your team has done well as Terri receives the award for the biggest halibut for the day and young Caleb takes top prize for his king. Both are presented with commemorative coffee mugs inscribed with their names and weight of their fish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0ixn-ljbuQZrcGV8d-1-e0TXYRvQbbeHL1BDWb1LBkREwsWO3z_yH17f4X-eGyM_9wyP2oZXPxRjigwkA8iux97hVw7WnQh27qBXef3fhGc3T3GpozO4Hx0SjoHNqNHpiCoM_Il0Uro/s1600/959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0ixn-ljbuQZrcGV8d-1-e0TXYRvQbbeHL1BDWb1LBkREwsWO3z_yH17f4X-eGyM_9wyP2oZXPxRjigwkA8iux97hVw7WnQh27qBXef3fhGc3T3GpozO4Hx0SjoHNqNHpiCoM_Il0Uro/s200/959.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The fishing continues like this for the next three days (you opted for the four-day fishing adventure). Each day is different in the wildlife you see, the fish you catch, and the fishing areas you visit. But, the fun and excitement continues every day.<br />
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<i><b>Return-to-Reality Day ~</b></i><br />
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Unfortunately, the adventure finally comes to an end. You return to the lodge at 3:00 pm to prepare for your departure. Dockmaster Mike and his dock team have smoked the 20 pounds of salmon as you requested and frozen it along with the rest of your catch. They finish boxing up your 100 pounds of fish, including freeze packs to keep your fish cold during your return trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSWjsG-p27wKLsL8-IPI0RcAr9vZ4G0LsdZs3AjO9bWBXFpewtzByzpLMIIcjqPiZbQfXOvpZTeRjS3GHfW9EPBXCvislfMnjTWbI1h29VnI2sNFvT5PtftpxHpVahdqVYw92MCqHSd0/s1600/2005+SCL++KINGSLAY+DAY+060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSWjsG-p27wKLsL8-IPI0RcAr9vZ4G0LsdZs3AjO9bWBXFpewtzByzpLMIIcjqPiZbQfXOvpZTeRjS3GHfW9EPBXCvislfMnjTWbI1h29VnI2sNFvT5PtftpxHpVahdqVYw92MCqHSd0/s200/2005+SCL++KINGSLAY+DAY+060.jpg" width="200" /></a>You return to your room to freshen up after the day's fishing. You finish packing then head down to the dining room to check out. Meanwhile the deckhands are bringing your luggage down to the dock for you.<br />
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By 4:00 PM your f<b>l</b>oat plane has arrived to transport you back to the hustle and bustle of the real world again. As the Beaver lifts into the skies you take one quick look back at the lodge and vow to yourself, "I"ll be back next year"! <br />
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Conclusion<br />
<br />
That concludes our virtual fishing adventure. What you catch will vary, of course, but I can guarantee you that you will never experience the quality of service and the nearly non-stop fishing action that you'll find here. And, you don't have to be an experienced fisherman or fisher woman. Novices are our specialty.<br />
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Next Step ~<br />
<br />
We are a relatively small operation so fishing slots are limited for the 2013 season. The season runs from June 24 through September 5. And, our advance reservations are the best we've seen since 2008. So, if you are ready to book a fishing adventure with us for this summer: Go to www.alaskasbestlodge.com/Info and request that we send you our brochure and registration kit. Or Call us at 800-962-7889 and ask Denise or Patty to send you our registration kit, and information on open dates and prices. Thanks for taking our virtual tour and I hope to see you up here in Alaska some day.<br />
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Best regards,<br />
Larry "Captain Mac" McQuarrie<br />
<br />
As exciting as it is to fish the waters or the fertile Alaskan wilderness, feedback from hundreds of guests tells me that it is even better when shared with someone special. We find that men, in particular, value the time spend here bonding with their fathers, sons, brothers, sons-in-law, daughters, and Yes, even with their significant others.<br />
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In just a week or two I will share with you some of our guests special memories, in part three of this series "Virtual Fishing Trip".<br />
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<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-16229433758828804782013-03-15T13:26:00.000-07:002013-03-15T13:26:24.042-07:00Experience a Virtual Alaskan Fishing Adventure with Me...Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
Captain Mac here, inviting you to experience a virtual Alaskan fishing adventure with me. In real life your adventure would include non-stop fishing action; pristine Alaskan scenery; wild life sightings that might include bald eagles, humpback whales, killer whales, seals and sea lions, black bears and deer, not to mention the critters like mink, marten and otters that hang around the Lodge. You'll experience fabulous dining, and unbelievable serenity. Read on, and I'll do my best to paint a realistic picture for you with words.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RuHFXONU60ZBrf_l-HSO3Z9YVll_QFxHRxGFl0OBs6YK_g_X_UK5iqKgzlV0omzNMtiDSYNiXEd-BlWz6vhnya3DPEin7v2hyphenhyphenteULb-iOIuxQ6bAxuwl7cIhyphenhyphenjabHoTzP6CYV5bqBVE/s1600/SE+AK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RuHFXONU60ZBrf_l-HSO3Z9YVll_QFxHRxGFl0OBs6YK_g_X_UK5iqKgzlV0omzNMtiDSYNiXEd-BlWz6vhnya3DPEin7v2hyphenhyphenteULb-iOIuxQ6bAxuwl7cIhyphenhyphenjabHoTzP6CYV5bqBVE/s320/SE+AK.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Adventure Begins ~<br />
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Sportsman's Cove Lodge is located on Prince of Wales Island, the third largest island in the U.S. and the closest point in Alaska to the Lower 48. There are no roads, no hiking trails and no mountain bike trails to get here. The only way in is by float plane or boat.<br />
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You flew into Ketchikan yesterday and spent the time sightseeing this historic old fishing town. Since 1886, when white settlers began opening dozens of canneries, Ketchikan has been known as "the salmon capital of the world." You've walked the boardwalks, visited the old bordellos (now housing much more respectable businesses), inspected dozens of totem poles, visited the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery & Eagle Center, and maybe even attended the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show or went zip-lining and rock climbing on 1,000 foot granite faces. But, the best is still to come.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoPBUEgE8kOGBbsXHCgdFbRb6UanXBIEABOr4fj2jGs3TtA6ePEC8MIS3X86EdU5I3jRTJmuilUVk9qjtOHR_fv37-R-p7FISZ9MpibT9Rg9b8FTE_sXHMS0lQPPEI3S_QnHMr1GZhag/s1600/Ketchikan+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoPBUEgE8kOGBbsXHCgdFbRb6UanXBIEABOr4fj2jGs3TtA6ePEC8MIS3X86EdU5I3jRTJmuilUVk9qjtOHR_fv37-R-p7FISZ9MpibT9Rg9b8FTE_sXHMS0lQPPEI3S_QnHMr1GZhag/s320/Ketchikan+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a>At 3:30 PM, you show up at the Pacific Airways "terminal" to catch your ride to the Lodge. You've already placed the distinctive hot pink luggage tags on your baggage to aid in getting your bags delivered to the right room at the Lodge. Your group of six (including you) is called up and you muster out to the de Havilland Beaver float plane that eagerly awaits you. You've never flown in a plane this small before and you're experiencing a few jitters about climbing into this ancient plane.<br />
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Relax. Although it has been around for over 60 years, this bird is incredibly dependable and reliable and is used for everything from hauling people and freight, and occasionally to delivering the mail. This short takeoff and landing work horse was designed in Canada specifically for the Canadian bush, and the reason it is still going is because no one has been able to come up with anything better in all those years.<br />
