[Paddlewise] Paddling with Salmon

Trip Report
Saturday, July 17, 1999


  Saturday dawned cloudy and overcast with light winds out of the north.  A
good day for some  fishing at the southern end of Gastineau Channel, near
Taku Inlet, about 8 miles south of Juneau.  I loaded the Skerray on the Jeep
and headed for the put-in at a place called Sheep Creek.  Low tide was still
about two hours away, but the water's edge lay more than 500 yards away over
a rocky beach covered with barnacles and mussels.   I decided to launch in
the creek itself to avoid dragging the loaded kayak and paddle out to the
open water.  The creek was full of Chum Salmon, commonly referred to as Dog
Salmon because of the large protruding canines sported by the males during
spawning season.  Full - as in shore to shore, nose to tail, packed with
fish.  The fish don't spawn in the creek itself; it's blocked by an
impassable waterfall a short distance upstream and the fish are merely
returning to the hatchery located at the base of the falls.  I knew that my
passage among these fish wouldn't be disturbing any fragile eco-balance and
it might be fun, so a quick launch into a class I riffle with a tight bend
that required some quick attention and then I was among them.  It was like
paddling in the midst of an underwater explosion of fish - they certainly
didn't like the idea of a large grey object moving amongst them in the
shallow waters and fled in explosive bursts, tails and fins often breaking
the surface with splashes as they rocketed away from the perceived threat.
Truly the greater threat lay in the 25-30 bald eagles that were hanging
around and gorging on the easy pickings.  There weren't any bears around,
possibly because of the lack of cover (nearly the entire run of the creek
below the falls is in the tidal zone) and the frequent human activity.  
  When I reached the mouth of the creek the water was literally lifted in a
wave as a huge school of panicked fish fled from the dangerous grey object
with strange "fins".  Then I was finally into open water and  paddling with
the ebb tide and with the wind (sometimes you just get lucky).  Paddling
about 100 to 200 yards from shore I was treated to the view of jumping
salmon everywhere around the kayak, sometimes 3 or 4 fish jumping at one
time within a 25 yard distance from the kayak.  One fish jumped only inches
from the bow in an arc a foot above the kayak.  Pretty incredible to see,
and at first slighty nerve-wracking.  Nothing like a 20 pound fish exploding
out of the water 10 feet behind you to get a quick shot of adrenaline
flowing :-)
  Shore sightings on this stretch included more bald eagles and a mink
watching unafraid from shore.  I stopped for about 3 minutes to allow a
curious river otter, merrily munching on something, to watch the kayaker
until he got bored and swam away.  
  Paddled several miles down to the remnants of an old wooden dock at a spot
called DuPont where the gunpower and dynamite for the old mining operations
used to be stored and took a break on shore.  I broke out a spinning rod and
reel and soon had a nice 16" Dolly Varden in hand.  Well, truth be told, I
caught two 12" Dolly's and a Sculpin (locally called a "Double Ugly") that I
released before catching a keeper.  Fish go into a mesh bag tied to the
perimeter line and then back into the kayak for more beachcombing and
fishing on the way down to Point Bishop and the beginning of Taku Inlet.
Six fish for the day and it was time to head home, this time against the
wind (darn :-)) but with the flood tide.  I stopped and watched a purse
seiner work the salmon for a while - it sure looks like a tough way to make
a living, even on nice days when the sea is relatively calm.
  The campers were heading back to town as I paddled back past DuPont -
rented kayaks, cotton clothing, no visible PFDs, no visible paddle float, no
visible pump - but very friendly and talkative.  Ignorance is bliss I guess
- right up until the day it turns into that terrible "Oh S&#t" feeling.  I
probably looked like a geeky gear nut with a Rambo complex to them. :-)   
  Back to Sheep Creek and the take out - this time the tide let me get very
close and the carry to the car wasn't bad at all.  A local couple walking
past found it quite interesting that I combined fishing and kayaking - it's
all just fun on the water to me.  A good day - and dinner that night was
very satisfying.  

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska

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