Alaskan SpineFest.....

[DocSpotty]

Haven’t had much luck putting salmon in my freezer this summer….well, haven’t really tried to much……so I figured a half day trip to Seward would net me some silvers (coho). Hooked up with 3 guys visiting from Texas….Jimmy, Jimmy and Justin…yep….the 3 “J”s. Turns out they are fishing and hunting guides down in the Texas Republic. Usually this time of year in Seward there are silvers showing up all over the boat harbor but nothing this year. Upon grilling young captain Trent he informed me the city of Seward hadn’t been stocking Ressurection Bay for the last 5 years. For the last few decades Seward has yearly stocked millions of coho smolts in the boat harbor to provide a big put and take fishery…..there are no natural spawning runs nearby so the salmon just return to the boat harbor where they are caught or simply croak and become seal chow. This stocking has provided thousands of salmon for catching but not so this year, so we were forced to seek “feeder” silvers near the mouth of the bay. Feeders are younger salmon at sea….well feeding, of course. They won’t spawn for another 1 or 2, consequently they are smaller fish.

Anyway to make a short story longer, as I am want to do, we headed out looking for the elusive “feeder” silvers. Our technique of the day was mooching….no not, smooching you hormonal perverts. It was a tough day fishing and we only managed to boat 9 silvers for our morning fish….I landed only 1 and lost 3 others….just call me Farmer John with the hands of stone.

Our fishing area was close to one of the many glaciers around Seward:



My good for nothing wrist was giving me fits (hey, I had to have some sort of excuse as I was outfished by the Jimmies…..) all day. Right before we headed in I managed to come up with 3 rockfish in a row. It was a new species for me (number 199 on my lifetime species list):



This turns out to be a quillback rockfish, Sebastes maliger, and had I known the back spines have a toxin in them I would not have handled it so cavalierly. Look at them nasty dorsal spines:



It was just after noon so we motored in and filleted the morning catch….a nice pic of the Seward boat harbor and the always present cruise boats…..I believe this one was the Princess Norovirus or something pukey like that (yes…I know my humor is somewhat lacking….I do have a good day job, fortunately):



After a repast of cheese and beefstack……yummy…..I stopped by Quartz Creek on the way home to fish for a few hours. Tried a different stretch then I normally fish and was rewarded with about 10 or 11 trout over the next 3 plus hours. One of the first was this gorgeous rainbow I actually spotted in the water from the red stripe down his side….first drift by him with the bead and he slurped it:





The rest of the fish caught were all dollies, many were looking rather sporty in their fall spawning colors.



This was one of the last for the day…..great color:



From there the 2 hour drive home was no fun as I was dog tired from not getting any sleep the night before, at all. But managed to survive with a real sore wrist and two achy, decrepit shoulders…..and a big smile on my face.

Brian

[gavin310]

As always, making the FNNers jealous!!

[DocSpotty]

My identification of the rockfish appears to be erroneous.....I endeavor to be accurate always. After reviewing more photos and a few comments from other the rockfish is not a quillback....but rather a copper rockfish. Still counts on the species list as I have never caught one of them either. Thanks to those who helped correct this grievous misidentification.....I'll be doing penance forever!!!

Brian

[Ifishtoolittle]

Rockfish are always fun to catch. Hell I'm surprised your guide didn't just have you guys catch those all day especially since the rockfish in Alaska are really shallow.