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One of our fellow passengers brought along his ten-year old son and he's sitting in the co-pilots seat grinning from ear to ear, eyes big as saucers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOLmc-nNyOL-zWD7gEzZfXmV_vBaF7zhhDmY16x-n8Sy9X8nHS-rYOwpYL0AgcROzfYpo0hJ1RDXarWUs4HucZ6-AJul7l-9WvjRp7cOf7mVppd_BR9Hyf9gMJtsizsZBxwZAdYsFWVI/s1600/One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOLmc-nNyOL-zWD7gEzZfXmV_vBaF7zhhDmY16x-n8Sy9X8nHS-rYOwpYL0AgcROzfYpo0hJ1RDXarWUs4HucZ6-AJul7l-9WvjRp7cOf7mVppd_BR9Hyf9gMJtsizsZBxwZAdYsFWVI/s320/One.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye Ketchikan as you head out to Sportsman's Cove Lodge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Randy, your pilot, kicks over the powerful Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr., engine and it is purring away as you pull away from the dock. He's taxiing out to the open waters of the Tongass Narrows to begin his take-off run. Ahead of you on Gravina Island (<i>home of the Bridge to Nowhere</i>) lies Ketchikan International Airport. A glance to your right reveals three huge passenger ships while on your left you spot fishing vessels of all types. There is a lot of activity on and around this water but Randy's not concerned - he has over 10,000 hours of bush flying and he's done this hundreds of times.<br />
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A quick turn into the wind and he's begun his takeoff run. In a few seconds the Beaver is skipping lightly across the waves and then bids adieu to the surly bonds of earth. Looking down you see Ketchikan slip slowly behind you as you head westward towards Prince of Wales Island and your Alaskan fishing adventure.<br />
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Randy cruises at no more than 800 feet altitude so you have a bird's eye view of everything going on around and below you. The short 20 minute flight from civilization to wilderness passes far too quickly when you feel Randy make a slight left turn and throttle back to begin your descent into Saltery Cove. At about a one o'clock position you spot what must be Sportsman's Cove Lodge and your heart picks up a few beats. You're only minutes away from a lifetime dream.<br />
<br />
<b>Arriving at the Lodge </b><br />
<br />
Randy sets his Beaver gently down on the protected waters of the cove and taxis to the dock. My boat captains and I (the Band of Brothers) are there to meet you, eager to show you what you've been missing to this point in your life. You will spend almost all of your waking moments with Captain Neeley during your stay.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94iQaMiSAl5fFV9hnRw9Ya2DVRSyAvKFkaeOD1DN4GV47x9j8-GsONpVezCDNeneiznjhOXPriKYFXntnmen1IXcxy-MTuXVI61iuuZ7Qv2gsQlEgF0jfZjWN4LlxGSTTbm42pMrxHgU/s1600/Sunny+Lodge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94iQaMiSAl5fFV9hnRw9Ya2DVRSyAvKFkaeOD1DN4GV47x9j8-GsONpVezCDNeneiznjhOXPriKYFXntnmen1IXcxy-MTuXVI61iuuZ7Qv2gsQlEgF0jfZjWN4LlxGSTTbm42pMrxHgU/s320/Sunny+Lodge.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
After the greetings on the dock, my Hospitality Team escorts you to the dining room. The other guests who took an earlier flight are already grazing on shrimp, smoked salmon, the Lodge's famous salmon spread, and other delicacies. You look around at your fellow fishing mates and notice that they are more varied than you had expected. All ages are represented from pre-teens to the elderly. And, there are girls and women present. OK, maybe you were a little dated in thinking that this was an adventure that appealed only to men.<br />
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While you are snacking the crew is stowing your luggage in your room making last minute preparations for your stay. The last plane arrives and its passengers join up so and it's now just you and your fellow 29 guests along with 32 staff members against all the salmon, halibut, cod and other fishes that southeastern Alaska can throw at you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw02FbGCW1-5dJn493UtkuP7bFLmEpQUtKys9ww4kfDZ_laGl8cAEbsG14HqaXiJJoboud_LbBDATOsojjhMcCX0XYSsQz4BstlJNrwpiN18gMVyt-d2-SvphZvNeTtiVMQ1xX7P_FKY/s1600/Food+Spread2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDw02FbGCW1-5dJn493UtkuP7bFLmEpQUtKys9ww4kfDZ_laGl8cAEbsG14HqaXiJJoboud_LbBDATOsojjhMcCX0XYSsQz4BstlJNrwpiN18gMVyt-d2-SvphZvNeTtiVMQ1xX7P_FKY/s200/Food+Spread2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Stacy calls your name along with the other five guests and beckons you to follow her to your rooms. The Lodge is built on a hillside, like most of Southeast Alaska, so it's a bit of a hike up to the Eagle's Nest, the highest guest quarters, where you will be staying. Your name is on your door so you venture into a large cozy room wit a private bathroom. You're immediately drawn to the large sliding glass door where you exit onto the wrap-around deck.<br />
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The view is breathtaking. Across the cove are low tree-lined mountains. In the distance are the snow-caped peaks of the Coast Range. The protected waters are rippling slightly and reflections of the opposite shoreline dance gently across the placid waters of the Cove. Down below and to the left two Sitka Blacktail deer casually browse, oblivious to your presence and contributing to the peaceful, relaxed fee here. Just a few feet off the dock you spy the inquisitive eyes of a seal casually scoping out the Lodge to see if any errant fish slip away from a dock hand.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRLmOf4qWE42SmsdFbcBlg0bNo54_Msq15vJYZAQAWt4NQLn9mm5UYE-V4uTtsPn7AD6vPes7-6ebISdJ7rl7JUbwpP1tkcwqU02S7FpTZr2ieTUIUfMwlxavh2b3XY5u_l2sPMDS4GI/s1600/Saltery+Cottage+View.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRLmOf4qWE42SmsdFbcBlg0bNo54_Msq15vJYZAQAWt4NQLn9mm5UYE-V4uTtsPn7AD6vPes7-6ebISdJ7rl7JUbwpP1tkcwqU02S7FpTZr2ieTUIUfMwlxavh2b3XY5u_l2sPMDS4GI/s200/Saltery+Cottage+View.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
At six o'clock you scamper down to the dining room and discover that you will be dining each morning and evening with your boat captain and five other boat mates. As you sit down to dinner there are introductions all round. Jim is a doctor from a large city in south with his father, Mike, and teenage son Caleb. You quickly learn that the grandfatherly Mike has always dreamed of an Alaskan fishing adventure and Jim decided to fulfill that dream for him. Jim also thought it would be great for Caleb to spend quality time with his father and grandfather.<br />
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Your remaining two boat mates are Ed and Terri, a young married couple from Kansas City. They're simply here to appreciate the Alaskan wilderness, experience and Alaskan fishing adventure, and spend time together. They're both attorneys and don't get a lot of private time so this is a second honeymoon for them.<br />
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And, your boat Captain, Cecil Neeley joins you at the table. He's a retired newspaperman who prefers to be called Neeley. After 31 years with the San Diego Union-Tribune he and his wife moved to New Hampshire. He's captained for Mac since 2005.<br />
