Fishing Stories
Baranof Fishing Stories Contest
Fishing is a way of life for most folks in Southeast Alaska and Ketchikan is no exception. As the saying goes "the cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea." – Isak Dinesen
That being said, Baranof thought it would be fun to see what some of our youth thought about fishing in Ketchikan. Which is why we decided to host a children's fish story contest over the winter. We asked 4th, 5th, & 6th grade classes of Fawn Mountain Elementary school to participate. Not all classes had time to focus on this project with their already full curriculum plans however, we are very excited to share with you the stories that were turned in. Many are true experiences and some are fish tales, but they are all wonderful and sure to make you smile!
Please enjoy these children's fish stories as we greatly appreciate their time, effort, and pure honesty. We had a lot of fun reading them ourselves as did our community judges: Ladonna & Ole Gundersen, Charlotte Glover & Dave Kiffer, Chris Baldwin, and Jim Maddocks. The winners each received a Baranof Beanie and one free fishing trip for two this summer!
Brooke Hunt's 4th grade fishing stories
Lily Gosnell
A few summers ago in 2007 my friend Stevie and I caught a halibut, but not just any halibut. My first fishing memory began a few summers ago when I was in Ketchikan with Stevie fishing. Before we left to the dock we packed things like clothes, food, and some other stuff like that. Then we hopped on our bikes and rode to the dock.
When we got to the dock we parked our bikes and walked down to our boat. Once we were in the boat we rode off into the water until we were pretty far out. Finally we were far enough out so I set up the poles and Stevie turned on some music. I don’t know about you but I know that when I fish I like some to listen to some music.
Once we set up the poles all the way, we just started to wait. And it wasn’t very much fun to wait so we decided to take a nap for about 1 hour or so. But about 30 minutes later we got a bite. Of course we were still sleeping so we didn’t know, but it held on tight, so tight that it woke us up. So when we were awake we ran to the pole and reeled it in. After we got in the boat we cleaned it and while we were cleaning it we realized that it could talk cause it wouldn’t stop blabbing and it was pretty freaky, so we tossed it back in the water started the boat back up rode home and never went halibut fishing again.
Myrna Chaney
This is about someone fishing and sher name is Eliza. Her mom asked her if she would like to fish. She said yes so she is fishing. So Eliza has to make sure she has everything she needs. First she checks on her fishing rod and her family’s fishing rod. Now the she checks on the fishing net.
“Yep” said Eliza.
Eliza now finally checked the boat. Now we have to put the stuff on the boat and get ready. Their family is ready for fishing. All they need to do is go to the beach. As they went to the beach they put their boat into the water.
Now it’s time to find a good place to fish, a place to their fishing rods down. Their place to fish so they put their fishing rods down so they can fish.
Then Eliza said “Wow!” that’s a lot of fish they have in the ocean. There were small fishes, big fishes, colorful fishes, dull fishes, spiky, fishes lots of different fishes.
Dad said “It is time to fish now”.
“Hey something is pulling and it feels like it is a big fish “ said Eliza.
“Maybe it’s a big fish” said mom. So mom and dad helped her catch fish.
“It’s the biggest fish I have ever caught,” said Eliza. “I had a lot of fun,”
“Me too,” said mom.
“Can I fish again someday?” said Eliza.
Mom said “yes,” After they got home they cooked it and then ate it.
Eliza had so much fun fishing they fished every Monday all summer.
Helena Isaacs-Natkong
This is a story when my dad was steal alive and whenever I talk about it, it makes me think about him. I love to fish because my friend Vivian and I went fishing in Ketchikan. Early in the morning we got on the boat. First we put our lifejackets on first. Then we got in the boat to put our fishing pulls the bedroom on the boat. Then we where getting ready to start the boat. Ketchikan is a great place to fish.
Ketchikan is a great place to fish. Me and my friend Vivian where only 2,3 Vivian was 3 I was 2.the fish we where fishing for halibut, salmon. The place we went was past Knutson cove and I caught a halibut but I had to have my uncle help me reel it in it was a big one. When Vivian caught a fish it was a big king salmon she had to have my auntie help her reel it in.
Then when my auntie caught a fish she thought she was reeling in the biggest fish in her life!!! Then my uncle was starting the boat to start heading back to the dock but then we stopped to fish again then I caught a mystery fish we did not no the name of it. Then we started to go to the dock because it was late out then me and Vivian jump off the boat when we got on the dock we ran into a bear. This is why I love to fish.
David Williams Jr.
My family loves to go fishing. First we need to get ready. I need to pack lifejackets to help us. To go on a fishing trip you will need these, food, hooks, and fishing poles. Our family fishing trips take a long time.
We enjoy the trip out to our fishing spot. We eat when our family is going to our fishing spot. We also chill, tell jokes, and sometimes we take a nap.
When we get there we bait the hook then we drop down, then we wait and wait. Then we jig. I told my mom I got a halibut! It fought and swung the fishing pole. She grabbed me because I was going overboard! Then my mom’s friend shot the halibut twice with a .22 handgun! We got it onboard. My mom weighed the fish at the dock and it was 70 pounds. s My fishing trips take a while but we catch big fish!
Connor A. Summers
Every time I go fishing I think about that day I had the most fun fishing trip ever. I was with my dad Brett Summers and Finn Summers and Brian I was about 6 or 7 years old and I caught the biggest fish I’ve ever seen. It started September 15 6:00 am. My dad woke me up, and I woke my little brother Finn Summers up. We got ready and brought the ds. We got to Knudson Cove and met my dad Brett’s friend Brian.
We got to the boat and Finn asked ‘Are there going to be any sharks trying to eat u’s? I answered ‘no’ doubtfully. And then he sighed in relief. Next we started driving (you do know that it can take hours just to catch the perfect fish like getting ready, driving, setting up the poles, rebaiting, choosing a different spot, etc.)
We kept stopping to try different spots to try to catch fish, we never did. Finally we got to Helm Bay. Brian was in the bathroom, dad and Finn were playing cards, but I was on the deck. Suddenly Brian’s pole started bouncing I yelled his name and he came bursting out. From then on every body caught a fish but me. Then my pole started rapidly bouncing, I grabbed the pole just setting the hook was a pain. My arms where tired, and my back was aching. I knew this thing was HUGE! Finally I got it up and it was a rockfish. Who would expect to catch a 130-pound rockfish halibut fishing?! So we shot it, brought it to the dock, and weighed it and it actually was 130 pounds! That is the story of the most fun fishing trip ever.
Ben Phillips
Once upon sea lion we were getting ready for fishing. We loaded the stuff on the boat. We started the motor.
We were looking for the best spot. It took 30 minutes. It was at Settler’s Cove by an island. the boat was 14 feet long. We launched our boat at Bar Harbor. We ended up at Settler’s Cove. We boated in a 14-foot skiff.
My dad jumped in the water, he swam back to the boat and a sea lion came. My dad was kicking at the sea lion, we backed up to get him. My dad got on the boat, We drove away and my dad put his clothes on. It was in summer. He was freezing. He got something to eat. We started fishing. A couple minutes later my Dad caught a 25-pound bottom fish. I will never forget that day.
Shay LeBeau 4th grade fishing stories
Declan Thomas
I’m really unlucky today, even though it’s my birthday. I’m unlucky because... and I know, I know I sound like one of those “story starters” but this is really true. Ok, let’s get started first, I thought I had caught Moby Dick. Ok, let me explain, I recently watched the movie “In the Heart of the Sea” which is why I got all psyched about this fishing trip. So anyway, the movie has a big white whale (but in the movie it looked kind of gray) and when I say big I mean HUGE. Turns out I caught a rock. Second, I thought a megaladon bumped our boat. Let me explain (again). Yesterday I watched a National Geographic about prehistoric sharks. At the top of the list of Biggest Fish EVER , the megalodon. Turns out Mom hit the boat with a gaff by accident. “Whoops!” No megalodon, no Moby Dick. At least we get cake.”Wait no, stop it doggy!” See I am UNLUCKY!
