July 27th - 28th

We had to leave Homer today... sad but true as it was time to move on.  We've had a couple of very nice days here with exploring, walking the spit, and fishing.

Yesterday (27th) WD went on a combo, salmon & halibut fish trip on the "Tuff-Stuff", a 34' Bertrim with twin diesel-cat engines.  Having 2 engines gives one a sense of security (maybe a false one) when heading out into the ocean.  It was another rainy day and the waves were forecasted to build after lunch so we started salmon fishing.  There were 4 of us on the boat (2 men from Oregon and a lady (Kittie) from Fairbanks) and each of us had our limit of 3 silver salmon by 10:30 AM.  They fish for salmon the same way we do in Lake Michigan.

Next it was on to the halibut.  What an experience!  First we anchor and let the fish come to us.  We used 3 pound (this is not a typo) weights to get the lines on bottom which was about 160'.  Once there, we waited and it didn't take long before we were hauling in halibut.  I can tell you that it was one of the most, if not the most, exhausting way to fish.  Just bringing in the 3 pound weight to check the bait, which we had to do frequently, was a chore in itself!.  WD kept 2 small ones about 20 pounds and we do not have room in the freezer for more.  Anything under 25 pounds is called a chicken... just can't seem to get away from the chicken   .  Everyone else caught and kept 40 - 50 pounders.

The last fish of the day was a 90 pounder, which Kittie caught and kept... her last fish!  Kattie is 58" tall and the fish was 54.5".  Like many of the Alaskan women we've met, she was very independent and self-sufficient (she lived in Tok, AK for 19 years in a house without electricity and running water... she home-schooled her children) while enjoying hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.

When WD was out working har  d to bring home some food for BA, she was out walking the spit (7 miles) and then that was not enough as she decided to bike another 20 miles around Homer.

We've both decided that out of all the places we've seen to date, Homer is a place where we could put down roots if it wasn't for the winters - Arizona here we come!

Pictures can be found at Homer Activities 2009

Did you know?  Alaska is the seafood capital of the US with over one million square miles of rich fishing waters!  More than all of the lower 48 states combined.  Havesting over six billion pounds of seafood per year.

Keep safe and keep the loops open.