I went fishing with my father and some of his coworkers in Yakutat, Alaska.
More after the break…
You can find a lot more photos in the album.
2014-06-27
This first day started off with the flights to Juneau and Yakutat.
I accidentally left a plum out of the refrigerator before I left and now I feel bad because it'll probably rot.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
For some reason, data service is really spotty with my new phone.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
I'm at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) (Seatac, WA) w/ 16 others http://t.co/WJjhMOHwNY
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
Spoonerisms are easy to generate when sleep-deprived.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
Flight was moved.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
Some airline passengers are demanding and entitled. I feel bad for airline employees.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
Still waiting to board. Mechanical issues with the plane.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
I spent a lot of these flights reading 1Q84.
I'm at Juneau International Airport (JNU) (Juneau, AK) http://t.co/sj7OfmDerC
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
I'm on roaming out here. Looks like that'll be a theme for this trip.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
After arriving at the lodge, we went to fish at the "Rodeo Hole" for sockeye. This involved a 1.25-1.5 mile hike. Along the hike, there's an old railroad ROW.
Fish on. (@ Glacier Bear Lodge) http://t.co/BRkPG5xYST
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 27, 2014
We always gutted the fish at the river so that other animals could eat the guts and reproductive organs. Pretty much everything loved the eggs.
Fishing ain't half bad.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 28, 2014
Apparently fresh fruit is rare in Alaska. Not my kind of place, then.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 28, 2014
Ah, Guinness.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 28, 2014
In some ways, fishing is intuitive to me.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 28, 2014
2014-06-28
We went out to the same spot again the next day.
Only managed to hook one fish, but couldn't reel it in. My casting technique has improved, though.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
Bad eagles are so common here than they aren't really noteworthy.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
People keep commenting on there being fewer mosquitoes and how the weather has been much nicer than expected.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
2014-06-29
We went out on Yakutat Bay for ling cod, halibut, and rockfish. But before that, I had some fun dealing with Google Authenticator after my phone dropped its login on one of my accounts out of nowhere.
When your NTP source is wrong, then Google Authenticator stops working. Timezones also break it. Great design, Google.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
My phone is unable to log into one of my Gmail accounts with a freshly-generated app-specific password.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
Looks like Google's dropping balls all over today.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 29, 2014
We were our on the bay today. After sitting down most of the time because of seasickness, I managed to reel in four rockfish using a jig.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
I didn't eat much while nauseated, which certainly wouldn't have helped. The gin and tonics did after I got back, though.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
I caught four rockfish (not shown below) after recovering thanks to some Dramamine that one of the other guys gave me.
Bald eagles are so common here that they aren't particularly remarkable.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
2014-06-30
Some of our group went out really early and quickly got their limits (3 sockeye per person). I ended up going out later, and during the pouring rain, I caught four sockeye for this other part of our group. This was after breaking one spinner reel, so I did most of it with a baitcaster. I ended up flipping the rod upside down so I could crank with my right hand since it was easier.
Not everyone likes the oranges in the sack lunches, so they've been giving them to me.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
Most things other than fish are very expensive around here because they're shipped from the Lower 48.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
I've also been spending much of this trip correcting my posture.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
A can of beer exploded in my backpack yesterday due to the 'violent' motion of the boat yesterday.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
Managed to reel in four fish today (I was in a group so I could go past my personal limit).
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
For one of them, I thought my reel was acting funny so I dragged the line in with my bare hands.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
For another, I had to pounce on it and punch it multiple times to knock it out.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
I also hooked two more, but was unable to reel them in.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
I ended up breaking the spinning reel my rod had on it in the morning, but switched to a baitcaster reel and found it easier to use.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 30, 2014
Today's catches were all salmon on the Situck River, by the way.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
I managed to snag on an old leader that one of the guys left on the other side of the river, pulled it in, and used it after breaking one.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
I probably caught two of the fish with that thing.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
My dad's leg gave out on the boat yesterday and he fell on the deck.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
It was pouring down rain so much earlier today that I felt like I was absorbing water through my hands.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
When the prevailing noise is silence, my ears are usually ringing.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
I felt hypothermic toward the last bit of today's time on the river.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
2014-07-01
I started by tying my first hooks onto leaders this morning, which wasn't too difficult. We went down to the Rodeo Hole again, but I only caught one fish. I was using the baitcaster incorrectly the previous day, causing it to wear out significantly, and I wasn't able to pull anything in until I bothered my father's fishing rod, which I didn't like because the line was too light.
In the end, I borrowed one of the other guy's rod, which worked pretty well. He told me to not flip the rod as it wasn't designed for it, and I learned that I reel "left-handed."
I ties my very first set of hooks this morning using the 'egg hook' method.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 1, 2014
Only managed to catch one fish today, but I would've caught a couple more if I hadn't worn out the gears in my reel by using it incorrectly.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
I borrowed another guy's pole, and learned that using them upside-down is a bad idea. I reel left-handed.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
As before, I snatched old leaders from the other side of the river (including one of my own) and used them.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
I ended up using spinner reels most of the day because nobody else was using bait casters.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
I want a left-handed bait caster reel for my birthday.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
That rod I borrowed was really fancy. I responded very well and was very sensitive to vibrations.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
The normal spot was packed with fishermen, but I learned how to fish in a line.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
I also had fun dragging a fish while I trudged through water for a while.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
My casting has gotten better and better, with both spinners and bait casters.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
My dad fell into the water while wading and was soaked for the rest of the day.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
Having my first White Russian.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
The digital clock in our room continuously gets further and further ahead of actual current time.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
2014-07-02
Since the other guys were sleeping in after a late night drinking a lot, my dad and I tried fishing at "The Bridge," which was too crowded so we tried another spot. We didn't end up catching anything.
Toward the end of yesterday, I got the reel I borrowed all tangled up, but it was an easy fix once on the shore.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
A bunch of the guys in our group went out fishing last night and got REALLY drunk. They're still sleeping now.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
The vans here are pretty beat up: things fall off, dents all over, cracked glass, and missing pieces.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
My dad and I went out to fish this morning, caught nothing, then I joined the guys to go to a glacial lake.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
The lake, which was the headwaters of the Dangerous River, was quite something.
The van my dad and I took barely started after a while.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
One guy here consistently drove at over 65 MPH along unpaved roads, yet he was very good at it.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
We checked out a few other spots, too.
One of the guys left a cigar each for my dad and myself.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
Packing up to leave now.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 2, 2014
After checking all of our fish, we went to a bar to wait. Our flight was delayed by a bit over an hour.
Waiting for my flight home. (@ Yakutat Lodge) http://t.co/xnpPL2Zs3n
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
The bar here has WiFi.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
I have a bunch of tiny mosquito bites all over my hands, but they don't itch or anything.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Flight is going to be delayed for an hour.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Finally! (@ Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) w/ 73 others) http://t.co/UMM3RTo5E9
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
At least one other group was hauling fish back on that flight.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Thin, tight, and stretchy pants worn as a fashion statement bother me.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
I miss being away from 'normal' city people. Ugh.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
I love the mental clarity that time away from the modern way of life brings.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
I really like 1Q84.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Epilogue
That plum I left out did not turn moldy.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
The plum was actually quite delicious.
I'll be eating primarily fish for quite some time, but it all fit in my freezer without much fuss.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Looks like I lost the USB cable for my camera. Can't get everything right all the time on long trips, I guess.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 3, 2014
Due to some issues with lashing my dry bags together, I ended up getting a 115 liter dry bag to replace them.
The total amount of fish I brought home was half of 85 pounds.
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