Amber Merfeld
Once upon a time....long long ago in a far away town on an island called TRINKOLAPA there was a girl and her dad. They were in a skiff in TRINKOLAPA fishing for halibut.
They caught a rock fish right away but it was too small to eat so instead they put it back in the ocea. Then they caught another fish but it was way too big! The boat tipped over with the large catch but the two quickly got the boat back over.
So they kept on fishing and the little girl caught something so she tried to reel it up...and tried harder to reel it up by herself...and again with all her might to reel it in. Finally her dad took over the job and began reeling in the catch but right when he got it out of the water it....JUMPED OUT OF HIS HANDS AND JUMPED INTO THE WATER!!! But right then and there he and his daughter saw the shining gold of his scales and they named him (Guess what they named him on the line_________________)
They named him THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY!
Jacque Guthrie
One fine day on the weekend there were four people going on the boat known as a skiff. They all cruised all around by Metlakatla and Dull Head Island they found a place to make there halibut hooks down the deep water on the ocean floor. There names are Jacque, Kyle, Ryleigh, Marvin Jr. And Ryleighs grandpa. Then they stopped for a snack. Then they went off to put the crab pots in the water somewhere. They stopped at a good place to put the crab pots on the ocean floor, which was hard to find when they left the two deal pots they found a tiny little island to stop at for lunch. They went on the islands and we all took off our life jackets. Then they went on the boat to the back to check on the halibut hooks there was no halibut on the hooks. But they went to check on the crab pots and there 12 crabs in the deal pots. Then we went home and had some crab for dinner.
Beth Brandt-Erichsen's 6th grade fishing stories
Chloe Gosnell
About two years ago my family went on the most memorable fishing/camping trip. It was a very hot summer day in Ketchikan, Alaska. My family had made plans with a few other families to all go hang out at Mink Bay Lodge. We had gotten a cabin reserved with my all time favorite rope swing. We all got in our boats and headed to the cabin. The kids and moms were in one boat and the dads were in the other. The other boat was supposed to go fishing while we went to a lodge to explore. So we all left in different directions. I was really disappointed because I LOVE fishing with my dad. But I let it go because I knew I'd probably have more fun going with my friends to the lodge.
We finally arrived and got out of the boat. A very nice family came out and welcomed us to their lodge. They offered to give us a tour, the adults all took the tour of the inside building while my friends and I explored outside. The outside of the building looked like it was about 200 years old. You could see through the huge glass windows. There was native art and totem poles all over the place. All the kids played hide and seek hose edition. We hid behind a big red shed. We couldn’t help it so we started laughing which lead to us being found and then sprayed.
All of a sudden the door to the shed opened and it was FULL of kayaks. So of course we all grabbed kayaks and put them in the water. The water was such a pretty shade of blue! It was almost clear with hints of blue in it. Addy and I chose the blue two-person kayak. We hopped in it then grabbed a fishing pole. "Lets have a competition to see who can catch the most fish!" I yelled thinking I was going to win. There were 4 teams. I was so sure Addy and I were going to win. So we set off and paddled all fast and far away as we could. I got the pole ready and put the bait on the hook. We managed to paddle so far away we couldn’t see the lodge anymore. We could only see our boat we had come in. I stuck the fishing pole over the water and let the hook drop to the very bottom. Addy started to worry me by asking me “What if?” questions like "What if we catch a fish so heavy it knocks the kayak over?" That's what really spooked me. So we continued to sit there and wait, and then I heard Max yell, "I got one!" then I knew we were going to lose. It only was about two minutes in and he already caught one. Now it was Addy’s turn to hold the pole when all of a sudden the kayak started to rock a little.
"I think we got one." She said proudly. She started to reel up the line when we started to see the fish. We were just excited that we caught a fish. So I grabbed the net, unattached him from the hook and dropped the rockfish back in the ocean accidently. I could tell Addy was mad at me but I decided to ignore that because we were only supposed to catch one fish and see whose fish was the "coolest."
We continued to fish for a few more minutes when another fish bit. I reeled up the fish as quick as I could. It was such a heavy fish though, it took me forever. Once the fish got to the top of the water we noticed this was not a normal fish, it was a mini shark. It had sharp white looking teeth, which scared the heck out of me. I screamed then dropped the fishing pole into the ocean… Addy and I panicked for a while then decided it was no use. The fishing pole was way too deep to grab so we paddled back to the lodge slowly trying to decide what to say to our mothers. We knew if we paddled straight back we'd run into the others and they’d laugh at us because we had "Given Up." We obviously lost the challenge; we no longer had a pole to fish with… So we pulled into the dock and hopped out. We both grabbed a side of the kayak and took it out of the water. I rushed up the path to look for our moms.
Then the dads came back once again. It was time to go... So we all jumped into the boat, and tried to make sure we didn't forget anything. Then my dad said "Melissa we’re missing a fishing pole." My heart stopped I froze and then said, "Long story."
Elias Bolshakoff
The best fishing trip I ever had was last year when I went out fishing with my brother Mikail, and cousin Gregory
"Hurry up Elias!" called Mikail as we piled out of the house and bunched up in Mikail's truck. We then drove to South Tongass and grabbed Cheetos, donuts, and Mountain Dew. We filled up the boat tank and headed for the boat launch.
As we launched the boat each of us said that we would catch the biggest fish. When we got to our fishing spot we all cast out our lines. In under five minutes Mikail caught one. It was a medium sized salmon. Then it got away.
We kept fishing. An hour later Mikail got a big king salmon on his line. He fought with it for ten minutes. The salmon flashed out of the water about twenty times, almost ten feet in the air. It was jumping out of the water once again when the biggest sea lion launched out of the water at the salmon and the fight was on. It got the salmon and it started swimming toward our boat. Mikail still had the fish on the line and was fighting back.
When it reached our boat, the sea lion slapped the side of our boat. Our faces were almost touching the water because it nearly flipped the boat over. It didn't, but after that we were all in shock. Wide eyed we drove back to the dock and went to my house. When we got there we all sat on our couch and told our family the story, but of course we exaggerated.
Michael Dalton - Jensen
The year I fished in the Ketchikan King Salmon Derby I caught two king salmon that weighed 30lb and 20lb. I got fourth place that year and I was only eight years old. My grandpa caught two also but they were only 15lb and 10lb. My grandma got a 12lb and an 18lb she got 6th place.
The fifth place winner got a 19lb fish but I did not know the guy, but he told me I got two mighty fine fish. I told him thank you and said good luck and be careful. The next year I didn’t have any luck but my uncle Kyle did he also got 4th place.
This is my fantastic fishing story.
It all started when we got up at seven o clock to go get the boat ready. We went to McDonalds and I got two breakfast burritos and a large coke. We had a lot of candy bars and lots of sandwiches the sandwiches were peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese sandwiches.
When we lost some of our lead on a reef we had to go to tongass and buy new ones. And then we got doughnuts from Safeway and then we went out fishing again. By then it was starting to sprinkle but then it stopped when we got to our final destination for the day we started fishing that's when I caught my 30lb king salmon. I needed help reeling it in of course because then I was only 8 years old. Now I can real in a 30 and 20lb king really easy but I am a lot stronger now. One other time I went fishing with my cousin Wesley and he caught a 15lb or a 20lb I can’t remember but that’s another story to tell another time.
