Sitka Fishin'

July, 2015

Sitka, Alaska

Big Waves, Big Fish

After arriving to Sitka, making an obligatory snack run (really, this was a trip to the liquor store for the other guests) and getting the bags settled, we grabbed a stack of Dixie cups and ran to the hills. The bushes were bursting with red and orange salmonberries, a fruit resembling a giant raspberry. Blueberries and huckleberries were around too, but a little too bitter this early in the season. However, we picked and ate everything regardless.

The days are long in Alaska, with the sun in Sitka finally disappearing into the night somewhere after midnight. As long as the sun is up, people are out and about making a ruckus, downing piss beer and hard liquor. The community washing machine never stops, keeping you awake with its banging and beeping at all hours.

5:00 am

Waking up at 5am to fish for food isn't quite what I'd call a vacation. Oh no, this was work. Stuff your face and prepare for the beating.

Right before we got here, back in sunny Texas, we decided to go inter-tubing and really mess our arms up- the perfect preparation for catching big fish. 

The waves are huge and the drive out is over an hour. We start trolling for salmon then make our way to the sweet spot. 

After catching our fill of rats (pink salmon) and possums (silver salmons), as the fisherman say, we hope for a king and make our way to the halibut.

These guys live pretty deep. Now the arm fatigue kicks in. Yellow eyes aren't usually so abundant but for some reason, on our first day, we caught only yellow eye for a good while. The limit for non-residents is one a year. We later find out that these fish live over a hundred. And of course, we can't keep the fish even though it's practically done when it reaches the surface. The pressure does a number on one's stomach. Painfully, you watch as the captain "sinks" the fish down with a weight, its inflated stomach making it impossible to go down on its own, as the seagulls swoop down to grab a fin or an eyeball.

We make our way back to land around 4-5pm. Dinnertime, berry picking, then straight to bed.