Summer Catch Up Post

[SkunkedAgain]

Well, it's been a fun summer considering I never get out fishing in the summer, and since I haven't dared trust the forum to stay up for awhile I haven't posted a couple three trips that were pretty fun... So I thought I'd put a few fish photos to add an update of the summer skunk trips... Two of the trips were chasing smallies and the other one was on the Kenai in AK... I got spoiled up there, we had a cabin/lodge on the banks of the Kenai river during the biggest sockeye run since they put the counter on the river... It was really fun that's for sure... Halibut trip out of Homer was so-so, big waves, small butts... Great eating fish though... so here's a few pics for your entertainment... and my showing offness...  Later J

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Well, it's been a fun summer considering I never get out fishing in the summer, and since I haven't dared trust the forum to stay up for awhile I haven't posted a couple three trips that were pretty fun... So I thought I'd put a few fish photos to add an update of the summer skunk trips... Two of the trips were chasing smallies and the other one was on the Kenai in AK... I got spoiled up there, we had a cabin/lodge on the banks of the Kenai river during the biggest sockeye run since they put the counter on the river... It was really fun that's for sure... Halibut trip out of Homer was so-so, big waves, small butts... Great eating fish though... so here's a few pics for your entertainment... and my showing offness...  Later J

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That didn't work very well, tried to put in a half dozen photo's or so and nothing showed up... Maybe I forgot, did Curt say you can't put photo's in posts till they get the site fixed... Seems like I half remember that since I tried and it didn't work... Sorry now you'll have to just imagine lots of nice sockeye photos and some 18-20" smallies.... maybe when the site is back up I can post some photos... Later J

[Piscophilic]

Hey Jeff,

I don't know what went wrong with your pics, but the people in the cat contest have still been able to add pictures. JOATMAN adde three yesterday and they worked.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Jim,
I'll try again and see if they work one at a time... J

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Thanks Jim,
I'll try again and see if they work one at a time... J

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alot more salmon photo's but ya see one you see them all, they were probably 7-10 lbs for the most part and up to 27", we had a limit of 6 a day and we all filled each day we fished (some days we site seen or halibut fished so probably ended up with 24-27 fish kept)... I lost probably 4 fish to each one I landed... I was using 12 lb test flourocarbon, and it just wasn't up to the load of fish in Kenai current.. I changed up to 20 lb test and started landing a few more fish, but the fights were just incredible with tail dancing fish peeling off line out into the full current of the Kenai, it was some epic battles... I'm not sure I've ever had fish pull that hard, a few of the line breaks ended up in my son-in-law getting a pretty big bruise from the line snapping back when another kid broke his fish off... It was sure fun, got to be some of the most fun battles I've ever had with fish on a fly rod..... 10 WT with a heavy duty Ross reel, used to think it was over gunned for everything, I'm not so sure anymore.. Sorry for the long drawn out fish story been building up all summer... Later J

[wiperhunter2]

Looks like you figured it out Jeff, I remember you told me once that you could not add pics from your work computer, so maybe that was it. Those are some great looking salmon and smallies, where did you find the smallies?  Did you flash freeze the salmon, to bring them home?

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Curt,
I ended up doing one picture at a time, and I still have to put them in from my phone, but it worked, I just couldn't do them all in the same post. Don't know why, maybe I was doing something else wrong... Anyway got it to work...

On our Salmon, we were staying with friends in a house/cabin and they had a great set up for filleting at rivers edge, then we took them up to their garage and vacuum packed them and put them into one of two freezers they had there for fish. They were mostly all frozen solid before we left and then we used those airline shipping boxes that have a Styrofoam lined box and they got everything home without thawing at all that I could tell.. It was a good thing, since all of the commercial flash freezer places had lines stretching way out through their parking lots with folks waiting to get their fish processed... The fish were running everywhere like crazy, from the beaches and the dip netters to the rivers and even out in the ocean, it was a fishing mecca for sure... I'll see if I can attach a few photos of the fish processing..

