Karlee Winkelman with her personal best halibut at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Angling the Alutians, Part I
Airs the weeks of Febuary 3rd and May 5th
The Aleutian Islands, which extend 1500 miles west from Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, form the border between the Pacific Ocean and the icy waters of the Bearing Sea.
Lush, green volcanic peaks…misty fiords…and an abundance of wildlife compliment the richest fishing waters on earth.
The IGFA all-tackle 459 pound world record halibut was caught here and it’s successor waits for some lucky angler’s next cast.
Would you go to the ends of the earth to find such a sea-monster-of-a-fish?
In 1997—one year after the 459 pound world record halibut was taken in this same area, I was able to lock onto a giant sea creature myself. 411 pounds to be exact! But to fully appreciate the magnitude of this Alaskan adventure—and the reason I absolutely had to return again last August with my family—a little geography lesson is in order.
From Anchorage, by plane we follow the Aleutian Island chain, which forms the northern border of the pacific rim that stretches nearly to Siberia. The islands are a breathtaking sight to behold!
Dutch Harbor is a small port town on Unalaska Island, about a third of the way out.
It’s an ultra-isolated frontier settlement—cold, gray and often fogged in. Seafood companies employ migrant workers from all over the world and it’s from this port crabbing ships headed out during the filming of The Deadliest Catch.
During WWII, Dutch Harbor was also a key U.S. Navy Base, where a major battle took place. Pillboxes and war remnants are still seen scattered along its shores.
We meet up with our, a husband/wife chartering duo, who takes visiting anglers out to experience various angling thrills this part of Alaska has to offer.
Halibut methods are simple and largely designed for deep water where halibut live. Once a reef or hump holding baitfish is found, the boat is positioned for a controlled drift. One pound jigs, baited with squid, are lowered to the bottom, reeled up slightly and then slowly jigged.
You’d better believe we’re on the lookout for a new world record halibut, because without a doubt it’s possible any time out.
I love big butts and I cannot lie! And ya know what else I’m excited about? My daughter’s first taste of a place that only gets sweeter and sweeter from beginning to end. I mean, come on! Who hasn’t dreamed of Alaska!? Nobody’s immune to its wild effects, so I sure hope you can tune in for this weeks extremely remote Good Fishing.
