NEWS & EVENTS
This week with the pink salmon moving closer in shore the bigger Barndoors are starting to move in.Our Clients were very happy to be out on the sea the last few days.
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Posts Tagged ‘kodiak island’First Barn Door of the Season – Best Alaska Halibut Fishing in Uyak BayWednesday, July 14th, 2010Last weekend we rounded up the first barn door of the season…  Happy clients from SoCal sporting their catch
 Captain TJ with a big halibut Pictures from the First Two Weeks of 2010Thursday, July 8th, 2010The 2010 season is off to a fantastic start! In the first two weeks of the season we’ve had sixteen happy clients roll through the new Kodiak Legends Lodge.
While we’ve had unseasonably rainy and overcast weather, fishing has been off to a great start with many days of halibut limits, several saltwater kings and lots of freshwater days of double digits on rainbows, dollies and sockeye salmon. Nine-year old Cole Singer from San Diego recorded an early season record with more than 30 rainbow trout landed and released on a fly rod in a quick morning outing.  First tanner crabs of the year!
 A rainbow being released  A bed of flowers growing in the middle of the river  Fighting a big sockeye
Killer Whales – The Kings of the Ocean Seem to Be Picky EatersThursday, May 6th, 2010One of our favorite animals that visit the waters in front of Kodiak Legends Lodge is the killer whale. Killer whales, commonly called orcas and less commonly “blackfish”, are considered to be apex predators – according to our friend that is an orca trainer at Sea World San Diego, “killer whales fear no one – they are literally at the very top of the food chain…they would attack anything in the ocean.”
A fascinating article in the Science Section of the New York Times details a recent behavior and DNA study that shows that there are several different types of killer whales that should be recognized as distinct species – one that eats fish and one that eats seals. Another group of killer whales feeds on minke whales and appears not to consume fish at all. Until now all orcas have been classified as Orcinus orca – recognizing each unique species could provide enhanced protection of each species. Orcas travel at high speeds of more than 30 knots and have highly sophisticated hunting techniques, often hunting in packs and sometimes creating walls of wake to throw unsuspecting penguins or seals from their perch atop of floating piece of ice. Their hunting techniques are highly sophisticated and they have been observed targeting land-dwelling mammals such as deer and moose. One killer whale at an oceanarium was also witnessed regurgitating fish to attract sea gulls before consuming them. Occasionally, killer whales will wander near our boat and pounce on a salmon as we try to reel it into the boat, making for a whole lot of excitement on board! The NYTIMES article can be found here. Spring on Kodiak Island – Awakening from Winter SlumberTuesday, March 16th, 2010As Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’” Upon awakening from the winter slumber, the Emerald Isle literally “comes to life” with a mesmerizing array of wildlife not found any other place on earth. As the largest bears on our planet slowly emerge from their dens, the snow melts and the ground unthaws we wait in anticipation for the many splendors the ridiculous botanical diversity of Kodiak Island will provide us when it comes into full bloom.
What’s happening in Kodiak Island Rivers… In early spring, the first stage of immature salmon, also referred to as salmon fry (alevin), begin to hatch and leave their gravel nests to feed, ultimately migrating to the saltwater. This occurrence marks the beginning of the fishing season. At this time, alevin are the primary food source of dolly varden. Dollies will feed extensively on these fish and follow the migration all the way to the salt. From ice-off, into late May, salmon fry imitations can provide some seriously fast action fishing! Once the alevin make it to the saltwater they have a tendency to school up along the river mouths and beaches trying to avoid predation. Properly presented flies (clousers, deceivers, gummy minnows and even shrimp patterns on calm days) can result in banner Alaska fly fishing days there, as well. Fishing for resident rainbow trout and arctic char can also be productive at this time.
The majority of the steelhead within the Kodiak archipelago return in the fall, overwintering in rivers and lakes such as the Karluk River much like dollies, however spring steelhead are primarily concerned with spawning, with the majority of the spawn occurring in April. In order to help sustain this precious resource, we do not target spring steelhead and consciously avoid sexually active fish on reds. Steelhead are poly-anadromous fish and, throughout the spring months, it is common to catch drop backs surviving the spawn on their return to the salt while targeting other species. As spring progresses, chinook (king) and sockeye (red) salmon are the first salmon species to return, beginning in late May, peaking by mid-June. King salmon numbers on the Karluk decreased substantially in 2007, reached an historic low in 2008, but were back on the climb in 2009. We’re hoping last year’s increase is indicative of strong numbers to come for this upcoming season! Red salmon numbers have remained extremely strong with several hundred thousand fish returning to multiple Kodiak Island drainages each year. We’re ready for our most successful season yet and we invite you to join us for nature’s party in the rugged wilderness of Kodiak! |
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