On the way back from our fishing trip we saw sea lions and a whale jump out of the water about twenty yards from our boat. Later we saw a pod of whales. Later I got the call the fishermen and their families from the King Salmon Derby, we all got to go out to dinner. Then the Salmon Derby was all over.
I encourage kids to get out of the house. Stop playing video games and sitting on the couch and go catch a fish!
Taylor Sullivan
I went on a fishing charter at the beginning of school, we had to get up early and pack snacks, raingear and all sorts of things you need to fish in Alaska!
I remember it was a sunny morning but cold and chilly. My family had been planning to go on this halibut charter for a very long time. We got on the boat that had a nice Keurig coffee maker and cookies, just what I needed to start the morning off.
We went down the channel and sat and waited, which seemed like forever but was really an hour. Me and my brother were getting bored and we knew it was going to be a long wait until we got to the halibut hot spot. Somebody saw a whale and then we were interested. I never knew there could be so many whales out in open sea. My mom took out her camera and started taking many pictures of the whales, which were closer, then I had seen before.
We were having fun, but out of all of us, my brother got really sea sick and the waves started getting really, really rocky! My brother wasn’t holding on to the seat tight enough and then there he went flying up in the air for a split second, then BAM! He hit the floor with a loud thud. After that he didn’t want to fish anymore.
Finally, finally we reached our destination! I was as sick as a dog, so I went out to get some fresh air. The captain set me up a hook and I was off! I kept reeling up halibut. Then my mom kept getting bites as well as my dad! We were piling up the fish 1,2,3,4,5.
We started getting bites that were taking the fishing line because they really didn’t want to be dinner. After we got to about 10 halibut. My mom and me were the last two standing. We waited and waited. She got a big yank on her thick pole and the fight was on, and straight after that I got a yank on my pole! I reeled up about three inches then It took some line and the process repeated reel, reel, reel, pull, pull, pull! And then finally I saw the white of the belly and I told my self I could reel this big fish in. I gave my last bit of strength to pull the big fish up and the next thing I knew the fat big halibut was on the boat flopping in the boat with its massive tail BOOM! Silence. BOOM! Silence. On and on until the big fish realized that the end was near for his life.
Everybody wanted pictures of me with the halibut. Then later on my mom finally reeled in her beast of a fish, which was big compared to my fish but my halibut was around 100 pounds. Then I realized we, in all, had caught 12 halibut. I was over joyed! We took a long miserable ride back to the dock and watched all the halibut get loaded up into a wagon to get weighed. I got the second biggest fish in my family. Then all of the fish were filleted and cleaned up in no time and all the meat was given to us. We still have halibut from when we went fishing on that charter!
That is my most memorable fishing trip I had! And remember fish don’t have to be big to have fun!
Riley Castle
I enjoy fishing quite a bit, every type of fishing and even better when you get to go on a lovey sunny weekend. This is a simple story of a fishing trip I embarked on.
We started by going to get the boat we rented which I really liked. We set off to do some trolling and then maybe try for cod. Once we found a good spot we put our lines in and started off slow. It was also some amazing sightseeing we saw whales and seals I got to drive the boat as well. Fishing requires patience and, to be honest, back then that was one thing I didn’t have. And I wanted to catch a fish instantly. We were really only going for one thing. Kings. Chinook. Whatever you call them. And right out of the blue both our fishing poles where ripping out line.
We ran to both the poles and they where yanking and twisting this way and that. By the looks of the struggle they where putting up, they where king salmon. It doesn’t just end in a few seconds. Sometimes it goes on for hours and hours on end. The first line had finally had enough and broke under the strain. It actually was a good thing. It got rid of some of the chaos on our little boat. Then we focused full time on the other, trying not to make the same mistake.
The fish had slowed down and then burst out of the water, the sun gleamed on its silver scales. By then you would have had better luck tying a line to a bull, but they don’t stay energized for long and after that he lazily fought to the surface, out of energy. He wasn’t too hard to catch in the net after he was that tired. It was a beautiful king about 23 pounds and 1 and half feet long. And his final destination was the cooler.
We tracked on and on, but I think everyone was already pleased with our catch of the day. We stopped and set anchor by a reef then threw the lines in. We were to attend to these lines and try for some cod. Several times we got something only to be met by a ratfish or rockfish on the surface. They didn’t put up much of a fight and they where the one thing you didn’t want. Finally someone felt a big yank on the pole and this was too big to be a ratfish. Since in was so shallow I could see the fish down there and it was a cod. It wiggled its way up and was quite impressive the size of it. This was king gear on our poles, there was no way it was going to break the line. Finally it came up a permanent resident of the cooler and soon to be the grill. I was very impressed at the end of the day. And that was my best fishing story out of many.
Carter Effenberger
Hi my name is Carter. One Sunday morning I went fishing. First we went North. We went on my grandpa's raft. We started driving out in the sea. We set up our fishing rods and in about a second there was something biting my bait. My rod was shaking. I was really fighting with my pole and the fish was so strong!
I started reeling up my pole with all my strength and I caught a big halibut. It was amazing. My grandpa had tried catching one. He started getting a fish on his fishing pole. He kept pulling but it let go. He was really fighting it.
Me, my Mom, my grandma and grandpa took a break. We still had our fishing rods in the ocean. My rod started shaking again! I started reeling up and we were both fighting. It took less than a minute and I caught another halibut! My grandpa was shocked. He couldn’t believe it.
We started eating lunch. And it happened again. I caught ANOTHER halibut! It was funny. Everybody was laughing. My grandpa didn’t even catch ONE yet.
We were driving around looking for a new spot to fish. When we found one, we started eating a snack and I caught another halibut! It was my last one. We all laughed and laughed. I caught four of them.
My grandpa started getting a pull. He was pulling. It was a surprise. He finally caught a fish. He caught a rockfish.
Next we found a bunch of sea lions on a rock. They were huge. They were great. It was really cool. My grandpa got another pole shake so he started reeling. He was fighting for it. This time he caught a halibut.
We started for a new destination and my mom started catching a fish. This time it was a sand shark. We started going down rocky beaches to hang out and celebrate. I was really happy.
And that is my best fishing story ever.
Avery Thomas
Once upon a salmon I woke up to chattering in the hallway. I got up and dressed and dragged myself out of my room to get breakfast. Today we were going fishing, yay! My cousins Bailee, Paige and Cade were bouncing off the walls, because it was their first time coming to Ketchikan and fishing in salt water. My mom and dad were getting the gear ready with the help of my aunt Angie and uncle Jared.
As soon as everything was stuffed into the suburban (including us kids) we were on our way to Clover Pass Resort where my awesome uncle Jeremy Merrill was going to take us fishing on the legendary boat The Follow Me. The drive was surprisingly pleasant because Paige didn’t throw up on the way there.
When we arrived we got all of our stuff out of the car and headed to the boat. My uncle Jeremy got a chance to introduce himself to the Hanson’s (Bailee, Paige, Cade, Angie and Jared). While he was doing that us kids went to look at the boat and the Dock Perch.
The Follow Me was a white boat with a picture of an orca with a fin giving thumbs up with the boat name in blue letters The Follow Me on the left side toward the back of the boat. I love that boat. I have so many memories with that boat and me. Anyways, we got on the boat and left the resort to the blue waters of Alaska. At first we stopped to let down the line and started the engine back up and then we got the fish.
Some of them were rockfish but most of them were salmon. We caught a lot of silvers a few pinks but no kings. The fishing was also very long. We played Phase 10 for hours and we all loved that. I even snuck in a nap, which is hard to do with such amazing cousins that you want to hang out with them.
