Category Archives: General

Boat trailering: Cougar Style!

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Meet Robert Lee Tobeck:

His resume is very impressive. Academic All American lineman at Washington State University, Pro Bowl center of the Seattle Seahawks during the highpoint of the franchise history: the 2006 Superbowl and former host of The Outdoor Line Radio Show.

Unfortunately, none of this tremendous life experience has prepared him for what has now become the greatest challenge of his life: Boattrailerautism.

Boattrailerautism or “BTA” is a fisherman’s developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of boat ownership and affects the brain’s normal development of mechanical, spacial and navigational skills. Most fishing buddies of the boattrailerautistic suspect that something is amiss when angry motorists pull up alongside, gesturing and yelling. In extreme cases of BTA, one may even observe the occurance of the dreaded “missing fender” syndrome.

Quite unfortunately, I was to bear witness to Tobeck’s latest BTA flare-up on what was to be merely a simple transducer installation. We met at his marina and due to high winds, Robbie was unable to get the boat on the trailer by himself so he requested my assistance and I was only too happy to help my friend out.

Tobeck’s trailer for his 30-foot Seaswirl Striper “Salmon Hawk” is a monster 5th wheel style extra heavy duty model with a “goose neck” design which requires the hitch to be placed directly above the rear axle to reduce tongue weight and increase trailer maneuverability.

While I remained ground level to crank the trailer up to above the ball height, Tobeck backed the truck up and then jumped in to hook up the lights, safety chains and secure the hitch…or so I thought…

We towed the empty trailer about 100 yards to the ramp and I jumped in Robbie’s boat to drive it on the trailer. Once the boat was secured to the trailer winch and cranked up tight, Tobeck returned to the truck. Little did we know that the unfortunate malady BTA was about to rear it’s ugly and mortifyingly embarrassing head.

I remained aboard as Robbie pulled the boat and trailer up the ramp. As the trailer started bearing the weight of the boat, I happened to be looking forward and BOOM!!! Simultaneously the trailer hitch jumped off the ball, landing in the bed of his truck as a geyser of Starbucks coffee hit the inside of Tobecks windshield.

Someone other than my friend Tobeck then emerged from the truck, hurling a blue streak of epithets and dripping with the remains of his mocha.

“Thank goodness for safety chains” was all I could utter as the bed of Tobeck’s new truck now appeared to be,…well… used.

As we cranked the tongue winch up, the hitch came up alright but the truck bed remained somewhat depressed.

Once we got the hitch back on the ball we found that Tobeck has a little bowl in the center of his truck bed that, once filled with rainwater, will be a handy and very mobile bird bath!

Always good natured -until he’s not- the Crimson Crusader takes his Boattrailerautism in stride and lets this latest “flare-up” roll off his back.

The rest of the morning and the transducer installation proceeded without incident. Heck, it could have been a lot worse….It could have been my fault!!!

Tom Nelson
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

 

Build an Insulated Box for your Little Chief Smoker

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The ability to have fish, fowl, game and even cheese, turn out consistently good in your smoker comes down to a few control measures. I’m not going to waste your time telling you the absolute best wet or dry brine for fish. I am also not going to tell you how fantastic your duck will turn out when wrapped in thick cut bacon…. You can read my smoked duck blog on that one..

I am, however, going to tell you or more importantly show you the importance of temperature control.

I have a Luhr Jensen Little Chief smoker. I’ve had it for years and it does a great job. Back when it was new and when I was smoking fish in the fall and winter I would follow the manufacturers recommendation and use the box it came in as an insulator. The smoker itself is not insulated so the recommendation in cold weather is to place the box over the smoker to help keep some of the heat in.

Once the box wore out, I actually used an old sleeping bag. I did this for a couple years until I finally decided that there had to be a better way.

It always amazes me the idea’s a guy can come up with by simply by walking through a Home Depot or Lowes. There is so much stuff in there it’s just a matter of time until you find everything you need for any project.

Now I was thinking insulation, as in insulating my smoker, when I was walking thru the store. So, I found myself standing in the area of Home Depot that has anything to do with everything in the realm of insulation. I decided to go with structural foundation insulation foam.

