Showing posts with label Innoko 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Innoko 2018. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
Innoko/Alaska 2018
We done it again!
Back from the land of the giant pikes! Where they grow slow, old and big!! Many people think we go there to get 50lbs pikes, but this is not the case. We have pikes as big here (Europe) if not bigger than Alaska, but its the huge amount of large pikes that makes this fishery soooo special!
Over there you are only interested in fish over 40 ( 103cm) , and by the end of the week if you are lucky to find good light, descent water clarity and not too much wind, you can sight fish for pike! Like the flats in tropical waters. The guide is such an asset to catching fish. More used to spot the big girls then you, they can put you onto THE fish. You might see a smaller one (110cm) and take a cast at that fish, but maybe behind there is that elusive 50 (130cm) sitting a little deeper. If the smaller fish takes your fly it's game over. It will surely spook that 50! And this is why we make that 20 000kms round trip, to catch trophies and not numbers. This is when the guide comes into action, they spot the fish, place you at the best angle and it's up to you now...Just don't f*ck up your cast and set that hook hard!
My boat partner, Dominique had a 47 (120cm) like this right beside the boat, about 5, 6 meters away from us! To see such a monster sit there, casting that little bunny fly...The fish turns! Its showing an interest....Heart pumping at this stage, one strip and she engulfed the fly right in front of our eyes! Unforgettable moment!
This is a reason i don't mind having the guide holding the fish on the picture, he's part of the team, part of the memories on that special day. European anglers want to hold their fish at all cost for some reason...And more than often pride and big ego comes before fish welfare... Fish are dropped on the ground, in the bottom of the boat, left out in the air way too long, passed to friends (yes, i have seen it many times).
So the fact that the guide hold your fish is primarily for the fish welfare and to get a perfect photo. Sure you can have a pic with your fish, but this has to be done outside the boat, in shallow water (never over dry land!) away from a bear...or a wolf..and i see all this messing around as waste a lot of precious fishing time, i rather a quick pic with the guide, a fast release and back to casting asap! It's a short week up there 5 1/2 days fishing, every minutes count.
That short week will beat you up, and those pikes will pound you to the ground, especially those 35's ( 90cm) my god they can go! They will rip line of your fingers like you never seen it before! Powerful runs, but what makes these runs special is how long they can go before you can put a stop to it.
And your tackle will be tested! 4 out of 6 guys had broken something, rods, lines, rings, hooks opened.This is why the leaders you can use have to be approved by the guides, no swivels or clips ( i had a fastach #3 crushed and one opened up and this has never happened to me here in Ireland).
Leaders are so simple, 5ft of nylon coated 65lbs 7x1 stainless steel, straight from your fly line to your hook. Flies are tied directly to the wire ( I do this often here, resulting in less problems and headaches).
This time was different that 5 years ago, colder, water a lot lower. Fast changeable weather, and a large pink salmon run.You could see pinks everywhere, swimming like zombies in the last leg of their lives. Even the air stank of rotten fish in some places. So the pikes were very well fed, resulting is so many frustrating follows of monster fish. I was getting an average of at least 20 follows a days of fish over 45s (110cm+). On the plus side the ones that we got were soooo heavy!!! Big bulging bellies full of pinkies!
As for numbers, we had so many fish, around 30 fish a day for the worse days for me and Dom and 60+ fish each on the best ones! Include a good dozen over 40, two three over 45 and you have the makings for a fantastic week! But it's average for up there, with such a massive body of water that's frozen for 7/8 months and only six rods a week, the fish are wild, untamed and in massive numbers.
This is why I'm already planning my next group to go up there... Alaska the last frontier, has a weird but beautiful grip on us.
A usual, i try to film a bit as well, it's not easy combining fishing and filming, but i do enjoy both, hope you do too!
And while i have you on Youtube, give the video a like and give a subscribe to help this channel grow, many thanks!
Back from the land of the giant pikes! Where they grow slow, old and big!! Many people think we go there to get 50lbs pikes, but this is not the case. We have pikes as big here (Europe) if not bigger than Alaska, but its the huge amount of large pikes that makes this fishery soooo special!
Over there you are only interested in fish over 40 ( 103cm) , and by the end of the week if you are lucky to find good light, descent water clarity and not too much wind, you can sight fish for pike! Like the flats in tropical waters. The guide is such an asset to catching fish. More used to spot the big girls then you, they can put you onto THE fish. You might see a smaller one (110cm) and take a cast at that fish, but maybe behind there is that elusive 50 (130cm) sitting a little deeper. If the smaller fish takes your fly it's game over. It will surely spook that 50! And this is why we make that 20 000kms round trip, to catch trophies and not numbers. This is when the guide comes into action, they spot the fish, place you at the best angle and it's up to you now...Just don't f*ck up your cast and set that hook hard!
My boat partner, Dominique had a 47 (120cm) like this right beside the boat, about 5, 6 meters away from us! To see such a monster sit there, casting that little bunny fly...The fish turns! Its showing an interest....Heart pumping at this stage, one strip and she engulfed the fly right in front of our eyes! Unforgettable moment!
This is a reason i don't mind having the guide holding the fish on the picture, he's part of the team, part of the memories on that special day. European anglers want to hold their fish at all cost for some reason...And more than often pride and big ego comes before fish welfare... Fish are dropped on the ground, in the bottom of the boat, left out in the air way too long, passed to friends (yes, i have seen it many times).
