FishwithJD

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Guiding: My new career path?

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JD,

After 30 years in the union as a Air Conditioning tech, the last 19 years with one company…I was laid off! I’ve got to tell ya, I am a little burnt out! I could care less if I don’t ever see another HVAC product in my life!

I bought a North River a couple of years ago and have been fishing a lot due to being out of work, mostly New Melones and Lake Pardee, in the Motherlode! Yesterday I entered a derby at lake Pardee put on by CIFF. That was a kick ass time. We were 5th place in the trout division.

I would much rather make a living doing something I want to do Instead of something I have to do, no what I mean? My wife tells me I am a lot more happy these days! Any advice?

Thanks, Jim

Hey Jim,

Sorry to hear about you getting laid off…man, tough times right now!

And for anyone else reading this who is in a similar position, I cannot stress enough that there are financial resources out there if being laid off has caused you any financial difficulties. You can learn more about these financial resources by checking out this useful guide that also outlines some of the differences between furlough vs layoff.

As far as making a living doing something you love, I assume you’re considering the guiding route.

Well, here’s my two cents worth on that subject:

Your wife is on to something — do what makes you happy…that’s pretty much what mine said when I dropped the little “honey, I think I’m going to become a guide” on her back in 1997. Well, what I can tell ya is it is the greatest job in the world…I mean, damn, you get to get out there and be on the water every day. How cool is that, right?

However, there are some wake-up calls that every new guide gets, too. In most cases (myself included), you find out really quickly that you don’t know nearly as much as you thought you did about catching fish when you have to do it every day, under pressure and under all conditions. Before I was a guide, we’d quit fishing when the wind kicked up or the river got muddy or whatever….but you can’t do that when you’ve got 4 paying clients in your boat.

Dealing with the public can be a bit of a test some days, too. If you get a personality or two on the boat that doesn’t mesh with yours (it’s guaranteed to happen), it can make for a loooong day.

The other thing to consider is that, despite what most people think, you don’t actually get to do any fishing when you’re guiding. It really does change your outlook on the sport. When I was busy running 2 salmon trips a day, seven days a week for 30-40 days straight, the last thing I wanted to do when I had a day off was get near a boat!

With the economy being super suckalitious right now and fishing in many areas kinda on the same track, starting a guide business at the moment is a tough road. However, if you dedicate yourself and have passion for it, you’ll be fine. And again, it’s still one of the coolest jobs you can have!

My best advice to new guides is this:

Remember it’s what you do between the bites that makes or breaks you.

I’ll leave you with that one to digest. Good luck with whatever path you decide to take and please let me know if I can help you out if try the guiding thing.

Best time to fish Alaska?

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JD,

When is the best time to go fishing in AK. I want to fly into Anchorage and make my way to Homer.

Thanks,
Brian

Brian,

Well, that’s a bit of a broad question….depends on what type of fishing you want to do. Driving down from Anchorage, there’s not a ton of stuff to do off the bank (unless you count combat fisheries like Bird and Ship creeks) until you get down to Cooper Landing down on the Kenai River. Of course, you have Soldotna just past that.

In that area you are in the epicenter of the Kenai’s giant king salmon fishing (May-July), though you’ll need to get on a guide boat to have much of a chance. Also, the reds come in thick in the Kenai and Russian rivers in July and then there are the jumbo rainbows, dollies, silvers, chums and humpies (mainly on even years).

Heading towards Homer, you will encounter the Kasilof River, where you can catch some kings below the Crooked Creek Hatchery off the bank or try Deep Creek, Ninilchik River and Anchor River, which have a mix of salmon and trout.

Homer, of course, is the self-proclaimed “Halibut Capitol of the World” and you can find countless charters down on the Spit that will take you out into Kachemak Bay for flatties. There’s also a fish pond on the spit that salmon return to, though it’s not really the nicest place to fish…

Braided Line for River Salmon?

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JD,

Well, I am probably one of the last guys to switch over to braided line but, I was wondering when running bait divers for Kings what size leader do you run?

Also I am running GLoomis HSR 982 rods do you think these rods are too fast for running divers and braid? Does braid work well for running Kwiks? I have always run mono but, I would like to switch I think.

Any opinions would be great!

I am a guide here on the Skagit and Sauk rivers in northern WA, and all info would be appreciated.

Nick P.

Hey Nick!

Don’t worry…you’re not alone in the late switch to braid…there’s plenty of die hard Old Skool salmon anglers out there like yourself. Once you do try braid, however, you’ll never go back. While you’re at it, you may want to look into updating that 8-track player in your truck too. Just messing with ya! :)

Anyway, the leader I run depends on the particular river I’m fishing. On small, clear streams, I may drop down to 20-lb. flouro and use a longer section — maybe 6 feet. In big water, you can bump that up to 30- or 40-pound and drop the length down to 3-4 feet. I run my divers off a slider rig attached to the braid and only use the clear stuff between the diver and the bait.

Yea, the HSR 982’s may be a bit fast. I’m a huge fan of the HSR 941’s for both diver & eggs and pulling plugs for both kings and steelies, which leads me to my next point:

Yes, braid is the ticket for pulling Kwikfish/Flatfish. It really is the way to go for both flat-lining plugs and back-bouncing ’em. Again, just be sure to run a lighter drag and a softer rod…hence the GLoomis HSR 941s I mentioned above.

The Difference in Egg Cures??

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JD,

I was wondering if you could explain the difference between sulfite and borax eggs cures. Furthermore, are there times when one is superior to the other, for example do Kings prefer sulfite cured eggs over borax?

Cheers,
Mike

Mike, many of the commercially-produced cures like Pro Cure, Pro Glo, etc. are sulfite cures…in that, sodium sulfite is one of the main ingredients. Usually, there’s other stuff in there too like dye and maybe some sort of “bite stimulant.”

Boraxed eggs are just that — baits rolled around in a bowl or Zip-Loc of Borax (not Boraxo). Borax helps toughen the outer membrane so the eggs will fish longer but doesn’t add any flavor or color.

Generally speaking, kings and other salmon prefer bright red salty eggs so go with sulfite eggs while chasing them. On the other hand, steelies like a sweeter egg, so Borax or Jell-o cures are better for them.

Both species will cross over and eat the other type of bait, but you will definitely do better by matching your bait to the species you’re after.