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A delicious, locally caught prawn appetizer is already waiting at each setting when you sit down. As soon as everyone is seated I stand, welcome you all, and call for the Chef to come out and introduce the meal. Chef Jason, decked out in his whites, comes out and goes through each of the four courses in detail. You learn later that all of his recipes are available when you leave.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGeOtddGQgd8q5-WpIy1CUV7yTkmYrBkY_0G1eetxEbkDXMTKWPfxpX2TRhO0MXKujpkRJtRCJo2GrDuU01r7g4c-OH7TvewyY2sXgYf38Q4xZFqkSa47ZntJifX_R-orZJXVFvzXP7M/s1600/food-35.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGeOtddGQgd8q5-WpIy1CUV7yTkmYrBkY_0G1eetxEbkDXMTKWPfxpX2TRhO0MXKujpkRJtRCJo2GrDuU01r7g4c-OH7TvewyY2sXgYf38Q4xZFqkSa47ZntJifX_R-orZJXVFvzXP7M/s200/food-35.jpg" width="200" /></a>During dinner Captain Neeley briefs you thoroughly on the daily routine and what to expect each day. He asks for guidance on what your wishes are regarding fishing: What species are you interested in catching? What are your priorities? He factors this information into his fishing strategies. In the course of this discussion you discover there are a wide variety of fish that you will target.<br />
<br />
After a gourmet meal, I lead the group in introducing themselves to all in the room. This is a fun time. There is a lot of energy and anticipation in the room and when we are finished everyone knows one another and many connections and friendships are begun. The end goal of the introductions is to cement all of the different personalities and interests into one group with a mission...to have fun and catch fish!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ14u2jOs1rKPHYBcMc5r2dGruB7PRp_T7jaaeCBtcoWVmLd9VUfTfN7ygj84VQWTcv-A6Kp5GXNqd7iJvfxqHP1SnVwR2_f9GiKIqHOGP_TCXr3trV9d7bie6bDUUidBFqALwaC21Ouw/s1600/Friendly,+Capt.+Neeley+&+Andy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ14u2jOs1rKPHYBcMc5r2dGruB7PRp_T7jaaeCBtcoWVmLd9VUfTfN7ygj84VQWTcv-A6Kp5GXNqd7iJvfxqHP1SnVwR2_f9GiKIqHOGP_TCXr3trV9d7bie6bDUUidBFqALwaC21Ouw/s200/Friendly,+Capt.+Neeley+&+Andy.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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When the introductions are finished everyone heads down to the dock for a safety briefing and fishing lessons on the boats. You're team is assigned to the <i>Friendly Lady</i>. As you approach the boat, Tom, your deckhand, is just finishing cleaning her from today's fishing action and she's ready to go for tomorrow morning. You look around the boat. It is spotless and big. The decal on the cabin says "Coast-Wise 37". You have heard that Captain Mac spent years developing this no nonsense fishing machine and that they are custom built for his operation. There's a nice warm cabin with upholstered dinette and another settee in the pilothouse and a stand-up bathroom; kept hospital clean. Outside there is room all around the rails from front to back. You could run from one end of the boat to the other if you had to chase that wild king salmon. Lots of deck room up on the bow and a huge back deck as well. Nice!<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
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Captain Neely gives your team the safety briefing and then explains the fishing technique, demonstrating with the Lodge's first-class fishing gear you will be using. You notice the gear is all American-made, and the rods are custom built, with the Lodge logo on them. As you follow the fishing lessons you realize that you're not going to be sitting back sipping rum and cokes as Captain Neeley drags down-riggers all around Clarence Strait. Instead, you'll be "mooching" - you will be up close and personal with your rod and reel all day. You'll drop your baited line down to the depth provided by Captain Neeley just the way he has demonstrated and then quickly reel it up in successive ten-foot intervals - a technique virtually guaranteed to drive salmon to a feeding frenzy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoVxRjxkfauEuvoqwTk-AmszZqUfJG5Os3ACewpl_oJgjHrNDv0zpnLwFy6qdwi-uzqlVycJHIkL-JAdNL3cgUwEiL9SVLOA7wPd1oY8pOIwY4NooJW2wxDUGGjWbOQJ-F8r_YU8-rms/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoVxRjxkfauEuvoqwTk-AmszZqUfJG5Os3ACewpl_oJgjHrNDv0zpnLwFy6qdwi-uzqlVycJHIkL-JAdNL3cgUwEiL9SVLOA7wPd1oY8pOIwY4NooJW2wxDUGGjWbOQJ-F8r_YU8-rms/s200/DSC_0163.JPG" width="200" /></a>After the safety briefing and fishing lessons, it's time to try on your rain gear and boots and stow them in your locker. The boots go on your own person boot warmers in your locker. Nice touch. They'll be toasty warm in the morning!<br />
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Day one ends as you crawl into a nice comfortable bed and begin dreaming of the fishing ahead of you.<br />
<br />
....That's a start for all my readers, next couple of weeks we will continue with part 2 of 3.<br />
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Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-64745892999849243632013-02-06T10:26:00.000-08:002013-02-06T10:26:16.550-08:00Time to enter the Contest for 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrqHAXsRdh8wrVe6H_pgiEa8U0ryTckNkSukNbtGRTThiSPPO_H4B5hyphenhyphenHOwLwi4vWx0IJN6BnGrLsipJUEQ50Wa58CneWkI3esoA4LvaodhcgN6szvOjqRMOh5lwcvt4gvA7XVLKo6Cw/s1600/AMFC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrqHAXsRdh8wrVe6H_pgiEa8U0ryTckNkSukNbtGRTThiSPPO_H4B5hyphenhyphenHOwLwi4vWx0IJN6BnGrLsipJUEQ50Wa58CneWkI3esoA4LvaodhcgN6szvOjqRMOh5lwcvt4gvA7XVLKo6Cw/s400/AMFC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alaskamagazine.com/" target="_blank">http://www.alaskamagazine.com/</a></div>
Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-26097573175718317982012-12-11T13:59:00.002-08:002012-12-11T14:01:12.053-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCuIFVLsBhWQtZoeqZxQQPtQD_4RYn0FwHYgomDs5ArAM2Al-dTKt0169gXap6vwxBqeVAq_gh6OR9kC__ADOAqS8V1I_f-o0oTiuRLxXlkuIAZFGK2ADj_EY8rbDommjFUJ0yNpcM8I/s1600/2013_Sportsmans_Cove_Lodge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCuIFVLsBhWQtZoeqZxQQPtQD_4RYn0FwHYgomDs5ArAM2Al-dTKt0169gXap6vwxBqeVAq_gh6OR9kC__ADOAqS8V1I_f-o0oTiuRLxXlkuIAZFGK2ADj_EY8rbDommjFUJ0yNpcM8I/s400/2013_Sportsmans_Cove_Lodge.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-14039417781312972542012-11-12T16:41:00.001-08:002012-11-12T16:45:08.597-08:00Looking Ahead.....<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">All,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">It is an old axiom that everything is for sale if
the right buyer comes along. Such has been the case with the Lodge for at least
the past 15 years. There have even been some serious inquiries during that
time, including one corporate group. Looming economic issues in 2008 made them
reconsider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">I am well into my seventies now, still healthy
and not too senile and there are lots of things left that I would like to do,
including spending time with my seven grandchildren before they disappear over
the horizon in search of their dreams and aspirations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Owning a top-notch lodge in Alaska, going fishing
every day, and rubbing elbows with some of the greatest people on the planet is
the best job in the world, and an enviable life-style. But it’s time to get
serious about some of the other things in life before it is too late. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">In the past we have hesitated to openly advertise
the sale of the Lodge or even list it with realtors for fear of making our
loyal and treasured guests nervous. It was always our hope that a like-minded
investor would come along that would ensure a seamless transition, so the Lodge
could continue on just as it always has and one day several years later someone
would look up and say, “What ever happened to Captain Mac and Miss Patty?”
Finding that buyer is still our goal, but the passive phase, waiting for him or
her to show up, is changing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">With that in mind, we wanted you, our valued
guests and “Friends of the Lodge” to be aware of the attached ad that will be tested
in <i>Boats and Harbors </i>and perhaps other media, beginning next month.
