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Violent shakes of
the fishing rod bounced and quivered milliseconds before
the line broke free from the downrigger. The action sent
my guide, Jeff Peterson, owner of Kodiak Combos in Old
Harbor scrambling to the stern of the boat. Just seconds
before the commotion I’d been scanning the horizon in
both directions for signs of any other boats.
Surprisingly, I’d seen nothing but snow-capped peaks,
flat blue water and the occasional eagle soaring
overhead. Nothing could have been better at the moment
– an obviously huge king salmon on my line in a
remarkably beautiful Alaskan wilderness setting without
crowds of any kind.
 Upon
booking my trip to Kodiak Island, Peterson had explained
that Old Harbor, a remote native village 54 miles south
of Kodiak city, is one of the last feeding grounds for
king salmon heading to the Kenai River on the mainland.
That combined with the promise of halibut, lingcod,
rockfish and hordes of Pacific cod is what convinced me
to book my trip with Peterson June 2001.
My rod still
bent heavy under the pressure of a big king – my reel
quickly emptied its line dangerously fast. The fish’s
first, most powerful run I’d ever experienced, lasted
seconds but left my reel with only four wraps of line.
Seeing the desperate situation, Peterson began backing
down on the fish, chasing it until it finally slowed and
then stopped momentarily. Thankfully, dozens of yards of
line once again filled the reel, giving me a fighting
chance. This had to be a huge Kenai king and would no
doubt be as shiny and bright as a newly minted quarter.
The king made two more runs away from the boat, but
Peterson kept me in the game by maneuvering his boat
within fighting range. With just 50 feet of line out,
the fish surfaced, and thrashed its wide tail toward me
and shook its head side to side. The fish’s wild
antics offered a complete view of weighty body. Its
length combined with a super-bulky body was more than my
inadequate 25-pound leader could handle. Game over but
not forgotten. The trailing hook on my squid had broken,
rewarding the 70-plus pound Kenai king with its freedom.
Instead of feeling bad for myself I bowed farewell and
wished the king good luck on its final journey home to
spawn in the mighty Kenai River.
By day’s end
my first afternoon at Old Harbor had produced four big
kings on my line. Three of them would have easily pushed
past the 50 to 70-pound mark if I could have landed
them. Of the other two jumbo kings lost, one
straightened out the hooks and another simply came
unbuttoned alongside the boat. At least I had the
opportunity to fight them and see their size on the
surface before they bid farewell with a headshake and
splash of their tails.
Before wetting
a line on the second day, heavier leader and bigger
hooks would replace the wimpy 25-pound leaders on the
lures I’d brought from home. Peterson, being a veteran
of the waters had plenty of 40-pound leader for me to
use. My guide would save me from myself and I’d listen
and hang on every recommendation he offered. Another
lesson learned the hard way – always believe the guide
when he says you need heavier leaders or mainline.
The first full
day of my trip Peterson eased his 24-foot Sea Sport out
of the harbor and pointed the bow south. Within 25
minutes he slowed to a stop on one of his halibut holes.
Again, no other boats could be seen, leaving the vast
wilderness waters all to us. Minutes after my lure hit
bottom a 70-pound halibut tested my new halibut rod’s
flex. Soon the average-sized halibut flopped hopelessly
in the fish box – my family’s future dinners for
many nights. As much as I love halibut fishing, the
temptation of the Kenai kings proved irresistible. Back
to “The Spit” a small slice of Sitkalidak Island
that sticks out into Sitkalidak Strait, providing
protected waters to Old Harbor. It seemed hard to
believe we could be within 15 minutes of Old Harbor, in
protected waters and be fishing for Kenai kings. After
setting the downriggers at just 25 feet, Peterson
explained that his home waters regularly produce king
salmon heading to the Karluk and Ayakulik Rivers on
Kodiak Island. And feeding chinook from many other
rivers in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and
Oregon often use Kodiak Island waters as their feeding
grounds too.