To build this insulator box, here is what you will need…
-4 X 8 sheet of one inch thick R. Tech Insulation Foam
-10 ft. of 1 ¼ in. corner molding
-Lock Tight Power Grip multi-purpose adhesive. Make sure it is foam compatible
-Duct-Work aluminum tape (aluminum foil tape)
-Hardware components and grommets

There are several different models of the Little Chief and Big Chief smokers. You need to measure your individual smoker, length and width, to get the accurate measurements. Check if your smoker has handles on the sides or front that you measure the overall width to accommodate for them. When your insulated box is finished, it slides down over the top and it needs to clear the width of the handles.

Cut your four panels using a straight edge with a very sharp fillet knife. I found that when I used a utility knife I had to cut each side of the panel. The utility knife cannot go completely through the one inch thick foam from one side.

The length of your panels should be about 24 inches. The length of your 1 ¼” corner trim should be about 26 inches. The important thing here is that the length of your corner pieces are two inches longer then the panels.

Next you’ll need to take two of your panels and cut a one inch recess along both edges of the panel. Make sure it’s the two panels that are aligned opposite. For example, you should have two panels that are 14. 5 inchs in width and two that are 16 in. Pick a set and make your cuts along each edge. The other set you can leave full dimension. This is so you can glue the panels together and the corner trim will fit evenly.

This is an example of how the corners will fit together, with the recess cut and the corner trim in place.

Once I have the four panels cut and trimmed, it’s time to glue it all together. I put a bead of Lock Tight along the cut-out edge that I made. I also put a thin bead along each side of the corner trim. I put all the pieces together and try to keep it square.

I then wrap the heck out of the box with a heavy string or small diameter rope. I make sure I pull it tight as I continue to wrap and again try to keep it square. The pressure of the string against all four corners will ensure the box holds together tight as the glue drys. I give it at least 24 hrs. to dry. You may need to move it into the house to dry if you are building your box in the fall or winter. The garage may be a bit to cool.

While I have the box wrapped and squared up I measure and cut the top to fit.

The fact that this is styrofoam, I don’t like to leave the edges unprotected. I found that duct-work aluminum foil tape works great for covering all foam exposed edges.

Basically I was able to do the lid with one long strip. You can do it in sections if you prefer.

Next you will also want to do the top edge of your box and the bottom. Again, I tape any exposed foam on the edges.

Next I need to cut a hole in the top for the heat vent. I use a quart jar, narrow neck lid. I make sure the hole that I drill is a bout a ½ inch smaller in diameter then the lid. I want to make sure my vent cover actually covers the hole when I need it to. Also, I need room at the edge to anchor the vent lid.

To make sure I can spin or pivot the vent cover open I use stainless components and plastic grommets.

I drill a hole through the top and reinforce the hole on both sides with some aluminum foil tape. Then, push a plastic grommet in both sides of the top.

I attach the vent cover lid with the stainless screw, nut, and washers. Next I drill a hole and insert a grommet for the thermometer. Depending on the model of smoker you have you can align the thermometer hole with one of the vents in the lid of the smoker. Or if there are no vent slits, you will need to drill a hole in the smoker lid.

If there is a vent, simply open it up a bit with a screwdriver so that your thermometer will fit through the lid. Having the thermometer through the lid and into the actual smoker is key. After-all, this entire project is all about temperature control…

The final two steps are to simply measure your smoker for the location of your pan door on the front and power cord on the back.

Measure and cut out both front and back and reinforce the edges with the foil tape. Again, having no exposed styrofoam makes for a stronger box.

That is pretty much it. This is one of those projects that takes a little time to complete, but it’s so well worth it. You will have an insulation smoker box with temperature control that will last you for years. If you’re like me, sometimes do-it-yourself projects are actually kind of fun.


Good luck and if you decide to build one, make sure you post some pictures on the Outdoor Line forums or over on our Facebook  page.

Duane Inglin
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

My Top 4 Breakfast Joints

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Maybe I was thinking about this because I just polished off my boring breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. At the ripe old age of 41 I’m trying to watch my diet a little closer these days, but don’t think for one furry second that I’ve forgotten about the memorable morning meals I’ve had at these four brekky joints.

Someday and someday soon I’ll once again find myself staring wide-eyed at the menu at one of these places…wife permitting. These restaurants know how to turn what is normally the most boring meal of the day into a breakfast you’ll never forget. That’s why they made the top of my list.

