Hello

[Kraken]

If I am not mistaken it is customary for new members to post an introduction or story of sorts, so I thought I would give er a whirl and say hello.

I spent the first 12-13 years of my life in SE Alaska. My father working in the timber and construction industry we were always on the move only living in one location for 1-2 years on average till we would pack up and move to the next job.

If memory serves me correctly life started, well my first child hood memories, in Craig, AK on prince of Whales Island. The fishing was always prime and I remember a many a night when friends of the family would bring over that giant king they hooked and throw it down in the bath tub. It always seemed its head would shoot up from one side of the tub and its tail from the other in a half moon position. There was nothing I would rather do than sit there for who knows how long admiring this beautiful fish as I would pet it, run water over it, and soon be covered head to toe in slime.

It wasn’t long and the jobs were running thin and it was time to pack up and move. From there we went to Wasilla, AK. I remember Wasilla being the first time that I was looking into a small river and seeing so many salmon I didn’t know what to do. Sure I was only in the first or second grade but these beast were monsters what would they actually do to me if I dared hooked one. So I spent many a fishing trips with a bare hook or none at all in the water and my legs and arms wrapped around a small tree hoping to god that one of these beasts wouldn’t drag me into the water and devour me.

From Wasilla we ended up in Icy Bay as I wrote this I tried to find it on the atlas to explain where it was and am unable to but I remember it was about a 30 minute flight or so out of Yakutat, AK on a lil bush plain. One of the most gorgeous flight I can remember, flying over glaciers and the ocean till we finally come to this small patch of dirt out in the forest about a mile or so long and land. From there another few miles down some dirt roads we come to camp. There were about 5 families that I remember living there with their children then the bunks for all the single guys on the out skirts of the trailers where the families lived. Icy Bay was a wonderful place. I loved it there. Between fishing, beach coming, hiking, hunting, trapping, gold panning there was never a dull moment. Being in the second – third grade now I was ready to conquer the salmon learn how to trap and spend all day whizzing up and down trails and the beach on our quad. I only hear stories of how much the place sucked from my parents but I felt as if tho when I left, I left a lot of me there. Totally isolated from the world it seemed. There was to cable there were no paved roads there was just us and the wild. Camp was only 4 or 5 miles from the ocean. I remember a small pond walking distance from the house that had a small stream running to the ocean from it. When the salmon would run they would just bull doze their way through. So many fish it was incredible. I spent many a days down there just running up and down the bank scooting fish back into the water that somehow through all the commotion would beach them selves. Other days we would break out the fresh roe, or a snazzy spinner it didn’t matter to us. The salmon would spawn and after such I and a few friends seemed somehow elected the job to running trebles tied to some huge braided line casting into the pond scraping the bottom and pulling out dead salmon after dead salmon, most of which was used for trapping bait.
From there we moved to Wrangell, AK. We spent 4 years or so here. Another nice town and wonderful community. My grand father made numerous trips to see us staying months at a time bringing his boat to fish in the bay for salmon and halibut. It wasn’t long and we just bought the boat from him so he wouldn’t have to pull it or drive to us every time.

Now in the third – sixth grade I still fished but started paying a lil more attention to them girls and got into playing sports. None of which really slowed my fishing down I suppose cause if there wasn’t anyone to take me fishing it was a short bike ride to the docks and we were catching bullheads, flounders, crab, and occasional salmon. After quite a few years of trolling for salmon in the bay, bottom fishing for cod and halibut, crabbing, selling Garnets to the tourist I moved or I should say we moved once again.

This new place we moved to was pretty up town from the last few places we had lived, it even had a Mc Donald’s. We took up residence in Homer, AK for about a year or so. My father was working across the bay gone for 3-4 weeks at a time. So my fishing was pretty limited to what I could ride my bike to which wasn’t bad at all. But later learning the Kenai River was only 2 hours drive away agitated me. But the salmon were plentiful on the spit in homer although I had never had to compete against other anglers for fishing space and water, but I adapted and enjoyed a few good runs of fish there. But the most memorable was when my grand father came to visit once again and we took a charter out for the day to go halibut fishing. The waters were much different than those we fished before, always being protected by numerous islands before, the ocean outside of Homer was rather rough. We fished most of the day and it was a good day. I had the pleasure of catching many many cod and 2 very nice Halibut. If I remember right one around 70+ lbs and the other 160/170+ lbs. I think at the time I was in the seventh grade and I remember letting the bait down to the bottom reeling up a few time and bamo there he was the biggest fish I have ever hooked into. The deck hands were there in a flash looking rather worried that I was having problems stopping the rod from smacking the rail as I tried my best to pump the fish up to the top. Being anything but a small child I held my ground and didn’t relieve the rod to the deck hand and after a few trips to the top we finally boated the fish. I suppose I should mention that my grand father also caught some nice fish that day.