It represents a new phase in our desire to sell, in that it is being
advertised for the first time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">There’s another reason for bringing you into the
loop: You know who we are. You are aware of our business philosophies and how
we operate. Our guests are successful people. You may know someone, or some
entity that would be interested in the Lodge that would appreciate and carry on
our traditions of Service and our quest for excellence. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">In the meantime I wouldn't get too excited about
any differences in the operation in the foreseeable future. In this economy I
don’t expect people to come beating down the doors. Even if a buyer stepped up
tomorrow it will take many months to put together a sales agreement, and I
expect a transition period of at least a year, possibly more. Also, if we are
carrying any of the contract it will mean we will be watching our investment
very closely and monitoring management decisions for years to come.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKQ9zM7g7qwNCr7StryTK7HKWAWaidrtAsLIRvZmx1_lecw5-8UeJIsQwYBcCByjfebmIWaSD431YvhFRwbqPV2IDSiuxVfDiisAVefuePT1W_jdmdrH3Pou-6eVRADDYqgwdJHIfYOU/s1600/B+&+H+Ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKQ9zM7g7qwNCr7StryTK7HKWAWaidrtAsLIRvZmx1_lecw5-8UeJIsQwYBcCByjfebmIWaSD431YvhFRwbqPV2IDSiuxVfDiisAVefuePT1W_jdmdrH3Pou-6eVRADDYqgwdJHIfYOU/s400/B+&+H+Ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">So…now you know what’s going on if you see the
ads. Don’t worry. We are not going anywhere anytime soon and the hope is always
that we will find a buyer that appreciates the Lodge the way we all do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">See you in the summer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Captain Mac and Miss Patty<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5009371409206133564" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Handwriting - Dakota"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Eat, sleep and fish</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Handwriting - Dakota";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-90863395630097656492012-08-24T09:44:00.002-07:002012-08-24T09:44:31.514-07:00Update to the Arne Fuglvog Situation....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wXR7iRl7mw8weok3Ebt6PFL_FtRGyngBMRyY4hr-u-gSlHKtzIycKA3W8010B3ShQQbuzzj-1xjthP4ZNZBwFYQAZR4Ldo9mk9ETvG8G-Nt0TC5hnSeQoV3Ghs6td2w6LQfM-Ro_rFU/h120/Fuglvog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="uploader-thumb-img" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wXR7iRl7mw8weok3Ebt6PFL_FtRGyngBMRyY4hr-u-gSlHKtzIycKA3W8010B3ShQQbuzzj-1xjthP4ZNZBwFYQAZR4Ldo9mk9ETvG8G-Nt0TC5hnSeQoV3Ghs6td2w6LQfM-Ro_rFU/h120/Fuglvog.JPG" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 158px;" width="158" /></a></div>
The first article gives the status of Fugvog's release from prison. The second article is a commentary on why all of this matters to the American people. Take the time look at these articles, it is important to our industry.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Former-Murkowski-aide-to-be-released-from-prison-3766499.php">http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Former-Murkowski-aide-to-be-released-from-prison-3766499.php</a>
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<a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/why-fuglvog-matters-america" target="_blank">http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/why-fuglvog-matters-america</a>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-38393250915744020922012-04-10T10:28:00.000-07:002012-04-10T10:29:16.456-07:00Keep Fishermen Fishing - Where we are and where we’re going<span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: orange;">Something I wanted to share with all of you................</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri,Verdana,Helvetica,Arial;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">The 2012 Keep Fishermen Fishing Rally in Washington on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol was a great success. The organizers’ expectations were exceeded in the number and the range of the federal and state legislators and other public officials who interrupted their busy schedules to address the assembled fishermen, focusing on the NOAA/NMFS excessively rigid interpretation and implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This rigidity is unnecessarily forcing so many fishermen and folks in fishing-related jobs off the water and out of work while our fisheries are more productive than they’ve been for years.<br />
<br />
In 2012 it’s hard to imagine as politically diverse a group of Senators and Representatives sharing the same platform and repeating the same message. There were 21 Democrats and Republicans, ranging from the most liberal of the liberal to the most conservative of the conservative, and they were all there to support commercial and recreational fishermen and to get the Magnuson Act back to where its original authors intended it to be, with a reasonable balance between commerce and conservation with an emphasis on keeping fishermen fishing. The paucity of research dollars – and the diversion of those too few dollars into Dr. Jane Lubchenco’s catch shares program – also received prominent play. <br />
<br />
We have to add here that a significant number of those 21 federal lawmakers, and the other speakers as well, were calling for the removal of Dr. Lubchenco as the head of NOAA and refuting her agenda of “fewer boats, fewer fishermen and never enough fish.”<br />
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In statement after statement our elected officials were echoing the thought that, considering our fish stocks are in better shape than they’ve been in for over a generation, they were committed to retooling the Magnuson Act – and the federal fisheries management process – to stop the ongoing destruction of the traditional fisheries in U.S. waters. That was and remains the whole point of Keep Fishermen Fishing. <br />
<br />
As a result of the 2010 Rally, there were eight pieces of Magnuson reform legislation debated inside the House Natural Resources Committee in late 2011 that could each help to keep fishermen fishing through 2012 and beyond. On March 21, 2012, organizers just about tripled the number of federal legislators who committed to tackling this reform initiative. Rally organizers say that’s a great foundation to build upon, but the job is still not yet accomplished and the commercial and recreational fishermen who have united to defend the coastal heritage will not be able to do so without the active support and participation of independent fishermen of every stripe. In response, the foundation-funded environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) and their ‘bought and paid for’ fishermen’s organizations have already started a counter-offensive based on distortions and half-truths.<br />
<br />
Keep Fishermen Fishing is going to be an ongoing campaign. Currently, key organizers from both the recreational and commercial side are in the process of deciding how the ongoing campaign to reform Magnuson Stevens will be structured and how the initiative is going to proceed. <br />
<br />
Those supporting national efforts to Keep Fishermen Fishing should check back to the group’s website (www.keepfishermenfishing.com <<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.keepfishermenfishing.com/">http://www.keepfishermenfishing.com/</a></u></span>> ) regularly to keep up with the ongoing activities. More importantly, the website will help let you find out how you can help by uniting with like-minded coastal fishermen.<br />
<br />
Things have to change at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at the National Marine Fisheries Service, in the regional fisheries management councils and in the Magnuson Stevens Act which controls them all. Those changes aren’t going to come about spontaneously. We’re only going to make them by working together. <br />
<br />
Jim Donofrio <br />
Nils Stolpe </span></span>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-68285338816756258602012-02-10T09:09:00.000-08:002012-02-10T09:09:16.999-08:00Arne' Fuglvog UpdateFollow the link; Fuglvog sentenced to Prison.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/former-murkowski-aide-fuglvog-gets-5-month-prison-sentence" target="_blank">http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/former-murkowski-aide-fuglvog-gets-5-month-prison-sentence</a>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-21431600740740570932012-02-06T10:02:00.000-08:002012-02-06T10:02:39.868-08:00February Calendar Photos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHaIP9AVpmnssLCtoaltudYNPqE-pDf0VO0UUgeHgc5IecbOZG8ggzxUrwJDoqoBrtUUYMVZK9UXTZ8K0ePGHCt0Y9NBO6HP9pNrMjJYjI5td414zkTJdjrGZz6WtsSI7w2Bm9s9QEFA/s1600/February+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHaIP9AVpmnssLCtoaltudYNPqE-pDf0VO0UUgeHgc5IecbOZG8ggzxUrwJDoqoBrtUUYMVZK9UXTZ8K0ePGHCt0Y9NBO6HP9pNrMjJYjI5td414zkTJdjrGZz6WtsSI7w2Bm9s9QEFA/s400/February+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-69201764289154157362012-01-03T09:24:00.000-08:002012-01-03T09:24:57.716-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.alaskasbestlodge.com/"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sFj1771KZdbENRWd1LafXeg0Q5wR-flr6ASH_D_ztkzWkkbE2dIiqllYF4jhxo2-o80EsLX7xziMo-azHmQ9dULYvWb9LClCmi5SkqVlm0H7bpgSAO3skNwA39B9rjbDWLO3hai-Qec/s400/January+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The time has come to plan for the new year......... We are here for you come snow or high water!Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-4687112472400194322011-10-18T13:19:00.000-07:002011-11-07T08:35:15.219-08:00A Delicate Subject in the Alaska Fishing Community<style>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
following news item is one of several on the subject that is circulating
throughout the Alaska fishing community these days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #6fa8dc;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/26/former-crew-members-attempted-to-turn-in-fuglvog/"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/26/former-crew-members-attempted-to-turn-in-fuglvog/</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div style="color: #f1c232;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Some thoughts from Captain Mac - </i></span></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As
many of you know, I have been involved in fisheries politics for over 30 years.
Since 1993 I have been particularly active in halibut issues. Halibut is a
“federal” fish, by virtue of the fact that it is managed by an international
convention between the U.S. and Canada. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As
an international, federally managed fish, many layers of law and bureaucracy
affect halibut. The primary U.S. agency that governs halibut is the Department
of Commerce, and its sub-agencies, NOAA fisheries, and the National Marine
Fisheries Service, or NMFS. The primary laws affecting halibut are the Northern
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982, and the Magnuson-Stevens Act, commonly called “The
200-mile limit law” because it kept hungry foreign fishing fleets beyond 200
miles of our coastline.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In
addition to many other facets of the law, Magnuson-Stevens created a series of eight
Fishery Management Councils that cover the entire U.S coastline, including the
Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard. The Council that is responsible for
the federal waters and fish off Alaska is called the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (NPFMC) and is usually referred to as the ”North Council.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
Council process is very deliberative and is constrained by many federal laws
and processes requiring in-depth analysis, public input and rigid
administrative procedures. It takes forever to get anything through the Council
and into law or regulation, and sometimes by the time it becomes law it is
already flawed and outdated. State fisheries management does not have near as
much red tape.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some
would say that the Council process is proper in that it mandates these
deliberative procedures and assures that the public is involved in the process.