Before the sad part happens I want to inform you about something. My cousin Paige Nicole Hanson has motion sickness. While I was napping Paige threw up twice. My aunt and uncle said she was used to that. To get to the point, the sad part. When I woke up, which now I think is the worst spot and time to wake up, the boat made a turn and off the seat I went. Apparently before I fell asleep some hooks from my moms tackle box slipped out onto the floor, when the boat turned I landed on them. Luckily they didn’t hurt me.
Following that scene, about an hour later, we saw a humpback whale. We named him Murray. I guess he liked us because after he breached once, he came over near our boat and almost breached on top of us. We had to get out of there. We got out quick and said goodbye to Murray.
About an hour after seeing Murray we had to go back to Clover Pass Resort. We all had a lot of fun though and I sure hope we could do that again.
I had a ton of fun on that trip, and when I heard about this competition I was so eager to share this
I was jumping with joy.
The end
Cashlie Guthrie
I enjoy fishing in Ketchikan because of how beautiful it is here. I lived with my grandparents then and they were all about fishing. During the summer we either went on our boat or our canoe. I can still remember the memory of the smell of seawater and the cold breeze going in and out of my lungs. I loved how gorgeous the water was; blue and green, and that you can see lots of fish and other sea life.
My grandfather and I went fishing out North when I was about ten years old. We were out there for hours and didn't see a thing, but then we saw a little tan thing in the water. We didn’t know what it was so we decided to go straight to it. It was a baby deer!! We saw the deer putting its mouth in and out of the water and we were wondering what it was doing. I thought it was trying to get something off of his legs but he wasn't. I decided to take some pictures. After I took the pictures I looked at them, the sun was bouncing all over the screen so it was kind of hard to see, but I looked by the deer’s feet and there were fish. I told my grandpa but he was too busy fixing something on our steering wheel.
I thought I could try and catch the fish myself but it was no use, I just dropped the pole into the water while I was trying to reel it in. I tried to grab it but my grip loosened and I fell off the boat into the water! I was so scared that I didn’t know what to do. My grandpa heard a splash and ran to the side of the boat. I tried to grab his arm but I was too small. He had to lean over the boat and pull me back in. I started to cry because I was so cold! My grandpa said, "At least its warm outside. I'm gonna go get you a towel I'll be right back. Don’t fall in now."
I sat on the floor soaking wet waiting for my grandpa to find a towel. I started getting up when the boat started shaking. That scared the heck out of my grandpa and me. My grandpa gave me my towel and went over to the side of the boat and I followed. When I got there we stood in silence for about a minute, then there was another bump. We didn’t know what it was, but we knew it was an animal. My grandpa didn't want to start the engine because he didn’t want to scare it off. Then he saw a big black tail, he knew exactly what it was. It was a Killer Whale! I didn’t know why the whale was doing that. I soon realized what it was doing. It was trying to get a fish. I felt so lucky to get out of the water before the whale came.
I was really scared and didn’t know what to do, so I ran to our bunks under our boat and cried some more. My grandpa came to comfort me but I wouldn't let him. So I guess he had an idea because he quickly ran off. He went and started the engine of our boat and then I felt the boat move so I went to the deck. We were moving to a different spot. I always loved how my grandpa thought of others, so I gave him a big hug, he asked me what that was for I told him it was because I loved him. Then we zoomed off for our new spot.
It only took us about five minutes to get to our new spot. When we got there fish were everywhere!! Grandpa and I grabbed our poles and started fishing. It took a while before either one of us caught a fish. The first fish caught was by my grandpa. He got a big king salmon. It took him about ten minutes to get it on the boat. The salmon would fight so hard but he just couldn’t take it. My grandpa was just about to give up when the fish gave up. The fish felt so heavy that I could barley hold it! Then I caught a fish, but my grandpa did most of the work. By the time we decided our fishing trip over, it was dark. It was about eight o’clock at night and I was pretty tired.
So my grandpa agreed to go back to the boat launch. While he was driving the boat I went down to our bunks. I must have fell asleep because when I woke up the fish was fileted, the boat was all tied up and it was pitch black out. My grandpa had already carried all of the stuff back to our little truck. He told me to go with him to the truck so he could pull the boat out of the water. He backed up to our boat and got out to hook it up. Before he came back to the truck I had jumped in to the back. I counted about fifty fish!! But my grandpa caught me, so I had to go back to the cab of the truck and wait.
That was the best memory I have of going fishing, I’ve gone fishing more than once but this is my favorite and best story of all.
Gabby Mas
Emma Bowers
I enjoy fishing in Ketchikan because there is always a different experience for me to discover. I like to go fishing for fun because I fancy the suspense of getting up early in the morning and reeling in a fish.
One day in the summer the day was perfect for fishing. The blinding sun shone rays through the trees, the windows; it shone through anything and everything possible. I was with family. Ashley and I were playing by the side of our boat going swifter than most other boats on the water as we were leaving Clover Pass. We were blowing bubbles as our boat flew past islands and neighborly boats when we slowed to a stop after about five minutes of relaying across the ocean.
We were chilling in the calm waters waiting for a fish when we heard a loud sound from the line. My dad and grandpa shot up out of their seat while rushing to the line to get to the fish. When I go fishing there is always tense feeling in the air because we don’t know how hard it will be to battle the fish. My favorite part of fishing is to catch the fish in the huge green net. Then to see the fish coming out of the water is a sight to see. Water flying everywhere around and once the fish hits the boat floor the battle begins. This was our first catch of the day and what we thought was a fish was really an octopus! Ashley and I were pleased to see this creature and sad that we had to return into the deep ocean. The octopus was small but remarkable because this was only about the second octopus we've ever seen. It was a mix between a dark and a light orange color and it looked slimy. I can’t remember much but I’m pretty sure my grandpa accidentally ripped off a tentacle but they grow back so it was ok.
Another funny story about a time I went fishing was when my dad played a prank on my cousin. I was with everyone I usually go with except my older cousin Patrick came with us this time because he happened to be in town. Patrick was my favorite cousin at the time because I was so little and didn’t know how to tie my own shoes so he was the one who taught me how to tie my shoes and I will never forget that. We were out on the water calmly and my cousin Patrick decided to take a nap on one of the long leathery benches that we had. Then everyone but Patrick saw some big blue humpback whales dancing along in the water. They dove underneath our yellow boat creating waves that shook the boat and my dad decided to do a little prank on Patrick so he got a good amount of water splashed it on him and yelled "Patrick hurry the boat is sinking hurry wake up!" and it scared him half to death so everyone was laughing their heads off except Patrick. After that we got some milkshakes because we were in the perfect mood it also made Patrick feel better.
A similar fishing story was about my dad and sister making a bet. One day I was out fishing with dad and Ashley. We were going out to fish when my sister predicted that we weren’t going to have any luck getting fish today because it was too damp and gloomy so my dad placed a bet where she had one rod and he had the other and who ever had the rod that caught the fish first had to kiss the fish they caught. After a while on the water we were waiting patiently when Ashley’s rod went crazy. Ashley ended up having to kiss the fish and I thought it was disgusting because the fish was dead, slimy, and you could see its teeth I was grossed out but not that grossed out because I could still eat.
The last story I have to tell is my favorite fishing story by far. On this trip I was out with my dad, my uncle Steve Bowers, my little brother- Seth Bowers, and finally I got to go with my mom- Mandi Bowers. We got our boat out at Knudsen Cove out north and relayed all the way to herring cove out south because that was where all the fish was. From a faraway distance we saw a pod of killer whales heading towards us and they were so remarkable. The pods were everywhere left, right, forward, backwards, and everywhere! It was the biggest pod I’ve seen in my entire life and I was so very lucky to see them. I was talking to my uncle about how cool it would be if a Whale were to come up right next to our boat then two whales came right beside our boat it was magnificent. I almost got the full footage of the whale but I didn't and I am also luck that my mom got everything on tape.
