Aug 2-6
Hi All,
Oh wow…..we were treated at the head of Slocum inlet to several bear fishing adventures, especially the afternoon of 7/31 and morning of 8/1. There were many fish jumping and we could see schools of salmon fins sticking out of the water in front of the stream, and evidently, the salmon started to run upstream. The smart and experienced bears knew to look for somewhat shallow waters and then trap various fish. The younger bears would run up and down the stream chasing the faster salmon and eventually pounce on one or losing the fish to deeper waters. Most bears were getting 2-3 salmon before moving on so it wasn’t that easy catching. I suspect in another few days the # of salmon will grow and the fishing easier.
The morning of 8/1 we saw one energetic female catch several salmon and she ate the entire fish….as in she was very hungry for salmon….as we know, once they start getting their fill of salmon, they just eat the female bellies….eggs, belly fat, organs, et al. However, an older male showed up and at first did not show much interest in fishing. When the female caught another fish he charged after her and the chase was on. They must of run along the shore for a good half mile, I got a good video, then eventually went into the forest. About 5 minutes later the female came out of the forest with no fish….never saw the male again….hmmmm!!! As we left the anchorage the female was sitting by the stream anxiously looking for more salmon!!
Well it is official….there are no keeper Dungeness crabs in Slocum Arm…..those cute-crab-eating varmints (otters) have gotten to them all…..ugh!!!! But, the good news, we emptied our freezer of most of our crab bait so now time to start fishing!!
And fish/catch we did. The morning of 8/2 we first went to pick up our prawn pots set outside Island Cove, two days earlier. We let Mystic idle in the channel with Kathy watching while John jumped in the dinghy and using the pot puller brought in two EMPTY pots…..really, a bit depressing. We then raised the dinghy and went another 6 miles to the west side of Slocum Arm and started fishing at Piehle Passage north to Deuce Island, ~4nm. We caught 2 Pink (Humpback) and yes, we are salmon snobs, we only want Coho or Kings so we threw these 2 back!!
Then on 8/4 we fished that area again and caught 7 salmon in ~3 hours…..most around slack at 11:30am….6 Pinks and 1 Coho. The Coho was about 8-lbs so a nice size. We kept a small Pink and had a filet along with a portion of the Coho for dinner….a side by side taste test….we cooked the salmon on an alder plank on the BBQ….we both liked the Coho better….very moist/tender with a mild flavor…..the Pink was a bit dry & chewy but still with a yummy mild flavor….the Pink filet was smaller so I might have over cooked it. We will have to do another taste test:)))
The Coyote 4.0, silver trolling spoon, was the hot lure for the Pinks at 80′ of wire on the downrigger. The green/white hoochie still caught a few as well!! We still have room for a few more salmon in the freezer and holding out for another King or Coho.
There must have been a seiner opening as there were ~10 seiners mainly fishing the mouth just inside the red buoy and at the mouth of the Gate. When we left the fishing grounds to Klag Bay we had to dodge several with nets out….busy place!!!
8/2: “Surface low pressure along the outer coast, between Cross Sound and Sitka as of Tuesday afternoon, is sending bands of showers across the entire region today. Some of the showers have been moderate to heavy at times like Chichagof Island”. That was the forecast for the day we first started fishing on 8/2….absolutely miserable conditions…windy, cold, rainy….you know, Alaska fishing weather:)))
8/2-3: We anchored at the head of the North inlet of Ford Arm. It was DDG but very different. A small anchorage surrounded by bright green foliage and healthy forested hills all around us. There was a small stream but only a few salmon jumping and no bears…..quite the opposite of the head of Slocum where we had all the wonderful bear fishing viewings. We saw several otters so no crabbing. AND we woke up on 8/3 to bright blue sky and and a huge orange ball….wow, the sun, vitamin D….we had not had a full day of sun since we left California over a month ago…whoa!!!
So what did we do….Kathy read….John-boy did outside boat projects: 1) fixed the dinghy bilge pump….it had stopped working the last few days causing me to manually dump the water with a bucket….good exercise but tiring with 6-10″ of rain water in the boat!! Well, it was not the bilge pump after all, but the manual switch….took the wires off, played with the spring (it’s a rocker style switch) and voila it worked ….still not sure what was wrong in the switch but will order a spare and that should keep the old one working/motivated:)))
The 2nd project was replacing the SSB antenna bracket which broke when Mystic was on the hard in the Wrangell boatyard last April. In high winds the bracket had broken causing the antenna to fall breaking the top of 3 sections. I did get the bracket replaced but it was more involved as had to cut the extender arm at the right length…..and of course, the position is awkward as you are hanging over the stanchion working on set screws et al over the water….success, didn’t drop any parts or tools in the water:)))) The antenna is up, of course missing the top 8′ section but it is aesthetically better. We don’t use the SSB anymore so who cares if the antenna is broke:)))
8/4-5: We anchored at the head of Klag Bay, right by the old Chichagof village. From 1905 – 1930 over $13million in gold was taken from the surrounding hills….wow, who knew….now it is all overgrown with trees with just a few relics left. We came here primarily to be secure from a huge storm coming.
8/5: The forecast: “The incoming atmospheric river is the main weather story for the panhandle for the next 24 hours. Total expected rainfall will be in the 0.5 to 2 inch range through late Fri night with the highest amounts along the NE gulf coast from Yakutat to Sitka (that is where we are). In addition to the rainfall, wind will be the second concern.”
