The Outdoor Magazine television crew traveled to Kodiak Island, Alaska for a week of what we had all dreamed about since we were young lads. Hunting and fishing in one of the last true wilderness areas left on the planet. GLS .com apologizes right now if it takes a while to download this photo-journal, but these pics were just too special to leave out. I would like to suggest allowing it to download while you grab a snack. It's worth the wait!
Our trip started in the town of Kodiak, Alaska on August 4th, 2003 and we would be fortunate enough to take a boat ride in a 28 foot skiff down to Larsens Bay on the southern end of the island, approximately a 100 mile trip. The trip would take us through the Shelikof Strait and Whale Pass, as well as the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. It was approximately a 4-hour trip, but with writers and producers on the boat, we were stopping around every turn to fill up as much tape and film as possible.
On our way out of the Kodiak Municiple Marina, we stopped by to see a gentleman and his lady friend sunning themselves on a dock in the warm Alaska sun. They didn't seem too bothered by our intrusion..
We ran some film through the cameras and left them to rest on the dock and headed out to the channel that would take us past Fort Abercrombie, one of the forts that defended the Alaskan coast from the Japanese in World War 11. We entered an area known to locals as Whale Pass, and we were not disappointed! The weather on this day was perfect as seen in these pics. Sunny and calm, temps in the mid 60's. The whales seemed to love it as well, as it didn't take us long to motor up to our very first encounter with a pod of Humpback Whales. I think it better to let the pics do the talking here! Humpies don't normally tail like this but due to the shallow water through this pass, they dove often and came up quickly. They really put on a great show.
As they surfaced we heard their distinctive blow as they readied for another short dive. The mist from this could be heard and seen for hundreds of yards away.
This Humpback just swam through his mist from the blow. It is a sound a human can never forget ....exhilarating to say the least! As they make the final dive, the gave us some wonderful opportunities to see that monsterous tail slip beneath the surface. What a sight!
The Sea Otters in this area of Kodiak are numerous. One of the most laid-back creatures on earth, our crew fit right in as we laughed and floated down river with these wonderful creatures. This Otter was opening a clam shell by banging it in a rock laying on his chest. He ate the succulent clam while floating by us.
Crabbing is on the mind of every person that heads to Alaska. We pulled a crab licence and threw some pots down. The pots are set with hanging salmon which is wired to the top of the cage. The crab smells the bait, climbs up and falls in. Snows or Tanner crabs are the most abundant and Dungeness crab are readily available. Currently there is no open season on Alaskan King crab as their numbers are low. The first crab pot we set was pulled a day later and held 39 Snows. We ate crab for dinner, and crab omelettes for breakfast the next morning. Chad Sterns from Jay's Sporting Goods shows his dinner!
If your a seafood lover, this is definently the place to be, as we caught cod, halibut, crab and salmon. One of the favorite fish taken this time of year around the Emerald Isle is Halibut. Here Dixie Dave Miner hoist one of the big fish of the trip, a one hundred pound halibut. They are targeted on the shelves in approximately 100 feet of water using cutbait salmon and octopus.
Salmon are of course one of the most targeted fish in Alaska for both sport and trade. Although the King Salmon bite was not hot while we were there, we were able to get several beautiful pinks for the wall. Here James Edwards shows that Michigan Stinger Spoons are hot all over the world.
When the run is on there is no better place to be that in those tiny feeder creeks. Sheer numbers alone allow the species to survive.
No story about Kodiak, Alaska would be just if we didn't talk about the Brown Bears. With one Brown for every square mile, Kodiak has the highest Brown Bear population on earth. We were able to get close to a couple of bruins wandering through our area. If you think a whale could get the adrenaline pumping, have one of these bad boys walk past!
I would like to dedicate this photo-journal to the memory of Pat Durham. Our good friend Oliver had the idea to take us all to Alaska where he and Pat enjoyed so many trips. By the looks of this one, you would have thought she knew we were coming. Also a special thanks to Mike Avery, James Edwards, Chad Sterns and Dixie Dave Minar and of course Oliver Durham. There could not have been five other partners I would have enjoyed this trip with more....If you are interested in booking a trip, contact Oliver Durham and he will assist you in planning a trip of a lifetime. He can be reached at Durham and Sons Argo Enterprises. The phone is (517) 545-4840.
If you're wondering why there aren't many photos of Mike Avery holding fish, it is simply because he is one of the hardest working folks in the outdoor industry. He spent countless hours behind the camera to make sure every shot had the right light and angle. Stay tuned to the Outdoor Magazine television show for a very special surprise that isn't often caught on camera in Alaska. Go to www.outdoormagazine.tv for show times in your area! Here we see Mike out shooting more video for the series of shows from Kodiak Island, Alaska!