It sounds good, but in practice it doesn’t always work the way it was intended,
especially at the North Council as it struggles to deal with recreational
fisheries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
various commercial fisheries off Alaska are huge, so it follows that federal
concern and jurisdiction is almost entirely directed toward commercial, not
recreational fisheries. As a result most of the North Council’s eleven voting members
are linked to, or have commercial fishing backgrounds. Even the State of Alaska’s
representative on the Council, the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of
Fish and Game (ADFG) invariably comes from the commercial sector of state
fisheries management. In fact there is only one recreational fishery representative
on the North Council. One out of eleven. So it is little wonder that issues involving
recreational fisheries that compete with commercial interests do not get a fair
hearing. Votes involving recreational issues are defeated by a 10 to 1 margin
with monotonous regularity. The North Council also has an Advisory Panel (AP)
comprising about 20 members, give or take. Similarly there is only one, or
occasionally two recreational representatives on the AP. And similarly, in
spite of a preponderance of public comment to the contrary, recreational issues
go down by votes of 19 to 1 or 2. The North Council was intentioned to deal
with commercial fisheries and it was never envisioned, nor is it structured or
equipped to deal fairly and appropriately with recreational fishing issues.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What
recreational fishing issues does the North Council have to deal with? There is
only one. Halibut. The federal fish. And it is a minuscule amount of fish in
the grand scheme of the fisheries of the North Pacific that the Council must
deal with on a regular basis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And
how does one get to be a voting member on the Councils? Through political
recommendations and appointments. Surprise, surprise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Since
1993 I have served on three committees at the NPFMC relating to sport and
charter halibut issues. No, I was not a political appointee. I volunteered and
paid all my own travel, lodging and meal expenses to serve on those committees.
I wanted to know what was going on in the federal regulation of our industry so
I could prepare myself and inform other charter operators and lodge owners.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So
what has all this to do with the news article and Arne Fuglvog? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
North Council was where I first met Arne, over 20 years ago. He and a few of his
associates initiated the anti-recreational halibut wars at the North Council
and were formidable opponents to the fledgling sport halibut fisheries that
they viewed as threatening to them. I sat across the table from him at
committee meetings and gave testimony before him and the rest of the Council
countless times when he was a Council member. He was an influential, bright
young man and a rising star in the fisheries management world. The news story
tells the rest. In fact, in early 2009 he was considered a strong contender to head NMFS, the very agency responsible for enforcing federal fisheries regulations. See:</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://deckboss.blogspot.com/2009/04/another-alaskan-to-head-nmfs.html">http://deckboss.blogspot.com/2009/04/another-alaskan-to-head-nmfs.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div>
</div>
<div class="caption" style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vHrcN-tst2lPPyOWYCdW-Ba-0_v9xUP3uy3bn9anLe36GJozAZGm5obARy-aM0O7B5yzpEEU5Fm6gYjeVwDiyMKZfuz0Kemw0E8F1LDZsSBzNF93vtM8GmILovX5bphr5NW97yvrtd8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-17+at+1.55.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vHrcN-tst2lPPyOWYCdW-Ba-0_v9xUP3uy3bn9anLe36GJozAZGm5obARy-aM0O7B5yzpEEU5Fm6gYjeVwDiyMKZfuz0Kemw0E8F1LDZsSBzNF93vtM8GmILovX5bphr5NW97yvrtd8/s200/Screen+shot+2011-10-17+at+1.55.20+PM.png" width="153" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by: ERIK HILL / Anchorage Daily News Arne Fuglvog, former
fisheries aide </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, leaves federal court Thursday
morning, Aug. 11, 2011, in Anchorage.
</span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: right; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: right; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ten
months in jail is only the beginning of his worries. He is still a young man,
in his forties. He will also pay $150,000 in fines. His licenses will likely be
stripped from him, and the fishing community will hold him in contempt for the
rest of his life. He is a fifth-generation commercial fisherman who has held many
influential positions in fisheries management agencies and has been awarded the
<i>U.S. National Fisherman Highliner of the
Year</i> as well as the commercial fishermen’s union’s <i>United Fishermen of Alaska's Fisherman of the Year.<br />
<br />
</i>It will be a long way down for Arne.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/former-murkowski-fisheries-aide-headed-prison%20">http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/former-murkowski-fisheries-aide-headed-prison </a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But
the real tragedy in this story is that the behavior that brought down Arne is
not limited to just this one person. Rumors and stories are rampant about the
abuses that commercial fishermen inflict on the resources upon which they
depend for their livelihood. There is a mentality among many (not all, but
many) in the fleet that says, “I need to get mine before it is all gone.” Arne
was an icon, an award-winning professional, a highliner. If Arne is not above
such action, then who in the commercial fishing industry is? The word on the
street in his home town of Petersburg is that many are worried about what Arne
knows, and who he might implicate to mitigate his own circumstances.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Meanwhile
the charter industry is being subjected to what I believe is unprecedented
scrutiny, and dare I say harassment, by federal (NOAA/NMFS/USCG) enforcement
activities. Do I have proof of this? Can I produce statistics and history of
enforcement activities? No, I cannot. All I know is that in all my years in the
business I do not recall a time when there has been this much going on,
enforcement wise, in the charter industry. I also know that when the USCG
launch comes alongside in preparation for a boarding, the first question they
ask these days is, “Do you have any halibut on board?” If you say no, they will
usually not board you. If you say yes, they certainly will. Why is the Coast
Guard so interested in halibut all of a sudden? And why should that affect
whether they board you or not?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The
agencies will tell you there is justification for these actions. That may well
be true. They certainly have been able to make their charges stick. But what
about the likes of Arne in the commercial sector? Is there a like amount of
energy being directed towards them? How much damage can a commercial vessel
inflict as compared to the average charterboat? The commercial take of the
halibut resource is over 80%. Certain sectors of the commercial fisheries waste
up to three times the total sport halibut catch. If conservation concerns are
really what is driving these enforcement activities, couldn’t that effort be
better directed where there is a greater possibility of some serious damage
being done? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Breaking
the law cannot be condoned, no matter who it is or in what sector it occurs. And
you can’t fault the boots in the boats, the enforcement officers and Coast
Guard men and women. They are courteous and professional in doing their duty
and carrying out their instructions. But you have to ask, where are their
orders coming from and why is this apparent increase in enforcement attention,
effort and money being directed at the charter industry at this time? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Charter
operators, particularly in Southeast Alaska have been subjected to halibut
restrictions that, if left in place for just a few more years, will decimate
the industry and eliminate it as a competing fishery for halibut. Could the politically powerful and
well-healed commercial sector have a stake in the outcome? Could people like
Arne, closely aligned with commercial fishing interests and very tight with top
federal regulators, have influenced the decisions that have caused so much
chaos in the recreational side of the halibut fishery? When Southeast Alaska
charter fishermen are eliminated as viable competitors for halibut, who is
next?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And
ask yourself which sector, commercial or sport, has the potential to do the
most damage to the halibut resource. Remember the story of Arne the highliner.