Without further adieu…

Mckay Cottage-Bend, Oregon
The first time we visited McKay Cottage for breakfast in Bend, Oregon I ate so much I could hardly shuffle out of the place. There’s so many tastie dishes on their breakfast menu that my wife, her best friend Brandy, and I decided to order breakfast “family style” so we could sample as much of their grub as we could.

We greased up the skids before the main course arrived with mochas from the espresso bar and a plate of fresh raspberry scones from McKay’s awesome bakery. Most people would have called in quits there, but I had my sights set on a full blown Thanksgiving style, lay-on-the-floor-with-my-pants-unbuttoned food coma.

It wasn’t long after we ordered before the kitchen door flew open and hot plates began to hit the table. Our outdoorsy and fit waitress presented us with Smith Rock Benny, pumpkin pancakes, Joe’s Special scramble, and a breakfast burrito before hustling off to keep up with the orders. How these waitresses stay in such great shape with all this awesome food around is beyond me. I was sitting with two ladies that also eat like birds and my food coma dreams were about to come true.

Breakfast was nothing short of oh-mazing and my plans for an active day in the Oregon outdoors quickly evaporated. Mass rump was destined for a couch. I’m ashamed to admit that I watched football the rest of the day. Next time I’ll go hiking girls…I promise!If you visit McKay Cottage plan on getting there early and bring an appetite. Don’t forget to try one of their scones while you wait!

Duck Brand Hotel and Cantina-Winthrop, Washington
My wife and I make frequent trips to Winthrop, Washington to hike, hunt, and relax in what can only be described as a little slice of Montana. When we’re there we always make a point to visit the Duck Brand Hotel and Cantina for a Mexican style breakfast. The Duck Brand has seating inside the main restaurant and plenty of outdoor seating so you can enjoy the warm Eastern Washington mornings out on the deck.

The breakfast menu here has a Mexican twist and most of the dishes come with a side of black beans, which is a different but totally awesome addition to breakfast.

My favorite breakfast thus far at this place is the Eggs McDuck, but the Huevos Rancheros is a very close second. Unlike my visit to McKay Cottage I leave the Duck ready to clamber up any of the scenic ridges in the Methow Valley.

I like breakfast joints that are hustle-bustle and the Duck Brand doesn’t disappoint. Spoons clanging into coffee cups, short order cooks hollering at waitresses, and lots of outdoorsy folks waiting to fuel up for the day. It’s busy for a reason…the food is yummers!

Blue Star Cafe-Seattle, Washington
I was going to keep this list to just my favorite small fishing town breakfast joints, but I simply couldn’t resist adding the Blue Star in Seattle’s Wallingford District to my list because of it’s totally ri-donk-ulous breakfast menu. The Blue Star is also a bar, so you can grab a Bloody Mary and watch football pre-game shows before the Smokey Mountain scramble or Eggs Seattle arrives.

The Smokey Mountain Scramble is one of the most memorable egg dishes I’ve ever inhaled. It consists of as many eggs as you’d like, pepper jack cheese, and Little Smokee sausages. Pure genius!

Or if you’re in a more eclectic Northwest’y mood you can order the Eggs Seattle, which is smoked salmon on an English muffin with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. This one’s also a dandy!

There can be a long wait on weekends at the Blue Star so get there early. The wait, however, is well worth it!

Forks Coffee Shop-Forks, Washington
The Coffee Shop’s montra is “Nobody Leaves Hungry” and that ain’t no bull. Both fisherman and loggers alike need to prime the pumps early in the morning for a long day in the woods or on the water and the breakfast plates here are served accordingly.

I can polish off a lot of brekky before hitting the water and I’ll be darned if the servings here don’t test me every time.

My favorite brekky chow here is the Sol Duc scramble, which consists of veggies, country sausage, and hash browns scrambled together with eggs and served with toast. Douse it with Tabasco sauce and you’ll be ready for a day of steelhead fishing on one of the many nearby rivers.

Most of the locally famous Forks river guides meet their guests at the Coffee Shop in the morning, so if you want the latest fishing intel this is the place to be before the sun rises on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

If you’ve got a favorite breakfast spot that I should be checkin’ out please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m always on the hunt for good fishing…and good food. Adios muchachos!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

Of Phones and Facebook

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BY JEFF LUND.

