Alaska Info

[nolte]

Hey guys

I'm going up to AK in a about 3 weeks. We are going Halibut fishing out of Homer with some Salmon, and Big Northern much farther inland. I was wondering what would be the best way to bring the fish back? I am flying Northwest out of MSP.

How many coolers are you allowed to bring back and what size?

Should I buy them up there or pack my clothes in them and bring them with me? Then ship my clothes back.

How many pounds can you put in each one? I read the info from the airline HSOforum but was wondering if I could get some first hand info.

Also can you pay xtra to bring some more back.

Should I look around and make some room for Crab or other seafood?

Any help would be greatly apprciated. Thanks guys.

[Farley]

A buddy of mine goes every year and from what he tells me, he'll buy the coolers up there, but last time the airlines wanted him to pay $50 for each extra cooler (you are allowed 1). He made a big deal out of it and I think they gave him a break on it somehow. That's all I know for sure.

[tjm]

Hey nolte

This might help ya a little bit

Extra baggage. You are allowed to check two pieces of luggage. Expect a hefty price tag if you want to check a third bag. Prices vary by airline. Delta charges $40; Northwest a whopping $80.

Starting Dec. 15, Northwest Airlines will change its charges for heavy bags in checked luggage. For bags from 50 to 70 pounds, a new fee of $25. For those weighing from 70 to 100 pounds, the price has been reduced from $80 to $50.

I take it your headed up towards fairbanks to fish for those 40" plus pike off the yukon?

How many days are you going for?

Which of those days are you fishing and for what this way i can help ya on the freezing the fish proper.I made a few mistakes over the years.

Make sure you dont have any coolers with drain plugs makes 1 heck of a mess on the plane.Not even sure they will allow them on with drain plugs.

Bring up 2 coolers pack your clothes in 1 along with a bag to put your clothes in on the flight home.I normaly bring 1 cooler and buy the rest at pay n save/carrs or wallyworld not much more then here anyways.

Bring duct tape along to wrap around the coolers keep the lids closed in a must the way they get thrown around your sure to looooooseeeeeeeee contents

[nolte]

Thanks guys

We're flying up on Jun 10th and fishing for Halibut on the 12th. We are then going up to Fairbanks after that and leaving on the 19th. My cousin is in the Airforce and it is his last year up there so I thought I better take advantage. He is my guide so I am all new to this stuff, but it looks like I am a little early for the salmon up there but we can go after some big Pike. He said we might be able to intercept the salmon if we get a little closer to the coast.

I've got one cooler without a drain so I'll bring that and pick one up when I get there.

Anything else I should remember to bring up besides a couple of cameras.

I think it is going to be a long three weeks waiting.

[fishnutbob]

Nolte, I just returned from Alaska fishing Haibut out of Seward april 10th. We flew NW and had one carry on and one other bag which could only weight 50 lbs. Four guys we brought back two coolers that were 50lbs each with Halibut, and NW checked them for us at no extra charge, one person you may pay more. We vacume packed the Halibut at a friends house then put them in coolers, do not forget duct tape for your coolers. Also freeze them before you pack them.

You should bring a set of rubber rain gear and a pair of ankle high rubber boots as the boats get wet, especially if the seas are high, if you think you may get sea sick take some medication 24hrs before you get on the boat, one in my party did its not fun If you can bring back crab thats a bonus, its great, I think Id forget the salmon and fill my coolers with as much Haibut as you can, its great, Ive cooked a bunch and everyone loved it. Digital camera would be nice or video even better. If its your first trip to Alaska you will love it, just beautiful. Have a great trip get ready to pull in some kitchen table top Halibut.

Good luck Hope this helps.

[tjm]

Nolte

Looks like your all set to go.

1 thing to remember if your fishing small creeks flowing into the Yukon DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WATER AT ALL.

1ST trip to yukon 5 hours in a 454 26'jetline 4 5gal empty buckets rolling around all the way to the fishing hole.Once we arrive i asked why on earth did we bring all these empty buckets.Brothers get that lil evil smirk and said look and then ask me that same question.He throws on the biggest daredevil i have ever seen side arms the cast to make it skip several times across the water.Each place it skipped along the top several 40" pike mouth open attacked the swirls left behind every skip.1 brother looks at me and said now after you catch a fish would you wanna wash your hands in the river or in 1 of the buckets.I grabbed a bucket and filled it half full of water sat it next to me with the biggest smile you ever seen.Thats what i call gator fishing.

Several pike we caught well over the 40" mark had ate some baby ducks swimming across the small creek on are 2nd day of fishing.1 pike we saw appeared to be near the 50" mark so we had are sights on it for a couple days on the 5th and final day 1 of my brothers hooked into a monster.When he landed it all you could see was a huge bulge in the belly so we asumed this was the gator that ate a full grown pintail.Just shy of 48" all fish were released sizes ranged from 37"-43" with the 1 big girl.

Reality sets in when you fish southern mn for pike the following week.So good luck on your fishing trip

[Glockwinger]

TJM, do you have any pics of that trip? WOW!

[Tripleplay]

I'm also headed up on the 13th. Halibut on the 15th & 16th out of Homer and then up to the Willow River for kings the 18th-20th. Have always wanted to hit the Russian for the reds, but have never stopped to fish although I've almost driven off the road into the river "craning" my neck to see how many folks were fishing.

I travel for work so I usually use my Northwest perks miles for my ticket and as such I "upgrade" to first class which allows me an extra piece of baggage which is always a cooler. (I've never needed more than two coolers but I've also never fished two days for Halibut so who knows.) Last year, the charter boat I went out with let me store my salmon at the fish packers in their freezer and then they vacuum packed all of the halibut and flash froze it so that I could grab it all ready to go. They even sealed the box and kept it under the travel weight although the 50 pounds is less than previous years (I think it was 65 lbs previously).

I always bring one large rolling cooler along (yes it has a drain plug which I triple tape shut) and it usually is pretty full of venison and fresh veggies on the way up. I always purchase one of the styrofoam coolers inside a cardboard box as well, but usually wait until towards the end of the trip to see how much weight I've got to get packed. When you are packing the coolers try to have a bathroom scale available because you don't want to be moving stuff or repacking in the airport and the other option is just paying the overweight charge.

I'm leaning towards buying a cheap pair of waders here in MN and just leaving them in Alaska from now on as they take up too much space and weight coming home. (last year I got by with a borrowed pair of hip boots but have a tendency to have a wet rear end from leaning back to fight the fish) The rubber boots are a great idea and some of the charters actually will provide a pair and that could save you some weight and cash if you can check their HSOforum. You definitely want these as the captains religiously spray down the back deck after landing the halibut and you don't want to be fishing all day in wet shoes. Bring or buy at least a big roll of duct tape and I usually go through two rolls each trip. You just can't seal those coolers well enough as the edges get roughed up and the tape breaks on the seams. In this case more is always better in my estimation. (you can't pack dry ice on airlines so having you fish frozen solid will be the key to getting it back to MN in good condition for eating----also get it into a freezer as quickly as you can after you get back)

You can't beat the crab up there but you also need the cooler space and weight available which may mean the fishing wasn't that great. I hope your fishing is so good that you don't even want to think about the crab!

[tjm]

Have a couple pics but i have a video 1hr 15min long.Nothing but fighting monster pike.When i return to Mn i'll post a few pics.If i knew how to put a few minutes of the video online i would.Also have a great bear video with 4 browns being taken some may have seen this video it was aired several years back on channel 35.If Rick would and could put it on here i would be more then happy to drop the tapes off at his house.Bear video is a must see.Lots of action.