On the smallies some were from cutler and the better ones were from a location I promised I wouldn't disclose, so sorry can't say on them.. But the 15"er from Cutler was my best of the year for that area, got ten fish that day from 12-15", was fun and earlier than they usually show up in my fall locations... I guess fishing for smallies instead of focusing on cats this time of year might be a fun new twist... Just wish I had more time to get out and chase them, but then, maybe I'd be bored of catching fish.... yeah right... Later Jeff

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Maybe a little explanation of the pictures, top one we would let the fillets dry slightly before we vacuum packed them, nice to have an area without flys so you could do this... Other picture is of a fillet station on the rivers edge they had a nice set up with clean water and they told me it's the law that you fillet the fish and throw the carcass back in the river, hence the fillet and release hat... Anyway I've never had such a nice place set up for preserving your catch, and I did learn the value of bleeding the fish... My first ones I didn't do that and man they were a mess with blood still in the meat, but after I filleted the first ones and seen the difference between the bled ones and the others, I made sure I bled all the rest...

Oh question about fillet knifes, have any of your heard of Dexter knifes? I had my expensive Cutco fillet knife with me and man that Dexter in the fishhouse was so much nicer to fillet salmon... I think I'm going to get me a Dexter... Anyway later Jeff

[Piscophilic]

Sounds like dream trip for sure! Thanks for sharing all the info about the processing and equipment! Do you know what blade length you were using?

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Jim it was a Dexter S133-9, I think it was a 9" narrow blade. I ordered one from Amazon today $33 so not too bad... It's one of those white plastic handled knifes that have a great blade, but they are kind of utility duty stuff like they use at the slaughter house... no sheath so have to find a way to keep it safe if you pack it with you to the field...

Anyway been wanting to congratulate you on the Outdoors outing, where you took Adam Eakle out and taught him how to catch a catfish... In case anyone missed it, I found it on YouTube last night, it's outdoors with AE fishing for catfish on Utah lake... Jim did a great job on there... Also seen Craig and Jon fishing with them... Fun times and big catfish, well not for Jim who just crossed 96.5 points on the catcontest this year... so they didn't get those 32"ers, but I think they got some close to 30" so fun fishing trip..; Way to go Jim.... Later Jeff

[RockyRaab2]

Jeff, I use American Angler electric, Dexter, and Rapala fillet knives. I prefer them in that order. The Dexter beats the Rapala by a mile. Great knives, but their sheaths are poor.

I'm told that the folks on those huge fish processing ships all use Dexter knives. I wouldn't doubt it.

[SkunkedAgain]

Jeff, I use American Angler electric, Dexter, and Rapala fillet knives. I prefer them in that order. The Dexter beats the Rapala by a mile. Great knives, but their sheaths are poor.

I'm told that the folks on those huge fish processing ships all use Dexter knives. I wouldn't doubt it.

Thanks Rocky, I'm not familiar with the American Angler, I'll have to check them out.. I did really like the Dexter though it was a good knife, had a great stiffness and really sharp blade that held it's edge through a lot of fish... I think it was the narrow profile of the blade that was my favorite part though, it was thin, but still stiff and strong so it cut like a beefy knife, but handled like a finesse one... Very good combination, I'd like to try one on a bunch of perch to see how it does... I'm hoping it's not just a big fish knife... if so that price isn't bad to have on hand for when I need it... Thanks for the recommendations... Jeff
PS... They had a magnetic strip mounted above their fillet station so they just stuck their knives on it and it kept them all available where needed... I think I need to add some of them to my boat for my bait knife and plyers... if I can find a safe location to mount it...

[Dirt Bag]

What a trip. Good to hear that you had a great time. Enjoy the salmon.

[2knots]

Nice job Jeff, glad you had a great trip to the Kenai. The sockeye run is crazy this year the bear viewers up there are loving it. The smallies are fun for sure. Dexter’s were a very common knife used on a lot of the party boats in Calif, probably still are but haven’t been on any after I got my own boats. I believe I still have one in the shop that I bought in Bodega Bay many moons ago.

[SkunkedAgain]

What a trip.  Good to hear that you had a great time.  Enjoy the salmon.