To understand fully the quandary I faced Saturday, I’ll have to volunteer that the first time I remember my cell phone ringing while fishing was in 2007. I was trout fishing on the Klawock River back home, where reception is spotty at best. But the call made it through and lit up my pocket. Though I was fishing and I risked setting a precedent, I answered. After all, it was my mom and it was about dinner.

From this has stemmed a habit I am not particularly proud of, but not especially worried about. I send river-side text messages of fish to friends that aren’t fishing. It’s cruel, yes, but it’s reciprocated and accepted among my angling friends.

Saturday afternoon the phone wasn’t already out to take a picture of a trout and the ring wasn’t from mom, but I answered anyway. The business was a solid seven out of 10 on the urgency scale. It could have waited I guess, but the fish weren’t biting.

I kept fishing.

With one hand I drifted my nymph in the current then tossed it back up river with sedate enthusiasm now that I was distracted by speaking into my hand.

A fish took.

I had too much slack in my line, so I lifted the rod and arched backward nearly dropping my phone. The fish jumped and I stumbled, nearly dropping my rod. “Man I have to go. It’s a huge fish.”

I was pressing the fly-line to the rod with my finger to keep tension, but with an active fish early in the fight unforgiving tension is an ultimatum. I ended the call, knelt down and put my phone on the rock behind me, then reeled up the slack, backed off the fish a bit and started playing.

The trout wasn’t as big as I initially thought. I released it then went to work on the vicious knot created by the slack between the first nymph and the trailing midge.

Once all that was done, I finished the conversation.

To assume that all lovers of wild things are immune to the temptations of the sometimes sickening availability of technological advancement is absurd.

Though the cry of solitude is what is most commonly cited as the reason for getting out, technology has infiltrated the experience but hasn’t ruined it. Guide buddies of mine send updates from the water. Location is always a secret, but for potential clients watching from home, it whets the appetite and greases the credit card. Others utilize mobile social media just because it’s there.

Since I had no real reason to answer civilization and I did, I wondered, what had I become?

I decided to enlist professional, fail-proof help — Facebook.

Facebook is great because it reduces everything; faith, politics, philosophy and culture into manageable cartoons so you don’t have to actually read or understand anything anymore. You can make voting, spiritual and relational decisions based on how many other people “shared” and “liked” things and keep the brain free of pesky things like critical thinking.

So I decided to post the abstract of my phone answering/fishing ordeal and let others tell me what I should think.

Some were almost offended, as if I was the type of guy that would eat a tuna fish sandwich, drink a pot of coffee then take a nap before going to the dentist. Others friendly chided.

I’m still not clear on the issue, and I will probably still bury my phone and wallet in my gear rather than lock it in my truck, but one thing is certain, it would take a lot more than a phone to ruin a day on the water.

–
Jeff Lund
Teacher/Freelance Writer
Manteca, CA

"Its the coming back, the return which gives meaning to the going forth. We really don't know where we've been until we've come back to where we were. Only, where we were may not be as it was, because of whom we've become. Which, after all, is why we left." – Bernard Stevens  Northern Exposure

Words You Never Want to Hear in a Duck Blind

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So, it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog of any significance. I write the Northwest Outdoor Report every week, but other than that my blog writing time has been limited for a month plus. By what? You axe. The usual culprits. Fishing, hunting, preparing for our busy summer charter season in Alaska, and the arrival of our new bundle of joy literally any day now, to name a few.

What on earth prompted me to write a truly worthy blog then. Well, I was sitting in a duck blind with some chums last weekend and a word was spoken that made me cringe. It wasn’t a four-letter word, nor was it a curse word of any kind. It was just one of those words that just doesn’t belong in a duck blind, or a boat, or spoken amongst outdoorsman in any setting for that matter.

That word was “probe” and it got’s me thinkin’ about a few other words that hit me in the funny bone. When a fellow outdoorsman speaks these words in any context I always think…well, lets forget what I think.

