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Pike Poetry from a Yukon Outdoor Woman

2009-06-17T13:26:09Z

This past weekend I found myself fishing with over a dozen women. It was my second year teaching the Yukon Fish and Game’s Yukon Outdoor Women Program. It was a great time with lots of laughter, stories, learning and fishing.

As we discussed fishing for Yukon Northern Pike, Zoe referred to some poetry called Pike by Ted Hughes. Here are just a few excerpts but I highly recommend reading the entire thing:

Pike

Pike, three inches long, perfect.
Pike in all parts, green tigering the gold.
Killers from the egg; the malevolent aged grin.
They dance on the surface among the flies.

In ponds under the heat-struck lily pads -
Gloom of their stillness:
Logged on last year’s black leaves, watching upwards.
Or hung in an amber cavern of weeds.

The jaws hooked clamp and fangs.
Not to be changed at this date;
A life subdued to its instrument;
The gills kneading quietly, and the pectorals

....read the entire poem here.

Zoe also mentions that the ‘willowherb’ mentioned in the poem is the same plant as fireweed in the Yukon.

Not like you need a visual after that, but here is a great Yukon Pike video.

Some Random Thoughts About Yukon Family Fishing With Kids

2009-06-07T15:49:35Z

Took the family fishing yesterday to Little Atlin Lake in search of a pike dinner. The lake is about an hour from Whitehorse and requires a boat so it took a little more prep than standing on shore on a stocked lake. It was a great trip which everyone enjoyed; but I thought I would document a couple of thoughts so I could improve it for next time.

1) Snacks - gotta have more next time for the kids and probably something refreshing and frozen like a yoghurt tube. It was hot and the little blast of cold would have been nice.

2) A ban on Holeys. In an aluminum boat with fish slime around…they get deadly slippery. We all tend to wear them when it is hot, but definitely a safety concern.

3) Rig up your rods before hand. I had all the right gear but had to rig up the rods while en route which is very hard when you have to steer a 30hp motor.

4) Figure out a way to keep each child engaged at all times. Both of my kids are still a little weak in casting so I try and cast for them and let them retrieve or I get them to watch the lure for any takes as I retrieve.

5) For pike in weedbeds, use weedless and high floating lures like suspended rapalas, frogs, etc. Young kids can only retrieve so fast so a sinking lure will inevitably get caught in weeds given the slow retrieval time. We caught all of our fish on floating lures which is more fun anyways.

6) Manage expectations and quit before they get tired. We wanted to get out fish, catch a couple for dinner and come back…with the kids wanting more. We were lucky to catch a few quickly so there was a few fish in the boat that they could touch and see while we fished for more.

Just some random thoughts and wish you great success in fishing with the family.

Dropping in on Pumphouse Lake

2009-06-04T20:52:08Z

I love dropper rigs. Why not double your chances and see what is working, especially when you are searching for fish.

http://whatsupyukon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1211&Itemid=199

While a little clumsy to cast thay can be deadly. I plan to try it on a trip to Jackson Lake this week. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Tandem Chironomid Rigs are Deadly this Time of Year

2009-05-22T06:00:38Z

A great post on the Hooked on Yukon Fishing Facebook page that I had to share.

It is almost chronie time at the pothole lakes. With the ice off and the weather warming, the water will be adrift with chronomid shucks. I love this time of year. Floating lines with 15 ft leaders and strike indicators are the ticket. Ice cream cones, colaborators and san juan worm flies will all work well. Focus on greens and browns with silver beads in 12-16. Simply cast out, wait 5 mins for the fly to sink to depth and do a slow finger strip retrieve. For best success tie on a chronomid pupa with a blood worm droper 6 inches from the chronie to make a tandem fly rig. Very effective. Just open your casting loop to avoid tangles.

To get hooked up with the above supplies, call the Troutfitter at 867 334 3661 or go to
ww.h2otroutfitter.com.