His remarks
echoed the findings of the fish finder, revealing hordes
of bait. Together they painted a very clear picture –
Kodiak Island waters are the feeding grounds of big
chinook – no shakers here. The next strike also proved
his point, another big fish on my line. This time, the
chinook’s efforts at freedom failed, leaving me with a
long, mirror-bright 55-pound white-meated king probably
headed for the Karluk River. One in the box and a few
more small, 25-pound kings caught and released.
 Day
three of my trip would prove the worth of fishing in
protected waters. Gale force winds moved across Kodiak
Island and the surrounding waters throughout the night
and early morning. In most areas fishing would have been
impossible, or suicidal. But Jeff easily found fishable,
and reasonably calm waters in numerous locales
throughout the day without ever having to navigate rough
waters. Peterson explained that they rarely miss any
fishing days due to weather. No matter which direction
the wind blows there’s always a lee side to fish. And
just about every lee portion of the island has produced
world-class king salmon at one time or another. All
totaled that day I caught and released three small 30 to
35-pound chinook, all on flashers and spoons. (Refer to
last month’s spoon fishing article.)
 The
fourth day of my trip simply can’t be described; it
must be experienced to believe. Having grown up in Old
Harbor, Peterson knows every inch of his home waters and
proved it time and time again. Stories of giant salmon
spooling him at this location and smiles of joy as he
described huge kings landed at that hotspot filled the
day. Around every corner he’d happily point and
describe the best time to fish there, what depth to fish
and what lure and color was most productive. With every
locale described and then fished, my rod and reel kept
me busy fighting salmon. A brace of 20-pound halibut
added to the day’s catch and my supply of halibut for
the table. Catching was so hot we decided to really
experiment with different lures and color patterns. A
spoon modified with a hootchy on the siwash hook proved
super effective on four of five salmon. So did a number
of Luhr Jensen Coyote spoons, including an orange and
black and black and white spoon. I lost count of how
many kings we hooked, but estimate we landed at least
nine kings up to 40-pounds. Not a day for giant kings,
but a day to remember because of numbers of fish.
On the last day
of my trip Peterson agreed to take me to a couple of his
secret Pacific Cod holes, where I’d hopefully be able
to catch them with fly gear. Having grown up fishing for
P-cod with homemade lures, it was always my hope to set
an International Game Fish Association world fly tippet
record for the species. I knew this would be the best
place to attempt such a silly quest. It took just a
couple of places before Peterson found the right spot,
which held hundreds of hungry Pacific Cod. His anchor
held firm directly above the cod, but their depth of 135
feet seemed impossible to reach, even with a sinking fly
line. Peterson’s experience paid off when he lowered a
giant Swedish jig down to the mass of fish. As soon as
it neared bottom he started reeling up a 30-pound cod.
Simultaneously his fish finder showed the school of cod
following the hooked fish to the surface. Perfect.
Every cast
proved deadly on the Pacific cod. For over an hour the
cod stayed in the shadow of the boat, at about 20 feet
deep. I started with a 20-pound tippet and worked my way
to 2 pound, but couldn’t hold them on such light line.
All totaled the day produced four IGFA Tippet world
records including the 4, 6, 8 and 20 pound records.
But the day
didn’t end there. Peterson wanted to show me the last
remnants of the last active whaling station in North
America – a rusty relic of the area’s past. While
there he said it might be a good idea to drop the
halibut gear. One of his favorite lures is the Luhr
Jensen B2 Squid jig, but modified to meet his needs.
Instead of using a standard J hook he replaces it with a
16/0 circle hook, uses squid for bait on the hook and
covers the jig with herring oil. At first it seemed odd
to see the big jig with a circle hook, but he explained
that he lets it sit above the bottom a few feet and
always makes sure it’s kept in the rod holder. Sure
enough, a halibut started hammering the jig, making it
difficult to get out of the rod holder. With plenty of
halibut to take home, I decided to release the big
‘but, estimated at 125 pounds. Not a bad day of
fishing by any measure. Hopefully in the near future
I’ll return once again to the wilderness beauty of
Kodiak Island’s Old Harbor, one of Alaska’s best
ocean fisheries for king salmon. Try it and you’ll
soon have your rods bowing in awe to the kings of Kodiak
as I did.
Kodiak native
villages “If you’re going to come to Kodiak Island,
six native villages offer the best fishing opportunities
without any crowds,” advises Peterson. “Kodiak City
has a lot to offer, it’s small town America, but the
wilderness fishing is at the villages.”
Here’s a
quick rundown of the six villages and what they have to
offer anglers. Old Harbor: Mountains, protected bays and
inlets. Salmon, halibut and bottomfishing Akhiok:
Rolling tundra. Not a king spot. Mostly fly fishing for
sockeye. The village has one charter boat for halibut
and bottomfishing. Karluc: Low lying mountains with
streams and rivers. King salmon on the fly or spin
tackle in the river. No ocean fishing. Larson Bay:
Scenic valley located on a narrow fjord with mountains.
Fishing for kings, halibut and other bottomfish. Ocean
fishing is dependant on good weather. Larson Bay has
access to Karluck River. Port Lyons: Mountains filled
with Sitka spruce throughout area. Sockeye fishing in
rivers, coho in rivers and ocean. Ocean halibut and
bottomfishing. Ouzinkie: Swampy areas, volcanic and
sedimentary rock and an abundance of tall spruce trees.
This village is located on an island north of Kodiak
Island. Sockeye rivers for fly anglers as well as ocean
fishing for kings, coho, halibut and bottomfish. This
village has just two guides.
Seasons and
limits Anglers are allowed two chinook per day but this
year the Alaska Department of Fish and Game set a yearly
limit of five king salmon. The new yearly limits match
those of the Kenai region and were imposed in response
to the salmon agreements made with British Columbia
because the Kodiak area is a mixed stock fishery.
Chinook, 1 per
day, 3 per year.
Coho, 5 per day
Halibut 2 of
any size per day
Lingcod 2 per
day
Rockfish 10 per
day
Pacific Cod No
limit
Kodiak
Island’s fishing is one of the most diverse, almost
year-round fisheries in Alaska and doesn’t end with
just king salmon and halibut. King salmon, halibut and
lingcod fishing throughout June and July is awesome. The
biggest kings pass through the area in early June until
the end of the month. In July king fishing action often
goes into a wide-open bite on fish averaging between 25
to 35-pounds. Be prepared to catch and release lots of
king salmon in July. The end of July also brings the
first runs of ocean-fresh coho. In September and October
the coho fishing in the saltwater or Old Harbor’s
local streams can be amazingly awesome. When the cooler
weather of November hits the action still hasn’t died.
Halibut, lingcod, rockfish and feeder king salmon
continue to entertain the lucky few who still can’t
stand to call it quits for the season. Forget fishing in
December and January. But an early trip in February
could put you on some great feeder chinook and halibut
action. March, April and May is great for feeder chinook,
halibut, rockfish and Pacific cod.
January:
Pacific Cod February: Feeder kings; halibut; Pacific Cod
March: Feeder kings; halibut; Pacific Cod April: Feeder
kings; halibut; Pacific Cod May: Feeder kings; halibut;
Pacific Cod. Note: End of May Kenai kings arrive. June:
Peak of big king salmon moving through the area.
Halibut; Pacific Cod. July: Lingcod opens: Excellent
numbers of smaller, 25 t0 35-pound kings; halibut;
rockfish. Note: Coho salmon arrive end of month. August:
Peak of the coho run, average size 14-pounds: King
salmon 35 to 38-pounds; halibut; lots of varieties of
bottomfish. September: Excellent river coho fishing on
fly, spin or baitcasters: Ocean kings 35 to 38-pounds;
halibut; lots of varieties of bottomfish. October:
Excellent river coho fishing on fly, spin or baitcasters:
Ocean kings 35 to 38-pounds; halibut; lots of varieties
of bottomfish. November: Halibut; lingcod; rockfish;
feeder kings to 30-pounds.