Heres a few words that don’t belong in the duck blind: 

Ointment
Moist
Alimony
Fester
PETA
Probe
Rad
Panties
Stoked
Sick (Not ill…Sick!)
Cope
Job
Phat
Home
Now

There you have it. A truly meaningful blog packed with invaluable information. I bet you have some words. I know you do. Lets hear’em!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

Well, Are We Ready?

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BY JEFF LUND. Are we standing on top of a grassy hill, fishing rods, hunting rifles, mountain bikes, ab-rollers, recycling bins and piggy banks raised above our collective heads, calling out “Freedom” like William Wallace, ready to attack the new year like “warrior poets”?

Hope so.

By this time next year we will surely be fulfilled in ways we only dreamed about, or thought only applied to Chuck Norris and The Most Interesting Man in the World. Yes, thanks to promises we’ll make this weekend, in twelve short months we’ll all look back on our old stagnant lives and wonder how we survived – like trying to talk to girls before Facebook or getting them to like you before Axe products.

Since 2011 has essentially ended I have tabulated the numbers and calculated a somewhat ambiguous fishing plan, or resolution, that allows for wiggle room this coming year.

I can’t say that it is a clear-cut “I want to fish more in 2012”, because liking something is no excuse to abandon financial prudence, but I do want to broaden my range a bit after looking back on my fishing log.

I fished nine fewer days in 2011 (74) than 2010 (83). If ‘the ocean’ can count as a body of water like that ditch in a field Barnes and I fished for carp, I fished 16 pieces of water in 2011. I didn’t differentiate between the middle and north fork of the Stanislaus though they are separate rivers, they do have the same name and some days I hit one or more rivers.

The most frequented water was the Thorne River in Alaska. I spent at least a part of 19 days on its shores and wading in its current. The Klawock (Alaska) and Stanislaus (California) rivers were close behind at 14 apiece. Rounding out the significantly visited flows were the Upper Sacramento River and Neck Lake back home. I saw each of those ten days last year. I spent a few days here and there on the rest including striper fishing with my fly rod on the San Joaquin in which I caught a trophy-sized old wash cloth.

It certainly does seem like I fished a lot, but at the same time, I always feel like I am not fishing. Sadly there are a ton of rivers to which I say, “never fished it”, even though it is reasonably close. I want to fix that this year. Not so I can brag to others, but so I can get that feeling when I slowly sink my boots into water surrounded by nature I have not seen.

As Donald Miller wrote, “If you don’t get to a beautiful place every couple years, you get to thinking everything is urban, as though when God made creation He just made some medium-sized buildings, a bowling alley and a burger place.”

–
Jeff Lund
Teacher/Freelance Writer
Manteca, CA

"Its the coming back, the return which gives meaning to the going forth. We really don't know where we've been until we've come back to where we were. Only, where we were may not be as it was, because of whom we've become. Which, after all, is why we left." – Bernard Stevens  Northern Exposure

One-Thousandth Group Joins Coalition as Leaders Focus Congressional Attention on New Economic Report

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WASHINGTON – One-thousand groups and businesses have joined in urging Congress to consider the economic impacts of the great outdoors and historic preservation as it makes critical decisions concerning America's fiscal health, the recently formed national coalition "America's Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation" announced today.

At a press conference held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., by the coalition on Monday afternoon, Theodore Roosevelt IV joined CEOs from prominent AVCRP organizations to cite strong new evidence of the employment opportunities and economic growth driven by natural resource conservation, outdoor recreation and historic preservation in America. Read a transcript of today's event and view video as it aired on C-Span 3.

Roosevelt, a leading figure in American conservation and the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, noted America's long-standing tradition of conservation. "For more than a century, conservation is part of what has made America unique," Roosevelt said. "From our public lands tradition to the ethic of private land stewardship, conservation has enjoyed broad support with the public and bipartisan support from their congressional representatives. As the Southwick Report clearly shows, conservation is an economic driver, accounting for more than 9.4 million jobs. I hope we reinvigorate our bipartisan commitment to conservation as we work to reduce the budget deficit."

Congress is currently determining federal funding of conservation, recreation and preservation programs in the bicameral, bipartisan "Super Committee" as well as in fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills.

