2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

The fishing started off fast and furious but we didn't know how long it would last. Chris had a group out the day before and he said that they had 4 people in their group and they caught 35! We were determined to see if the three of us could at least do as well as they did. Here's the three Musketeers, fishing away as hard as we could!

 

 

 

Bev - "fishing" - but secretly resting (her bait rig wasn't on the bottom) because she was so tired from catching so many fish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad getting worn out fighting a good one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Making my way to the bottom today, takes many feet of line...!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring Dad's "shooter"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad's Big One of the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad's big fish was a pretty cool deal. After wrangling up the 45 pound beast from the depths, Chris was working on board it on the back deck when he said "This one's a shooter..." He stepped back onto the boat and into the cabin. A few seconds later he stepped back out onto the rear deck, and with revolver in hand, pulled the head of the big Halibut up to the surface and "Pop! Pop!" - two in the head!!! He said it actually doesn't necessarily kill them, but it stuns them enough to bring bigger fish safely on board. IN any case - it was a first time, very cool experience!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

The shooter story is a good lead in to why Chris doesn't usually do fishing trips anymore. While having a slower boat was part of the story, Chris' primary business is bear hunting - big, GIANT Brown bear hunting. He had several photo albums on board, showing among other things many of the bear hunting trips he's guided. Chichagof Island, where Hoonah is located, has the highest density of Brown bears in the world. The interesting thing is that Chris isn't just a bear hunting guide - he's THE MAN when it comes to hunting Brown bears.

Cabela's, which for those of you who are not familiar, is a huge outdoors company that sells fishing and hunting gear, camping equipment, etc - including world class hunting trips & fishing trips all over the globe. Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America.

Well, one of the trips you can book with them is Brown Bear hunting in Alaska - and Chris is the guide you'd go with. So, his hunting trips are very exclusive and high end adventures, lasting anywhere from a few days to a month. In any case, if his hunting trips are half as good as our day fishing with him, they must be phenomenal!

 

 

 

Here are a couple of shots of the inside of the Icy Lady...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's one of my better 'butts

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few shots of Bev having a ball, and an intimate portrait of the innate beauty of one of her catches...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell, we had great weather, a great guide, and fantastic fishing! Stay tuned to find out what the finally tally was!!!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Well, while the weather had turned blue skies and sunshine, there was also a pretty brisk wind that was building into some decent swells. We had already kept two halibut (you could keep one per person), and while we had some orders for fish from folks back home, we didn't want to pay a fortune to ship fish back either since we don't eat it. So, after 2 hours and 45 minutes of crazy good fishing, we decided to head back in.

 

 

 

Final tally - 3 people, 56 halibut, less than three hours!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad, showing us who's #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev & Dad, sharing a moment as we headed back in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the landscape views on the way back in to port

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All too soon, Radiance was coming into view and we were almost back in Hoonah...

 

 

 

L.J.

[sue402001]

Love love love the pictures of the halibut. After looking at the close up they are one ugly fish!

 

Can't wait for the next chapter LJ!

[WalleyeLJ]

Radiance's Good Side...

 

 

Wait - they're all good!

 

 

 

 

As we came up on Radiance, the tip of Icy Straight Point was on our port/left side. Here's a view of some of the walking/biking trail along the point, along with a couple of decorative totem poles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few shots coming up on the ISP historic cannery & welcome center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cookhouse Restaurant next to the Cannery...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up - few more shots of the Cannery, the tenders, and some of the activities along the waterfront in ISP/Hoonah...

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Love love love the pictures of the halibut. After looking at the close up they are one ugly fish!

 

Can't wait for the next chapter LJ!

 

Thanks Sue - working my way to the eagles next!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

A few more views of the Cannery & tender dock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of "tender" moments...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The nice thing about ISP is that the tender process is quick and easy - much shorter than any tender runs we've had in the Caribbean.

 

 

 

L.J.

[mommybearx2]

Ok, had no clue how UGLY that fish was!!! The smile on Bevs and your dad's face are priceless. Makes me smile. Thanks again for all you have done to tell your story. Looking forward to the Eagle pictures.

[WalleyeLJ]

Ok, had no clue how UGLY that fish was!!! The smile on Bevs and your dad's face are priceless. Makes me smile. Thanks again for all you have done to tell your story. Looking forward to the Eagle pictures.

