Steve’s Blog, The Wiquer Kingdom

So my buddy steve has a blog he has been working on for a while. You should check it out.

http://wiquer.blogspot.com

It basically the world according to Steve. Good reading, and he makes some good points.

Big Halibut on Video… This is a true Alaskan Giant

This is a video I saw with a HUGE halibut… Had to share.

I am not going to make any statements on the politics of keeping large halibut, nor on the science that shows large halibut may not be any more prolific breeders than midsize halibut. Personally I do not even like the taste of the big girls… when I am meat fishing, I only keep Halibut under 50 lbs and if I by chance I hook into a giant, I safely release it whenever I can.

This is not me in the vid, but I hope you like it the same.

Great place to find Vacation Rentals in Haines Alaska

So I love to travel to go fishing, and one of my favorite places to visit is Haines, Alaska.  Lets just say the motels in town are not always known for generous room sizes, so when I visit Haines I usually like to rent a house or cabin for me and my fishing buddies.

Its always has been a pain to try to find places through word of mouth, so I am excited that a new site is coming up that will list vacation rentals in an easy to find way. When you are looking for Rentals in Haines Alaska I suggest you check out www.hainesrentals.com. The site is still under development, so there is not a lot of listings yet, but I have heard from my friends in town that it is going to be a popular service for homeowners looking to rent out their place.

Good luck, and tight lines.

Easy Home Smoked Salmon Recipe: A Sweet, Salty, and Salmony Manna from Heaven.

Smoked Salmon is one of the tastiest, healthiest, and belive it or not, easiest things to make at home, so long as you have a little patience. The process is cakework, and the time it sits makes it taste great.

Easy Smoked Salmon

There is basically only 4 totally “needed” ingredients, and only a 4 easy steps between you and Salmon Heaven. My recipe is for a dry brined salmon, which is then hot smoked, which I feel is simple, easy, and imparts a beautiful flavor to the fish.

Ingredients you will need.

Salmon (I prefer Coho, King, or Sockeye, but Pink, and Chum Salmon also smoke well. Even Steelhead Trout can work great).
Dark Brown Sugar
Sea Salt
Spices (garlic is the only “NEEDED” spice, but you could add others according to taste).

Ok here we go.

Step One:
Prepare the fish… This is easy, just filet the fish, cut some long slits into, but NOT through, the meat every inch or so, and then cut into portion size peices (about 4 ounces each). You could also use salmon steaks, but I feel that filets allow more brine and smoke flavor to get into the meat.

Step Two:
Brine the fish… Mix 5 parts brown sugar with 1 part sea salt. Then add in spices to taste. The ratios need to stay the same, but the quantity will change depending on how much fish you have to smoke. If I use 5 cups of brown sugar and one cup of salt I might add in 10 cloves of chopped garlic, and maybe a little fresh ground black pepper.

Ok you have the dry brine… now just put your filets in a glass or plastic contaner and cover them completely with the brine… thats it… stick it in the fridge overnight. In the morning the dry brine will have turned to liquid… thats awesome.

Step Three:
Dry the fish… Take the fish out of the refridgerator and rinse it off in the sink. Now lay the filets on a rack and allow them so sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours, less if its really warm in the room. This will dry the fish and will allow it to form a tacky shiny surface… this is called a pellicle. This step is crucial… do not skip it or worry about the fish spoiling by sitting out for a few hours. the salt from the brine that soaked into the meat will impede bacteria growth. The pellicle keeps the remaining moisture in the fish during smoking and allows the smoke to properly permeate it.

Step Four:
Smoke the fish… Put in a grill, smoker, or smokehouse and smoke the fish until finished (5 hours or so varible depending on the temperature of your smoker). Hard woods such as alder wood are most common and give a great flavor to the salmon. Fruit woods like cherry or apple also work very well.

Now Eat and Enjoy.

Feel free to share your own recipes for smoked salmon in the comments section, or let me know how this turned out.

Fishing in the Chilkat River in Haines with low Salmon counts

This year was not a great year for Salmon Returns in Haines Alaska. Haines Alaska Fishing was hampered by a closer of the Chilkat River to King Salmon Fishing. Just when you thought it wasn’t going to get worse, the Chilkat River was extra high this year, the high water and high silt content made fishing even more difficult.

So what does it mean when the fishing is hard? Should you take your rod and lock it in the shed? Should all the Yukon fishermen stay in Canada? Of course not.

There are always places that the fish will be. Salmon are predictable, and even in the silty Chilkat there are areas where streams feed into the river and the water clears up. There are places where the current changes and the salmon will stack up, and most of all, there are places that you will catch fish.

With low salmon counts a personal moral question comes up: if don’t need to go meat fishing, should you take fish out of an already reduced spawning pool? Personally I don’t. When I know that I am not going to be keeping the fish I catch I use barbless hooks, and never fish with baits that will be taken deeply. Handling the fish properly also helps to ensure their survival. I always say, do NOT pull fish out of the water if you do not need to, and if you intend to release them.