Tight Lines,

Steve Hahn

This tandem rig is deadly right now. You can catch them both on the top and bottom fly. For a great article on how to set this up and fish is check out Midcurrent.com.

Great to be back writing by the way.

Get Your Lawn Chairs out Early with the YFGA’s Family Fishing Days

2009-03-22T17:46:48Z

This is a great deal of fun. Have a look here for pictures of the Pine Lake event a few years ago.

Family Fishing Day - Lake Laberge

April 5, 2009 (Sunday)
10:00 AM -3:00 PM

free prizes, giveaways, advice, hot dogs, beverages & cake

Family Fishing Day - Pine Lake, Haines Junction

April 18, 2009 (Saturday)
10:00 AM -3:00 PM

free prizes, giveaways, advice, hot dogs, beverages & cake

Monster Lake Trout Ice Fishing on Yukon’s Kathleen Lake

2009-03-18T00:28:17Z

Proof that anglers should not learn photoshop!

The Old Stick and Jig Trick: Yukon Ice Fishing with Kids

2009-03-07T18:05:39Z

When getting out ice fishing with kids, the most important thing is to keep them busy. There are some kids that can sit by the hole fishing by other and then there are those that get bored after five minutes. My kids are both under eight and I can usually get about two hours out of them. Bring some friends along, hot dogs, a fire, snowmobile and maybe four. Much of this depends on the weather and temperature as well.

My strategy is to usually get the holes cut, set up some rods (usually for the accompanying parents to fish with the kids), a couple tip-up and then let them start fishing. Depending on how many kids and helpers, this takes about 45 minutes. At this point the initial excitement wears off and if a fish is not caught immediately they get a little bored. A couple of options at this point. Start a fire with hot dogs and hot chocolate or the hunt for a jigging stick routine. This past weekend I opted for number two and went on a jigging stick hunt. After about 15 minutes in the woods each kid finds a stick. We set up only enough line to reach the bottom of the lake and then throw a lure on it with some shrimp. I usually pair them up and get them to count to five and jig. Have a look at the video and give it a try with your little kids. Let me know how it went.

The hope is that by this time one of the accompanying adults has caught a fish and then ensues the next few phases of fishing with kids…the fish bonking, cleaning, identifying the parts and back to fishing.

An Aishihik Family Fishing Tradition

2009-03-03T05:51:47Z

I love writing stories about people that get out and fish with their kids and families. I was able to write one such story about four generations of Yukoners fishing together. I hope you enjoy it.

Check out An Aishihik Family Fishing Tradition in my Been There Fished That column in What’s Up Yukon.

Do it Yourself Fishing Lures

2009-02-27T04:08:43Z

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In these uncertain economic times you may be looking for ways to save money but still stay on the water. A great little do it yourself website I peek into from time to time just came up a with a way to demonstrate how to make your own rubber fishing lures. Personally, I question the time and effort that it would take to make these but I am guessing there are some retirees or bachelors out there that may make this a fishing tackle priority. They actually look pretty good and might even work.

How to make artificial fishing bait for little to no $ - More DIY How To Projects

Now making my own smoker is something that gets me hot, but I’ll save that for another post.

A Shout Out to Russ for His Fly Gift

2009-02-15T17:18:54Z

Before Christmas I wrote a story about tying flies with kids. My story was inspired by an article in Hatches Online Magazine and written by Russ Forney.

After posting that entry I struck up a conversation through the internet with the author. Russ is an accomplished fly-tyer and writer and was downright a great guy. He offered to send the flies that he tied for that story to my kids. His gift arrived shortly after Christmas with a beautiful note to my kids. I am a little late getting to this shout out but thanks Russ.

The online fly-fishing fraternity is alive and well.

Let’s Get Michael This Job!

2009-02-06T03:04:02Z

Ok, Michael has been going viral in an attempt at getting the job as caretaker of Hamilton Island. He’s working his butt off and the least we can do it vote and help him out.