 

Thanks Mommybearx2,

 

I apologize to everyone for losing steam on my review. I WILL finish, even if it does take me until Christmas:).

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

As we motored past Radiance and towards Hoonah harbor, we got to see a lot of activity in the bay and along the waterfront.

 

 

 

Fishing charters and tender boats off the starboard side of Radiance

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon fishing charter working the inside shoreline

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing boat with the historic Hoonah Cannery in the background

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bicycle tour group returning from town along the shoreline road, a nice low stress option to get out and see the countryside - unless you end up trying to out peddle a bear!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

While ISP/Hoonah isn't a "big" port with lots of infrastructure and - shopping -, the town and the Hoonah natives are both looking at putting in a hardscape pier that would allow passengers to skip tendering and just walk off like most of the other main ports in Alaska, utilizing primarily grant monies. The problem is that the Hoonah tribe wants the pier at the historic Cannery, and the town wants to have it lead onto property that isn't on tribal land, about halfway between the Cannery and the town of Hoonah proper. In either case, it'll change the face of Hoonah some, although Chris said that the intent is NOT to make Hoonah into Glitter Gulch south, but just maximize the number of people that would get off the ship without the tender hurdle. The Hoonah tribe is concerned that if the pier isn't located at the Cannery location, that the people making the way to their attractions will drop dramatically. I guess there are no good answers, I only hope that they can come to an equitable agreement that will work for all, and not ruin the wonderful character of the community.

 

 

 

L.J.

[flounder315]

Thanks for taking the time to do this wonderful review. I am LOVING it.

 

Question that I didn't see explained as you always explain everything so well. What is the K & R for on the Halibut count board?

 

I went back and started over re-reading this review for several reasons;

 

1. Great Story Teller

2. Awesome Pictures

3. Beautiful family, love seeing the smiles on everyones faces.

4. Research, I'm cruising Alaska next June. I will add some more of your tips to my cruise planning paper, it is already 12 pages long...

[Cruisingfamilyfun]

Thank you so much for posting! We were on a Seatle to Seatle cruise in 2011..........in 2014 we are planning another cruise to Alaska and with your pictures and review will help us get over the months and months of waiting!

 

I have to re-read your posts and everyone in my office came in and wanted to see the pics!

 

Again thank you for posting such great pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Shanna

[knukruzer]

Thanks for taking the time to do this wonderful review. I am LOVING it.

 

Question that I didn't see explained as you always explain everything so well. What is the K & R for on the Halibut count board?

 

i am guessing it is Kept & Returned, or something close....we shall have to await LG for the final answer thou

 

I went back and started over re-reading this review for several reasons;

 

1. Great Story Teller

2. Awesome Pictures

3. Beautiful family, love seeing the smiles on everyones faces.

 

we 2nd & 3rd that for sure - love all of the pictures!!!

 

4. Research, I'm cruising Alaska next June. I will add some more of your tips to my cruise planning paper, it is already 12 pages long...

 

flounder, where & for how long are ya planning?

[priscillaisadog]

This review is AMAZING! I have done nothing today but read and marvel at the photographs. I am traveling on the Radiance next June with a bunch of friends and you have given me so many ideas. Thank you SO much!:):):):)

[ruecatt]

Your pictures are Amazing. It looks like you had a great trip. I love the bear.

[bravostar]

Thank you, Thank you so very much!!!

Just got through all 24 pages of fantastic reading and information. Lots of ideas for our Radiance trip to Alaska in June.

Is there a website for H&M?

[Assateague Island Princes]

www.harvandmarvs.com.

 

Fantastic! Love them! Ask for Captain Jay or his daughter Jayleen. You won't be disappointed!

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanks for taking the time to do this wonderful review. I am LOVING it.

 

Question that I didn't see explained as you always explain everything so well. What is the K & R for on the Halibut count board?

 

I went back and started over re-reading this review for several reasons;

 

1. Great Story Teller

2. Awesome Pictures

3. Beautiful family, love seeing the smiles on everyones faces.

4. Research, I'm cruising Alaska next June. I will add some more of your tips to my cruise planning paper, it is already 12 pages long...

