WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

Socal Anglers Find Hot Sitka Fishing With Kingfisher

Kingfisher is the official Alaska Lodge of the Tuna Jackpot and will be
awarding a trip for two anglers with $1995 each at the awards dinner

BY RICHARD G. MACH JR.,

SITKA, AK -- Scott and I had been dreaming of catching giant Alaskan halibut, king salmon, and lingcod that is legendary in Sitka Alaska. A few years ago our dreams became reality and we packed up our blood-stained jeans, from chasing San Diego tuna, and headed for Kingfisher Charters. Little did I know that this would be the first of many annual trips back to the bountiful waters of southeast Alaska.

Sitka is a temperate rain forest nestled at the base of snow-capped mountains, where waterfalls and streams snake their way through hemlock and spruce that grow right down to the waters' edge. As we head out on our first day there is no argument why someone could call this place "Paris of the Pacific." But Scott and I are here for the throbbing arms and sore backs from fighting lingcod, king salmon and halibut all day. Our first fish to the boat was a salmon, and after giving each other high fives we wonder in dismay as to why our captain, Robert, is pulling the gear to leave. He insists not to worry, that a dog salmon is not what we are looking for and he races for Jurasic Park for what he says will be unbelievable lingcod fishing. Using plastic jigs right off the ocean floor, Scott and I are in our element from all the tuna fishing we have done, and we begin to hook lingcod after lingcod. Jurasic Park is named appropriately for big halibut and lingcod; where the fish are so ferocious that bigger lings "piggyback" on to smaller lings already hooked up to a jig. We have our limits in minutes. My biggest for the trip is an unbelievable fifty-seven pound ling, and I say to myself, "I'll probably never do that again." Last summer, I proved myself wrong and matched that personal record.

I start to feel the "burn" in my arms I have been yearning for, but our captain has heard a good king salmon report from Shelikof Bay. Steve, a fellow captain with Kingfisher, tells Robert that the bait is boiling on the surface and the king salmon are biting on just about anything you throw in the water. Scott and I are in disbelief as we listen to the report over the scrambler radio. Thirty minutes later we are at the spot. Steve's group is already limited out and leaving, and all he can say is, "Have fun!" Scott and I can't get to the rods fast enough. You can see the bait churning on the surface, and the kings are breaking the surface to feed. When the kings are this thick, our captain's choice is to drift-mooch. With only a 4 ounce weight and a cut herring on a five foot leader, each of us begin an unforgettable challenge of over-under maneuvers as multiple hook-ups of triples and doubles keep us busy. Limits again, and we begin to ask ourselves, "Is this for real?"

Scott and I could go home happy at this point, but Robert gives us another option: "We can take a chance and go for some bigger halibut, but we will have to put some time in to get the scent of the bait going." Scott and I figure it is only 9:00 a.m. and we have had a great day already and have nothing to lose. Anchored in 380 feet of water off Beaver Point over a rocky bottom, we wait for the big one. The yellow-eye rockfish show up first along with a 32 and a 41 pound halibut, then a few more halibut, but the captain says you have to wait for the big ones. We wait, and with circle hooks you can't set the hook no matter how much you want to grab that rod. When Scott's rod bends over into the water, the captain says, "That looks like the one you've been waiting for." I'm jealous and happy at the same time, but Scott is flat out ecstatic. For forty minutes Scott battles this 131 pound halibut as it returns to the ocean floor time and again, but patience and persistence pay off in the end as the giant flatty pounds the deck. Scott and I have only finished our first day of fishing in Alaska and we have limits of halibut, king salmon, and lingcod.

BIG FISH and quality service and smiles by the staff at the lodge are the hallmarks of the Kingfisher operation. It’s all about the experience, and Kingfisher, a family owned an operated lodge, is all-inclusive. A trip for two anglers worth $1,995 each will be awarded at the conclusion of the WON/Yamaha Tuna Jackpot, Nov. 4-7 in a drawing among all anglers at the awards dinner.

Every return trip has been a different experience, but the results have been the same: great stories and hot fishing. My personal best for halibut more than doubled the size of Scott's at 295 pounds in May of 2003, but the best fight came from a 180 pound flatty on a squid type jig. The captain had just dropped anchor just south of Sitka, and my usual eagerness to get a jig in the water finds me hooked up to this halibut before the captain is back on deck from setting the anchor. On a sunny day and thirty minutes into battling this fish, I find myself down to a tank top and still sweating. With my back starting to spasm I hear the captain telling my buddies that halibut tend to fight better on a jig. (Now he tells me!) Thinking I have won the daily bet pool with my group, I celebrate after landing the fish. But hold on, we are fishing in Alaska: fifteen minutes later I lose to a buddy's 185 pound halibut. This day was phenomenal; usually the big ones come longer into the soak time, but we ended up with two more in the 150 pound category in the first hour and a half, and limited out two hours after that.

For the last six years I have vacationed to Kingfisher Charters and this fishing playground with a different group of friends, and one year with my mom and dad. Kingfisher Lodge has spectacular views of the ocean from their decks and lounge areas, and our group always relaxes in one of their two Jacuzzis after a day of fishing. The chef and staff prepare delicious appetizers daily, but it is the gourmet dinners I look forward to most. (Especially the home-made soups; halibut Tai soup is my personal favorite). Our fish is carefully processed and flash frozen the same day. Quality definitely goes into every part of the fishing trip.

This past trip included great silver salmon fishing, which is the norm from early July through mid-September. These acrobatic salmon have the will of an over-zealous king salmon, and will often have you doing laps around the boat. At six silver salmon per person per day limits, we ended up with more than we wanted for the freezer and smoker, so we spent most of the last day fishing for halibut and lingcod. Like many of our trips we finished the trip out with some great fishing including two halibut topping 109 and 134 pounds on our final day.

Every year I return to the warm hospitality of Kingfisher Lodge, and I wonder how the fishing trips could get any better. When you are fishing in Sitka Alaska one never knows what will bite the bait; you could find yourself battling a big halibut while fishing for salmon with light gear, but that's another story. For more information about Kingfisher Charters, call 800-727-6136 or visit their web site at www.kingfishercharters.com.

Richard G. Mach Jr., is a longtime San Diego resident, now residing in Maryland. A trip for two people will be awarded in two drawings at the WON/Yamaha Nov. 4-7 Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament.