Our first long line fishing

So with our SHARC cards in hand we decided to try our hands at long line fishing. With this card we can put down 2 lines with 20 hooks on each. We can each catch 20 halibut a day with our cards as it is considered substance fishing. I like it! The idea is, our rope is leaded so it sinks with a weight attached at one end. We put an 8 pound anchor on ours.  We trolled our line out until we had all our hooks out, then a second weight goes down attached to another rope. Throw a buoy on the end of that one and when all your rope is out, throw out your buoy. Wala, long line fishing. We baited ours with herring and left it for about 4 hours. We went and found a nice cove to spend the afternoon and had lunch. We decided it would be a good idea to test us getting our Zodiak from the top of the boat to the water, then back. Actually wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, but then again, I was not on the heavy side. lol Honey you did a great job! It was a beautiful day! Our long line caught a  Rock fish which are pretty prehistoric looking. I don't care to eat them but Michael was a trooper and cleaned it up from which he got 2 small pieces of fish to eat. I did take one bite after he cooked it and have to say it was not horrible. Fresh is definitely better. So we put the line out again and left it over night. Michael took a friend with him to retrieve our line today and since I have not heard from him I'm guessing it did not go well. haha Try try again!

Hooks are baited out goes the long line, we just put one out this time

Down comes the Zodiak for a test run

Yay, it floats

With out the seat in

WEEEEEE!

Trying out the seat, we don't think we will both fit with the seat

Bye Honey! :)

Getting it back on board. Took it to the swim step then pulled it up and over. 

Success!

Our ugly rock fish. They have pointy fins that come out and if they poke you it really hurts!

Michael clubbed him to kill him then gutted him to make sure he was dead haha

I loved the reflection of the Mtns as we came back in to the harbor. Beautiful day!

Final Herring Run of the Season

Well they did it. It's over for the season. They took about 16,333 tons of herring this year. The females get taken for their roe  to send to Japan to make sushi I am told. The males are used for bait. Some people eat the fish, an average size is 180 grams. Some fishermen put spruce branches out in the water and the herring spawn in the branches so the eggs can be captured to eat. Not me! Yuck! After the processors are all done, all the boats that came from other places will go on to their next fishing adventure or home. Sitka will do a blessing of the fleet today. May everyone out there be safe.

Elementary school kids got a field trip to see the boats 

Spotter planes go up to scout out where the Herring are

On your mark

Get set

GO!

Nets out

Then try not to run each other over! haha

Herring Run 2014

Took the boat out to do a bit of sightseeing. We have been trying to plot different things to go see, and places to put our long lines. Always looking for a new pretty place to stop and picnic. We headed north to Hayward Straight, which is between Kruzof and Krestof islands. Passed by Guide Island, which I presume guides you to something, like Hayward Straight? Saw a neat cave on Kruzof Island. Went and checked out Degroff Bay. Stopped in Nakwasina Sound for lunch. Pretty windy out there so we snugged up in a small cove and dropped anchor. It was really nice when you were out of the wind. Last time we were there the water was like glass. Not this time. lol

 Herring season came early this year. On our way back we went to watch the boats all angling for the best spot to harvest Herring. They opened it at 1:30 pm on the dot! Closed at 3:10 on the dot.  Fish and Game actually do a down to the last second count down for the start and the finish. The 1st day they harvested about 4600 tons. They had to hold off for 2 days so the fish processors could catch up. Probably be about the same for the second run and the total they are going for is around 16,000 tons. It was fun to just sit and watch them all. Really have to make sure not to get in their way. The whales were out in full force chowing down as were the Sea Lions.

Guide Island

Cave on Kruzof

Into Krestof  Sound

Nakwasina Passage

Nice spot for lunch

View from our picnic

Herring Fishing

Alaska Airliner coming in to land

We have hiked to the top of the snow covered peak up Harbor Mountain 

The birds going crazy as they pump out fish scrap at the processing plant

Crazy!

White carpet of birds on the water

Zoom by Zodiac Boat arrives

So, we have been having a great time on our boat. Went up through Salsbury Sound, Kakul Narrows, into Fish Bay and checked out the Piper Island forest service cabin. Went through our first crazy spinning water that happens when the sound meets other passages plus wind and if you're not on top of things it can spin your boat around and point you the opposite direction. Scared the crap out of me the first time but Michael was on it and kept us on tract. To enjoy all of this beauty we needed one more item to help us out there. You really need a raft so you can get to some of the cabins. Remember when I shared what BOAT stands for? Bring Out Another Thousand? It's true. Introducing our new addition to Belly Ache.Our new Zoom by Zodiac. It will sit on top of the cabin of the boat. Take us to places we have never been before! Go where no man has gone! See what no man has seen!The last frontier!  Oh sorry got a bit carried away there. Any who, now I think we now have all the safety equipment we need to have safe boating adventures.
Look M,C, no Martini this time! Hahaha

Air for one side

Air for the other side

Floor going in

More floor

Last piece of floor

Tadaa! Look no Martini this time!

Good job honey!