Good luck next fishing season, whether you are fishing in the Chilkat River for Silver Salmon, or somewhere else, remember to conserve our resources and enjoy the time you spend on the water.

Fishing in Petersburg Alaska for big Salmon and Halibut

I like to call it the Alaskan Double, King Salmon and Halibut on one trip out on the water. Fishing In Petersburg Alaska earlier this year I made it happen, although it was on accident.

While Trolling for King Salmon we had a few baits at different depths. One bait was running pretty deep and, as sometimes happens, a halibut came up off the bottom and took the herring. After finding the depth the fish were sitting at we were able to get a few nice Kings in the boat as well. We even ended up with one suprise Coho Salmon, they are usually not in the area at this time of year.

Petersburg Alaska is a very nice place to visit. It has a unique Scandinavian feel and is one of the most “Alaskan” small towns in Alaska.

City of Petersburg Alaska

Salmon and Halibut Fishing Season is Over, time for Crabs.

So for the most part the Salmon and Halibut fishing for this year is wrapping up or finished at many area streams. I hope that everyone had as much fun out fishing on the water as I did.

Its getting colder and for many people that means CRABS… one of the things I love about Alaska is the ability to set a crab pot, bait it, let it soak, and then return to a little trap full of delicious crabs just waiting for you to haul it up. What are your favorite crab baits? I find that almost any dead fish do the trick, but sometimes one outproduces the other. Pink Salmon are a favorite of mine due to their ready availibility.

Good luck to everyone and enjoy this colder time of year.

Salmon Fishing – Spoons and Spinners for Silvers

So I have decided that my aboslute favorite lure for Silver Salmon Fishing is the Vibrax Spinner, followed by the Pixee Spoon. Both are made by Blue Fox.

When fishing for Coho spinners and spoons can be used in rivers as well as in saltwater. Look for a school of coho, motor over to them, and start catching fish. You can literally limit out in no time at all.

Another great thing about spinners are the ease of use. Tie on a snap swivel, click in the spinner, cast and reel it in. If you are new to fishing for Salmon in Alaska, try spoons and spinners first. You will not be dissappointed.

Halibut Recipe – Thai Halibut Curry

As you know I am a big fan of bringing exotic recipes to the subsistance fish that we all have stocked in our freezers. As good as fish and chips, smoked salmon, and baked halibut are every once in a while we need a change of pace.

This is a personal adaptation to a Thai favorite. A simple preperation with great ingredients that yeilds a healthy and flavorful meal sure to please everyone.

Thai Halibut Curry 

2 Pounds Skinless Halibut Filet (cut into portions
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Cup Diced Shallots (onion can be substituted)
3 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste
1 Cup Coconut Milk
2 Cups of Fish Stock (Chicken Stock could be substituted)
1/2 cup of Cilantro (Chopped)
1/4 cup Basil Leaves (Chopped)
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1 Lime
Scallions for Garnish
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Season
Rice or Rice Noodles

Saute Shallots in the Canola Oil over medium heat until they start to turn soft and golden. Add in Fish Stock, Curry Paste, Coconut Milk, and Peanut Butter. Simmer for about 5-8 Minutes until Sauce reduces and starts to thicken slightly.

Lightly season the Halibut Portions with Salt and Ground Black Pepper. Place the Halibut in the pan with the sauce and spoon the saucce over the halibut so it is completely covered. Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes until Halibut just flakes. Do NOT Overcook the Halibut.

Place some rice or noodles on a plate and sprinkle with the basil. Place the Halibut Portion over the rice. Add the Cilantro to the sauce and allow it to wilt. Squeeze a sprinkle of Lime Juice over the Halibut and then spoon the sauce over the fish and rice or pasta. Garnish with Scallions and Fresh Black Pepper.

Enjoy. This is a favorite in my family and I hope that you love it as well.

Declining Salmon Runs Killing BC tourism and sportfishing.

Large commercial fish farms are being blamed for rapidly crashing stocks of wild salmon in British Columbia Canada.

In one spawning area, Glendale Creek, the numbers of returning salmon have dropped from 264,000 last year, to only 19,000 this year. This represents a decline of about 93% in just one year. These declines are not only occuring on Glendale Creek, but are unfortunately indicative of patterns in many other area spawning grounds.

Salmon are a keystone of the area ecosystem and without salmon to feed on, Bears and even Killer whales are suffering. Area tourism is built on wild outdoors experiences and sportfishing. With starving bears, no killer whales to be found, and minimal salmon to catch area tourism based businesses are in trouble.

Hearing about this stuff makes me really happy that commercial salmon farms are not alloud in Alaska. Alaskan’s can look to this example and recognise why it is so important to protect our wild salmon stocks.

Here is an article from a Canadian newspaper with details News Article.