AVCRP is a national coalition of organizations and businesses representing tens of millions of citizens with diverse political backgrounds and areas of interest. AVCRP members are united in a shared understanding that federal investments in natural resource conservation, outdoor recreation and historic preservation programs are vital to the future of our great nation. The 1,000 supporting entities signed a letter urging Congressional leaders to sustain the federal funds that are critical to the American way of life.

AVCRP represents an extraordinarily broad and diverse set of interests ranging from conservation and the environment to hunting, fishing and many other forms of outdoor recreation as well as historic preservation. AVCRP is made up of nonprofit organizations as well as major American businesses. Read the AVCRP letter and a list of signatories.

Other speakers at today's event included Dale Hall, CEO of Ducks Unlimited; Bill Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society and AVCRP co-chair; Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy; and Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

"The Economics Associated with Outdoor Recreation, Natural Resources Conservation and Historic Preservation in the United States," a report released this month by Southwick Associates and commissioned by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, was highlighted by Roosevelt and AVCRP leaders at the Washington, D.C., press conference. The study defines the huge economic stakes associated with continued federal investments that are leveraged and matched with private funds.

The study cites the following compelling figures for the combined value of outdoor recreation, natural resource conservation and historic preservation:
• 9.4 million American jobs
• $1.06 trillion in total economic impact
• $107 billion annually generated in tax revenue

"From an economic perspective, the bottom line is clear – America's natural resources are a critical part of our national economy. Investments in nature produce a great return. Federal spending on conservation and protection of our natural resources should not be singled out for disproportionate cuts in the budget," said Tercek. "Americans across the country agree, as you can see from support by more than 1,000 organizations joining together to call upon Congress to address the federal deficit while still investing in critical conservation programs."

"This economic report highlights how cost-effective conservation and preservation programs make a clear profit for the U.S. taxpayer and benefit our nation's economy," said Hall, who is also former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "This coalition has come together because all of us understand how critical conservation, outdoor recreation and historic preservation are to America's legacy, economy and people."

"This study shows just how historic preservation has proven its value many times over," said Meeks. "The remarkable impact of the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit is just one example, creating over 2 million jobs since its inception and leveraging $90.4 billion in private investment. Preservation projects not only generate economic activity – it brings people together and creates a legacy for future generations."

Contact:
Vaughn Collins, 202-639-8727, vcollins@trcp.org
Alan Rowsome, 202-429-2643, alan_rowsome@tws.org

PEOPLE AND THE FISH THAT RESEMBLE THEM

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Aside from having forgotten about more money than I'll ever see fashion mogul Donatella Versace looks to be about an exact replica of a grouper. The Goretex lips that reek of catch and release with circle hooks and the swept back eyes that see in the dark are a dead giveaway for the Grouper Combo at any one of the 10,000 nip'n tuck clinics in Miami. If you're going for the fish look I guess the grouper ain't a bad way to go. Donatella…you're alright! 

I rest my case!

The only thing that's missing from Dennis Rodman's cakehole is a 16 ounce pipe jig rigged with a giant hoochie skirt and a 10/0 Mustad treble hook. There's only one fish that swims in the sea that could possibly resemble this homo sapien…Ophiodon elongatus, better known as the ling cod.   

I rest my case!

This one actually crawled out of the water and sprouted legs a few years back shocking the science community. Evolution at it's finest! This specimen is mostly humphead wrasse blended with a little bit of man, a hundred or so heavy duty split rings, and eleven different colors of backlashed chenille. By the expression on his face I'm pretty sure there's a treble hook or three firmly embedded somewhere out of the frame. Just a guess!

The humphead wrasse, also known as the Napoleanfish!

Extreme skiier Glen Plake is one bad dude and it's only fitting that he resemble one of the worlds baddest-to-the-bone fishes, the roosterfish. Roosterfish are lightning quick, agile, cunning, and don't take jack squat from many of the other fishes in the surf. In the early years of my ski career I used to try to emulate this guy. Nowadays, well, anytime I make it off the mountain in one piece is an exceptional day.

The roosterfish…baddest of the bad!

That's all for now. From Alaska…good fishing to you!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

The Miracle Deer of Stephens Passage

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A foursome of young bucks fell upon some good luck earlier this year as they were pulled from the icy waters
and swift currents of Stephens Passage by a group of locals out to enjoy the last few days of recent sunshine. The deer were found far from shore, presumably fleeing one of the many black bears in the area.
These good Samaritans describe their experience as "one of those defining moments in life."


