One Big Happy Biomass: Sitka, Alaska

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments
Captions
[Music] 3,000 miles from home there's a place made of epic views and intimidating landscapes a massive mountain range seems close enough to touch until you learned that it's a hundred miles away [Music] whether that changes dramatically glassy seas give way to towering swells without warning and below the waterline an entire universe hidden by dark frigid waters the type of fishing that happens here is not you versus the fish it's you versus the environment [Music] and in 72 hours this town will be completely different but right now it's on [Music] [Music] this is what it's like to be inside a postcard Sitka Alaska is a jaw-dropping jagged panorama on the edge of nowhere chiseled over millions of years only accessible by air or sea Sitka is located on the west side of Baranof island in the Alaska Panhandle it's the largest incorporated city in the u.s. two thousand eight hundred seventy four square miles the recreational fishing season lasts less than four months yet makes a 639 million dollar economic impact in a single year all kinds of businesses are rooted in these waters marinas lodges restaurants bait shops boat yards breweries here fishing is more than just a livelihood its life in three days the fishing season is over the lodges closed relentless blankets of snow fall and the seasonal workers leave for winter jobs but today this rugged frontiers open for business [Music] we land knowing this is the last trip of the season the weather will be tough the days will be long now a quarter century old Kingfisher Lodge is perched him on the evergreens on the shores of Sitka sound it's the type of place where childhood friends and fathers and sons' reconnect with nature and each other it's all about the fishing here in the 80 seat dining room camaraderie is in full effect as people from all walks of life trade stories and brag about the day's catch in our deluxe guest room the big screen TV and remote collect dust as they should it doesn't get more high-definition than the view of the fishing grounds outside the window nature's alarm clock doesn't let guests sleep in we welcome it because for us every second of daylight counts the Kingfisher fleet boasts 14 aluminum boats they are built like tanks customized for the region's harsh conditions inside the kerosene heated pilot house of a 32-foot Chilkat we get to know our guide captain Clinton chambers Clinton grew up between California and Idaho and enjoys the trademark pastimes of both of his home states [Music] it's pretty good time look here is what we do throughout the summer then come September 9 you know we're pretty much done that for our season already do you get back to ski go back to skiing go back down to fly fishing see a little fly-fishing some skiing and come back up here in February for a little bit yeah back and forth surfing in between yeah yeah yeah long as you get away and yes there are surf breaks in Sitka it's a typical gray morning a passing front of his way to light winds and dropping humidity the tide is high the gear is packed the Chilkat and its crew had westward into the depths of the Pacific [Music] at a depth of 80 feet we start a run at King and silver salmon using a coochie rig which consists of around 30 inches of leader with a rubber skirt jig and flasher the kings and Silver's feed aggressively in the morning light the flashers and skirts at trolling speed runner just enough attention to warrant a strike janek's salmon known as the king for its large size it's like with the flesh is the state fish of Alaska come on MacGyver net can we get right in front yet big beautiful fish good job look at the scars on this head I was beat and everything when we was going through the gravel and whatnot let's go get it yeah they can grow to over 100 pounds this 15 pounder is destined for the dinner plate Silver's are the nickname for coho salmon and are one of the most popular game fish in the Pacific Northwest I'm gonna scoop and there we go fish on the boat fish on the boat nice so pull up big silver salmon even average-sized fish were fun to wrestle when you're catching them back to back here it is waiting keep on coming nice coin master king beautiful yeah this buddy got a big double of your buddy king salmon in the silver salmon that guy a couple years old three years old now you're feeding see what this guy you think open spawn on finish his journey you might as well a long way to go oh my god all the outside I hope you're healthy better know pretty awesome yeah thanks but yeah absolutely anytime [Music] salmon can travel the length of a marathon in one day they move from salt to fresh water to spawn and die it's a rough-and-tumble underdog that won't give up it gets pounded over and over but won't willingly throw in the towel only by design do they call it quits but why do they do it and why here sport fishing television is brought to you by Ram trucks powered by Ram trucks guts glory Ram by yellowfin your legacy by Simran go with confidence and by mercury marine number one on the water you looks delicious but it begs the question why did these knock about salmon matter most people know them for their most famous roles entree sushi tonight's special but it extends much further than that before the kitchen and the markets display cooler the salmon is the center of Alaska's marine universe [Music] they are more than just good table fare salmon are the essential ingredient to these parts touching everything in its path salmon are the biological foundation of the world around them it's why the Sitka Conservation Society and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's sustainable salmon fund have committed resources to conduct a multi-year salmon habitat restoration program their protection is vital salmon transfer nutrients from the ocean to all aspects of the world around them both above and below they are the link between the forests and their inhabitants they sustain Grizzlies and brown bears [Music] birds of prey sea lions [Music] whales and the krill and plankton they feed on and of course us back