Blog

Alaska anglers get hooked along with salmon

2009-08-20T16:43:18Z

From the Juneau Daily News Aug 11, 2009

KENAI, Alaska (AP) — Salmon aren’t alone in being snagged during this busy summer fishing season in Alaska. Anglers get the hook, too.

Monica Musgrove, a nurse at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, says emergency room staff have removed 62 hooks from patients since May — one from somebody’s eyelid, and another from a nose.

And it’s likely that many more went to other hospitals or took them out themselves.

Musgrove notes that the hospital also sees injuries related to weights — such as when an angler catches a hook on the bottom, jerks backward to free it, and winds up getting smacked in the face by a split-shot or sinker.

She says many of the injuries occur at the overcrowded Russian River, especially when sockeye are running.
(Peninsula Clarion)

Thanks for passing along Adam.

Stocking Haircut Lake (from Adam)

2009-08-03T18:56:35Z

Dennis,
Every year that I have stocked Rainbow trout fry in the stocked lakes is different. Sometimes it is routine, sometimes it is scorching hot out, sometimes the helicopter pilot makes it easy, sometimes not, sometimes it is a ‘warm fuzzy feeling’, sometimes it is pouring rain, sometimes the mosquitoes are out in full force, sometimes they’re not, sometimes I watch a bigger trout gobble up the small fry, sometimes a bear will appear and usually the fry will stick around where they are let out.
This year, I was met by Minnie & Jim Clark from Timber Point and Pansy Allen from Johnson’s Crossing. We each grabbed a jug or two of fry and headed down the steep bank to the lake. In the meantime, I was giving my ‘spiel’ on where the fry are from to how they ended up here while waiting about 15 minutes for the fry to acclimate with the lake water while the bigger bows were rising left, right and centre. I’m still not sure why I leave my rod and reel at home when setting out to stock fish. It could the separation of events. These pot-hole lakes are there to alleviate the pressure on the natural stocks of grayling, trout and pike. And there is a 5 trout limit which is only surpassed by the burbot limit.
I also told them what was the best way to catch trout at this lake. I came back the next day with a rod and real and scores of lures, bait, and flies and proceeded to get skunked after 2 1/2 hours. Go figure! But the birds were chirping and the mosquitoes were slow! I forgot how comfortable a shore nap could be!
Adam

(Photo by Jim Clark)

First Yukon River Salmon Through Today

2009-07-31T00:33:18Z

From the Fish Ladder staff:

Good Morning Everyone!

So just a heads up we have a salmon in the ladder this morning, it’s a female and she’s by herself but I’m sure there will be many to follow. Have a good day!

Taking Inspiration from the Yukon Fishing Community

2009-07-29T07:02:22Z

Firstly I will start by saying that I have a good excuse for not posting in a while. I was out of the country for a month and am just getting back to Yukon waters. I hate missing a month of the short Yukon summer, especially with the weather we have been having. I am definitely planning to make up for lost time as I have fished Lebarge, Squanga, Chadburn already and have a trip to Marsh and Hidden later this week. This means plenty to write about. I make no promises I will catch anything but I’ll give it a go.

I am so proud to be connected to Yukon fishing. This morning I was prepping for a fishing course I am putting on through the City of Whitehorse called “Hook, Line and Sinker”. It is a beginner course with seven students. I had a very small budget from which to purchase some fishing supplies. I went to go see Glen at Sports North to purchase some hooks, lures, bobbers, etc.. and without asking he ended up donating a bunch of stuff to these students. Earlier in the day I went to see Susan at Environment and she provided a bunch of materials, posters and even a frozen fish for a fish filleting demo. In addition Nansi dropped off the loaner rods on behalf of the Yukon Fish and Game Association.

Everyone stepped up and supported seven people who wanted to learn how to fish in the Yukon.

I love the Yukon fishing community.

Pike Poetry from a Yukon Outdoor Woman

2009-06-17T15:26:09Z

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

2009-06-07T17:49:35Z

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

2009-06-04T22:52:08Z

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

2009-05-22T08:00:38Z

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

2009-03-22T19:46:48Z

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

2009-03-18T02:28:17Z

Proof that anglers should not learn photoshop!

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

2009-03-07T20:05:39Z

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

2009-03-03T07:51:47Z

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

2009-02-27T06:08:43Z

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

2009-02-15T19:18:54Z

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!

2009-02-06T05:04:02Z

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):