Fishing is a great sport so if you haven't tried it then you've never lived yet. If you haven't tasted fresh seafood yet then you haven't ever tasted the best food in the world. And if you've ever gotten the full experience of fishing in Alaska, eating in an Alaskan restaurant, hunting in Alaska then you are by far one of the luckiest people on planet Earth.
Brooke Hunt's 4th grade fishing stories
Lily Gosnell
A few summers ago in 2007 my friend Stevie and I caught a halibut, but not just any halibut. My first fishing memory began a few summers ago when I was in Ketchikan with Stevie fishing. Before we left to the dock we packed things like clothes, food, and some other stuff like that. Then we hopped on our bikes and rode to the dock.
When we got to the dock we parked our bikes and walked down to our boat. Once we were in the boat we rode off into the water until we were pretty far out. Finally we were far enough out so I set up the poles and Stevie turned on some music. I don’t know about you but I know that when I fish I like some to listen to some music.
Once we set up the poles all the way, we just started to wait. And it wasn’t very much fun to wait so we decided to take a nap for about 1 hour or so. But about 30 minutes later we got a bite. Of course we were still sleeping so we didn’t know, but it held on tight, so tight that it woke us up. So when we were awake we ran to the pole and reeled it in. After we got in the boat we cleaned it and while we were cleaning it we realized that it could talk cause it wouldn’t stop blabbing and it was pretty freaky, so we tossed it back in the water started the boat back up rode home and never went halibut fishing again.
Myrna Chaney
This is about someone fishing and sher name is Eliza. Her mom asked her if she would like to fish. She said yes so she is fishing. So Eliza has to make sure she has everything she needs. First she checks on her fishing rod and her family’s fishing rod. Now the she checks on the fishing net.
“Yep” said Eliza.
Eliza now finally checked the boat. Now we have to put the stuff on the boat and get ready. Their family is ready for fishing. All they need to do is go to the beach. As they went to the beach they put their boat into the water.
Now it’s time to find a good place to fish, a place to their fishing rods down. Their place to fish so they put their fishing rods down so they can fish.
Then Eliza said “Wow!” that’s a lot of fish they have in the ocean. There were small fishes, big fishes, colorful fishes, dull fishes, spiky, fishes lots of different fishes.
Dad said “It is time to fish now”.
“Hey something is pulling and it feels like it is a big fish “ said Eliza.
“Maybe it’s a big fish” said mom. So mom and dad helped her catch fish.
“It’s the biggest fish I have ever caught,” said Eliza. “I had a lot of fun,”
“Me too,” said mom.
“Can I fish again someday?” said Eliza.
Mom said “yes,” After they got home they cooked it and then ate it.
Eliza had so much fun fishing they fished every Monday all summer.
Helena Isaacs-Natkong
This is a story when my dad was steal alive and whenever I talk about it, it makes me think about him. I love to fish because my friend Vivian and I went fishing in Ketchikan. Early in the morning we got on the boat. First we put our lifejackets on first. Then we got in the boat to put our fishing pulls the bedroom on the boat. Then we where getting ready to start the boat. Ketchikan is a great place to fish.
Ketchikan is a great place to fish. Me and my friend Vivian where only 2,3 Vivian was 3 I was 2.the fish we where fishing for halibut, salmon. The place we went was past Knutson cove and I caught a halibut but I had to have my uncle help me reel it in it was a big one. When Vivian caught a fish it was a big king salmon she had to have my auntie help her reel it in.
Then when my auntie caught a fish she thought she was reeling in the biggest fish in her life!!! Then my uncle was starting the boat to start heading back to the dock but then we stopped to fish again then I caught a mystery fish we did not no the name of it. Then we started to go to the dock because it was late out then me and Vivian jump off the boat when we got on the dock we ran into a bear. This is why I love to fish.
David Williams Jr.
My family loves to go fishing. First we need to get ready. I need to pack lifejackets to help us. To go on a fishing trip you will need these, food, hooks, and fishing poles. Our family fishing trips take a long time.
We enjoy the trip out to our fishing spot. We eat when our family is going to our fishing spot. We also chill, tell jokes, and sometimes we take a nap.
When we get there we bait the hook then we drop down, then we wait and wait. Then we jig. I told my mom I got a halibut! It fought and swung the fishing pole. She grabbed me because I was going overboard! Then my mom’s friend shot the halibut twice with a .22 handgun! We got it onboard. My mom weighed the fish at the dock and it was 70 pounds. s My fishing trips take a while but we catch big fish!
Connor A. Summers
Every time I go fishing I think about that day I had the most fun fishing trip ever. I was with my dad Brett Summers and Finn Summers and Brian I was about 6 or 7 years old and I caught the biggest fish I’ve ever seen. It started September 15 6:00 am. My dad woke me up, and I woke my little brother Finn Summers up. We got ready and brought the ds. We got to Knudson Cove and met my dad Brett’s friend Brian.
We got to the boat and Finn asked ‘Are there going to be any sharks trying to eat u’s? I answered ‘no’ doubtfully. And then he sighed in relief. Next we started driving (you do know that it can take hours just to catch the perfect fish like getting ready, driving, setting up the poles, rebaiting, choosing a different spot, etc.)
We kept stopping to try different spots to try to catch fish, we never did. Finally we got to Helm Bay. Brian was in the bathroom, dad and Finn were playing cards, but I was on the deck. Suddenly Brian’s pole started bouncing I yelled his name and he came bursting out. From then on every body caught a fish but me. Then my pole started rapidly bouncing, I grabbed the pole just setting the hook was a pain. My arms where tired, and my back was aching. I knew this thing was HUGE! Finally I got it up and it was a rockfish. Who would expect to catch a 130-pound rockfish halibut fishing?! So we shot it, brought it to the dock, and weighed it and it actually was 130 pounds! That is the story of the most fun fishing trip ever.
Ben Phillips
Once upon sea lion we were getting ready for fishing. We loaded the stuff on the boat. We started the motor.
We were looking for the best spot. It took 30 minutes. It was at Settler’s Cove by an island. the boat was 14 feet long. We launched our boat at Bar Harbor. We ended up at Settler’s Cove. We boated in a 14-foot skiff.
My dad jumped in the water, he swam back to the boat and a sea lion came. My dad was kicking at the sea lion, we backed up to get him. My dad got on the boat, We drove away and my dad put his clothes on. It was in summer. He was freezing. He got something to eat. We started fishing. A couple minutes later my Dad caught a 25-pound bottom fish. I will never forget that day.
Shay LeBeau 4th grade fishing stories
Declan Thomas
I’m really unlucky today, even though it’s my birthday. I’m unlucky because... and I know, I know I sound like one of those “story starters” but this is really true. Ok, let’s get started first, I thought I had caught Moby Dick. Ok, let me explain, I recently watched the movie “In the Heart of the Sea” which is why I got all psyched about this fishing trip. So anyway, the movie has a big white whale (but in the movie it looked kind of gray) and when I say big I mean HUGE. Turns out I caught a rock. Second, I thought a megaladon bumped our boat. Let me explain (again). Yesterday I watched a National Geographic about prehistoric sharks. At the top of the list of Biggest Fish EVER , the megalodon. Turns out Mom hit the boat with a gaff by accident. “Whoops!” No megalodon, no Moby Dick. At least we get cake.”Wait no, stop it doggy!” See I am UNLUCKY!
Amber Merfeld
Once upon a time....long long ago in a far away town on an island called TRINKOLAPA there was a girl and her dad. They were in a skiff in TRINKOLAPA fishing for halibut.
