I was due to start taking clients out fishing in one week from the surgery date. Not suppose to happen according to Mr. Dr.
When ones income is based on a mere 100 days, missing five weeks is not an option.
I started thinking of anyone who could come to Alaska and help me on the boat as a deck hand.
A charter company in town loaned me one of their deckhands for a week until I could get my Nephew, Luke, flown up from Idaho to help.
Luke dropped a very busy baseball schedule to help his ailing Uncle. Of course, like any good fisherman I did dangle some very tempting bait in front of the young man. Money! Like most fish I catch, He jumped at the bait and was hooked instantly.
Luke was to spend two weeks with me but my recovery was a little slower than I thought, so I talked him, and his dad, into one more week.
The first sunny day we were on the ocean Luke stood in awe of the view. Jagged mountains rise from the ocean to scratch the sky with snow crowned peaks. He imparted most of his wisdom in his words. "Wow," he said, but I noticed his phone taking picture after picture. At sixteen words are few but phones are busy.
We (Luke my lifting arms and legs) dropped the anchor for halibut, baited the hooks, and sat back munching on cookies waiting for halibut to bite.
"Whoosh!"
"Whales!" someone shouted. Everywhere we looked was blowing spouts from whales. Phones were in hand and filming began. One whale wanted to be the star of the show and began jumping (breaching) over and over again getting closer and closer to our anchored boat. We had a front row seat to the most marvelous whale show of the summer. Luke was so impressed. "Wow," he said.
He burned the airways back home sending photos and videos so I knew he enjoyed it.
Fishing was tough and we had to make a long run to a bay for King Salmon and on the way saw a boat stopped. Around the boat were killer whales. I stopped a mile short of the other boat as I could see the pod working our direction. We drifted as the Killers puffed and displayed the tall fins coming ever closer. In no time they were right on our boat. All of our phones and cameras were filming when one of the whales did what is called spy hopping. He (or she) came straight out of the water and turned to get a good look at us.
"Wow! Did you see that? Did you get that on film?" everyone was shouting. Fishing took a second seat that day to that wonderful killer whale stunt.
Luke wrestled 100 pound halibut that shook him like a dog ragdolls a stuffed toy. I was too busy watching to think about filming it for him. He will always remember the sheer power of a huge fish.
We caught giant Ling Cod, even caught a small one that tangled itself in three lines so badly it could not even wiggle. Luke took pictures while I did my best to untangle the mess.
We caught Skates, Dog fish sharks, rock fish of every color, as well as most of the salmon species.
Some got a "Wow" but all got a ride home on Luke's phone.
Our final day on the ocean with Luke, a client hung his bait on the bottom while fishing for halibut. I grabbed the rod and jerked and jerked trying to pry the hook out of the snag. It was very stuck. At last I cleated the braided line to the boat and allowed the huge ocean swell to either pull the hook free or break the line. The hook pulled free but it felt like the client had a big rock coming up with the hook.
"Must have worked a rock off the bottom," I commented to the client, "or it could be an octopus, but it seems far to heavy to be an octopus."
I have clients catch a couple of octopus each summer and it always seems like they are snagged on the bottom until you pry the octo off the bottom.
I was ready as the "rock" came into view. It was a huge octopus! I quickly swung it on board and the fun began.
It was so large I could not get it off the deck by myself . The tentacles suctioned so tight that Luke had to help me. That critter would get legs stuck on everything. I had to laugh when it was plastered to Luke's rain pants, making little popping sucking sounds when he peeled it off.
"Oh Wow!" Luke exclaimed, and I knew he had the prize of his trip. The phone was once again snapping pictures after pictures.
I took Luke on a hike up a mountain to show him where I deer hunt. He found a bear paw print in the mud the made him realize we are not entirely the top of the food chain.
I am so thankful I had the weeks with my Nephew. I am more thankful that he once again showed me how incredible Alaska really is.
breaching whale