at the lodge a fish processing crew of four tackle up to 300 pounds each day the majority being salmon in less than a minutes time they are filleted and cleaned then packed up in coolers ready for the guests to take home but it starts here this is where it all begins and ends the creeks and river beds are both new and tuned for these salmon this time of year we find pink salmon otherwise known as Humpy's undertaking their spawning run once bright and silver in the ocean Humpy's returned to spawn as pale gray elder's spawning occurs from June until October why the females are busy laying up to 2,000 eggs the males are fighting and scrapping but not everything is doom and gloom because none of this is possible without a little love [Music] the Humpy's pulled from the creeks will go to good use as bait for our next targets the creatures of the deep the ones with a face only a mother could love with bottom fish you never know what might be lurking beneath sport fishing television powered by Ram trucks is being brought to you by Yeti coolers built for the wild by ten let the battle begin and by king selfish mouths for that once-in-a-lifetime catch [Music] [Music] driven to fish powered by Ram trucks [Music] take this stop [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] as we idle into a Back Bay of sick a sound a dense gunmetal gray haze takes over sun moon who knows what's out there but here on this custom-built fishing machine the gear is ready we're gonna be using these dart jigs about sixty feet of water in the final instruction biomass me hope you find some cool black bass I don't send jiggin alright alright black sea bass not too layin but just as delicious jigs are employed to mimic herring their preferred meal this respond brings him right to us the jigs never even hit the bottom and in less than an hour we hit our limit captain chambers puts us on lingcod using salmon belly from our earlier catch we lure them away from the deep rocky ledges and caves along the drop-off these pretty fellows go buy a few nicknames Gator bass Godzilla Lingus or and for good reason while lingcod are quite tasty it's not going to show up on a plate next to garnish without a serious battle use heavy leader in a strong run expect to spend some time pin to the rail one of a drag on the line especially if it's a big one they can weigh as much as 80 pounds yelloweye rockfish a bit of an outcast with its bright Caribbean coloring a mix of orange red and yellow it looks like it belongs near a tropical coral reef not in the subterranean waters where sunlight is it welcomed or appreciated we move off the shelf to 600 feet and make er up [Music] not another boat in sight [Music] hardly another sight in sight [Music] it feels still for the moment the anticipation builds the uneasy feeling of not knowing what swims below the chum is prepped and the lines go down then the barn doors show up sportfishing television is being brought to you by Ram trucks powered by Ram trucks guts glory Ram by a king selfish Mouse for that once-in-a-lifetime catch by the Florida Keys and Key West come as you want and by Costa sunglasses see what's out there you [Music] see that bucket right there i coagulated cocktail the blood guts from pink salmon we caught that morning appetizers for what lies beneath halibut the largest fly fish they look like a scaled barn door or doormat to the untrained eye it's a mutation some kind of overgrown flounder halibut are at times too large to haul onto the boat weighing as much as 500 pounds some anglers have had to tow them to shore when the first storm that finds the bait the reeling begins it's a little gun but it's still fish to the boat we release a few of the smaller fish that locals call chickens a decade from now a chicken could be the size of a refrigerator but you got something knickers a boot on this little boot a head shaky beat concrete block Jimmy Hoffa hold on dad buddy how about actually jig buddy you'd be a keeper to qualify for the fish box an Alaskan halibut must be up to 42 inches or over 80 inches known as a Soaker big fish big fish going in the will [Music] [Applause] you got a little balance to it [Music] glad to throw this guy back and it too big we'll find out soon enough ya never know manually winching up a hundred pounds from 600 feet isn't a fun feet here comes you see him yeah but it's a beautiful thing to see that odd face when it hits daylight oh that's a nice one it's a beautiful fish [Music] [Music] she's all good there you go want to measure her out thank you let's do it she is about 58 inches it's gonna be 80 still nice work push it through [Music] the conditions are finicky and unpredictable but fishing with our guide Clinton makes for great days in the water [Music] ear-to-ear friends when the drag screams and the fish come in check that guy out that's a nice fish look at the hook knowledge just a tall dude as I get four they get bigger let's go get up and the spectacular sights make you forget when they don't three days gone just like that are there even enough days to see it all the landscape the wildlife and the fists keep going and go beautiful maybe that's why nature keeps the lights on all summer long in this part of the world it all adds up to one truth from Creek to Cove and forest a fátima Sitka is one of our great recreational fisheries [Music] for all its exotic wildness and Wonder sukkah isn't exactly another world there is a familiar feel to it Sitka is a story we didn't write but we've heard it before it's been told endlessly to countless generations from land to sea and back again what's the story all things are connected from the fish and whales in the blue to the Bears along the banks [Music] to the sea lions on the rocks just one big heavy biomass and let's not forget we are part of it too you
Info
Channel: Sport Fishing Television
Views: 13,778
Rating: undefined out of 5
Keywords: sftv, sport fishing television, sitka, alaska, lingcod, halibut, slamon, 2016, fishing
Id: la-0C7SXwNg
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 22min 16sec (1336 seconds)
Published: Thu Dec 07 2017
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.