They caught a rock fish right away but it was too small to eat so instead they put it back in the ocea. Then they caught another fish but it was way too big! The boat tipped over with the large catch but the two quickly got the boat back over.
So they kept on fishing and the little girl caught something so she tried to reel it up...and tried harder to reel it up by herself...and again with all her might to reel it in. Finally her dad took over the job and began reeling in the catch but right when he got it out of the water it....JUMPED OUT OF HIS HANDS AND JUMPED INTO THE WATER!!! But right then and there he and his daughter saw the shining gold of his scales and they named him (Guess what they named him on the line_________________)
They named him THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY!
Jacque Guthrie
One fine day on the weekend there were four people going on the boat known as a skiff. They all cruised all around by Metlakatla and Dull Head Island they found a place to make there halibut hooks down the deep water on the ocean floor. There names are Jacque, Kyle, Ryleigh, Marvin Jr. And Ryleighs grandpa. Then they stopped for a snack. Then they went off to put the crab pots in the water somewhere. They stopped at a good place to put the crab pots on the ocean floor, which was hard to find when they left the two deal pots they found a tiny little island to stop at for lunch. They went on the islands and we all took off our life jackets. Then they went on the boat to the back to check on the halibut hooks there was no halibut on the hooks. But they went to check on the crab pots and there 12 crabs in the deal pots. Then we went home and had some crab for dinner.
Beth Brandt-Erichsen's 6th grade fishing stories
Chloe Gosnell
About two years ago my family went on the most memorable fishing/camping trip. It was a very hot summer day in Ketchikan, Alaska. My family had made plans with a few other families to all go hang out at Mink Bay Lodge. We had gotten a cabin reserved with my all time favorite rope swing. We all got in our boats and headed to the cabin. The kids and moms were in one boat and the dads were in the other. The other boat was supposed to go fishing while we went to a lodge to explore. So we all left in different directions. I was really disappointed because I LOVE fishing with my dad. But I let it go because I knew I'd probably have more fun going with my friends to the lodge.
We finally arrived and got out of the boat. A very nice family came out and welcomed us to their lodge. They offered to give us a tour, the adults all took the tour of the inside building while my friends and I explored outside. The outside of the building looked like it was about 200 years old. You could see through the huge glass windows. There was native art and totem poles all over the place. All the kids played hide and seek hose edition. We hid behind a big red shed. We couldn’t help it so we started laughing which lead to us being found and then sprayed.
All of a sudden the door to the shed opened and it was FULL of kayaks. So of course we all grabbed kayaks and put them in the water. The water was such a pretty shade of blue! It was almost clear with hints of blue in it. Addy and I chose the blue two-person kayak. We hopped in it then grabbed a fishing pole. "Lets have a competition to see who can catch the most fish!" I yelled thinking I was going to win. There were 4 teams. I was so sure Addy and I were going to win. So we set off and paddled all fast and far away as we could. I got the pole ready and put the bait on the hook. We managed to paddle so far away we couldn’t see the lodge anymore. We could only see our boat we had come in. I stuck the fishing pole over the water and let the hook drop to the very bottom. Addy started to worry me by asking me “What if?” questions like "What if we catch a fish so heavy it knocks the kayak over?" That's what really spooked me. So we continued to sit there and wait, and then I heard Max yell, "I got one!" then I knew we were going to lose. It only was about two minutes in and he already caught one. Now it was Addy’s turn to hold the pole when all of a sudden the kayak started to rock a little.
"I think we got one." She said proudly. She started to reel up the line when we started to see the fish. We were just excited that we caught a fish. So I grabbed the net, unattached him from the hook and dropped the rockfish back in the ocean accidently. I could tell Addy was mad at me but I decided to ignore that because we were only supposed to catch one fish and see whose fish was the "coolest."
We continued to fish for a few more minutes when another fish bit. I reeled up the fish as quick as I could. It was such a heavy fish though, it took me forever. Once the fish got to the top of the water we noticed this was not a normal fish, it was a mini shark. It had sharp white looking teeth, which scared the heck out of me. I screamed then dropped the fishing pole into the ocean… Addy and I panicked for a while then decided it was no use. The fishing pole was way too deep to grab so we paddled back to the lodge slowly trying to decide what to say to our mothers. We knew if we paddled straight back we'd run into the others and they’d laugh at us because we had "Given Up." We obviously lost the challenge; we no longer had a pole to fish with… So we pulled into the dock and hopped out. We both grabbed a side of the kayak and took it out of the water. I rushed up the path to look for our moms.
Then the dads came back once again. It was time to go... So we all jumped into the boat, and tried to make sure we didn't forget anything. Then my dad said "Melissa we’re missing a fishing pole." My heart stopped I froze and then said, "Long story."
Elias Bolshakoff
The best fishing trip I ever had was last year when I went out fishing with my brother Mikail, and cousin Gregory
"Hurry up Elias!" called Mikail as we piled out of the house and bunched up in Mikail's truck. We then drove to South Tongass and grabbed Cheetos, donuts, and Mountain Dew. We filled up the boat tank and headed for the boat launch.
As we launched the boat each of us said that we would catch the biggest fish. When we got to our fishing spot we all cast out our lines. In under five minutes Mikail caught one. It was a medium sized salmon. Then it got away.
We kept fishing. An hour later Mikail got a big king salmon on his line. He fought with it for ten minutes. The salmon flashed out of the water about twenty times, almost ten feet in the air. It was jumping out of the water once again when the biggest sea lion launched out of the water at the salmon and the fight was on. It got the salmon and it started swimming toward our boat. Mikail still had the fish on the line and was fighting back.
When it reached our boat, the sea lion slapped the side of our boat. Our faces were almost touching the water because it nearly flipped the boat over. It didn't, but after that we were all in shock. Wide eyed we drove back to the dock and went to my house. When we got there we all sat on our couch and told our family the story, but of course we exaggerated.
Michael Dalton - Jensen
The year I fished in the Ketchikan King Salmon Derby I caught two king salmon that weighed 30lb and 20lb. I got fourth place that year and I was only eight years old. My grandpa caught two also but they were only 15lb and 10lb. My grandma got a 12lb and an 18lb she got 6th place.
The fifth place winner got a 19lb fish but I did not know the guy, but he told me I got two mighty fine fish. I told him thank you and said good luck and be careful. The next year I didn’t have any luck but my uncle Kyle did he also got 4th place.
This is my fantastic fishing story.
It all started when we got up at seven o clock to go get the boat ready. We went to McDonalds and I got two breakfast burritos and a large coke. We had a lot of candy bars and lots of sandwiches the sandwiches were peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese sandwiches.
When we lost some of our lead on a reef we had to go to tongass and buy new ones. And then we got doughnuts from Safeway and then we went out fishing again. By then it was starting to sprinkle but then it stopped when we got to our final destination for the day we started fishing that's when I caught my 30lb king salmon. I needed help reeling it in of course because then I was only 8 years old. Now I can real in a 30 and 20lb king really easy but I am a lot stronger now. One other time I went fishing with my cousin Wesley and he caught a 15lb or a 20lb I can’t remember but that’s another story to tell another time.
On the way back from our fishing trip we saw sea lions and a whale jump out of the water about twenty yards from our boat. Later we saw a pod of whales. Later I got the call the fishermen and their families from the King Salmon Derby, we all got to go out to dinner. Then the Salmon Derby was all over.
I encourage kids to get out of the house. Stop playing video games and sitting on the couch and go catch a fish!
Taylor Sullivan
I went on a fishing charter at the beginning of school, we had to get up early and pack snacks, raingear and all sorts of things you need to fish in Alaska!
I remember it was a sunny morning but cold and chilly. My family had been planning to go on this halibut charter for a very long time. We got on the boat that had a nice Keurig coffee maker and cookies, just what I needed to start the morning off.
