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Up and at them fishermen! We lucked out! I have a friend at work, yes, a friend! His name is Greg and he has a boat and is off work today! That's right; he also happens to be a very generous guy and has volunteered to take us out fishing for the day.
I know Amelia and Nina have no desire to be in a boat, especially in waters that can get rough like they do here. Even a beautiful day like today is no guarantee the boat won't be pushed around quite a bit. Snacks in hand, headed for Bar Harbor and down to float six to Greg's boat. Greg is running a little late so we have time to explore a little and look a all the other boats.
A few minutes later Greg arrives and we load up and anxious to hit the fish! This is a no wake zone because of the harbor so we take a slow ride over to the Anderes Oil fuel dock where we can fuel up. On the way, we go past the shipyard where two of the Alaska Marine Highway ferries are docked for some kind of repairs. One of them has the side doors open so you get a look at what the inside looks like. Just a cavernous hole for cars and trucks. I took one of these ferries last year from Ketchikan to Bellingham, WA for my motorcycle ride across the country. What a tough couple of days that journey on a boat was.
So we make it to the fuel dock which is unmanned and fuel up just in case we decide to go sight-seeing if the fish aren't hitting. As we leave, we have to wait on the airport ferry to get to dock since it has the right of way. This is the newer ferry and bigger than the old one. I used to hold a 20 ton Masters license from the Coast Guard which means, I could have driven the old ferry. I would have wrecked it but I could have driven it. We are near a float plane dock so we also have to wait on float planes coming and going. Today was not bad as the waters weren't busy so no big deal.
Greg, decides that we should fish the back side of Gravina Island. He talks to other fishermen more than I do so I think he knows better than I where to go. As we are coming around the end of Gravina Island, the water is much rougher. The ladies would have hated this part because we are rocking pretty darn good. About this time, I am starting to look a little green myself but luckily I get past it after a while of staring at the island not moving.
We set our down riggers up to troll at depths of about forty and sixty feet and sit back to enjoy the day as we wait for the fish to come. Greg's down rigger shows quite a few fish at the depth we are fishing so we figure we are in the right place. The first strike of the day hits and Raul gets first crack. Unfortunately, the fish gets off close to the boat. Fishing here is different than fishing in Texas. If you give the fish any slack in the line. he is gone! No big deal, losing fish is part of the game. I have lost many a nice fish myself. The next three strikes come on pretty quick. Jerry is up with the next one, Raul with the one after that. Greg pulls in the third but largest fish. He and I were allowing Raul and Jerry to do the fishing but for this one, Greg was in the perfect spot so I told him to just bring it in himself. That was a nice salmon. We had to check the book because the last silver actually looked like a king salmon but we agree it is a silver in the end. No problem if it were a king anyway since it is large enough and both Greg and I have salmon tags.
The fish are everywhere on the fish finder and I know we are at the right depths and going the right speeds but nothing is hitting. I guess that why they call it fishing and not catching! We stuck around a while and tried a few more passes but no matter how many fish are here, they just aren't biting. We decide to head back and maybe hit Mountain Point.
Going through town gives us an opportunity to do some sightseeing via the water. The duck tour boat which does this charges $44 a head so this is a nice little bonus. I point out all the landmarks along the way as we pass the entire town and head for Mountain Point.
Mountain Point is a very popular fishing area and its where most of the charter boats go. They go there because the fishing is generally good but more because it is really close to town. Since it is popular, we generally avoid it because here you do combat fishing. There are so many boats that you sometimes tangle lines with other boats and most arguments are later settled on the dock. Lucky for us, most charter boats have already headed in so we have most of the fishing ground to ourselves. The results are the same though; the fish are here but they are not biting. We troll for a while and decide it just isn't happening and head back in with our three nice fish.
Back on the dock and of course, we have to do the tourist posing with fish thing. I snap some quick shots of Raul and Jerry with the fish before I clean them. Jerry has to hold the big fish a little longer because I am not ready. This fish gets heavy real quick, especially since I haven't gutted it yet! OK, tourists taking pictures time is over and time for me to clean these fish.
Typically, I would just fillet the fish and throw the heads out with the bones and guts. Anthony can fillet one of these in seconds and it is something amazing to see. I have the knife he uses which is huge and extremely sharp. When Anthony does it, the fins fly off in seconds and then he places the fish on its side and runs the knife along the spine and kaboom, 15 seconds later you have fillets! I am much slower but I can do it too just not as nicely.
Raul and Jerry say they want to take the whole fish so I go ahead and gut the fish as best as I can and remove the gills while leaving the heads attached. I guess Raul plans on making fish head soup at home. I never could get into that soup but mom and dad loved it.
A few minutes later, the fish are clean and we take them home. At home, I pull out my handy dandy vacuum sealer and make bags for the fish. Jerry and I load one fish per bag and then I run them through the vacuum machine and seal them air tight. This way, the fish are good for a couple of years if they want and no freezer burn. When they thaw the fish, they will be as fresh as they are today. Into my spare freezer they go for a quick freeze. Anthony's friend Colin will get them shipped south for us from a place he works at. Dinner and a much deserved rest now.
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