How i became a fishing charter captain inhomer,ak

Fishing in Alaska has been a dream of mine ever since I can remember. I grew up in Maine and learned my water activities (boating, swimming, fishing, etc.) on a small lake outside of Lincoln, ME. In Maine we call cabins “camps” and our family camp was the biggest contributing factor to the direction of my life and future career.

Eventually I was accepted to the University of Idaho where I focused my studies on Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. I had a good friend who spent his summers in Bristol Bay Alaska, commercial fishing sockeye salmon. He would return to school with remarkable and fantastic stories of his fishing adventures. I was fascinated with the heroic stories of braving the Alaskan weather, the determination of long work hours and the bountiful reward at the end of a tough season.

I made up my mind and after studying all of the “Deadliest Catch” episodes I was ready to go fishing! I retired my textbooks and bought a pair of Xtra Tuffs boots and Grundens bibs. My first experience fishing in Alaska was on a Long-Liner targeting pacific cod and pollock, headed to the Bering Sea from Seattle.

My initial season commercial fishing was an awakening experience. I thought that I had prepared enough for what was to come. The reality is there is no preparation for the men and women choose to become greenhorns without ocean experience. But, as with everyone who sticks with it, I grew accustomed to the life-style and made a little money in the process.

At this time I had also been working for a hunting outfit in Idaho during the fishing off-seasons. This was a period of time in between fishing and hunting season when I was visiting my family in Troy, Oregon. Troy is a town in Eastern Oregon with a population of about 40 people. The impressiveness of Troy is the Grande Ronde River whice runs though the single general-store town. If your an avid steelhead fisherman in the Northwest, you have probably heard of Troy.

One morning, while my brother and I were fishing on the river, we met a steelhead guide named Bob Murphy. During our conversation he mentioned he worked for a halibut-fishing charter company in Ninilchik, Alaska. He also mentioned the company was looking for a couple of deckhands for the upcoming season. A couple of weeks later Zac and I had our bags packed and we started our first, but not our last, road trip through Canada up to Alaska.

Charter fishing for halibut was a dream job. I met interesting people, my boss was extremely knowledgeable and instrumental and I got to teach people how to fish everyday! With his guidance it was at the end of my second summer when he offered me a job as a captain on one of his four boats.

I worked for this company for 10 years. I rose through the ranks to “senior captain” and took on the responsibilities of keeping the operation running smoothly, training new employees and, of coarse, showing customers a great day on the water. Realizing I had reached the furthest tier of success working for “the man”, I decided to buy a boat of my own and hunt down a 3A Charter Halibut Permit.

The time before my first season on my own was extremely daunting. Would I have enough money to stay in business? What if people didn’t book with me? Is my boat going to break down half way through the season? All questions in the realm of worry to all new business owners. Luckily my reputation on the water led me to hook up with a very prominent charter company in the area. I was offered their “overflow” and “sub-contract” customers. I will say, my first couple of seasons on my own was a success and I’m hopeful for the good fortune to continue!

I am now doing what I love to do, I can say that I’m good at what I do and taking people on their trip-of-a-lifetime is an extremely fulfilling and rewarding occupation.

If anybody has any questions about my journey or if you have a dream to be a fishing charter captain in Alaska yourself, please feel free to reach out! hgcfish@gmail.com

Cheers :)

Getting the Fish you Catch from AK, Home to your Freezer

I can speak for most fishing guides around the world when I ask “what are these guys going to do with all of this fish?” Being a successful fishing guide usually means being a successful angler. People from all over the world have come to retain your knowledge and learn from your expertise. All of the years honing your skill and studying your environment has gained you an absolute edge over the “weekend warrior” fisherman. And customers want to see results!

A high quality fishing guide will also know his body-of-water and it’s ecosystem better than almost anything in his/her life. They will spend countless hours/days/years studying, worrying, discussing, dreaming about their, and yes they will consider it theirs, aquatic playground. Prowess becomes payoff and a guide will market that mastery to people who will pay for the wisdom without putting in the effort. To most guides, it is the gratitude from a group of folks after a successful day of fishing that keeps us enthusiastic about the next day… smiles on faces and photos in phones!

So, back to the topic. How do I get the fish that I just caught home and in the freezer!? If money isn’t a concern, the easiest solution is to simply ship it. Many people choose to just hand off their processed fish to the Post Office. You can’t, however, put a whole salmon in a priority mail package and expect it to arrive at your home. You will need to prepare it and keep it fresh. Fish is perishable after all.

Any good guide will be an artisan with a fillet knife. Thousands of fish have been practiced on before he cuts into your catch. The fillets will be beautiful!

I recommend to all of my customers, whether they ask or not, that they have a professional process their newly acquired fish fillets. Most places will vacuum pack and freeze fish in approximately one lb. chucks. I cringe when I hear “I don’t have a vacuum packer, but I want to do it myself.” Guides want every bite of fish that they helped harvest eaten and enjoyed. Waste is unacceptable.

So you have 100 lbs. of halibut? If an angler knows they will not be able to consume all of their fish, I will encourage them to donate some of it to a charitable organization in the area.

Okay, so now your week-long fishing adventure to Alaska is over and it’s time to go home. The fish that you’ve had processed is ready to be picked up and lets say you have 55 lbs of frozen, chunked and packaged fish. Give 5 lbs away, or better yet, take 5 lbs to a local restaurant and have them cook it for you to share around the table. A lot of restaurants in Alaska will be eager to show you what they can do for your fresh fish.

Why shave the weight down to 50 lbs? Well, a checked bag on an airplane can be up to 50 lbs without paying an oversized bag fee. It should be easy to find a “fish box” which is essentially a styrofoam cooler inside a cardboard box. Stuff your 50 lbs of fish in the cooler, tape it up, and check it like any other checked bag on an airline. The Anchorage Airport can actually receive your checked fish-box the night prior to your departure. Leave it to Alaska to have ample freezer space at an airport.

A question I get often is “will my fish thaw during the plane ride?” My answer is “well, maybe.” Most of the chucks, especially in the middle, will stay completely frozen. The truth is, the quality of the fish will not be compromised if a couple of pieces aren’t rock hard when you transfer them to your freezer.

My favorite way to prepare salmon is simple. Put a little salt and pepper on it and cook via your preferred method. Cooking halibut isn’t any more difficult. Because of its non-fishy and mild flavor it can be cooked in a wide variety of dishes. I like my halibut beer-battered, but that is for another blog.

Comment below if you have any questions or have a fishy travel story of your own. Enjoy your fish and check out our website! www.hgcfish.com

Cheers!