Tackle &
Techniques Using downriggers is the most effective way
to target the kings of Kodiak Island. Peterson has four
downriggers on his boat and fishes them as well as
anyone I’ve encountered. Years of experience taught
Peterson that flashers and spoons or squid work best.
Peterson also notes, and I fully agree, that having the
flasher doesn’t take away from the fight because these
fish are so big you will hardly notice they are there.
They can, however, cause you to break leaders, as I did,
if you don’t have heavy enough line. He also notes,
that without the use of the flashers his catch rates go
way down. These fish really seem to like the action and
flash provided from flashers.
His best colors
vary from year to year, but consistent producers
continue to be Luhr Jensen’s black and white Coyote
“Cop Car” or the Coyote orange and black
“Halloween” spoon. Peterson also uses a variety of
other lures and colors depending on conditions.
Rods should be
8 ½ to 9-feet long, and rated for 20 to 30-pound test
line. Level wind reels capable of handling at least 250
yards of 25 to 30-pound line are required.
Most of the
best chinook salmon fishing is within 25 minutes of Old
Harbor. Downriggers are set at 15 to 50-feet and then
trolled between two and three knots in fairly shallow
water, often within a few yards of shore. When the coho
arrive trolling almost any lure or bait works well.
Jigging also works well once you find the schools of
fish. River anglers will enjoy awesome spin cast or fly
casting to numerous pools and drifts filled with
striking coho.Halibut fishing: Standard halibut gear
works well here. Favorite baits include squid and
herring. Peterson’s favorite jig is the Luhr Jensen B2
Squid, modified with a circle hook and baited with
squid. Many other jigs or methods also work well.
How to get
there From Anchorage anglers can catch one of several
daily flights to Kodiak City operated by Alaska Airlines
or ERA Aviation. Anchorage to Kodiak Island on either
airline costs approximately $228.00 round trip with a 14
day advance purchase. (Note: it’s best to book early
to get the price listed and too get your desired flight
times.) Web specials as low as $109 roundtrip for Friday
through Monday can also be had for the last minute
angler lucky enough to book a trip on short notice.
From Kodiak to
Old Harbor: Island Airways has three flights daily
Monday through Saturday and two flights on Sunday. The
flight from Kodiak to Old Harbor costs $156.00 roundtrip
and includes 70 pounds of luggage. Anglers who plan to
bring home fish should note that Island Airways charges
.46 cents per pound over the 70-pound limit. Anglers can
also charter float or wheeled planes to Old Harbor.
Depending on your flight arrangements, you may need to
overnight in Kodiak. Best Western operates the Kodiak
Inn, the town’s largest hotel and offers rooms for
$139 to $149 per night double occupancy. If you have
enough time during your fishing vacation, the Alaska
Marine Highway System might be a good choice to reach
Kodiak City. Round trip fares from Homer, without a
vehicle cost $108 from Seward it costs $122.
Who to contact
Kodiak Combos www.kodiakcombos.com
Jeff
Peterson, owner/operator P.O. Box 141 Old Harbor, AK
99643 (907) 286-2252
Bayview B&B
(907) 286-2267
Alaska Airlines
www.alaskaairlines.com
1-800-426-0333
Island Airways
(907) 486 6196
ERA Aviation www.era-aviation.com
1-800-866-8394
Alaska Marine
Highway System www.akferry.com
1-800-526-6731
Best Western
Kodiak Inn www.ptialaska.net/~kodiakin
1-888-562-4254
Author’s
assessment of trip and guide Having fished many places
throughout the world I was thoroughly impressed with the
quality of angling opportunities found in Old Harbor
Alaska. More notably, Jeff Peterson’s knowledge of his
local waters surpassed any other guide I’ve ever
fished with. He knew every nook and underwater cranny in
the area. And his willingness to experiment with new
lures and colors showed me he is not just a guide stuck
on one lure or technique, he’s a guide who’s always
searching for a better and more effective way to put
fish on the line for his clients. My experience with
Peterson earned him the first-ever www.halibut.net
Halibut Guide Of The Year award.
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