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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2018)
Appeal Tribune ܂ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018܂ 1B Sports Even the scenery is big in Alaska, such as this view on a beach near Yakutat. HENRY MILLER/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL This Alaska trip may ruin my reputation Fishing Henry Miller Guest columnist As you read this, I’m either back home in Salem, or a pile of pepper spray-scented brown bear poo on the banks of the Italio River after my sec- ond-ever fishing adventure in Alaska. The reason that the outcome is in doubt is that I’m writing this column a week in advance, with my bag packed (OK, almost) in anticipation of the scheduled departure tomorrow morn- ing. Packing tip No. 1 learned in 2017: In- sulated wool socks make great packing materials. I’ve got one pair wrapped around each of three fishing reels, and another pair crammed snugly into the top of my rod tube to keep them from rattling around. Those provide excellent padding and also provides some amusement, I pres- ume, for any TSA inspectors who open up the duffle. Packing tip No. 2: Dress in layers. It’s probably going to be chilly at the Seattle Airport, not to mention the sto- pover in Juneau en route to Yakutat. All of the clothing – shirt, flannel- lined pants, long underwear, sweater, coat, etc. - leaves lots more room in the luggage for fishing gear that you don’t need and probably won’t use. And as a bonus, nobody in Alaska seems to notice that the party from Sa- lem looks like participants at a Michelin Man impersonators convention. It would be hard to pull off the same “my second free checked bag is me” ruse on a flight to, say, Honolulu or Costa Ri- ca. Does this fish make my reputation look small? Pictures like this could kill my career. DICK WASSON/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL Is it hot in here, or is it just me? To be honest, the Alaska expedition is something of a guilt trip. Part of it has to do with what I call fish-onomics. It’s a pretty big investment to go fish- ing for a week in Alaska. In hard accounting terms, the two boxes of silver salmon fillets that I brought back to Salem in 2017 ran to about $60 a pound. Which granted is deeply discounted by mitigating factors such as the breath- taking scenery, great company, unfor- Explore Oregon Podcast: Commune with giants on Redwoods visit Zach Urness and David Davis Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, outdoors editor Zach Urness and producer David Davis discuss Ore- gon’s own grove of redwoods and the best way to explore the Redwood Na- tional and State Park system just south of the border in California. To listen to this episode of the pod- cast and download the full season, go to StatesmanJournal.com/Explore. A short hiking trail explores Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL gettable experiences and salmon fishing the likes of which few have experienced. So I get it. It’s a value-added vacation. Another problem with the Alaska junket is a nagging suspicion that my reputation as a serial fishing flop could end up being irreparably damaged. For a guy who has meticulously made and maintained a reputation as an out- door writer by recounting endless fail- ures and disappointments, it’s hard to write self-deprecating anecdotes when there’s an accompanying photo of you grinning while hoisting a freshly caught 12-pound silver salmon. Busted. Again. Maybe. Either the freezer is full … or there’s that poo thing. I’ll let you know. Or not. In other news: Item 1: Wow, can it really be that time again? Driving back from Garibaldi recently, a sign said “sign up now for offshore lingcod.” The 30-fathom (180 feet) depth re- striction on ocean bottom fishing is lift- ed starting Oct. 1, providing opportuni- ties for some eye-popping catches. And October, along with September, are when the ocean off of Oregon is the calmest. That’s according to several coastal tourism-promotion outfits. Would they lie? Actually, I’ve heard the same thing from several charter boat skippers, and have experienced it myself a time or two. Lists of charters are available online. Item 2: From the “when one door opens, another one closes” department, St. Louis Ponds off St. Louis Road west of Gervais, closes for the season Sept. 30 (and reopens March 1, 2019). While the gate to the recreation site and network of fishing ponds is locked for the fall and winter, parking is al- lowed along the access, Tesch Road, and walk-in day-use is allowed. For information online, go to http:// www.co.marion.or.us/PW/Parks/de- scriptions/Pages/stlouisponds.aspx. Henry Miller is a retired Statesman Journal columnist and outdoor writer. You can contact him via email at Henry- MillerSJ@gmail.com