Was he the only one?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Mac </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=Arnie+Fuglvog&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Ao4&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=Arne+Fuglvog&pbx=1&oq=Arne+Fuglvog&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=0l0l0l22981l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=bfe7e14c05c10540&biw=1440&bih=657">More articles on Arne Fuglvog</a> </span></div>
</div>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-5494756825115946992011-05-06T11:57:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:57:11.949-07:00Congratulations to Mary Kaye!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-PGAdoxOO4jAAApMLmwyaixDBZS9sdleoWIhdE-8j-TL9zkH0jYgqFs052OsbLW6wzEOWoTku-2KTdPVg8o00hKnz_WaGgMSisKEgI1FkQBegQmiFTZYwDIkk0K7mAlHvbQH-EBM9js/s1600/Winner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxCLKezfmPlPYFuQlphljPAi7PnDK2vdRS9zXIhhO-2AQdNhumilpOaSArvwuiwKqxc6vrasGr7HAgdvusJbsI8_dz7CTH8-V8ROj6Rw_KT-ePNRar1xCOUEMWzTmrPpdJ_-cL1hM0lA/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-06+at+11.48.38+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="585" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxCLKezfmPlPYFuQlphljPAi7PnDK2vdRS9zXIhhO-2AQdNhumilpOaSArvwuiwKqxc6vrasGr7HAgdvusJbsI8_dz7CTH8-V8ROj6Rw_KT-ePNRar1xCOUEMWzTmrPpdJ_-cL1hM0lA/s640/Screen+shot+2011-05-06+at+11.48.38+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-53411154355423790182011-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:002011-03-21T11:51:41.660-07:00Alaska Magazine Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEv5wCbpdmQbdxAoANbpIQo6daij5NFM3LiUUZ8LQGKdJYgGGJHohiAK5w34HbLDvrucm5Jl6rlkMSbJdg-iNs3BpelwdyIUOp5hSvKLnWAhmh_IwHoSjH0kbbQqFsIktfXayXhVZmoNo/s400/Alaska+Mag+2011.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.alaskamagazine.com/fishingcontest">Win a trip to Sportsman's Cove Lodge</a><br />
Contest began March 15th and ends April 30th. Go to the link above to enter or find out more details! </div>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-65233445361692945452010-10-12T19:52:00.000-07:002010-12-07T13:49:49.381-08:00Cape Chacon Part IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: orange;"><i><u>Captain Mac’s note: </u><br />
<br />
Finally...the closing chapter in deckhand Jonathan Bender’s saga of his fishing trip to the fabled waters of Cape Chacon, at the southern tip of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. My apologies for taking so long to complete the story. The season caught up with me and that was the end of any opportunities to update the blog. <br />
<br />
There are three previous parts to the story. This is the fourth and final segment. You will have to back to the blog archives for November of 2009 to pick up the thread in Part I. By the way, Jon’s captain, Brad, mentioned in the story, happens to be my son. Brad is now the General Manager of Mount Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park in Eastern Washington state. <br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy Jon’s story.</i></div><div style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i><br />
</i> </span></div><a name='more'></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ5iBeoPdZHU_gKgy7ker7OwAzfZ-m9-fmTrl9uVgDCU8ERTYCnv7odwAlxvdFymNhpIXpwzi5XGjZSdLa9H7bbJSruxHdp1-VJ_ZQiJ3Oq8__J6g-CtkvKpicieKa_GG9S8SdjJ2BxU/s320/Carl+and+Ben.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="249" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben & Carl at Cape Chacon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmZ5iBeoPdZHU_gKgy7ker7OwAzfZ-m9-fmTrl9uVgDCU8ERTYCnv7odwAlxvdFymNhpIXpwzi5XGjZSdLa9H7bbJSruxHdp1-VJ_ZQiJ3Oq8__J6g-CtkvKpicieKa_GG9S8SdjJ2BxU/s1600/Carl+and+Ben.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
At around 3:15, just as we’re about to head back, it happens. Tim cries out, “fish on!” I look over and notice the heavy bend in his rod, the whizzing of drag shooting off of his reel. It could only be one thing! He knows it, and he’s understandably excited, nervous, trying to focus. Feeding halibut on these pinnacles are in an uncomfortable situation—off the bottom—and they instinctively dive when they’ve grabbed something. The other guests sense what’s happening and respectfully bring up their lines, but before he gets very far, Billy, one of the Missouri dads, hooks up. A halibut double! Feeling out the situation, I decide that everyone, even Billy, wants me to focus my attention on Tim. His fish has stopped its initial run now and he’s begun the laborious process of hefting it from the depths. <br />
<br />
I prepare the harpoon while coaching him, instructing that he do everything “eeeeaasy.” Slow motion. As his fish nears the surface, I give him the same instruction that I’d given his father earlier, not to lift the fish out of the water, but to guide it up across the surface. He’s fishing with 50 pound test line, and freed from the restriction of the water, the quick jerks of a large halibut would snap the line like thread. Gradually, from the black depths, appears the gaping mouth of this monster. He’s well over 100, maybe 160, I estimate. <br />
<br />
I ready the harpoon, the line in my left hand, pulled tight against the shaft in my right. Meanwhile, Brad, our skipper, loads the .410 Snakecharmer for the kill. Tim can hardly contain himself, and in his excitement, he commits the error that I’d warned him about, pulling the giant’s head from the water. As I expected, it makes a quick shake, snapping the line, sending the straining Tim falling backwards into his father. The fish turns, rotating its bulk to head back down. In a last-ditch effort, I lean over, plunging the harpoon toward the fish, now four feet below the surface. I have luck behind me today, and I make contact, penetrate, and in the same motion, I tip back into the boat, pulling hard on the rope. The fish makes a swift kick with its immense caudal fin, but I’m faster, pulling its tail from the water; it swipes against nothing but air. I’d harpooned it close to the tail, and I was afraid that it wouldn’t hold, but my skipper is right there with the 4-10, and as I guide the fish backward a bit, he plugs it with the slug, killing it instantly. We gaff it on board, triumphant. Tim is jubilant to say the least. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXtPJhXncBb9JDSW8A1oeRpfmLkcb8mjJnQRjDpV-bS0SkUe8DjRxlpLxXcRsLVzbsfP3F5BZoIinkhdR5F1VFpJ2IVD2qGpIDGlYPB1tGnbCLPY5-DFZJF6DynKfLgFAV9HXE7pshOc/s320/Ben+and+Lingcod.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="209" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben & Lingcod</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just then, we all remember Billy, who by now has his fish at the surface, this one just under 100 pounds. Another quick shot from the 4-10 and, much more fluidly, we bring it on board to accompany the other. On the deck lies a beautiful sight: 10 square feet of halibut, in a yin-yang of white and brown, opposing sides interlocking. To complete the photo-op (and to get a visual on the work I have ahead of me filleting), I pull the bright king, the two large lingcod, three big yellow-eye rockfish, and a couple assorted smaller rockfish out of the cooler to completely cover the deck of the boat. After bringing in the rest of the gear, we start to make our way back toward the cove where the planes await.<br />
<br />
The trip to the cove, and even the five hours back to the lodge, isn’t enough to diminish the group’s enthusiasm. The sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in the group was infectious, giving added purpose and value to my drudgery. <br />
<br />