So what did we do while watching the weather channel/storm/rain….well, we watched these huge stellar sea lions hunt for salmon….there were 3 of them….huge….as in their heads as big as a basketball….maybe 300-500-lbs total weight, catch salmon….come to the surface, bang the salmon around or throw it up in the air…..chomp, chomp…underwater to eat it all…then resurface with a grin on their face….LIG!!!! Oh and a few otters eating bits of salmon, clams and can you believe it….DUNGENSESS CRAB….yeppa watched several otters devour the crabs….just ate the legs…looked to be decent size crabs…..probably females….arghhhhhh!!!!!!
8/6: Holy Rain buckets of rain Noah….wow, wow, wow….it has been raining now for 36 hours almost nonstop….sometimes downpours….NOAA said Pelican got close to 4″ of rain since Friday am….and we are only 15nm away as the crow flies….yikkers!!! And, it is forecast to keep raining for another 12+ hours, then just misty/foggy….yuckers!!!
We did move to Kimshan Cove…..in the rain, mist & fog….through Elbow and Ogden Passages….pretty tight, narrow and shallow with quite a bit of kelp, but very sheltered from the 6-8′ waves just a few miles away in the Pacific. Left ~9am and anchor down, bloody Mary’s made all by 11:00am!! But, our windshield wipers went haywire….would not work and the panel control LED’s all lit up and blinking with a high pitched alarm. Kathy graciously went outside and wiped off the windows so the Captain could avoid the rocks and kelp…..hmmmmm…add another skill set for the Admiral:)))
The good news is I got the wiper control panel removed and there was some water in the box. Evidently when it starts to rain buckets the hatch above the controls in the PH leaks right over the wiper control panel. Kathy noticed water on the panel when she got up this morning….and indeed now we have witnessed the hatch leaking….looks like the caulking around the hatch window is compromised….ugh!!! I dried out the wiper control circuit boards and gave it a try and it is working….we will let it thoroughly dry overnight and reinstall tomorrow!!
The Plan: Dry out if possible. We will go to 2 more anchorages before getting to White Sulphur hot springs, then we will duck inside to Lisianski Inlet. We might try to fish in Imperial Passage before going outside into the ocean to get to the hot springs!!!
Critter Stats:
Salmon: 18 (6 Kings, 3 Coho, 9 Pink)
– 12 & 16-lb caught in Fortuna Strait on green/white hoochie
– Fishing w/Dave: 5 kings, 1 Coho, and 1 Pink and 1 which we think was a Coho got away at the swim transom
– Slocum Arm: 1 Coho, 8 Pinks, from Piehle passage to Deuce Island
Whales: 36 Total (30 Humpback, 5 Minke, 1 Stejneger’s)
– 1 in Salisbury sound near Fortuna
Bears: 115: (101 Brown, 14 Blacks)
– 101 Brown; 2 Brown Snug Cove; 3 Coots Cove in Funter Bay; 1 in Salt Lake Bay, 2 in Bells Island/port Frederick; 3 Russell Is; 4 Browns as entered Dundas; 1 in Upper Middle Arm Dundas; 2 Browns N. Chatham before Freshwater; 1 Brown along Tenakee inlet, sitting in front of a remote house; 13 in Crab Bay, 4 along Tenakee inlet, 6 Upper inlet anchorage; 1 on the way out of Upper Inlet, 6 in Long Bay; 7 Rodman; 8 Deep Bay; 1 Kalinin; With Dave: 1 in SJTB, 4 in Ushk; 4 in Falcon Arm/Slocum Arm; 1 Waterfall Cove/Slocum; 1 Flat Cove; 25+ Head of Slocum; 0 in Klag Bay; 0 in Kimshan
– 14 Blacks: 2 on north side Geikie Inlet as entered and 3 at Shag Cove, 1 as entered Dundas, 8 at Dundas anchorage
Dungeness Crab: 32
– Red Bluff 2, Cannery Cove 2, Upper basin Good Island Inlet 3; Snug Cove 1; Crab Cove/Funter 2 (given to us by locals:))), 1 in Eight Fathom Port Frederick; 0 Swanson Harbor; 1 Pavlof; 0 Crab Bay; 9 in Upper Inlet Tenakee; 0 Long Bay, 6 Rodman, 2 Deep Bay; 0 St John the Baptist, 3 Ushk Bay, 1 Deep Bay, 0 Falcon Arm, 0 Waterfall Cove; 0 Flat Cove; 0 Head of Slocum
Prawns: 205 Spotted:
– 80 Red Bluff, 31 Pybus Bay; 19 Gambier Bay; 5 in Port Frederick; 0 Pavlof; 13 Upper Tenakee Inlet, near Long Bay; 12 in Falcon Arm/Slocum; 36 Waterfall Cove/Slocum; 9 Flat Cove; 0 Island Cove
Otters: 390
-75 in Rocky Pass, 75 outside Pybus Bay; 20 coming into Bartlett Cove; 5 South Sandy cove; 5 Russell; 75+ Geikie Inlet; 50+ as left Glacier Bay; 25+ in Dundas Bay; 10+ Icy Strait; 5+ Swanson Harbor; 3 Salisbury Sound; 15 in Flacon Arm; 5 Waterfall; 1 Flat Cove; 5+ Ford Arm; 20+Klag Bay; 20+ Elbow and Ogden Passage; 1 in Kimshan
Mountain Goats: 20+
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Position: 57 41’16.82 N, 136 07’06.72 W
Course: Stopped.
Position: 22-08-06 15:42:41 -0800
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=57.68801,-136.1185&q=57.68801,-136.1185&z=16