Thanks Jon, it was a blast and I have to tell you that is the best fish I've eaten in a long time.. I thought the halibut was heavenly, but the salmon is even better I think, and I'm not a really fishy flavored fish lover, but I've been sautéing the fillets in butter with garlic, onion and some sweet peppers and then making a roux with cream and flour to pour over top and it's taken all the fishiness out of it and it tastes so good... Like I went to one of those fancy restaurants and bought one of those meals I can't afford... Really happy with this bunch of fish it's wonderful so far... I guess all the fresh garden produce to use in the preparation doesn't hurt it's flavor at all either... I love August best month of the year for good food.... Guess it's getting me all fattened up for the winter... Thanks Jeff

[SkunkedAgain]

Nice job Jeff, glad you had a great trip to the Kenai. The sockeye run is crazy this year the bear viewers up there are loving it. The smallies are fun for sure. Dexter’s were a very common knife used on a lot of the party boats in Calif, probably still are but haven’t been on any after I got my own boats. I believe I still have one in the shop that I bought in Bodega Bay many moons ago.

Hey Alan, I can see why you travel back to Cali each year chasing the salmon and steelheads, what a fun fighting fish... We hiked up to the Russian river falls when we were in Alaska to watch for bears eating the salmon, but I guess it was too early, there were a few fish running the falls, but no bears... Probably a good thing we didn't have a gun or bear spray with us...  

Been using my Dexter a little since I got it, and I really like that knife, pretty sure it will be my first pick to fillet from here on out... I think it's even easier and faster than the electric fillet knife, and it doesn't waste near as much meat... Probably the reason I like it so much is it cuts so clean to the bone... 

I understand there are still over 100,000 fish entering the river each day, even this late in the run, so it was one incredible run this year... Not sure, but I think the silver run should start on that river before much longer, what a fun summer that's been for everyone... Makes me want to start planning for next year or maybe two years from now... I've heard the odd years are best for sockeye...  

Are you guiding this fall?  Do you start archery, or do you wait until September to hit the mountains?  Been seeing lots of folks scouting for deer the last couple weeks, guess Saturday will be the fall kick off... I'm hunting down south this year, so I'll probably go without any scouting this year, hoping there will be a few dumb ones I can chase... First year using a rifle in a long time, hope that will end up being a fun hunt... Later Jeff

[lovetofish]

Been using my Dexter a little since I got it, and I really like that knife, pretty sure it will be my first pick to fillet from here on out... I think it's even easier and faster than the electric fillet knife, and it doesn't waste near as much meat... Probably the reason I like it so much is it cuts so clean to the bone... 

After reading your posts about Dexter knives I saw an advertisement about them. Since you and Rocky like them so much I think I might give them a try. I have a Rapala and I have a hard time keeping it sharp. Here is the web site and they have a bunch of Dexter filets knives.
 Shop s133-9 | KaTom Restaurant Supply

[SkunkedAgain]

Wow that is a great price about $12 cheaper than Amazon, wish I would have seen that one sooner... Thanks Jeff

[2knots]

Nice job Jeff, glad you had a great trip to the Kenai. The sockeye run is crazy this year the bear viewers up there are loving it. The smallies are fun for sure. Dexter’s were a very common knife used on a lot of the party boats in Calif, probably still are but haven’t been on any after I got my own boats. I believe I still have one in the shop that I bought in Bodega Bay many moons ago.

Hey Alan, I can see why you travel back to Cali each year chasing the salmon and steelheads, what a fun fighting fish... We hiked up to the Russian river falls when we were in Alaska to watch for bears eating the salmon, but I guess it was too early, there were a few fish running the falls, but no bears... Probably a good thing we didn't have a gun or bear spray with us...  

Been using my Dexter a little since I got it, and I really like that knife, pretty sure it will be my first pick to fillet from here on out... I think it's even easier and faster than the electric fillet knife, and it doesn't waste near as much meat... Probably the reason I like it so much is it cuts so clean to the bone... 

I understand there are still over 100,000 fish entering the river each day, even this late in the run, so it was one incredible run this year... Not sure, but I think the silver run should start on that river before much longer, what a fun summer that's been for everyone... Makes me want to start planning for next year or maybe two years from now... I've heard the odd years are best for sockeye...  