These are the experiences that I live for; we’d created a life memory for all of us.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><i>* Footnote: The photos accompanying the story are from another trip to Cape Chacon. </i></span>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-391777736731064122010-05-07T19:44:00.000-07:002010-05-08T11:03:08.982-07:00Honor Among Friends!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5314Oa52lDIKX1WQpaaASXdGiNT0pVfGMaO2XW9YNde8JAIiagpjoH36DKI1gObyhw8jwWxWoDYidexakffyV8XHZS3oEvFqBZelP0tVttYeOb06AvJ7po1FWySxTjNNstN8zt8BUWY/s1600/Al+Altree.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5314Oa52lDIKX1WQpaaASXdGiNT0pVfGMaO2XW9YNde8JAIiagpjoH36DKI1gObyhw8jwWxWoDYidexakffyV8XHZS3oEvFqBZelP0tVttYeOb06AvJ7po1FWySxTjNNstN8zt8BUWY/s320/Al+Altree.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461966243818163026" /></a><br /><br />A handful of retired classmates of the Canadian Naval College and I took on a 50th year class project. Our goal was to replace a faded photo (photos above) of one of our own, who had fallen three days before Christmas, 1964, while on loan to the United States Coast Guard. We completed this task in March of this year. <br /><br />A 'Press Release" put out by the Coast Guard on March 31, 2010 by LT Todd Vorenkamp, detailed the story behind the visit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">McKinleyville, CA</span> - A group of former Canadian military officers visited Coast Guard Group Humboldt Bay to remember fallen shipmate Royal Canadian Navy pilot and U.S. Coast Guard exchange aviator, Sub lieutenant Allen Alltree, on Wednesday.<br /><br />Sub Lt. Alltree was killed near Trinidad, CA., in the tragic crash of Coast Guard helicopter CG-1363 on December 22, 1964 while on a rescue mission.<br /><br />In December of 1964 the "Storm of the Century" had hit northern California. The Eel River was well above the flood stage and local emergency services were overwhelmed. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office requested assistance from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco to evacuate 16 stranded persons in danger of being engulfed by the rising waters on Cock Robin Island. The island, at the mouth of the Eel River was 200 miles north of San Francisco. That morning, a Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard helicopter was airborne with Lt. Donald L. Prince, USGC, pilot; Sub Lt. Alltree, copilot; and James A. Nininger, Jr., Aviation Electricians Mate second class, USGC, crewman. <br /><br />The helicopter arrived on scene at about 2:50 p.m., and, in spite of rain, fog, and extremely high winds, commenced rescue operations. Late in the afternoon, after having rescued at least 20 people from the raging flood waters, the helicopter landed its last 5 survivors at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds in Ferndale, CA. Mr. Bud Hansen, a local dairy farmer, volunteered to assist the Coast Guard crew in finding more neighbors before darkness made the searching impossible. The helicopter departed in "terrific winds and heavy rainfall." Now in darkness, they made three more rescues, hoisting Mrs. Marine Bahnsen, Mrs. Betty Kemp and her baby, Melanie.<br /><br />Darkness had settled and fuel was getting low. The crew flew north towards the Arcata Airport where they had fueled earlier in the afternoon. With low visibility the crew was forced to fly offshore. Due to power failures from the storm, the airport lighting was inoperative. The crew realized they had missed the airport when they picked up a radio bearing north of Trinidad. In turning back to the south, the extremely high winds pushed them inland where they impacted the terrain at 1200-feet above sea level, coming to rest in a stand of Redwood trees. Due to the terrible weather conditions, it took rescuers five days to locate and hike to the wreckage site where they found the helicopter completely demolished and all on board deceased. Medical experts reported that death for all had been instantaneous.<br /><br />Sub. Lt. Alltree and the rest of the aircrew posthumously received Air Medals for meritorious achievement in aerial flight. In October 1998, Bud Hansen was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award for his selfless act of heroism, in putting his neighbor's interest above his own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIChDSGDZmlsbPusU9kcBIx6InBMvA8RTkxcDrWtLsreuH_l1bDp4_VDxULe9cv8QgOxdTaXAV8nTAgcJ9UXR1lh3jKSnM_X6Aa2oG0fW9-yScUBLvi1xEsGB8lmQt_WYtfjheVIwghiE/s1600/IMGP3626.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 291px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIChDSGDZmlsbPusU9kcBIx6InBMvA8RTkxcDrWtLsreuH_l1bDp4_VDxULe9cv8QgOxdTaXAV8nTAgcJ9UXR1lh3jKSnM_X6Aa2oG0fW9-yScUBLvi1xEsGB8lmQt_WYtfjheVIwghiE/s320/IMGP3626.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461956114711458450" /></a><br />My classmates from L to R - Ken Scotten, Ed Vishek, Wilf Lund, Finlay Sterling, Myself, and Larry Lott with Captain Chris Martino, Commanding Officer, USCG Humboldt Bay Air Station.)<br /><br />"It was our honor to host these Canadian officers and their families for today's ceremony," said Lt. Todd Vorenkamp, public affairs officer for Group Humboldt Bay. "As an exchange pilot, Sub Lt. Alltree was a member of our Coast Guard family, and it is a privilege to meet his Canadian shipmates and hear stories about someone who was a member of a crew that heroically gave their lives while saving others."<br /><br />Royal Canadian Navy Captain Wilfred Lund (retired) contacted the Coast Guard in January and expressed a desire to gather some Canadian classmates of Alltree and update the photo of Alltree in the Coast Guard's Humboldt Bay memorial. Lund and the other officers had discussed a visit to the USCG Air Station after a reunion last year After several days of rain, the skies cleared for Wednesday's event. "Al brought us some good weather," said Captain Lund before the ceremony.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZm31wyPk3Izx1lpw70x-pjqCurygDkWL8SkZnKhK6E_pEtIp9GAGPPaXOfaUmJ8svAFiY9MTlRQkyit5Ct5iUg6zWZ32NMQt3AIxmQg2MOJPhw4LRqmzpx1008FxkJqEz-YKecawgc/s1600/IMGP3621.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZm31wyPk3Izx1lpw70x-pjqCurygDkWL8SkZnKhK6E_pEtIp9GAGPPaXOfaUmJ8svAFiY9MTlRQkyit5Ct5iUg6zWZ32NMQt3AIxmQg2MOJPhw4LRqmzpx1008FxkJqEz-YKecawgc/s320/IMGP3621.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461959150368115202" /></a><br /><br />Each member of the contingency of retired Canadian naval officers had a specific contribution to make in the ceremony. My part was to present the new photograph to the Commanding Officer, Captain Chris Martino (seen in the photo above with me). I reminded the gathering that the Coast Guard has an unwritten creed: "When people are in trouble and life is in peril, you have to go out. And you don't always come back." <br /><br />After the ceremony, Captain Martino, Commanding Officer of the Humboldt Bay Air Station shook hands with each of us and in his palm he held the Coast Guard Medallion shown here, giving one to each of us. It was a moving experience, and it reminded me of how fortunate we are to have such dedicated and professional members in our Armed Forces, and of the sacrifices that our young men and women make every day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH08t7AOhDJM3sOWLokwrVS4T9mqXbO4bVBEvToYPTBKVI4tUZ8PAjOtaeqeZfTe9jJZjKvRMT4Czyhy4bezt3I3DNLArvI93-VSrODPoc3QbPyiL4xFUjg1rOZvMgA_cu-wwXmwhZ8I/s1600/Medalions.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 149px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH08t7AOhDJM3sOWLokwrVS4T9mqXbO4bVBEvToYPTBKVI4tUZ8PAjOtaeqeZfTe9jJZjKvRMT4Czyhy4bezt3I3DNLArvI93-VSrODPoc3QbPyiL4xFUjg1rOZvMgA_cu-wwXmwhZ8I/s320/Medalions.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461959610675806930" /></a> <br /><br />The security and freedom we enjoy is not free.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Note: Captain Mac spent altogether approximately 9 years in the Royal Canadian Navy. He has been a naturalized American citizen for over 40 years. He says, "I am proud of my Canadian heritage, but also very proud to be an American, which took an active decision on my part. I am an immigrant in the great American tradition. I am an American by choice."</span>Captain Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13960705863205306472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5009371409206133564.post-74769841630297716992010-03-18T13:58:00.000-07:002010-03-19T09:06:34.806-07:00Jonathan Bender's Cape Chacon - Part III<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/Larry/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-hansi-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Part I of this Series was posted back in November of 2009. Part II was posted in January 2010. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">You have to click on the Blog Archive for the appropriate month to bring them up. If you haven't been following the story go back now to the archives and pick up the thread. Enjoy!