If you don’t know, a blogger brother and personal friend Michael is applying for the best job in the world. He is competing against thousands of other across the globe to get this job and he is doing really well. Check out some of the media coverage on Michael’s Meanderings.

Visit the website, watch his hilarious video (on Fish Lake) and give him 5 stars!

You can watch a special trailer here (but go to the site to vote):

Proposed class aims to hook kids on fishing (Chilkat Valley News)

2009-02-03T03:53:36Z

Proposed class aims to hook kids on fishing

By Tom Morphet

You might think teaching children in Haines to fish would be as necessary as teaching fish to swim.

Not so, say supporters of a grant proposal that would secure $2,500 to “promote a lifetime of physical and mental health through sport fishing.” The grant would be secured with the help of Takshanuk Watershed Council and be administered through the Haines Borough School District.

Although students in Haines have one of the finest sport fishing back yards in the world, many students have never caught a fish on rod and reel, said Emily Seward, development director for the watershed council, in a grant proposal to the school. The school board endorsed the plan.

“I’ve talked to them in the school… There are kids who come here from Outside who have moved here, and they’ve never caught a salmon, or a Dolly,” Seward said.

Activities would be held during physical education classes and include canoe and boating safety skills. The grant amount would go toward teacher training, pool rental fees and fishing equipment. Equipment would include spin-cast and fly rods, and the class would be taught at the middle school and high school.

The classes must involve at least two other subjects, such as creative writing or science, for example, Seward said. “The kids could journal their fishing experience. Or they could do art, creative writing or statistics, like how long did it take to catch a fish.”

Funded by the Future Fishermen Foundation, the grant is aimed at getting schools teaching fishing, biology and related subjects regularly, Seward said. After instructor training and gear purchase, the program could continue in future years, she said.

Sporting goods store manager Doug Olerud, who has expressed interest in helping the class land inexpensive or free fishing gear, thinks the program is a good idea. Olerud, who grew up in Haines, said as a youth he spent days with friends reeling in Dolly Varden at the mouth of Sawmill Creek.

“We’d fish all day long. We must have caught some of the same fish about thirty times,” he said.

But not all children have that experience, he said. “If both your parents are working, the opportunity to get somewhere to go fishing isn’t so good. Parents don’t want their kids riding their bikes ten miles to Chilkoot (River). And now there’s bears there.”

The school will know in April if the grant has been approved.

Source: http://chilkatvalleynews.com/story-5.html

Alaskan State Troopers on Fishing Patrol

2009-01-24T17:41:14Z

I have been critical in the past about the lack of fishing related enforcement in Haines. In over ten years of fishing, I have had my sport fishing license checked once. Well I am pleased to report that in Juneau, the State Troopers are all over it:

Location: Lorraine Lake- Point Mackenzie
Case number: 09-4978
Type: Fishing without a Fishing License
Text: On 01/18/2009, at approximately 1332 hours, Alaska Wildlife
Troopers contacted a 26 year old, Minnesota resident, Kelley L. Newman.
Investigation revealed Newman was sport fishing without a valid Alaska
Fishing License. Newman was cited into the Palmer Court with a bail
amount set at $200.00.
Author: FOB0
Received Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:22 AM and posted Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:17 AM

Source: http://blog.drivinglaws.org/2009/01/23/alaska-state-troopers-press-release-of-thursday-january-22-2009/

The US Army Corp of Engineers and a Fishing Road Trip for His Dad

2009-01-21T02:32:27Z

Came across this great post about a fly-fisherman and his Dad’s connection to the construction of the Alcan Highway http://swittersb.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/alcan-higway-my-fathers-passed-ona-roadtrip-for-him/. This one goes out to the US Army Corp of engineers who put in the road to the Yukon.

Handy Alaska Fishing First Aid

2009-01-18T17:08:37Z

I’ve been in this situation a few times and usually wiggled my way out. I have to hand it to this “hand’s on” Alaska captain as he hands this guy a handy first aid treatment. WARNING - not for the faint of heart, and a little fishing profanity.