We went down the channel and sat and waited, which seemed like forever but was really an hour. Me and my brother were getting bored and we knew it was going to be a long wait until we got to the halibut hot spot. Somebody saw a whale and then we were interested. I never knew there could be so many whales out in open sea. My mom took out her camera and started taking many pictures of the whales, which were closer, then I had seen before.
We were having fun, but out of all of us, my brother got really sea sick and the waves started getting really, really rocky! My brother wasn’t holding on to the seat tight enough and then there he went flying up in the air for a split second, then BAM! He hit the floor with a loud thud. After that he didn’t want to fish anymore.
Finally, finally we reached our destination! I was as sick as a dog, so I went out to get some fresh air. The captain set me up a hook and I was off! I kept reeling up halibut. Then my mom kept getting bites as well as my dad! We were piling up the fish 1,2,3,4,5.
We started getting bites that were taking the fishing line because they really didn’t want to be dinner. After we got to about 10 halibut. My mom and me were the last two standing. We waited and waited. She got a big yank on her thick pole and the fight was on, and straight after that I got a yank on my pole! I reeled up about three inches then It took some line and the process repeated reel, reel, reel, pull, pull, pull! And then finally I saw the white of the belly and I told my self I could reel this big fish in. I gave my last bit of strength to pull the big fish up and the next thing I knew the fat big halibut was on the boat flopping in the boat with its massive tail BOOM! Silence. BOOM! Silence. On and on until the big fish realized that the end was near for his life.
Everybody wanted pictures of me with the halibut. Then later on my mom finally reeled in her beast of a fish, which was big compared to my fish but my halibut was around 100 pounds. Then I realized we, in all, had caught 12 halibut. I was over joyed! We took a long miserable ride back to the dock and watched all the halibut get loaded up into a wagon to get weighed. I got the second biggest fish in my family. Then all of the fish were filleted and cleaned up in no time and all the meat was given to us. We still have halibut from when we went fishing on that charter!
That is my most memorable fishing trip I had! And remember fish don’t have to be big to have fun!
Riley Castle
I enjoy fishing quite a bit, every type of fishing and even better when you get to go on a lovey sunny weekend. This is a simple story of a fishing trip I embarked on.
We started by going to get the boat we rented which I really liked. We set off to do some trolling and then maybe try for cod. Once we found a good spot we put our lines in and started off slow. It was also some amazing sightseeing we saw whales and seals I got to drive the boat as well. Fishing requires patience and, to be honest, back then that was one thing I didn’t have. And I wanted to catch a fish instantly. We were really only going for one thing. Kings. Chinook. Whatever you call them. And right out of the blue both our fishing poles where ripping out line.
We ran to both the poles and they where yanking and twisting this way and that. By the looks of the struggle they where putting up, they where king salmon. It doesn’t just end in a few seconds. Sometimes it goes on for hours and hours on end. The first line had finally had enough and broke under the strain. It actually was a good thing. It got rid of some of the chaos on our little boat. Then we focused full time on the other, trying not to make the same mistake.
The fish had slowed down and then burst out of the water, the sun gleamed on its silver scales. By then you would have had better luck tying a line to a bull, but they don’t stay energized for long and after that he lazily fought to the surface, out of energy. He wasn’t too hard to catch in the net after he was that tired. It was a beautiful king about 23 pounds and 1 and half feet long. And his final destination was the cooler.
We tracked on and on, but I think everyone was already pleased with our catch of the day. We stopped and set anchor by a reef then threw the lines in. We were to attend to these lines and try for some cod. Several times we got something only to be met by a ratfish or rockfish on the surface. They didn’t put up much of a fight and they where the one thing you didn’t want. Finally someone felt a big yank on the pole and this was too big to be a ratfish. Since in was so shallow I could see the fish down there and it was a cod. It wiggled its way up and was quite impressive the size of it. This was king gear on our poles, there was no way it was going to break the line. Finally it came up a permanent resident of the cooler and soon to be the grill. I was very impressed at the end of the day. And that was my best fishing story out of many.
Carter Effenberger
Hi my name is Carter. One Sunday morning I went fishing. First we went North. We went on my grandpa's raft. We started driving out in the sea. We set up our fishing rods and in about a second there was something biting my bait. My rod was shaking. I was really fighting with my pole and the fish was so strong!
I started reeling up my pole with all my strength and I caught a big halibut. It was amazing. My grandpa had tried catching one. He started getting a fish on his fishing pole. He kept pulling but it let go. He was really fighting it.
Me, my Mom, my grandma and grandpa took a break. We still had our fishing rods in the ocean. My rod started shaking again! I started reeling up and we were both fighting. It took less than a minute and I caught another halibut! My grandpa was shocked. He couldn’t believe it.
We started eating lunch. And it happened again. I caught ANOTHER halibut! It was funny. Everybody was laughing. My grandpa didn’t even catch ONE yet.
We were driving around looking for a new spot to fish. When we found one, we started eating a snack and I caught another halibut! It was my last one. We all laughed and laughed. I caught four of them.
My grandpa started getting a pull. He was pulling. It was a surprise. He finally caught a fish. He caught a rockfish.
Next we found a bunch of sea lions on a rock. They were huge. They were great. It was really cool. My grandpa got another pole shake so he started reeling. He was fighting for it. This time he caught a halibut.
We started for a new destination and my mom started catching a fish. This time it was a sand shark. We started going down rocky beaches to hang out and celebrate. I was really happy.
And that is my best fishing story ever.
Avery Thomas
Once upon a salmon I woke up to chattering in the hallway. I got up and dressed and dragged myself out of my room to get breakfast. Today we were going fishing, yay! My cousins Bailee, Paige and Cade were bouncing off the walls, because it was their first time coming to Ketchikan and fishing in salt water. My mom and dad were getting the gear ready with the help of my aunt Angie and uncle Jared.
As soon as everything was stuffed into the suburban (including us kids) we were on our way to Clover Pass Resort where my awesome uncle Jeremy Merrill was going to take us fishing on the legendary boat The Follow Me. The drive was surprisingly pleasant because Paige didn’t throw up on the way there.
When we arrived we got all of our stuff out of the car and headed to the boat. My uncle Jeremy got a chance to introduce himself to the Hanson’s (Bailee, Paige, Cade, Angie and Jared). While he was doing that us kids went to look at the boat and the Dock Perch.
The Follow Me was a white boat with a picture of an orca with a fin giving thumbs up with the boat name in blue letters The Follow Me on the left side toward the back of the boat. I love that boat. I have so many memories with that boat and me. Anyways, we got on the boat and left the resort to the blue waters of Alaska. At first we stopped to let down the line and started the engine back up and then we got the fish.
Some of them were rockfish but most of them were salmon. We caught a lot of silvers a few pinks but no kings. The fishing was also very long. We played Phase 10 for hours and we all loved that. I even snuck in a nap, which is hard to do with such amazing cousins that you want to hang out with them.
Before the sad part happens I want to inform you about something. My cousin Paige Nicole Hanson has motion sickness. While I was napping Paige threw up twice. My aunt and uncle said she was used to that. To get to the point, the sad part. When I woke up, which now I think is the worst spot and time to wake up, the boat made a turn and off the seat I went. Apparently before I fell asleep some hooks from my moms tackle box slipped out onto the floor, when the boat turned I landed on them. Luckily they didn’t hurt me.
Following that scene, about an hour later, we saw a humpback whale. We named him Murray. I guess he liked us because after he breached once, he came over near our boat and almost breached on top of us. We had to get out of there. We got out quick and said goodbye to Murray.
About an hour after seeing Murray we had to go back to Clover Pass Resort. We all had a lot of fun though and I sure hope we could do that again.