Are you guiding this fall?  Do you start archery, or do you wait until September to hit the mountains?  Been seeing lots of folks scouting for deer the last couple weeks, guess Saturday will be the fall kick off... I'm hunting down south this year, so I'll probably go without any scouting this year, hoping there will be a few dumb ones I can chase... First year using a rifle in a long time, hope that will end up being a fun hunt... Later Jeff

Yes the salmon and steelhead are a blast, I leave for Oregon for 2.5 weeks this coming weekend to chase the Kings, always look forward to the trip. The steelhead have been real hit and miss the past couple years with the rivers either flooding or being to low, looks like it’s going to be a great year in Idaho on the Clearwater based on the counts going over the dams on the Columbia. We’re planning a road trip for 2 months up to Alaska next summer, doing the research and following a couple of FB threads on RVing Alaska everyone is talking about the run and numbers, glad you hit an epic year for the run. 

Dexter’s were I believe one of the 1st blades that figured out that a real thick stiff blades wasn’t needed and the flex made it easy to stay tight to the backbone and waste little

Yes I will be guiding deer hunts in late October again this year. I drew a general Wyoming elk tag and will archery hunt starting mid September. Did some scouting early July and found some good groups of animals scattered around. Good luck on your hunts this fall

[SkunkedAgain]

Alan, sounds like you have a really fun schedule all planned out, hope they all work out with good weather, fish and animals all showing for you and your clients... That Alaska trip next summer sounds really fun... I'd like to do something like that sometime.. Be even more fun to have your boat up there, but the fuel price would be painful.. Did you ever take your boat up north when your lived in Cali? Guess it's just too many miles to go from Washington up to lower Alaska? Would be fun to have your own boat so you could go catch some big halibut and rockfish and ocean salmon... I'd like to do that sometime when I wasn't pushed for time.. I'd have a lot of learning to do though, the ocean is a different animal and I'm just unfamiliar with it completely... From tides to storms to where to find fish and how to avoid Sea lions, sharks and Orca's. Even navigation beyond line of site... Whole new world for sure for a plow boy... Seems like it would be fun to try though... Later J

[2knots]

Alan, sounds like you have a really fun schedule all planned out, hope they all work out with good weather, fish and animals all showing for you and your clients... That Alaska trip next summer sounds really fun... I'd like to do something like that sometime.. Be even more fun to have your boat up there, but the fuel price would be painful..  Did you ever take your boat up north when your lived in Cali?  Guess it's just too many miles to go from Washington up to lower Alaska?  Would be fun to have your own boat so you could go catch some big halibut and rockfish and ocean salmon... I'd like to do that sometime when I wasn't pushed for time..  I'd have a lot of learning to do though, the ocean is a different animal and I'm just unfamiliar with it completely... From tides to storms to where to find fish and how to avoid Sea lions,  sharks and Orca's. Even navigation beyond line of site... Whole new world for sure for a plow boy... Seems like it would be fun to try though... Later J

One of my friends wanted to take boats up and do the inland passage, we didn’t have the capacity in the tanks to do it and carrying extra fuel wasn’t a realistic option with everything else we needed to stay on the boat for the trip with the size of our boats. So that idea was scrapped rather quickly lol. Washington to Ketchikan would have been the biggest challenge with the exposure to to open ocean and weather caused seas. Loading the boat and tow vehicle on the ferry and going up would probably be the best option but that isnt cheap and then you need lodging. The advantage of a non commercial/private boat is that the size and fishing restrictions aren’t as bad, there are lodges up there where you use the lodges boat and go out and fish (after a safety and area orientation) without a guide. Yes understanding the big pond swell and seas (wind wave) would be critical along with navigation and use of radar, tides play a major role in fishing locations especially when drifting for species like halibut and rock fish where you want a slower moving tide.

[SkunkedAgain]

Your tip of the lodges that send you out in one of their boats would probably be the best option for a bucket list trip someday... Especially if they take you out with a guide to teach you the local tricks the first day... May have to start making notes and getting ready for a someday trip.. Thanks Jeff

[wiperhunter2]

Your tip of the lodges that send you out in one of their boats would probably be the best option for a bucket list trip someday... Especially if they take you out with a guide to teach you the local tricks the first day... May have to start making notes and getting ready for a someday trip.. Thanks Jeff

Adam Eakle has several shows each year about lodges up in Alaska that does exactly what Alan is talking about and the cost isn't bad, especially if you are only there for three days or so.