From here we moved to Grants Pass, OR. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to handle it. Grants Pass was the biggest place I had ever seen. And good lord was it hot. I still remember the first summer we moved here foot ball was starting and of course I was joining the team. But weather in the high 90’s low 100’s I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive. I met some friends in school and on the team most didn’t fish and my father was driving truck long haul. So the first year or so I didn’t really fish much. Met some more friends in high school and it seemed Bass was the hot ticket to them. They talked it up pretty good anyway, I never heard of a Bass before but heck its fishing aint it. So for a few years I was fishing local ponds and for bass, catfish and carp. Thinking my time of catching wondrous salmon was over I accepted my fate and continued fishing for what I thought was only available to me. Later getting married right out of high school and becoming a father I put the rods and tackle away limited my fishing to trolling the lakes for trout a few times a year and mainly just worked. Becoming a father a little earlier than I had planned took its toll but I wouldn’t have given it up for the world.
It was about 3 years later I met a gentlemen who post here by RogueFishr whom had become a co worker of mine. After listening to my tales of Alaska and whining about never catching another real fish again he just smiled and grinned and asked if I would like to go out in his drift boat and see if we couldn’t catch some winter steel head. I accepted and remember thinking that all my efforts of fishing in the rivers and already proven unsuccessful but why not maybe he knows something I don’t, and boy did he!

I had purchased a used Berkley IM7 and Abu Garcia reel from a garage sale a few days prior after talking with RF. Not wanting to drop couple hundred bucks on a rod a real to fish for something that doesn’t exist after all. I equipped it with what he had explained and came prepared to be skunked. It was a beautiful day and somehow it just felt right to be there, the day seemed different than the other and it was. We made a short drift only planning on fishing for a few hours, it was coming to the end, we were coming upon a boat anchored up, and in the last hole we wanted to drift through. We kept our lines out and drifted pretty close to them asking how they had done, after they explained they had been there all morning with no luck it happened. The roe quit bouncing upon the bottom the feeling I was getting comfortable with after all morning, its was a soft slow pull and before I couldn’t think about it my body was already reacting for me. The hook was set and I was yelling THERE IT IS I GOT ONE!!!. I had hooked it right next to the other boat gave em a smile and continued fighting the fish. I fought it for what seemed like for ever RF did a wonderful job helping me with boat. A hundred or so yards and 15 minutes or so later I landed the most gorgeous fish I think I had ever seen. I big ol bright native hen. If I remember right RF guestimated around 13 odd lbs. It did not matter this fish was the fish of all fish nothing I had caught prior could compare; this fish brought back old memories and renewed my faith. Although RF explained I had to release the fish it being a native and all, it didn’t matter I had caught it I had seen it and I knew there were going to be plenty more like it.

So anyway to wrap it up this was 4-5 years ago I believe and ive been fishing with RF ever since still learning the ropes and having a blast along the way. Thanks.

[Thumb Burner]

Wow excellent story
Welcome to newbieville like me :smile:

[Grantspastor]

A big time welcome! All right! Another Grants Pass fisherman. Hope to meet soon. I too lived in Alaska for 8 years...as you know...the fishing is not too bad here, and it can be done 12 months out of the year.

Dave

[finclipped]

Good story. Welcome to ifish, from a Roseburg native.

[Fishfeet]

Now THAT`S a STORY!!! Welcome to the fold! Fishft.

[Kraken]

Originally posted by Grantspastor:
as you know...the fishing is not too bad here, and it can be done 12 months out of the year.

Dave

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Oh yes :grin: and loving every minute of it! Im sure ill see you around.

[sparse gray hackle]

Hey!! Kraken welcome to the best fish board ever. Its good to see a southern Oregon fisher on the board .. I have an empty seat now and then maybe we can hook up

[h20dog]

First rate intro, Welcome aboard!

[Jetsledder]

Welcome to Ifish

[Straydog]

Welcome! And what a story, what a life!

It's a pleasure to see another Grants Pass person sign on.

Hopefully see you on the river!

Another Dave

[Kraken]

Thanks for the warm welcomes look forward to getting to know everyone.

[RogueFishr]

Well it's about time you registered here Kraken! Welcome aboard. Don't be late tomorrow morning. And dress warm, its gonna be c-c-c-cold :grin:


RF

[Aufish101]

Kraken:



What an intro, at leased you keep fishing!

[Metal Manipulator]

Good story welcome to IFish Roseburg would be agreat place to live because there are several rivers that I like to visit with mf Flyrod.

[Thumper]

Cool story. Welcome to God's country, the great Pacific Northwest. Though I fish Yakutat every year for 27 years now, I still love coming back here. No place like it on earth.

[Birdnest]

Great story. Welcome.

Joe