I had a ton of fun on that trip, and when I heard about this competition I was so eager to share this
I was jumping with joy.
The end
Cashlie Guthrie
I enjoy fishing in Ketchikan because of how beautiful it is here. I lived with my grandparents then and they were all about fishing. During the summer we either went on our boat or our canoe. I can still remember the memory of the smell of seawater and the cold breeze going in and out of my lungs. I loved how gorgeous the water was; blue and green, and that you can see lots of fish and other sea life.
My grandfather and I went fishing out North when I was about ten years old. We were out there for hours and didn't see a thing, but then we saw a little tan thing in the water. We didn’t know what it was so we decided to go straight to it. It was a baby deer!! We saw the deer putting its mouth in and out of the water and we were wondering what it was doing. I thought it was trying to get something off of his legs but he wasn't. I decided to take some pictures. After I took the pictures I looked at them, the sun was bouncing all over the screen so it was kind of hard to see, but I looked by the deer’s feet and there were fish. I told my grandpa but he was too busy fixing something on our steering wheel.
I thought I could try and catch the fish myself but it was no use, I just dropped the pole into the water while I was trying to reel it in. I tried to grab it but my grip loosened and I fell off the boat into the water! I was so scared that I didn’t know what to do. My grandpa heard a splash and ran to the side of the boat. I tried to grab his arm but I was too small. He had to lean over the boat and pull me back in. I started to cry because I was so cold! My grandpa said, "At least its warm outside. I'm gonna go get you a towel I'll be right back. Don’t fall in now."
I sat on the floor soaking wet waiting for my grandpa to find a towel. I started getting up when the boat started shaking. That scared the heck out of my grandpa and me. My grandpa gave me my towel and went over to the side of the boat and I followed. When I got there we stood in silence for about a minute, then there was another bump. We didn’t know what it was, but we knew it was an animal. My grandpa didn't want to start the engine because he didn’t want to scare it off. Then he saw a big black tail, he knew exactly what it was. It was a Killer Whale! I didn’t know why the whale was doing that. I soon realized what it was doing. It was trying to get a fish. I felt so lucky to get out of the water before the whale came.
I was really scared and didn’t know what to do, so I ran to our bunks under our boat and cried some more. My grandpa came to comfort me but I wouldn't let him. So I guess he had an idea because he quickly ran off. He went and started the engine of our boat and then I felt the boat move so I went to the deck. We were moving to a different spot. I always loved how my grandpa thought of others, so I gave him a big hug, he asked me what that was for I told him it was because I loved him. Then we zoomed off for our new spot.
It only took us about five minutes to get to our new spot. When we got there fish were everywhere!! Grandpa and I grabbed our poles and started fishing. It took a while before either one of us caught a fish. The first fish caught was by my grandpa. He got a big king salmon. It took him about ten minutes to get it on the boat. The salmon would fight so hard but he just couldn’t take it. My grandpa was just about to give up when the fish gave up. The fish felt so heavy that I could barley hold it! Then I caught a fish, but my grandpa did most of the work. By the time we decided our fishing trip over, it was dark. It was about eight o’clock at night and I was pretty tired.
So my grandpa agreed to go back to the boat launch. While he was driving the boat I went down to our bunks. I must have fell asleep because when I woke up the fish was fileted, the boat was all tied up and it was pitch black out. My grandpa had already carried all of the stuff back to our little truck. He told me to go with him to the truck so he could pull the boat out of the water. He backed up to our boat and got out to hook it up. Before he came back to the truck I had jumped in to the back. I counted about fifty fish!! But my grandpa caught me, so I had to go back to the cab of the truck and wait.
That was the best memory I have of going fishing, I’ve gone fishing more than once but this is my favorite and best story of all.
Gabby Mas
Emma Bowers
I enjoy fishing in Ketchikan because there is always a different experience for me to discover. I like to go fishing for fun because I fancy the suspense of getting up early in the morning and reeling in a fish.
One day in the summer the day was perfect for fishing. The blinding sun shone rays through the trees, the windows; it shone through anything and everything possible. I was with family. Ashley and I were playing by the side of our boat going swifter than most other boats on the water as we were leaving Clover Pass. We were blowing bubbles as our boat flew past islands and neighborly boats when we slowed to a stop after about five minutes of relaying across the ocean.
We were chilling in the calm waters waiting for a fish when we heard a loud sound from the line. My dad and grandpa shot up out of their seat while rushing to the line to get to the fish. When I go fishing there is always tense feeling in the air because we don’t know how hard it will be to battle the fish. My favorite part of fishing is to catch the fish in the huge green net. Then to see the fish coming out of the water is a sight to see. Water flying everywhere around and once the fish hits the boat floor the battle begins. This was our first catch of the day and what we thought was a fish was really an octopus! Ashley and I were pleased to see this creature and sad that we had to return into the deep ocean. The octopus was small but remarkable because this was only about the second octopus we've ever seen. It was a mix between a dark and a light orange color and it looked slimy. I can’t remember much but I’m pretty sure my grandpa accidentally ripped off a tentacle but they grow back so it was ok.
Another funny story about a time I went fishing was when my dad played a prank on my cousin. I was with everyone I usually go with except my older cousin Patrick came with us this time because he happened to be in town. Patrick was my favorite cousin at the time because I was so little and didn’t know how to tie my own shoes so he was the one who taught me how to tie my shoes and I will never forget that. We were out on the water calmly and my cousin Patrick decided to take a nap on one of the long leathery benches that we had. Then everyone but Patrick saw some big blue humpback whales dancing along in the water. They dove underneath our yellow boat creating waves that shook the boat and my dad decided to do a little prank on Patrick so he got a good amount of water splashed it on him and yelled "Patrick hurry the boat is sinking hurry wake up!" and it scared him half to death so everyone was laughing their heads off except Patrick. After that we got some milkshakes because we were in the perfect mood it also made Patrick feel better.
A similar fishing story was about my dad and sister making a bet. One day I was out fishing with dad and Ashley. We were going out to fish when my sister predicted that we weren’t going to have any luck getting fish today because it was too damp and gloomy so my dad placed a bet where she had one rod and he had the other and who ever had the rod that caught the fish first had to kiss the fish they caught. After a while on the water we were waiting patiently when Ashley’s rod went crazy. Ashley ended up having to kiss the fish and I thought it was disgusting because the fish was dead, slimy, and you could see its teeth I was grossed out but not that grossed out because I could still eat.
The last story I have to tell is my favorite fishing story by far. On this trip I was out with my dad, my uncle Steve Bowers, my little brother- Seth Bowers, and finally I got to go with my mom- Mandi Bowers. We got our boat out at Knudsen Cove out north and relayed all the way to herring cove out south because that was where all the fish was. From a faraway distance we saw a pod of killer whales heading towards us and they were so remarkable. The pods were everywhere left, right, forward, backwards, and everywhere! It was the biggest pod I’ve seen in my entire life and I was so very lucky to see them. I was talking to my uncle about how cool it would be if a Whale were to come up right next to our boat then two whales came right beside our boat it was magnificent. I almost got the full footage of the whale but I didn't and I am also luck that my mom got everything on tape.
Fishing is a great sport so if you haven't tried it then you've never lived yet. If you haven't tasted fresh seafood yet then you haven't ever tasted the best food in the world. And if you've ever gotten the full experience of fishing in Alaska, eating in an Alaskan restaurant, hunting in Alaska then you are by far one of the luckiest people on planet Earth.
Fishing with Kids
At Baranof Excursions, We Believe That One Of The Best Markers Of A Strong Fishing Community Is Demonstrated In Observing The Youngest Generation Of Fishermen.
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