 

Flounder,

 

I'm glad you've enjoyed the review. I've gotten off track but I'm going to try and get started again. I apologize for the delay in answering your question. The OP was correct - the K = keeper, and the R = released. We could each keep 1 halibut apeice. We didn't want to spend a small fortune sending the fish home, so we didn't keep a third plus we would have had to stop fishing:D.

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

So, to any previously loyal followers, I missed my done by Christmas mark as well, but in case there are any folks who want to see this through to the end, I'm going to try and finish up our story!

 

So, as we headed back towards the Hoonah Harbor Marina, we saw a couple of afternoon kayaking outings making their way back towards the Cannery.

 

 

 

Open water/middle of the bay...

 

 

 

 

Cutting across the bay, with Hoonah as the backdrop...

 

 

 

 

Paddling along the shoreline...

 

 

 

 

A few of the hillside homes headed into Hoonah

 

 

 

 

The fishing has been so much fun the two times we've been to ISP/Hoonah that I don't know if we'll try something new next time there. That said, whale watching and kayaking are high on the list of new things to try here! If we're lucky like the morning group, we might get 2 for 1!

 

 

One of the great things about the Icy Lady was the huge walk on top deck/fly bridge. Here are a couple of shots I took of "Capt" Bev from down below, up top with the wind in her hair!

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Welcome "home" LJ - so good to have you back! Can't wait for more!

[sue402001]

Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy . . . . . . . . . I feel like I little kid in a candy store!

 

It sure is good to see you LJ, I keep hoping I'll see some new writing from you and I finally did. Hope you had a great Christmas and It's good to have you back! :)

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanks AIP, Sue - it's good to be back! Here we go - continuing the tour of Hoonah & ISP...

 

So, like most coastal Alaskan towns, fishing is a huge part of the local culture & economy - both recreational/tourists, and commercial. Motoring our way back into the harbor gives a nice perspective of town that you can't even see that well from the ship. Here are a few of the sights along the way...

 

 

 

Crab pots???

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hoonah Trading Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trawlers & Homes

 

 

 

 

 

 

A close up of the bright blue "Yankee Maid"

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the neat things about Alaska is how many shapes, sizes and colors the boats come in. Even if you aren't into fishing, it's a particularly striking part of the visual and cultural landscape. When your around one of these harbors, just take a few minutes to look around and like, people, almost no two are alike...

 

 

 

Birds love fish (and fish processing plants) even more than people do!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After passing the fish processing plant, we slipped behind the protective breakwater wall, our great halibut fishing adventure almost over...

 

 

Next up - fish cleaning time!!! - aka blood & guts (warning - big fishy teeth and blood in the next installment or two!)

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Back inside the harbor, Capt Chris made his way to the Icy Lady's slip before taking care of the fish. A slightly overcast start to the day was finishing up with wonderful weather to match the great day of fishing.

 

 

 

Hoonah Harbor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we helped tie up the boat, Capt Chris started in on cleaning the two fish we had kept. Before he started the filleting, he showed us a look inside the mouth of a halibut, explaining that not only were the jaws of a halibut full of sharp teeth, but that the back of the mouth and throat are all full of teeth, or their equivalent. In short - if you live in the ocean and a halibut takes you in - there's no escape!!! Those teeth, in addition to their sheer size, are a good reason why the medium to huge ones are "shooters"!

 

 

 

A look into the belly of the beast...

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, Capt Chris made quick work of the fish. I've watched my Dad clean fish my whole life, and he's very good at it, but Capt Chris used that filet knife like a surgeon with a scalpel. Cut, cut, slice, slice, flip, slice, skin, done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An up close look as the adorable halibut - a face only a mother could love!!! Before you judged them too harshly, don't forget that the halibut is born with eyes on both sides of its body, before the one on the bottom rotates around the head to the top. So, if that happened to us, we'd look a little funny too!

 

 

 

Ol' Googly Eyes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[mommybearx2]

Yeah......You are back!!! Thanks for your continued posts. Happy New Year to all!!

[WalleyeLJ]

Yeah......You are back!!! Thanks for your continued posts. Happy New Year to all!!

 

Thanks - it is good to be back:). A safe, happy & healthy New Year to you & yours MBx2!

 

L.J.

Edited December 31, 2012 by WalleyeLJ