Sun Jun 19 2022
Having survived Sergious Narrows with only an increased steering workload for a couple of minutes, we actually anchored on the Northeast side of Piper Island in a well protected little lagoon. That lagoon is a subset of the larger Schultze Cove proper, but it offered both protection and reasonably shallow anchoring. We had hoped it would offer crabs as well, but our efforts at gathering those crustaceans were thwarted. It’s a bit of effort to set crab traps but when positive results are achieved crew morale is boosted exponentially. Isabel absolutely loves eating crabs. I’m happy to have them and even if I don’t share her passion for the little beasties, knowing they give her joy is enough for me.
Having gathered up our crabbing gear we proceeded on towards Sitka, taking the conventional and well marked route Southwest down the Kakui Narrows, Neva Strait then Whitestone Narrows then down Olga Strait and past Halibut Point. Sitka sports a large breakwater with a nice inner lagoon. One has options to call for a marina slip or anchor in the Northwest part of the lagoon outside the channel. There is a channel that runs from the breakwater entrance along the town to the Southeast, passing under a bridge that connects the town to Japonski Island where the airport is, along with more of the community and support services. The US Coast Guard has a base there and we noted a large buoy tender moored there as we passed through the channel on our round trip to Camp Coogan Bay.
After 4 nights in the marina we were itching to get back on the hook and away from town, but we weren’t quite ready to abandon the area. We picked a nicely sheltered anchorage to the South only 5 miles away which also gave us the chance to wander down the channel and under the bridge, seeing from the water everything we had walked past as we wandered around the town. The bridge offers 51 feet of clearance at mean low water so Sunset wasn’t a worry. Camp Coogan Bay was populated with several floating homes, all seemingly built on old barges. We anchored near the head of the bay near someone’s crab traps, so naturally we were inspired to deploy our own. We deployed our halibut gear off the stern, because, well why not, then tried spin casting and jigging from the stern of Sunset. Isabel caught a single small rockfish which got “divided” and became bait for the crab traps. Having returned from deploying the crab traps we observed almost in disbelief the halibut rod twitching then suddenly bending hard over. Remembering the advice from the folks from Kitimat whom we had met in Prince Rupert, we allowed the rod to bend hard for a bit with the hopes that the hook would properly set, then I began cranking the reel as Isabel readied the net. Soon we were looking at a rather large halibut thrashing about on the surface and completely resisting the notion of fitting in a net, so I hollered for Isabel to bring the gaff. We have two, and the fancy telescoping one malfunctioned but the old one from JollyDogs performed and suddenly we had a big halibut flopping about inside the stern cockpit. I dispatched it by slicing up its gills then stabbing it repeatedly between the eyes. Call it a mercy killing.
Inspired by our sudden change in fishing luck, we left Mr. Halibut to rest for a few minutes and took the dinghy to explore the bay. There was a small cove with a few floating houses and some sort of kayaking business on the North side that connected via a shallow channel to Birds Nest Bay. Satisfying our curiosity, we decided to try our luck at jigging and trolling as we let the incoming tidal current return us towards Sunset. No luck, and upon arrival we were faced with the task of butchering our big fish. We reckon it weighed 25 - 30 pounds, and filleting such a beast without a large fish cleaning table was no easy task. That said, it did get done and by the time Isabel was done skinning, portioning and vacuum sealing our catch we had about 17 meals for the 2 of us ready to freeze. Now that’s satisfying.
On Saturday the 18th we returned to town and anchored in the lagoon before taking the dinghy to the pontoon by the harbor master’s office where one is allowed to tie up for a few hours. We walked down to LFS Marine Supply to purchase a new filleting knife and a tuna fishing flasher thingy, then strolled to the library. There we exploited the free wifi, researching various topics and watching more YouTube fishing videos. We were stoked!
A nice walk about the forested area on the Totem Trail and we returned to Sunset for a lovely fried halibut dinner. Not a bad day. Now it’s Sunday morning and we’re about to say farewell to Sitka and begin plying our way North towards Hoonah. Along the way we’ll explore a couple other anchorages including one with hot springs, and we’ll continue to search for those elusive crabs. There’s a bit of breeze expected from the South, so we’ll be looking for properly protected spots and considering whether wind over tide might be an issue, but altogether it’s looking like a pretty good day for a chug.
No comments:
Post a Comment