So the fact that the guide hold your fish is primarily for the fish welfare and to get a perfect photo. Sure you can have a pic with your fish, but this has to be done outside the boat, in shallow water (never over dry land!) away from a bear...or a wolf..and i see all this messing around as waste a lot of precious fishing time, i rather a quick pic with the guide, a fast release and back to casting asap! It's a short week up there 5 1/2 days fishing, every minutes count.
That short week will beat you up, and those pikes will pound you to the ground, especially those 35's ( 90cm) my god they can go! They will rip line of your fingers like you never seen it before! Powerful runs, but what makes these runs special is how long they can go before you can put a stop to it.
And your tackle will be tested! 4 out of 6 guys had broken something, rods, lines, rings, hooks opened.This is why the leaders you can use have to be approved by the guides, no swivels or clips ( i had a fastach #3 crushed and one opened up and this has never happened to me here in Ireland).
Leaders are so simple, 5ft of nylon coated 65lbs 7x1 stainless steel, straight from your fly line to your hook. Flies are tied directly to the wire ( I do this often here, resulting in less problems and headaches).
This time was different that 5 years ago, colder, water a lot lower. Fast changeable weather, and a large pink salmon run.You could see pinks everywhere, swimming like zombies in the last leg of their lives. Even the air stank of rotten fish in some places. So the pikes were very well fed, resulting is so many frustrating follows of monster fish. I was getting an average of at least 20 follows a days of fish over 45s (110cm+). On the plus side the ones that we got were soooo heavy!!! Big bulging bellies full of pinkies!
As for numbers, we had so many fish, around 30 fish a day for the worse days for me and Dom and 60+ fish each on the best ones! Include a good dozen over 40, two three over 45 and you have the makings for a fantastic week! But it's average for up there, with such a massive body of water that's frozen for 7/8 months and only six rods a week, the fish are wild, untamed and in massive numbers.
This is why I'm already planning my next group to go up there... Alaska the last frontier, has a weird but beautiful grip on us.
A usual, i try to film a bit as well, it's not easy combining fishing and filming, but i do enjoy both, hope you do too!
And while i have you on Youtube, give the video a like and give a subscribe to help this channel grow, many thanks!
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Innoko,the return.
To say that i'm exited this morning is a real understatement.I got a mail from Scott of Midnight Sun Trophy Pike Adventures confirming our next trip to the Innoko.I am so pumped i even put a countdown clock on the side of the blog....
Some of you guys are probably familiar with the Innoko system , part of the Yukon drainage, if you don't know this place you probably have seen it from the fantastic movie of Barry Reynolds , In pursuit of the water wolf.
The first time i have seen this movie i knew i had to do everything in my powers to go up there.Stop smoking, drinking,put five euro aside each week,whatever you can to save money to visit this true pike mecca while you still can.It's remote, it's beautiful,it's just unreal! We had an amazing stay, with a super professional crew taking care of us. I still remember this place like it was yesterday, every details are engraved in my brain for ever, like a virus, the Innoko comes back and hunt you, calls you back.I don't know what's the deal with Alaska, but once you step foot up there you are done...You will come back over and over, no matter what it takes.I have been to quite a few places around the world ,but nothing sticks to you like Alaska and especially the Innoko ( if you are a pike man).
When we arrived there back in 2013, the weather was unusually hot, water temperatures were high for this part of the world, it took a lot of scouting from the guides to find cooler waters and to finally find active, aggressive pikes. And boy, when them found the sweet spot it was like nothing i have ever experienced. Our fourth day was out of this world, we had to push further and further north to find these precious cooler spots, over 2 hours on the skiff in the morning travelling at full speed with some serious horse power got us to pike heaven.We had the best day of our lives, my good friend Dominique and myself had personal best records, falling and falling and falling on that day.We clocked 40 pikes over 40 inches, we lost count of the total number of fish that day, and the ones under the magical 40? All big fish too, all high 30's, no jacks that day.They were probably terrified to come out that day...
Some of you guys are probably familiar with the Innoko system , part of the Yukon drainage, if you don't know this place you probably have seen it from the fantastic movie of Barry Reynolds , In pursuit of the water wolf.
The first time i have seen this movie i knew i had to do everything in my powers to go up there.Stop smoking, drinking,put five euro aside each week,whatever you can to save money to visit this true pike mecca while you still can.It's remote, it's beautiful,it's just unreal! We had an amazing stay, with a super professional crew taking care of us. I still remember this place like it was yesterday, every details are engraved in my brain for ever, like a virus, the Innoko comes back and hunt you, calls you back.I don't know what's the deal with Alaska, but once you step foot up there you are done...You will come back over and over, no matter what it takes.I have been to quite a few places around the world ,but nothing sticks to you like Alaska and especially the Innoko ( if you are a pike man).
 |
| The sheefish were playing ball too! |
When we arrived there back in 2013, the weather was unusually hot, water temperatures were high for this part of the world, it took a lot of scouting from the guides to find cooler waters and to finally find active, aggressive pikes. And boy, when them found the sweet spot it was like nothing i have ever experienced. Our fourth day was out of this world, we had to push further and further north to find these precious cooler spots, over 2 hours on the skiff in the morning travelling at full speed with some serious horse power got us to pike heaven.We had the best day of our lives, my good friend Dominique and myself had personal best records, falling and falling and falling on that day.We clocked 40 pikes over 40 inches, we lost count of the total number of fish that day, and the ones under the magical 40? All big fish too, all high 30's, no jacks that day.They were probably terrified to come out that day...
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