<br /></span>
<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Captain Mac
<br />
<br /></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">On the first two days of their trip, fishing out of the Lodge, we’d connected with huge schools of migrating silvers, and had been treated to the non</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">-stop action we called “Coho Chaos” that comes standard in such cases.<span style=""> </span>For </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qAbqr6Ywy4mJVhoQX_4X8c56Wwmfvki6c2_7d63kaGnGxEwUx2LalKVKp8cKAkbXjaf55lo4FBEUtYfL6JgRuA6bFHG7cpvRlpnq23XekvRAVXR3nHTfg30PSYHNmlAY2osD35q9frk/s1600-h/Coho+Compare.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qAbqr6Ywy4mJVhoQX_4X8c56Wwmfvki6c2_7d63kaGnGxEwUx2LalKVKp8cKAkbXjaf55lo4FBEUtYfL6JgRuA6bFHG7cpvRlpnq23XekvRAVXR3nHTfg30PSYHNmlAY2osD35q9frk/s320/Coho+Compare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450133871098551122" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;">hours, at no time were there less than three people hooked up; the darting silvers taking bullet-runs every which way; me shouting, “Over!” “Under!” Guiding </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">the fishermen, trying to prevent line-tangles.<span style=""> </span>All the while, I’d</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> struggled to keep up with the action, retying rigs and baiting hooks in the spaces between netting, often two fish at a time.<span style=""> </span>The intensity of these silver footballs of muscle never ceases to amaze me.<span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">My favorite incident</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> this trip occurred on the first hookup, when Tim had announced, “I think my line broke,” upon noticing that it had gone slack.<span style=""> </span>“Reel!” I shouted, trying to deliver some urgency to the situation</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">.<span style=""> </span>Just then, I noticed the chartreuse lead zipping under the boat.<span style=""> </span>The</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> fish was passing us!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoHfFnoHSZYJLrNTaR0jXhi0ZN0qWjp_jlrIk3kI-9lG7xnrq-60SQnQ47eo8uJU2NSnlY2Bl_11WtYeOQjz7tCK39jfgk3hN-4_PD1WaMWJTIyjBdq7Foep8P5ti6oTBRskWKdJG2Fw/s1600-h/Coho+Catch.jpg">
<br /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">So by one in the afternoon, having gotten their fill of salmon, the sextet</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> h</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">ad unanimously supported the pursuit of Tim’s trophy. Over those first two afternoons, the</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> group brought in eight halibut, all less than 50 lbs. (excellent eating), and i</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">nnumerable cod to round out each day, but we hadn’t gotten the big one that Tim wanted.<span style=""> </span>I had reassured them that we still had Cape Chacon, and a good bet for the trophy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68SJpHn-NaSagYVugvNghaIQdOA7rY9Swar9CBEsZ4tFGFX8XB7rYpycx9Pf8DdRflRBBBl6OWAJIlwGZ9U8eZ6P-Ha0uC4zrUatLfY-REEO4CCY3ySVzJh2zv2SLfha9U-Toqtoe41U/s1600-h/Coho+Catch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68SJpHn-NaSagYVugvNghaIQdOA7rY9Swar9CBEsZ4tFGFX8XB7rYpycx9Pf8DdRflRBBBl6OWAJIlwGZ9U8eZ6P-Ha0uC4zrUatLfY-REEO4CCY3ySVzJh2zv2SLfha9U-Toqtoe41U/s400/Coho+Catch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450146178394555106" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span>
<br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Cape Chacon is the southernmost point of the Island, facing open water.<span style=""> </span>(See the chart in Part I) There, weather permitt</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">ing, lies some of the best bottom fishing in the world.<span style=""> </span>Two opposing currents collide, welling up nutrients from deeper waters that result in tremendous feeding frenzies.<span style=""> </span>Huge schools of feeding black rockfish commonly called “sea bass” are occasionally mauled by a giant lingcod, while bright king salmon dart past, snatching up stray herring.<span style=""> </span>Occasionally, when we’re lucky, we’re treated to a rare group of frenzied halibut, up from the depths to gorge themselves on whatever strays a bit from the cover of the rocky pinnacles.<span style=""> </span>In these cases, a boatload of excitement is multiplied by double, even triple hook-ups.<span style=""> </span>On the previous day, I had started filling the minds of our guests with such tales, such anticipation, being sure to qualify everything with th</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">e tag lines, “on good days,” “if we’re lucky,” or, “if you’re good.”<span style=""> </span>The third being a bit strategic with this group, a comment that serves to both challenge and bolster their manly pride.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The coast here is magnificent.<span style=""> </span>300-foot cliffs, jagged and gnarled, are a testament to the kinds of storms that regularly visit here.<span style=""> </span>A few gnarled, twisted trees cling to the rocks near the top, a sort of masthead on the island’s bow and breakwater; the only representatives of the land that dare face the dominion of this sea.<span style=""> </span>Today is bright and calm, the only conditions in which we brave these often-violent w</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">aters.<span style=""> </span>I’ve tied up over 100 rigs, and they’re hanging from the rubber trim atop the cabin window, a strange, functionless curtain.<span style=""> </span>We’ve started the group off with the heavier halibut rods, since the chance of hooking a 50 lb. lingcod or a large halibut is high, and we want to be prepared for that trophy if it hits.<span style=""> </span>We arrive at the pinnacles where we usually have some success and set up for the first drift.<span style=""> </span>As soon as everyone drops,</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> bam!<span style=""> </span>Four hookups.<span style=""> </span>Before those first four make it to the deck, the other two are on.<span style=""> </span>I’m running around, gaffing everything in sight (netting is too messy for rockfish), trying to keep everyone baited.<span style=""> </span>Tim’s dad, Jerry, while bringing up a black rockfish, notices a dark shadow lumbering behind it.<span style=""> </span>“Give’em some slack!” I instruct.<span style=""> </span>He drops his rod tip and almost immediately it doubles over from the weight of the huge preying lingcod.<span style=""> </span>I know the lingcod is most likely not hooked, just greedy, refusing to release the meal from it’s gaping, toothy grip, and I tell Jerry, this time calmly, “Whatever you do, don’t lift it out of the water.<span style=""> </span>Only up to the surface.”<span style=""> </span>I’m going to have to place the net under the big fish ve</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmemNtxSKA9-YU1Iff3GrGqOR8sOewN76xbAKljMMbp0hzmyJAbs2KYYzsrskqpitKe0JLeBTzUf_JabUReyiURojiFoIDTJVByu_jTMprobVLtfTqfgNrsPa4LjIierLTkYNiNsV0q0I/s1600-h/Big+Ling.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmemNtxSKA9-YU1Iff3GrGqOR8sOewN76xbAKljMMbp0hzmyJAbs2KYYzsrskqpitKe0JLeBTzUf_JabUReyiURojiFoIDTJVByu_jTMprobVLtfTqfgNrsPa4LjIierLTkYNiNsV0q0I/s320/Big+Ling.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450145267730366562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;">ry carefully so as not to spook it, then net it, and hoist it over the rail and into the boat quickly.<span style=""> </span>“Help us out. Clear a space!” I announce, “This thing’s going to go ballistic as soon as it feels the net!”<span style=""> </span>Gingerly but as quickly as possible I position the net under the big fish and give a mighty heave, trying to fluidly move into a lift, as I bring the gruesome thing in over the side.<span style=""> </span>It’s a t</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">wisting, angry, snapping 35-pounder, and I’ve got to ‘subdue’ it quickly, with the aid of my trusty aluminum club.•<span style=""> </span>This kind of scene is constant for three hours, with short, five-minute breaks for us to reset the drift.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">• Captain Mac’s Note: At the time of this trip there was no slot limit for lingcod. Today at Cape Chacon a lingcod must fit within a 30” to 35” “slot” – the fish must be no less than 30” long and no more that 35”. Still a pretty nice fish!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">At one point, Jim, a</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8DghZDpjaS4cmj0oUDSNpzFlkdsHUAMwAvNvLwgTk7V8St2Yq5HhFQfLC5r_Y4r1aG1ZtxFihGqECcDX5YFFJsd98l6T9LZqJlx38P0sRS4N9r6PW0mqVw42WmBjidt1Ahtkkk9BHUc/s1600-h/2005+SCL++KINGSLAY+Casey.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8DghZDpjaS4cmj0oUDSNpzFlkdsHUAMwAvNvLwgTk7V8St2Yq5HhFQfLC5r_Y4r1aG1ZtxFihGqECcDX5YFFJsd98l6T9LZqJlx38P0sRS4N9r6PW0mqVw42WmBjidt1Ahtkkk9BHUc/s320/2005+SCL++KINGSLAY+Casey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450142634356541490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;">nother of the sons, brings in a 35-pound king salmon after a 20-minute battle, bright chrome with that characteristic purple tint along the sides.<span style=""> </span>Such a catch is enough to request everyone else to bring in their lines, giving me a short break while we fight the king.<span style=""> </span>But Tim ignores the request and instead moves to the opposite end of the 37 foot boat, away from the action. He is o</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">n a mission.<span style=""> </span>I steal occasional glances at him, making sure he is all right. He is concentrating intensely on the sparkling, mysterious water, almost mesmerized. "C'mon fish. C'mon fish."
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">To be continued</span>
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