bu Carlos (Team No Bananas) Gaudier
There were plenty of memorable fish stories at the 3rd Annual Let’s Talk Hookup / Davis Boats Whaler’s Cove 2014 Alaskan Adventure.
First and foremost, the fishing was really good, as usual. The Coho, or silver salmon, grew up a little this year. The 
grade was definitely bigger as several Mongo sized Coho were landed. Peggy Topp boated one at 15 lbs. and Manny Gaudier landed probably the largest of the trip at 17lbs. Our Captain Moe Neale could not stop admiring how thick it was and so he named it Mongo. At first the fishing was on the slow side, however when nature called the bite began. Our smaller boat did not have a head, or bathroom, and so we basically had to pee in a plastic coffee can in the back of the boat. One of us had to go and the moment he pulled his pants down we had a triple jig strike on Cohos! It sometimes does pay to get caught with your pants down. Don’t worry ladies, the larger boats do have on board bathrooms.
We also “like big butts and we cannot lie.” The big halibut were on the chew as well. Drew Varos caught and released a 59 inch halibut which weighed in over 100 lbs. There were several hundred pounders and a few that went over 200 lbs landed. Captain Kevin Frank’s passenger’s were able to catch and release a 75 inch halibut which went over 200 lbs. Whaler’s Cove has a nice prize where the biggest release halibut of the week wins a 2 for 1 deal for next year. This 75 incher won them this great deal.
Perhaps the most prized catch of this trip was the black cod or sablefish. We did not have the opportunity to target these delicious denizens of the deep last year, but after finally tasting them this past summer our group put these on top of our shopping list. Captain Moe hooked us up with limits of black cod on our second day when brought us to his favorite black cod spot. Unfortunately we had to fish deep around 600-700 feet and so it was hard work reeling up all that line. The effort was worth it as we were able to load up on some nice sized cod. Our biggest was Drew’s 20.5 pounder. Since we were fishing with 2 hook rigs we were also able to bring up 2 fish several times, BOGO, buy one get one free deals if you will. On our third day of fishing on the cod grounds, we heard some electrical noises coming from some nearby boats. We thought they might have brought out some blenders to make some margaritas. Later we found out some boats had electric reels for fishing deep. Pete told us that the Lodge will try to equip all their boats with these next year. Some may frown on these but they do have their place especially for helping the disabled, injured or someone that does not want to crank a reel for hours. We ended up referring to these as the “set it and forget it” reels. Just push a button and wait for the timer to go off.
Along with the salmon, halibut and black cod, several other species were captured, filleted, and released. Various Rockfish
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pollack and cod were plentiful. On average 12 boats went out and 300-400 fish were taken daily to the docks. Needle
ss to say most of us brought home 1 or 2 fifty pound boxes of great quality frozen vacuumed sealed fish. We were really impressed with the quality of the fish we brought home last year and we look forward to sharing and cooking up this year’s catch.
Besides the fishing, the setting is just beautiful. When the fishing is done, it is just a great place to relax and share some m
emories and laughs with friends old and new. The whales were also more prevalent this year. Just minutes from the lodge we saw humpback whales breaching. We saw one humpback lying on its side constantly waving with one of its pectoral fish as boats came by. Pods of Orcas were cruising right up to the shoreline. Some lucky boats even witnessed whales bubble feeding nearby. No wonder why this place is called Whaler’s Cove.
Thanks a bunch to the Powers family and their wonderful staff. We are amazed with how well Whaler’s Cove Lodge runs. It’s like a well oiled machine. From the booking, the information booklet, the transportation, the accommodations, meals, fishing, fish processing, etc., everything ran so smoothly. Thanks as well to Pete Gray of Let’s Talk Hookup and Harold Davis of Davis Boats for sponsoring this great trip. Team No Bananas already made reservations for next year even before we checked out. Hopefully you can join us August 12th to 15th, 2015 for a whale of an adventure. We have a special package price for a fully guided trip of $2677 per person. This represents a several hundred dollar discount off their regular package price in the prime time of the season. The trip is already 50% full, so do not wait too long. Call Whaler’s Cove Lodge at 800-423-3123 or check www.whalerscovelodge.com Check the “Trips” page of this web site for complete detail
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