Kodiak Daily Mirror - Daily newspaper of Kodiak, Alaska
  
Outdoors
 
Outdoor Kodiak: Zeroing in on halibut takes a little longer this year
From everything I hear, we’re not the only ones finding the halibut fishing pretty slow. There seem to be even fewer halibut than last year, which was down considerably from the year before. We’re managing to get halibut in spite of the slower fishing, but we’re using different tactics than ever before. If you’re bothered by a blank space in your freezer, you might want to hear how we’re doing it. I won’t claim th...
Jun 18, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 20 20 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Salmon on hand, but deer on the mind
Deer season doesn’t open until August 1, so why think about it and begin your preparation now? That’s actually the point. Deer season is less than two months away, and with the challenging hunting we’re likely to encounter, you want to begin your preparation today. The last few winters have been hard on the deer, and their numbers are down considerably. You’re likely to put in a lot of effort to see one, much less...
Jun 11, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 71 71 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Finding fun in Kodiak’s least-popular sport fishery
Which sport fishery is the least popular on Kodiak Island? Walk down to any beach on the road system today, and the answer is waiting. I’m betting you won’t meet a single angler. June is the peak for catching Dolly Varden trout in the ocean, yet almost no one bothers. Avid anglers fished for them in May rivers, but once these great fish reach the ocean they’re forgotten. Sure, anglers are distracted by the onset o...
Jun 04, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 25 25 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Fighting the crowds for red salmon
I declare that spring has arrived! We have fresh king salmon in the freezer, and at any moment red salmon should start ascending Kodiak rivers. Red salmon, or sockeye as they they’re more widely known, are cause for celebration on Kodiak. They’re the first salmon of the year for shorebound anglers, and they’re incredible on the table. But there are two sides to that coin. Most of the river fishing occurs in a few ...
May 28, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 20 20 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Fresh fish on the table
We dropped into a favorite restaurant for dinner last night, and their special was fresh halibut. Now I remember! Frozen halibut that’s been carefully packaged is excellent, but fresh is even better. That’s true for most fish. You can have dandy eating from the freezer, but it can be so much sweeter and more flavorful when fresh. My wife and I took our first bites at the same time. She looked up at me and smiled. ...
May 21, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Getting started with Dolly Varden
I’m tired of waiting! The winter was long, and it’s time to start catching Dolly Varden in rivers. I can’t be sure they’re leaving their winter lakes yet, headed downstream to the ocean. But they should start any day and I plan to be on the river waiting for them. The timing of each year’s Dolly run is variable. Predicting it isn’t a matter of looking at last year’s calendar. I have come close a few times by watch...
May 14, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 8 8 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Gearing up
We were all set. I spent this past Saturday finalizing boat preparations and sorting tackle. When the alarm sounded early Sunday morning, I bounded from bed ready to launch the boat for our first venture offshore for kings and halibut. I started the coffee and stepped outside for one last inspection of the boat. Holy cow! The thermometer on our porch read 26 degrees. And a cold breeze wrapped around the corner of ...
May 07, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Purely for the fun of it
Three of us huddled in the shelter of the building, doing our best to dodge the chill wind while fumbling as we strung line through the guides of fly rods. They were tiny rods, so limber and light in the hand we had little hope they could cope with the wind. The wispy little rods were designed for tiny flies and trout, the mere touch of the smooth cork grips evoking small streams, warm days and trout noses slash...
Apr 30, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Spring snow teaches us to be prepared when hiking
A glance out the window revealed a scattering of low dark clouds beneath a higher gray layer. The brush was moving a little and there was a light chop on the water. In the corner of the window the thermometer reported 34 degrees. Hmmph … Not too bad on the Kodiak weather scale. Time for a quick walk? After too many indoor hours I couldn’t resist it. Donning gloves and hat and a suitable coat, I paused over my choi...
Apr 23, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
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Outdoor Kodiak: Trout in lakes
Are you anxious for cooperative fish but having no luck with Dolly Varden? Since your trout tackle is tuned and handy, why not try for rainbow trout stocked in road system lakes by ADF&G? Let’s get one thing straight before you write off “stockers.” The rainbows in local lakes are like no other stocked trout! In most places trout are raised large enough for catching before they leave a hatchery. As a result they ...
Apr 16, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
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