A group of four juvenile Sitka black-tailed deer swam right toward the boat.  

 

Once they reached the vessel, skipper Tom Satre said they began to circle the boat and looked obviously distressed.  The typically skittish and absolutely wild animals
came willingly and once pulled onto the boat, collapsed with exhaustion.They were shivering but obviously content to be out of the frigid Alaskan waters!


Four Sitka black-tailed bucks pulled from the waters of Stephens Passage recover on the back of Tom Satre's 62-foot charter vessel, the Alaska Quest.

 

The "Miracle deer" were transported to Taku Harbor and witnesses reported they all recovered from
what appeared to be exhaustion and a bit of hypothermia.  Once the group reached the dock,
the first to be pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back, then leapt into the
waters of the harbor and swam to shore. He quickly disappeared into the forest. 
Two others followed suit, after a bit of prodding and assistance from the group.

One of the four Sitka black-tailed bucks pulled from the waters of Stephens Passage is seen being transported via wheelbarrow by Tom Satre after reaching
Taku Harbor.  Witnesses reported all the deer recovered fully from what appeared to be exhaustion and a bit of hypothermia. 

 

From left: Tom, Anna and Tim Satre help one of the "button" bucks to its feet after they rescued it from Stephens Passage.

The 100 MPH Winds of Southeast Alaska

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BY JEFF LUND. Since my local school district has more high school students than Alaska's Prince of Wales Island has residents it was no surprise few had heard of the 100-mile per hour gusts that knocked out power on the entire island, isolating it from mail and cutting ATM machines off from the money bags that supply them. I contemplated calling mom’s school weak for giving kids and teachers the day off in light of there being no power, because we’ve gone without power here for part of the school day, but the argument was a little too unreasonable.

I don’t miss that part of Alaska, wind that shakes buildings and the stench of hundreds of thousands of fish carcasses washed ashore in the bay after drifting down river. Its a funk so intense that it infiltrates classrooms. Running cross country races on gravel roads when its 40 degrees and the clouds are shooting staples at exposed skin, or traveling to basketball games in four-seat airplanes the pilot de-iced by taking a broom to the wings (exposing at least a few pieces of duct tape in the process) are not nearly as fun as they might sound.

Its much gentler here, and I love it. The gradual curve of the seasons and the slight bite of temperature that allows me to pull out hooded sweatshirts and fleece from my gear room. I like twigs glazed in frost, delivering snow men to my buddy Gary’s yard, and walking across damp fields and meadows, over cold puddles lined with rose and bronze colored leaves, fly-rod in hand. I like warm clouds of breath and long shadows that extend in chilly, yet straight lines from the top of the bluffs above Knights Ferry and our favorite trout spots that will soon be closed. I like the fog sitting below the levees that separate field from fish and the overwhelming orange morning sky that shyly burns it off.

Even more than all this, I like my winter clothes.

When I consulted my gray hooded sweatshirt Monday, it had a small trout spinner in the front pocket which makes it difficult to pin-point the last time it reached the wash. It easily passed the smell check and there were no obvious blood, slime, dirt, mud, coffee or campfire stains so the last wear must have been a light one.

My blue Grundens hooded sweatshirt is by far my favorite. Its thick, hearty and has a double hood so even in the rain the worthless-when-wet cotton is thick enough to insulate. It also has one of those secret zip pockets in the front pouch.

If it is possible to feel more like a fisherman because of what you wear, nothing makes me feel more like a true angler than when I fit my waders over that faded blue pullover.

Its been poked by the spines of ling cod, slimed by silver salmon and smeared by campfire charcoal. Its simple, and synonymous with catching fish.

I don’t have much expensive stuff because I blow all my money on my annual trip to Alaska and the rest of my money trying to keep my lines wet around here.

I just want to be warm and what I’ve got works for here. I’m fine with that and the fact that there won’t be any storms that keep my orders of flies from making it down from Redding, CA or Montana.

I will say, though, I still laugh like Beavis whenever I think about the time we decided to go outside in the breeze that made it 30-degrees below zero to see if frozen dog poop would shatter when thrown against the street.

–
Jeff Lund
Teacher/Freelance Writer
Manteca, CA