Saturday, July 31, 2010

Alaska-Where the real fishermen go!


I recently took a trip with some of the guys in Alli's family up to Alaska. All in all, we were up there for 10 days, and all we did was fish. It was so much fun. Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. This picture was taken around 10:00 PM. We went during the time of the year when thesun stays out for the longest amount of time, the summer solstice. It stayed out for about 20 hours. Although Alaska is a two hour difference, calculating in the hours of the sun it turns out to be a 5-7 hour difference in time.



This was taken at about 1:30 AM

Combat Fishing.

We went during spawning season. This means that all of Alaska will go out and fish. All the way down the river this is what it looks like. Fishermen 10 feet to the left and right of you. Also there is unwritten protocol as to how to go about fishing, combat style. Seeing how I was really just a beginner fisherman, I was a little nervous at first. But eventually I got the hang of it. Most fishermen are very respectful and courteous when it comes to personal space during combat fishing.

Deep Sea Fishing

Our Halibut Catch

Mark caught the biggest fish which weighed in at 63 pounds. It was an interesting experience out there on the sea trying to catch these Halibut. They are bottom feeders, meaning that they are all the way at the bottom of the ocean floor. We were catching these at a depth of 12o feet. When you finally catch one it feels like you are trying to pull up a small car, that is fighting to stay back down. It can be very exhausting.

On our last day we went 4-wheeling up towards this glacier. It was an incredible sight to see in person. The closer you got to it the more rivers and streams there were to cross.


Drew and I were forunate enough to ride the smaller 4 wheelers with a little lower ground clearance. Because of this we both managed to stall our machines in one of the crossings. Luckily there were some locals there watching us, and laughing at us as we tried to cross. They eventually pulled us in and helped us out. This man became my superhero of the day.

In the end it was probably one of my greatest vacations. The fishing was unbelievable, the scenery out of this world, and I came back with about 55 pounds of Halibut and Salmon. Although there are a lot of hidden costs in Alaska, the money spent was well worth it. If the chance ever arrives for a person to go on a fishing trip in Alaska, it is a no brainer. GO!!