Stories of Alaska
The Southeast Expedition – Day 1
- Chris Baldwin
- 2017-07-09 04:23:45
- Private Charter
- Wrangell Narrows, Alaska
Finally got the call to leave Petersburg, and on the way out AJ, and I noticed several boats fishing right in the mouth of the harbor. As we got closer I noticed they were jigging herring! I was ecstatic, and Aj not quite understanding my enthusiasm, reluctantly motored the boat over to a skiff so I could ask to buy a sabiki rig. The skiff guys offered to give me a couple and handed them to me in their net, but I tossed a waded up $5 bill in their boat anyways. So as the yacht was pulling out of the Wrangall narrows to meet us at the mouth, AJ and I were there jigging up bait for the upcoming fishing trip. AJ said later I was giddy with excitement, and the whole time I had the feeling that he might have been in the cabin rolling his eyes at me. I was a little high maintenance as I would ask him to move if a minute or two went by without any bites. We ended up getting into em pretty good, catching two or three at a time.
Met the yacht in the mouth of the Wrangell narrows, Where the currents and 90 degree sideways wind waves made it tricky to dock on the back. As immaculate as the yacht is, I figured it was better to miss it twice than to hit it once, but the third times a charm. We headed north with passengers at 30 knots with the yacht heading the same direction at 12-14 which eliminated the need for a return run. We got to got pretty remote, and after a few spots with no success, we found a 280 foot hump where we nailed three nice and one very nice halibut in a single drift. The clients had a blast, and a couple of the halibut seemed a little extra scrappy that day Fighting harder than normal. By the time we were done fishing, the yacht passed us and was out of sight so we hightailed it north across Fredrick sound where the yacht was anchored waiting for us.
After dropping the passengers, we headed to Kake for the night, crossing back trough Fredrick sound and some unexpected 4-6 foot wind waves. This 28’ Raider handled very well in the chop, and we both appreciated the relatively comfortable ride.
We decided to anchor for the night, and couldn’t help but to drop down a couple halibut rigs. Next came the Jet boil and the freeze dried dinners, but the water wasn’t even boiling when we got the first halibut bite. I don’t giggle very often, but I was giggling as I was reeling in about a 25 lb halibut on my ultra light setup. The fish put up a good fight and made several nice runs, but eventually got him to the boat. AJ took my picture, and I released it as we had nothing to do with it. About a minute or two later AJ got to reel in a nice halibut that was lassoed with one hook in its mouth and one in its tail. It still put up a admirable struggle, and after his picture we shook this one as well. We finally got to sleep exhausted and completely satisfied after an exciting day fishing.
Corona Virus Update 2.3.2023
Even in the remote islands of Southeast Alaska, COVID-19 poses risks. The health and safety of our guests, employees, and community are our top priorities. We have put special measures in place to keep people safe on excursions:
The safety of our customers is paramount, so we’re also not going to walk away from common sense guidelines such as:
- Vaccination – We believe vaccines provide safe and effective protection against COVID-19. We strongly encourage vaccination and boosters for all employees, and the vast majority are currently vaccinated against COVID 19
- Social distance – We strive to keep groups separated as much as possible during the licensing and outfitting process, but our real strength in social distancing is based on the size of our boats. With only six passengers per vessel and one captain they spend time with, the risks of exposure are limited.
- Masking – We abide by the federal mandate for passenger vessels, masks are required for the duration of the tour while in enclosed cabins. That being said, there is quite a lot of airflow even on our hardtops which are typically open to the back deck. Masking may be required at times for vulnerable guests on a case-by-case basis.
- Stringent Cleaning – We’ve increased the frequency of disinfecting surfaces and high traffic areas such as the Alaska Fish House restaurant, bathrooms, the outfitting room, the dock, and our boats. Hand sanitizer will be available to all guests on every boat.
- Wellness Checks:
- Employees receive daily wellness checks to ensure they are healthy and symptom-free.
- Employees are empowered to call in sick if they show symptoms.
- If you or anyone in your group is experiencing symptoms, we will work directly with you to cancel or reschedule your tour free of charge.
These protocols have enabled Baranof Fishing Excursions to operate safely and successfully throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022. With your help, we intend to continue fishing safely in 2023!
